Xie Mingchi was silent for a long time. It took him a while to find his voice again, and even then, it was strained. "Are we… going into the Puppet Realm again?"
Wan Wuqiu nodded, a bit regretfully.
Xie Mingchi's spirit collapsed in that instant.
He had just gotten out of one Puppet Realm—just one day ago! Not even the workhorse of a farming commune had to work this hard!
Utterly frustrated, he grabbed Wan Wuqiu by the arm. "How the hell do you guys schedule these trips into the Puppet Realm?! Can't you at least give me a heads-up next time?!"
Wan Wuqiu looked equally conflicted. "I don't know either. It's all up to fate."
Xie Mingchi got the message.
His fate sucked.
Should've checked a damn almanac before stepping out today!
Suddenly, the world around him began to spin. A powerful suction yanked at his body, and he staggered on his feet as he landed somewhere new.
"Careful," Wan Wuqiu steadied him, then gestured forward. "There's the gatekeeper puppet for this round. Pick it up, and we'll enter the Puppet Realm."
Xie Mingchi caught his breath and followed Wan Wuqiu's gaze—then froze.
In front of them stood a small square table, and on it, a doll.
The doll looked like a Western aristocrat from the early 20th century—elegant in a courtly gown, her posture refined.
They stood in a vast, empty void. No front desk. No ghost girl with the blue flames. Nothing.
Xie Mingchi frowned. "Why can I see the gatekeeper puppet this time?"
Last time, he'd been yanked in without any warning.
Wan Wuqiu hesitated, as if trying to find a gentle way to break the news. "Well… technically, every Puppet Realm has one. Last time, I was worried you'd chicken out, so I just picked it up for you."
Xie Mingchi: "…"
He resisted the urge to strangle him. "What happens if no one picks it up?"
Wan Wuqiu gave it to him straight: "Once the countdown ends, whoever hasn't picked up the doll dies. Instantly."
Ah. Well then. That made things easy.
Xie Mingchi accepted his fate. He reached for the doll. "You better not be hiding anything else from me. For both our sakes—try a little honesty."
He took a deep breath and lifted the doll.
The world twisted again.
It felt like he was being crushed into a paper ball and rolled around for a while before finally landing on solid ground.
He opened his eyes and found himself on a narrow path in the middle of a desolate field.
Blackened, dried shrubs surrounded him. The only way forward was the winding path under his feet.
Wan Wuqiu was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, Xie Mingchi hoped the guy hadn't actually gotten lost this time.
After some hesitation, he started walking.
Roughly ten minutes later, the path ended—before a large, flat estate.
Well, he called it a mansion, but it looked utterly barren. More like it had been abandoned for decades.
But wait—right before entering the Puppet Realm, the haunted villa had clearly transformed into a castle. So why did this place look like a wreck?
"Caw—caw—!"
Crows circled overhead.
Xie Mingchi glanced around again, a thought rising in his mind: Is this… a vampire world?
He approached the large wooden doors and pushed them open.
Inside was a brightly lit hall, already filled with people.
As the doors creaked open, several turned to look—but quickly returned to their conversations.
Xie Mingchi immediately spotted Wan Wuqiu and walked over.
"I remember getting a soul thread in the last Puppet Realm," Xie Mingchi whispered. "Where's my clue this time?"
Wan Wuqiu tapped his temple. "I've got it. This round's hint: Don't call her ugly."
Xie Mingchi was puzzled. The puppet from earlier had actually looked decent—elegant, even. Why would anyone call her ugly?
Still, he filed it away in his mind.
Wan Wuqiu pointed at his eyes. "Your eyes are red again."
Xie Mingchi was used to it. "Guess these rabbit eyes were born for the Puppet Realm."
A few more people entered the hall. Xie Mingchi casually observed them—and froze when the door opened again.
It was Xiao Xiao and Chu You.
They spotted him and Wan Wuqiu as well, surprise flickering across their faces before they walked over.
"You again?" Xiao Xiao said, not as hostile as before. She glanced at him. "Don't get cocky just because you got the soul thread last time. That was a beginner-level realm."
Xie Mingchi nodded calmly. "No worries. I'm very humble."
Then he turned to Wan Wuqiu. "And this one?"
"Intermediate," Wan Wuqiu replied after a pause.
So… one level up. Not great.
Xie Mingchi was still processing that when someone tapped his back and a cautious voice asked, "X–Xie senior?"
Xiao Xiao and Chu You tactfully stepped away.
Xie Mingchi turned to see a nervous young man wringing his sleeves, looking terrified yet hopeful. "Senior Xie, it's really you!"
Xie Mingchi: "…Who?"
The guy hurried to introduce himself. "I'm Feng Yu, your junior from the same university. I'm a junior now! You gave a speech at school last month—I remember you! I…"
He fumbled for words. "I wrote a paper inspired by your talk. I was so excited to show it to you, I asked the department head for your address. I went to your neighborhood…"
"I got lost among the houses, and then I saw a castle…"
And then, boom—here he was.
