Chapter 34 - Inference

“Players simply can’t obtain the traits of players they’ve killed,” Liu Yuanyuan was the first to speak.

“You’re bluffing.”

“You are a Cannibal Player, and Cannibal Players inherently don’t have any traits, so of course you can’t obtain traits from other players.

We’ve all just gotten off the initial trial train; I suppose none of you have many items, right?”

Ignoring Liu Yuanyuan’s angry glare, Wang Wei’s gaze remained fixed on Xu Huo’s face, “It’s impossible for one person to complete the mission by themselves.

You now have five people; instead of increasing casualties, why don’t we stay out of each other’s way and quietly wait until the fifth day?

Wouldn’t that be better?”

Huang Junjie, who weighed the pros and cons, was somewhat swayed and subconsciously looked towards Xu Huo.

“There’s no need to test me,” Xu Huo said.

“Even if you kill a player, you can’t obtain their traits.

The only inheritance that can be passed on is money and items.”

“Indeed, one person alone cannot clear the game.

The simplest solution is indeed to ensure that multiple players stay alive until the end of the instance.

But as you said, we’ve just come off the train, and maybe the players you’ve killed didn’t have any items at all.”

He smiled, “The hardest part is already over.

The big prize package is right in front of us, taking a little risk is worth it.”

Wang Wei, anticipating that Xu Huo wouldn’t be so easily fooled, then looked at Yuan Yao and the other two, “Do you all think the same?”

The three didn’t speak, and Wang Wei let out a cold laugh before turning to Liu Yuanyuan, “Even if you kill me, you won’t get any benefits, and the next ones they’ll go after will be you.”

Liu Yuanyuan shrugged, “I don’t care.

The reward for the instance is more tempting to me.”

“You talk so much, are you scared?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she pounced on Wang Wei like a ferocious beast unleashed from its cage!

Wang Wei dodged to the side, his face slashed with three bloody streaks, and the pain from flesh and skin torn made his muscles twitch.

He retreated several steps to avoid further injury, then snatched a black cloak from midair and spun it around himself!

But before he could entirely hide beneath the cloak, Xu Huo suddenly attacked from the side, tripping him to the ground with a sweep of his foot, “Catch him!”

Following closely behind, Abel and Yuan Yao each grabbed one of his legs, forcibly dragging Wang Wei out from under the cloak!

Although his body was pulled out, one hand was still clutching the cloak, creating a three-way tug-of-war!

Huang Junjie, seizing the opportunity, held a bamboo patch knife and aimed it at his chest, but just as he was about to strike, a thin, silver-black wire looped around his neck and hoisted him up!

The bamboo patch knife clattered to the ground as Huang Junjie struggled, trying to pull the wire off.

However, the wire’s ends weren’t attached to anything, as if growing out of thin air, and as Wang Wei crossed his index and middle fingers, the wire suddenly twisted and tightened, leaving a line of oozing blood around Huang Junjie’s neck!

Xu Huo glanced at the man’s eyes rolling back, planted his foot firmly on the cloak, took out the “Arsonist’s Tool,” and opened it, shouting, “Burn, burn, burn!”

Without the black cloak to shield him, three bundles of flames ignited out of thin air on Wang Wei’s clothing, and the fire grew rapidly!

Suddenly catching fire caused Wang Wei to panic, and he stopped controlling the thin wire.

Instead, he kicked away Abel and Yuan Yao and turned to strike at Xu Huo!

While there had been some distance between them, Wang Wei now had a black stun baton in his hand, and the current surging through it enveloped his entire arm.

The jumping sparks made it hard to open one’s eyes and difficult to make a move.

Xu Huo squinted his eyes, hesitating whether or not to let go, when Liu Yuanyuan suddenly pounced from the side, pressed down on Wang Wei’s left arm with her insulated gloves, and with a “crack,” snapped it, causing the stun baton to roll onto the ground!

She picked up the stun baton and ran, while Xu Huo and Huang Junjie, who had just gotten up, attacked simultaneously with their knives, stabbing towards Wang Wei’s wrist and calf!

By then, Wang Wei was engulfed in flames, the fire exceeding his tolerance, forcing him to abandon the black cloak.

Wielding the Beheading Demon’s axe, he fended off the two men, then rolled on the spot to distance himself from the group!

Barely getting up, Abel approached, carrying the large Cross.

Wang Wei managed to block with his axe but was slammed against the wall, landing and spitting blood while frantically tearing at his clothes.

Thanks to the Evolver’s constitution, his skin was burned but not yet fatally.

However, the molten parts of the cloth that had burned and fused to his skin couldn’t be forcibly torn off, only left to cool.

The smell of cooked meat filled the warehouse.

“Gulp!” Liu Yuanyuan swallowed.

“The risk was well worth it,” Xu Huo said, lifting the black cloak in his hand.

In a brief exchange lasting only dozens of seconds, the Beheading Demon Wang Wei not only gained no advantage but lost his greatest reliance, the black cloak, as well as another tool.

Even the axe in his hand was chipped by Abel’s large Cross, and their side’s damage was negligible.

Wang Wei, gasping for air, glared at Xu Huo with venom in his eyes that could almost take solid form.

He couldn’t understand, “Why were you so certain that the Beheading Demon had to be a player?

There have always been rumors of a Beheading Demon at the Hot Spring Mountain Villa.

Any normal person would think there was originally a Beheading Demon here, plus the evidence I made.

What made you disbelieve?”

“Because your cleverness backfired on you!” Yuan Yao countered eagerly: “Would the real Beheading Demon resort to such petty tricks?”

“Is that your reason?” Wang Wei raised his voice.

Not just him.

Huang Junjie and the others were also confused, especially Huang Junjie.

He had initially only suspected a player was impersonating the Beheading Demon to kill, never considering that the Beheading Demon might be a player himself.

“Pay attention to the details.

The background of the instance stated that people died frequently at this villa in the past three years, but the information we found in this warehouse shows that rumors of the Beheading Demon go back decades,” Xu Huo said, flicking his lighter.

Wang Wei’s eyelids twitched at this, asking, “And what does that prove?”

“The crux is in these materials.

Just looking at these past three years, the victims show a pattern: consecutive loss of heads or multiple missing limbs,” Xu Huo continued.

Xu Huo glanced at Huang Junjie.

“Putting aside the theory of copycat crimes, this pattern fits more with a player’s identity, most being ordinary players, some being Cannibal Players.”

“So that’s why there were missing arms and legs.

If the bodies were eaten, the identity of the Beheading Demon would have been easily exposed, right?” Yuan Yao murmured.

“Some past records and cases could be seen in the newspapers, indicating that this villa wasn’t closed down because of the Beheading Demon, at least newspapers were still delivered here.

Plus, the game states this place was once popular with both players and non-players.

That means there’s a good chance it was an instance in the past too, frequented by players.

Now that it’s an instance again, and considering the pattern of the bodies, the Beheading Demon being a player makes more sense.”

“So, this instance started decades ago?” Abel exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s all our first time here, how could that be possible!”

“It’s possible,” Huang Junjie said, thinking of something, his complexion turning slightly ashen.

“The Woodcutter, isn’t he a player stranded here?”