Making Up the Lie

Making Up the Lie

Everyone looked at him in horror. "Then why did you bring it here?!"

Xu Huo grinned. "That sort of thing only exists if you believe in it."

"Let me see the diary." Huang Junjie had barely opened his mouth when Wan Zhikang snatched the diary from Xu Huo's hands. "I read this diary earlier too. How come I didn't see that line?"

He flipped through it noisily for a while before saying, "It's all garbage. There's not a single useful thing in here."

Zhang Xiong took the diary from him and handed it to Huang Junjie. "You're the smart one. Take a look. Maybe you'll notice something."

Under everyone's gaze, Huang Junjie quickly skimmed the diary. His expression was much like Wan Zhikang's.

"The diary's owner wasn't quite right in the head. The later entries are jumbled, and there are a lot of scribbled-out passages. I didn't notice that line tucked inside when I read it earlier, either."

"Other than the fact that a few people die at the villa every so often, there really isn't much information about the Head Chopper Demon."

"But the description of the Head Chopper Demon in the diary is very close to what I saw: a very tall figure wearing a black mask and carrying a battle-axe."

Actually, several players had come across this diary. They hadn't paid much attention to it because, compared with its disjointed entries and lack of useful information, the reports and notes left behind by some of the dead were much more valuable.

Someone had come specifically to investigate the Head Chopper Demon and had done some research beforehand.

But the players didn't think this information mattered. The diary's descriptions of the demon's enormous build, great strength, and speed were all things they could see with their own eyes. Besides, these things were nothing special to Evolvers. If the Head Chopper Demon was just another Evolver, it would actually be easier to deal with.

"Doesn't the Head Chopper Demon only cut off people's heads?" The diary had made its way to Wang Wei. The college student standing beside him, who had hardly said a word since entering the villa, spoke up. "Why are some people losing their hands and feet?"

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

"But why did the Head Chopper Demon attack Mr. Huang first?" Abel struggled to read the writing in the diary. "Mr. Huang doesn't seem to have touched the statue. If so, the diary's claim isn't accurate."

"I did touch it." Huang Junjie said gravely, "Yesterday, when I entered the villa, I accidentally brushed against the stone post at the entrance."

"Could the Head Chopper Demon be killing people 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 already trembling, "Don't be afraid. I'm ahead of you in line."

Xia Guo glared at him, her eyes red. "It was just a coincidence. I don't believe the Head Chopper Demon could know that I touched its statue."

"Who knows?" Wan Zhikang said. "The Head Chopper Demon is supernatural. Maybe it's watching us every second, and we just can't tell."

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

"I think this is good news." The rich kid propped one foot on the dining table. "Whether or not the Head Chopper Demon is killing people in order, at least we know one thing: anyone who touched the statue will definitely die first."

"That makes things simple. Those who touched the statue can hold out a little longer, and everyone else can get through the remaining days in peace, right?"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Xia Guo snapped. "What good would it do you if we died?"

"It wouldn't hurt, either." Liu Yuanyuan said with a giggle, "The three of you are in more danger, so the rest of us will be safe."

By then, Zhang Xiong had already put some distance between himself and Huang Junjie. The others seemed to agree by default.

After a brief gathering, the players dispersed in a bad mood and left the dining hall one after another.

Xu Huo and Yuan Yao stayed behind to eat.

"Brother Xu, I was really worried someone would figure it out just now. If they realized you'd added those lines, they might've beaten us to death." Yuan Yao lowered his voice, sounding relieved.

"There are so many written records in the Warehouse. Even if they read them all, they couldn't possibly remember everything. They'll just think they overlooked it." Xu Huo's expression remained calm.

"Then how did you know that people who touched the Stone Carving would be cursed? Did you see Huang Junjie touch it?"

Xu Huo paused with his water halfway to his mouth. His gaze swept over the Head Chopper Demon Statue on the ground before he said, "Probably just a coincidence."

After they had eaten their fill, Xu Huo asked Yuan Yao to find out whether any other players had touched the statue, then went back to his room to catch up on sleep.

It was almost evening when he got up. A thick fog had rolled in, and the sky looked nearly as dark as night even though it was still light out.

Most of the players had returned to the villa. After meeting up with Yuan Yao, Xu Huo learned what had happened that afternoon.

Huang Junjie, Wang Wei, and the college student had spent the entire afternoon in the Warehouse. Du Lanlan and Xia Guo had gone to the Warehouse for a while before heading over to the Wooden Cabin.

Zhang Xiong and Wan Zhikang had gone too, but they were trying to take the Woodcutter's axe. The Woodcutter had nearly fought them over it, but Abel eventually calmed things down by offering to pray for his relatives.

Xu Huo asked Du Lanlan for a rubber band to tie his hair back, then called Yuan Yao and headed out.

"Brother Xu, where are we going?" Yuan Yao hesitated. "It's almost dark. It's not safe to go out now."

The diary was a lie, but the Head Chopper Demon was real.

"I can go by myself." Xu Huo said, then set off.

Yuan Yao glanced back at the other players in the lobby and rubbed his face with both hands. In the end, he followed.

As they left, they happened to run into Huang Junjie, who was heading to the Wooden Cabin as well.

The three exchanged nods in greeting.

They walked single file for a while before Huang Junjie suddenly stopped and leaned against a tree.

"Are you okay?" Yuan Yao went over to him. "Your shoulder's bleeding again. Doesn't the villa have any first-aid supplies?"

"I couldn't find any." Huang Junjie was still holding on. Suddenly, he called out to Xu Huo, who was a few meters away. "You added the claim that anyone who touched the Head Chopper Demon Statue would be cursed to the diary, didn't you?"

Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "You figured it out."

Huang Junjie pointed at his eyes. "This is my Ability. It lets me see details ordinary people can't. You imitated the handwriting very well, but it wasn't written at the same time as the rest of the diary."

"You also deliberately moved the Stone Carving into the dining hall. Do you suspect someone's pretending to be the Head Chopper Demon?"

Xu Huo habitually lit a cigarette, looking unsurprised. "I was wondering how it could be such a coincidence. Nice work playing along."

Yuan Yao looked back and forth between the two of them, struggling to keep up. "So you never touched the statue?"

"No." Huang Junjie answered without hesitation. "I noticed the Stone Carving yesterday, but I never touched it or mentioned it to anyone."

"The reason I played along and helped make the Diary Curse seem real today was that, like Mr. Xu, I suspect one of the players is impersonating the Head Chopper Demon."