Doll Survival Game

Steam rose from the rim of the handleless glass cup, and Xia Lang cautiously reached out to touch it, only to quickly pull back.

Hot.

Luo Yiran glanced at the magician with a smile.

The magician smiled back, urging Xia Lang, “Drink it while it’s hot.”

Xia Lang hesitated, casting a pitiful look at the doll. “Ranran…”

“Just pretend he doesn’t exist,” Luo Yiran said, unfazed.

So Xia Lang tried hard to ignore the magician, focusing solely on the doll, his gaze unwavering. “Ranran, I have something to tell you… Oh, right, let’s become teammates first! Otherwise, we might forget later.”

The doll didn’t move, pausing before explaining the upcoming punishment instance, “Lin Na’s Last Day,” to Xia Lang. He quickly summarized the process, concluding, “So if we become teammates now, you’ll be pulled into this instance too. Based on previous experiences, once the instance is set to participate, there’s usually no way to exit halfway.”

“Think it over first.”

“I’m with you,” Xia Lang understood immediately, pulling out his phone without hesitation. “Let’s become teammates.”

This outcome didn’t surprise Luo Yiran. He accepted the team request and then asked, “What did you want to tell me earlier?”

Xia Lang’s eyes widened slightly. “After clearing the instance yesterday, the system said I got something from Idia, but I was too nervous to hear clearly. So today, when I remembered, I checked my personal information and saw I got a title.”

Xia Lang placed his phone in front of the doll.

The doll squinted slightly, then saw the phrase following Xia Lang’s name-friend of Idia.

Below was a list of age, gender, hobbies, and property information.

Luo Yiran frowned, mimicking Xia Lang by clicking his own avatar, opening his personal information. His gaze skimmed over the “Lifetime Enemy of the Forest” title, then he coldly laughed at his personal information before scrolling to the property section.

Property: [pearl of Idia]

Xia Lang didn’t look at Luo Yiran’s phone, and even if he did, the small screen made it impossible to see clearly from this distance. He simply muttered, “When did I become Idia’s friend…”

Luo Yiran had a rough idea of the origin of the friend of Idia title, but he was more curious about something else at the moment. He clicked on [pearl of Idia] and asked, “Is this property referring to something obtained in the game…”

The doll’s voice abruptly stopped. Xia Lang looked up. “Yeah, it’s referring to a game reward. Ranran, you got a reward… Hey? Ranran, your expression looks twisted?”

Xia Lang didn’t dare to voice the last few words.

The doll couldn’t smile as he stared at the message that popped up after clicking [pearl of Idia]: [If you want to die, you can use it.]

“…” The doll seriously suspected this message was written by Idia.

After staring for a while, Luo Yiran closed the message, out of sight, out of mind.

…

Worried the magician might do something to the doll, Xia Lang stayed up late, keeping his eyes wide open. As midnight approached, he relaxed slightly, glancing at the magician and whispering, “We can leave the game soon.”

The magician was startled, then looked at the clock on the wall before turning back to the doll. “Young master, when will you come again?”

The doll replied casually, “After dark tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll prepare a surprise for you during the day,” the magician slightly turned, his gray hair reflecting a calm, watery light. “Look forward to it.”

Luo Yiran’s features instinctively scrunched up, his face full of resistance: “No need.”

The magician smiled silently.

At midnight, the clock on the wall chimed, and Xia Lang vanished, the doll losing its vitality in an instant.

The magician stood still, watching the doll’s eyes lose their light. After a while, he walked over, casually picking up the doll and placing it on the red velvet bench in the display window.

He gazed at the silent street outside, murmuring softly, “It’s a bit lonely here.”

Speaking of surprises, there was none the next day. The doll hoped the matter would quietly pass, saying nothing, but the magician proactively explained that the surprise wasn’t ready yet and would take some time.

Thus, the weekend passed relatively peacefully for Luo Yiran, though Xia Lang came every day, anxious to “support” the doll, while the magician grew increasingly displeased with Xia Lang.

On Monday night, the magician destroyed all the chairs in the room, then sat on the bed, holding the doll.

Xia Lang glared at the magician, then folded his legs and sat on the floor. “If you’re so great, burn the floor!”

The magician promptly pulled out a card and ignited it.

Luo Yiran: “…”

Luo Yiran was annoyed. “I’m tired.”

The card’s flame extinguished instantly, the magician’s hand flipping, the mostly burned card disappearing in his palm. Then he gently placed his empty hand in front of the doll. “If you’re tired, rest, young master.”

“I’ll call you when it’s time.”

Xia Lang was itching to act, his whole demeanor screaming for the magician to let go of Luo Yiran, but he dared not approach… and the doll showed no signs of resistance.

Luo Yiran didn’t rest, but the darkness the magician’s hand created in front of him did bring a sense of comfort, quickly leading him into contemplation about the upcoming instance, “Lin Na’s Last Day.”

Until eleven-thirty, when the game promptly pulled him into the instance, he heard the magician call out “young master,” but the tail end was cut off by the game, leaving Luo Yiran unsure if the magician had more to say.

[Instance “Lin Na’s Last Day” loaded successfully, loading 13 players.]

