Appearance

Chapter 32: Appearance

"We were going to find Jia Xuyang," Huang Junjie said with emotion. "Who knew we'd run into the Head Chopper Demon instead."

"What was he thinking, crawling into that tunnel?" Wan Zhikang complained, having bumped into the wall twice down there.

"He was probably afraid of the Head Chopper Demon," Xu Huo said. "So he planned to hide somewhere until the game ended."

"No wonder he took so much food this morning—he'd already found the secret passage." Zhang Xiong sneered. "He brought that death on himself."

"Did you all really see the Head Chopper Demon?" Wang Wei looked at Xu Huo and the others. "Don't blame me for doubting you, but aside from you few, everyone else has only heard about it."

"Would we lie about something like this!" Yuan Yao said indignantly. "Look at my Brother Xu's neck—it was almost snapped, and it's still oozing blood."

"It's true, it's true!" Abel spoke so urgently his words came out jumbled. "No head, no feet—it flew! Incredibly strong, couldn't hold it down!"

Everyone could see the wound on Xu Huo's neck. Wan Zhikang and Zhang Xiong muttered a few words about how to deal with the Head Chopper Demon, while the rich second generation and Liu Yuanyuan exchanged glances but said nothing.

For safety's sake, Huang Junjie suggested everyone stay in the Main Hall. The others had no objections, so they sat together waiting for nightfall.

Xu Huo's neck was injured, and the Self-Healing Agent wasn't doing much. He didn't join the discussion about how to fight the Head Chopper Demon. Instead, he leaned against the door, smoking a cigarette and spinning his Lighter.

Back in the tunnel, he'd deliberately thrown the Lighter first before using the "Arsonist's Tool." The result was as he'd expected—the Black Cloak was a special item that simply couldn't be set on fire.

The Head Chopper Demon seemed tall, but without the head and feet, it was about the same height as a normal man. When it had him by the neck, he couldn't touch its body, but he was sure there was someone inside the cloak. Later, when Abel pinned it down with the big Cross, that confirmed it.

The players who hadn't shown up at the time were the rich second generation, Liu Yuanyuan, Zhang Xiong, Wan Zhikang, and Wang Wei—five people. The one playing the Head Chopper Demon was among them.

His gaze swept over them one by one. When it landed on Liu Yuanyuan's face, her expression suddenly turned terrified. She shot to her feet, pointing at the main entrance, and shouted, "Head Chopper Demon!"

Xu Huo immediately turned around, just in time to see a black shadow burst in from outside, crashing into the chandelier and extinguishing it!

Glass shattered and scattered, and the players erupted into chaos. Amid the commotion, Zhang Xiong bellowed, "Think I'm afraid of you!"

The Head Chopper Demon hit the ground, then slithered like a snake into the corridor on the right!

Seeing Zhang Xiong land a punch on the Head Chopper Demon, Huang Junjie's hope flared. "Quick! Don't let it get away!"

Several people rushed out after it. Xu Huo followed, watching Zhang Xiong sprint past the guest rooms toward the Warehouse. He sped up, got ahead of the group, and blocked Abel, who was carrying the big Cross. "Stop chasing."

"Why?" Abel said, and the Cross in his hands turned back into foam.

Under the blank stares of the others, he awkwardly scratched his head. "This is my item, the 'False Cross.' Its usage time isn't fixed—I didn't know it would only last a few seconds."

"But I don't think the Head Chopper Demon is that tough. It was inconvenient in the tunnel, but out here, we might not lose to it!"

"Forget the Head Chopper Demon. Let's go back first." Xu Huo didn't even glance in the direction Zhang Xiong had disappeared. He turned and walked back.

Yuan Yao and Abel looked confused, but Huang Junjie suddenly said, "Why didn't the others come out?"

"Maybe they planned to circle around from outside..." Before Yuan Yao could finish, Liu Yuanyuan ran over, her face covered in blood, shouting in panic, "The Head Chopper Demon is in the Main Hall!"

"What!" Their expressions changed, and they quickly ran back.

The lights in the Main Hall were already out. The light from the corridor wasn't enough to see the whole hall clearly, but the bodies on the floor and the spreading pool of darkness were unmistakable.

Xu Huo came up from behind and shone his flashlight. Wan Zhikang and the rich second generation lay in a pool of blood, their necks severed clean through, only a sliver of skin still connecting head to body. Their eyes were wide open, staring in death.

"How could this happen!" Huang Junjie's eyes trembled. "If the Head Chopper Demon was here, then who were we just chasing?"

"Didn't you see Wang Wei?" Xu Huo raised his light to illuminate Liu Yuanyuan's face.

Liu Yuanyuan covered her face, sobbing. "I don't know. Didn't he go out with you all?"

"...It's all my fault. If I'd stayed to help, they might not have died so horribly. But I was too scared, so when Brother Zheng told me to run, I didn't think..."

Xu Huo cut off her crying without a shred of pity. "They're dead. What's there to cry about? Let's find Wang Wei and Zhang Xiong first."

"I'm here!" Wang Wei's voice came from outside. He jogged in and was startled by the gruesome scene in the Main Hall. "What happened?"

Without answering his question, Xu Huo asked, "Why were you outside?"

"You all chased the Head Chopper Demon, so I thought I'd circle around from the yard to cut it off. But halfway there, I realized no one was behind me... so I came back."

Wang Wei gave an awkward smile. "I was scared alone too."

Xu Huo's brow furrowed. "Find Zhang Xiong!"

Huang Junjie and the others, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, quickly stopped him. "Given the situation, Zhang Xiong is probably in trouble. Let's wait until dawn!"

"Yeah, if we go out and run into the Head Chopper Demon..." Liu Yuanyuan shrank back, looking terrified.

Xu Huo gave her a cold look. "You don't have to come."

Liu Yuanyuan's expression stiffened, and she looked to the others for help.

Yuan Yao had nothing to say. Huang Junjie hesitated at first, but seeing Xu Huo's insistence and remembering the two who died so inexplicably in the Main Hall, he decided to see what Xu Huo was up to.

Four of the remaining six set out, leaving Liu Yuanyuan and Wang Wei with no choice but to follow.

This time, there were no surprises. They found Zhang Xiong quickly—in the Warehouse, dead just like the university student, slumped against the wall, his head also missing.

"How is that possible!" Yuan Yao couldn't believe it. "Can the Head Chopper Demon split itself? Killing Zhang Xiong and Wan Zhikang at the same time?"

Huang Junjie looked warily at Liu Yuanyuan and Wang Wei. "Could it be that the Head Chopper Demon isn't just one person?"

"What do you mean by that?" Wang Wei's face darkened. "Are you accusing me of killing Wan Zhikang?"

"You said you went out to cut off the Head Chopper Demon, but Zhang Xiong is dead, and you came back to the Main Hall alone." Back in the tunnel, the Head Chopper Demon's first appearance had been too shocking, so he hadn't thought of it then—but not all the players were in the tunnel at the same time. Someone could have killed Jia Xuyang first and then ambushed them.

"Come to think of it, the game mission is 'Protect Our Heads.' 'Our' doesn't necessarily mean the players themselves—it's more likely referring to the Normal Players. There are two sides: the Normal Player camp and the Head Chopper Demon camp!"

"So you and Liu Yuanyuan belong to the Head Chopper Demon camp!"