Chapter 19: The Hanging Corpse

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Xu Huo looked ahead and saw an old Chinese-style mountain villa standing at the end of the narrow path. There were no streetlights outside; the only light source was a white lantern hanging from the mouth of a stone lion at the entrance. The dim light barely illuminated a few square meters in front of the door, just enough to make out the few people standing there.

By the door stood a tall foreign young man with blond hair and blue eyes, speaking to a young man next to him who was holding a denim jacket. To the left of the young man squatted a muscular man smoking.

Near the stone lion a few steps away stood a sharply dressed middle-aged man in a suit, exuding the aura of a successful businessman. On either side of him were two female players—one with long hair, the other short. Although close to him, both had their gazes fixed disdainfully on a middle-aged, half-bald greasy man opposite them.

Behind the balding man were a man and a woman; the man was dressed entirely in designer brands, wearing a haughty expression, while the woman, sporting smoky eye makeup, appeared intimate with him.

Additionally, there was a college-aged young man standing alone nearby.

In total, there were ten people.

These ten had grown impatient. When they saw the tardy Yuan Yao and Xu Huo arrive, their expressions turned unfriendly. The muscular man sprang up, “Why didn’t you wait until dawn to come? So timid, just go home and suckle then! What’s the point of playing this dungeon?”

Xu Huo was jostled by the retreating Yuan Yao, causing his cigarette to flicker. He smiled and handed it over, “Brother, calm down. The car could only arrive at this time; there’s nothing I can do.”

The muscular man snorted coldly and forcefully pried the cigarette from his hand.

The young man with the denim jacket spoke nonchalantly, “We’re all on the same boat now, no need to create conflict.”

“Whether it’s the same boat remains to be seen,” the middle-aged balding man sneered at the two female players sarcastically, “You only find out after someone takes off their clothes.”

The long-haired female player had thick black hair down to her waist, appearing pure and gentle. She disliked the middle-aged man’s malice but only frowned without replying.

The short-haired female player seemed lively and capable, with a sharper tongue. She retorted bluntly, “Every time you see a woman, you want to see her undress. Why don’t you ask your mother to strip for you? Oh wait, for an ugly, bald jerk like you, if I were your mother, I’d wish I never gave birth to you!”

The middle-aged balding man’s face flushed a deep purple with anger. He lunged forward to strike, but the suited man intervened, blocking his hand, “Why should a real man bother with women’s quarrels?”

The foreign young man also stepped in, pulling him back and saying in halting Mandarin, “Wan, show some gentlemanly manners!”

Though "Wan," the balding man, was physically stronger, he was restrained by the two and couldn’t move. Seeing the others watching to mock him, unable to save face, he turned and shouted at Xu Huo and Yuan Yao, “What are you looking at?”

Xu Huo smiled but stayed silent. These people seemed to know each other already, but their interactions were clearly unpleasant.

“What nonsense are you arguing about?” the wealthy heir, holding the smoky-eyed woman, complained, “The fog outside is getting thicker; how much longer do we have to stand here drinking the wind?”

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The wealthy heir had arrived relatively early, hoping to seize an advantage, but no one could enter the villa until everyone had gathered.

The suited man checked the time, “The area covered by thick fog probably isn’t part of the dungeon. We all know the game’s rules: there’s a headless demon roaming inside the villa. If we stay here, we might run into danger.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get inside!” The muscular man took the lead and banged on the door, shouting, “Is anyone alive? Open up!”

The wooden door rattled under the pounding, but no one answered.

“Maybe the door only opens at midnight,” Xu Huo said from behind.

The muscular man scowled, “I don’t believe in that nonsense!”

He kicked at the door, but before his foot landed, the door creaked open on its own. Losing balance, he stumbled inside with a thud.

Those outside chuckled in small groups; the wealthy heir sneered as he followed in, “Should’ve checked the time—just past midnight.”

The remaining eleven entered the villa.

Inside, conditions were no better than outside. Before them lay a garden densely filled with greenery; only a narrow cobblestone path ran through it, barely wide enough for a person. The rest was so overgrown it was difficult to move through.

However, a few lampposts lined the path, and a sign pointed ahead to registration.

“Why are the trees so overgrown?” the smoky-eyed woman complained. “No one trims them?”

“Not surprising. Maybe no one’s lived here for a long time,” the wealthy heir said.

“There must be someone,” the suited man said. “The cobblestone path is spotless—no fallen leaves or dust. Someone has to be cleaning regularly. This area doesn’t seem inhabited nearby, and it’s inconvenient to go up and down the mountain. Living here makes more sense.”

“Damn! Then it’s NPCs! That bastard still won’t open the door!” The muscular man rolled up his sleeves and cursed, “Where’s everyone? Did they all die?”

“Gulp!” The long-haired female player swallowed nervously, pointing to a thicket with a trembling voice, “Look over there… isn’t that a person?”

Everyone turned to see a tall tree standing out in the dark forest, its branches holding two dark shadows, and beneath them hung a heavy object swaying!

Someone was murdered?!

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“Let’s go check it out!” The group searched through the woods and found a narrow path along the wall near the entrance leading toward the tall tree.

But by the time they arrived, it was too late. The person hung silently from the tree, tongue extended unnaturally long, saliva dripping down.

“Ugh!” The long-haired female player’s knees gave way, and she knelt on the ground.

Others’ faces turned grim. This person must have lived in the villa, possibly knowing some secrets about it. Yet, by some cruel coincidence, someone died right after they arrived, as if a killer was waiting for the right moment to strike and make them discover the body.

Though they didn’t know if the killer was the headless demon mentioned in the dungeon’s description, having such a murderer nearby was chilling beyond belief!

“I think he might have committed suicide,” Xu Huo said after circling the area.

Indeed, the situation was clear: beneath the hanging tree stood a small wooden cabin of a few square meters, containing only a bed and some logging tools.

Behind the cabin were several graves, one freshly made with paper offerings on the ground still intact.

Xu Huo tapped the tall stack of wood beside the corpse’s feet, “This height is just right for someone to climb up and hang themselves.”

“Or maybe someone hung him alive,” the balding middle-aged man said, “He’s not the only one here.”

“But according to the dungeon’s rules, doesn’t the headless demon behead victims?” the foreign young man asked, puzzled.

The suited man briefly examined the corpse and said with a complicated expression, “It’s possible he hanged himself.”

“He must have been ill for a long time; his body is covered in pustules.”

Xu Huo lifted the corpse’s shoulder and saw large patches of green pustules covering the entire back, leaving no skin visible.

Yuan Yao approached, “Brother Xu, any findings?”