Chapter 32 - Appearing in Person

“We were looking for Jia Xuyang,” Huang Junjie said with feeling, “Who knew we’d run into the Beheading Demon right then.”

“Why the hell did he crawl into the tunnel?” Wan Zhikang complained, having bumped into the walls of the tunnel twice just now.

“Maybe he was afraid of the Beheading Demon,” Xu Huo suggested, “So he planned 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 earlier,” Zhang Xiong said coldly, “He’s looking for his own death; no one else to blame.”

“Did you guys really see the Beheading Demon just now?” Wang Wei looked at Xu Huo and the others, “Don’t blame me for doubting you, but besides you guys, everyone else has just heard rumors.”

“Why would we lie to you!” Yuan Yao was indignant, “Look at my Brother Xu’s neck, almost strangled, and it’s still oozing blood.”

“It’s true, it’s really true!” Abel was so anxious that his words were jumbled, “No head, no feet, flying!

So strong, can’t hold it down!”

Everyone could see the injury on Xu Huo’s neck.

Wan Zhikang and Zhang Xiong, on the other hand, muttered a few words about how to deal with the Beheading Demon.

The rich second generation and Liu Yuanyuan exchanged looks but didn’t speak.

For safety’s sake, Huang Junjie suggested that everyone stay together in the hall, and the others had no objections, sitting together waiting for nightfall.

Xu Huo’s neck was injured, and the Self-Healing Potion wasn’t very effective.

He didn’t join in the discussion of how to deal with the Beheading Demon, but leaned against the door, smoking cigarettes and flicking his lighter.

While in the tunnel, he had deliberately thrown his lighter once before using the “Arsonist’s Tool,” and the outcome was just as he had expected: the black cloak was a special item, and it couldn’t be set on fire at all.

The Beheading Demon seemed very tall, but after removing its head and feet, it was not much different in height from a normal man.

Although Xu Huo hadn’t managed to touch the Beheading Demon’s body when he was being strangled, he was sure there was someone inside the cloak, and later on, Abel confirming it by pinning it down with the Cross.

The players who hadn’t shown up at the time were the rich second generation, Liu Yuanyuan, Zhang Xiong, Wan Zhikang, and Wang Wei—a group of five.

The one playing the Beheading Demon was among them.

As his gaze swept over these five individuals, when it landed on Liu Yuanyuan’s face, her expression suddenly became terrified.

She stood up abruptly, pointed towards the main door, and screamed, “The Beheading Demon!”

Xu Huo turned around immediately, just in time to see a dark figure rush in from outside the door, knocking out the chandelier in the hall!

Glass shattered with a crash, scattering everywhere while the players fell into chaos.

Amid the commotion, they heard Zhang Xiong shouting loudly, “I’m not afraid of you!”

Following that, the Beheading Demon stumbled to the ground, slithering into the right corridor like a snake!

Seeing the Beheading Demon hit by Zhang Xiong’s punch, Huang Junjie was filled with hope, “Quick!

Don’t let him get away!”

Several people dashed out one after another, with Xu Huo following behind.

He saw Zhang Xiong run out of a guest room towards the direction of the warehouse, sped up ahead of the others, and stopped Abel, who was carrying the big Cross, “Stop chasing.”

“Why?” Abel asked, as the Cross in his hand turned back into foam.

Under the expressionless stares of the others, he awkwardly scratched his head, “This is my item ‘False Cross;’ its duration isn’t fixed.

I had no idea it could only last a few seconds.”

“But I don’t think the Beheading Demon is that powerful.

It was inconvenient in the tunnel, outside we might be able to beat him!”

“Forget about the Beheading Demon for now, let’s go back and check,” Xu Huo didn’t even bother to look in the direction where Zhang Xiong disappeared, turning around to head back.

Yuan Yao and Abel were baffled, but Huang Junjie suddenly said, “Why hasn’t anyone else come out?”

