Players, Please Board the Train

The group stared at him in horror. ”Then why did you bring it here?!”

Xu Huo grinned. ”These things only have power if you believe in them.”

”Let me see that diary,” Huang Junjie began, but Wan Zhikang snatched it from Xu Huo’s hands first. ”I already looked through this diary earlier. I didn’t see anything like that written in it.”

He flipped through the pages haphazardly before scoffing, ”Nothing but nonsense. Not a single useful piece of information.”

Zhang Xiong grabbed the diary and handed it to Huang Junjie. ”You’re the smart one here. Take a look—maybe you’ll spot something we missed.”

Under the group’s watchful eyes, Huang Junjie skimmed through the diary, his expression soon mirroring Wan Zhikang’s.

”The diary’s owner wasn’t mentally stable. The later entries are disjointed, with many sections scribbled out. I didn’t notice any hidden message when I read it earlier.”

”Aside from mentioning that people die periodically at the villa, there’s very little concrete information about the Headhunter Demon.”

”However, the description of the Headhunter Demon matches what I saw—wearing a black mask, unusually tall, and wielding a sharp axe.”

Several players had already flipped through this diary, but most dismissed it as unimportant. Compared to its incoherent ramblings and lack of valuable clues, the brief notes and records left by previous victims seemed far more useful.Some players had specifically come here to hunt the Headhunter Demon and had done prior research.

But to the players, these details were trivial. The descriptions of the demon’s massive size, immense strength, and incredible speed were already obvious at a glance. For Evolvers like them, these traits weren’t particularly threatening. If the Headhunter Demon were just another Evolver, it would actually be easier to deal with.

”Doesn’t the Headhunter Demon only decapitate people?” Wang Wei, now holding the diary, was approached by the quiet college student who had barely spoken since arriving at the villa. ”Then why do some victims lose limbs?”

”Maybe they fought back before being killed,” Du Lanlan said, her face pale. ”The Headhunter Demon isn’t invincible. He ran away yesterday after failing to kill Mr. Huang, didn’t he?”

”But why would the Headhunter Demon target Mr. Huang first?” Abel struggled to read the diary’s messy handwriting. ”Mr. Huang never touched the statue, right? If so, the diary’s claim isn’t accurate.”

”I did touch it,” Huang Junjie admitted grimly. ”When we first arrived at the villa yesterday, I accidentally brushed against the stone marker at the entrance.”

”Does that mean the Headhunter Demon kills in a specific order?” Du Lanlan glanced nervously at Xu Huo and Xia Guo.

Xu Huo, chewing on a piece of bread, said to the trembling Xia Guo, ”Don’t worry. I’m ahead of you in line.”

Xia Guo glared at him with red-rimmed eyes. ”It’s just a coincidence! I refuse to believe the Headhunter Demon could know I touched its statue!”

”You never know,” Wan Zhikang interjected. ”The Headhunter Demon is a supernatural entity. Maybe it’s watching us right now, and we just can’t see it.”

”Stop it,” Wang Wei said, rubbing his arms. ”You’re giving me goosebumps in broad daylight.”

”Actually, I think this is good news,” the Rich Kid drawled, propping his feet on the dining table. ”Whether the Headhunter Demon kills in order or not, at least we know one thing—those who touched the statue will die first.”

”So it’s simple. If the ones who touched the statue can hold out longer, the rest of us can survive the remaining days safely.”

”How can you say something so heartless?!” Xia Guo snapped. ”What good does our death do for you?”

”No harm either,” Liu Yuanyuan giggled. ”If the three of you are in more danger, the rest of us get to be safer.”

By now, Zhang Xiong had already distanced himself from Huang Junjie, and the others tacitly followed suit.

The brief gathering ended in discord, with players leaving the dining room one after another.

Only Xu Huo and Yuan Yao remained, still eating.

”Brother Xu, I was really worried someone would notice earlier,” Yuan Yao whispered. ”If they’d realized you added those lines to the diary, they might’ve beaten us to death on the spot.”

”With so many documents in the warehouse, even if they’d read them all, no one could remember every detail. They’ll just assume they overlooked it,” Xu Huo replied calmly.

”But how did you know touching the statue would trigger the curse? Did you see Huang Junjie touch it?”

Xu Huo paused mid-sip of water, his gaze lingering on the Headhunter Demon statue on the floor before answering, ”Just a coincidence.”

After finishing their meal, Xu Huo sent Yuan Yao to discreetly ask if any other players had touched the statues while he returned to his room to rest.

He woke near dusk to find thick fog blanketing the villa, making the dimming daylight almost indistinguishable from night.

Most players had retreated indoors. After reuniting with Yuan Yao, he learned what had happened that afternoon.

Huang Junjie, Wang Wei, and the college student had spent the entire afternoon in the warehouse. Du Lanlan and Xia Guo had visited briefly before heading to the woodcutter’s cabin.

Zhang Xiong and Wan Zhikang had gone there too—but to steal the woodchopper’s axe. The woodchopper had nearly fought them in retaliation until Abel intervened by offering prayers for his deceased relatives.

Xu Huo borrowed a rubber band from Du Lanlan to tie back his hair and motioned for Yuan Yao to follow him outside.

”Brother Xu, where are we going?” Yuan Yao hesitated. ”It’s almost dark. Isn’t it dangerous to go out now?”

The diary might have been faked, but the Headhunter Demon was very real.

”I can go alone,” Xu Huo said, already walking away.

Yuan Yao glanced back at the other players in the lobby, wiped his face with both hands, and hurried after him.

Outside, they ran into Huang Junjie, who was also heading toward the woodcutter’s cabin.

The three exchanged nods in silent greeting.

After walking for a while, Huang Junjie suddenly braced himself against a tree, unable to continue.

”Are you okay?” Yuan Yao moved closer. ”Your shoulder wound is bleeding again. Aren’t there any first-aid supplies in the villa?”

”Couldn’t find any,” Huang Junjie gritted out. Then, to Xu Huo standing a few meters away, he said, ”The line about the Headhunter Demon’s statue curse—you added that to the diary, didn’t you?”

Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. ”You figured it out.”

Huang Junjie pointed to his eyes. ”It’s my special trait—I can see details most people miss. Your forgery was excellent, but the handwriting wasn’t from the same period as the rest of the diary.”

”And you deliberately moved the statue into the dining room. You suspect the Headhunter Demon’s true identity?”

Xu Huo lit a cigarette, unsurprised. ”No wonder the timing was so perfect. You played along well.”

Yuan Yao looked between them, struggling to keep up. ”Wait, so you never actually touched the statue?”

”No,” Huang Junjie admitted bluntly. ”I noticed that stone carving yesterday but didn’t touch it or mention it to anyone.”

”The reason I helped sell the curse story today is the same as Mr. Xu’s—I suspect a player is impersonating the Headhunter Demon.”