Xiao Yang raised his hands and slowly turned to face Ailian. His eyes still curved like crescent moons as he explained with a faint smile, “What’s wrong with giving useless things to those who need them? I often save the plastic water bottles from home to give to the old lady who collects trash.”
“But you can’t take my things and give them to someone else.” Aileen brushed the muzzle of her gun lightly against Xiao Yang’s face, her piercing gaze sweeping across his cheek like an invisible blade.
Xiao Yang emitted a faint pheromone, and his entire body was enveloped and controlled by the accelerated rate of his J1 ability. Time was distorted: the flow of time around Xiao Yang sped up, while Elaine’s movements slowed down, and every one of her actions was clearly visible to him.
Xiao Yang pulled a gun from his coat, quickly chambered a round, and aimed it at Aileen. He hesitated for a moment, aiming at her left chest, then shifted his aim to her left shoulder.
A gunshot rang out without warning, reverberating through the corridor. The bullet pierced Xiao Yang’s thigh, and the force of the impact hurled his body backward, slamming him hard against the wall, splattering the white surface with splotches of blood.
The bullet in his thigh left him unable to stand; he slid slowly down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. Though it was only a flesh wound and hadn’t broken any bones, the excruciating pain still caused the veins in his neck and forehead to bulge, and he swallowed a muffled groan of pain.
Elen gently blew away the white smoke from the muzzle, using the scorching barrel to lift Xiao Yang’s chin. The blue rose on her body emitted a pheromone that overwhelmed Xiao Yang, causing him unbearable agony.
“If you want to kill, you can’t hesitate, or I’ll catch you. That’s how the former head of the research institute died.” Aileen crouched before him, casting a shadow over Xiao Yang, while the blue rose pheromones of a Grade A3 Alpha stimulated his fragile Omega glands.
Aileen bit down on the back of Xiao Yang’s neck and sucked gently. Xiao Yang could feel his physical strength and glandular energy draining away rapidly. His body grew weaker by the second, until he didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.
The Hummingbird A3 differentiation ability “Soul Siphon”: an energy-extraction ability. When a target within range uses a differentiation ability, the siphon is triggered; the closer the target is to Aileen, the faster the energy is drawn away. The absorbed energy will be continuously supplied to Aileen for her own use.
Aileen released Xiao Yang and gently wiped the blood from the corner of her lips. Xiao Yang was so limp he didn’t even have the strength to speak, and Aileen pulled him into her arms.
“I really like you, I truly do. At first, I was only interested in you because you reminded me of Lin Deng, but that’s not the case anymore. You’re more charming than him, smarter and more understanding. You’re better than him in every way, so don’t do things that make me dislike you.”
Aileen gently tucked a strand of hair from Xiao Yang’s temple behind his ear: “At my age, one longs for a family. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Don’t let me down.”
“But those… test subjects… I raised them… I raised them with my own hands… You can’t kill them…”
Elaine raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at him with some surprise. “You’ve grown attached to those commodities? In my eyes, they’re no different from military hardware. I’m a businesswoman; to me, they’re just moving guns—nothing more than a matter of price. Do you really care that much?”
Xiao Yang nodded. “They’re very attached to me, and they trust me.”
Elaine seemed to understand a little. Perhaps those test subjects were like pets to Xiao Yang. Just as a person might feel a protective instinct and affection for a cat or dog they’ve raised, if that were the case, then killing a young seal in front of him that day must have broken his heart.
“Alright. I’ll agree to it. I’ll keep all the test subjects you’ve raised and not destroy them.” Aileen, unusually patient, even took out her phone right then and there to call the head of the Walhua Pharmaceutical Factory.
Xiao Yang hadn’t expected her to agree. Aileen was a stubborn and domineering woman who rarely compromised with others. Xiao Yang waited for her to continue.
“However, I’ll have to eliminate those bandits who invaded the factory.” Aileen tucked her gun into her pocket and reached out to wipe the corner of Xiao Yang’s mouth. “They weren’t raised by you, so you shouldn’t feel any pain over them, right?”
