Chapter 647 The Guardian of the Collection (Part 11)

Yun Zhao explained to Xia Mingang, "The little bluebird likes it."

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost knocked the little bluebird to the ground.

The little guy is still angry.

Seeing that it liked the doll, Yun Zhao kept it.

Xia Mingang had only asked casually. He said, "Oh, take it if you like. There are tons of them in the boutique, including penguins, teddy bears, and stuff like that. It's a good thing I loved reading old-fashioned cartoon books when I was a kid, otherwise I wouldn't recognize any of those things."

Yun Zhao was taken aback. "You've already asked them all?"

"Yes, I asked them all," Xia Mingang said proudly. "Don't worry, I didn't miss a single one!"

Yun Zhao nodded and said nothing more.

Jiang Mu and Fu Mo went inside, while Xie Tu waited at the door to check the nearby decorations.

The first shop at the entrance sells local specialties.

The second floor belongs to the restaurant next door. There are no stairs leading up here. The spacious wooden door is open, and you can see the layout inside at a glance.

The shelves were filled with neatly arranged dried mushrooms, cured meat, and beautifully packaged pastries.

The air was filled with an overly strong, even pungent, aroma of spices and oils.

Fu Yan carried the Gatling gun on her shoulder, the beam of her flashlight flickering slightly, resolutely shining on the central area of ​​the shop and the backs of her teammates, but never easily sweeping into dark corners, especially the narrow gaps between the shelves.

I'm afraid that when the light shines on you, a face will suddenly appear...

Yun Zhao stepped over the threshold and came in. After glancing at her, he silently moved to the next shelf and began rummaging through it.

She took all the packaging bags off the shelf, and without using a flashlight, she stretched out a few strands of spiritual energy and strolled around the innermost part of the shelf.

That's strange.

She couldn't sense the gatekeeper's presence at all.

The five of them searched the shop inside and out, and after confirming that nothing was missed, they hurriedly moved on to the next shop.

Time passed by, second by second.

The group searched house by house, but perhaps because they had people around them, they were all too embarrassed to ask questions when they first discovered suspicious items.

Fortunately, Xia Mingang was there.

He felt no pressure and immediately asked, "Are you the gatekeeper?"

Suspects were eliminated one by one.

The five people searched the entire street and walked to the end, where there was an arched bridge connecting to the nearby pedestrian street.

On the other side of the bridge, the first shop on the street corner was the boutique that Xia Mingang had searched.

He had rummaged through it and made a mess of it.

Through the glass, Yun Zhao saw a densely packed pile of dolls, some pressed against the glass, and black glass beads facing the crowd on the bridge.

No matter how cute something is, if there are too many of them, they can give you a creepy feeling when they are presented in front of you.

It feels like countless eyes are staring intently at you.

"I think we're wasting our time."

Jiang Mu stopped and said, "At present, we can't see what obsession it has with the ancient town, nor can we find any clues about it."

With only two hours left, they knew nothing about the goalkeeper.

Xie Tu looked at him, "Do you have any other ideas?"

"No," Jiang Mu answered decisively.

Fu Mo refused to give up, saying, "Keep looking, I refuse to believe I can't catch even a trace of its tail."

In the past, there have been gatekeepers who hid themselves very well, but they were eventually exposed.

She didn't believe this time would be an exception.

Fu Mo took the lead and gestured to the others, "Let's go, continue."

Yun Zhao was the first to catch up.

The big-eyed cutie is afraid of ghosts, and Yun Zhao is worried that she will be frightened if she sees so many eyes when she goes inside.

Sure enough, as soon as the two stepped into the boutique, they felt instantly surrounded by dolls.

The store was dimly lit, with the only light source coming from the beams of their flashlights.

Wherever the light reaches, hundreds of dolls of various shapes and sizes are scattered about, filling every corner of the shelves, counters and the floor.

There are also quite a few human-shaped dolls among them.

His upturned lips gave off a half-smile, while his cold eyes silently watched the two of them.

Fu Mo immediately felt the hairs on her back stand on end, raising goosebumps.

Yun Zhao kindly asked, "Were you frightened?"

Fu Yu stubbornly insisted, "No!"

"oh."

Yun Zhao held the Arctic fox in his hand and said to himself, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Fu Yu: "..."

Yun Zhao looked at the dolls, which came in all shapes and sizes, but he didn't see a second Arctic fox.

The strange feeling in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

Was it buried at the very bottom?

Just then, footsteps sounded behind them; Xie Tu and the others had entered.

"I already told you, I asked about every single doll here." Xia Mingang muttered as he walked into the gift shop, quite certain that he had searched very thoroughly.

Yun Zhao turned around, holding up the doll in his hand, and asked, "Xia Ming'ang, where did you get this Arctic fox?"

Xia Mingang pointed to the most conspicuous spot on the right side near the door, "Right there."

In the direction he pointed, there was a mini flower cart for display placed by the door, filled with dolls.

Yun Zhao stepped forward and began to rummage through the items, asking as he searched, "Did you see any other identical ones back then?"

"Yes, it should be at the very bottom," Xia Mingang replied.

He never expected to come back for a second search, so he just threw things away carelessly when he put them back.

Xie Tu seemed to have sensed something and immediately came over to help.

Jiang Mu sighed, "Let's look for it together."

Fu Pei did not move.

Because of the dolls' wobbly postures, no matter which direction they turn, they cannot escape the creepy feeling of being collectively stared at.

Fu Yan stared at the eerie smile and cold eyes in the shadows, paused for a moment, and carefully asked, "Don't you guys feel... like we're being observed by these dolls?"

It's definitely not a misconception born of her fear!

After she said that, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up to observe.

The way the dolls were placed, layered upon layered, subtly formed an invisible encirclement, trapping the five people in the center.

Her words instantly reminded everyone of the gatekeeper's fondness for "liveliness," the enjoyment of "exhibitions," and the experience of being "watched."

If the gatekeepers' pleasure lies in being "visited," then at this moment, with the five of them surrounded by these dolls, aren't they precisely becoming... the objects being displayed?

This thought instantly elevated the eeriness of the entire scene to a new level.

Yun Zhao suddenly stopped searching for the doll.

—It likes to be visited.

—You will never find me.

Under what circumstances would the goalkeeper make such an absolute statement?

It was definitely an answer they couldn't have imagined, one that surprised everyone...