Chapter Summaries

After Huang Junjie was attacked by a flying axe in the Mountain Villa, the Players debated whether the Head Chopper Demon was human or supernatural. At dawn, Xu Huo and the others went to investigate the Wooden Cabin and found the man who had hanged himself chopping wood.

• Huang Junjie told Xu Huo and the other Players that a towering figure in a Black Mask had attacked him with an axe that then flew away.
• The Players argued over whether the attacker was a person, ghost, or monster, and Xu Huo decided they should wait until morning to investigate.
• Xu Huo invited Huang Junjie to share a room with him, Zhang Xiong, and Yuan Yao for the night.
• Before dawn, Xu Huo heard chopping sounds coming from the Wooden Cabin and led the Players toward it.
• The Players saw a figure chopping wood beside a block, and it turned out to be the man who had hanged himself the day before.

Xu Huo and the other Players found the Woodcutter alive after he had apparently hanged himself, and he told them the history of the Mountain Villa’s Head Chopper Demon curse. The Woodcutter denied coming back from the dead and drove the Players away, leaving the mystery unresolved.

• Xu Huo and the Players found the Woodcutter alive in the woods, though they had seen him dead the day before.
• Xu Huo spoke with the Woodcutter, who said he had lived at the Mountain Villa since it was built and warned that the place was cursed.
• The Woodcutter recounted how headless deaths began during the Mountain Villa’s construction and continued after its statue’s head was knocked off.
• The Players concluded that supernatural forces were involved and that the Woodcutter’s return from the dead was significant.
• Xu Huo confronted the Woodcutter about hanging himself and waking up locked in the cabin, but the Woodcutter became angry and ordered everyone to leave.

Xu Huo investigated the Head Chopper Demon’s history and uncovered a pattern in its victims’ deaths. He brought a headless statue to the dining hall and warned the players that touching it meant death.

• Xu Huo searched the warehouse with Yuan Yao and found a diary describing the Head Chopper Demon’s killings and the writer’s growing fear.
• Xu Huo compared the diary with old newspapers, noticed a pattern in the victims’ injuries, and added a warning to the diary that everyone who touched the statue would die.
• The players argued over whether to enter the woods or stay together, and Wan Zhikang refused to share a room with Du Lanlan and Xia Guo.
• Xu Huo entered the dining hall carrying a headless statue he had found at a crossroads and showed the players the diary’s warning.

Xu Huo used a forged diary entry to spread the belief that touching the Head Chopper Demon Statue brought a curse, while investigating whether someone was impersonating the demon. Huang Junjie exposed Xu Huo’s forgery and revealed that he had played along because he shared the same suspicion.

• Xu Huo showed the players a diary entry claiming that anyone who touched the statue would be cursed, and the group argued over who might be in danger.
• After the players dispersed, Xu Huo asked Yuan Yao to find out who else had touched the statue and went back to his room.
• Yuan Yao told Xu Huo how the other players had spent the afternoon, and Xu Huo set out for the Wooden Cabin despite the approaching night.
• Huang Junjie joined Xu Huo and Yuan Yao on the way, then stopped when his shoulder began bleeding again.
• Huang Junjie revealed that his Ability let him see Xu Huo had added the diary entry later and suggested Xu Huo had moved the statue to test whether a player was impersonating the Head Chopper Demon.
• Huang Junjie admitted he had never touched the statue and had helped make the curse seem real because he also suspected an impersonator.

Xu Huo investigated the Woodcutter and uncovered evidence that he had killed Players and staged his hanging. After catching the Woodcutter pretending to be dead, Xu Huo confronted him about his identity and murders.

• Huang Junjie proposed that the Players work together to catch the person who attacked him, and Xu Huo accompanied him and Yuan Yao to the Wooden Cabin.
• Xu Huo watched the Woodcutter appear to hang himself, then bound his body and examined it in the cabin.
• Xu Huo dug up the Woodcutter’s daughter and two nearby graves, finding evidence that the bodies had been murdered Players.
• When the Mountain Villa’s lights went out and a scream sounded, Huang Junjie and Yuan Yao went to investigate while Xu Huo stayed behind.
• Xu Huo stopped his phone recording, realized the Woodcutter had come back to life, and buried him until he woke and shouted for help.
• Xu Huo accused the Woodcutter of being a Player from an earlier game who had killed multiple groups of Players and concealed the bodies in graves.

Xu Huo interrogated the Woodcutter, learned why he was trapped at the Mountain Villa and how he had failed to clear the instance, then killed him and claimed his items. Xu Huo returned to the Mountain Villa suspecting the Head Chopper Demon was a Cannibal Player hiding evidence of feeding, but the killer had not yet left a sign.

