Li Yuanqing stood where he was, silently meeting Li Xian's gaze for a long moment before letting out an almost imperceptible sigh. Overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, Li Xian failed to notice.
He pulled a folded sheet of white paper from his pocket and flicked it open, speaking with restraint:
"Of the two of us... only one can leave alive."
Li Xian took the paper he held out. It was an employment contract for the Toy Factory. Skipping the pay and benefits, which were identical to those on the flyer, he found a stark clause at the very end:
"To leave the town, either the parent or the child must die."
At the sight of that line, Li Xian felt a buzz inside his head. Then scene after scene from the Instance began flashing through his memory.
That was why the parents disappeared from the town after their children died. That was why, that morning, a player had struggled as his father carried him to the Toy Factory.
That was why Zhou Wenwen had captured the three of them's parents-and tried to kill them.
The hints the Instance had given were already painfully clear. Until now, Li Xian had simply been turning a blind eye without realizing it.
He drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but a moment's inattention sent both the contract and the VHS Tape slipping from his hands to the floor.
Li Xian did not reach down to pick them up. He no longer dared to look up at Li Yuanqing, and spoke with his head hanging low:
"Why... didn't that doll's attacks hurt you?"
Li Yuanqing replied evenly:
"Not only can she not hurt me, I can't hurt myself either."
"As for why..."
Li Yuanqing paused for a rare moment, surveying the Toy Factory with