Chapter 32: The Unveiling

"We were on our way to find Jia Xuyang," Huang Junjie sighed, "who would have thought we'd run straight into the Head-Hunting Demon."

"Why on earth did he have to go crawling into that tunnel?" Wan Zhikang complained, rubbing his shoulders where he had bumped into the walls twice inside the tunnel.

"He was probably afraid of the Head-Hunting Demon," Xu Huo said. "He must have intended to find a place to hide until the game ended."

"No wonder he took so much food this morning; he must have discovered the secret passage long ago," Zhang Xiong sneered. "He brought this upon himself; he has no one else to blame."

"Did you really see the Head-Hunting Demon earlier?" Wang Wei looked at Xu Huo and the others. "Don't take this the wrong way, but aside from you few, everyone else only heard rumors."

"Are you saying we’re lying?" Yuan Yao said indignantly. "Look at Brother Xu’s neck! He was almost strangled to death; it’s still bleeding!"

"It’s true, it’s true!" Abel stammered, his excitement making his words jumbled. "No head, no feet, it was flying! It had immense strength, we couldn't pin it down!"

Everyone could see the injury on Xu Huo’s neck. Wan Zhikang and Zhang Xiong muttered a few things about how to deal with the demon, while the rich kid and Liu Yuanyuan exchanged glances but remained silent.

For safety's sake, Huang Junjie suggested that everyone stay together in the main hall. The others had no objections, so they sat down to wait for dawn.

With his neck injured and healing agents having little effect, Xu Huo did not join the discussion on how to fight the demon. Instead, he leaned against the door, smoking while flicking his lighter.

Back in the tunnel, he had intentionally tossed the lighter before using his "Arsonist’s Tool." The result was as he had suspected: the black cloak was a special item and could not be ignited.

The Head-Hunting Demon seemed quite tall, but once you stripped away the illusion of its head and feet, its height was not much different from an average man. Even though he hadn't been able to physically touch the demon's body while being strangled, he was certain there was a person inside the cloak. Abel pinning it down with the large crucifix later had confirmed this.

The players who hadn't appeared during that struggle were the rich kid, Liu Yuanyuan, Zhang Xiong, Wan Zhikang, and Wang Wei. The person role-playing as the Head-Hunting Demon was among them.

His gaze swept over these five people. When his eyes landed on Liu Yuanyuan, her expression suddenly turned to terror. She stood up abruptly, pointing toward the door, and screamed, "The Head-Hunting Demon!"

Xu Huo turned immediately, just in time to see a black shadow pounce from outside, shattering the chandelier in the hall!

Glass showered everywhere, and the players erupted into chaos. Amidst the confusion, Zhang Xiong was heard roaring, "Do you think I’m afraid of you!"

The Head-Hunting Demon fell to the ground and slithered like a snake into the corridor on the right!

Seeing that Zhang Xiong had landed a punch on the demon, Huang Junjie regained hope. "Quick! Don't let it get away!"

Several people rushed out. Xu Huo followed behind, watching Zhang Xiong run out of the guest room toward the warehouse. He accelerated, passing the others, and blocked Abel, who was carrying the large crucifix. "Stop chasing."

"Why?" Abel asked, as the crucifix in his hands dissolved into foam.

Under the blank stares of the group, he scratched his head in embarrassment. "This is my item, 'False Crucifix.' Its duration is inconsistent; I didn't know it would only last a few seconds."

"But the Head-Hunting Demon doesn't seem that strong. The tunnel was cramped, but out here, we might just be able to beat it!"

"Forget about the demon, let’s go back and check," Xu Huo said, turning around without even glancing in the direction Zhang Xiong had disappeared.

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

"Maybe they plan to circle around from outside..." Before Yuan Yao could finish, Liu Yuanyuan ran over, her face covered in blood, screaming in a panic, "The Head-Hunting Demon is in the hall!"

"What!" Their expressions changed, and they sprinted back to the hall.

The lights in the hall were broken. While the dim light from the corridor wasn't enough to see the entire room clearly, the bodies on the floor and the large, spreading shadows were unmistakable.

Xu Huo approached, shining his flashlight. Wan Zhikang and the rich kid lay in a pool of blood, their necks severed, held together only by a shred of skin. Their eyes were wide open in a final, frozen gaze of disbelief.

"How could this happen!" Huang Junjie’s eyes trembled. "If the Head-Hunting Demon is here, who were we chasing just now?"

"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 guys?"

"...It’s all my fault. If I had stayed to help, maybe they wouldn't have died so miserably. But I was so scared, and when Brother Zheng told me to run, I didn't think..."

Interrupting her crying without a hint of pity, Xu Huo said, "What’s the point of crying now that they’re dead? Let’s find Wang Wei and Zhang Xiong."

"I’m here!" Wang Wei’s voice came from outside. He jogged in, startled by the carnage in the hall. "What happened here?"

Ignoring his question, Xu Huo asked, "Why were you outside?"

"You all ran off chasing the demon, so I thought I’d circle around from the courtyard to block him, but halfway there, I realized I was all alone... so I came back."

Wang Wei smiled awkwardly. "I was scared being on my own, too."

Xu Huo frowned. "Go find Zhang Xiong!"

Huang Junjie and the others, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, tried to stop him. "Look at the situation! Zhang Xiong is likely doomed. Let’s wait until dawn!"

"That’s right, if we go out and run into the demon..." Liu Yuanyuan shrank back, appearing terrified.

Xu Huo looked at her coldly. "You don't have to go."

Liu Yuanyuan froze, looking at the others for help.

Yuan Yao had nothing to say. Huang Junjie was hesitant, but seeing Xu Huo’s persistence and thinking of the two unexplained deaths in the hall, he decided to see what Xu Huo was planning.

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

The search went smoothly this time. They quickly found Zhang Xiong in the warehouse. He was sitting against the wall, his head gone, his death identical to the college student's.

"How is this possible!" Yuan Yao was incredulous. "Can the Head-Hunting Demon use a cloning technique? Killing Zhang Xiong while simultaneously killing Wan Zhikang and the others?"

Huang Junjie looked at Liu Yuanyuan and Wang Wei with newfound vigilance. "Could it be that the Head-Hunting Demon isn't just one person?"

"What do you mean by that?" Wang Wei’s expression darkened. "Are you suspecting I killed Wan Zhikang?"

"You said you went out to block the demon, but Zhang Xiong is dead, and you returned to the hall alone." Back in the tunnel, the demon’s appearance had been so shocking that no one realized that since the players weren't all together, there was plenty of time for someone to kill Jia Xuyang and then ambush the others.

"Come to think of it, the game task is to 'protect our heads.' This 'our' doesn't necessarily refer to the players themselves; it more likely refers to the side of the ordinary players. If there is an ordinary player faction, there must be a Head-Hunting Demon faction!"

"Which means you and Liu Yuanyuan belong to the Head-Hunting Demon faction!"