• Xu Huo threatened the Woodcutter until he confessed that he had survived his third instance but received no Return Ticket, leaving him stranded at the Mountain Villa.
• The Woodcutter explained that he had been killing later Players for their Tickets, but a strange illness had weakened him after he went without an Evolution Potion.
• Xu Huo learned that the Woodcutter had the same mission to protect their heads, yet surviving until the timer ended had not cleared the instance.
• Xu Huo killed the Woodcutter, received a notification identifying him as the Black Player Professional Talent, and collected his Sunny Rainy Belt and Floating Balloon.
• Xu Huo buried the Woodcutter and returned to the Mountain Villa, reasoning that the Head Chopper Demon might be a Cannibal Player concealing evidence of feeding by removing limbs.

After the lodge’s power failed again, Xu Huo and the other players found Du Lanlan and Xia Guo dead and headless beside the pool. Xu Huo revealed he had killed and buried the supposed suicide victim, then suggested another person in the lodge could be responsible.

• The players returned to their rooms after the first blackout was traced to a tripped breaker, and Huang Junjie complained that nobody had attacked.
• When the lights went out again, Huang Junjie and Yuan Yao found that someone had cut the wires, and the players realized Du Lanlan and Xia Guo were missing.
• Xu Huo arrived at the storeroom carrying a flashlight, and the players followed him to find Du Lanlan and Xia Guo’s headless bodies beside the pool.
• Huang Junjie urged the players to stay calm and argued that the Headless Demon had fled because it could not face them all at once.
• Xu Huo said another person in the lodge might have killed the women and revealed that he had killed and buried the person staying by the wooden cabin.
• Xu Huo asked the players what they had been doing before and after the power went out.

After Du Lanlan and Xia Guo were found dead, Xu Huo questioned whether the staged timing of a falling rack could have given their killer an alibi. The players turned on one another without identifying a culprit, and Liu Yuanyuan reminded them that the Head Chopper Demon could still be responsible.

• Xu Huo suggested that someone might have used a game item to stage the rack falling and create an alibi after killing Du Lanlan and Xia Guo.
• The players compared their whereabouts during the power outage, and Wang Wei said the college student had left the storage room beforehand.
• Huang Junjie accused the college student, who denied the murders and pointed out that Wan Zhikang, Zhang Xiong, and Abel had access to an axe.
• Wan Zhikang redirected suspicion toward Xu Huo, but Xu Huo argued that he had not had enough time to return from the wooden cabin and kill anyone.
• Liu Yuanyuan questioned why the players were accusing one another instead of suspecting the Head Chopper Demon.

After Du Lanlan and Xia Guo were found decapitated, Xu Huo reasoned that another player was staging killings in Head Chopper Demon's name to mislead the group. He concluded that Head Chopper Demon was probably a player and warned that learning this could drive someone to kill everyone else to complete the mission.

• Huang Junjie divided the players between tending to Du Lanlan and Xia Guo's bodies and fixing the wiring, while Xu Huo and Yuan Yao stayed behind.
• The college student complained that the others bullied him for hiding a knife, and Xu Huo questioned Huang Junjie about Head Chopper Demon's abilities.
• Xu Huo explained that the power outages and the knocked-over storage rack were meant to establish alibis and redirect suspicion from a player killer.
• Xu Huo suggested that Head Chopper Demon was likely one of the players and said someone who knew this might kill every other player to complete the dungeon mission.

Xu Huo and the other Players searched for the missing heads and debated how to handle the weapons, but found no trace of the bodies or the Head Chopper Demon. When Jia Xuyang disappeared from the Mountain Villa along with the food he had taken, Xu Huo realized there had to be a Secret Room and ordered everyone to search the lobby.

• Huang Junjie argued that the Players should strike first against the Head Chopper Demon, while Xu Huo dismissed the idea that killing the other Players would make clearing the game easy.
• The Players gathered in the lobby until dawn, then went to the supermarket for food as Liu Yuanyuan warned Yuan Yao and Huang Junjie that they might be the next targets.
• The Players split up to search for Du Lanlan and Xia Guo's heads or visit the Wooden Cabin, and Abel joined Xu Huo and Yuan Yao in their search.
• Xu Huo, Yuan Yao, and Abel searched the Mountain Villa and nearby woods without finding the heads or a hidden passage, and Xu Huo ate the Plum Branches they had collected.
• Huang Junjie reported that Jia Xuyang had vanished, and Xu Huo noticed that the food Jia Xuyang had taken was missing too.
• Xu Huo recalled Jia Xuyang's strange behavior and concluded that a Secret Room had to be in the Mountain Villa, so he told the others to search the lobby.

