Chapter 63: Orphan Resentment (Part 23)

Warning: Graphic depictions of violence, gore, and death.

Edit: Fixed chalk line to ink line marker.

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Xiao Muyu’s heart lurched. She had always believed herself indifferent to the lives and deaths of others. Her past experiences taught her that excessive emotions only brought unnecessary suffering. The more you cared, the more it hurt when you lost something. It was better to be cold-blooded.

But after entering this instance, she hadn’t adhered to that belief, especially when it came to Shen Qingqiu, who seemed to dance on her nerves. Now, she wasn’t only worried about her. Seeing real, living people sentenced to death started to leave a horrid taste in her mouth.

An inexplicable discomfort arose within her. Liu Pei and Hou Liang might not be her friends, but they were innocent. And that fact made her hatred toward the system swell.

After answering the question, Liu Pei and Hou Liang stared at the dark red crosses above their heads. Their emotions unraveled, and they lost control of their expressions.

“Impossible! How could it be wrong? Only… only the two of us got it wrong?” Liu Pei’s eyes were wide in shock.

The giant dolls before them stared at him and Hou Liang. Their unrestrained expressions resembled a cat toying with a mouse.

“What happens now? Will… will we be turned into dolls?” Hou Liang said with a quivering voice. He stumbled backward. Legs giving out, he fell to the ground.

Although Shen Qingqiu’s group had answered correctly, they didn’t feel the slightest relief.

When they looked at Hou Liang and Liu Pei, there was no sympathy, only sorrow and apprehension. They, too, had no idea what would happen next.

Little One and Little Three were the most excited of the eight dolls. They stared intently at Hou Liang and Liu Pei, chanting, “Turn into dolls, turn into dolls,” incessantly.

Xiao Muyu knew that Little One and Little Three corresponded to Hou Liang and Liu Pei but was uncertain why.

At that moment, Little One grinned. The doll’s upper lip tightened slightly with the smile. Xiao Muyu caught a tiny detail. The doll was fair-skinned except for a discolored patch on its upper lip. Upon inspection, it seemed frequent rubbing had worn it down. It wasn’t obvious and only became noticeable under the light from a specific angle.

However, Little Four had a plumper upper lip, which reminded Xiao Muyu of a casual remark someone had made when they were trying to identify the connections.

“Xiao Qin might correspond to Liu Pei because his upper lip is full.“

Could Liu Pei have chosen Little Four because of that offhand comment?

The current situation left Xiao Muyu no time to dwell on such thoughts. Under mounting pressure, Hou Liang and Liu Pei staked everything. Hou Liang took out the ink line marker Jia Wenlong had given him while Liu Pei produced an eight trigrams mirror.

“I will never sit here and wait to die! You want to turn me into a doll? I’ll send your soul scattering first!” Liu Pei roared through gritted teeth. The mirror in his hand spun a few times before he raised it, aiming directly at Little Three. The doll’s massive form immediately appeared in full within the eight trigrams mirror.

Little Three shrieked, raising its pudgy hands to cover its face. Its body, like a small hill, toppled forward and crashed heavily to the floor.

With swift steps, Shen Qingqiu slipped out from the dolls’ chaotic movements. Afraid of being caught in the aftermath, Zhang Yangfeng and the others hastily dodged.

Little One was visibly enraged after Little Three fell. It screeched, its doll-like face twisting in a snarl. As it stood, a gigantic pair of scissors materialized in its hand.

“I’ll cut you all to pieces and stitch you into dolls!”

Hou Liang couldn’t run fast with his injured leg.

Little Three crawled across the floor wildly with its hands. Hou Liang dodged its movements. When he turned his head, he saw Little One’s massive scissors opening wide and slicing straight toward his head.

Hou Liang swung the ink line marker in his hand. The black thread shot out to wrap around Little One’s neck. At the same time, he pulled a talisman from his left hand, slapping it onto Little One’s arm.

Wary of the ink line, Little One was forced to dodge. But it collided with the talisman in doing so. The power of the talisman exceeded everyone’s expectations. It blew Little One’s left hand to smithereens with a loud bang. Shattered remnants of its arm scattered everywhere.

“Ahh!” Little One let out a piercing shriek, like a child throwing a wild tantrum. Its voice sent the entire room trembling.

Yang Rui almost lost her balance and crashed into one of the flailing dolls.

Zhang Yangfeng quickly pulled her away, dodging frantically.

Little One and Little Three’s plight enraged the other dolls. One by one, they began to move. Instantly, all eight dolls were in action in the bathroom. They left Shen Qingqiu and the others with nowhere to run.

“Disobedient! Kill them! All disobedient, all must die!” Little Seven muttered as it started searching for a target.

Shen Qingqiu had been keeping an eye on it. She let out a cold snort upon hearing those words.

“As expected, they’re trying to break the rules and forcibly find substitutes.” Shen Qingqiu shielded Xiao Muyu behind her.