Xiao Yang forced himself to raise his hand and struggled to grab her wrist. “You can’t… don’t do this anymore. Seriously, stop. Let’s go. If Yan Yi brings back the unanimously approved treaty, and the International Police Bureau and the PBB get an arrest warrant, none of us will be able to leave. I don’t want to get arrested.”
“Exactly. That’s why we have to bring the Divine Messenger back before Yan Yi returns,” Ailian replied calmly. “Don’t get involved in anything else. Leave it to me.”
Xiao Yang tried to speak again, but Ailian pressed her index finger against his tongue, her sharp, vividly painted nail grazing the tip of his tongue.
“Don’t say another word. I’m afraid my temper will get the better of me, and I’ll snap at you again. You’ll stay at my place to recover these next few days; someone will look after you. If you run off and do something stupid without my permission again, I won’t tolerate it.”
“What are you going to do now?!”
“I’m going to the lab to pick out a few of my favorite little things to put to work. I raised them to A3—my money and effort weren’t wasted.”
—
The head of the Walhua Pharmaceutical Factory received Aileen’s orders and temporarily reassigned some patrol guards to sort through the cargo trucks and set aside certain test subjects.
Hanging up the phone, the factory manager muttered in puzzlement, “They’re all discarded test subjects. What’s the point of picking them out? It’ll take manpower to go through truck after truck matching them to the list. What a hassle.”
The office door was suddenly knocked on twice. The manager glanced at his watch, his tone tinged with impatience. “Who is it?”
A soft, slightly weak female voice replied, “Is this the special service you requested?”
The voice was so smooth it sent shivers down his spine. The manager froze for a moment before realizing that the factory strictly prohibited strangers from entering. Whoever was outside was highly suspicious, so he immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie on his desk to call security.
But as he picked up the walkie-talkie, he caught a glimpse of a youth standing behind him in the full-length mirror on the cabinet door—a figure as pure and white as a sculpture, holding a glass hourglass in his arms.
“Polarity Reversal.”
The specter turned the hourglass upside down, and the sand flowed down the narrow glass tube. The walkie-talkie in the man’s hand suddenly began to crackle, cutting off all communication with the outside world.
The air around him seemed to be stripped away; he could only stare with eyes gradually filling with bloodshot veins, his hands flailing in the air in a futile attempt to grasp something, until he finally collapsed to the ground, suffocating.
The wraith crouched down, opened the top of the glass hourglass, and placed the corpse inside. Once inside, the corpse automatically transformed into a stream of multicolored glass sand, vanishing without a trace.
“You’re quite efficient.” Just then, Qishenggu pushed open the door and walked in, her high heels clicking as she made her way to the desk and began rummaging through it, but she couldn’t find what she was looking for.
“It’s not here.”
She pushed open the glass window, and just then, a golden thread drifted in on the breeze, catching on the windowpane—it was Eris’s curse thread.
A set of keys drifted down from the other end of the golden thread.
Eris withdrew the thread, and Qishenggu, clutching the keys, leaped out the window. From beneath the hem of her cheongsam, shimmering gold-and-blue peacock feathers slowly unfurled. She landed lightly, leaving a faint trail of sparkling light in her wake.
Wangliang turned the hourglass upside down once more. With the poles reversed, gravity no longer pulled downward, and Wangliang landed smoothly from the high-rise without any strain, rising to his feet beside Qishenggu.
It was already dawn, but the rain showed no sign of letting up, the sky remained dark, and the water on the ground grew deeper by the minute.
According to the original plan, Wangliang was tasked with disabling all alarms, floodlights, and security cameras inside the factory, while Qishenggu flew toward the parking lot where the trucks were parked, carrying the keys.
By the time she arrived, Di Yue had already taken down four or five M2-class Alpha security guards. His massive frame resembled a mountain, encased in crocodile-like scales; ordinary bullets could not harm him at all.
At the same level, a mature experimental subject’s combat prowess far surpasses that of an ordinary person. Although these guards were no match for Di Yue, they had the advantage of numbers. After a few rounds, Di Yue was left gasping for breath.
“Auntie, come help out,” Di Yue said, catching his breath.