Xu Huo and the others discovered the underground passages and encountered the Head Chopper Demon, who attacked them after they found Jia Xuyang’s severed body and several heads. The demon escaped through the tunnels, and the group returned to the surface with the bodies.

• Huang Junjie found a hidden button behind the counter that opened a passage underground, and Xu Huo, Huang Junjie, and Yuan Yao went down to explore.
• The rich kid, Liu Yuanyuan, Abel, and later Zhang Xiong and the others followed them into the passage.
• Xu Huo’s group found Jia Xuyang’s headless body, then discovered three severed heads nearby as the Head Chopper Demon attacked Xu Huo from behind.
• Xu Huo broke free, and Abel’s giant Cross forced the demon back, but it turned into bubbles and the demon escaped into another branch.
• Zhang Xiong’s group joined the pursuit, but they failed to find the demon, so they carried Jia Xuyang’s body and the other heads back to the surface.

Xu Huo investigated the Head Chopper Demon’s attacks and found that the supposed demon might be a disguise used by one or more Players. After finding several Players dead, Huang Junjie suspected Wang Wei and Liu Yuanyuan belonged to the opposing faction.

• Xu Huo concluded that someone inside the Black Cloak was playing the Head Chopper Demon and watched the five Players who had stayed hidden.
• Liu Yuanyuan cried out that the Head Chopper Demon had appeared, and a dark figure crashed through the lobby before fleeing toward the Warehouse.
• Xu Huo stopped Abel from chasing the figure and returned to the lobby, where Wan Zhikang and the rich second-generation Player lay dead with their necks nearly severed.
• Xu Huo questioned Liu Yuanyuan and Wang Wei, then led the group to find Zhang Xiong dead in the Warehouse.
• Huang Junjie reasoned that multiple attackers might be operating and accused Wang Wei and Liu Yuanyuan of belonging to the Head Chopper Demon faction.

Xu Huo exposed Liu Yuanyuan as the player who killed Wan Zhikang and Li Zheng, then deduced that the Head Chopper Demon was Wang Wei, the first player to reach Hot Spring Villa. Wang Wei admitted he had taken the abilities and items of four players and challenged the others to fight.

• Xu Huo accused Liu Yuanyuan of killing Wan Zhikang and Li Zheng, and she admitted she had planned to eliminate the other players for the dungeon rewards.
• Xu Huo explained that the Head Chopper Demon was an empty cloak operated with an item, and that the woodcutter was a player who had failed to clear earlier dungeons.
• Liu Yuanyuan realized killing every other player would not clear the mission and threatened to kill the Head Chopper Demon before dealing with Xu Huo.
• Xu Huo identified Wang Wei as the Head Chopper Demon and revealed that Wang Wei had arrived at Hot Spring Villa first and received the demon's item.
• Wang Wei admitted he had taken the abilities and items of Du Lanlan, Xia Guo, Jia Xuyang, and Zhang Xiong, while Huang Junjie raised his Bamboo Knife to fight him.

Xu Huo and the others defeated Wang Wei after Liu Yuanyuan attacked him, and Xu Huo explained why he had identified the Head Chopper Demon as a player. The group realized the Mountain Villa may have been a dungeon for decades, leaving Huang Junjie to suspect the Woodcutter was a player trapped there.

• Liu Yuanyuan attacked Wang Wei, and Xu Huo, Abel, and Yuan Yao helped pull him out from under his Black Cloak.
• Wang Wei trapped Huang Junjie with a metal thread, but Xu Huo set Wang Wei on fire and Liu Yuanyuan disarmed him with the Black Stun Baton.
• Abel struck Wang Wei with the great Cross, sending him into the wall and forcing him to abandon his Black Cloak.
• Xu Huo explained that the victims’ missing heads and limbs, along with old records, suggested the Head Chopper Demon was a player in a long-running dungeon.
• Huang Junjie wondered whether the Woodcutter was a player who had become trapped in the Mountain Villa.

Xu Huo and the other players defeated Wang Wei, clearing the Head Chopper Demon dungeon and earning rewards. After the players received their ratings, Xu Huo found a reflective shard and proposed they decide who would receive the exchange reward before voting.

• Wang Wei used his Omnipresent Strings to hang Abel, but Xu Huo wounded him and tied up the thread with his Brass Lighter.
• Xu Huo distracted Wang Wei while Yuan Yao sneaked behind him and stabbed him in the heart.
• The dungeon announced its clearance, shared rewards, and player ratings, with Passerby A receiving B-level and Yuan Yao and Huang Junjie receiving D-level.
• Liu Yuanyuan asked about the exchange reward as Huang Junjie guarded the captured thread, and Xu Huo found a reflective shard near the wall.
• Xu Huo told the players to decide who would receive the exchange reward before they voted.

