Donghai City Grand Theater was one of the few remaining buildings in this city that still carried a bit of history.
After the city’s reconstruction, this old theater enjoyed a brief second spring as one of the few survivors. For that reason, this theater that had long stopped fulfilling its original purpose once became a tourist attraction. But as the craze faded, the Grand Theater grew quiet once again, soon closed to the public, and was simply abandoned in this place.
The great disaster eleven years ago had destroyed most of the buildings in Donghai City.
After entering the theater, Luo Yao couldn’t help but ask:
“If it’s not open to the public, how could someone get hurt?”
“Because this place always attracts thieves.” Lu Yunze answered casually.
He had heard about this Grand Theater when he was young, and had even passed by its entrance before, so he still had some impression of it.
Back then, he’d heard that this place always drew burglars, especially after it reopened as a tourist spot. Some people always tried to get a bargain, thinking that such an old place might hide unexpected treasure, but all they got for their trouble was a coat of dust.
Simply coming away empty-handed wouldn’t have been so bad, but recently some unlucky soul actually got hurt here. Fortunately, the police station discovered it early enough that news of the haunting didn’t spread on a large scale.
“Sounds pretty stupid. What valuable thing could possibly be in this place?”
Ever since she came in, Luo Yao had only seen a filthy abandoned building, with dust piled up in a thick layer.
“Sometimes, being old enough alone can give something considerable value.”
Lu Yunze shrugged, indicating he couldn’t understand it either.
The three arrived at the theater’s largest area, the auditorium. Descending the steps, they could see the spacious stage. Most of the items here were wooden. When Lu Yunze casually ran his finger across one, he could see the thick layer of dust on his fingertip.
Since this was a haunting, where was the ghost?
The three stepped onto the stage and searched for quite a while without finding anything.
Luo Heng was getting a bit bored.
“Sis, if we really do see a ghost later, remember to hide behind me.”
“What for? I’m not that kind of person!”
Luo Yao’s temper flared up again as she shot him a glare.
“Besides, if I were to hide, it wouldn’t be behind you.”
“Sigh, in your eyes, am I really that unreliable as your big brother?”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Just stating the truth.”
As she spoke, Luo Yao covered her nose and mouth and pulled open the curtain.
“Ah!”
What met her eyes made her scream, which drew the attention of the other two.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing. I just found a weird thing.”
As she spoke, Luo Yao picked up a doll from the ground… or rather, a puppet.
This puppet was exquisitely made, its torso crafted from wood, its clothes sewn on with needle and thread, and its expression so lifelike that one could tell the maker had put genuine craftsmanship into it.
Oddly enough, the puppet looked quite new, with barely any dust on it, completely out of place in this dusty old theater.
“Did someone leave it here as a prank?”
Luo Yao tried fiddling with the puppet. Its limbs and joints could all twist flexibly.
“Luo Yao, come over here. We’re about to go in.”
“Oh, okay, I’m coming…”
Luo Yao only turned her head for a moment, and the puppet in her hands let out a creaking, clicking sound.
By the time her gaze returned to the puppet, she was directly locking eyes with the little thing.
The puppet’s limbs, and its head, were all twisting, moving in slow, stiff motions that carried a rather horrifying quality.
The young lady of the Luo Family froze in place on the spot.
When she stiffly looked at the puppet again, it moved.
This was no illusion.
Before Luo Yao could even let out a scream, the puppet broke free from her grasp and lunged straight at her.
Luo Yao let out a shrieking cry and swung her hand, summoning her Wind Control Power.
The puppet was blown away and slammed into the wall, but it quickly scrambled back up, making strange creaking noises as it ran toward her again.
Luo Yao’s face went pale as she fell on her rear.
Just as the puppet leaped into the air, a foot swung in from the side and sent it flying once more.
Luo Heng pulled back his foot, equally astonished by what he had just seen.
“What the heck is that?”
“How is a puppet moving?”
“You’re asking me? I’d like to know too.”
Luo Yao scrambled on all fours to hide behind her second brother.
The puppet bounced off the wall twice, but seemed to feel no pain, and was about to attack again.
Bang!
Lu Yunze, who had rushed back, stomped down on it. The stamp imbued with his Force Accumulation Anchor shattered the puppet completely, sending fragments scattering across the floor.
“I’d like to see you repair yourself from that.”
Lu Yunze muttered, then looked at the siblings.
“You two okay?”
“We’re fine. If it’s just a puppet, it’s hardly a prob…”
Luo Heng’s words trailed off into stammering, and his face went pale in an instant, just like Luo Yao’s.
Lu Yunze thought to himself that they really were siblings born from the same mother, then asked what was going on.
Lu Yunze turned to look and his eyes went wide.
“Be… behind you…”
The auditorium, which had been completely empty, was now filled with strangely shaped puppets sitting in every seat.
They all lifted their heads, staring fixedly at the three people on stage, as if waiting for them to put on a performance that would entertain them.
At that moment, Lu Yunze genuinely felt goosebumps rising on his skin.
