Feng Yuhuai swung a red cloth doll in her hand, full of joy as she walked down the alley, heading to the "lost and found" midnight snack.

The sound of tidy clattering echoed from the cobblestones.

Thirty-six Human Puppets held hands, following behind her. The clothes they wore swayed gently in the night breeze—scarlet skirts, indigo long robes, apricot yellow jackets, each freshly laundered and bright.

Feng Yuhuai was indeed thoughtful, not only dressing these puppets in new clothes but also carefully styling each one’s hair in various fashions.

"First impressions are important; everyone must be dressed properly."

Feng Yuhuai diligently reminded her family.

This was also a life lesson taught to her by Feng Ju since she was a child.

She suddenly turned, her fingertips brushing the cheeks of the puppet in the front row.

In the moonlight, those stitched skins glistened with a pearly sheen, with stitches so tiny they were almost invisible, as if they were just powdered with makeup.

If it were Ge Qingming doing these things, it would likely take a lot of time.

But for Feng Yuhuai, all it took was humming a little tune—those red threads would weave out from her sleeves, mending her family anew while clothing them in new garments.

Feng Yuhuai hummed a cheerful melody, her fingers curled gently, and her "family" behind her briskly picked up their pace.

"Hurry, hurry up—"

She turned around, walking backwards, the red cloth doll twirling on her fingertips, and her silvery laughter leapt across the alley,

"Don’t let my brother wait too long, heheh—"

Perhaps Feng Yuhuai herself was unaware of her somewhat pathological craving for family now, but she was blissfully immersed.

Ever since being possessed by the Puppet Mother, her heart felt like soaked cotton, with emotions swelling and magnifying.

She loved more intensely, more greedily—craving love, and yearning to give love, wishing nothing more than to hug everyone tightly, sewing them into her heart.

She gazed at her new family, "united in heart" with her, a tender light in her eyes.

"My brother loves me most, Father will surely love me again, and I’ll make them accept you all, so we all become a closer family, surrounding me forever...."

Feng Yuhuai was filled with anticipation, itching to fly to the little food shop.

The sudden sound of screeching tires broke the silence at the alley’s entrance. A yellow taxi braked sharply, its "occupied" light atop shining red like congealed bloodstains, spreading a sinister aura in the darkness.

"We’ve arrived, the person you’re looking for is in this alley."

The driver’s voice was deep and magnetic.

He turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the passenger in the rearview mirror, then deftly opened the navigation app on his phone, specifically angling it for the passenger to catch a glimpse.

This navigation interface was unlike any ordinary map; the entire map seemed veiled in a layer of black luminescence, exuding a mysterious and eerie vibe.

What made it more bizarre was the destination on the map was not a static place but a living being moving slowly in the alley—Feng Yuhuai.

Clearly, this smartphone navigation concealed untold secrets, a product of the ingenious fusion of science and the supernatural in modern times.

"Thank you!"

Dong Ping pushed open the taxi door, quickly striding into the dimly lit alley.

He had only taken a couple of steps when he saw a female college student’s silhouette slowly emerging from the darkness.

Instinctively, he tugged at his uniform collar, forcing a smile onto his face, and said:

"Feng Yuhuai, why are you still out so late? Your father’s really worried about you, he specifically sent me to pick you up..."

The words coming out so smoothly suddenly hitched at the end,

"....what?!!"

He looked on in stunned disbelief as one, two, three...some three dozen shadowy figures followed closely behind the female student.

They varied in height and build, all donning new clothes, standing quietly behind her, their steps uncannily synchronized.

A chill raced up Dong Ping’s spine.

Feng Yuhuai halted, and the crowd behind her came to a uniform standstill.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze landing on Dong Ping’s uniform, a look of realization flashed in her eyes—she recognized him as her father’s subordinate.

"Dad... is willing to see me?"

Her voice was light, a hopeful smile edging her lips,

"Does he intend to forgive me?"

She took a step forward, and the crowd behind her mimicked her step.

Dong Ping stood frozen, his gaze darting between Feng Yuhuai and the crowd behind her.

The faces of those people varied, yet all bore identical smiles—the corners of their mouths turned up, the angles of their eyes curling upward, even the same twitch of facial muscles—they were all exactly alike.

Dong Ping felt his throat bob, a sheen of sweat forming in his palms.

This was not the kind of uniformity living beings should exhibit; in the dead of night, it was enough to scare someone to death!

Oh~

I am not human either, so it shouldn’t matter!

Dong Ping took a deep breath and gestured for Feng Yuhuai to come over:

"Come on, don’t keep your father waiting."

With a sweet smile, Feng Yuhuai took two steps toward Dong Ping.

Dong Ping watched the dark crowd draw closer, and he could smell the perfume wafting in the air, the scent Feng Yuhuai had sprayed on her "family."

Amidst the fragrance was a faint note of the decay similar to that on himself.

The slight difference being that he had recently died, a fresh scent; whereas they had died long ago, their decomposition was treated and had matured into an old fragrance.

Dong Ping felt his scalp prickling, painfully maintaining a smiling face as he said:

"Wait a second, only you come over, just one car, can’t fit so many people."

Feng Yuhuai continued stepping forward, her gaze passing over Dong Ping, focusing on the taxi at the alley’s entrance.

Her expression was a mix of innocence and stubborn pride: "That won’t do."

She shook her head gently, pouting,

"They are my family, they all have to see dad together."

The term "family" seemed to be an untouchable nerve, at her mention Dong Ping appeared to be intensely triggered, visible black resentment steaming off his body.

"Family, family, hahahaha, you and your father just love to keep family on your lips, don’t you! Alright, alright then—"

Suddenly, he erupted in hysterical laughter, bending over, mouth agape.

Feng Yuhuai, hearing this, wore a jubilant smile on her face:

"Family, yes, my father and I are always family, quickly take us to see dad..."

Dong Ping’s head jerked upward, his jawbone making an excruciating "crack" sound, the corners of his mouth tearing into an impossible grin.

"Ugh—"

Hundreds of headless rat corpses spewed forth from his throat, forming a filthy waterfall in the air, their rotted innards and mucus cascading towards Feng Yuhuai.

Contrarily, though these rats lacked heads, they eerily turned uniformly towards her, jagged necks bitten through, emitting the hissing "squeaks" of rats from their gaping necks.

"Alrighty!"

He roared hoarsely, mixing a gurgling sound of bubbling flesh,

"I will be the one to bring you to see your father."

His bandaged 1.5 arms flung open, the pus-soaked bandages snapped, revealing the decayed and pitted flesh beneath.

More horrifyingly was the severed mechanical limb—a black miasma proliferated from the break, intertwining with gears and circuit boards, expanding rapidly into a monstrous hand measuring 3 meters in length!

Steel beams for bones, decaying flesh for muscle, while the skin.....

Was densely embedded with black rat heads.

This scene was eerily similar to the one when Dong Ping had drowned in countless rat heads before his death.

Now,

He wanted to present the same scene to Feng Ju, whom he regarded as his pride and hope.

Dong Ping bellowed in rage:

"Come then, this is your father’s last prepared midnight snack for you ahhhh—"