WATCS Chapter 10: Puppet
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At these words, Xia Wan'er turned her head and glared at him fiercely, completely different from before. “Paper cranes always look like this! You’re not allowed to say it’s fat! It’s my baby!”
“……”
“We, the people of paper folding, always create lifelike paper creations. I’ve even earned the title ‘Master of the Spiritual Hand’—how else could I conquer the internet? Yi-gege, just watch.”
Xia Wan'er cradled the chubby paper crane in her palm, closed her eyes, and chanted softly, “Paper crane, paper crane, I love you like a mouse loves rice. Paper crane, paper crane, please manifest your spirit as I desire!”
After finishing her incantation, Xia Wan'er opened her eyes. Sure enough, the paper crane seemed to come alive—it fluttered its wings and was about to fly forward.
Gu Yi stared in astonishment.
The paper crane flapped a couple of times but then couldn’t stay aloft—it tumbled down.
Gu Yi: “……”
“...Baby! Come on, you can do it!”
Xia Wan'er shouted loudly, startling even Gu Yi.
Seemingly encouraged by that burst of love, the paper crane bit down determinedly, struggling with its heavy body before suddenly taking off again.
Xia Wan'er breathed a sigh of relief.
At last, she hadn’t been embarrassed.
“Yi-gege, let’s go.”
Xia Wan'er tugged Gu Yi’s hand and led him forward.
With the paper crane guiding the way, they soon emerged from the formation.
Xia Wan'er remarked, “I don’t know that female ghost, but she only trapped us. Could it be that she has some connection with you, Yi-gege?”
Gu Yi hesitated for a moment before replying, “Perhaps it’s just a coincidence.”
“Is that so?”
With a meaningful glance at him, Xia Wan'er continued on ahead.
Meanwhile, Lin Ming led Bo Si to his room. His room was enormous, decorated in an elegant European style with luxurious furnishings. Bo Si stood by the doorway, and soon, Lin’s father and Qing Sang joined them.
“Your house is really huge—you must be very wealthy,” Bo Si remarked.
Lin Ming’s father modestly replied, “Not at all.”
“You’ve had your son spend his entire fortune to hire us, and now I see you’ve even invited others.”
Lin Ming’s father wore a pained expression. “I have only one son. I can’t just stand by and watch him get into trouble. His mother left early, and I’ve often neglected him because of business. Now that he’s in such a situation, I thought it best to hire a few extra people to protect him.”
Bo Si shot him a cold look and said flatly, “If you truly cared about your son, you’d teach him what it means to be a man.”
Lin Ming’s father fell silent, embarrassed.
Bo Si then walked into the room.
Gu Yi, Xia Wan'er, and Qing Sang followed him inside.
By this time, the night was deep, and a thick fog shrouded the view outside the windows.
Lin Ming lay curled up on the bed, still not fully recovered.
Bo Si lit a cigarette and said, “That female ghost is here. She will definitely appear tonight. Let’s not sleep—just wait for her to come.”
“Boss Bo, you’re amazing! How can you be so sure that the ghost will appear at this spot without any tools? I really admire you!”
Xia Wan'er ran over to Bo Si with sparkling eyes.
Qing Sang silently turned his head away.
Bo Si looked at her and said, “Little loli, who are you?”
“…,” Xia Wan'er was taken aback, on the verge of tears. “Boss Bo, don’t you know me? I’m Xia Wan'er! I just introduced myself to you a moment ago. How can you forget so quickly? You’re so annoying! Sob, sob…”
“...Stop your crying, little girl. Big brother isn’t interested in you.”
Xia Wan'er was shocked. “You’re not even interested in me? Does that mean Boss Bo is... gay!?”
With an exasperated sigh, Bo Si glared at her, “Whether I’m straight or gay has nothing to do with you. I’m not attracted to men, and I’m not interested in a little girl who hasn’t even fully developed. I prefer someone with a bit more... spice. Got it? Now keep your distance.”
