Ambush

Chapter 31: Ambush

The group ransacked the main hall, turning over every box and cabinet, searching every possible spot, yet they remained completely clueless.

"Where the hell is it?" Yuan Yao punched the wall. "This crappy place is only this big. I've even checked the decorations—there's no hidden mechanism or secret passage."

Indeed, the building was laid out in a square-within-a-square shape, with the inner courtyard occupying a fair amount of space. Compared to other areas, this was the easiest place to hide something, but all four walls—aside from the decorations behind the counter—had not even a single painting hung on them. Knocking on them confirmed they were solid, making a secret room or passage impossible.

"This decoration is off." Huang Junjie circled behind the counter and pressed his palm hard against the protruding round solid wood block. With a click, the round wood popped open, revealing a space of about one or two square meters. On the floor was a movable wooden board; lifting it exposed a staircase leading underground.

"So it's a push-latch door. I wasted all that time picking at the decorations upstairs." Yuan Yao's face flushed with embarrassment.

Huang Junjie turned back to ask Xu Huo, "Want to go down and take a look?"

The three descended the underground passage one after another. Just as the wooden door above closed, the rich second generation and Liu Yuanyuan emerged from one side.

"I knew Huang Junjie and that Xu guy were whispering to each other. They probably figured something out," the rich second generation muttered. After a moment, he pressed open the wooden door.

After the two left, Abel also stepped out from the side and followed them down the passage.

A few minutes later, Zhang Xiong and his two companions returned from the wooden cabin. After searching everywhere, they found that everyone who should have been there was gone. Frustrated, they started smashing things.

"There's a sound back here!" Wang Wei pressed his ear against the round wood decoration and listened carefully.

Zhang Xiong charged over and kicked it. The round door flew open. He leaped in first, excitedly saying, "No wonder we couldn't find the Head Chopper Demon anywhere. So it was hiding in here. Killing the Head Chopper Demon might even come with a prize. Let's go!"

The three of them went in as well.

The underground passage was more spacious than expected—two people could walk side by side without issue. After coming down the stone steps, it split into three forked paths.

Xu Huo and the others chose one of them. They walked through it without finding any trace of the university student, but instead discovered that the forked path had even more branches. The exit of one small branch was hidden under a rock beside the hot spring in the room on the left.

"It seems the Head Chopper Demon uses these passages to move around," Huang Junjie said. "Jia Xuyang took so much food with him; he's probably hiding in here. Was it really him who did what happened yesterday?"

"Let's find him first," Xu Huo said, quickly turning back into the passage. As soon as he landed, he heard the sound of a sharp blade striking a stone wall.

Following the sound, he ran over. Just as he turned a corner, he collided with Abel.

"What are you doing here?" Huang Junjie drew his knife.

"Don't misunderstand!" Abel quickly waved his hands. "I followed Miss Liu and the others down here. I didn't know the branches were all connected, got lost, and only came over when I heard the noise."

Xu Huo ignored him and entered the next branch. When his flashlight beam hit the opposite wall, he first saw a tall, dark figure flash past, then spotted the university student's body leaning against the wall, his head already severed.

"There's blood over here." Abel glanced at the ground with his peripheral vision. Two clear trails of blood led deeper into the passage in another direction.

"Hurry, chase him!" Huang Junjie took the lead and followed.

The group turned two corners along the blood trail, and unexpectedly kicked something underfoot. In the darkness, a spherical object rolled clattering ahead.

Huang Junjie's hair stood on end.

He wasn't the only one. Yuan Yao also kicked something. "No... don't tell me..."

The flashlight beam hit the ground. Three human heads lay scattered about, with patches of blood both dried and fresh. Because of the kicks, the heads had bumped into the wall, leaving bloody smears on it.

Looking at the heads, Xu Huo frowned and asked, "When you came down just now, had Wang Wei and the other two returned yet..."

Before he could finish, he felt someone approaching from behind. Before he could react, a thin thread wrapped around his throat, and he was lifted off the ground!

Abel, who had been asked the question, was about to speak. He turned his head but before he could open his mouth, he saw the flashlight fall, while Xu Huo's feet dangled in the air as a tall, dark figure swept him backward!

Abel tore the cross from his necklace and threw it, but it was knocked away by an axe. Huang Junjie picked up the flashlight and illuminated the entire passage.

"He has no feet!" Yuan Yao was about to roll a human head onto the ground, hoping to make the Head Chopper Demon slip, but when he looked down, he saw that beneath the black cloak, it was empty!

Just as Xu Huo was about to be carried out of the passage, he suddenly kicked both feet against the wall and slammed his head backward into the Head Chopper Demon's mask!

The plastic mask clattered to the ground, and Xu Huo broke free from the demon's grip. He touched the blood on his neck and turned to face the Head Chopper Demon, now just a floating body in the air.

Huang Junjie and the other two caught up, staring at the motionless black cloak holding a sharp axe, their scalps crawling!

"No head and no feet—the Head Chopper Demon really isn't human!"

"God, heavens above, there really are ghosts!"

"What do we do?"

The four faced off against the Head Chopper Demon. Suddenly, the fallen mask flew back into the demon's hand, and he put it back on. As he raised his hand, Xu Huo pulled out his dagger and threw it!

Metal clashed, sparks flew, and both weapons bounced away. At the same time, a lit lighter flew across the passage, and Xu Huo opened a second one in his hand:

"Ignite!"

The lighter struck the black cloak and slid to the ground, not even raising a single spark!

"Watch this!" Abel shoved Xu Huo aside. A massive cross, enormous in scale, appeared in his hand. His arm muscles bulged as he hurled the cross at the Head Chopper Demon!

The cross smashed into the axe. The cloak retreated a short distance, both hands bracing the axe as it was pressed back to the ground!

It worked!

The other three's eyes lit up. They were about to move forward when they saw the heavy, massive cross suddenly turn into a pile of foam. Its weight vanished, and the Head Chopper Demon effortlessly flew into another branch!

The four paused for a moment, then gave chase, but by the time they reached the fork, the black cloak was already gone. At the same time, firelight approached from the other side.

"It's you!" Zhang Xiong hastily backed away. "I saw Jia Xuyang's body—did you do this?!"

"Not at all!" Abel said. "We were also attacked by the Head Chopper Demon, and we're chasing him now!"

The pursuit team grew from four to five, weaving through the branching tunnels, then from five to seven, and seven to nine, yet there was still no sign of the Head Chopper Demon.

"I say we stop looking," Huang Junjie said, panting heavily. "That thing appears and disappears without a trace, and the Underground Passage is so dark—we don't even know how many branches there are. Searching like this is pointless."

"Let's carry the bodies up first." Xu Huo had no intention of continuing either; it was a pure waste of time.

The group brought Jia Xuyang's corpse and the other two heads back to the surface, laying the three together to at least piece together a complete body.

"Xiao Jia died too horribly." Wang Wei looked at Jia Xuyang's body, unable to bear the sight, and added, "You were too careless. Knowing the Head Chopper Demon isn't easy to deal with, even if you spotted his trail, you should have waited for everyone to gather before making a move."