Doll Survival Game - Chapter 69 - Fairy Tale Forest (Part 6)

Snap.

The rushing branches halted mid-air, with Mr. Gardener’s collar snagged by a twig, leaving him dangling awkwardly. “Huh?”

The sight of him swinging in the air was so amusing that Luo Yiran couldn’t help but laugh.

Mr. Gardener froze momentarily, then a few thicker branches extended from the wall of branches behind him. He stepped onto them, breaking the twig that had caught him, and looked down at the doll with a superior air. “You’re the insect.”

Mr. Gardener had imagined what it would be like to encounter the doll again and how he might trap him, given that as a regulator, he couldn’t directly interfere with the instance tasks.

But he had to admit, this unexpected reunion was quite satisfying.

Because he was no longer acting as a regulator, but as-

“Lord Qi Yu.” Mr. Gardener played along with the role assigned by Little Red, bowing with a smile as his dark green hair fell forward. “As your subordinate who should protect you, please forgive my tardiness.”

Before Qi Yu could respond, the doll twitched his fingers, causing the silver thread to sway. He mused, “A subordinate, huh… So if I threaten Qi Yu, will you back off?”

“…”

Mr. Gardener fell into a peculiar silence, then deliberately adopted a tragic expression. He declared indignantly, “I believe Lord Qi Yu would not succumb to such threats. If Lord Qi Yu were to die heroically, I would avenge him by tearing you to pieces!”

Qi Yu’s mouth twitched slightly. “…Truly my loyal subordinate.”

“You’re too kind, Lord Qi Yu.”

The doll watched their exchange with a blank expression, then tugged on the silver thread, mimicking Mr. Gardener’s address to Qi Yu. “Lord Qi Yu, you might as well come with me. Once the flower fully blooms, I’ll let you go…”

Bang!!

Luo Yiran’s words were cut off by a loud crash. The wooden wall Mr. Gardener had erected was shattered, sending splinters flying everywhere. The doll quickly maneuvered the magician out of harm’s way, then looked up to see a massive insect buzzing through the breach.

It resembled a mosquito, with transparent four-winged appendages marked by green patterns and a rotund body. Around what seemed to be its neck was a ring of black fuzz. Its mouth was needle-like, long and sharp, much like a mosquito’s.

Except this insect was twice the size of the magician.

This was a creature not found in reality.

With the wooden wall destroyed, Mr. Gardener swayed, and the flowers in his hair bloomed even more vibrantly. He yelled at the insect, “Couldn’t you have just flown around?!”

The doll glanced at the magician-why did Mr. Gardener seem more irritable than before?

The magician’s lips twitched-why do you think that is?

“…”

In an odd telepathic exchange with the magician, the doll frowned.

The insect lacked intelligence; it was designed to pollinate the little flower on Qi Yu’s head, so it flew straight towards him.

Pollinating was fine, the doll didn’t move.

Qi Yu touched the flower on his head, then clutched his clothing, offering a friendly reminder, “Once it pollinates, this flower will die, you know.”

The doll paused.

Qi Yu clicked his tongue, “After pollination, I’ll bear fruit! And then produce seeds.”

The doll: “?!”

The magician looked ahead, disliking how the doll focused on Qi Yu, and interrupted, “Young master, the insect is coming…”

“Oh, and so is Mr. Gardener.”

Although annoyed that the insect had smashed his trees, Mr. Gardener decided to take advantage of the situation. After all, he wasn’t the type to insist on avenging alone.

“What should we do, young master? Can you handle two targets at once?” The magician’s voice carried a hint of amusement. “But you can let go of me. I can fend them off on my own.”

“Just leave it to me,” Luo Yiran said, raising his hand. A soft jingling sound followed, and the magician saw several silver threads winding around him.

The doll glanced over-the silver threads wouldn’t harm the magician, perhaps thanks to the protective layer of bandages.

The magician observed the silver threads spreading over him. “Young master, you can control me without these, you know…” The invisible thread connecting the doll’s finger to his body was a deeper form of control.

The insect was the first to arrive, and the doll ignored the magician’s words, focusing entirely on the unfolding events.

The flower atop Qi Yu’s head still had a few petals yet to unfurl. The doll wanted to wait until it was fully bloomed before picking it, so for now, Qi Yu had to come along.

The silver threads swiftly twisted into several strands, then reached for Qi Yu’s waist.

