Doll Survival Game

The doll looked up, then saw something flash by overhead.

It landed not far from him.

“…” The doll stared in that direction.

“Should the young master go take a look?” the magician coaxed.

The doll hesitated, remembering Lin Ye’s instructions before they parted: if you hear any noise, just turn around and leave; if you see something approaching, avoid it; and remember, don’t be curious, don’t crowd around, don’t pick up random things.

“Young master?”

Now dressed in a clean white shirt, the doll’s expression was serious: “Let’s go.”

He had just arrived here, originally to observe from the high trees if there was anything amiss in the direction of the unicorn’s territory. If there wasn’t, he had planned to check it out.

And the thing that had just flown over came from the direction of the unicorn’s territory; it was a perfect opportunity to check.

Finding a good excuse for himself, the doll manipulated the magician to leap down from the tree. As he listened to the rustling sound of the magician’s clothes, a thought suddenly occurred to him: “Speaking of which, how does another player get to own you?”

The wind blew the magician’s hair, his voice a bit fragmented and vague in the wind, but the doll was close enough to hear clearly-“Young master, you manipulate me using your index finger as a medium. If someone were to take that finger away and place it on their own hand, then you would lose me.”

The doll looked at his own index finger-so that was it.

“Young master asked this.” The magician, being manipulated, moved through the trees: “Are you thinking of abandoning me?”

The doll frowned.

The magician chuckled lightly: “But this rule only applies in this instance.”

Luo Yiran’s brow relaxed: “You are a treasure.”

“Hmm…” The magician’s voice carried a hint of displeasure: “I really wish the young master would add one word to that statement.”

Luo Yiran knew it was better not to ask, but for some reason, he blurted out: “Which two words?”

“My.” The magician intoned softly, word by word.

The doll’s expression instantly showed disdain.

That unknown object had landed not far away, and Luo Yiran noted its approximate location, so they quickly found it.

Upon seeing the object clearly, the doll’s expression turned strange.

The magician looked at the white horn thoughtfully: “Well… the young master sometimes has good luck.”

Luo Yiran manipulated the magician to retrieve the horn stuck in the branches. The always-unlucky doll stared at the horn for a while, very skeptical: “Is this real?”

It was real. But the magician didn’t plan to say it outright, he just smiled: “Young master, why not try it and see?” If it’s real, it would attach itself to your forehead.

The doll squinted his eyes.

Assuming it was real, why would this thing appear here when the last system notification indicated it was with Wang Xiaoming…

Wang Xiaoming, huh.

The name really was begging for criticism.

Suppressing the sudden tangent his thoughts had taken, the doll recalled something: “Wang Xiaoming, he’s with the hunters, isn’t he?”

He had no fondness for the hunters at all.

“What are you doing?” Lin Ye looked down and saw Duan Miaomiao holding the cross from around her neck in her palm, her hands clasped together.

Duan Miaomiao murmured something under her breath. After finishing, she looked up. “Praying for the doll’s safety.”

“Honestly, I think we’re just overthinking it. The doll isn’t the type to stir up trouble. He’s very calm…” Lin Ye trailed off, then glanced up to see the leaves rustling slightly in the distance.

At the same time, Li Qi Feng lifted his head. “Someone’s coming this way.”

Lin Ye silently leapt down from the tree. “As expected of you-your hearing is sharp.”

Li Qi Feng gave a slight nod. He wasn’t much of a talker, always quiet. In fact, if Yuan Mo weren’t around, he might have been the most inconspicuous member of the group, especially compared to Via, who was perpetually lively.

“Someone’s coming, huh? Well then, uncle, you better be ready.” Via stretched his slightly elongated arms, his face brimming with excitement.

Zhang Mimi, with the little flower still perched on his head, walked over to carry the still-unconscious Xia Lang on his back. Then he turned to Yuan Mo. “How about you? Can you walk?”

Yuan Mo, warmed by the camaraderie of his teammates, nodded. “No problem.”

Via froze for a moment, watching Zhang Mimi’s actions. “Huh? Why are we leaving? Can’t we just chase off whoever’s coming?”

