Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 261 The Mutant Cursed Puppet

A chilling, resentful consciousness, filled with despair and hatred, was frantically assaulting Xia Yu's soul!

Her SAN value is fluctuating wildly!
"No...it's impossible...how could this be..." She rolled around in agony, her nails digging into her palms with extreme force, leaving bloody marks.

Even more bizarrely, fragmented Korean words began to uncontrollably spit out from her mouth!

"(it hurts)……"

"(Help me)..."

"(revenge)……"

If someone fluent in Korean were present, they would be able to hear that these words were filled with endless pain and resentment.

Meanwhile, deep within a dark alley in Bangkok's Patpong district, the old witch was intently carrying out a dangerous operation.

The old witch is using special witchcraft to guide and peel away the vengeful spirit sealed within the doll—the vengeful spirit of Soo-mi, the female protagonist in a Korean horror game.

At this moment, she tried to sever the soul connection between Xiuwei's resentment and Xia Yu, transforming it into a tool that Jiang Jin could use. This process brought Xia Yu immense backlash and pain!

After a long while, the excruciating pain finally subsided like the tide. Xia Yu was soaked in cold sweat, collapsed on the ground like a fish out of water, gasping for breath, her eyes filled with fear and disbelief, before finally fainting completely.

The witch continued her work, her withered fingers tracing patterns on the puppet as she chanted ancient and obscure incantations.

The doll began to be enveloped in visible black resentment, the overwhelming hatred that Xiuwei had developed after being brutally murdered by Xia Yu.

Deep within that dense resentment, there was a more concealed, cunning soul imprint, imbued with the unique aura of witchcraft—the fragment of Xia Yu's natal soul left behind to control the puppet.

The old witch's goal was clear: to completely erase Xia Yu's split soul imprint, retain only the doll's most "pure" core of resentment, and then use her witchcraft to transform and bind it, turning it into an evil weapon that Jiang Jin could initially control.

This process requires extremely high skill and precise control over resentment, like walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff.

"Hiss..." A wisp of black smoke emerged from the doll's heart, accompanied by an extremely faint, seemingly distant, shrill scream. At this moment, Xia Yu, who was unconscious in reality, convulsed violently once again!
A hint of satisfaction gleamed in the old witch's cloudy eyes.

"It'll be soon...almost there...that witch's divided soul was indeed insidious and cunning, but it was no match for my 'soul-stripping spell'...the remaining 40,000 baht will be in my hands soon."

She muttered to herself, a smug smile on her face.

However, her eyesight had deteriorated to a terrible state due to age and the backlash from the evil magic; she could only vaguely make out the outlines of objects, relying entirely on touch for details.

She sensed that Xia Yu's divided soul was being gradually stripped away and dissolved. Although the resentment of the doll itself fluctuated violently, it seemed to be being guided and bound in the direction she had anticipated.

Finally, the last trace of Xia Yu's soul power imprint, driven by her incantation, let out a silent wail and vanished completely.

"It's done!"

The old witch breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

She sensed that only the enormous and "pure" resentment belonging to the deceased Xiuwei remained inside the doll.

Next, all that's needed is the final binding and transformation ritual, and this powerful cursed doll will be at Jiang Jin's disposal. This process requires the integration of Thai traditional witchcraft and a more meticulous casting procedure.

However, just as she relaxed slightly due to her success and prepared to pick up a jar of special corpse oil to proceed to the next step, she completely failed to notice—

The doll's face, which was originally twisted in pain, now had a strange, almost imperceptible smile at the corners of its mouth!

It was a sly laugh filled with sarcasm, mockery, malice, and the triumph of a scheme...

