The Talking Doll from the 1940s

Florida.

Li Dan returned to this land once more, and his first welcome gift was a three-star criminal speeding down the road in a Chevrolet, with a helicopter in pursuit.

For them, speeding seemed like some kind of extreme sport.

It's just that the goal of ordinary extreme sports is to break world records.

The goal of this kind is to escape police pursuit.

Afterward, it becomes capital for showing off, a basis for bragging.

Despite nearly being beaten to death, when asked by friends: "My clothes are only slightly dirty."

Compared to these thrill-seekers, Li Dan's driving was steady as can be. After all, he didn't have a driver's license, so it was better to be an honest citizen.

The three parted ways at a fork in the road.

Daley and Trish were heading back to their rented house in the countryside to spend the holiday, while Li Dan's home was in Round Clam Town.

The siblings said they would come to Round Clam Town to visit him after they finished accompanying their grandfather.

Li Dan watched their old car drive away, casually walked into a store, bought a lollipop, and stuck it in his mouth. He came out and headed into the surrounding fields.

This time, he didn't need to call for a ride.

After confirming no one was around.

Li Dan chose to merge with Immortality (Fragmented). At first, there was no reaction, but suddenly a sharp pain struck him, forcing him to collapse in the field.

After an unknown amount of time, as his consciousness began to blur, the intense pain slowly subsided.

Li Dan stood up and took out the mirror he had prepared. He looked at his body; there didn't seem to be any major changes. The only change might be that his skin looked fairer, and his features appeared a bit more refined.

This effect too?

He ignored his appearance and instead took out a small knife and gently cut his skin. The moment he saw a smear of red, the wound instantly healed.

It seemed to consume stamina.

Not bad. After all, Li Dan couldn't inherit 100% of the abilities he drew. The human body's structure and the Bat Person's body's structure were definitely different, which was only reasonable.

Now it was time to try out the Bat Person.

Li Dan willed it, choosing to merge with the bat. Instantly, his body began to change. As a faint glow spread across his skin, he transformed into a Bat Person in a flash.

This appearance would scare children to tears and frighten adults.

This was also why Li Dan chose a secluded place to transform. And these bat wings.

The bat wings suddenly unfurled, their span much longer than a person's. They were irregularly structured and bare, but upon closer inspection, one could see a thin layer of fuzz on the dark blue-black leathery wings.

Let's test the speed.

With a flap of his bat wings, Li Dan shot into the sky, and the surrounding scenery quickly began to shrink.

The wind whistled past his ears, and everything seemed within reach.

Birds scattered in panic upon seeing him.

The only annoyance was the intense discomfort emanating from his body, urging him to find a dark place to roost.

Even Bat People don't like operating during the day.

Night is their domain.

Also, it wasn't impossible for Li Dan to act during the day, as long as he could get used to the feeling.

Villa.

Li Dan landed in the backyard and dispelled the fusion. The discomfort instantly vanished. It seemed more comfortable to be human.

He went into the living room, took a can of Pepsi Cola from the refrigerator, and took his first sip. This sip was worth two dollars and ninety cents. Then, he comfortably lay down on the sofa and pulled out his laptop to surf the web.

He also did a quick search for the Bat Person incident.

It seemed there was nothing. The traces had been erased, and he could only occasionally find one or two news reports.

However, horror websites were not blocked.

Videos of Bat People were still openly available there.

Li Dan clicked on one. It was a blurry video of a Bat Person charging into an armed helicopter and tearing apart several soldiers, making his head ache.

Even so, the video was still very popular, basically the most viewed post in the last few days.

"The helicopter crashed, and I can't find any news about it."

"Dude, can anyone tell me if this thing is human?"

"This was definitely brought over from Africa by those darkies."

"Does holy water work on this thing?"

"Even machine guns couldn't kill it. How did the person filming the video survive?"

"I have inside information. I heard an Exorcist signed a contract with a Demon, paid a price, and the Demon killed this monster."

"Comparable to the Deformed Person by the bend."

The most discussed aspect of this video.

Whether priests and exorcists can deal with this type of monster, and if holy water and crosses are effective.

Li Dan saw a professional's answer: they are effective.

The premise is that the Bat Person must possess evil power internally; simple mutation is not enough.

If Li Dan weren't an atheist, he'd really want to get some holy water and try sprinkling it on the Bat Person to see if it works.

"Ding dong."

Li Dan heard a knock on the door and went outside. He first looked through the peephole and found he couldn't see anyone.

Strange, haunted again?

Li Dan, being very brave, directly opened the door and found a little loli holding a cloth doll.

Wait, this cloth doll looks a bit ugly?

"What do you need, Emma?"

Emma hugged the doll and said happily.

"You said last time, you'd play with me after your nap at noon, and now it's noon."

"Did I say that?" Li Dan didn't remember clearly; people are usually groggy right after waking up.

Emma puffed up her cheeks.

"Yes!"

Li Dan found her bulging cheeks amusing and immediately opened the door gentlemanly.

"Alright, Miss Emma, please come in."

Emma, hugging the cloth doll, walked in excitedly and headed towards the backyard. She clearly remembered this was where those men were eaten.

It's a shame she was too far away at the time and couldn't see many details.

She really hoped Li Dan would kill them again.

Li Dan opened the refrigerator and asked.

"Emma, what do you want to drink?"

"Coca-Cola, please."

"I think Sprite suits you better." Li Dan said, taking out a bottle of Pepsi Cola.

Seeing the Pepsi label, Emma felt Li Dan was doing it on purpose. How could Pepsi and Coca-Cola be mistaken?

Li Dan took a can for himself too, then lay down on a lounge chair by the pool and asked.

"Emma, how old are you? Does your father know you're playing at my house?"

Playtime is playtime, but some things are better to clarify.

Emma took a sip and thought Pepsi wasn't too bad.

"David knows. I'm... Don't you know girls' ages aren't supposed to be asked casually?"

"Is David your father?"

"Yes."

"Then you should respect your father."

"Got it." Emma became unhappy. She didn't like Li Dan lecturing her; she preferred the Li Dan who cruelly dealt with those petty thieves that night.

Li Dan didn't expect a few words to correct Emma's anti-social personality. He stared at the cloth doll and said seriously.

"Alright, let's talk about the doll now. Why do you like this doll?"

Emma said with a hint of pride.

"Because it talks."

Li Dan frowned. The doll talks?

Others might not believe it, but he did.

The doll's style looked like something from the last century. Modern dolls are very exquisite, but this doll was made of fabric.

It didn't quite seem like Child's Play.

Li Dan took Emma back inside and logged onto the computer, directly searching for Mary Shaw. A pile of information and dolls appeared.

In a small town, there was a legend. The story centered around Mary Shaw.

She wasn't from the present but was a top ventriloquist from the 1940s. However, one day she was accused of kidnapping and murdering a young boy, simply because the boy accused her of being a fraud.

The truth was indeed so. In the end, Mary Shaw was captured by the angry townspeople, had her tongue brutally cut out, and was killed and buried with her dolls.

The information ended there.

The accompanying pictures showed many dolls, very similar to the one Emma held.

This was undoubtedly a dead end.