Before Lin Ye could respond, Li Qi Feng rapped Via on the head, his disapproval evident in his eyes.

Duan Miaomiao pulled out the invisibility cloth Lin Ye had brought back earlier from her item bar and draped it over herself. She pointed at her teeth and then at the flower on Zhang Mimi’s head. “Kids only know how to fight. Right now, we’re guarding a treasure trove, so we need to keep a low profile!”

Lin Ye’s wings fluttered slightly as he retied his long red hair. “Before the doll left, we reminded him to act as discreetly as we are. If he manages it and we don’t, that’d be pretty embarrassing.”

Via let out a dismissive “tsk,” but his expression softened a bit. He put back the item he’d just pulled from his waist-truth be told, he hadn’t even used any of his items yet, as the ones he carried were still untouched.

Li Qi Feng tried to calm Via. “Lin Ye’s right. Our goal now is to protect the treasures we already have, not to cause trouble…”

Lin Ye’s face remained neutral, but his gaze drifted slightly. Maybe Via was the only troublemaker. The doll, despite appearances, actually seemed like a reliable adult…

Just as he was thinking this, the system’s voice suddenly echoed throughout the Fairy Tale Forest:

[Congratulations to Faction No. 7’s lord, Luo Yiran, for obtaining Lord No. 3’s treasure-the unicorn’s horn.]

Lin Ye: “…”

“…”

The group, just about to leave, froze in place, then all turned to look at Lin Ye.

Only Via, either oblivious or deliberately cheeky, clapped his hands and laughed. “Wow, he really took your advice to heart and acted so discreetly!”

Yuan Mo was equally enthusiastic. “The doll is amazing!”

Duan Miaomiao poked her head out from under the invisibility cloth, panicking. “Stop praising him! Do you guys realize we now have four treasures? On the first day of the task, we’re already about to complete task two… I guarantee we’re now walking targets! Ahhhh!”

Forget other players hunting for bosses-they’d just come straight for them!

“Wait, the unicorn’s horn? Wasn’t the horn taken by Wang Xiaoming? Did the doll snatch it from him?” Duan Miaomiao fired off a rapid series of questions.

“…” Lin Ye took a couple of deep breaths, then calmly flapped her wings and soared into the air. “Let’s get out of here first.”

With that, she led the way, glancing at the map to check the doll’s location. “The doll is in a no lord’s territory. The only relief is that lords only operate within their own territories, so at least there’s one less chasing him.”

Zhang Mimi, dressed in long sleeves and pants with a hooded top, pulled the hood up to cover the pink flower on his head. Xia Lang’s head rested on his shoulder as he sighed, “Let’s stop analyzing the doll and hurry up before they notice us. I don’t want to be out of energy when facing players tonight.”

Everyone moved as quietly as possible. Duan Miaomiao hadn’t wrapped her head yet, planning to cover herself only if they were pursued. So, the others could only see a head bobbing beside them. “Speaking of which, shouldn’t players stay in their own territories at night? The chances of us running into them should be low.”

Lin Ye paused, then glanced at Via, who was at the back, and suddenly stopped. “Via, you and Zhang Mimi lead the way. Our destination is that mountain ahead. Keep an eye on the map and don’t take a wrong turn.”

She had noticed the place when flying over. The trees were sparse, with several rocky areas, which might be more suitable for Li Qi Feng to utilize. If they could hold out until night, it would be a good spot.

Via looked to the side, nodded slightly, and rushed to the front.

Lin Ye moved to the back.

Duan Miaomiao ran steadily, her head bobbing beside Lin Ye. “Why the sudden decision to take the rear?”

Lin Ye glanced at her. “We haven’t been discovered yet, so it’s not really taking the rear.”

Duan Miaomiao sighed. “The point is, what are you planning?”

Lin Ye slowed down, narrowing her eyes slightly. “I want to catch someone and ask if the faction rules for those with territories differ from ours, especially the nighttime rules.”

