Players, Please Board the Train-Chapter 18: The Headhunter Demon

"What will happen?" The two men's teeth chattered as they asked, unable to resist pressing for answers.
Surviving the Preliminary Trial Train depended on either strength or luck, but any player who made it through wouldn't dare take missing a dungeon lightly.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Xu Huo flicked his cigarette and grinned, "I have no idea either."
The two players impersonating station attendants finally realized they'd been tricked. Furious, they lunged forward: "We were going to spare your life, but you're digging your own grave!"
"Ding!"
Keeping the brass lighter ignited, Xu Huo quickly retreated several steps while raising his hand and shouting "Burn!" twice in succession.
Almost simultaneously, blue flames erupted on the two players' clothing. The ordinary fabric caught fire like paper, instantly engulfing them in flames. The previously menacing pair immediately began screaming and tearing at their burning clothes!
The three other waiting players were stunned by this move and instinctively backed away.
"He's using a game item!" The lanky man threw off his burning clothes, glaring at Xu Huo with a mix of anger and fear. Spotting the lighter, greed flashed in his eyes as he yelled at the others: "You idiots! Help us already! He must have more than one train ticket on him. Without tickets to the next dungeon, you'll starve to death here!"
But before the three could react, a series of "Burn!" shouts echoed through the station hall. Players' clothes began igniting one after another, including the two fake attendants who'd just removed their shirts.
As the group rolled on the ground howling, Xu Huo stood aside emotionlessly watching their frantic undressing, using the opportunity to test the limits of the "Arsonist's Tools." He determined it could only ignite clothing currently being worn - discarded garments wouldn't burn. The flames behaved like normal fire without any special properties like being unquenchable or metal-melting.
Two necessary conditions for ignition emerged: First, there must be a clear line between the lighter and target (keeping it behind his back didn't work). Second, the target must audibly hear him say "Burn" (just mouthing it wasn't enough).
Of course, Evolvers' enhanced hearing significantly increased the effective range.
Satisfied, he checked his phone's time display before vanishing from the station hall.
*
The train raced through a mist-shrouded forest as visible light faded outside. Comparing his phone again, Xu Huo realized the timeline had become completely disordered after three consecutive scenery changes. Though it appeared to be nighttime, only two hours had passed since boarding.
The game world operated on its own time.
As he set his phone down, the game interface suddenly popped up:
[Player Extra has entered Hot Springs Mountain territory, automatically participating in E-rank dungeon "The Headhunter Demon." Note: This lower-level dungeon prohibits non-game items.]
[Background: Hot Springs Villa, renowned for its natural springs, was once popular among players and non-players alike. However, over the past three years, guests have mysteriously lost their heads without any trace of the perpetrator. After several private investigators and police officers disappeared, the villa owner posted a substantial bounty to solve these bizarre deaths - to no avail.]
[Now the villa has become a gathering place for detectives, journalists, and horror enthusiasts. Another group of guests will arrive before midnight tonight...]
[Dungeon Mission: Protect Your Head. (Note: Keep an eye on your head, or it might wander off!)]
[Dungeon Duration: Five days.]
[Players must check into Hot Springs Villa before in-game midnight to complete the mission. Failure means no return ticket.]
[Countdown begins: 10, 9, 8, 7...]
When the countdown ended, Xu Huo stood on a fog-obscured path.
Dense forest swam in thick mist with visibility under five meters. A dim streetlight illuminated a sign reading "Hot Springs Station" and "Hot Springs Villa - 500m straight ahead."
Moving sideways didn't improve visibility - the unnatural fog blocked everything beyond immediate surroundings in utter blackness.
Clearly, only dungeon-relevant areas were accessible. Without extra tickets, failed players could become trapped here.
"Miss... wait!" A voice called from behind as he started forward.
Hand resting near his waist, Xu Huo turned to see a bespectacled, scrawny man emerging from bushes. Upon seeing Xu Huo's face, the man froze in shock.
Understandable - who'd expect that waist-length hair belonged to a six-foot-tall man?
"Hi... you're a player too?" The man awkwardly scratched his head. "Couldn't see clearly in this light."
Xu Huo touched the hair at his nape - he'd already cut it once during the journey, but it had regrown.
Since it would fall out again in a week anyway, he didn't particularly care.
"Heading to the villa?" He offered a cigarette.
The man eagerly accepted. "Yes! How should I address you, bro? Maybe we could go together?"
Xu Huo nodded, and they proceeded single-file with deliberate distance between them.
En route, the man introduced himself as Yuan Yao, a programmer who'd survived the preliminary trial by luck and boarded at the last possible moment.
He'd arrived that morning and hidden in roadside bushes, watching eight players pass by. With time running out, he guessed Xu Huo was the last arrival and hurried to join him.
After hearing this, Xu Huo asked thoughtfully, "Do players arrive at different times?"
Yuan Yao patted his chest. "Don't worry, Xu-ge! I know games - the midnight deadline means the dungeon won't start until after that time. Those who went ahead probably couldn't even get in!"
That wasn't Xu Huo's concern, but he kept it to himself.
Yuan Yao had hidden barely three meters away without being detected by him or the eight previous players.
Studying the man, a slow smile spread across Xu Huo's face.
"Hey, we're here!" Yuan Yao pointed ahead.