Chapter 36: The Journey Home

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“What else could it be? Of course it goes to you!” Yuan Yao was the first to speak. “Without you, forget catching the Head-Chopping Demon—we might not even have cleared the dungeon.”

“And now we have an extra prize as well. I have absolutely no objection to giving it to you.”

Huang Junjie and Abel nodded in turn. Liu Yuanyuan did so reluctantly.

“This vote is public. Everyone can see whom the others have chosen, and the majority rules.” Xu Huo held out his hand, signaling Huang Junjie to return the lighter.

Without hesitation, Huang Junjie handed him Wang Wei’s item as well.

Wang Wei had died at Xu Huo’s hands, so his belongings should naturally pass to Xu Huo. In anyone else’s hands, that wire would be nothing more than a tough guitar string.

What Xu Huo had thrown to Huang Junjie was not the Arsonist’s Tool, but the Tattooed Man’s lighter. After putting away the guitar string, he lit himself a cigarette and said, “No need to rush. We’ll go one at a time. Even if one or two people abstain, the voting system still stands.”

Liu Yuanyuan’s brows drew together. “Aren’t you being a little too domineering? If we don’t choose you, you’re going to kill us?”

“I’m only giving you a reminder,” Xu Huo said. “This is one of the game’s rules as well. Who knows? There may be many more chances to vote later.”

The three men nearby shook their heads vigorously. How could an opportunity to kill a dungeon boss and obtain its items possibly come often?

“Brother Xu, don’t bother with her. She isn’t a good person anyway. We’ll vote for you,” Yuan Yao said.

In the end, all five voted for Xu Huo, granting him the right to choose the exchange reward.

Facing everyone’s gaze, Liu Yuanyuan said bluntly, “I have no problem voting for you, but the stun baton belongs to me.”

“You’ve already taken Zheng Li’s and Wan Zhikang’s items, and now you want Wang Wei’s too? You weren’t the one who killed Wang Wei!” Yuan Yao said unhappily.

“I contributed, didn’t I?” Liu Yuanyuan folded her arms. “I deserve one item.”

Huang Junjie and Abel were displeased as well, but Xu Huo said, “You can have it. However, you won’t receive a share of the item the manor owner gave us separately, and of the one hundred thousand white bills, you can only take ten thousand.”

Liu Yuanyuan’s eyes shifted twice. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Fine!”

After they finished negotiating, several stacks of white bills and a seal engraved with a skull dropped to the ground.

Xu Huo picked up the seal.

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[Cursed Seal (Note: A curse capable of sending regards to anyone’s immediate family. Find the right opportunity and stamp the pattern onto someone. At least three people, including the target, will have one aspect of their strength weakened. Until the pattern disappears, the curse will not end. Please note that the direction and intensity of the curse depend on the circumstances. Do not use it on a stronger player, or it will become your curse instead. Ah, it truly is a cursed seal.)]

After reading the description, Xu Huo smiled and handed the seal to Huang Junjie and the others.

“This item is practically useless. It’s not even as good as the stun baton.”

Though Liu Yuanyuan had not seen the description, the looks of disdain on the others’ faces told her enough. She immediately said, “I’m not trading for it.”

Xu Huo took the Queen’s Mirror and the Fast-Talking Notebook from Wang Wei’s belongings. “These two items, together with the seal. Choose one each.”

The Queen’s Mirror was a portable makeup mirror about the size of a palm. If one looked into it and said, “You’re the most beautiful,” or, “You’re the most handsome,” then for the next three minutes, anyone who saw that person would automatically view them through a flattering filter.

The Fast-Talking Notebook was a shorthand pad that could automatically record everything said by anyone within ten meters during the five minutes after it was opened.

“You’re being far too generous,” Huang Junjie said, reluctant to accept the favor. “We barely contributed anything. We already owe you one, and now we’re taking your items too... Why don’t you take my share of the money instead?”

Yuan Yao hurriedly nodded. He chose the mirror.

“Then I’ll take five thousand.” Xu Huo did not refuse, accepting the white bills given to him by the three men.

The Cursed Seal had no owner, so Abel could place it directly into his item inventory. The remaining three items currently belonged to Xu Huo. Although they were being held by different people, no one else could claim them unless Xu Huo chose to discard them.

The moment Liu Yuanyuan obtained her item, she eagerly took out her return ticket and vanished from their sight.

“Is it really all right to let her go like that?” Huang Junjie asked. “She’s a cannibal player.”

“The game is over,” Xu Huo said. “Relax.”

Huang Junjie let out a long breath. “You’re right. Players aren’t obligated to deal with cannibal players.”

“Xu Huo, I hope we run into each other again.” He shook Xu Huo’s hand solemnly before leaving the dungeon.

Abel walked over with the seal, smiling broadly. “Let me give it a try.”

Xu Huo raised a brow and held out his hand.

“I curse you to have less and less bad luck.” Abel stamped the seal onto the back of Xu Huo’s hand, then disappeared.

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“Brother Xu, you absolutely have to remember me.” Yuan Yao held his hand earnestly. “I’m the programmer—you know, the one you don’t understand. Remember that, all right?”

Xu Huo smiled and nodded. Only after Yuan Yao had left did he carefully examine his return ticket.

Although it was made of the same material as a train ticket, it bore only a string of numbers and letters:

E27-014-A07

He had no clue what it meant for now, so he put the ticket away. Then, carrying a flashlight, he went to the little wooden cabin at the foot of the mountain, dug up the woman he had buried earlier, and used her own fingernails to scratch several words into the inside of her coat. He then buried her again.

After brushing the dirt from his trousers, he went to the plum grove ahead, broke off a branch heavy with plums, and slung it over his shoulder. Only then did he use the return ticket.

“Beep-beep!”

After a brief moment of blankness, the sound of a car horn rang in Xu Huo’s ears. When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a narrow alley. Under the brilliant streetlights lay a familiar streetscape: he had returned to the back alley of the hotel where he had stayed before.

His phone showed ten-thirty in the evening, when the night’s festivities were only just beginning.

He was about to leave when his foot suddenly stepped on something neither soft nor hard. He picked it up and discovered a bulging wallet.

Could the curse’s power be used like this as well?

Xu Huo glanced at the black skull on the back of his hand, put the wallet away, and entered the hotel.

Actors often came and went here, so the receptionist was not surprised by his appearance. After learning that he had come to retrieve something, she explained, “You probably don’t know this, but all kinds of strange things have been happening around here lately. Quite a few people have died. Then you suddenly disappeared, so we had no choice but to call the police. The wallets and identification documents you left behind were taken by the police. You’ll have to go to the police station to collect them.”

“You went off to join a production, didn’t you? Look at the trouble this has caused. Why don’t you stay here for one night? I’ll let you stay for free.”

Xu Huo thanked her, left the hotel, and found another one to stay in.

After closing the door, he washed up briefly before opening the game interface.

[Congratulations, Player John Doe, on successfully clearing the Head-Chopping Demon dungeon. Your performance during this dungeon has been rated B-Class Outstanding. You have one opportunity to exchange your reward. You may choose either one use of Trait Development Authorization or one item. Would you like to make your choice now?]