Paper Figure (Rewrite)

"Splash!"

An icy chill instantly enveloped Zhao Ke's entire body. He shivered, and as his consciousness cleared, he opened his mouth, gulping down several mouthfuls of cool water.

After swallowing a few more mouthfuls of river water, Zhao Ke immediately came to his senses. He looked up at the lake surface and began to struggle towards the shore.

"Cough, cough, cough... Huff, huff..."

As his head broke the surface, Zhao Ke coughed violently before taking deep breaths.

Floating on the water, Zhao Ke cautiously surveyed his surroundings. He was certain he had entered the horror space.

However, unlike last time, he was alone this time.

On both banks stood old, dilapidated buildings, adorned with several bright red lanterns that cast a crimson glow on the river's surface, giving it a feel of a Jiangnan water town at first glance.

He was lying in the middle of the river, with small boats gliding past on either side. Their hulls were painted black, as if deliberately done. Strangely, the boats were dark and appeared to be empty.

Seeing this, Zhao Ke carefully swam to one of the boats, pushed himself up with his hands, and climbed out of the water onto the deck.

A cold wind then blew, making Zhao Ke feel as if his skin was being scraped by knives. He shivered uncontrollably, his limbs going numb.

"Bad luck, why am I in the water!"

He didn't know how much water he had swallowed, but thankfully, his swimming skills were decent, and he hadn't panicked. However, his Post Album didn't contain any spare clothes.

His entire body was soaked and already uncomfortably cold. The night wind felt like a knife, making his skin ache with cold.

Anyone with a weaker constitution would likely have fallen seriously ill by now.

Completing the mission would be out of the question; it would be a struggle just to get up and survive.

Zhao Ke slowly got up, moving his numb hands and feet. He surveyed his surroundings. There wasn't just one black boat on the river; they seemed to have been prepared intentionally, drifting one after another along the river channel.

"Strange, where are these boats going? And why are they empty??"

Zhao Ke's heart filled with questions as he looked at the boats on the river.

The large red lanterns hanging on both banks cast an eerie red glow on the river.

Zhao Ke initially didn't think much of it, but as time passed, he felt a tightness in his chest and nausea. He immediately lowered his head and turned his gaze towards the boat's canopy behind him.

The black canopy was made of bamboo mats, forming an arched shelter. Black curtains hung on both sides, obscuring what was inside.

Zhao Ke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He summoned the dagger from his Post Album and gently pushed aside the black curtain.

As the black curtain was pulled back, two pale faces appeared before Zhao Ke, causing him to gasp. His hand instinctively moved to stab with the dagger.

However, as he stabbed, Zhao Ke realized the dagger didn't feel like it was piercing flesh and blood, but rather wood – it was very hard.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that both pale faces were smeared with large patches of bright red blush, and their dark eyes were lifeless.

"Paper figures?"

Zhao Ke moved closer to examine them. He slowly relaxed, realizing that the figures sitting there weren't alive, but two paper figures, a man and a woman.

These paper figures sat in the boat, and at first glance, they looked exactly like real people. Their expressions were so lifelike that if it weren't for their lifeless eyes, one might believe they were alive.

Even so, the paper figures were quite startling. Being alone with them in the middle of the night sent a shiver down his spine.

But Zhao Ke couldn't afford to dwell on it now. His clothes were completely soaked, and the cold wind was making him shiver.

He quickly crawled into the boat's canopy. He summoned his Post Album and took out a pot of steaming hot herbal tea, drinking it down. Only then did he feel warmth spreading through his insides.

However, he hadn't brought any spare clothes in his Post Album. Seeing this, Zhao Ke's gaze swept over the man and woman paper figures. He noticed that the small tear he had made on the male paper figure's chest was just a small indentation. Zhao Ke's brow furrowed, and he stepped forward to examine it closely.

He discovered that despite being paper figures, the outer layer was made of six or seven layers of paper, about a centimeter thick. It was hard and heavy, burning like wood. The paper skin was like this, let alone the internal frame, which was similar to a human skeleton, though less complex.

Zhao Ke's eyes lit up. He had a brilliant idea. He began to take off his wet clothes and draped them over the female paper figure, using it as a temporary clothes rack.

As he removed his clothes, it was revealed that beneath his seemingly slender frame lay a body of well-defined, toned muscles, with firm, sculpted lines and a V-cut tapering down to his lower abdomen, making Zhao Ke look like a leopard ready to pounce.

Anyone seeing this physique would never associate Zhao Ke with the profession of a chef.

After taking off his clothes, Zhao Ke picked up his dagger and began to dismember the male paper figure, preparing to use it as firewood.

Although he was on a boat, it didn't prevent him from starting a fire. Zhao Ke took out a large pot from his Post Album to use as a stove and threw the dismantled paper figure inside.

After lighting the paper figure, Zhao Ke felt significantly warmer. He also began to dry his clothes by the fire.

While drying his clothes, Zhao Ke fell into deep thought.

He had thought sleeping in a coffin would alleviate his condition, but this sudden onset was more severe than any previous one.

In the past, his symptoms would last for a few minutes at most, or even just a few seconds.

But this time, it had lasted significantly longer, and it had even helped him go out to buy ingredients.

Who knew what these entities had done while controlling his body.

"I hope it wasn't that violent one who took over."

Zhao Ke could only prepare for the worst but still held onto a sliver of hope. He touched the silver cross in his pocket and silently prayed, hoping these entities wouldn't cause him any trouble.

However, Zhao Ke knew that worrying now was useless. He needed to figure out the mission for this horror space first, complete it quickly, and then deal with the mess back home.

"Jingle, jingle..."

A ringing sound interrupted Zhao Ke's thoughts. His ears perked up, and he quickly extinguished the fire. At the same time, he put on his nearly dry clothes and cautiously peeked out from the boat's canopy.

The ringing grew louder in the distance, and Zhao Ke thought he saw two figures.

"Someone's here!" Zhao Ke's eyes lit up. As he looked closer, he felt something was off. These figures didn't seem like adults. More importantly, they didn't seem to be standing on the boats but were floating in mid-air...

This chapter was rewritten. The original was quite messy and had unnecessary filler.