Chapter 27 - 27: Another Doll
One by one, the cars gradually left the service area, heading onto the highway.
Leading the reconnaissance team at the head of the convoy were Tan Xiao and Brother Hui.
Tan Xiao, riding his beloved motorcycle, was weaving agilely among the vehicles. He was full of energy, keeping an eye on road conditions up ahead while also on the lookout for the thugs from yesterday.
Whether his vigilance worked, or whether Shen MO had effectively scared them, they were surprisingly well-behaved and nothing suspicious occurred during the journey.
About an hour into their drive, as they were nearing Zhenjiang, they spotted clusters of figures on the road ahead.
Brother Hui was in the lead and saw them first.
…Seems like dolls.”
“Must be the guys from the food processing factory again. They keep pulling the same tricks. Those guys have too much time on their hands!” “We stole their food, probably holding a grudge against us.”
“Ignore them. Just drive straight through!”
“Will there be trouble…”
“Tch! This is the only available route; even if there is trouble we’ll have to push through! What’s there to be afraid of? We have plenty of buffers behind us!”
Following a brief, simple conversation, they sped up instead of slowing down.
The dolls on the road were immediately torn to bits by the onslaught of vehicles, scattered all over the road, battered by the wind.
Shen MO noticed something was off, he slowed down and waved at the nearby motorcycle. “What’s happening?” he yelled over the wind.
Tan Xiao slowed down too, matching his pace with the SUV. He shouted back to
Shen MO, “Dolls again! It must be the guys from the food processing factory. The factory is nearby!”
Shen MO frowned, looking at the fallen dolls. He had an indescribable uneasiness.
The postures and expressions of the dolls all seemed off, as if being driven by something.
Bai Youwei in the back seat saw it too.
She furrowed her brow, staying silent. Suddenly, Tan Xiao burst out cursing— “Damn it!”
He revved his motorcycle and charged directly at a doll dressed in a white
“I recognize this old lady! She cursed at me yesterday while we were stealing their sausages! How did she become a doll?!”
His face pale, Tan Xiao checked on the other dolls in a hurry, then abruptly turned around, speeding in the opposite direction on the highway.
“All the people from the food processing factory have turned into dolls! Stop driving forward! Everyone halt! Halt!!!
One after another, vehicles parked along the roadside, the faces of people showing both perplexity and terror. “What happened?”
“…Apparently dolls appeared up ahead.” “What should we do?… Should we turn around?”
Turn around?
Where else could they go?
They had nowhere left to go.
After alerting the final car, Tan Xiao parked his motorcycle, looking back toward the front of the convoy, thinking they might have to arrange for the vehicles to scatter. If they stuck together, it would be much easier for trouble to occur.
Fortunately, they’d noticed in time. If they had continued to push forward, the outcomes were unthinkable.
Just when he was feeling relieved, an odd sound rang out in his ears the next second—
“Ding! Welcome to the Doll Game! The theme of this game is ‘Jin Qiu’s Frog.’ The rules are as follows:
First, refuse to play and transform into a doll!
Second, fail the game and transform into a doll!
Third, win the game and receive a doll!…”
“What???” Tan Xiao was shocked and looked around, saying. “Where is this voice coming from?”
This familiar announcement rang in Bai Youwei’s and Shen Mo’s ears at the same time.
A piercing white fog shone, forcing them to close their eyes. When they opened them again, the world had once again transformed.
This time, they were greeted by a dark cave, a nauseating smell of mud, and an extremely damp atmosphere.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! Cursing non-stop, Tan Xiao leapt up from the mud, furiously questioning, “What kind of trap is this?!”
“It’s not a trap, it’s a game.” A bespectacled man sitting in the mud, his face a mask of despair and resignation, “Don’t you know? Here… is the Doll Game..”