The old witch sensed that the doll's resentment seemed to have "calmed" a little, and thought she had succeeded. Little did she know that Xia Yu, as the "Witch Queen," was not merely a woman of beauty!
Xia Yu's fragmented soul may indeed have been largely stripped away. But in the final moment of dissipation, it may not have been passively destroyed, but rather actively and cunningly transformed or concealed itself, perfectly integrating a trace of its most primal malevolent intent, like a Trojan virus, into Xiu Wei's immense resentment, and cleverly stimulating and guiding it in an even more dangerous direction!
The old witch underestimated Xia Yu, and she also underestimated the danger contained within this evil artifact that Xia Yu had personally crafted. After all, the puppet's activation relies on the corruption of the rules by the ashes of resentment. No matter how powerful the old witch's sorcery was, she was still just a mortal; she was not a reincarnator and had no ability to adapt to or control the corruption of the rules!
The doll's eerie smile vanished in an instant, quickly returning to its original pained and resentful expression, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion created by light and shadow.

With the integration of Thai local witchcraft, Xia Yu's divided soul was able to merge with the witchcraft, thus hiding even deeper!

The old witch was completely unaware of this. Satisfied, she placed the doll into a box lined with black velvet, closed the lid, and affixed a talisman.

"Hmph, I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. I'll get the rest of the money soon... Hehe, 40,000 baht, what a huge profit..."

She picked up the phone receiver and began dialing the number Jiang Jin had left behind.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jin was taking Lin Lu back to "Sweet Home" by taxi.

Sure enough, the taxi driver didn't react to the blood on him.

Throughout the journey, Jiang Jin kept his eyes closed to rest. Although the battle with Pompasong was brief, it was extremely dangerous and draining. Even with the consumption of SAN-replenishing foods, the recovery rate of SAN value was still relatively slow, but he managed to barely maintain it at the material level.

The residual effects of the Ghost Seed Technique had been largely eliminated, but Pompasong's dying words still echoed in his mind, making him wary.

Lin Lu nervously watched the street scene rushing past the window, and occasionally glanced worriedly at Jiang Jin, who was pale-faced beside her.

She clutched her phone tightly. Satie's earlier revelations about her university days filled her with uneasy suspicion. Was the girl who sought Atai's help for an abortion connected to this strange house and the so-called "third party"?

Finally, the car stopped in front of that familiar house.

The two got out of the car and stood once again at the entrance of "Sweet Home".

Even though I had only been gone for less than half a day, the house seemed to have become even more gloomy and oppressive.

Jiang Jin took a deep breath, took out his key, and opened the door.

The interior was exactly the same as when they left, with everything in its original place.

Lucky, a calico cat, appeared out of nowhere and squatted on the stairs, looking at them with its heterochromatic eyes and meowing as a greeting.

However, an indescribable, even more intense sense of oppression permeated the air.

It was as if, during their absence, something within the house had awakened further, or had seeped in more deeply.

Jiang Jin did not answer. His dark eyes sharply scanned the living room, dining room, stairs... Everything seemed unchanged, but his hunter's intuition told him that something was different.

Has the pollution worsened?

Or... did that "third person" become more active because of their outings?
He went up to the bedroom on the second floor and looked at the wedding photo on the wall—in the photo, "Lu Ni" was still wearing a pure white wedding dress, with a sweet smile.

Everything seemed to be in accordance with the rules.

But the omnipresent, chilling sense of being watched was even clearer than before. Suddenly, Jiang Jin heard his phone ring, so he immediately answered it, and the old witch's voice came through: "Sir, the matter has been taken care of."

"So fast?" Jiang Jin was a little surprised, then said, "Okay, could you please deliver it to my house? I can reimburse your transportation expenses. Also, I'd like you to take a look at my house to see if there's anything unclean about it."

"Sure. I can show you my masterpiece when the time comes, and let you know how amazing this old woman is."

Jiang Jin immediately felt quite excited, after all, this was the cursed puppet of the witch queen Xia Yu! Witches, after all, possess the highest cursing power, surpassing even that of sorcerers and magicians!
Then, Jiang Jin took a shower and changed his clothes.

Not long after, the old witch arrived.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Jiang Jin opened the door for her.

The old witch came in carrying a bag, and then immediately handed the modified doll to Jiang Jin.

The doll now appeared even more sinister, its body wreathed in black resentment that Jiang Jin's ghostly eyes could easily perceive, resembling a sleeping evil spirit.