Qi Yu didn’t dodge or resist; he looked down at the silver rope-where was this taking him?

Just as he finished the thought, he saw the other end of the silver thread detach from the doll and tie itself to the magician’s suitcase.

“…What are you doing?”

Luo Yiran chuckled, “The boss won’t die so easily, right?”

Qi Yu: “??? What exactly are you planning to-ah-”

Before he could finish, the doll leapt off the magician’s shoulder, and the magician was manipulated to dodge Mr. Gardener from the other side.

As for Qi Yu… he clutched his head as countless branches scraped past him. He was dragged behind the magician without mercy, and as if fearing he’d get tangled in the branches, the magician occasionally lifted the suitcase to make him “fly.”

…No! This wasn’t the magician’s doing; it was the demon controlling him!

Qi Yu cursed from behind.

The magician felt the slight weight on his shoulder disappear, then saw the doll jump onto a lower branch. Using the silver thread for leverage, the doll remained unharmed. But soon, the trees controlled by Mr. Gardener surged towards the doll, and the magician felt a surge of displeasure, though his body was directed elsewhere.

Being controlled meant the doll was safe. Yet, the magician still felt displeased.

The separation was to confuse the insect and Mr. Gardener. The insect would surely pursue Qi Yu’s flower, while Mr. Gardener was more likely to chase after him. In a chaotic battle, it was hard to keep track of everything.

As the doll was about to land, he used the silver thread to soar into the air again. His gaze swept over the area where the insect was making noise, quickly planning the magician’s next moves before finding his own landing spot.

His small form could easily hide among the branches, making him hard to spot.

But Mr. Gardener unerringly pinpointed his location, and the branches surged towards him, destroying numerous trees along the way.

The doll moved with swift precision, manipulating the silver thread to leap and evade through the forest. Behind him, Mr. Gardener laughed maliciously, “What are you dodging for? Are you scared?”

Luo Yiran wasn’t one to fall for taunts. As he dodged, he kept an eye on the silver thread to ensure it didn’t get tangled. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and without a hint of emotion, he buried the silver thread beneath the fallen leaves on the ground.

While evading Mr. Gardener’s attacks, he maneuvered the magician, along with Qi Yu, to dodge the insects. The doll was on the lookout for an opportunity.

His gaze darted quickly around the area. Nearby trees toppled, and some players were caught in the chaos, their screams echoing through the forest.

The doll’s eyes fixed on a spot. He descended directly, and this time, he didn’t use the silver thread to cushion his fall against the trees. As a result, his leg made a cracking sound, as if the ball joint in his knee had shifted slightly. But Luo Yiran simply bent his leg and forced it back into place, then immediately lay down, hiding among the dead leaves.

Mr. Gardener’s ability seemed to be manipulating trees, allowing him to continuously generate more trees. If that was the case, he could likely sense through the trees’ limbs. That was why he had been discovered so quickly before.

Now, however, he wasn’t leaning against any trees.

Mr. Gardener paused his actions, standing on a branch with a dark expression, scanning the surroundings.

The doll hid beneath the fallen leaves, exposing only a sliver of his eyes through the gaps. Here, many of the original trees had been crushed by Mr. Gardener’s trees, leaving the sky much more open.

Luo Yiran maneuvered the magician to a nearby spot, within his line of sight.

Mr. Gardener frowned slightly but didn’t move, still meticulously searching the ground for the doll’s presence.

Luo Yiran lay perfectly still, his red eyes fixed on Qi Yu above, who was crying out in pain, with the insects trailing behind him.

Casting a sidelong glance at the map, Luo Yiran focused intently on controlling the magician to deal with the insects.

Previously, the magician had been blocking and dodging, but now he charged directly forward. Almost instantly, the magician appeared in front of the insect, raising his hand to smash its needle-like mouth with his briefcase.

Qi Yu, being tugged along, crashed into a tree, “Ouch!”

“You dare to chase and attack me,” the magician’s voice was chilling, completely ignoring Qi Yu’s existence.

Though it was Luo Yiran controlling the evasive maneuvers, it had been a long time since anyone had pursued him so relentlessly, even if it was a creature with almost no intelligence.

This feeling… was infuriating.

And it was as if the doll beneath the leaves understood the magician’s frustration. He swiftly maneuvered the magician to slide a medium-length blade from his sleeve, using Qi Yu as bait to lure the insect forward. The magician plunged the blade into the insect’s head, then quickly leaped onto its back, slicing through its body, splitting the insect in two.

