Chapter 36: Return Trip
“What do you think? Of course it’s for you!” Yuan Yao was the first to speak. “If it weren’t for you, forget catching the Headchopper, we might not have even cleared the instance.”
“And now we have extra prizes on top of that. I have absolutely no objection to giving it to you.”
Huang Junjie and Abel nodded in succession, while Liu Yuanyuan did so reluctantly.
“This vote is public. Every player can see who everyone else voted for, and it follows a majority-rule system.” Xu Huo extended his hand, signaling Huang Junjie to return the lighter to him.
Without hesitation, Huang Junjie handed it back, along with Wang Wei’s item.
Wang Wei had died by his hand, so his belongings should naturally fall to him. That thread, in anyone else’s hands, would at best be a tough piece of string.
What Xu Huo tossed to Huang Junjie wasn’t the “Arsonist’s Tool,” but the tattooed big brother’s lighter. After pocketing the string, he lit a cigarette for himself and said, “Everyone, don’t rush. Take it one step at a time. Even if one or two are missing, the voting system still holds.”
Liu Yuanyuan furrowed her brow. “Aren’t you being a bit too domineering? If someone doesn’t vote for you, you’ll kill them?”
“I’m just giving a heads-up,” Xu Huo said. “This is also one of the game’s rules. Who knows, there might be many more voting opportunities in the future.”
Huang Junjie and the other two shook their heads at this. Killing the instance boss and obtaining its item—how often could that kind of opportunity come around?
“Brother Xu, don’t mind her. She’s not a good person anyway. We’ll just vote for you,” Yuan Yao said.
In the end, all five voted for Xu Huo, granting him the right to choose the replacement reward.
Facing everyone’s gaze, Liu Yuanyuan cut straight to the point. “I have no problem voting for you, but that electric baton has to be mine.”
“You already took Li Zheng and Wan Zhikang’s items, and now you want Wang Wei’s? Wang Wei wasn’t even killed by you!” Yuan Yao said angrily.
“I still contributed,” Liu Yuanyuan said, crossing her arms. “I deserve one item.”
Huang Junjie and Abel were also displeased, but Xu Huo said, “I can give it to you, but you won’t get a share of the extra items from the villa owner. Out of the hundred thousand white notes, you can only take ten thousand.”
Liu Yuanyuan’s eyes darted around a couple of times before she gritted her teeth and said, “Fine!”
After they finished discussing, several stacks of white notes and a seal carved with a skull pattern fell to the ground.
Xu Huo picked up the seal:
[Cursed Seal (Note: A curse that can greet anyone’s immediate family. Find the right moment to imprint the pattern. At least three people, including the user, will have some aspect of their power weakened. Until the pattern disappears, the curse will not vanish. Be aware: the direction and intensity of the curse depend on the situation. Do not use it on a stronger player, or it will become your curse. Ah, it truly is a cursed seal.)]
After reading it, Xu Huo chuckled and handed the seal to Huang Junjie and the others.
“This item is way too useless. It’s not even as good as that electric baton from before.”
Although Liu Yuanyuan hadn’t seen it, their disdainful expressions told her enough. “I’m not swapping,” she said immediately.
Xu Huo took “The Queen’s Mirror” and “The Quick-Talk Notebook” from Wang Wei’s belongings. “These two items, plus the seal—each of you pick one.”
“The Queen’s Mirror” was a portable makeup mirror, palm-sized. Its effect was that when you said “You are the most beautiful” or “You are the most handsome” into it, anyone who saw you within the next three minutes would automatically add a filter to their perception of you.
“The Quick-Talk Notebook” was a shorthand notebook that could automatically write down everything everyone said within a ten-meter radius for five minutes after being opened.
“You’re too generous,” Huang Junjie said, feeling awkward. “We didn’t really contribute much, and we already owe you a favor. Now you’re giving us your items… How about I give you my share of the money?”
Yuan Yao quickly nodded. He chose the mirror.
“Then I’ll take five thousand.” Xu Huo didn’t refuse and accepted the white notes from the three of them.
The Cursed Seal was ownerless, so Abel could store it directly in his item slot. The remaining three items currently belonged to Xu Huo. Even though they were held by different people, only if he chose to discard them could the others claim them.
As soon as Liu Yuanyuan received her item, she couldn’t wait to pull out her return ticket and vanished from their sight in an instant.
“Is it okay to just let her go like that?” Huang Junjie asked. “She’s a cannibal player.”
“The game is over,” Xu Huo said. “Relax.”
Huang Junjie let out a long breath. “Yeah, players aren’t obligated to deal with cannibal players.”
“Xu Huo, I hope we meet again.” He shook Xu Huo’s hand solemnly before leaving the instance.
Abel walked over with the seal, grinning. “Let me try it out.”
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow and extended his hand.
“I curse you to have less and less bad luck.” Abel stamped the seal on the back of his hand, then disappeared.
“Brother Xu, you absolutely have to remember me.” Yuan Yao gripped his hand earnestly. “I’m a programmer—you might not get it, but just remember that, okay?”
Xu Huo smiled and nodded. Only after Yuan Yao had left did he carefully examine his own return ticket.
Though it was made of the same material as a ticket, it only bore a string of numbers: E27-014-A07.
With no leads for now, he pocketed the ticket, grabbed a flashlight, and headed to the small cabin at the foot of the mountain. He dug up the woman he had buried earlier, flipped open her coat, and used her own fingernail to scratch a few words into the inner lining. Then he buried her again.
Dusting off the dirt from his pants, he went to the nearby orchard, broke off a branch of plums, and slung it over his shoulder before using the return ticket.
“Beep—beep—!” After a brief blank, Xu Huo first heard car horns. Opening his eyes, he found himself standing in a small alley. Under the bright streetlights, the surroundings were familiar—he was back in the back alley of the hotel where he had stayed before.
His phone showed 10:30 PM. At this hour, the nightlife was just getting started.
Just as he was about to leave, he stepped on something that was neither soft nor hard. Picking it up, he found it was a bulging wallet.
So that’s how the curse’s power could work?
Xu Huo glanced at the black skull pattern on the back of his hand, pocketed the wallet, and entered the hotel.
Since actors often came and went here, the front desk wasn’t surprised by his outfit. When they learned he was there to pick up his belongings, they explained:
“You might not know this, but there’ve been a lot of creepy things happening around here lately. Several people died, and you suddenly disappeared, so we had to call the police. Your wallet and documents were all taken by them. You’ll have to go to the police station to get them.”
“Were you on a film set? Look, this is really awkward. Why don’t you stay here for the night? I’ll give it to you for free?”
Xu Huo thanked them, left the hotel, and found another place to stay.
Closing the door to his room, he washed up briefly before opening his game panel:
[Congratulations, player Passerby A, on successfully clearing the “Headchopper” instance. Your performance during this instance has been rated as B-level Excellent. You have one opportunity to choose a replacement reward. You may select either a trait development permission or one item. Would you like to choose now?]