Chapter 30: Disappearance-Jogadores, embarquem(Montanha Haiyan)

"Why!" Yuan Yao blurted out. "If the Headhunter is one of the players, we just need to stay together for these five days, and they won't have a chance to strike!"

"That way, we can all clear the game successfully!"

"You're too naive," Huang Junjie shook his head. "Striking first to gain the advantage is naturally the best policy. Besides, since the Headhunter is a player like us, they can be killed. Killing the Headhunter must surely yield other rewards from the game."

"Just for that?"

Yuan Yao and the college student asked simultaneously; the former appeared dejected, while the latter looked utterly distraught.

Seeing the college student's erratic state, Huang Junjie exchanged a look with Xu Huo. He worried that someone with such poor mental fortitude might not have survived the initial screening train, and if he leaked what he had heard, the players might start killing each other prematurely.

Though the college student was out of it, he was sharp-eyed. Noticing the silent exchange between the others, he scrambled up and hurried toward the exit, saying, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I heard!"

"You..." Yuan Yao went to intercept him, but Xu Huo stopped him. "Let him go. It doesn't matter if the other players know."

"Clearing the game by killing all other players... there's no such easy thing."

The cryptic laughter sent a chill down the spines of both Yuan Yao and Huang Junjie.

"Let's get out of here," Huang Junjie suggested. "Staying here isn't a solution."

As soon as the three returned to the main lobby, the lights in the villa flickered on. The college student was already huddled in a corner of the sofa, and the other players consciously avoided him, sitting on different couches.

The axe and the confiscated short blade were placed on the coffee table. The players sat in a circle around them, none of them speaking.

Xu Huo glanced at the sky outside, then sat down and closed his eyes to rest.

By the time dawn broke, every player seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"Let's find something to eat first," Huang Junjie said, looking much better than yesterday. "After we eat, we'll go look for the heads of Du Lanlan and Xia Guo."

Liu Yuanyuan walked over to them, arm in arm with the rich kid. "I advise you to be careful. You two both touched the Headhunter statue. Xia Guo is already dead, and you are the next targets."

She then winked at Yuan Yao, showing off her white teeth. "Little brother, aren't you scared? If you are, you can come with us; my husband can protect you!"

Yuan Yao stood firmly by Xu Huo's side without a word. Only after they had walked away did he mutter, "Yesterday he was a 'brother,' today he's a 'husband'..."

Xu Huo glanced at the two of them, then turned to Huang Junjie and said, "Be careful later."

The players arrived at the dining hall one after another.

The freezer and refrigerator had been ransacked yesterday and contained no food, so everyone headed to the pantry to find some instant goods.

"Brother Xu, Brother Huang, there's instant noodles. Let's eat that." Yuan Yao brought over several cups of noodles, mineral water, and a kettle.

Other players returned to the dining hall one by one. Abel came over with a cup of instant vermicelli, looking for hot water. As they waited for the water to boil, the college student suddenly burst out from the pantry doorway. Bread and drinks fell all over the floor, but he didn't even look back to see who had tripped him, scrambling to quickly stuff the items back into his plastic bag.

Zhang Xiong stood behind him, his face dark. "It's not like there's no food in the pantry. You're taking so much at once—don't tell me you're up to something foul!"

The college student clutched the plastic bag, scanned everyone in the dining hall warily, and tossed out a "Can't I be hungry?" before rushing out.

"What's he going crazy for?" Wan Zhikang grumbled, slipping on a drink bottle left by the door.

"Who knows?" Wang Wei stared in the direction where the student had disappeared, answering distractedly.

After finishing breakfast, the players planned to split up. Xu Huo was going to search for the heads, while Wang Wei and the others headed toward the cabins.

"What about the axe and the knife?" Abel asked with concern.

No one felt comfortable with anyone else holding the weapons, but they were reluctant to destroy them.

"It doesn't matter who holds them, I don't want them," the rich kid said, crossing his arms and watching the others with an amused expression.

"We're splitting into two groups anyway, a weapon is good for self-defense," Huang Junjie said, reaching for the dagger.

Xu Huo and Yuan Yao had no objections, so Zhang Xiong took the axe.

The three groups parted ways. After returning to their rooms, Zhang Xiong, Wan Zhikang, and Wang Wei left the villa for the cabins. The rich kid and Liu Yuanyuan returned to their rooms, leaving Abel standing alone.

"Aren't you going with Zhang Xiong and the others?" Xu Huo asked, looking at him.

"I want to send those two young ladies off properly," Abel hesitated. "You're looking for their heads, can I join you?"

He seemed sincere.

"Do you really believe in Buddhism?" Xu Huo asked curiously. "Aren't there contradictions between faiths?"

"Of course there are," Abel pulled a string of necklaces from his collar. "But I am a universalist; I hold respect for every belief."

Yuan Yao held back for a long time before saying, "You believe in every god—aren't you worried they'll just pass the buck when you're in trouble?"

Abel smiled tolerantly. "If gods truly exist, they must be supreme. How could a supreme god harbor resentment toward its followers?"

Xu Huo chuckled, ignoring the atheist-theologian, and entered the room where the bodies were kept.

They had actually searched all the rooms in the villa yesterday; there were no secret passages or hidden chambers. But today they searched even more meticulously, moving beds and cabinets, yet they found nothing. After searching the woods outside as well, they had no choice but to return to the villa.

Xu Huo washed the plums he had brought back yesterday, put them on a plate, and sat in the lobby eating them.

"Brother, you still dare to eat those?" Yuan Yao swallowed hard. "Aren't you afraid they're buried in corpses?"

Xu Huo raised an eyelid. "Did you see any freshly turned soil earlier?"

"No," Yuan Yao replied quickly. "If we found fresh soil, we'd find the heads. I wonder where that Headhunter hid them."

Xu Huo stared at the circular solid wood decoration on the wall behind the counter, lost in thought. "If they aren't outside, they must be inside..."

Just then, Huang Junjie emerged from the hallway. "Have you seen that college student, Jia Xuyang?"

"He's not there?" Xu Huo sat up straight and asked immediately, "Is the food he took in his room?"

"No, none of it," Huang Junjie had gone specifically to look for Jia Xuyang because he hadn't seen him while searching the rooms. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, assuming he had gone out.

"A person can't just disappear into thin air," Yuan Yao said.

Xu Huo quickly replayed the events since their arrival at the villa. Remembering the student's erratic behavior that morning, he suddenly said, "There must be a secret room in this villa. We'll search the lobby!"