Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Wang Xiuwen Doubts Life, a Panda Doll Becoming an Evil Star?

When they saw the numerous strange dolls in the second drawer, the Dragon Country audience was completely baffled.

Some had guessed a bankbook, others guessed jewelry, or maybe some kind of Ghost Artifact.

But no one had guessed that the drawer would be full of dolls!

What was up with that?

Gu Yuan was a grown man.

He was still into playing with dolls?

Isn’t that something little kids like?

They wouldn’t be much use to Yun Zhenyue, either. They’re so small you can’t even cuddle them to sleep. At most, you could hang one on yourself or a backpack as a decoration.

[To be honest, I’m a little disappointed. Why are they all dolls?]

[And they’re all so battered. You could put them in a claw machine and no one would want them.]

[What can I say? Master Gu Yuan is still a child at heart!]

[Isn’t this just screwed? Taking a broken doll to the hospital? Are you going to the pediatrics department?]

[Wait a sec, why do these dolls look so familiar? I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before...]

...

Just as the Dragon Country audience was sighing in disappointment, a veteran player suddenly spoke up, utterly shocked.

[I used to work in the S-rank instance, the Dollhouse of Grudges. The dolls there were this type, too, missing arms and legs.]

[But the dolls there were all humanoid, and they were all alive. They said every single one had the power of a Fierce Ghost!]

[But all those dolls looked so lifeless, nowhere near as animated as these animal dolls in the drawer.]

[Did you guys see that panda doll just now? It looked like it was crying...]

[HISS... Don’t tell me these dolls are all Crimson-robe level?]

...

Upon seeing this veteran player’s shocking comments, the foreign audience exploded!

They all thought he was full of shit!

A doll this small could be Crimson-robe level?

You’re telling me this whole drawer is full of Crimson-robed dolls?

You’ve got to be kidding!

Crimson-robed Ghosts are incredibly powerful and extremely rare!

They possess City Slaughter Level combat power!

Basically, every single one of them is proud and arrogant!

Didn’t you see Count Blood Banquet? He was so arrogant his eyes were practically pointed at the sky!

How could they willingly stay in a dark, sunless drawer?

[Heh~ Gu Yuan isn’t even a Crimson-robed Ghost himself. How could he have such powerful dolls?]

[People from the Dragon Country love to brag. Aren’t they afraid of getting proven wrong?]

[Go on, keep bragging. I’d love to see what else you can come up with.]

[Ooh, ooh~ Crimson-robe level. That’s hilarious.]

[Someone’s in for some bad luck on this trip to Reincarnation Hospital.]

...

「Meanwhile.」

At the Research Headquarters, Wang Xiuwen stared blankly at the drawer full of animal dolls.

His heart hammered against his ribs like a frantically dribbled basketball!

His dry lips parted slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but he couldn’t make a sound.

Others didn’t know what these dolls meant.

But he did!

The little girl who was rescued by the orphanage had been given a doll.

It was because of that battered doll that she managed to escape the subsequent instance completely unscathed!

According to his speculation, to accomplish all that, the doll had to be at least mid-tier Crimson-robe level in power!

And that doll was a gift from one of the orphanage’s children.

’If Gu Yuan is the master of the orphanage, then the dolls he personally keeps at home... what level would they be?’

Besides, the little girl’s words had been verified one by one.

At this point, Wang Xiuwen was 99% certain!

’The orphanage Gu Yuan mentioned must be real!’

’This entire drawer of dolls... every single one is a Crimson-robed Ghost.’

Wang Xiuwen’s legs couldn’t stop trembling at the thought.

’When did Crimson-robed Ghosts become so cheap?’

You have to understand, no matter which instance they belonged to, a Crimson-robed Ghost was an undisputed supreme being!

Even if they went to another ghost’s instance, a Crimson-robed Ghost would be revered like a god!

Among all the countries, if any one of them possessed a Crimson-robe level combatant, they would undoubtedly leave all others in the dust!

But now...

A whole drawer full of Crimson-robed Ghosts?

And they were definitely higher than mid-tier!

This immense shock once again made Wang Xiuwen question Gu Yuan’s identity.

’Is he an Evil Star?’

’Or... is he something even beyond that?’

Wang Xiuwen fell into a spiral of intense, soul-crushing doubt.

...

「Soon.」

When he saw Yun Zhenyue walk out happily with the little panda doll, Gu Yuan’s eyelid twitched.

He had been worried Yun Zhenyue would choose this panda doll.

He never thought she’d actually pick that one!

He had once personally made a batch of animal dolls to soothe the children at the orphanage.

Any one of them was at least Crimson-robe level!

The children were overjoyed to receive the dolls!

They would hug and cuddle them every day as they played.

But an accident soon occurred.

Because Gu Yuan hadn’t deliberately shaped their personalities when he made them, and Lily happened to like sleeping while holding a doll, some of the malice within her seeped into them.

The dolls became violent, cruel, twisted, and malevolent...

In order to win the children’s affection, they began to fight amongst themselves, entering a life-or-death struggle!

Many of the instances around the orphanage were destroyed by these dolls!

To be on the safe side, Gu Yuan had taken the most malicious of the dolls with him.

After coming to Wansheng District, he had kept them in the second drawer.

After so many years, and with his handling, most of the malice within them had dissipated.

But this little panda doll was the sole exception!

It gave Gu Yuan the biggest headache!

Her power was the strongest of the batch!

Since pandas are the national treasure of the Dragon Country, Gu Yuan had deliberately given her a sliver of extra power when he made her.

Top-tier Crimson-robed Ghost!

She was just one step away from becoming an Evil Star!

And that was with Gu Yuan deliberately suppressing her growth rate!

Now, even Lily would probably be no match for her!

Moreover, this little panda doll was especially mischievous and loved playing pranks everywhere. She once blew up the orphanage’s toilets. It was so out of control, even a dog would shake its head in dismay.

"Honey, how about you pick a different one?"

"This doll... isn’t really suitable for taking outside," Gu Yuan tried to persuade her.

It wasn’t that he was afraid the little panda doll would hurt Yun Zhenyue.

He was mainly afraid she would go on a pranking spree!

Gu Yuan wouldn’t even be surprised if he later heard that she had blown up Reincarnation Hospital.

But the blasted thing was a female panda!

If Gu Yuan scolded her too much, she would cry!

Who the hell knows how these dolls even determine their own gender.

"Mmm..."

Hearing this, Yun Zhenyue lowered her head, troubled.

She saw the little panda doll’s drooping mouth and hollow eyes.

It looked a little sad, too.

Yun Zhenyue was particularly fond of this little panda.

Most people from the Dragon Country probably have no resistance to pandas.

"I’ll pick another one then..."

"Forget it. Since you like it—"

Gu Yuan saw the reluctant look on Yun Zhenyue’s face and gave up on trying to persuade her further.

He simply walked over and gently patted the panda doll’s head.

In a tone that sounded deceptively gentle, he said, "Be a little more obedient on your trip to the hospital this time, okay?"

In an instant, the panda doll’s body went stiff.

It was so scared it didn’t dare to move a muscle!

Yun Zhenyue heard this and thought Gu Yuan was talking to her, so she nodded happily and said, "I know, honey!"

"I promise I’ll study massage diligently!"

"This little panda..."

She looked down and glanced over her clothes.

Finally, she hung it on her right shoulder.

The little panda looked as if it were sitting firmly there.

There, that was much better!