Duan Miaomiao thought it over and agreed it was a good idea. Knowing the enemy and oneself was always better. So she said, “If someone spots us, I’ll take the rear. Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

Lin Ye smiled and stopped. “I’ll leave it to you then.”

Duan Miaomiao: “OK!”

“Lin Ye really puts people at ease,” Yuan Mo panted beside them.

Duan Miaomiao jumped in surprise. “You’re right next to me!”

Yuan Mo looked a bit aggrieved. “I’ve been beside you the whole time because we’re the slowest runners.”

Duan Miaomiao laughed, pulling her hand out from the invisibility cloth and pointing at herself. “But I’m not tired.”

Yuan Mo: “…”

“I quite like you,” Duan Miaomiao said, retracting her hand. “Because I don’t like running or fighting either.”

Yuan Mo paused, breathing heavily, and said naturally, “But haven’t we all killed people?”

Duan Miaomiao nodded lightly, jumping over a rock, which caused the cross around her neck to show. She spoke softly, “Yeah, I killed my grandfather.”

Bang!

Yuan Mo fell to the ground.

The group ahead stopped. “What happened?”

Yuan Mo felt embarrassed and waved his hand without looking up. “Nothing, nothing…”

Via acknowledged with a casual “Oh,” and continued, “Let’s keep moving. We’re almost there. When we climb the mountain, be extra careful to stay hidden. Try not to get spotted.”

Duan Miaomiao gave Yuan Mo a hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

Yuan Mo rubbed his nose, which had turned red from hitting the ground. As he caught up with the others, he whispered, “I don’t remember killing anyone because I have no memories from before I was twenty-five.”

Duan Miaomiao paused, then couldn’t help but chuckle. “Are you a grade-schooler? You don’t have to reciprocate everything I tell you.”

Yuan Mo awkwardly scratched his head.

“But,” Duan Miaomiao calculated something, “if having no memories doesn’t count as living, then you’re only eleven.”

“That’s about the age of a grade-schooler.”

“……”

“Hey? It’s really the unicorn’s treasure.” The doll touched his forehead, as the horn was attached to the palm-sized doll, making it shrink like the vine monster’s flower.

“Hey,” the magician’s lips twitched-making such a sound unexpectedly cute.

However.

“Young master, should we leave?” The magician looked towards the unicorn’s territory. “Someone’s bound to come looking for this, right?”

The doll glanced at the map-if he were to leave this no lord’s territory, his options were to either enter the unicorn’s territory, retrace his steps, or… head to Little Red’s territory.

Luo Yiran recalled the murderous look in Little Red’s eyes the first time he came to the Fairy Tale Forest. He shook his head with a frown. “Not really keen on going there…”

Before he could finish, a large arc of blue mechanical chains suddenly extended upwards from the ground not far ahead.

From the doll’s position, they almost obscured most of the sky, and the already dim forest, shaded by leaves, became even gloomier.

Luo Yiran blinked. “That’s in the direction of the unicorn’s territory, but this thing… doesn’t quite fit with the unicorn.”

The magician chuckled. “That’s because this isn’t the unicorn’s attack.”

Attack?

The doll raised an eyebrow slightly, assessing the distance. The chains had stopped extending, and they couldn’t reach him.

He quickly looked down at the map-if it was an attack, then this thing was likely after the horn, and since the system notification had informed him of acquiring the horn, that player Wang Xiaoming would probably come too…

Run? Or fight?

Swish-

A sharp gust of wind came from not far away, and the previously dim surroundings suddenly brightened.

The doll looked up to see someone soaring through the air beneath the mechanical chains, wielding a massive, broken scythe, slicing through the chains in one swift motion.

Then, amidst the falling chains, the person’s fierce gaze locked directly onto him.

Hmm…

The doll waved with a smile-this guy had quite the intense stare.

Wave?

Wang Xiaoming blinked hard, then lightly landed on a tree.

He had now stepped into the no lord’s territory, so the blue robotic regulator stood only at the edge of the unicorn’s territory, no longer attacking.

But even if he were in the unicorn’s territory now, he wouldn’t be attacked, since the current master of the horn wasn’t him.