Xie Mingchi: "…"
Great. Another accidental recruit, like He Qi last time.
"Stick with me for now," he said. "I'll explain things later."
Feng Yu, though nervous, was obedient enough to cling to his side.
Just then, the door opened again.
Xie Mingchi was starting to feel like the universe was pulling a prank on him.
This time it was Shen Feinian.
"Ah, everyone's here," Shen Feinian said cheerfully, tilting his head to look at Feng Yu. "Oh? My puppeteer has arrived."
His puppeteer?
Xie Mingchi was stunned.
He'd thought Feng Yu had stumbled in by accident, like He Qi. But if Shen Feinian—a ghost puppet—claimed Feng Yu as his puppeteer…
That changed things.
Shen Feinian took over and began explaining the newbie rules. As more people arrived, Xie Mingchi did a quick headcount.
Twelve in total. Eight men, four women.
Since he, Wan Wuqiu, Xiao Xiao, and Chu You were already together, four others had formed a group of their own, while the remaining four were paired off.
It was still daytime outside—not sure what time exactly, but at least it wasn't night yet. There was still time to find clues.
"Tap, tap, tap—"
The sharp click of heels echoed through the hall.
Xie Mingchi turned toward the spiral staircase that descended into the lower levels of the castle.
He hadn't approached it earlier, unsure of what lay below.
The clicking grew louder. Soon, a woman appeared.
She looked exactly like the doll—same European gown, same regal aura… except her face was covered in stitching, like her skin had been sewn on.
She stopped before them and smiled. "Welcome to my castle. I am the mistress of this place. You may call me Eiger… or Mary."
Her introduction was polite—at first.
Then her smile twisted. "Of course, it's that Mary. As in Bloody Mary. You've heard of me, haven't you?"
A pin-drop silence.
Who hadn't?
Bloody Mary, Four Corners Game, Pencil Ghost… these were famous horror rituals.
And Bloody Mary's terror level was no joke—even more intense than the Four Corners Game.
Xie Mingchi could feel it—this intermediate-level realm was going to be brutal.
Everyone looked uneasy. Their fear was written all over their faces.
Eiger—Mary—seemed to enjoy the reaction. She lifted her chin with a smile. "Well then, my dear guests… lunchtime awaits."
She beckoned and turned to descend the spiral staircase.
Xie Mingchi followed quickly, finally getting a better look at the structure.
It was, indeed, a castle. But inverted—buried underground.
The "ground floor" they'd entered was actually the bottom of the upside-down castle. And it had nine levels.
Compared to this, Mr. Du's haunted villa was child's play.
Eiger led them to a dining room on the fifth level and gleefully sat at the head of the table. "Come, sit. Let's eat."
But the moment they saw what was on the table… everyone's face turned pale.
Food?
Hardly.
It was just broken mirror shards and candles.
"Sit," Eiger's voice chilled. "What, don't like my cooking?"
No one liked it, but they all found seats quickly.
Eiger's smile returned.
She picked up a shard of mirror, brought it to her crimson lips, and took a bite.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Then she moved on to a candle.
"Eat," she urged. "Why aren't you eating?"
No one dared.
One girl couldn't hold it in—she covered her mouth and began to sob.
Fortunately, Eiger didn't force them to eat. Most just sat there in grim silence, some watching her closely.
Then—amid the chewing and the crying—someone whispered:
"…She's so ugly…"
Xie Mingchi's heart stopped.
He looked up. It was a lone guy sitting across from him.
Shit.
He had thought no one would be dumb enough to insult the gatekeeper ghost's appearance—not to her face. But here they were.
He glanced at Wan Wuqiu, who simply shook his head.
That guy was as good as dead.
Eiger's chewing paused. Her smile stiffened.
Then she slowly turned to face the speaker and let out a giggle—sharp and cold.
Glass and wax fell from her mouth onto the table as she stood, walking toward him.
"Was it you?" she asked sweetly.
"Did *you* say I'm ugly?"
The guy trembled like a leaf and shook his head frantically.
But Eiger gently placed a hand over his mouth—and with just that, he couldn't move.
She picked up a dinner knife, examined the blade, and suddenly plunged it into his chest.
"You said it!"
"You *dared* to call me ugly?!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
She roared, a maniacal grin twisting her stitched-up face as she stabbed him again and again. Blood soaked her gown.
The man had struggled at first. But after ten, maybe fifteen stabs, he stopped moving entirely.
…He died. Right there in front of everyone.
No one made a sound.
Eiger finally stopped. Tossed the bloodied knife aside with a loud *clang*, then grabbed the corpse by one arm and dragged it to the door.
At the threshold, she paused and turned, smiling sweetly.
"I have some matters to attend to. The bedrooms are on the fourth floor."
"Enjoy your meal."