Not a drop of the insect’s blood or entrails splattered onto the magician.

The players secretly observing from around the area collectively held their breath. Most of them were players eyeing the doll, Lord No.7, or the vine monster. But now, many felt a sense of retreat.

Due to the live broadcast, almost all players knew the magician was controlled by the doll, linking the magician’s strength directly to the doll.

Mr. Gardener was furious. He couldn’t find the doll, and the insect was dead. The flowers at the ends of his hair bloomed to their fullest as he commanded the trees to cover the ground. “Doll! Come out here!”

The direction wasn’t towards where the doll was hiding, so he remained calm. He coolly maneuvered the magician to place Qi Yu on the most conspicuous branch, then directed the magician towards Mr. Gardener-positioning Qi Yu visibly to better guard the flower.

The magician raised an eyebrow, the bandage on his face shifting slightly. “I didn’t expect I’d get to fight you.”

Mr. Gardener instinctively took a step back. “…”

The doll’s gaze flicked towards Qi Yu, then his brow furrowed as he quickly gestured with his hand.

The magician, who had been advancing, suddenly jerked backward. His bandaged hand grabbed the silver thread on him and flung it, sending the thread shooting straight towards Qi Yu-

Towards the crew-cut player behind him.

The doll swiftly distributed the silver thread, clicking his tongue internally-he knew players would come to snatch the flower, but this was too fast.

The crew-cut player had been there earlier, keeping a low profile and never leaving. Now, he saw Qi Yu above him, his eyes fixed on the flower atop Qi Yu’s head. The moment it was about to fully bloom, he dashed forward to pluck it.

He knew the doll was nearby, but this was a rare opportunity, and he felt confident in his abilities. At the very least, he thought he could escape after grabbing the flower…

But as the magician charged towards him, the crew-cut player was startled, his mind screaming to run. Yet instinctively, he first yanked the flower from Qi Yu’s head, then quickly turned to leap off the tree and flee.

Just as he bent his knees, something thin and cold brushed against his calf, the chill spreading through his leg before vanishing.

What was that… The crew-cut player wondered, then felt his body tilting, pain radiating from his calf. He looked down and saw his leg separated from his body.

“Ah-”

Behind him, the magician had already closed in, the thrown silver thread connecting him to the doll. In the sunlight, the slight glint of the thread revealed the doll’s position, and Mr. Gardener seized the chance to send branches hurtling towards Luo Yiran.

But the doll reacted faster, using the magician to pull himself directly towards him with the silver thread.

So, the silver thread on him served this purpose.

The magician watched the elegant doll being effortlessly pulled towards him, unable to suppress a smile-it was as if the doll was coming to him at all costs.

However, Luo Yiran didn’t intend to land on the magician. As he neared the tree where Qi Yu was, he flicked the silver thread into the ground, letting his body descend once more.

The magician: “…”

The crew-cut player, who had snatched the flower, had already fallen to the ground, while the doll landed steadily in front of him.

The doll’s index finger trembled as he maneuvered the magician to stand in front of Mr. Gardener.

The crew-cut player saw him, and also noticed the silver thread in his hand, gleaming coldly with a hint of red.

His calf was completely severed, the cut as clean as if done by a guillotine, and the leg lay before him, the flesh slightly twitching.

“This is only…” The crew-cut player panted, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. He had watched the live broadcast, knowing the doll’s silver thread had once scraped the foot of a mermaid, but-

“This is only your third instance. How can your attacks be… so skilled?”

The doll didn’t answer. He walked over to take the flower from the crew-cut player’s hand.

The crew-cut player’s eyes flashed with determination. Unwilling to give up, he raised his hand to swat the doll away, but as soon as he moved, a sharp pain shot through the back of his hand, a thin layer of skin scraped off.

He cried out in agony again, his hand trembling violently as the pink flower slipped from his grasp.

The doll picked up the flower, which was as large as himself.

The crew-cut player lay face down, writhing in pain, finally noticing the numerous fine lines like transparent spider silk around the doll’s hand and body.

The doll, perfectly suited for display in a shop window, lifted his head, revealing half his face from behind the flower petals, smiling innocently. “Not skilled at all.”

“You see, if I were skilled, would I have failed to kill you twice?”

He feigned sincerity as he spoke.