13: Chapter 13 The Art Salon of the Skinner

Too late.

The Lean Tall Man's hand had just touched that black cover.

"Sizzle—!!"

The inverted cross on the book cover suddenly squirmed as if it were alive! A thick cloud of black energy gushed out, transforming into a translucent, fanged maw that bit down hard on the Lean Tall Man's hand!

"Ah—!!"

The scream was ear-piercing. The Lean Tall Man shook his hand frantically, scrambling backward on all fours.

Two of his fingers had turned charred black, as if doused in strong acid, emitting black smoke. A stench of burnt meat instantly filled the air.

"My hand! It's ruined! It's ruined!" The Lean Tall Man rolled on the ground in agony, no longer looking like a veteran.

"Idiot," Lin Sa spat out coldly. "You dared to touch a vengeful spirit's curse in an s-rank instance directly? Do you have a death wish?"

The people behind were pale with fright, looking at the book as if it were King Yama's book of life and death.

Xu Mo clutched his wound and turned to Pei Duo, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry for the first time. "Miss Pei... that's the Earl's study; the key should be useful. But I can't guarantee there won't be a backlash. You..."

"I'll go."

Two simple words, no plea for help, no sob in her voice.

Pei Duo gripped the black key tightly and took a deep breath. Like a female warrior heading to the battlefield, she walked step by step toward the "demonic book" that was still emitting black mist.

Her hands were still trembling slightly—a physiological reaction to fear—but her steps did not falter.

In the livestream room, millions of viewers held their breath.

[(IP: USA) Is she crazy? That's a curse! Even with a key, if the check fails, she'll lose a hand!]

[(IP: Dragon Country) Duo Duo, don't be impulsive! Let the cannon fodder try it first!]

Just as the tip of the key in Pei Duo's hand was ten centimeters away from the ghost-faced keyhole...

A sudden change occurred.

The "demonic book," which had just been ferocious enough to ruin the Lean Tall Man's fingers, now seemed to sense an aura that made its soul tremble.

"Click, click..."

The book began to shake violently. It wasn't charging up for an attack, but rather... fear?

The gushing black energy instantly acted as if it had encountered a range hood, "whooshing" back into the book.

Then, a scene that made everyone's jaws drop occurred.

The bright red inverted cross on the cover actually rotated slowly, turning into an upright cross.

The entire book even popped open proactively and sycophantically, struggling to adjust the keyhole to the best angle for Pei Duo to insert the key, for fear that this young lady's hand might slip and miss!

It felt as if a vicious dog had suddenly turned into a tail-wagging pug.

"This... this works too, for f*ck's sake?"

The Lean Tall Man lying on the ground forgot to scream, staring blankly at the scene with his mouth agape.

A sense of absurdity—the kind where comparing oneself to others only leads to frustration—instantly shattered his psychological defenses.

Why?!

When I touch it, I get "charcoal-grilled pig's trotter," but when she walks over, you just present yourself?

Is even a book this snobbish nowadays?! Where is the justice?!

The corner of Xu Mo's mouth curled into a "just as I thought" arc. Although he had anticipated it, the visual impact was still powerful.

Pei Duo was also a bit dazed, but then a strange sense of confidence welled up in her heart.

Looking at the humble demonic book before her, she suddenly found it much less frightening.

Brother, it seems your reputation is even greater than I imagined.

In that case, I won't be polite.

"Click."

Pei Duo no longer hesitated, gently inserting and turning the key.

A dull mechanical sound echoed from deep within the walls.

The massive wall of books slowly slid open to both sides. A cold wind, smelling of expensive cigars and old paper, blew out from the dark depths—the entrance to the truth.

Pei Duo looked back at the stunned crowd behind her and gripped the jade pendant in her hand.

"Let's go," she said softly, stepping into the darkness first.

The heavy mahogany book wall slid open, and a strange smell—a mixture of expensive face powder and old mold—wafted toward them.

It was the scent of excessive perfume sprayed to mask the stench of a corpse, so strong it made one's nose itch.

"Cough, cough..."

Pei Duo covered her nose, her brow furrowed.

