Doll Survival Game

The crew cut player was momentarily paralyzed, unable to react. Though he heard the doll’s words, the pain coursing through his body and an inexplicable surge of fear rendered him immobile.

The doll paid him no mind, focusing intently on the task at hand. He directed the magician to continue attacking Mr. Gardener with the silver thread and knife.

The magician’s body was formidable, each maneuver demanding Mr. Gardener’s full attention to counter.

The doll tilted his head back-if the magician were controlling his own body, perhaps Mr. Gardener would have been defeated swiftly…

Hmm?

His gaze fell upon Qi Yu, and he frowned.

Vines began to sprout from Qi Yu’s body, his skin taking on a green hue.

Luo Yiran furrowed his brow, his eyes darting between the magician and Qi Yu. He watched as Qi Yu’s body merged with the tree beneath him, his face the only part remaining distinct, while the rest of his form fused with the tree, transforming it into a massive vine.

The rapid transformation of Qi Yu made the doll’s frown deepen, and he saw Qi Yu’s face move from above to directly in front of him on the vine.

Qi Yu’s eyes were a deep green, his voice filled with rage, “Give me back… the flower!”

“……”

So, picking the flower triggers a berserk mode?

The vine lashed out from the ground, and the doll lifted himself with the silver thread, intending to evade from above. Yet, the vine swiftly wove itself into a massive net overhead.

Gasps of surprise echoed from players hidden in the shadows, likely caught in the crossfire.

The gaps in the vine net were too narrow for even the doll to pass through, and everything before him darkened. Luo Yiran calmly altered his course, landing back on the ground, watching the vine net rapidly contract inward. “Do you intend to destroy your own flower?”

The vine monster hesitated, then the net’s speed increased, muttering to itself, “The flower… won’t die…”

“Give me back the flower!” The vine monster’s voice suddenly rose, “I’ll crush you!!”

The vine net contracted, uprooting trees and pressing everything inward.

It intended to crush everything within the net.

The doll attempted to cut the vine with the silver thread, but it wouldn’t sever. He frowned, observing the ever-darkening confines of the net as it shrank-

If the vine net didn’t aim to compress everything within to the point of no space, he might have had a chance to survive inside.

A large tree, pulled down by the contracting net, buried the crew cut player, and the space within the net grew increasingly cramped.

Suddenly, roots sprouted from the base of the pink flower in the doll’s hand, crawling along his hand, seeking entry into the ball joint’s crevices.

Luo Yiran paused, temporarily severing his connection with the magician.

Boom-

The vine net closed completely from the ground, forming a massive green sphere suspended in mid-air, then-

It contracted again.

The sound of breaking echoed within, as if intent on filling every void inside.

At the bottom, blood began to drip down.

The ground had been trembling intermittently since a while ago, and from the direction of the vine monster’s territory, it seemed like trees were collapsing. Xia Lang belatedly glanced at the holographic display, then opened the messages to see the conversation between Luo Yiran and Zhang Mimi in the group chat.

He paused, then parted the grass in front of him to observe the outside.

He was currently in the serpent man’s territory, and he had already met up with Via. Li Qi Feng was nowhere to be seen, but he was surely around Via.

After they arrived, Via had taken over the task of distracting the serpent man, while Xia Lang…

He touched the spot on his face where he had been scratched, inhaling sharply.

The serpent man’s upper body was humanoid, with narrow eyes, long hair, and a small blue horn protruding from his forehead, about the size of a pinky finger.

Even the human-like upper body was covered in blue scales.

Xia Lang wanted to go over to Via to help, but he was terrified. The serpent man looked too frightening, with eyes as narrow and pupils as cold-blooded as a snake’s, exuding a fierce and ruthless aura.

But he really wanted to help. He didn’t want to be protected all the time. If the person protecting him got hurt, things would be even scarier.

There was a slight noise around him, and Xia Lang shivered instinctively. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, but just as he steadied, three men suddenly emerged in front of him.

The one in the lead wore gold-rimmed glasses, his hair neatly parted, with well-defined features. He was dressed in a black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal a red line tattoo on the inside of his arm.

Xia Lang’s eyes widened as he covered his mouth-he saw that the man, who looked as dignified as a university professor, was holding a severed head, with blood still dripping from the neck.

He locked eyes with the lifeless eyes on the head, and instinctively reached for the two sickles Via had tossed to him earlier.

-Why were the hunters’ people here? Weren’t they supposed to be on the other side?

The leading man discarded the head, then took a clean white handkerchief from his clothes with his clean hand and wiped his palm. He said, “The lord’s vitality has decreased a bit. There must be a player attacking it. Let’s go help.”

Xia Lang froze, then through the gap in the grass, he saw the man push up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, his face smiling but his eyes cold: “Whoever it is, just kill them.”

Kill…

Via and Li Qi Feng were dealing with the serpent man, which meant they intended to kill Via…

Xia Lang shivered again.

The man beside the one with gold-rimmed glasses had a scar on his arm, with what seemed like blood seeping out-a wound from offering meat to the serpent man. Although the serpent man had treated them, the recovery varied based on individual constitution.

That man wrapped his arm simply: “It looked like Via. That white curly hair of his is too conspicuous.”

