Doll

Doll's eyes shimmered like starlight, making her already beautiful face even more captivating.

For a moment, Li Yèlái couldn't react. He felt that his coworker's emotions had changed dramatically.

Doll was naturally delighted and excited.

When she was young, she had suddenly been afflicted by a curse. Her terrified family had abandoned her.

She had been forced to leave her home and wander the wilderness.

A young girl walking through the wilderness should have been the weakest of prey.

But she had become something that even beasts, bandits, and Void Realm monsters avoided at all costs.

She was the embodiment of fear, a being that terrified all things.

Her appearance sent even the fiercest beasts fleeing in terror, while her voice frightened cruel, heartless bandits so badly they wet themselves. Even the strange creatures wandering the wilderness trembled at her approach.

And so, loneliness became her eternal companion.

Nothing could hurt her, but nothing could communicate with her, either.

Years later, an official expedition team discovered her and brought her back to the megacity. Only then did she speak with humans again.

But even so, she was still lonely.

Years passed. She grew tall and graceful, and ever more beautiful.

But no one could look directly at her face or listen to her voice.

She could only wear a mascot suit that covered every inch of her skin and communicate with her coworkers using a signboard that displayed words.

Even though her coworkers were kind and welcoming, she still felt pain.

She longed to chat and talk with her coworkers normally. She wanted to go shopping with friends, like any ordinary person. She also wanted to be embraced like a normal person.

And now, at last, she saw hope.

Doll looked at Li Yèlái, light shimmering in her eyes, but in the end, reason made her hold back the urge to pour out her feelings.

Instead, she put her headpiece back on.

She knew what mattered most. First, they had to take down this illegal psychic!

So she picked up her signboard and replied to Li Yèlái.

[Run farther away. I'll be right back (｀ω)]

"Sure thing. I'm a good listener! I'll treat you to a meal next time!"

Li Yèlái readily took her advice. A psychic of his level shouldn't get involved in a situation like this. Since he wasn't making a deal with Mr. Shadow, he naturally had to run.

So he immediately ran out of the alley and joined the other Handlers surrounding the area.

Meanwhile, the Black Umbrella Youth, besieged by two captains at once, was already in a sorry state.

Overwhelmed by fear, he couldn't take any countermeasures at all. The lightning Moon Shadow unleashed and the dragon claw Furnace mimicked struck him directly.

His skin was charred black by the electricity, and his shoulder was pierced and torn open.

But as soon as he was hit, he broke free of his fear.

The black umbrella in his hand flew up on its own, blocking the even more ferocious lightning Moon Shadow unleashed.

At the same time, he spat out a mouthful of dark green liquid.

The liquid hit the ground and quickly spread, turning into a rapidly expanding swamp.

From the swamp emerged a bizarre head with a cleaver clamped in its mouth. Its hair was sparse and its face swollen; though it was clearly human, it looked like a toad.

Its green eyes fixed on Furnace, who was trying to approach.

Furnace's expression shifted. "That guy can actually enslave a strange creature like a Dāo láo guǐ? Step up the evacuation!"

The other Handlers surrounding the area paled and quickly backed away.

Naturally, Li Yèlái was among them.

"What's a Dāo láo guǐ?" Li Yèlái asked as he ran.

"A strange creature that existed even before the calamity descended. It's highly poisonous!" A coworker he hadn't met before gave him a quick explanation. "Anyway, it's very dangerous. If an ordinary person gets contaminated, they'll be dead in ten seconds. Even psychics will be in trouble. Raise your Psychic Barriers!"

Li Yèlái's heart tightened. They were in a busy urban district, with plenty of people around.

If that thing spread, the consequences would be unimaginable. How many people would it poison?

And because they were in a busy urban district, the Handlers didn't dare use certain large-scale weapons or abilities.

As if sensing Li Yèlái's concern, the Handler beside him said quietly, "Don't worry, comrade. Several coworkers have already gone to evacuate the civilians. Besides, both captains and Doll are fighting him. He won't get away."

Meanwhile, the Black Umbrella Youth spat out blood and sneered. "You made me suffer a little, and now you think you can take me down? I dared to come to the megacity alone because I have the means to back it up!"

