Chapter 18: The Head-Chopping Demon

"What will happen?" The two men’s teeth chattered at his words, yet they couldn't help but press for an answer.

Those who had survived the preliminary trial train owed their lives to either skill or luck, but any surviving player knew better than to treat a missed dungeon lightly.

Under the gaze of the others, Xu Huo flicked his cigarette and flashed a grin. "I have no idea."

The two players posing as station staff realized they had been played. Burning with shame and rage, they lunged at him. "We were going to leave you a way out, but you chose to court death yourself!"

"Click!"

As his brass lighter remained ignited, Xu Huo quickly stepped back, raised his hand, and shouted "Ignite!" twice.

Almost as he spoke, blue flames erupted from the hems of the two players' clothes. Ordinary fabric caught fire in the blink of an eye, as if it were paper. The pair, who had been viciously aggressive a moment before, immediately began screaming and tearing at their clothes.

The other three players, who had been waiting for an opening, were terrified by this display and instinctively retreated.

"He's using a game item!" The lanky man threw off his clothes, staring at Xu Huo with a mix of fury and fear. Seeing the lighter in his hand, a glint of greed appeared in his eyes. He shouted at the other three, "You idiots, why aren't you helping? He must have more than one ticket on him. We need to steal his ticket to get to the next dungeon, or else you can just wait here and starve to death!"

However, before the three players could react, a series of "Ignite" calls echoed through the hall. One after another, the players' clothes began to burn, including those of the two fake station staff members who had just stripped off their tops.

As the group rolled on the ground, wailing, Xu Huo stood to the side, watching the scene of desperate self-rescue with indifference. He had roughly figured out the limitations of the "Arsonist's Tool"—what it could ignite, the size of the flames, and the rate of combustion.

It could only ignite clothing worn by a person; items left alone on the ground were unaffected. The intensity of the fire was like a normal blaze; it wasn't inextinguishable, nor could it melt metal.

There were two necessary conditions for ignition: first, there could be no obstacles between the lighter and the target—it had to be a straight line, so pointing the lighter at someone behind him wouldn't work; second, the target had to hear him say "Ignite"—lip-reading alone was insufficient.

Of course, since Evolvers had enhanced hearing, the controllable range was quite large.

Nodding in satisfaction, he checked the time on his phone and vanished from the station hall.

***

The train sped through a forest shrouded in thick fog. The light outside dimmed perceptibly to the naked eye. Xu Huo checked the time on his phone again and realized that after the scenery changed three times, the timeline had been completely scrambled. It looked like nighttime now, but in reality, he had only been on the train for two hours.

There was no fixed time difference between the game and the outside world.

Just as he put his phone away, the game screen suddenly popped up:

【Player "Passerby A" has entered the Hot Spring Mountain territory. You are defaulted to participate in the E-rank dungeon "The Headhunter." Please note: This dungeon is of a lower rank; players cannot carry non-game items.】

【Background: Once popular with both players and non-players for its natural hot springs, Hot Spring Mountain Resort has seen guests inexplicably lose their heads over the past three years, with no traces left behind by any perpetrator. After several private investigators and police officers mysteriously vanished, the resort owner was forced to offer a high bounty to solve these bizarre deaths, but unfortunately, there have been no results to date.】

【To this day, the resort has become a gathering place for detectives, journalists, and horror enthusiasts. Before midnight tonight, another group of guests will arrive at the resort...】

【Dungeon Task: Protect your own head. (Note: Keep a close eye on your head, or it might just run away on its own!)】

【Dungeon Duration: Five days.】

【Please check into the Hot Spring Mountain Resort before midnight game time to complete the dungeon task. Failure to clear the dungeon will result in the inability to obtain a return ticket.】

【Countdown begins: 10, 9, 8, 7...】

After the countdown ended, Xu Huo stood on a small path obscured by thick fog.

The dense forest was soaked in heavy mist; visibility was essentially limited to five meters. Under a dim streetlamp stood a signpost that read "Hot Spring Mountain Station" and "Hot Spring Mountain Resort 500 meters straight ahead."

He walked a few steps to the side, but the view did not open up as it would in normal fog. The thick mist blocked his vision, showing nothing but blackness.

It seemed that outside of the dungeon's requirements, other areas were not unlocked for players. If one failed to clear the dungeon and lacked an extra ticket, it was highly likely they would be trapped here.

"Hey, beautiful... wait!" Just as he was about to move forward, someone behind him suddenly called out.

Xu Huo placed one hand on his waist and turned around, spotting a thin, bespectacled man crawling out of the bushes. The man seemed startled by his appearance as he climbed to his feet.

It couldn't be helped; who would expect a long-haired back view to reveal a six-foot-tall man upon turning around?

"Hello... you're a player too, right?" The bespectacled man scratched his head awkwardly. "It was too dark just now, I couldn't see clearly."

Xu Huo touched the hair at the back of his head. He had already trimmed it once on the road, but it had grown back.

He didn't really care; it would all fall out again in a week anyway.

"Heading to the Hot Spring Mountain Resort?" He offered a cigarette.

The man with glasses hurriedly took it. "Yes, yes. What should I call you, brother? Shall we go together?"

Xu Huo nodded, and the two set off toward the resort, maintaining a certain distance between them.

On the way, the man introduced himself as Yuan Yao, a programmer. Through a twist of fate, he had survived the preliminary trial and had been forced to board the train on the final day of his deadline.

He had arrived that morning and had been hiding in the bushes by the road. Eight players had already passed by. Seeing that the time was running out, he guessed Xu Huo was the last one and rushed out to join him.

After listening, Xu Huo asked thoughtfully, "Does every player arrive at a different time?"

Yuan Yao patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Brother Xu. I'm good at gaming. The notification said midnight; the dungeon won't start until after that time. Maybe the people who went ahead haven't even been able to get through the door yet!"

That wasn't what Xu Huo was thinking about, but he didn't voice his thoughts.

Yuan Yao had been hiding just three meters away, yet he hadn't noticed him at all, nor had the eight players who passed before him.

As he turned his gaze toward his companion, a faint smile began to form on his face.

"Hey, we're here!" Yuan Yao pointed ahead.