Forest of Mannequins

Desolate, lifeless... these were the Unique feelings Steel Bones could have.

As he walked through the bushes, the further he went, the more distressed he felt.

A heavy, deathly aura permeated the entire Rose Manor; the surroundings were eerily quiet, save for the rustling sounds they made as they moved.

There are no traces of any biological activity here.

As a special forces soldier, Steel Bones fulfilled his duties well. In this unknown environment, those who are at the forefront are often in the most danger, but he did so without hesitation. As the captain, he could not let the other two go first.

There is actually no path between the Mirror Maze and the castle. Perhaps there once was, but it has been completely covered by plants that have grown wildly for who knows how many years.

Therefore, in this situation, the Steel Bones at the forefront is also responsible for opening up a path.

At first, Steel Bones was wary of wild beasts or Monster that might rush out of the forest, but now he was actually hoping that a Monster would come out as soon as possible... His change in mindset was quite obvious.

So when he saw a corpse hanging from a tree trunk, he wasn't frightened at all; instead, he felt a slight sense of relief.

"... doll?"

Soon, Bai Zhi and the Dead Zero also caught up.

Having made their way through the dense Bushes, they had now entered a forest where a Doll resembling a human corpse was hanging at the entrance.

In psychology, there is a concept called the Uncanny Valley Effect.

The so-called Uncanny Valley Effect refers to the phenomenon that because robots are similar to humans in appearance and movement, humans initially have positive feelings towards them. However, when the similarity between robots and humans reaches a certain level, human reactions suddenly become extremely negative and averse. Even the slightest difference between a robot and a human becomes very noticeable and jarring, giving the robot a stiff and terrifying feeling, as if one were facing Corpse.

Specifically, if an entity is sufficiently "not human-like," its human-like features will be prominent and easily recognizable, generating empathy. On the other hand, if an entity is "very human-like," its non-human-like features will become prominent, creating a strange feeling in the eyes of human observers.

--That's the feeling the doll hanging in the tree in front of Bai Zhi and the others gave them.

The Doll was made so realistically, every detail, every wrinkle, the expression of despair on its face, the fear of impending death... it was as if we were facing a real corpse, giving people a very strong sense of unease.

Of course, if it were truly a corpse, it would be somewhat more palatable. But the Plastic skin, the glass bead eyeballs, and the large patches of cotton protruding from the body's wounds... all clearly demonstrate that the corpse before us is nothing more than a finely crafted Doll.

As a gentle breeze blew by, the Doll swayed softly in the air, and with the added effect of the Uncanny Valley Effect, it brought an unspeakable, unknown fear to people's hearts.

"He was human... He escaped here during his final flight, but just before entering the Bushes, for some unknown reason, he chose to commit suicide in despair, to defend his last shred of dignity..."

Bai Zhi withdrew his gaze from the fallen white cotton balls on the ground, looked up at the doll hanging in mid-air in front of him, and said with an indifferent expression.

"In this Rose Manor, is death simply turning into this kind of Eerie Thing?"

"... Is it Curse?"

He took a deep breath, and Steel Bones's expression turned serious.

As a highly skilled individual within the Military, he was naturally familiar with this kind of Curse, or rather, the phenomenon caused by Meme Contamination, and he had dealt with this Type of situation many times before.

However, compared to the cases of those corrupted and turned into Monster he had dealt with, this Doll in front of him was relatively good; at least in appearance, it wouldn't give him Nightmare at night...

"Maybe so... Anyway, everyone should be careful and avoid touching these kinds of Eerie Thing. You can't really tell what Curse is."

Shaking his head, Bai Zhi turned around and looked ahead.

"As for whether that's the case, we can just keep going forward; we should be able to find more Doll... Let's hurry."

A gentle breeze swept through the woods.

With a gentle breeze, the Doll hanging from the tree was turned around, its glassy eyes staring blankly in the direction the three people had left...

Just as Bai Zhi had guessed, the further they went, the more dolls they saw.

Some were standing upright in the woods, while others lay on the ground beneath the trees. Some Doll had large holes torn in their chests, with large swaths of cotton spilling out. Some Doll had their heads fall off and rolled into a corner, their lifeless glassy eyes peering at the Tian Kong through the gaps in the trees... The woods were almost entirely filled with Doll.

Without exception, these Doll are all extremely well-made, giving people a very uncomfortable feeling.

"..."

No one spoke; the three of them walked silently through the Doll.

Ultimately, what is there to say about this kind of thing?

This is not Online Game, nor is it Game where you can keep restarting. Everyone has only one Life, including the Player.

Although Player possess the Strength to fight against the Anomaly, the risks they face are dozens of times greater than those of common. Compared to common, Player are the ones standing on the front lines of the resistance against the supernatural Anomaly.

About half an hour later, Bai Zhi and his group passed through the Forest of Mannequins.

After emerging from the woods, everything suddenly opened up before them, revealing a huge Fountain Plaza. Behind this Fountain Plaza, an ancient castle stood.

However, after leaving the woods, everyone's expression changed, including Bai Zhi's.

Not far in front of them, in front of the huge Fountain Plaza, a little Girl in White Princess Dress, holding a Rabbit Doll, was standing there, seemingly waiting for their arrival.