As Lin Sa and Xu Mo followed closely behind, several silver candlesticks were lit one after another.

The faint firelight flickered in the vast space, and shadows danced menacingly on the walls.

The moment they saw the full layout of the study, everyone's breath hitched.

There were no green-faced, fanged ghosts as expected, nor were there severed limbs scattered on the floor.

This was a grand "salon."

Hundreds of "dolls" dressed in magnificent medieval attire were scattered in various poses throughout the study.

Some sat in high-backed chairs flipping through books, some stood on ladders as if searching for something, and others gathered in small groups in corners as if whispering.

They were made too realistically.

Every strand of hair was meticulously groomed, and every pair of glass eyeballs shimmered with a ghostly light in the reflection of the candlelight, as if hundreds of eyes were staring intently at the group of intruders.

"These... are all fake, right?"

The Lean Tall Man swallowed hard, his voice sounding particularly jarring in the empty study.

To hide his lack of confidence, he strode toward a "noblewoman" doll in a lace gown nearest the door.

"Playing tricks!"

He reached out with his intact left hand, wanting to pinch the doll's cheek to check for any mechanisms.

The moment his fingertips touched the cheek.

The Lean Tall Man jerked his hand back as if he'd received an electric shock, jumping back so hard he nearly knocked over the candlestick behind him.

"It's warm?!"

He stared at the doll in horror, his features contorted. "It's soft! And it's warm! Is it a living person?!"

"Shut up."

Xu Mo stepped forward with a cold face. The wound on his abdomen made every step a bit staggered, but his movements remained precise and ruthless.

He pulled a folding knife from his waist and, without hesitation, flicked open the lace on the "noblewoman" doll's collar.

The tip of the blade made a light cut.

"Rrip."

The sound was like a tailor cutting through a piece of fine silk.

No blood flowed out.

As the skin was cut open, dry, yellow filler was revealed—straw mixed with preservative spices and wooden slats supporting the frame.

But at the edge of the cut, the thin layer of skin appeared an eerie fleshy pink, with even pores and fine fuzz clearly visible.

Xu Mo used the tip of the knife to lift the layer of skin, leaned in to sniff it, and his expression darkened instantly.

"This is human skin."

He pushed up his broken glasses frame, his voice as cold as ice. "And it's a complete human skin that was recently flayed and specially tanned. That bit of warmth is the heat from the chemical reactions left over from the preservation process."

"Blech—"

Several newcomers with weak stomachs in the back threw up on the spot.

A room full of hundreds of "dolls."

Which meant hundreds of human skins.

Pei Duo felt her stomach churning; the scent of face powder had now become the most vile emetic.

"Stop vomiting! Do you want to attract the butler?"

Lin Sa barked in a low voice, holding her dagger in a reverse grip as she scanned the surroundings warily.

"Since we're in, hurry up and find clues. This place is too sinister; I feel like there are hundreds of knives held to my throat."

The team quickly dispersed.

Xu Mo took command. "Lin Sa and I will search the bookshelf area for hidden compartments. You, the skinny guy, take two people to check those dolls. Zhao Qiang, you guard the door."

"I'm not going!"

Zhao Qiang huddled by the door, clutching the heavy bronze vase tightly, his whole body trembling.

His bloodshot eyes darted around in the dark, and he muttered neurotically, "You want to harm me... separating means death... in horror movies, those who go off alone all die... I'm staying right here, I'm not going anywhere!"

Xu Mo frowned, having no time to deal with this waste of a person on the verge of a breakdown.

"Suit yourself."

He turned to Pei Duo, his tone softening slightly. "Miss Pei, go check the desk over there. That's the Earl's spot; it might have core clues."

Pei Duo nodded and gripped the black jade pendant in her hand.

The jade pendant emitted a faint coolness, allowing her to barely maintain her sanity amidst this room full of human skins.

She bypassed the dolls that seemed to be watching her and walked to the massive black walnut desk.

The desk was a mess, piled with various anatomical diagrams and design sketches for surgical tools.

Beneath the pile of clutter lay a heavy diary with a black velvet cover.