# Chapter 24: Covering the Lie
Everyone looked at him in shock. "Then why did you bring it over here!"
Xu Huo grinned. "With this kind of thing, believe it and it exists, don't believe it and it doesn't."
"Let me see the diary." As soon as Huang Junjie opened his mouth, Wan Zhikang snatched the diary from Xu Huo's hand first. "I looked at this diary earlier too. How come I didn't see that sentence?"
He flipped through it noisily, then said after a moment, "It's all bullshit. Not a single useful thing."
Zhang Xiong grabbed the diary and handed it to Huang Junjie. "You're smart. Take a look. Maybe you can find something."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Huang Junjie quickly skimmed through the diary, his expression similar to Wan Zhikang's.
"The diary's owner wasn't mentally stable. The later entries are messy, with lots of crossed-out parts. I didn't notice that sentence sandwiched in there when I looked before either."
"Aside from the fact that a few people die at the manor every so often, there's really very little information about the Headchopper."
"But the characteristics of the Headchopper mentioned in the diary are very close to what I saw—wearing a black mask, very tall, holding a sharp axe."
In truth, several players had flipped through this diary. The reason they hadn't paid much attention was that compared to this incoherent diary with little valuable information, the briefs or notes left by some of the deceased were more useful.
Some people had come specifically targeting the Headchopper and had done their research beforehand.
But this information seemed irrelevant to the players, because the details mentioned—huge stature, immense strength, fast running speed—were all visible to the naked eye. And for Evolvers, these weren't a big deal. If the Headchopper were just an Evolver, it would actually be easier to deal with.
"Doesn't the Headchopper only chop off heads?" The diary had now reached Wang Wei's hands. The college student standing beside him, who had barely spoken since entering the manor, asked, "Then why are some people missing hands and feet?"
"Maybe they resisted before being killed." Du Lanlan's face was pale. "The Headchopper isn't all-powerful either. Didn't it run away yesterday after failing to kill Mr. Huang?"
"But why did the Headchopper attack Mr. Huang first?" Abel struggled to read the text in the diary. "Mr. Huang doesn't seem to have touched the statue. If so, then what the diary says isn't accurate."
"I did touch it." Huang Junjie's expression was grave. "When I entered the manor yesterday, I accidentally brushed against the stone pillar at the entrance."
"Could the Headchopper be killing people in order?" Du Lanlan looked at Xu Huo and Xia Guo.
Xu Huo chewed on his bread and said to Xia Guo, whose lips were trembling, "Don't be afraid. I'm ahead of you in line."
Xia Guo glared at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Coincidence. I don't believe the Headchopper can know that I touched its statue."
"That's not certain." Wan Zhikang said, "The Headchopper is a supernatural existence. Maybe it's watching us all the time, and we just can't detect it."
"Stop talking. You're giving me goosebumps in broad daylight." Wang Wei rubbed his arms.
"As I see it, this is good news." The rich kid propped one foot on the dining table. "Whether or not the Headchopper kills in order, at least we know one thing—whoever touched the statue will definitely die first."
"Simple then. If the people who touched the statue hold on a bit longer, the rest of us can safely get through the remaining days, right?"
"Is that human speech?" Xia Guo said angrily. "What good does our death do you?"
"No harm either." Liu Yuanyuan said with a grin. "With you three in danger, the rest of us are safe."
By this time, Zhang Xiong had already distanced himself from Huang Junjie, and the others also seemed to tacitly accept this.
After the brief gathering, the players parted on bad terms, leaving the dining hall one after another.
Xu Huo and Yuan Yao were still eating in the dining hall.
"Brother Xu, I was really worried someone would see through it just now. If they found out those words were added by you, they might have beaten us to death." Yuan Yao lowered his voice, his tone relieved.
"There's so much written material in the warehouse. Even if someone looked through it all, they couldn't possibly remember everything. They'll just think they were careless." Xu Huo said calmly.
"But how did you know that touching the statue would bring a curse? Did you see Huang Junjie touch it?"
Xu Huo paused mid-drink, his gaze sweeping over the Headchopper statue on the floor before he said, "Coincidence, I guess."
After eating his fill, Xu Huo told Yuan Yao to go ask if any other players had touched the statue, while he went back to his room to catch up on sleep.
He didn't get up until nearly evening. By then, a thick fog had descended, making it hard to tell whether it was still light out or already dark.
Most of the players had returned to the manor. After meeting up with Yuan Yao, Xu Huo learned what had happened that afternoon.
Huang Junjie, Wang Wei, and the college student had spent the whole afternoon in the warehouse. Du Lanlan and Xia Guo had gone to the warehouse for a while, then headed over to the wooden cabin.
Zhang Xiong and Wan Zhikang had also gone, but they went to snatch the woodcutter's axe. The woodcutter nearly fought them over it, and it was only settled when Abel offered to pray for his relatives.
Xu Huo asked Du Lanlan for a rubber band to tie up his hair, then called Yuan Yao and headed out.
"Brother Xu, where are we going?" Yuan Yao hesitated. "I think it's getting dark. It's not safe to go out now."
The diary entry might be fake, but the Headchopper was real.
"I can go alone." Xu Huo walked off after saying this.
Yuan Yao looked back at the other players in the hall, wiped his face with both hands, and still followed.
They ran into Huang Junjie just as they stepped out. He was also heading toward the wooden cabin.
The three nodded to each other in greeting.
After walking for a while, Huang Junjie suddenly stopped and leaned against a tree.
"Are you okay?" Yuan Yao moved closer. "Your shoulder is bleeding again. Isn't there any first aid medicine in the manor?"
"Couldn't find any." Huang Junjie was still holding up. He suddenly said to Xu Huo, who was a few meters away, "The bit about anyone who touches the Headchopper statue being cursed—you added that to the diary, didn't you."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow slightly. "You figured it out."
Huang Junjie pointed at his own eyes. "This is my trait. I can see details that ordinary people miss. Your imitation was very good, but the handwriting wasn't from the same time as the rest of the diary."
"And you deliberately moved the statue to the dining hall. You suspect the Headchopper's identity?"
Xu Huo habitually lit a cigarette, his expression knowing. "No wonder it went so smoothly. You played along well."
Yuan Yao looked between the two of them, his brain struggling to keep up. "So you never actually touched the statue?"
"No." Huang Junjie answered bluntly. "I noticed that stone sculpture yesterday, but I never touched it, nor did I mention it to anyone."
"The reason I went along with covering up the diary's curse lie today is because, like Mr. Xu, I suspect that a player is impersonating the Headchopper."