“Who told you to start this? Good thing that little Wángliáng brat acted fast—otherwise, triggering the alarm would’ve been a real headache.” Qishenggu unfolded her small fan, and six circular dots in gold, green, and blue lit up on her forehead one after another. Soon after, the same three-colored dots appeared on the Imperial Crocodile’s forehead as well.
“Cui Liming.”
The Peacock Gland’s associated ability, “Cui Liming”: A support-type ability that causes targets exposed to its radiation to undergo mutation, which can be either positive or negative. After being exposed, the target’s third eye will display the same gold, green, and blue dots as those on Qishenggu’s third eye.
The crocodile scales on Emperor Crocodile’s body instantly grew and thickened, covering and protecting every exposed patch of skin. Their astonishing toughness increased a hundredfold, making him as immovable as a mountain.
“Rainbow as Garment.”
The golden-blue peacock tail feathers trailing behind Qishenggu slowly unfurled, enveloping the two of them in a barrier of shimmering light. Security guards across the way, hearing the sounds of the battle, rushed over to provide backup. Their gunfire was intense, but the bullets that struck Qishenggu’s iridescent barrier were absorbed. Even the massive boulders hurled by Rock Alpha crashed into the barrier as if hitting a wave, slowly sinking into it.
The barrier grew brighter as it absorbed the energy, eventually reaching a critical point. Qishenggu chuckled softly: “Here’s your payback.”
The barrier suddenly exploded, the soft light screen shattering into sharp triangular shards that rained down in a relentless barrage. The jagged edges pierced through the bulletproof vests, killing several security guards instantly.
Peacock Gland J1 Differentiation Ability “Rainbow Garment”: A counter-damage ability that forms a protective shield centered on the user, absorbing 70% of the opponent’s attack damage and converting it into explosive shards that rebound back.
The enemy’s encirclement was shattered by the exploding shards, and Emperor Crocodile seized the opportunity to charge forward. With his massive frame and the mutational boost from his Strange-Grown Bones, he plowed through the encirclement as if it were empty, scattering the enemy in disarray.
Qishenggu followed slowly behind Di Yue, stepping through a pool of blood. She raised her small fan to cover her mouth and nose, then blew gently: “Snow Skeleton.”
The security guards still struggling instantly turned to white bones; their blood evaporated into snow-white powder, scattered by the sudden downpour, and fell into the dirt.
Having dealt with the enemies before them, Emperor Crocodile turned and grinned sheepishly at Qi Shenggu: “You’re a real cutthroat, little lady.”
Qi Shenggu lifted her jade-green eyelashes and shot him a disdainful glance: “Get lost.”
Emperor Crocodile awkwardly slapped his lips: “I’m just not good with words, Your Highness.”
They found the truck at the very edge of the lot. Qishenggu bent down to search the key ring for the key corresponding to the glass container in the cargo compartment, while Di Yue pounded the compartment with one fist after another, smashing a large hole in it. He tore open the metal sheeting with all his might, then smashed the specially made bulletproof glass container inside.
“Damn it, the stuff the lab makes is really sturdy,” Di Yue cursed as he kept smashing. Finally, he shattered a pane of glass, and the test subjects crammed inside gushed out through the small opening like a shaken soda bottle, spilling onto the ground along with foul-smelling excrement and blood.
These test subjects had been suffocating for too long; almost all of them were on the verge of death, and some were already cold to the touch, lying motionless on the floor.
Qishenggu frowned and covered her mouth and nose. She had initially felt disgust, but watching those young creatures struggle to crawl through the bloodstained filth, a sense of unease began to well up inside her. If it weren’t for the Puppet Master, she might very well have been one of them, crammed into a box today, wailing amidst the mixture of blood, filth, and excrement.
Nausea and fear churned in her stomach simultaneously.
Emperor Crocodile removed the wooden puppet box he was carrying on his back and unlocked it using the code provided by the puppeteer. As the box opened, the eight small puppets arranged in order inside suddenly opened their eyes. The distinct sound of gears turning echoed from within their bodies as they sat up vividly and crawled out of the box.