Black mist poured from his mouth, nostrils, and wounds. In an instant, it shrouded half the alley and rapidly spread outward.

Even from far away, Li Yèlái heard the thunder of iron hooves coming from within the mist.

"Everyone, stay alert!"

The Handler beside him and the others immediately took up defensive stances, seemingly preparing for the enemy's attack.

Li Yèlái also drew the Crimson Longsword and prepared to shake the Silver Bell.

But before the summoned creatures could pour out of the black mist, it suddenly sank and dissipated. The Black Umbrella Youth inside abruptly dropped to his knees.

The swamp where the Dāo láo guǐ was also began to crumble.

He hadn't given up or knelt in surrender.

A terrifying pressure had slammed directly into his body, forcing him to the ground. Even the black mist and swamp he had summoned dissipated under the pressure.

The ground around them rapidly cracked and caved in.

Under the immense pressure, he was forced to his knees, sinking into the ground and unable to move.

He could only struggle to lift his head and try to use some kind of ability, but he failed.

Doll had made her move!

She raised her signboard and slammed it down, bringing a tremendous force crashing onto the Black Umbrella Youth.

Then she raised the signboard again and brought it down hard.

The terrifying pressure doubled once more!

The Black Umbrella Youth's struggling head was smashed into the ground.

His bones broke, his muscles tore, and his innards spilled through his wounds. Blood seeped into the cracks in the ground.

Like a mosquito that had been slapped dead.

But even with his body broken and mangled, he still hadn't died.

He withstood the immense pressure and reached out toward the black umbrella, seemingly intent on resisting.

But under Doll's suppression, he couldn't even control the umbrella. No matter how he reached for it, it wouldn't come closer.

With the black mist and swamp suppressed, Furnace stood conspicuously atop a rooftop.

He deliberately glanced at Li Yèlái, several dozen meters away, then grinned. "Kid, let me show you the power of Myriad Faces!"

Then he took a deep breath.

In the next instant, a huge, ferocious dragon's head appeared behind him as a phantom.

The dragon's eyes opened, and its head reared back.

Then it unleashed a blast of scorching dragon fire!

Myriad Paths, Mimicry: Flame Dragon Breath!

Scorching flames instantly filled the alley. The Black Umbrella Youth was swallowed by the blaze without even letting out a scream.

Even from several dozen meters away, Li Yèlái felt the terrifying heat slam into his Psychic Barrier.

That was Myriad Faces! Mimicking, imitating, and making it your own!

Yet amid those flames hot enough to melt steel, a shadow shot into the sky.

It wasn't the Black Umbrella Youth, but the black umbrella!

It shot upward so fast that it produced a sonic boom, flying toward the megacity's towering wall at tremendous speed.

But in the next second, bolts of lightning struck from thin air.

They hit the black umbrella with pinpoint accuracy, slowing it down, but it still sped toward the wall.

It was moving too fast for anyone to keep attacking it.

"Damn it, the black umbrella was the real body all along! You son of a—%%￥ damn you(*&...&(#￥@" Moon Shadow held his long sword and large shield. He had been the one to unleash the lightning, and now he was cursing up a storm.

The language was so foul that Li Yèlái stared in surprise and turned to ask the coworker beside him, "Is Moon Shadow's curse that he has to swear at people?"

"No, you're overthinking it." The coworker covered his face. "He's just plain uncivilized."

"Oh."

Soon, the flames died down, and the blackened alley was cleared.

They found the Black Umbrella Youth's corpse. He had, without a doubt, been burned to a crisp.

The Dāo láo guǐ had also been burned away completely, and the few poisonous remains were safely disposed of.

The only drawback to Furnace's psychic flames was that they took too long to charge. He needed about two seconds to unleash them completely.

But with Doll suppressing the enemy with gravity, that drawback disappeared, leaving flames capable of burning anything to ash.

Li Yèlái made a point of asking Captain Furnace about it.

He learned that Furnace had gained the ability during his fourth Awakening.

Apparently, he'd spent over a thousand Merit Points to gather the main materials. Furnace also told him he could start saving his Merit Points and prepare for a potion, and so on.

But Li Yèlái figured he was still a long way from his fourth Awakening, so there was no need to think about that yet.

