Disappearance

# Chapter 30: Disappearance

"Why?!" Yuan Yao blurted out. "If the Head Chopper Demon is among the Players, then as long as we all stay together for these five days, they won't have a chance to strike!"

"Then all of us can clear the game smoothly!"

"You're too naive." Huang Junjie shook his head. "Strike first to gain the upper hand—of course it's better to seize the initiative yourself. Besides, since the Head Chopper Demon is a Player like us, they can be killed. Killing the Head Chopper Demon definitely comes with extra rewards from the game."

"Just for that?"

"Just for that?"

Yuan Yao and the university student asked simultaneously, the former dejected while the latter looked somewhat dazed and lost.

Seeing his unusual expression, Huang Junjie exchanged a glance with Xu Huo. This guy's mental fortitude was so poor, who knew how he'd even survived the Preliminary Train. If he went around telling others what he'd heard, the Players might start slaughtering each other ahead of schedule.

Though the university student wasn't fully present, his eyes were sharp. Catching the silent exchange between Huang Junjie and Xu Huo, he immediately scrambled up and hurriedly backed away, saying, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I heard!"

"You—" Yuan Yao moved to stop him, but Xu Huo called out, "Let him go. Whether the other Players know or not doesn't matter."

"Killing all the other Players to clear the game... there's no such good deal."

The ambiguous laugh made Yuan Yao and Huang Junjie shiver simultaneously.

"Then let's get out of here quickly," Huang Junjie said. "Staying here forever isn't a solution either."

Just as the three returned to the Main Hall, the lights in the Mountain Villa flickered on. The university student had already curled up in a corner of the sofa, while the other Players deliberately avoided him, sitting on other sofas.

The Axe and the confiscated short knife lay on the coffee table, the Players seated around it, none of them speaking.

Xu Huo glanced at the sky outside, then sat down and closed his eyes to rest.

When dawn finally came, all the Players felt a sense of relief.

"Let's find something to eat first," Huang Junjie said, looking much better than the day before. "After eating, we'll go look for Du Lanlan and Xia Guo's heads."

Liu Yuanyuan, arm-in-arm with the rich second generation, walked up to them. "I'd advise you to be careful. You two touched the Head Chopper Demon's statue. Xia Guo's already dead—you're the next targets."

Then she winked at Yuan Yao, flashing a row of white teeth. "Little brother, aren't you scared? If you're afraid, you can stick with us. My husband's got your back!"

Yuan Yao stood firmly beside Xu Huo without a word, only muttering after they'd walked away, "Yesterday it was 'brother,' today it's 'husband'..."

Xu Huo glanced at the two of them, then turned to Huang Junjie. "Be careful later."

The Players arrived at the dining hall one after another.

The freezer and refrigerator in the dining hall had already been searched the day before—nothing edible. So today, everyone headed to the supermarket area for some convenience food.

"Brother Xu, Brother Huang, there's instant noodles. Let's have instant noodles." Yuan Yao carried over several buckets of instant noodles and bottled water, then grabbed an electric kettle.

The other Players trickled back to the dining hall. Abel came over with a box of instant vermicelli, asking for hot water. As they waited for the water to boil, the university student suddenly stumbled out of the supermarket entrance, bread and drinks scattering everywhere. He didn't even look back to see who had kicked him, just scrambled up and quickly stuffed the fallen items into a plastic bag.

Zhang Xiong stood behind him, face dark. "It's not like there's no food in the supermarket. You grab this much at once—what kind of dirty scheme are you cooking up?!"

The university student hugged his plastic bag, warily sweeping his gaze across everyone in the dining hall, then dropped a "Can't I just be hungry?" before rushing out.

"What's his problem?" Wan Zhikang slipped on a drink bottle by the door and said irritably.

"Who knows." Wang Wei stared at the direction the university student had disappeared, answering absentmindedly.

After what passed for breakfast, the Players prepared to split up. Xu Huo was going to look for Du and Xia's heads, while Wang Wei and his group headed toward the Wooden Cabin.

"What about the Axe and the knife?" Abel asked worriedly.

Neither of the two weapons could be entrusted to anyone with peace of mind, but no one wanted to simply destroy them either.

"Whoever wants them can take them—I don't want them." The rich second generation crossed his arms, leisurely watching the others.

"We're splitting into two groups anyway. Having a weapon for self-defense isn't bad." Huang Junjie reached for the dagger.

Xu Huo and Yuan Yao had no objections, so Zhang Xiong took the Axe as well.

The three groups separated. Leaving the dining hall and returning to the lodgings, Zhang Xiong, Wan Zhikang, and Wang Wei left the Mountain Villa toward the Wooden Cabin. The rich second generation and Liu Yuanyuan went straight back to their room. Abel stood alone.

"Aren't you going with Zhang Xiong and the others?" Xu Huo looked at him.

"I want to perform last rites for those two young ladies." Abel hesitated. "You're looking for their heads. Can I come with you?"

He seemed well-intentioned.

"Do you really believe in Buddhism?" Xu Huo asked curiously. "Isn't there conflict between faiths?"

"Of course there is." Abel pulled a necklace out from his collar. "But I'm a universal lover. I hold respect for all faiths."

Yuan Yao held back for a long moment. "You believe in every god. Aren't you afraid they'll kick the ball to each other when you're in trouble?"

Abel smiled tolerantly. "If gods truly exist, they must be supreme. How could a supreme god hold a grudge against its own believer?"

Xu Huo chuckled at that, then ignored this atheist and entered the room where the bodies were stored.

They'd actually searched all the rooms in the Mountain Villa the day before—no hidden passages or Secret Rooms. But today they searched more thoroughly, even moving every bed and cabinet. Finding nothing, they went to search the woods outside.

After circling around with no results, they had no choice but to return to the Mountain Villa.

Xu Huo washed the Plums he'd brought back the day before, arranged them on a plate, and sat in the Main Hall eating.

"Brother, you still dare to eat those?" Yuan Yao swallowed. "Aren't you afraid the tree was planted on a pile of corpses?"

Xu Huo lifted his eyelids. "Did you see any freshly turned soil just now?"

"Not at all." Yuan Yao answered quickly. "If we'd found a new hiding spot, wouldn't we have found the head too? Who knows where that Head Chopper Demon stashed it."

Xu Huo stared absently at the round wooden ornament on the wall behind the counter. "If it's not outside, then it's inside..."

Just then, Huang Junjie came out from the hallway. "Have you two seen that university student Jia Xuyang?"

"He's not here?" Xu Huo sat up straight and immediately asked, "Are the snacks he took in his room?"

"No, nowhere." Huang Junjie had gone specifically to look for Jia Xuyang. They hadn't seen him when they searched the rooms earlier, but they hadn't thought much of it at the time, assuming he'd gone out.

"A person can't just vanish into thin air," Yuan Yao said.

Xu Huo quickly replayed the sequence of events since arriving at the Mountain Villa. Remembering the student's strange behavior that morning, he suddenly said, "There must be a secret room in the villa. Search the Main Hall!"