“Use this ‘Heart-Eating Needle’,” the witch said, handing over another long needle with a cold glint at its tip. “Prick it with a drop of your blood, then insert it into the doll’s heart. Drive it with your mind, and you can temporarily control it, drawing upon its resentment to attack your enemy. But remember, each time you use it, it will backfire and drain your life force. Use it with caution, use it with caution!”

Jiang Jin nodded. "Energy and spirit, isn't that just SAN value?"

He took the doll and the needle, and felt a chill as soon as he touched them.

Just as Jiang Jin was about to give it a try, Lin Lu suddenly stepped forward, staring intently at the doll, and murmured, "Officer Jiang, wait, I... I'm looking at it, and it seems... I have a very strange feeling... like it's calling me! Can... I try it?"

Meanwhile, inside the Youxiang Shopping Mall.

Valeria the Blood Spider was strolling leisurely among them, ready to receive the returning forest deer at any moment.

She had changed into a tight-fitting leather outfit, and her face wore a cruel, eager smile.

At this moment, a Level 1 Reincarnator who had just experienced a terrifying dungeon and was still in shock unfortunately bumped into her.

Upon seeing Valeria, the reincarnator was instantly terrified.

"Blood Spider...Lord Blood Spider! Spare...spare my life! I...I just got out, all my gains, resentment crystals, items...I'll give them all to you! I just beg you to spare my life!"

He trembled as he took out all his belongings and placed them on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

Valeria tilted her head, scrutinizing him with the look of someone eyeing an ant, her twisted smile widening: "Oh? Everything? Sounds tempting..."

Just when the reincarnator thought there was a glimmer of hope, Valeria suddenly made her move!
An invisible force bound the reincarnator's limbs and neck!
"But... I'd much rather hear your dying screams, that's much more interesting than any crystal!" she laughed, her fingers twitching slightly.

"Do not--!!!"

A piercing scream echoed through the abandoned shopping mall. The reincarnated man was easily dismembered by her, his death gruesome.

However, this was not the end. As a medium, Valeria reached out and grabbed at the air, forcibly extracting a blurry, painful, dissipating soul from the corpse and imprisoning it in her palm. The soul emitted a silent shriek.

"Hehe, a fresh soul, though weak, its pain is pure..."

Just then, her cell phone rang.

After the call connected, an anxious voice came from the other end: "Lord Blood Spider! Something terrible has happened! Miss Xia Yu has suddenly fallen unconscious and is talking nonsense! Our team's healers are all in the dungeon right now, could you come and take a look? You're a medium, perhaps..."

Valeria's face immediately broke into a sinister grin: "Oh, that vixen Xia Yu is going to die? That's great! Let her die! I don't have time!"

She hung up the phone immediately, looked at the struggling soul in her palm, and sneered: "That bitch, she'd better die quickly and painlessly this time, so I can have some peace of mind!"

Next, she began to release some wandering spirits, combining them with the soul that had just died, letting them roam the mall so that she could know when and where Lin Lu would return.

"However, was Xia Yu attacked, or did she suffer a backlash from the corruption of the rules? Was it the work of the insect nest? Either way, it would be the best outcome."

This woman is the one Blood Spider despises and fears the most.

She recalled the Blood Lord's comments about Xia Yu...

Blood Lord believes that Xia Yu's temperament does not stem from the corruption of the rules of the witch profession.

Indeed, the career path of a reincarnator can sometimes subtly distort one's mind. Take Lady Pustules, for example. Although she was extremely violent in her early years, she was also a person of great principle, even upright. Otherwise, someone as well-known for his kindness as Sima Jin wouldn't have chosen to serve her. However, she followed a mutated branch of the witchcraft profession. Ultimately, as she leveled up, her human nature gradually changed, making her twisted and cruel. Her soul began to increasingly resemble the Gu worms born from ominous corruption!

But summer rain is different.

Xia Yu's "evil" is pure and innate, unrelated to her profession. Before she became a reincarnator, she was someone who lacked empathy, felt no guilt, and viewed others as mere tools.

This, ironically, allowed her to thrive in the resentful and cursed world of the priestess profession, making her exceptionally resistant to the corruption of rules.

