Inference

Inference

"Players can't obtain the abilities of players they kill." Liu Yuanyuan spoke first. "You're bluffing."

"You're a Cannibal Player. Cannibal Players don't have abilities to begin with, so of course you can't obtain other players' abilities. We all just got off the Preliminary Train. I doubt any of you have many items, either."

Ignoring Liu Yuanyuan's furious glare, Wang Wei kept his eyes fixed on Xu Huo. "One person can't complete the dungeon alone. There are five of you now. Rather than suffer more casualties, wouldn't it be better for us to keep out of each other's way and quietly wait until the fifth day?"

Huang Junjie, who was weighing the pros and cons, wavered. He glanced at Xu Huo almost instinctively.

"You don't need to test me," Xu Huo said. "Even if you kill a player, you can't obtain their ability. The only inheritances are things like money and items."

"Alone, you really can't clear the dungeon. The simplest approach is indeed to make sure several players survive until the dungeon ends. But as you said, we just got off the train. Maybe the players you killed didn't have any items at all."

He smiled. "The hardest part is already over. The grand prize is right in front of us. Taking a little risk is worth it."

Wang Wei had expected Xu Huo wouldn't be so easy to fool, so he turned to the three others. "Do you think so too?"

The three said nothing. Wang Wei sneered, then turned to Liu Yuanyuan. "You won't gain anything by killing me. They'll come after you next."

Liu Yuanyuan shrugged. "I don't mind. The dungeon rewards are more tempting to me."

"You've said all that just because you're scared, haven't you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she lunged at Wang Wei like a beast released from its cage!

Wang Wei dodged to the side, but she raked three bloody gashes across his face. The pain of his torn flesh made his muscles twitch. After retreating several steps to avoid her onslaught, he grabbed at the air, and a Black Cloak unfurled in midair and spun down over him!

But before he could hide completely beneath it, Xu Huo suddenly charged in from the side and swept Wang Wei's legs out from under him. "Grab him!"

Abel and Yuan Yao rushed in behind him, each grabbing one of Wang Wei's legs and forcibly dragging him out from under the cloak!

Wang Wei was out, but one hand still clutched the cloak, and the three sides began tugging against one another!

Huang Junjie, who had been waiting for his chance, gripped the Bamboo Knife with both hands and thrust it toward Wang Wei's chest and abdomen. But the moment he raised his hands, an extremely fine, silvery-black metal thread caught his neck and hoisted him into the air!

The Bamboo Knife fell to the ground. Huang Junjie struggled to pull at the metal thread, but neither end was attached to anything. It seemed to grow out of thin air. As Wang Wei crossed his index and middle fingers, it suddenly crossed over itself and tightened, leaving a line of blood welling across Huang Junjie's neck!

Xu Huo glanced at the man whose eyes were rolling back, then planted his foot firmly on the cloak. He opened the Arsonist's Tool and shouted, "Burn, burn, burn!"

With the Black Cloak no longer shielding him, three flames ignited out of nowhere on Wang Wei's clothes. In the blink of an eye, the fire grew!

The inexplicable blaze threw Wang Wei into a panic. He stopped controlling the thread, kicked Abel and Yuan Yao away, then turned and attacked Xu Huo!

The two of them had been some distance apart, but now a Black Stun Baton appeared in Wang Wei's hand. The current surging from it engulfed his arm, and the flashing arcs of electricity were so bright they made it hard to keep one's eyes open, let alone find an opening to attack.

Xu Huo narrowed his eyes, hesitating over whether to let go, when Liu Yuanyuan suddenly pounced from the side. Wearing Insulated Gloves, she grabbed Wang Wei's left arm and twisted. With a crack, the stun baton rolled to the ground!

She picked it up and ran. Xu Huo and Huang Junjie, who had just gotten back to his feet, struck at the same time, aiming for Wang Wei's wrist and calf!

By then, Wang Wei was burning all over. The flames had grown beyond what he could bear, and he had no choice but to abandon the Black Cloak. He swung the Head Chopper Demon's axe, forcing the two of them back, then rolled along the ground to put some distance between himself and the others!

As soon as he scrambled to his feet, Abel charged in carrying the great Cross. Wang Wei barely managed to block it with his axe, but the impact sent him flying into the wall. When he hit the ground, he spat blood and frantically tore at his clothes!

Thanks to an Evolver's physique, the burns on his skin weren't yet life-threatening. But the melted, charred fabric had stuck to his flesh, and he couldn't tear it off without ripping himself apart. He could only let it cool.

The smell of cooked meat filled the Warehouse.

"Gulp!" Liu Yuanyuan swallowed.

"Taking the risk was worth it." Xu Huo lifted the Black Cloak in his hand.

In just a few dozen seconds, Head Chopper Demon Wang Wei had not only failed to gain the upper hand but had also lost his greatest advantage, the Black Cloak. He had lost another item, and the axe in his hand had a corner chipped off by Abel's great Cross. Meanwhile, the damage on their side was negligible.

Wang Wei panted heavily, glaring viciously at Xu Huo. His resentment was almost palpable. He couldn't understand it. "Why were you so certain the Head Chopper Demon was a player? There have always been rumors of a Head Chopper Demon at Hot Spring Villa. Any normal person would think there had always been one here. I even planted evidence. What made you refuse to believe it?"

"Because you were too clever for your own good!" Yuan Yao blurted out. "Would the real Head Chopper Demon bother with all those little tricks?"

"That's all it took?" Wang Wei raised his voice.

Not just him—even Huang Junjie and the others didn't understand. Huang Junjie in particular had initially only guessed that a player was posing as the Head Chopper Demon to kill people. He hadn't even considered that the Head Chopper Demon himself was a player.

"Pay attention to the wording. The dungeon's background says that people have often died at this Mountain Villa over the past three years. But judging from the documents we found in the Warehouse, rumors of the Head Chopper Demon have actually been around for decades." Xu Huo flicked his Lighter.

Wang Wei's eyelid twitched. "And what does that prove?"

"The key is in these documents. I'm not talking about the people who died before. Just looking at the last three years, there's a pattern to the victims: they were repeatedly found missing their heads, or repeatedly found with limbs missing."

Xu Huo glanced at Huang Junjie. "Setting aside the possibility of copycat crimes, this fits the pattern of players better. Most were ordinary Players, and a small number were Cannibal Players."

"So that's why there were missing arms and legs. If the bodies had been eaten, wouldn't the Head Chopper Demon's identity have been exposed pretty easily?" Yuan Yao murmured.

"Some old records and cases appeared in the newspapers. That means the Mountain Villa wasn't closed because of the Head Chopper Demon back then. At the very least, newspapers were still being delivered. And the game said this place was once popular with both players and non-players, so there's a good chance it was a dungeon back then, too. The visitors were all players, and this was a dungeon. Combined with the pattern among the bodies, it makes more sense that the Head Chopper Demon was a player."

"So this dungeon started decades ago?" Abel asked in shock. "But this is our first time here. How could that be possible?"

"It's possible." Huang Junjie thought of something, and his face turned ashen. "Isn't the Woodcutter a Player who got stuck here?"