She noticed that it wasn’t just Little Seven. Little Two, her corresponding doll, was also searching for someone amidst the chaos.

“Stop dodging! Our priority is to escape. The game is over. By the rules, they should let us go. But these malicious dolls have no intention of doing that. We have to strike first while they’re distracted!” Xiao Muyu shouted.

She had also realized the dolls’ true intent. According to the game’s rules, the losers were doomed to die, which meant the dolls should be focused on eliminating Hou Liang and Liu Pei. In other words, the dolls couldn’t directly target them until those two were dealt with. Otherwise, the rules would lose all meaning.

It was a cruel but undeniable fact. By letting Hou Liang and Liu Pei act as distractions, the rest had a chance to escape.

Sure enough, Little Seven immediately turned its head and locked onto Xiao Muyu when she spoke. Yet, it didn’t attack. For now, the dolls were bound by the game. They needed to complete the task of hunting down the two losers.

In truth, both Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu knew Hou Liang and Liu Pei had close to zero chances of surviving. Although this was still a B-level instance, there were moments when players were powerless against the supernatural. For example, when Xiao Muyu’s vision was cut off because the game rules required the chosen to close their eyes. Or, when the game was down to six, Little Seven had thrown Xiao Muyu aside while the game immobilized Shen Qingqiu.

However, players had significant agency if they didn’t violate the fundamental rules. They could do whatever they pleased without the system interfering if they hadn’t triggered death flags. For example, when Shen Qingqiu hit Little Seven so hard its head tilted, the doll couldn’t retaliate by twisting her neck in return.

And despite its anger, all Little Five could do was break Shen Qingqiu’s arm out of revenge. Her right arm getting broken upon entering the instance was part of her setup. Beyond that, whatever else it wanted to do depended on its abilities.

After thinking all this through, Xiao Muyu belatedly realized her reasoning was highly subjective. She didn’t have much evidence to support it. And yet, these thoughts had come so naturally to her, as if she knew the rules of this instance like the back of her hand.

The doubts that surfaced in Xiao Muyu’s mind unsettled her. Meanwhile, her words stirred up a storm in Yang Rui and the others. They observed the chaos before them, unsure whether they should act.

They weren’t facing humans but ghosts. If provoked, the ghost dolls would retaliate afterward even if they won the game.

“Ah!” A mournful cry suddenly drew everyone’s attention. It was Hou Liang.

He had exhausted the tools he collected from two instances. Little Five and Little Six were holding him down. His limited mobility made him powerless against them.

Little One hated him for destroying its arm earlier. The enormous scissors in its hands snapped open. Like cutting through a ragdoll, the blades sliced clean through Hou Liang’s left arm, bones and all.

The scene was unbearably gruesome. Hou Liang screamed and writhed. But there was no stopping the slaughter once it began.

Little One cackled as it took Hou Liang’s severed arm and attached it to its own body. Then, it proceeded to dismember the rest of him.

The stench of blood filled the air. The survivors watched, trembling helplessly.

Yang Rui turned her head away, covering her mouth, her face deathly pale.

Hou Liang’s horrific death pushed Liu Pei into despair. He ran desperately toward Shen Qingqiu, shouting in a washed-out voice, “Help me! Please! I don’t want to die!”

Thanks to Liu Pei’s mirror, Little Three’s face now resembled burnt plastic with melting liquid dripping. It moved at an alarming speed to appear behind Liu Pei. Its hands clamped tightly around his neck.

Liu Pei’s face turned bright red. His eyes bulged, and cracks sounded from his neck. Everyone could see the skin and flesh around his throat tearing. Blood started to ooze from it.

Shen Qingqiu’s expression shifted slightly. The dolls were getting carried away with their killing spree!

Xiao Muyu had already forced her way to the door, but it was shut tight. It wouldn’t budge no matter how hard she tried. She shouted to the others, “The door won’t open! We can’t get out!”

Shen Qingqiu glanced back at Xiao Muyu. Liu Pei was as good as dead. Little Seven was already turning its unrestrained gaze toward her.

Shen Qingqiu grabbed her jacket’s collar with her left hand and yanked hard. The buttons popped off, clacking as they scattered across the tiled floor. The sound was almost imperceptible amidst the chaos. Yet, it signaled the start of a different kind of fight.

Xiao Muyu, uneasy, kept Shen Qingqiu in her peripheral vision. She saw Shen Qingqiu deftly slip her left arm out of her sleeve. The woman wrapped the garment around her torso to secure her broken right arm in place.

She executed the entire sequence of movements smoothly. It took only a few seconds to complete. Yang Rui and the others watched in awe, but Xiao Muyu’s heart skipped a beat. What is this madwoman up to now?

Her arm now secured, Shen Qingqiu took a swift step forward. She leaped onto the edge of the sink. Little Three was still viciously tugging at Liu Pei’s head. Shen Qingqiu vaulted off of the sink and onto its shoulder.

