"Who?"
A sharp electronic voice suddenly rang out behind them, startling Melinda and Coulson. They instantly sprang up from their half-crouched positions, turning and aiming their guns toward the source of the sound.
The small wooden box Coulson had placed beside the desk had somehow opened on its own. Faint, eerie light seeped from within.
"Who… touched my heart?"
The piercing, mechanical voice spoke again, and a silver-white arm extended from the box.
Melinda and Coulson exchanged glances. Without time to think, they raised their weapons and opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire roared as sparks burst wildly from the barrels.
Acting first was always their rule—a sure way to eliminate danger before it struck.
But what happened next froze their expressions instantly.
The bullets they fired didn't even reach the silver arm. The dark glow from the box blocked them midair.
The bullets sank into the light as though trapped in mud, losing momentum in less than half a second before falling uselessly to the floor.
"Foolish humans… and your decaying weapons."
The eerie electronic voice echoed in their ears again, and then they saw something they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
"Coulson, what the hell is that thing?"
As Melinda shouted, a silver-white figure stepped out from the dark glow.
Its body was covered in mechanical gears and chains, with razor-sharp fingers, a perfectly crafted face, and a floating silver metal sphere above its head—it looked like… a doll.
Yes, a doll.
Though stunned, neither Melinda nor Coulson believed this doll-like being was harmless. Those sharp, blade-like fingers alone were terrifying enough. Put something like this in a crowded place, and it would be a massacre.
The silver doll's bright blue eyes glowed as it stared directly at them.
"May, don't worry about what it is—take it down!" Coulson shouted, hastily reloading his gun before firing again.
Melinda reacted quickly, her focus absolute as she aimed and kept squeezing the trigger.
But the same thing happened again—their bullets fell halfway to the target, unable to even graze the silver figure.
"May! Our firepower's useless against it!" Coulson yelled in frustration, still firing relentlessly.
"Coulson, we can't take this thing down—we have to fall back!" Melinda called out urgently.
"Got it!"
As Coulson responded, they both kept shooting while retreating toward the door.
"Time is slipping away… The puppet is getting impatient."
They had barely moved a few steps when the silver doll waved her hand. The metal sphere above her head shot toward them in an instant.
"Not good!" Melinda's face changed dramatically.
Just as she tried to roll away, an invisible force pulled at her. She and Coulson were slammed together, unable to move.
Melinda frowned tightly—she felt as if steel cables had bound her body from head to toe. She couldn't move a muscle.
"May… we're in trouble," Coulson said, his voice filled with panic as he looked at the glowing eyes of the silver doll.
"Killing… is such a fun game."
The silver doll's mechanical voice echoed again as she began walking toward them.
"What do we do, Coulson?" Melinda asked, sweat forming on her forehead.
"I… I don't know." For the first time, Coulson felt completely powerless.
"Disassemble you… and rebuild you."
Standing before them, the silver doll spoke coldly and reached out both hands.
"Ahhh—!" Melinda's terrified scream rang out as those blade-like fingers neared her throat.
Coulson closed his eyes, resigned to fate.
---
Five minutes earlier, at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of New York, more than a dozen men in black suits stood confronting a strangely dressed man.
"Kid, hand over what you've got, and maybe I'll give you a less painful death," the leader of the suited men said coldly.
"Heh, you're really scaring me," Patch replied, adjusting his black wizard robe and pretending to look frightened.
Yes—it was Patch. Though he wore a simple wizard robe, in the 21st century, to men in suits like these, he looked downright bizarre.
"Don't test my patience," the leader growled, his face darkening.
At his words, everyone behind him drew their guns and aimed at Patch.
Patch shrugged, showing not the slightest hint of fear.
His calm only enraged the man further. "I just didn't want that thing stained with blood. If you—"
Before he could finish, Patch suddenly interrupted him.
"Damn it!"
Patch's brows furrowed, and he pressed a hand to his forehead, shouting loudly.
"What? Getting ready to beg?" the man sneered, thinking Patch had been intimidated.
"I'm done playing around with you," Patch said coldly, turning his sharp gaze toward the man. "This ends now. And you…"
"…should die."
With a wave of his hand, countless black flames burst forth, rushing toward the group.
"Ahhh!"
The men didn't even have time to react before the black fire engulfed them, their screams echoing through the factory.
"Like ants…" Patch muttered, glancing at the burning men before rubbing his temples again with a sigh. "What a pain…"
"Teleport."
With a soft *boom*, a puff of smoke appeared—and Patch vanished completely.
Only a few piles of black ash remained where the men once stood.
---
Fear? Despair?
Melinda and Coulson couldn't even describe what they were feeling.
They could only sense death slowly drawing near.
Those ten razor-sharp fingers were about to pierce their throats—there was no hope left.
But at that moment, a shout rang out beside their ears.
"Oriana, stop!"
The silver doll's claws froze, barely a centimeter away from their necks.