Fortunately, the operation had caused no casualties and hadn't harmed any civilians.

But they had burned down an alley, so the East City Branch's finance department would probably have a headache.

As for Li Yèlái, the person directly involved, he returned to the branch and wrote a report as requested.

Meanwhile, an investigator sent by headquarters personally questioned him about what had happened.

"The black umbrella eventually disappeared to the northeast, outside the megacity. We've sent an expedition team to investigate along its route. But we don't know if the city still has any of its accomplices. You need to stay alert and keep an eye on your surroundings. If you notice anything dangerous, sound the alarm immediately." The investigator was very friendly. "You did well. You successfully contained the danger in the alley. In recognition, the Processing Department of Border City No. 3 will award you twenty Merit Points."

"Thank you." Li Yèlái smiled. He hadn't even taken part in the fight just now, yet he was still getting twenty Merit Points. What more could he ask for?

With the twenty-five he'd received earlier, he now had forty-five Merit Points.

The Anti-spiritual power helmet cost ninety points, shipping included. He was already halfway there.

"Then there's a second question." The investigator smiled again as he asked, "Did you see Handler Doll's face?"

Recalling that breathtaking face, Li Yèlái nodded. "Yes."

The investigator paused, then continued, "How did you feel?"

"She's a pretty young woman," Li Yèlái replied honestly.

"Uh, from the photos, she certainly is pretty, but... anything else?" the investigator asked curiously. "Didn't you have any other thoughts? Didn't you feel afraid?"

By now, Li Yèlái had remembered that Doll's curse made others fear her.

Everyone, whether it was Cheese, Yáng Chén, or even more powerful psychics,

was unable to look directly at her face. Even a glimpse of her skin made all living things afraid.

And the sound of her voice could send even Void Realm Creatures into a panic.

That was why she usually lived in the East City Branch and had to wear a thick mascot suit whenever she went out. That was how she got her codename.

When she needed to communicate with others, she either used her signboard or typed on her communicator.

In a way, her curse was the opposite of his younger sister Li Yúnyān's.

They had one thing in common: they were both in great pain.

But for some reason, Li Yèlái wasn't affected by their curses.

His sister's curse made her afraid of outsiders, but she wasn't afraid of Li Yèlái. He had thought it was because he was her blood-related older brother, and that was why the curse didn't affect him.

But now, Li Yèlái could also look directly at Doll's true face.

Is it because of Mr. Shadow? Does His presence protect me from these curses? Or is there some other reason? Li Yèlái wondered, then said, "No. I didn't feel afraid at all."

"Good." The investigator nodded. "It seems you have an extremely high resistance to curses!"

"Is that rare?" Li Yèlái asked.

"Rare. Very rare," the investigator replied. "But it's not unheard of. Psychics on different paths have varying levels of resistance to curses, but some people are born with exceptionally high resistance. In a megacity far from here, there's a Handler who was born with an extremely high resistance to curses. There are even people born with resistance to psychic powers. They're nothing short of miracles of humanity."

"Then I guess I'm lucky," Li Yèlái said, feeling a little more at ease.

"Indeed. And this is good news for Doll, too," the investigator said with a smile. "You know about her curse. She's terribly lonely. We've all worried that loneliness might crush her and make her twist."

"Fortunately, now you can communicate with her normally. So headquarters hopes you can spend more time with Doll and meet up with her. Don't let her feel too lonely and repressed."

"From my personal point of view, this isn't a bad deal for you, either."

Li Yèlái nodded. "I will."

"Good. Then I won't keep you any longer." The investigator stood up, shook hands with Li Yèlái, and left the room.

Li Yèlái sank into thought. He had already attracted the attention of certain organizations, and with the ability of Myriad Faces, it was only a matter of time before those organizations took an interest in him.

They might capture him for research or kill him and turn him into a Psychic Weapon.

Those were all threats. He had to get stronger right away.

And his younger sister couldn't stay in the old apartment anymore, either. He had to come clean with her.

Thinking this, Li Yèlái pushed open the door and froze.

A snowman mascot in a red cape was standing right outside.

When Doll noticed Li Yèlái come out, she raised her hand. Words appeared on her signboard.

[When are we eating? (*^▽^*)]