Chapter 29: Killing Intent

“Du Lanlan and Xia Guo died so miserably; who among us could have done that?”

“I think the Decapitator Demon is elusive and unpredictable. It might be intentionally using smoke screens to confuse us, making us kill each other first!”

“Have you forgotten? Anyone who touches the Decapitator Demon statue gets cursed. Xia Guo happened to die tonight—doesn't that prove something?”

Huang Junjie and Yuan Yao instinctively glanced at Xu Huo, only to hear him say, “It seems Du Lanlan never touched it.”

“So what? The Decapitator Demon just got a double kill on the way,” Liu Yuanyuan said nonchalantly, inspecting her fingernails. “Trying to use logic with a killer—you men really have too much free time.”

“Has anyone else noticed Du Lanlan’s movements?” The rich heir scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Wan Zhikang.

Wiping away sweat, Wan Zhikang saw the others staring at him and scowled. “What are you looking at me for? I’m not a voyeur; how would I know what she did!”

The others all shook their heads, and the courtyard suddenly fell silent.

“Since that's the case, let's split up. A few people will stay to settle Du Lanlan and Xia Guo, and the rest will go fix the wiring,” Huang Junjie said, ending the cycle of mutual suspicion and taking the initiative to arrange the bodies.

The other players exchanged glances; while their faces remained neutral, they each had their own hidden agendas.

In the end, Zhang Xiong’s group of three plus Wang Wei went to fix the wiring. Xu Huo and Yuan Yao stayed behind to help, and the rich heir and Liu Yuanyuan also left. The college student sat alone to one side, unmoving.

Since Du and Xia had lost their heads, they couldn't be buried directly, nor could they be left by the hot spring. Thus, Xu Huo and Yuan Yao lifted the mattress, placed the bodies on wooden boards, and covered them with bedsheets.

Looking back at the college student sitting on the threshold wiping away tears, Xu Huo frowned. “What are you crying for?”

“Why is everyone targeting me? Am I really that easy to bully?” the student said indignantly. “I only hid a knife to survive. I didn't kill anyone or hurt anyone. Why does everyone pick on me?”

Yuan Yao patted his shoulder with empathy. “It’s because we’re weak. The game is so cruel; one mistake and you lose your life. It’s normal for others to be cautious.”

The student looked fearfully at the blood-soaked bedsheets on the bed and fell silent.

Huang Junjie called Xu Huo into the courtyard and asked bluntly, “How can you be so sure it wasn't the Decapitator Demon?”

Xu Huo stared at him without speaking.

His silence lasted so long that it drew the attention of Yuan Yao and the college student, who then followed his gaze toward Huang Junjie.

Huang Junjie suddenly reacted. “You suspect me and Yuan Yao!”

“Brother Xu!” Yuan Yao cried out in shock.

“Don't be nervous.” Xu Huo pulled out a lighter but didn't take out a cigarette. “I trust Yuan Yao.”

Yuan Yao breathed a sigh of relief and immediately stood behind him, glaring at Huang Junjie as if they were on the same side.

Huang Junjie gritted his teeth. “Then if you ask him, he’ll tell you—I didn't have time to kill anyone.”

Xu Huo grinned and reached out to pat his shoulder, but he accidentally hit his wound. Huang Junjie reflexively pushed him away in pain, his pale face filled with vigilance.

“I was joking.” After confirming the wound was real and hadn't been healed by any special medicine, Xu Huo continued, “What do you think of the Decapitator Demon's strength?”

“Extremely powerful, of course,” Huang Junjie said. “He knows this villa better than anyone, appears and disappears at will, kills silently...”

He trailed off, looking at Xu Huo with a sudden, complex expression. “So that's how it is.”

Yuan Yao scratched his head in confusion. “Brother Xu, what do you mean? So what if the Decapitator Demon is strong?”

“If it were the Decapitator Demon, there would be no need to touch the circuit breaker,” Huang Junjie explained. “The first power outage wasn't actually an accident. Everyone reacted strongly at the time, immediately leaving their rooms to gather in the lobby.”

“When the power went out the second time, our first thought was also a tripped breaker. We waited a while before anyone came out, and then we gathered in the storage room until we were drawn to this room by the noise.”

“Exactly,” Xu Huo nodded. “The greatest danger in this instance is the Decapitator Demon. It wouldn't be strange for someone to die at his hands, so there's no need to prove his existence. The power outage and the knocking over of the storage rack were merely to prove that certain players were staying together.”

“Isn't that just adding legs to a snake—overcomplicating things for no reason!” Yuan Yao slapped his forehead.

“Who do you suspect?” Huang Junjie asked hurriedly.

Xu Huo turned toward the college student, who was listening intently and jumped in fright when their eyes met. “It really wasn't me! I brought the knife back before the power went out. If you don't believe me, ask Wang Wei. I went out while he was showering; he definitely heard me leave my room. I even waited for him so we could leave together!”

“Did anyone see you hiding the knife during the day?” Xu Huo asked.

The student hesitated. “I'm not sure. Everyone was looking for food at the time. If they had seen me, would they have just let me take the knife?”

“Do you suspect Wang Wei?” Huang Junjie felt they were running out of time; after all, the student had already returned to his room when the power went out, and Wang Wei was in his room then as well.

“I'm not sure.” Xu Huo pivoted. “However, someone is killing in the name of the Decapitator Demon and specifically gathering all the players together. They are simply trying to divert attention, making the other players believe the danger comes from the outside rather than from within the group.”

This method actually works. Within the context of the instance, when players see a corpse, they default to assuming the Decapitator Demon did it. Even if they later suspect one another, the shared perception of seeing the body temporarily fills that gap. Players won't easily turn on each other. By the time someone realizes the truth, several players will have already been lost, and continued suspicion might mean no one survives at all.

But if the premise is that the Decapitator Demon is among the players, then every player is a suspect. Players who can vouch for each other form groups, making it very difficult to attack a lone player amidst such mutual suspicion.

Therefore, next time, the Decapitator Demon would either have to appear in a group or take on several people at once. In either case, the situation becomes clearer, and it won't be so easy to hide in the shadows and kill.

“There is one problem, though,” Xu Huo said. “Someone might guess that the Decapitator Demon is among us.”

“What's the problem with that?” Huang Junjie was stunned, then added, “Wait, are you saying there is no Decapitator Demon at all?”

“That's impossible,” Yuan Yao said. “The instance description says the Decapitator Demon has been here for decades.”

The college student clutched his head, his eyes vacant. “What are you guys talking about?”

“The Decapitator Demon is most likely a player.” Xu Huo flicked his lighter. “If you knew this, what would you do to complete the instance mission?”

Huang Junjie opened his mouth but fell into silence.

“Exactly.” The lighter clicked, illuminating Xu Huo's face, the light carving a sharp line of shadow and brightness across his features. “I would kill every other player.”

(End of Chapter)