Bo Si continued smoking. Xia Wan'er started tearing up from the smoke, and finally, unable to stand it, she burst into a flurry of “sob, sob…” and ran behind Gu Yi.
“Yi-gege, Boss Bo doesn’t like me, sob, sob…”
Bo Si’s temples twitched as he shot an angry look sideways, “You stay away from him!”
“...Qing Sang!”
Crying, Xia Wan'er ran over to Qing Sang.
Qing Sang quickly tried to comfort her, “It’s alright, sweetheart. No need to cry.”
“Um, Boss…” Gu Yi ventured weakly, “Please don’t be so harsh with the little girl.”
Bo Si replied coldly, “What I am is none of your business. Do you want your salary docked?”
Gu Yi fell silent.
Thus, the night grew ever deeper.
Everyone gathered in the room. Lin Ming lay on the bed, waiting quietly for that dash of red that could appear at any moment.
Every nerve in Lin Ming’s body was on edge; he was terrified, so fearful that if he opened his eyes, he might see something dreadful.
He dared not, and could not, sleep. For if he slept, he might never wake up again.
Yet strangely, though everyone knew they shouldn’t sleep, a bizarre drowsiness began to spread among them.
Xia Wan'er’s eyes felt heavy as the room’s lights blurred into a hazy glow. Needing to use the bathroom, she gently shook Qing Sang awake—only to find that he had already fallen asleep at some point.
Too embarrassed to call for Bo Si or Gu Yi, she quietly slipped into the bathroom by herself.
Lin Ming’s room was vast, and so was the bathroom. After finishing, Xia Wan'er went to the washbasin, intending to splash some cold water on her face to wake herself up. Suddenly, she heard a faint sound behind her.
She turned and saw the bathroom door close by itself, even though there was no wind.
Everything was silent.
A faint, eerie laugh reached Xia Wan'er's ears.
Bit by bit, the sound grew from vague to clear.
Thick, viscous liquid began dripping onto her face.
She looked up and saw that scarlet figure on the ceiling.
It was facing her, and from every joint on its body, blood was streaming downward uncontrollably.
Bai Nuo had died by jumping off a building—her limbs were shattered, and in a twisted posture she was crawling along the wall. Her head was covered in fresh blood and brain matter; her red dress oozed with intense resentment.
Her once-beautiful face was now unrecognizable, her features blurred by gore. Only her eyes remained—open wide in unending terror, devoid of pupils, just bleak, desolate white, exuding boundless horror and death.
Realizing that Xia Wan'er was an obstacle, she transformed into a blood-red ghostly figure and lunged at her without warning. Xia Wan'er froze for a moment, then retrieved the chubby paper crane she had just folded. She recited her incantation, and the paper crane, as if it were alive, flew toward Bai Nuo. The crane was made of talisman paper—Xia Wan'er had thought it might have some effect on a female ghost. But Bai Nuo was no ordinary spirit; she was a vengeful red-clad ghost. The hefty paper crane, upon contact with her ghostly form, merely emitted a wisp of smoke before vanishing.
Xia Wan'er cried out in anguish, “Baby——!”
In an instant, Xia Wan'er's expression changed. She roared, “How dare you hurt my baby! I will not forgive you!”
She then pulled out a stack of yellow talismans and scattered them into the air. With both hands forming gestures, she chanted rapidly, “Why should a woman make life hard for another woman? Baby, baby, lend me your strength, so I can take revenge for you!”
In a flash, the yellow talismans transformed into countless chubby little paper cranes. They swirled together, forming a cute yet formidable array that encircled the ghost, trapping her within the formation.
Xia Wan'er shouted, “Break!”
The paper cranes exploded, and the female ghost let out a horrible shriek.
Xia Wan'er beamed with joy—at last, the ghost had been injured. But she soon realized her mistake; such a minor wound meant nothing to a vengeful spirit.
As the light blue smoke dissipated, the ghost regained her ghastly, terrifying appearance. She lunged at Xia Wan'er again. Xia Wan'er’s face drained of color. “Damn it, I can’t beat her! Help!”