After sneaking in through the Grand Theater’s back door, Jiang Sui had accidentally gotten herself covered in dirt.
“What a pain. Washing this outfit is going to be such a hassle.”
Especially since she was wearing her grey-white robe, where even a speck of dust was glaringly obvious. A single pat sent her into a coughing fit.
“Anyway, where are Lu Yunze and the others?”
She wandered through the narrow corridor for a good while without catching sight of them.
This place was far bigger than it looked from the outside. The corridors twisted and turned, with no signs and no lights, and it was all too easy to get lost.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps came from ahead, making Jiang Sui freeze in place.
Did something just dart past?
Jiang Sui activated her Beast Transformation Senses and carefully followed the direction where the footsteps had vanished.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
There it was again.
This time Jiang Sui saw it clearly. A small doll darted past the corner up ahead.
“So this is the haunting?”
Puppets that move inside a theater certainly had all the elements of horror.
But Jiang Sui wasn’t about to be scared.
First, this world already had supernatural forces, so any strange things happening wouldn’t be surprising.
Second, Jiang Sui had seen real ghosts before. What was a mere haunting compared to that?
The mischievous puppet ran past several corners in a row, then waited for a moment, seeming puzzled that Jiang Sui hadn’t followed, and peeked its head out cautiously.
At that very instant, Jiang Sui, who had appeared behind it, grabbed it directly by the neck and hoisted it up.
Looking at the little thing struggling in her hand, Jiang Sui narrowed her eyes slightly and sniffed.
Beast Transformation olfaction allowed her to distinguish far more scents, and also let her sense the energy fluctuations of Secret Arts.
The Secret Art smell on this puppet was so thick it was almost acrid.
“Some Secret Arts Practitioner definitely did this.”
“So then, where are you?”
As she spoke, Jiang Sui twisted the puppet’s head clean off and tossed it behind her.
She explored for a while longer, then suddenly discovered a very strange room.
Just as she passed by, the door gave a loud bang and rattled.
Jiang Sui let out a laugh, walked straight up, and yanked the door open with force.
“Trying to scare me? Do you really think I’m some pushover?”
Jiang Sui froze.
Inside was a small compartment, with shelves packed full of puppets.
They were all staring at Jiang Sui, and in their hands, they held sharp knives, glinting coldly in the girl’s eyes.
Alright, if they had weapons, then things were different.
Jiang Sui blinked in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected these puppets to be able to make sounds.
Sure enough, of all the strategies, the most useful one was still that classic—strategy of retreat!
The moment the puppets lunged at her in unison, Jiang Sui slammed the door shut with all her strength, then turned and ran.
She didn’t dare look back the entire time. The commotion behind her already sounded like a crashing wave.
Running like this wasn’t going to solve anything.
After sprinting past a corner at full speed, Jiang Sui ducked straight into a small warehouse.
She shut the door tight, and only when the sound of the wave faded into the distance did she dare to breathe.
Luckily, they didn’t have sharp senses. Now what should she…
Bang.
A strange noise came from inside this small warehouse too, making Jiang Sui freeze up again.
Could it be that there were some here too?
Jiang Sui thought to herself, if it was just one or two, she should be able to handle it.
She tiptoed, slowly approaching the source of the sound. When she peeked over, she found nothing there.
No, it’s a trap!
Just as Jiang Sui was about to leap forward, a hand shot out and grabbed her cat tail directly.
In an instant, a numbing electric current spread through Jiang Sui’s entire body. Her mouth fell open as she collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath.
What a… strange feeling.
It was as if someone had found the switch to her body’s pleasure, and with just one squeeze of her tail, she couldn’t help trembling with excitement.
Jiang Sui struggled to turn her head, and met eyes with that person.
“Who… are you?”
“Huh?”
“Li… no, the Hidden One?”
“Lu Yunze?”
“How is it you?”
Jiang Sui didn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed.
“Le… let go of me.”
“Look at you, haven’t seen you in a while, and you’ve turned into a catgirl?”
Lu Yunze teased.
“None of your business… let go…”
Jiang Sui gritted her teeth hard, struggling to hold herself together.
“Fine, but you have to answer one of my questions first.”
Lu Yunze didn’t seem to notice anything wrong with her, and squeezed harder.
“Mmm…!”
A sound leaked from Jiang Sui’s lips, and her shoulders were heaving visibly.
Only then did Lu Yunze notice something off about her voice. He was about to ask, but caught sight of her even more unusual profile.
The girl’s cheeks had already flushed red, and her glistening eyes reflected a dazed face.
Lu Yunze’s heart skipped a beat, then he snapped back to his senses and quickly let go of her tail.
Jiang Sui was saved. She collapsed to the ground like she hadn’t rested in three days and three nights.
“Perfect timing, Lu Yunze. Just you wait, I’ll…”
“What’s going on, Brother Lu?”
At the sound of Luo Yao’s voice, Jiang Sui perked up instantly. She raised her head and saw Luo Yao stepping out from the corner, looking somewhat disheveled.
In that moment, the girl’s mind went completely blank.
“So you two were already done?”