Chapter 24: Making the Lie Believable

Everyone looked at him in horror. "Then why did you move it here!"

Xu Huo grinned. "With things like this, if you believe in it, it exists; if you don't, it doesn't."

"Let me see the diary." Just as Huang Junjie opened his mouth, Wan Zhikang preempted him, snatching the diary from Xu Huo's hands. "I just looked through this diary myself; I didn't see this sentence anywhere."

As he spoke, he flipped through the pages frantically, only saying after a moment, "It's all nonsense. Not a single useful thing in here."

Zhang Xiong snatched the diary away and handed it to Huang Junjie. "You're a smart man. Look, maybe you can figure something out."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Huang Junjie skimmed through the diary quickly, his expression much like Wan Zhikang's.

"The owner of the diary was mentally unstable. The later entries are messy and full of scribbles. I didn't notice any inserted notes when I looked at it earlier."

"Aside from the fact that several people die in the villa at regular intervals, there is indeed very little information regarding the Beheader."

"However, the characteristics of the Beheader mentioned in the diary are very close to what I've seen: wearing a black mask, very tall, and wielding a sharp axe."

In truth, several players had stumbled upon this diary. The reason they hadn't paid much attention was that, compared to this incoherent diary containing little valuable information, the briefings or notes left behind by the deceased were far more precious.

Some people had come specifically for the Beheader and had conducted investigations beforehand.

But to the players, this information was trivial because the details mentioned—such as being massive, possessing immense strength, and running very fast—were all visible to the naked eye. Furthermore, to an Evolver, these were nothing special; if the Beheader was simply another type of Evolver, he would actually be easier to deal with.

"Doesn't the Beheader only cut off heads?" The diary had already passed into Wang Wei's hands. A college student standing beside him, who had barely spoken since entering the villa, asked, "Why do some people lose hands and feet?"

"Perhaps they were killed after resisting." Du Lanlan's face was pale. "The Beheader isn't omnipotent. Didn't he run away yesterday after failing to kill Mr. Huang?"

"But why did the Beheader attack Mr. Huang first?" Abel struggled to read the text in the diary. "Mr. Huang doesn't seem to have touched the statue. If that's the case, the words in the diary are inaccurate."

"I touched it." Huang Junjie said with a solemn expression. "When I entered the villa yesterday, I accidentally bumped into the stone pillar at the intersection."

"Could the Beheader be killing people in a specific order?" Du Lanlan looked toward Xu Huo and Xia Guo.

Chewing on bread, Xu Huo said to Xia Guo, whose lips were trembling, "Don't be afraid. I'm standing in front of you."

Xia Guo glared at him with reddened eyes. "It's just a coincidence. I don't believe the Beheader could possibly know I touched its statue."

"That's not certain," Wan Zhikang said. "The Beheader is a supernatural entity. Perhaps it is monitoring us at all times, and we just haven't noticed."

"Stop talking. It's broad daylight and you're giving me goosebumps," Wang Wei said, rubbing his arms.

"In my opinion, this is a good thing." A rich kid propped his foot up on the dining table. "Regardless of whether the Beheader kills in order, at least we know one thing: those who touched the statue will definitely die first."

"That's simple, then. If the people who touched the statue hold on a little longer, the rest of us can safely make it through the remaining days, right?"

"Are you even human?" Xia Guo snapped angrily. "What benefit do you get from us dying?"

"There's no harm in it either," Liu Yuanyuan said with a grin. "If you three are in more danger, the rest of us will be safer."

By this time, Zhang Xiong had already distanced himself from Huang Junjie, and the others seemed to tacitly accept this arrangement.

After a brief gathering, the players dispersed unhappily, leaving the dining room one after another.

Xu Huo and Yuan Yao were still eating in the dining room.

"Brother Xu, I was really worried just now that people would see through it. If they found out you added those words, they might just beat us to death," Yuan Yao whispered, his tone filled with relief.

"There is so much written material in the warehouse; even if they read it all, it's impossible to remember everything. They'll just think they were being careless," Xu Huo said calmly.

"Then how did you know that those who touched the stone statue would be cursed? Did you see Huang Junjie touch it?"

Xu Huo's movement of drinking water paused. His gaze swept over the Beheader statue on the floor before he replied, "A coincidence, I suppose."

After finishing his meal, Xu Huo sent Yuan Yao to ask if any other players had touched the statue, while he returned to his room to catch up on sleep.

He didn't get up until near dusk. By then, a heavy fog had descended, making little difference between daylight and darkness.

Most players had returned to the villa. After meeting up with Yuan Yao, Xu Huo learned what had happened in the afternoon.

Huang Junjie, Wang Wei, and the college student had spent the entire afternoon in the warehouse. Du Lanlan and Xia Guo had gone to the warehouse for a while before heading over to the wooden cabins.

Zhang Xiong and Wan Zhikang had also gone, though they had gone to try and snatch the woodcutter's axe. The woodcutter had nearly fought them to the death, and the situation was only defused when Abel offered to pray for his family.

Xu Huo asked Du Lanlan for a rubber band to tie back his hair, then called Yuan Yao to head out.

"Brother Xu, where are we going?" Yuan Yao asked hesitantly. "It's almost dark; it's not safe to go out now."

The diary matter was a lie, but the Beheader was very real.

"I can go by myself," Xu Huo said, and began walking.

Yuan Yao looked back at the other players in the hall, wiped his face with both hands, and followed him anyway.

As they walked out, they happened to run into Huang Junjie, who was also heading toward the wooden cabins.

The three of them nodded to each other in greeting.

After walking for a while, Huang Junjie suddenly leaned against a tree and stopped.

"Are you okay?" Yuan Yao leaned in. "Your shoulder is bleeding again. Is there no first aid medicine in the villa?"

"Couldn't find any." Huang Junjie was still holding on, but he suddenly spoke to Xu Huo, who was several meters away. "If anyone who touches the Beheader statue is cursed, you were the one who added that to the diary, weren't you?"

Xu Huo raised an eyebrow slightly. "You figured it out."

Huang Junjie pointed to his eyes. "This is my trait: I can see certain details that ordinary people cannot. Your imitation was very good, but the handwriting doesn't match the timing of the rest of the diary."

"And you deliberately moved the statue into the dining room. Do you suspect the Beheader's identity?"

Xu Huo habitually lit a cigarette, his expression knowing. "I was wondering why it was such a coincidence. Good teamwork."

Yuan Yao looked back and forth between the two of them, his brain struggling to keep up. "So, you never actually touched the statue?"

"No," Huang Junjie answered curtly. "I discovered that stone carving yesterday, but I didn't touch it, nor did I mention it to anyone."

"The reason I cooperated with the lie about the diary's curse today is that, like Mr. Xu, I suspect there is a player impersonating the Beheader."