After clearing the Head Chopper Demon dungeon, Xu Huo divided the rewards among the surviving players and used his Return Ticket to return to the city. He received a B-level performance rating and one exchange reward choice, which remained undecided.

• The five players voted for Xu Huo to choose the exchange reward, and he let Liu Yuanyuan take Wang Wei's stun baton in exchange for giving up a share of the Mountain Villa owner's reward.
• Xu Huo divided Wang Wei's remaining items and White Cash among the group, while Abel claimed the Cursed Seal and stamped Xu Huo's hand with it.
• Liu Yuanyuan, Huang Junjie, Abel, and Yuan Yao each left the dungeon using their Return Tickets, and Xu Huo examined his ticket's code.
• Xu Huo retrieved the buried woman, scratched a message into her coat lining, and returned to the city, where he found a wallet underfoot before checking into another hotel.
• Xu Huo opened the game panel and learned that he had earned a B-level rating and could choose either Ability development access or an item.

After clearing his first instance, Xu Huo reviewed his new abilities, items, and potions, then tested Omnipresent Strings and the Two-Color Rubik's Cube. Nie Xuan visited to recruit him into a government player network, and Xu Huo offered information about a Cannibal Player in exchange for a reward.

• Xu Huo chose the Ability Development privilege and gained A Sad Thing, Informed Perspective's Super Memory extension, and other instance-clear rewards.
• Xu Huo tested Omnipresent Strings and found they could lift him through clothing or other materials, work through barriers within a fifty-meter range, and could not be reused on the same object.
• Xu Huo opened the Two-Color Rubik's Cube several times and received a bottle opener only on his first attempt.
• Nie Xuan visited Xu Huo and offered access to a government network for trading information, items, and potions.
• Xu Huo asked Nie Xuan what he would offer in exchange for the identity of a Cannibal Player.

Xu Huo bargained with Nie Xuan for a P1 Evolution Potion and tricked him into revealing information about Evolution Potions, while Nie Xuan decided to recruit rather than arrest him. After considering the dangers of Evolution Potions and hearing that Professor Han’s health was deteriorating, Xu Huo received a threatening call about his cousin.

• Xu Huo gave Nie Xuan details and a sketch of Liu Yuanyuan in exchange for a P1 Evolution Potion and discussed the Special Affairs Bureau’s recruitment.
• Xu Huo tricked Nie Xuan into revealing that Evolution Potions supposedly prevented Evolvers’ defects, and Nie Xuan left after realizing the deception.
• Nie Xuan told his Secretary that Xu Huo was not a Cannibal Player, ordered surveillance near his rental, and identified Liu Yuanyuan as a dangerous Cannibal Player.
• The Secretary failed to collect a water sample because Xu Huo had washed the glass and planned to move, so Nie Xuan ordered his own blood drawn instead.
• Xu Huo reviewed Liu Jia’s messages, learned that Professor Han’s condition had worsened with pustules and muscle atrophy, and wondered whether toxins or bacteria affected Evolvers.
• An unknown caller threatened Xu Huo that he would never see his cousin again unless he arrived within five minutes.

Xu Huo rescued Yu Qingqing from General Manager Zhu and her agent, using his strength and apparent Evolver abilities to frighten them into submission. He took Yu Qingqing back to his room and told her to go home, but her offer to help him hunt bad people left him abruptly pulling at her collar.

• Yu Qingqing called Xu Huo for help after her agent brought her to Ruixi Hotel to entertain General Manager Zhu, and Xu Huo found her in the stairwell.
• Xu Huo confronted General Manager Zhu, struck him and his men, and used his apparent Evolver abilities to terrify them.
• General Manager Zhu fled but was mysteriously dragged back and choked until Xu Huo released him.
• Xu Huo got the agent to agree to terminate Yu Qingqing's contract and took her to his room.
• Yu Qingqing offered to stay and lure bad people for Xu Huo to eat, and Xu Huo turned her around and yanked at the back of her collar.

Xu Huo checked that Yu Qingqing had no Player number and decided to send her home, then studied the Vanguard Player forum and the dangers of missing a Dungeon. After seeing her onto a plane, he went to the entertainment company she had signed with.

• Xu Huo tested Yu Qingqing’s reaction to his blood and warned her against her selfish remarks.
• Xu Huo read the Vanguard Player forum, including the official rankings and the risks of missing a Dungeon.
• Yu Qingqing found a fragment from the Head Chopper Demon’s axe, and Xu Huo booked her a Ticket home.
• The next morning, Xu Huo removed three razor blades hidden in Yu Qingqing’s dress and took her to the Airport.
• Xu Huo watched Yu Qingqing board her plane, then returned to the city and visited her entertainment company.