The BOOOOOOM crashed down hard, like a massive hammer slamming straight into their bones.
It rattled the cold stone floor beneath them and shot straight up Han Jiang's spine. He stayed on his feet anyway, golden eyes narrowed into thin slits. The black eye tattoo on the back of his right hand burned with dark heat, throbbing painfully.
Wang Bo lay sprawled among the pile of tangled bodies. He clutched Han Jiang's ankle tight, as if that was the only thing stopping him from falling apart.
"Bro… what the hell was that sound?" Wang Bo's voice came out high and trembling. His round face looked even whiter under the shoe-print bruise on his cheek. "It felt like the whole world ended. Are we dead already? Is this hell? I was just yelling at my squad in voice chat, eating instant noodles, and then—everything went black. Nothing after that."
Han Jiang never got the chance to reply.
Right above them, the thick darkness suddenly cracked open.
Hundreds of giant screens fell down from the empty space, completely silent. They lined up in a perfect circle overhead, so every person in the sea of bodies could see them clearly. Those screens poured out sharp white light that lit up all the terrified faces around.
The glow made the fear on everyone's skin look even more real.
Han Jiang felt his heart tighten.
Wang Bo's grip on his ankle grew even stronger, fingers digging in like claws.
No one dared to speak now.
The air turned heavy, waiting.
What was coming next?
Everyone gasped together.
"What is that thing?!"
A woman wearing pajamas suddenly screamed out loud. She pointed straight up with her shaking hand. "This some movie or what? Just a prank? Tell me right now it is a joke!"
Right beside her, a college kid shouted even louder. He kept tapping on his black phone screen like crazy. "My phone is dead! It was fully charged just now! What is happening?!"
Another voice cut in from the crowd. "I was checking the forum during my break! That doctor's post about the ghost in the hospital—then the box showed up and—"
All the screens flickered together at the same moment.
And then the doll appeared.
It showed up on every single screen.
It sat there on a plain wooden stool, legs dangling loose.
Porcelain skin showed thin spiderweb cracks across the cheeks and forehead. Those glass eyes looked too big, too shiny, catching the white light like wet marbles. Stringy black hair cut in that old bowl shape. It had on an oversized faded blue work uniform, the Jiangnan Textile kind, with the spool-and-thread logo stitched crooked on the chest. A small brass key dangled from a chain around its neck. In its lap rested the blue work helmet, same one that forced itself onto Han Jiang's head earlier.
Then the doll's painted red lips slowly curved up into a smile that stretched too wide, showing rows of tiny porcelain teeth.
"Welcome, players," it said.
The voice came out high and sweet, like a little girl telling a bedtime story. But it poured from every screen at once and slid straight into their heads.
"You are all here because you read Dr. Chen's post on the Strange Tales forum. You saw the story about the man who died twice. You opened that private message. You heard the doorbell ring three times. And then… your memories of the helmet got taken away. Erased. For your own good."
But the helmet was still there.
You could not see it. You could not touch it with your hands. Yet everyone could feel its presence pressing down, cold and heavy.
"I never read any ghost story!" a suited man roared. His face turned purple. "I was just browsing news! This is crazy!"
"But I did!" a teenage girl sobbed right next to him. "I was lying in bed with my legs up, phone above my face, exactly like the post said. Then the box was on my doormat and the helmet… oh god, I remember the helmet now!"
A middle-aged woman clutched her purse hard, her voice cracking apart.
"My family is waiting for me! I only clicked because the title sounded interesting. I didn't ask for this!"
Wang Bo lifted his head and stared at Han Jiang. His eyes were wide, horror just starting to sink in deep.
"Han Jiang… I read it too. Laughed at the comments. Doorbell rang three times while I was eating. Then blackout. I didn't remember the helmet until the doll said it. It's coming back now—fuzzy, like a bad dream."
Han Jiang's jaw tightened hard. He remembered everything from the start—the Shift, the dragging footsteps in 1997, the forced entry, the golden transformation still humming under his skin. The others had all their memories after the doorbell wiped clean until this moment.
"Later," he muttered low. "Listen."
The doll kept swinging its little legs back and forth, slow and steady. Its small hand moved softly over the helmet resting on its lap.
"Good," it said. "Some of you finally remember now."
It leaned closer. Those glass eyes caught the light and gleamed cold.
"You were all picked by the Lost One. Liu Wei. He was the one who sent the box. He rang the bell himself."
The doll paused. Its voice dropped lower.
"Right now, one hundred twenty-three thousand four hundred twelve people sit here. Every single one touched by the same ghost. Every single one stuck deep inside the Land of the Forgotten. No teams. No squads. No alliances that mean anything. You play by yourself. You survive by yourself. You die by yourself. Only the games will decide who stays and who goes."
Shouts broke out all over the sea of bodies.
"No teams at all?!"
One construction worker suddenly roared out loud. His voice shook with anger in the dim room.
"How the hell we supposed to live through this without any help?!"
Next to him, an office lady screamed even louder. Her face twisted up in panic.
"I don't give a damn about some dead guy from the factory! Just let me go home! My kids are waiting for me right now!"
Not far away, a high-school boy broke down crying hard. Tears kept pouring down his cheeks.
"I only wanted to read some scary stories before sleep... Mom, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have stayed up late on that post..."
Right then, the doll let out a soft giggle. It sounded like tiny bells ringing. Several people around flinched hard at the noise.
The doll tilted its head a little, still smiling.
"No teams because the Lost One wants to check who really remembers him. Who actually sees him clear. Every single one of you must join all the games. Nobody gets to sit out. Nobody can hide behind the others.
"When the doll says 'Red Light,' you stop moving right away. Freeze completely. If anyone catches you moving—even just a tiny twitch—your body explodes. It bursts into bloody pulp and sprays everywhere. The pieces will rain down on the people close by."
One Strike, and you disappear forever. No second chances. No group to split the blame with."
Panic shot up even higher.
"Explode?!"
A young man in hoodie suddenly shouted. His voice cracked badly in the heavy air.
"This is straight up murder! This whole thing is a nightmare! I'm not gonna play any psycho doll's sick game!"
Right beside him, a woman fell down to her knees hard. Her hands shook as she begged.
"Please... I got a family waiting! I only clicked that thread because it had so many views! I didn't mean to do anything—"
The doll kept the same smile on its face. It tilted its head with a soft porcelain click sound.
"The first game starts in ten minutes. Name is Red Light, Green Light—Squid Edition. All of you will stand behind the yellow boundary that shows up soon. When I say 'Green Light,' you run fast toward the finish line three hundred meters away. When I say 'Red Light,' you freeze right away. Move even one meter after that and… boom."
The doll lifted the helmet slow. It turned the helmet so the brass part caught the cold light.
"Finish this game alive, you get the first piece of truth. How Liu Wei really died. Survive every game… and you will know who pushed him into the dye vat. Plus why he has been searching for someone who can finally see him. Fail… and your remains will feed the Land."
A college student shook his dead phone like mad in the air.
"This can't be real at all! Somebody hack those screens now! Call the police quick! This is totally illegal!"
Next to him, an older man in suit stood up with shaky legs.
"I demand to talk to whoever is in charge here! I know my rights! I was only scrolling forums late at night—nothing else!"
The doll clapped its small hands together. That sound cracked loud like thunder and made everyone shut their mouths for a moment.
"Ten minutes left. The Lost One is watching each of you right now. He is not angry. He is only lost. And he just wants to be remembered."
All the screens suddenly froze on the doll's cracked smile.