The doll’s body was surprisingly elastic. Shen Qingqiu had to steady herself slightly. Everyone thought she was about to strike Little Three. Suddenly, she used the momentum to propel herself toward Little Seven, who had already turned to face Xiao Muyu.

Her gaze was cold and neutral, “Trying to make her your scapegoat? Go pick someone your own size.”

Little Seven’s entire focus was on its prey. Shen Qingqiu’s dagger slashed cleanly across its neck before it could process her words.

Shen Qingqiu’s dagger, tempered with special materials, was meant for ghost-slaying. Her left hand was no less dexterous with it than her right. Using the momentum from her descent, she drove the blade through Little Seven’s neck.

Xiao Muyu suddenly flipped upside down in Little Seven’s view. At the same time, Little Three yanked Liu Pei’s lifeless head clean off.

Yang Rui, Zhang Yangfeng, and Huang Junfeng felt their hearts freeze. On one side was their companion’s brutal death; on the other, Little Seven’s head barely hanging by a thread after Shen Qingqiu’s slash. To them, the already surreal world crumbled again.

The doll stood over two meters tall, while Shen Qingqiu had a broken right arm. She was bound to lose her balance upon landing.

Xiao Muyu didn’t have time to be shocked. “Madwoman!” Cursing under her breath, she dashed around a doll to catch the falling Shen Qingqiu. She wrapped an arm around Shen Qingqiu’s waist and back, protecting her injured right arm.

Although Shen Qingqiu was slender, her 1.7-meter height combined with muscles developed from martial arts made her far from light. As she fell from nearly two meters high, she knocked Xiao Muyu to the floor. Xiao Muyu felt the impact on her back, which Little Seven had injured earlier. She let out a muffled groan, her body seizing up.

Shen Qingqiu had initially been pleased that Xiao Muyu caught her. But she stopped smiling upon hearing her groan. Propping herself on her left hand, she sat up.

Xiao Muyu had learned her lesson this time. She promptly let go and shoved Shen Qingqiu away as if she’d touched something dirty.

Shen Qingqiu knew what Xiao Muyu was thinking. She held back a laugh and asked softly with concern, “Are you okay?”

“You should worry about yourself.” Xiao Muyu looked at the dolls. They were all now staring intently at Shen Qingqiu. Xiao Muyu was ready to activate the carousel lantern in her hand.

Meanwhile, Little Seven’s decapitated body collapsed heavily to the ground. Its head rolled to Little Two’s feet. The remaining dolls screamed at the sight. Their once gigantic forms deflated like balloons to the size of regular dolls.

Shen Qingqiu tightened her grip on the dagger. She looked at the remaining dolls. “Game’s over. You’ve dealt with the losers. Think of pulling any more tricks, and I guarantee your fate will be worse than Little Seven’s. The one who broke my arm earlier? I’ll let that slide since that’s part of the game’s setup. But I will tear you apart the same way you did those two if any of you dare follow Little Seven’s example.”

Yang Rui, Zhang Yangfeng, and Huang Junfeng huddled near the bathroom door. They each clutched their item tightly. They stared wordlessly at the dolls. However, their faces reflected the same do-or-die determination.

The remaining dolls didn’t make a single peep, either. A tense standoff ensued between humans and dolls.

Suppressing her pain, Xiao Muyu spoke in a low voice. “You were originally those eight children’s dolls. Their resentment made you like this. But from what I’ve seen today, that isn’t the only factor driving your actions. I advise you to figure out who your masters are. Those eight things are the ones you should be dealing with. Let us out.”

Little Two’s expression shifted multiple times. After a long pause, it moved its head slightly. The bathroom door suddenly swung open.

Light spilled in from outside. It was the dim light of a rainy afternoon. Far from bringing hope, it made the atmosphere feel even gloomier.

The five of them cautiously stepped out of the blood-drenched room. Behind them, Hou Liang and Liu Pei lay motionless in the crimson pools.

The door slowly closed. Shen Qingqiu was the last to leave. She felt like someone was watching her from behind. She turned her head to look.

Little Two was staring directly at her with the corners of its lips raised. Shen Qingqiu also noticed Little Seven had stood up.

It now had Liu Pei’s head, which slowly turned to look outside.

*Bang!*

The door shut firmly. The scene sent Shen Qingqiu’s heart pounding wildly, even though she’d never feared ghosts. She couldn’t suppress a shiver.

“What’s wrong?”

Shen Qingqiu hesitated. After a while, she whispered. “Liu Pei’s… head. Little Seven took it.”

Zhang Yangfeng and the others froze. What little color they’d regained on their faces instantly drained.

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Author had something to say:

Xiao Shen teased Xiao Xiao for hugging too tight last instance. This time Xiao Xiao shoved her away right after.

Their relationship went from curiosity to suspicion, then appreciation, vague familiarity, and lastly, love. But an instance is not a good place to discuss feelings. So, maybe after they get out?

Xiao Shen: I go into instances for one purpose—catch ghosts for my wife.