Chapter 309 Locked Inside The man grabbed Lilly’s arm, his eyes were strangely bright in the dim backlight. His voice was hoarse, cold, and gloomy.
“Hello little girl, what are you looking at? Do you wanna go in?” He held an empty sack and was about to put it on Lilly’s head.
However, before he could react, he flew out! With a loud bang, the man slammed into the wall, causing the nearby display cases to shake violently. The impact was so strong that a doll even toppled to the side.
Drake heard this movement as soon as he came in, and subconsciously rushed over to stand in front of Lilly.
Lilly turned around and blinked innocently.
She looked at Drake and thought, “When did Drake come?” She looked at the person who flew out, “How did he fly out?” -Drake’s expression was cold, and he asked coldly, “Who are you?!” The man in the gray overalls struggled to get up, coughing violently as he clutched his knees. A flicker of horror crossed his eyes when he lifted hist gaze.
For a moment, he could not tell whether he was beaten by this little boy, or he was hit by a ghost.
“Who are you?” He asked back.
As Drake stared at him coldly, the man had no choice but to speak up first, “I'm a staff member here...” His voice was hoarse, resembling the grating sound of a saw, which evoked an indescribable sense of discomfort in those who heard it.
The man looked at Lilly and said again, “I saw her at the door, so | asked her if she wanted to go in,” Hearing this answer, Drake frowned and became more vigilant.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHow could a normal worker ask a child if she wanted to enter the workplace? He should be telling her to leave immediately.
Drake felt it was indescribably weird.
Lilly nodded and said, “Yeah | wanna have a look inside!” Just as Drake was about to decline and leave, he noticed Lilly sticking by his side once again, shaking his hand in a coaxing manner, “Drake, Lilly wants to go in and have a look. Will you accompany me?” After speaking, she immediately raised her hands, “Don’t worry Drake, I'll protect you!” Drake was speechless.
Who's protecting who now?i But he finally said, “Just this once...” Lilly happily held his hand, “Oh yeah!” Reluctantly, Drake was persuaded by Lilly to follow along, and the worker swiped their card to unlock the glass door, allowing the two to enter the production room.
Upon entering the room, Drake immediately felt an indescribable sense of discomfort. The interior was predominantly adorned in black, with several partially completed dolls affixed to one side, creating at gloomy and eerie ambiance.
The staff members were engrossed in making the “clay” appeared lifeless, while nearby, a workbench dedicated to doll-making caught their attention. A ball-jointed doll artist was hunched over, fully focused. on delicately carving the face of a doll.
Scattered across the workbench in front of her were numerous doll fragments—single joints, hands, and skulls—each incredibly realistic. If these parts were not reduced in size by more than twice their original dimensions, they would create an unsettling illusion of being in dismemberment.
Upon a quick count, he realized that apart from himself and Lilly, there were only three other individuals present in the entire workshop.
However, a strong sense of danger washed over him at that moment.
Drake said in a low voice, “Lilly, let's go back,” “Lilly?” He turned his head abruptly and realized that Lilly had disappeared.
Drake immediately turned around, only to find that Lilly was squatting not far away in front of a staff member mixing the clay.
She asked curiously, “Is this clay, sir?” The staff member did not speak.
Contrary to his initial impression, the man before him wore an inexplicable smile and clarified, “No, this is... resin powder.” He spoke intermittently and strangely, dragging a sack while speaking.
He opened the sack, scooping a spoonful of white powder with a large spoon. He weighed it on the nearby scale, then proceeded to open a wooden box on the next table. With a small spoon, he carefully added a measured amount of powder into the mixture, creating a well-proportioned mixture.
He weighed other things very casually, but he was very cautious when he measured the content of the wooden box.
Lilly stared at the sack and wooden box.
She suddenly asked, “These are human ashes, aren't they?” The man’s actions came to a halt, while the clay mixer remained oblivious, engrossed in their task.
Meanwhile, the doll maker in the distance moved their hands in a twisted manner, accidentally slicing their finger with a sharp knife as blood oozed out.
She extended her finger toward the doll’s mouth, and the doll quickly absorbed the blood, staining its lips a vivid shade of red.
The man let out a startled exclamation and looked at Lilly, “What are you talking about little girl? Although people spread rumors about our products, we would never do such horrible things,” Lilly tilted her head and smiled, “Oh, so that’s the case, I'm sorry,” It was apparent that her words were merely an innocent remark from a child, and had no ill content.
Drake immediately picked up Lilly and said, “We're going back,” The man set aside his work and said, “We don’t often have visitors in the workshop. Are you here to customize dolls? Let me demonstrate the quality of our materials,” Drake refused, “There's no need,” Lilly hugged Drake's neck and whispered, “Drake, let's take another look,” Drake frowned.
He tapped on something below his watch in case of an emergency.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHidden under his watch was an alarm button. If he failed to press it again within five minutes, the alarm would automatically sound, notifying the police of his location.
The man said, “Come on, I'll show you since you're here already,” He forcefully guided them toward the artist, introducing. “This is Zelda, our skilled craftsman who specializes in creating ball— jointed dolls. She also came back from abroad,” Lilly waved her hand, “Hello, Miss Zelda! Are you the one who made Coco?” Drake was speechless.
What are you talking about...
Zelda was slightly surprised, she put down the carving knife, and smiled gently, “Are you one of Miss Quinnie’s friends? Why did you come by yourself, where are your parents?” Lilly hugged Drake and said, “Here he is!” Drake glanced at Lilly and said, “We're ordering a custom doll, so we’re having a look,” Zelda nodded, “Oh, go ahead, | accidentally cut my finger just now and | need to deal with it,” Lilly nodded and waved at her.
After Zelda left, Lilly broke free from Drake and picked up a ball joint on the table.
On the green cutting board, two eyeballs were being crafted, along with an unfinished doll face awaiting the attachment of the eyes. The detached head rested nearby, waiting for its completion.
Drake's frown deepened as he looked through the workbench, taking note of not only the ongoing doll- making process but also the presence of three or two miniature idols. Among them, one stood out with its closed eyes and long black hair cascading down, neatly styled bangs adorning its forehead.
Among the miniature idols on the workbench, one had wide-open eyes, yet its pupils had not been painted yet, giving it a strangely vacant and empty expression.
Drake raised his head and realized something was wrong.
The large studio suddenly became empty, with only him and Lilly remaining, as the three people who were previously present seemed to have disappeared.
The glass door was also locked.
Drake was stunned.