“Via…” The man with gold-rimmed glasses smiled, brushing his hair back to reveal a scar on his forehead: “We have a score to settle with them… This time, let’s crush and chop off his fingers one by one.”

Xia Lang’s breath hitched, and he tightened his grip on the sickles.

“Who’s there?” The man with the gold-rimmed glasses suddenly turned towards Xia Lang’s position, having heard a noise from that direction.

The other two hunters immediately became alert. One of them asked, “Is it an animal or another player?”

Gold-rimmed glasses approached cautiously, his dagger glinting coldly in his hand. As he reached the bushes, he slashed through them without hesitation, then paused.

The two men behind him called out, “Jiang-Ge? Is there anyone?”

Jiang-Ge’s voice was laced with amusement, “Oh yes, there’s a little rabbit here.”

Xia Lang stood with his hands behind his back, eyes wide with fear and anxiety, tears welling up from the tension.

Jiang-Ge twirled his dagger, his eyes filled with interest. “A high schooler? It’s been a while since I’ve killed someone so young.”

Xia Lang’s voice trembled as he asked, “How many people have you killed?”

Jiang-Ge sensed something was off, but the sight of Xia Lang’s trembling body filled him with glee, overshadowing any doubts. “Ten, all homeless old men… Seeing someone as young and lively as you makes me want to kill.”

He stepped closer, “Smooth skin, clear eyes…”

A truly wicked person.

Xia Lang exhaled deeply, closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, the brightness had faded significantly.

Jiang-Ge frowned-like this, the eyes weren’t as pretty.

But just as he thought that, a flash of cold light appeared before him, a curved blade almost instantly at his throat.

A chill ran down his spine as he quickly retreated, but not before his neck was nicked, blood gushing out. The dull-eyed, frail young man was muttering something, causing Jiang-Ge to momentarily lose focus.

The young man was apologizing.

Apologizing for having to kill him.

Rage surged alongside the pain, and Jiang-Ge thrust his dagger towards Xia Lang, his face contorted with anger. “You think you can kill me?!”

Xia Lang didn’t back down. His left hand’s sickle blocked the dagger, while the right hand’s sickle slashed towards Jiang-Ge’s neck-

Here, killing could be forgiven.

Especially when the target was a bad person.

Central lobby.

“Quite ruthless,” Wei Lianlian commented.

Tian Tang tilted her head, her face full of confusion. “Is he crazy? What’s up with this Xia Lang?”

“Something’s restraining him,” Wei Lianlian observed, recalling the live broadcast of the mermaid instance. “There are certain triggers for his outbursts.”

“When the doll is in danger, when he’s about to die out of the doll’s sight, the desire to protect others…” Wei Lianlian paused, adding, “And the doll’s ‘requests’-these can make him temporarily fearless.”

But it’s truly pitiful, with almost no sense of self.

If the doll were with Xia Lang, and the doll was safe while Xia Lang was in danger, it’s uncertain how strong Xia Lang’s will to live would be.

Tian Tang watched as Xia Lang, full of regret, killed a hunter member she also disliked. She reluctantly said, “Though just as hypocritical as the doll, he’s not bad.”

“But the battle difference between these two sides is huge… Xia Lang’s side is still within normal range, while the doll’s side seems to be engaging in some kind of magic duel? Oh, they’re surrounded by vines.”

Wei Lianlian glanced over, then looked away. “The doll hasn’t been deemed to have obtained the flower yet, but there’s a sense of ease over there. Xia Lang’s side is more dangerous, with a slim chance of getting the treasure.”

“True,” Tian Tang swung her legs. “Without the doll’s orders, Xia Lang is just a passive fighter. And who knows if the serpent man has subordinates like Mr. Gardener? If so, Li Qi Feng and Via might not be able to handle it.”

Wei Lianlian’s gaze swiftly swept across the holographic displays of all the players-many had already chosen the faction they wanted to join and were working hard to become part of it.

But midway through her scan, a unified voice echoed from all the displays-

“Congratulations to the players of Faction No. 7, Duan Miaomiao has obtained the treasure of Lord No. 2-the werewolf’s tooth.”

Wei Lianlian was momentarily stunned.

Tian Tang exclaimed, “Huh? Who’s Duan Miaomiao?”

The system’s voice transitioned into a notification on the holographic display, and within their Faction No. 7 group, three messages appeared-

“As the first player and faction to acquire a treasure from another faction, the game will issue rewards.”

“Congratulations to all players of Faction No. 7 for receiving ‘Sunlight’s Redemption.’ This reward accelerates healing for players injured during the day.”

“Congratulations to player Duan Miaomiao for receiving ‘Moonlight Warrior.’ This reward doubles all physical abilities under moonlight.”

Lin Ye stood atop a pile of wolf corpses, his red wings gently folding behind him, his hands stained with blood. He looked at Duan Miaomiao and remarked, “That’s quite a reward.”

Duan Miaomiao, spotless except for a swollen cheek, held her mouth in pain, her voice muffled, “I didn’t expect this was how you obtained a treasure.”

Lin Ye had a thought, “Let the others in the group know.”

Duan Miaomiao nodded, but before she could act, the system’s voice suddenly chimed in again-

“Congratulations to the lord of Faction No. 7, Luo Yiran, for obtaining the treasure of Lord No. 6-the vine monster’s flower.”