The Eerie Straw Doll

"Misunderstanding?"

Wang Ye's face was icy cold, his sharp gaze fixed on the Strong Man, a hint of danger flickering in his eyes.

"We're all out here Scavenging. When you run into something good, you naturally try to snatch it."

"But now it's clear you're qualified to take that thing. Call me blind. Let's just let bygones be bygones, how about it?"

The Strong Man grinned at Wang Ye, spreading his hands to show he meant no hostility.

"Besides, the Wasteland's full of threats. I admit I'm no match for you, but I'm not someone you can one-shot either. Drag this out too long, and you'll be in danger too, right?"

The Strong Man's face was all smiles, but his eyes were dead calm.

"Heh."

A cold sneer curled at the corner of Wang Ye's mouth.

"Are you joking with me?"

A chill gleamed deep in Wang Ye's eyes. If he hadn't reacted fast just now, he'd already be a corpse.

With that, Wang Ye raised his right hand, a faint red light flickering.

Through his veins, the blood flowing inside him could be seen accelerating instantly.

The Strong Man's expression shifted. Without hesitation, he spun around and bolted into the distance. From that brief clash moments ago, he knew he couldn't beat Wang Ye.

Too bad.

The next second, a massive suction force pulled at him.

The Strong Man gritted his teeth, fished a tattered straw doll out of his pocket, and tossed it to the ground.

The doll, as if alive, landed and rolled its eyes eerily, twisting its stiff body—but the next moment, it was yanked into Wang Ye's hand.

"Hee."

The doll suddenly flashed a sinister smile, its eyes turning blood-red. Then its body burned in a strange blaze, crumbling to ash.

The whole process took three seconds, and the Strong Man had already used the chance to flee far away.

"As expected, a Scavenger who makes it this far isn't that simple."

Watching the Strong Man disappear into the distance, Wang Ye muttered to himself, then returned to his Mail Truck and started the engine.

If he insisted on hunting the Strong Man down, he could try chasing in the Mail Truck.

But the Strong Man had fled in a direction off his Navigation route. Wang Ye wasn't sure what would happen if he deviated from it. Rather than risk danger, it was better to head safely back to the city.

Wang Ye comforted himself inwardly.

"But... I can't control myself."

Gripping the steering wheel, Wang Ye muttered, then without a second thought, he spun the wheel and sped off after the Strong Man.

The usually silent Navigation flickered erratically.

Its light pulsed wildly.

On the screen, words like fresh blood appeared.

"Please return to the correct course."

Wang Ye acted as if he hadn't seen them. In just over ten seconds, thanks to the Mail Truck's blistering speed, he spotted the Strong Man's figure in the distance.

"I'm the kind of guy."

"Who holds a grudge, famously."

Wang Ye murmured, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. In an instant, he pulled up beside the Strong Man and got out!

From the Strong Man's perspective, Wang Ye seemed to appear out of thin air.

Shock filled his expression. His hand instinctively reached for his chest—the next second, a flash of sharp blade light swept past. His eyes went wide, and then he collapsed to the ground in despair.

The Strong Man's head severed from his neck, rolling across the ground like a ball.

Wang Ye's cold gaze fixed on the Strong Man's body as he calmly sheathed the Boning Knife.

A thin line of blood appeared on Wang Ye's neck, too.

A trickle of blood slid down his throat.

"The Boning Knife's backlash hits the user too, just lighter, huh?"

Feeling his own condition, Wang Ye lightly wiped the blood from his neck, stepped over to the Strong Man, and searched his chest.

The moment the Strong Man saw him, he didn't use his ability first—he reached for his pocket.

Clearly, he thought only what was in there could save him.

Looking at the Strong Man's body, nearly rotting from overusing his ability, Wang Ye searched it expressionlessly.

Soon, Wang Ye's eyes lit up. In his hand was a doll.

Just like the one the Strong Man had used before.

The doll was tattered all over, but it wore a sinister smile, its black eyes staring at Wang Ye as if they had a life of their own.

"Can it take attacks for me?"

Wang Ye put the doll away with satisfaction, searched around a while longer, and after making sure nothing was left behind, returned to the mail truck.

At that moment, the navigation screen inside the truck looked as if it had been soaked in blood.

The blood-red words "Please return to the correct route" were so vivid they seemed ready to bleed out of the screen.

Wang Ye frowned slightly and, relying on his memory, drove back to where he had been before.

The restless navigation gradually calmed down, the blood-red color faded, and the familiar route map reappeared.

"Is it afraid I'll use a bug to go treasure hunting?"

"Cheapskate Post Office."

Wang Ye couldn't help grumbling a couple of times as he focused on driving.

For the rest of the trip, he found no more treasures. After all, the route was fixed, and the odds of stumbling onto something good weren't high.

Wang Ye was already satisfied with what he had gained.

Watching the Scavengers grow more numerous, and seeing Shangjing City come into view—its thick, layered walls faintly glowing—

He was finally back.

Parking the mail truck at the entrance of the neighborhood, Wang Ye trudged home, exhausted.

Standing at his doorstep, Wang Ye's pupils contracted slightly.

Right in front of the door, a barely noticeable strand of hair lay on the ground.

This was a habit he had developed over the years.

Especially after a mysterious Wooden Door had appeared in his living room.

Every time he left, he would wedge a hair in the door crack.

"Someone's been inside."

Wang Ye was silent for a few seconds, then opened the door with a blank expression and stepped into the house.

The room was very quiet, spotlessly clean.

As if nothing had happened, Wang Ye grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, sat down on the sofa, and wearily closed his eyes.

A long time passed.

From the shadows, a figure that looked exactly like Wang Ye suddenly emerged.

His face was pale, his movements stiff and jerky, as he slowly came up behind Wang Ye, his deep, hollow gaze fixed on Wang Ye's back.

Finally, He slowly raised both arms, reaching for Wang Ye's head.

"Can't hold back anymore?"

"You sure are eager to clean my room for me!"

Suddenly, Wang Ye, who seemed to have dozed off on the sofa, snapped his eyes open, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

The hemp rope, which he had somehow already grabbed, instantly whipped into motion.