She scrambled and crawled desperately toward the door, pounding on it with all her might, “Help! Help! Qing Sang! Boss Bo! I’m trapped by that ghost! I can’t defeat her—she’s so fierce!”
Xia Wan'er pounded on the door for what felt like an eternity, but it wouldn’t budge. In utter despair, as the ghost nearly pounced on her, Xia Wan'er slammed her eyes shut. At that moment, the door was violently kicked open with a loud crash!
Bo Si stood in the doorway, a cold sneer on his face, “You sure know how to pick your targets.”
The moment the ghost saw Bo Si, she darted out of the bathroom in a flash.
“Sob, sob… Boss Bo, thank goodness you’re here! I was so scared, oh my goodness!” Xia Wan'er wailed, her face streaked with tears.
“Stop crying. Is this really the time for tears? Aren’t you supposed to be a ghost hunter? Get up, now!”
“Ah——!”
At that very moment, a piercing scream from Lin Ming echoed from outside!
Bo Si and Xia Wan'er hurriedly ran out. In the room, there was no longer any trace of the ghost. All that remained was a pair of white high-heeled shoes, firmly planted on Lin Ming’s shoulder.
Lin Ming was so terrified he seemed completely detached from his body. His mouth gaped open, and his eyes bulged as if they might pop out at any moment.
Gu Yi recognized those high heels—they were the very pair Bai Nuo had been wearing when she committed suicide.
He realized then: the one who had come was Bai Nuo herself. He recalled the scenes he had seen earlier and the despair in Bai Nuo’s final moments. If Bai Nuo continued her killing spree, she would be condemned to never reincarnate because of the souls she had taken. With that thought, Gu Yi summoned his courage. Stepping forward, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Bai Nuo!”
The oppressive aura in the room immediately grew heavier.
“Ah!” Lin Ming let out an even more agonized cry.
The high-heeled shoe that had been on his shoulder was gone. In its place now sat Bai Nuo’s blood-soaked severed head.
She turned her head and came face-to-face with Lin Ming. Suddenly, a slight smile spread across her face—just like the smile she had worn when she leapt from the building—beautiful and enchanting.
“……”
Lin Ming was completely rendered speechless, unable to even let out a shriek.
At that moment, a child’s immature voice echoed through the room, “Daddy… Daddy…”
The child’s tone was innocent, ethereal as if coming from afar, repeating over and over in a loop, tirelessly: “Daddy… Daddy…”
“No!”
Lin Ming collapsed, hoarsely shouting, “I’m not your daddy! I’m not! I’m not!”
Seeing this, Bo Si’s dark pupils narrowed. With one hand, he swiftly formed a gesture and focused his mind. Instantly, the child’s voice in the room vanished, and the head on Lin Ming’s shoulder disappeared as well.
Bo Si said, “It was merely an illusion—don’t be fooled.”
“That ghost—she killed my baby. I will not forgive her!”
Xia Wan’er seethed with anger, as if she had truly formed a deep grudge against that ghost. “Every paper figure created by our paper-folding clan is a masterpiece imbued with a name. How dare she destroy my art! I want her soul to scatter to the winds!”
At that moment, Qing Sang said, “She’s still in this room!”
Looking toward the door, Qing Sang suddenly produced several wooden dolls from his clothes, resembling old-fashioned puppets. On each doll he affixed talismans. After reciting an incantation, he hurled the dolls toward the door. They immediately sprang into action, holding the door fast, each standing in perfect military posture—with utmost seriousness.
Bo Si looked at him and asked, “Are you a puppeteer?”
“That way, she can’t escape,” Qing Sang replied. “I’ve sealed her inside the room. Now we can make our move.”
Saying this, Qing Sang drew out a talisman that was unlike the others—it shone in dazzling gold.
After reciting his incantation, Qing Sang was about to launch the talisman when, in the very next second, Bo Si stopped him.
Qing Sang turned and asked, “What are you doing?”
Bo Si looked at the talisman in Qing Sang’s hand and said, “A gold talisman? You intend to shatter her soul?”
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