Each bore an incantation engraved on its back. At the puppeteer’s command, they walked to the test subjects one by one, chirping out strange sounds. In the dazed eyes of the test subjects, the same incantations that were on the puppets’ backs began to appear.
In less than a dozen seconds, the scattered experimental subjects in the cultivation phase and the juveniles obediently followed behind the puppets, going wherever the puppets went.
This was the Puppeteer’s M2 differentiation ability, “Paradise of the Lifeless.” Puppets inscribed with the incantation became the Puppeteer’s puppets, obeying their commands while also possessing hypnotic capabilities. Those without self-awareness would be hypnotized into becoming the puppets’ puppets, never straying from their side.
Those exquisitely crafted dolls, lifelike and animated, moved their ball-jointed limbs. They counted the number of test subjects following behind them, then led them toward the exit along the planned route.
Once hypnotized by the dolls, these test subjects—lacking any real sense of self—would follow them for the rest of their lives, until the puppeteer retrieved the enchanted dolls. Otherwise, they would follow until death.
After arranging for one truck, Di Yue went off to secure another.
“I wonder if things are going smoothly over at Nix’s end. With this many trucks, who knows how long it’ll take to get them all out.”
“Hurry up, don’t dawdle. Get as many as you can.” Qishenggu frowned and urged him on. It was extremely difficult to find the right key for each cargo compartment among the overflowing tray of keys. Qishenggu finally found the correct one, unlocked the glass container, and went to find the next one.
——
After passing the tray of keys to Qishenggu, Eris stood by the window to retrieve her curse threads.
On the dimly lit floor, people in factory uniforms lay scattered haphazardly, their bodies nearly shattered by shotgun fire.
Eris turned to look at the Puppet Master.
This time, they had brought along the Puppet Master’s entire collection; the beautiful dolls that had been displayed in the shop windows had all been cleared out. Although the Puppet Master appeared calm, Eris knew those dolls were the culmination of years of his hard work.
This was the factory’s server room.
The Puppet Master sat at the computer, plugged the USB drive he’d brought into the host machine, and quickly hacked through the security network, selecting and copying the data he needed.
“Cytokinic Factor… Immortal Undead.” While copying the files, the Puppet Master caught sight of a line describing a special serum amidst the dense stream of data.
“Artificial Cytokinins, huh.” The puppet master pondered for a moment. “Elen still wants to create artificial messengers… crazy woman.”
The data download completed, the puppet master packed up his equipment: “Eris, let’s go.”
“Oh!” Eris hoisted her shotgun and leaped up, leading the way. She braced herself against the windowsill and flipped out the window, her body tethered by cursed golden threads to prevent her from falling.
The Puppet Master also leaped from the height. As Eris was about to land, he activated his J1 ability, “Pawn Substitution,” and in an instant, Eris and the Puppet Master swapped positions. The Puppet Master landed calmly, while Eris fell from mid-air. Just as she was about to crash into the ground, the Puppet Master grabbed the golden threads wrapped around her body. She swung in the air like a puppet, then landed steadily beside him.
Eris raised her shotgun excitedly: “Yay, let’s do it again!”
The Puppeteer tugged him along as they hurried toward the field. It would take too long for just the two of them to open the cargo compartments of over three hundred trucks; they had to get there to help as soon as possible.
The downpour showed no signs of letting up, and the dawn sky remained as dark as night. Their clothes were soaked through, and water streamed down their cheeks and into their garments.
There were no lights around them, and in the darkness, a vague sense of pressure was closing in.
Eris suddenly stopped in his tracks, hoisted the shotgun, and looked up nonchalantly, sticking out his tongue, which was marked with fine lines: “Nix, some fool who doesn’t know when to quit is trying to block our path.”
The Puppet Master sensed that pressure as well. After a quick mental assessment, he said casually, “I’ll meet up with you later.”
“I’m coming too…” Eris watched the Puppet Master walk away until his figure was swallowed by the darkness.
“…to follow you.” ” He muttered the unspoken second half of the sentence, turned dejectedly, and released a strand of golden thread that wrapped around the railing of a high-rise building, pulling his body up.
“Damn it, I hate Nix for a minute.”