Weaving a Web of Lies

Chapter 24: Covering the Lie

The crowd stared at him in horror. "Then why did you move it here!"

Xu Huo grinned. "This kind of thing—believe it and it exists, don't believe and it doesn't."

"Let me see the diary." Huang Junjie had just opened his mouth when Wan Zhikang snatched the diary from Xu Huo's hands. "I looked through this diary just now too. How come I didn't see that sentence?"

He flipped through it noisily, then said after a moment, "All bullshit. Not a single useful thing."

Zhang Xiong grabbed the diary and passed it to Huang Junjie. "You're the smart one. Take a look—maybe you'll find something."

Under everyone's gaze, Huang Junjie quickly skimmed the diary, his expression much the same as Wan Zhikang's.

"The diary's owner wasn't mentally stable. The later entries are chaotic, with plenty of crossed-out parts. I didn't notice the inserted sentence when I read it before either."

"Aside from the fact that the mountain villa kills a few people every so often, there's really very little information about the Head Chopper Demon."

"But the Head Chopper Demon's traits mentioned in the diary are very close to what I saw—black mask, very tall, holding a sharp axe."

In truth, several players had flipped through this diary. The reason they hadn't paid it much attention was that, compared to this disjointed, low-value diary, the notes or briefs left by some of the dead were far more useful.

Some people had come specifically for the Head Chopper Demon and done their research beforehand.

But that information was irrelevant to the players, because the details it mentioned—massive build, enormous strength, incredible running speed—were all visible to the naked eye. And for Evolvers, none of that was a big deal. If the Head Chopper Demon was just another Evolver, it would actually be easier to deal with.

"Doesn't the Head Chopper Demon only chop off heads?" The diary had already passed to Wang Wei. The university student standing beside him, who had barely spoken since entering the villa, asked, "Then why are some people missing arms or legs?"

"Maybe they fought back before they were killed." Du Lanlan's face was pale. "The Head Chopper Demon isn't all-powerful. Didn't it run away yesterday after failing to kill Mr. Huang?"

"But why did the Head Chopper Demon target Mr. Huang first?" Abel struggled to read the diary's text. "Mr. Huang doesn't seem to have touched the statue. If so, what the diary says isn't accurate."

"I did touch it." Huang Junjie's expression was grave. "When I entered the villa yesterday, I accidentally brushed against the stone pillar at the intersection."

"Does that mean the Head Chopper Demon kills in order?" Du Lanlan looked at Xu Huo and Xia Guo.

Xu Huo chewed on his bread and said to Xia Guo, whose lips were trembling, "Don't be scared. I'm ahead of you in line."

Xia Guo glared at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Just a coincidence. I don't believe the Head Chopper Demon knows I touched its statue."

"Can't say that for sure." Wan Zhikang said, "The Head Chopper Demon is a supernatural existence. Maybe it's watching us every second, and we just can't see it."

"Stop it. You're giving me goosebumps in broad daylight." Wang Wei rubbed his arms.

"The way I see it, this is good news." The rich second generation propped one foot on the dining table. "Whether the Head Chopper Demon kills in order or not, at least we know one thing—people who've touched the statue will definitely die first."

"Simple then. If the ones who touched the statue hold out a little longer, the rest of us can get through the remaining days safely, right?"

"Are you even human?" Xia Guo snapped. "What good does our death do you?"

"No harm either." Liu Yuan Yuan grinned. "You three are in danger. The rest of us are safe."

By then, Zhang Xiong had already put distance between himself and Huang Junjie. The others wore expressions of tacit agreement.

After the brief gathering, the players dispersed in discord, leaving the dining hall one after another.

Xu Huo and Yuan Yao stayed behind to eat.

"Brother Xu, I was really worried someone would see through it just now. If they found out those words were added by you, they might beat us to death on the spot." Yuan Yao lowered his voice, his tone relieved.

"There's so much written material in the warehouse. Even if someone read it all, they couldn't memorize everything. They'll just think they were careless." Xu Huo's expression was calm.

"Then how did you know touching the statue would bring a curse, bro? Did you see Huang Junjie touch it?"

Xu Huo paused mid-drink, his gaze circling the Head Chopper Demon statue on the floor before he said, "Just a coincidence."

After eating his fill, Xu Huo told Yuan Yao to ask around if any other players had touched the statue, then went back to his room to catch up on sleep.

He didn't get up until nearly evening. By then, a heavy fog had rolled in, and it was hard to tell whether it was day or night.

Most of the players had returned to the villa. When he met up with Yuan Yao, he learned what had happened that afternoon.

Huang Junjie, Wang Wei, and the university student had spent the whole afternoon in the warehouse. Du Lanlan and Xia Guo had gone to the warehouse for a while, then headed over to the wooden cabin.

Zhang Xiong and Wan Zhikang had gone too, but they'd gone to snatch the Woodcutter's axe. The Woodcutter nearly fought them to the death, and it was only when Abel offered to pray for his family that things calmed down.

Xu Huo asked Du Lanlan for a hair tie, tied his hair back, and called Yuan Yao to head out.

"Brother Xu, where are we going?" Yuan Yao hesitated. "It's getting dark. Going out now doesn't seem safe."

The diary might be fake, but the Head Chopper Demon was the real deal.

"I can go alone." Xu Huo walked off without waiting.

Yuan Yao looked back at the other players in the Main Hall, rubbed his face with both hands, and followed anyway.

As they stepped out, they ran into Huang Junjie, who was also heading toward the wooden cabin.

The three exchanged nods as a greeting.

After walking in silence for a while, Huang Junjie suddenly stopped and leaned against a tree.

"You okay?" Yuan Yao moved closer. "Your shoulder's bleeding again. Isn't there any first-aid medicine in the villa?"

"Didn't find any." Huang Junjie could still hold on. He suddenly turned to Xu Huo, who was a few meters away, and said, "The part about everyone who touches the Head Chopper Demon statue being cursed—you added that to the diary, didn't you."

Xu Huo raised an eyebrow slightly. "You noticed."

Huang Junjie pointed at his own eyes. "This is my trait. I can see details ordinary people miss. Your imitation was very good, but the handwriting doesn't match the diary's timeline."

"You deliberately moved the stone statue back into the dining hall. You suspect the Head Chopper Demon's identity?"

Xu Huo lit a cigarette out of habit, his expression knowing. "I was wondering how it was so coincidental. Good coordination."

Yuan Yao looked between the two of them, his brain struggling to keep up. "So you're saying you never actually touched the statue."

"No." Huang Junjie answered very directly. "I discovered that stone carving yesterday, but I never touched it, nor did I mention it to anyone."

"The reason I went along with the Diary Curse lie today is the same as Mr. Xu's—I suspect there's a Player impersonating the Head Chopper Demon."

o(╥﹏╥)o Begging for collections and recommendation tickets~