“Maybe they’re planning to circle around from outside…” Yuan Yao hadn’t finished speaking when Liu Yuanyuan came running, her face bloody, panicking, and shouting, “The Beheading Demon is in the hall!”

“What!” Their faces changed, and they quickly ran back to the hall.

The lights in the lobby were already broken, and while the lighting in the corridor wasn’t enough to let someone see the entire lobby clearly, the person lying on the ground and the large spreading shadow were distinctly visible.

Xu Huo came from behind, shining his flashlight, only to find Wan Zhikang and the rich second generation lying in pools of blood, their necks chopped off, with just a bit of skin attached to their bodies, and their eyes wide open in death, unwilling to close.

“How could this happen!” Huang Junjie’s eyeballs trembled, “If the Beheading Demon is here, then who were we chasing just now?”

“Didn’t you see Wang Wei?” Xu Huo raised his hand to illuminate Liu Yuanyuan’s face.

Liu Yuanyuan covered her face, crying, “I don’t know, didn’t he go out with you guys?”

“…It’s all my fault.

If I had stayed to help, they might not have died so miserably, but I was too scared, so when Brother Zhang told me to run, I didn’t think too much…”

Show no mercy in cutting off her cries, Xu Huo said, “What’s the use of crying over dead people?

Let’s go find Wang Wei and Zhang Xiong first.”

“I’m here!” Wang Wei’s voice came from outside; he jogged in and was startled by the gruesome scene in the lobby, “What’s going on here?”

Without answering his question, Xu Huo asked, “Why were you outside?”

“When you all were chasing the Beheading Demon, I thought I’d circle around from the outside of the courtyard to block him.

It was only halfway through that I realized I didn’t have anyone behind me… So I came back.”

Wang Wei smiled awkwardly, “I’m scared when I’m alone too.”

Xu Huo twisted his brow, “Let’s find Zhang Xiong!”

Huang Junjie and the others were caught off guard by this unexpected situation and hurried to stop him, “Looking at this scene, Zhang Xiong is more likely dead than alive.

Let’s wait until daylight!”

“Yeah, what if we run into the Beheading Demon outside…” Liu Yuanyuan shrank back, seemingly very frightened.

Xu Huo looked at her coldly, “You don’t have to go.”

Liu Yuanyuan stiffened, looking at the others for help.

Yuan Yao had nothing much to say.

Huang Junjie was very hesitant at first, but seeing Xu Huo’s firm attitude and thinking about the two unidentified deaths in the lobby, he decided to see what exactly Xu Huo wanted to do.

Four out of the remaining six people departed, leaving Liu Yuanyuan and Wang Wei with no choice but to follow.

This time there was no disturbance, and they soon found Zhang Xiong in the warehouse, his death mirroring that of the college student, propped up in a corner, with his head also missing.

“How is this possible!” Yuan Yao found it unbelievable, “Does the Beheading Demon also know how to clone himself?

Killing Zhang Xiong on one hand and Wan Zhikang on the other?”

Huang Junjie was vigilantly looking at Liu and Wang, “Could it be that the Beheading Demon is not just one person?”

“What do you mean by that?” Wang Wei’s complexion soured, “Are you suspecting me of killing Wan Zhikang?”

“You said you were going out to stop the Beheading Demon, but Zhang Xiong is dead, and you came back to the lobby alone.” Initially, in the tunnel, the Beheading Demon’s appearance was too impactful, so it didn’t occur to him that all players were in the tunnel at that time, and with no one present at the same time, it was possible for someone to kill Jia Xuyang and then ambush them in time.

“Speaking of which, the game mission is to protect ‘our’ heads, and this ‘our’ doesn’t necessarily mean the players themselves, it could more likely mean the faction of ordinary players—the sides of friends and foes.

If there’s a faction for ordinary players, there should be one for the Beheading Demon too!”

“So you and Liu Yuanyuan, you belong to the Beheading Demon faction!”