For ordinary shrine maidens, advancing to the LV2 Puppet Master level is an extremely perilous journey. This process requires infusing a portion of their soul and will into the puppet, establishing a deep connection. A single misstep can lead to a loss of consciousness, with the soul being devoured and sealed by the puppet's resentment, ultimately imprisoning the soul entirely within the puppet, while the puppet, bearing the reincarnated soul's body, becomes an evil spirit. Such examples are numerous. Therefore, every reincarnated shrine maiden is closely monitored by the monitoring department, requiring regular reporting and testing.

But what about Xia Yu? She seemed to have never experienced such troubles. She seemed to lack the kind of normal, fragile soul that could be "contaminated." Her process of creating cursed dolls was more like a pure, efficient, and even enjoyable form of "torture" and "plunder."

Xia Yu didn't carefully guide the resentment; instead, she brutally reshaped it, forging it into the sharpest weapon with absolute malice. Because of this, the magic puppets she created were far more powerful than those of ordinary priestesses, even surpassing the abilities of some priestesses of higher ranks.

The title "Witch Queen" refers not only to her beauty, but also to her terrifying talent and abilities, making her famous throughout the entire Reincarnator community.

However, this same woman made a decision that shocked everyone back then—she married Sima Jin of the Insect Nest Mist Swamp team.

Who is Sima Jin? A kind-hearted man, a Priest LV2 Reincarnator who seemed to have considerable potential at the time, but that's all. After all, he was just a member of a subgroup in the Insect Nest.

Blood Lord only realized later that this was just a shrewd gamble by Xia Yu. She knew very well that with her reputation, there were many reincarnators willing to marry her and thus obtain the marital buff from the reincarnation system, but the vast majority of them either coveted her beauty and body or valued her spell puppet abilities, treating her as a high-level tool and plaything, making it difficult to achieve a true bond of interests and maximize her value.

Sima Jin, however, was different. His integrity, or rather, his saintly nature, was renowned; he was practically an anomaly among reincarnators. He would give his wife everything, without reservation. Investing in him carried relatively low risk, but the potential return was high. Therefore, after careful consideration, Xia Yu chose this "potential stock," binding him to marriage. Sima Jin's reward was that he himself be poisoned with a double layer of Gu, in exchange for Xia Yu not being implanted with the Gu worm.

Blood Lord once revealed some past events to Valeria after drinking. Years ago, he was demoted to the Misty Swamp team, at the lowest point in his life. Sima Jin, seeing his pitiful state, often disregarded public opinion and took him home for meals. At that time, Blood Lord, still known as "Night Owl," had long admired Xia Yu and treated her with great respect, praising her beauty and her powerful natal spell doll, and calling her "sister-in-law" repeatedly.

But Xia Yu never gave her a kind look, instead saying, "What do you, a soul-capturing master, know about spell puppets? It's far from perfect!"

On one occasion at the dinner table, Xia Yu seemingly casually served food to Sima Jin, and then began to make sarcastic remarks in front of the Blood Lord, indirectly criticizing him: "Brother Jin, I was reading 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' the other day, and Lü Bu said something really good: 'A great man is born between heaven and earth, how can he live a life of subservience to others for long?' That's true, but there are always some people in the world who can shamelessly live under someone else's roof, wagging their tails and begging for mercy. They are even worse than Lü Bu, the traitor who served three masters."

This blatant humiliation ultimately made Blood Lord too ashamed to ever set foot in Sima Jin's home again. This experience became a thorn in Blood Lord's side that would never be forgotten!
Time has passed, and fate has played a cruel trick.

Blood Lord became a Level 4 Reincarnator and established the Bloodthirsty Team. Although Sima Jin became the leader of the Misty Swamp, his insistence on his "righteous" principles led to increasing conflict with his increasingly evil and ruthless superior, Lady Pussy, and the team resources available to the couple dwindled.

Valeria's memory clearly returned to two months ago, to that fog-shrouded Silent Hill instance: the Silent Hill plane!
(End of this chapter)