Chapter 23: The Toy House

Chapter 23: The Dollhouse

Jiang Ren walked into the bedroom, his gaze immediately drawn to the dollhouse sitting on the wooden table in the center of the room.

It was a two-story dollhouse, about a meter in height and width. One side of the wall could be opened, revealing intricate, miniature versions of real-life furniture. Inside, there were three human dolls: a husband and wife, a young boy, and a black dog. The couple was lying on a bed in the second-floor master bedroom, the boy was in the adjacent guest room, and the dog was in the first-floor kitchen.

"It’s a dollhouse. The family bought it at a second-hand market three days ago," Dorn explained, noting where Jiang Ren was looking.

Jiang Ren examined the seemingly normal dollhouse, then casually closed it. He swallowed the remaining half of his chocolate, counted silently for a few seconds, and swiftly pulled the side open again.

The dolls inside had changed. The couple who had been lying in bed were now sitting up, the boy in the next room was clutching his pillow, and the dog downstairs was peering through the kitchen door into the living room. On the table in the first-floor living room, a gruesome, sickly green severed head had appeared.

Everything was frozen in place, meaning these changes had occurred within the few seconds the dollhouse was closed.

"Am I seeing things?" Dorn rubbed his eyes vigorously.

"If you think you're hallucinating, I can recommend a mental hospital for you."

Jiang Ren’s left hand was trembling slightly. This "Demon’s Left Arm," which didn't stay in the system space as expected but instead attached itself directly to his body after purchase, possessed several abilities—one of which was sensing dangerous entities. The vibration was a clear signal: either the dollhouse was connected to a dangerous entity, or the dollhouse itself was one.

In the blink of an eye, the ugly head tumbled off the table.

Dorn froze and asked, "Jiang, did you knock that disgusting doll head off?"

Jiang Ren didn't answer. He reached out and touched the severed neck of the green head, then examined his fingertip. It was stained with blood—still viscous, as if it had just been shed.

"Interesting. I like little things like you." A joyful smile appeared on Jiang Ren’s face. He called one of his burly men over and whispered a few instructions. The man nodded and quickly ran out of the room.

"What did you tell him to do?" Dorn took a subtle step to the side, positioning Jiang Ren between himself and the dollhouse.

Jiang Ren noticed the movement but ignored it, replying casually, "To buy some small toys."

"Toys?"

While Dorn was full of confusion, Robert and the others near the police cordon outside were staring intently at the truck’s trailer. A three-meter-long metal plate extended from the side of the trailer near the cab and slowly lifted, revealing several sleek, silver-white motorcycles inside.

The burly man who had just exited the villa jumped onto one without hesitation, twisted the throttle, and sped onto the road. Within seconds, he vanished around the corner.

"So cool. If only I could have a truck like that."

"You’re too greedy. I wouldn’t be like you; I’d be satisfied with just one of those bikes."

The surrounding detectives couldn't help but whisper in envy. Robert looked at them with disdain. "If you had a truck like that, could you even afford to maintain it? As for those bikes, with your salaries, you’d have to save for years without eating or drinking to afford one. Do any of you even have four digits in your bank accounts?"

"Chief, we know we were wrong. Please stop hitting us where it hurts." The detectives looked disheartened, but one soon asked curiously, "What exactly does this Demon Clearance Company do? Why do they have so much heavy weaponry, and how do they have so much money to buy these vehicles?"

The other detectives turned their gazes toward him, eager for answers. Robert shook his head and said earnestly, "Some things are better left unknown."

He understood what they were thinking. When he first encountered a "Clearance Company," he had felt the same envy, jealousy, and resentment. But as he gradually learned what they really did, while he still envied their earnings, the jealousy and hatred had vanished—he didn't even want to be associated with them. Even the most dangerous professions, where men kept their heads on the line, were better than what these "Clearance Companies" dealt with. Compared to certain unknown horrors, death wasn't actually that terrifying.

Ten minutes later, the burly man returned with what Jiang Ren had requested: a large bag of doll figures.

"They really are toys," Dorn said, still struggling to understand.

During those ten minutes, Jiang Ren had opened and closed the dollhouse several times. The family of three and the dog had changed positions again: all three were now at the entrance of the first-floor living room, the father holding a small black pistol while the mother and boy huddled behind him. The dog was lying in the living room, its head missing, its neck a bloody mess. The sickly green head had vanished once more.

"The Avengers... and the Justice League. Not complete sets, but enough." Jiang Ren rummaged through the bag, nodding in satisfaction as he pulled out the Iron Man, the Thunder King, the White Giant, the Doctor of Powers, and the Scarlet Witch. These characters were from famous superhero franchises, all of which had produced blockbuster films.

After placing the five figures beside the family of three, Jiang Ren closed the dollhouse.

Dorn was skeptical. "Jiang, are you sure this will work?" He didn't believe that tossing a few action figures into such an obviously cursed dollhouse would do anything, even if they were superheroes.

"Who knows?" Jiang Ren opened the dollhouse.

The five superhero figures were now gathered at the door of the second-floor bathroom. On the bathroom vanity sat the missing, sickly green head.

Dorn was astonished. "It actually works? Jiang, I suddenly have the urge to apply for a job at your company."

Jiang Ren closed the dollhouse and replied, "Send me your resume. I’ll push it through directly."

"Haha, Jiang, I was just joking. You didn't take me seriously, did you?" Dorn waved his hands in refusal. Although he occasionally encountered dangerous entities, he had no desire to keep company with them.

"I was joking, too," Jiang Ren said, opening the dollhouse again.

The dolls had changed once more, but not in the way Jiang Ren had hoped. The green head was gone again. The White Giant and the Thunder King were lying at the bathroom door, their heads missing. In the hallway, the Iron Man, the Doctor of Powers, and the Scarlet Witch were each looking in a different direction, appearing panicked. Downstairs, the family of three was huddled in a corner, clutching each other tightly.

Dorn swallowed hard and whispered, "Jiang, are these toys knock-offs?"

"Do you think the legal teams behind the companies that own these superheroes would let you sell bootlegs in this wealthy district?" Jiang Ren grabbed the Justice League figures—Super Ghost, Bat-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash Man, Sea Muscle, and Mech-Bone—and shoved them into the house.

After a moment's thought, he dumped the rest of the miscellaneous figures from the bag inside as well. If the quality wasn't enough, he’d make up for it with quantity. If five superheroes couldn't win, surely dozens could.