Chapter 217 Doll
After eating the Gene Fruit, Fatso's stamina noticeably recovered. Moreover, as he was not an esper, the domain's restrictions on him were negligible. Watching the members of the Ashen Ember Squad leave, he remained standing in place.
"I'm not giving you the Desert Eagle just because you stayed to help me," David told Fatso.
Fatso rolled his eyes helplessly and gave a wry smile. He didn't stay back for the Desert Eagle; he stayed because he knew that without assistance, David might face even greater danger. After spending the day with David, he had a good understanding of his character. So, he made up his mind to stay and support David.
"I'm not someone who takes advantage of others! But since you treated me to the fruit, I'll sacrifice myself a little," Fatso said as he took out a dagger and proceeded into the floor. Listening to Fatso's words, David smiled faintly and followed him. The chilling dark winds continued to swirl, and the further they went, the stronger the oppressive feeling became.
Side by side, David and Fatso kept pushing open room after room, checking their contents. However, the scenes inside were almost identical to those on the three lower floors—rooms filled with debris and rotting corpses.
They continued forward until they reached the end of the corridor, where a room stood apart from the rest. The room's door was slightly ajar, with eerie dark winds seeping out from within.
David and Fatso exchanged a glance, their expressions turning tense. Both of them sensed an unusual aura within this dark wind an aura that was hostile and reminiscent of death, as if it came from a pile of corpses.
"Could the ghost zombie be in this room?" David whispered as he gripped his knife. Fatso thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, it shouldn't be. When we entered the Youth Apartment, the ghost zombie should have detected us and set up the domain inside. Besides, this apartment seems like a level-based game, with the difficulty increasing as we go higher. The final boss, the ghost zombie, must be on the highest floor." Listening to Fatso's analysis, David nodded silently.
David could have rushed to the tenth floor to find the ghost zombie right away, but when they passed the staircase leading to the fifth floor, he found an additional domain set up by the ghost zombie, blocking access to the fifth floor staircase. David speculated that killing the anomaly on the fourth floor might be the key to unlocking the domain leading to the fifth floor. And the room they were facing now was likely where the anomaly was. The dark wind continued to emanate from inside, and the hostile aura became even more intense.
Suddenly, the door creaked and was slowly pushed open. A little girl with her hair tied in a ponytail peeked out from the gap. David and Fatso quickly stepped to the side, their brows furrowing as they stared at the sudden appearance of the little girl.
The girl, with her voice as clear as a bell, looked curiously at David and Fatso. She then broke into a joyful smile and asked, "Big brother, are you here to play with me? That's great! It's been a long time since I had anyone to play with!"
The girl's melodious voice was particularly incongruous with the eerie dark wind in the corridor. After finishing her words, she looked at David expectantly, seemingly awaiting his response. Despite her appearance, David remained cautious because he immediately sensed the hostile aura emanating from her. This aura was identical to the one in the dark wind, even stronger.
Fatso also stared at the little girl, understanding that she was the ghost zombie's trick. "Little sister, big brother isn't here to play with you. Be a good girl and stay inside the room," Fatso said to the girl. He knew something was off, but he couldn't bear to attack such a cute little girl.
Hearing Fatso's words, a hint of hurt appeared on the little girl's face. "Big brother, aren't you here to play with me? I feel so lonely! Why won't you play with me? If you don't play with me... then you deserve to die!" The girl's expression suddenly turned sinister, losing her previous innocence and cuteness. Instead, her face became chilling and terrifying.
The girl continued to push the door open slowly until her entire body was revealed. Apart from her head, which was intact, the rest of her body was severely damaged. Her tattered dress couldn't conceal the organs exposed within her. In her right hand, she held a filthy doll.
What surprised David and Fatso was that the doll's head was actually a man's head! Apparently, she had sewn a man's head onto the doll's body.
"I will turn you both into my dolls. I love dolls the most!" the little girl said, cradling the doll lovingly in her arms, not minding the sticky, foul-smelling blood from the man's head sticking to her.
"You little zombie, I'll send you to meet your mother!" Seeing the girl's true appearance, Fatso no longer felt any compassion. He raised the dagger and lunged towards her head. However, just as he was about to strike, the girl suddenly looked up, tears of blood streaming down her cheeks.
"My daddy is here. He'll protect me, right?" she said, looking at the doll with the man's head sewn onto it. In the moment the little girl lowered her head, Fatso's dagger swooped in!
But just as the blade was about to touch the girl's head, she raised her head again and stared at Fatso fiercely. "My daddy will kill you!" she said. As she spoke, the doll in her arms suddenly lunged at Fatso! The lifeless man's head, which had previously shown no signs of life, suddenly opened its eyes and opened its mouth wide, attempting to bite Fatso's neck.
"Oh shit!" Fatso was startled by this scene and didn't care about looking graceful. He rolled away like a wild dog, barely dodging the attack from the man's head. The man's head stood opposite Fatso in a creepy position, continuously rubbing its mouth together to produce a grating sound.
"You're a disobedient little girl! You turned your own father into a doll?" Fatso said, holding his lower back after narrowly avoiding the attack.
David also kept his eyes on the little girl, not expecting the ghost zombie to be so cruel. Seeing her attack miss, the little girl pouted in anger.
"Daddy, I'm angry! Kill them quickly, or I'll tell mommy!" Upon hearing the little girl's words, the man immediately launched another attack towards Fatso.
Fatso couldn't help but twitch his mouth. "What a daddy's good girl... "