[Note 1: This instance is role play, players may only go out of character once after midnight.]

[Note 2: Players must explore their own character settings.]

[Note 3: Players are not allowed to kill each other outside of normal processes.]

[Instance background loading…]

[After midnight, Lin Na will celebrate her eighteenth birthday. You are a friend of Lin Na’s brother, having grown up together, almost inseparable, with a close relationship. So you know Lin Na, and you’ve decided to celebrate her birthday at midnight…]

The system paused, and Luo Yiran opened his eyes, hearing his task: [Task one: Say happy birthday to Lin Na at midnight and present the gift you’ve prepared!]

The room slowly brightened, revealing a large, somewhat empty bedroom before Luo Yiran. Bright lights, a blue bedspread, white walls adorned with artwork, a corner with a basketball and violin, and a large desk with some doodles on the front.

The simple items exuded a hint of luxury, and Luo Yiran could sense the meticulous craftsmanship.

It’s a… quite wealthy family.

Luo Yiran, who had always been poor, thought expressionlessly.

But then he suddenly realized-the puppet wasn’t beside him.

As soon as this thought emerged, the system’s voice echoed in his ear: [Due to system judgment, the puppet is deemed of little use in this instance and is temporarily recalled.]

The mechanical voice faded, and the doll felt something disconnect from his finger. He raised an eyebrow, surveying his surroundings, realizing he was placed on a high chair. If he were normal-sized, he could easily get down, but-

The doll glanced down, staring at what seemed like a three or four-story drop to him: “…”

…

The puppet deemed of little use?

Utterly absurd.

After a moment of silence, the doll decided that instead of climbing, he might as well jump down. After all, he felt no pain, and even if he shattered, he could reassemble himself.

This action would undoubtedly lead to going out of character, but it wasn’t midnight yet…

Luo Yiran tentatively extended his foot, then paused.

He noticed his clothing-white and blue…

Bang!

The door suddenly swung open, revealing someone dressed similarly in white and blue. He looked around the room in confusion, then his gaze landed on the doll, testing the edge of the chair with his foot.

The doll met his gaze, quickly assessing the newcomer’s appearance.

He seemed to be a player, around Xia Lang’s age, with shoulder-length black wavy hair, slightly mixed-race features, dark pupils, drooping red-tinged eyes, and a somewhat pitiful expression, seemingly easy to evoke protective instincts, though he was rather tall.

But for some reason, Luo Yiran inexplicably sensed a yandere vibe from him.

However, he wore the same white and blue pajamas as the doll… though they resembled the sailor uniforms mentioned by girls in class.

After a moment of mutual staring, the player exclaimed in surprise, “You, you, you… you’re Luo Yiran…”

“…” As expected. Ever since seeing the ranking list, Luo Yiran knew this would happen.

The doll felt his pocket, finding a rectangular object-a phone.

This instance allowed phones.

Seeing the doll’s action, the player ran over fearlessly, looking at the doll with admiring eyes. “Great, meeting you here means I’m not so scared anymore.”

Luo Yiran first glanced at the clock on the wall-eleven thirty-six. Then he looked at the player and asked, “What’s your name?”

The black-haired player smiled, eyes curving, seemingly trusting Luo Yiran completely. “I’m Lin Luo.”

“In the setting, I’m Lin Na’s brother, and I saw on my phone…” Lin Luo hesitated, blinking at the doll with embarrassment. “I’m, uh, secretly in love with you.”

Luo Yiran: “…”

Luo Yiran: “???”

“And our relationship is very good in the setting, so I think,” Lin Luo smiled shyly, his eyes bright as he looked at Luo Yiran, “I should be able to trust you here.”

The doll looked at him. If Lin Luo’s words were true, then their matching pajamas made sense.

“My setting says your leg is injured, so after midnight, you shouldn’t stand up and walk,” Lin Luo’s tone was soft but enthusiastic and kind. “I’ll take you to the living room later… Oh, you should check your phone, it can reveal some of our settings.”

Luo Yiran raised an eyebrow, glanced at Lin Luo, then lowered his head to browse his phone. The phone looked like his own, but the contents were entirely different, belonging to Lin Na’s brother’s friend.

The doll studied the phone intently, while Lin Luo discreetly observed Luo Yiran.

His gaze swept from Luo Yiran’s head to his feet, a peculiar smile gradually forming on Lin Luo’s face.

Until the doll suddenly looked up.

Lin Luo’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a worried expression, paired with innocent puppy eyes, making it easy to lower one’s guard against him. “What’s wrong?”

Even his tone was incredibly sincere.

The doll smiled at him, “Nothing, I’ve finished looking. You can take me out now.”

The smile was equally sincere, as if the doll had found proof of their good relationship on the phone, showing closeness to Lin Luo.

Lin Luo visibly hesitated.

Luo Yiran tilted his head. “Is that okay?”

“No, I’m honored.” Lin Luo lifted him onto his shoulder, his tone cheerful. “Let’s head to the living room then!”

Their eyes briefly met before breaking away, and as they did, Lin Luo lowered his gaze, his long lashes covering most of his dark pupils-why did it feel like he’d been recognized already?