Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 48

 

| PN | Stabbed | 48

At the end of the maze, the twenty puppet masters were sitting on chairs, each facing a massive screen displaying the coordinates of all the puppets.

From the side, Xiu Mei glanced up and saw the cyan dot representing the Wolf King remaining stationary on the screen. Her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Zhang Ya’s bulging veins, clearly showing his frustration.

It was obvious that her friend was now finished. Zhang Ya seemed clever but was actually an impulsive fool, thinking that just creating an S-level puppet would make him invincible despite the high danger level of the obstacles.

Xiu Mei’s face showed a sneer. No wonder he was made a fool by that Zhao Benshu.

“Mother, where should we go next?” 

The shaman in exotic attire, handsome and with a split skirt that revealed his taut and fair legs with each step, asked. His appearance was quite eye-catching.

Among the twenty live streams, the shaman's appeal was comparable to Li Bai’s, even attracting a significantly higher ratio of female viewers than Qi Chao's stream.

Xiu Mei’s expression softened instantly as she said gently, “Three hundred meters to the left, the next obstacle is catching fish. Be careful not to get water on yourself, dear.”

Got it, Mother said to get the water on myself.

The shaman thought to himself.

Xiu Mei, also known as Qian Baobao, specializes in creating hormonally adult male puppets. The shaman was her only S-level puppet. As a top-tier puppet master with strong commercial appeal, Xiu Mei was well-versed in the preferences of Blue Star people.

She was smart and knew that her shaman would struggle without special abilities. From the start, Xiu Mei hadn’t intended to win; participating in the competition was merely for advertising and gaining exposure.

Her puppets were not mass-produced; how could she not cherish them? Xiu Mei sneered. Only a fool blinded by money and with unrealistic aspirations would treat their puppets so carelessly.

There were indeed many foolish puppet masters in this competition, but most had not arrogantly chosen the hardest route available. Creating puppets was a time-consuming process that required significant financial and emotional investment. Any sensible puppet master would be reluctant to put their puppets at risk.

To win, they wouldn’t opt for the longest route, but tackling medium difficulty obstacles was still a reasonable gamble. 

For viewers, choosing medium or easy difficulty obstacles was clearly less appealing than high difficulty ones. If not for Qi Chao and Li Bai’s bizarrely fast speeds, live streams of simple obstacle courses would hardly attract so many viewers.

Qi Chao, looking down at the map in his hand, knew that after solving the riddle, the next obstacle on the usual route would be a mathematical problem.

His child had only recently learned to read and hadn’t started learning numbers yet, let alone advanced math problems. So Qi Chao had Li Bai change direction and tackle another obstacle. 

Although the route was longer, with Li Bai’s speed, it was more than enough to stay ahead of the others.

“Li Bai, if you’re tired, stop and take a break,” Qi Chao instructed his child.

【Boss, this is a competition. There’s no time for breaks.】

Fans grumbled about Qi Chao’s comment, but perhaps because of the excellent coordination between Li Bai and Qi Chao, the effect was unexpectedly good, and the comment section was filled with cheerful vibes.

Fans who had fled from the harsh environments of the Wolf King and other extreme puppet masters felt their wounded hearts healed.

【Ugh, take a break, please! What a wonderful father-son bond!】

Li Bai, hearing his father’s words, cheerfully responded, “Li Bai is not tired!”

Not only was he not tired, but the thought of winning with his father made Li Bai so excited that he wanted to spin around.

“Good.”

Listening to Li Bai’s energetic voice through the headset, Qi Chao continued, “We’re about to reach the next obstacle, so be careful.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the transmitter locked in.

Viewers in the live stream soon saw the next obstacle for Li Bai: a vast swamp with a path of widely spaced stepping stones.

The swamp wasn’t a natural one, so getting stuck in it wasn’t dangerous, but it still made everyone alert. 

The gap between each stepping stone was nearly three meters. While Li Bai ran fast, the viewers suspected his special ability was related to his speed, but with such a small puppet, jumping across seemed impossible.

Why choose such an obstacle?

Doubts arose in every viewer’s mind. Before they could figure it out, a white figure dashed into the swamp without hesitation. The fans’ hearts tightened, but the next second, they saw Li Bai, as nimble as a fox, lightly leap from one stepping stone to the next.

The three-meter gaps between the stones were easily cleared.

Live stream fans: !!!

How many surprises do you have left that we don’t know about?

It seemed like every obstacle, from solving riddles to jumping stones, was tailor-made for Li Bai. Each obstacle was completed in under a minute. New viewers, initially nervous, ended up just reclining and shouting “666” in awe.

At this moment, everyone realized that Qi Chao must have a deep understanding of his puppet. 

Otherwise, how could the puppet pass through the obstacles so smoothly? After all, some puppet masters next door were blindly confident that their puppets were the best and could handle even the most difficult obstacles.

【Damn! We’re about to win!】

【Go, go! We’re about to surpass first and second place!】

As the white dot drew closer to the exit, comments on the screen rapidly scrolled by.

The speed of the white dot naturally caught the attention of other puppet masters at the venue. 

Zhang Ya, whose Wolf King hadn’t even passed the first obstacle, had a dark expression filled with jealousy and resentment upon seeing this.

Xiu Mei was somewhat surprised. She had initially thought Qi Chao’s praise of his puppet’s speed was just to placate Zhang Ya. She didn’t expect there was some truth to it.

However, Xiu Mei thought, if it were all lies, Zhang Ya, with his vengeful nature, would definitely have caused trouble for him.

As for the puppet masters trailing behind, the two ahead of Qi Chao were Zhao Benshu and Professor Qiao. 

The first-place Zhao Benshu’s Scorpion Queen had the special ability of anesthesia. While this ability wasn’t particularly advantageous in this competition, Zhao Benshu was smart and chose a mix of medium and high difficulty obstacles, effectively halving the route.

In contrast, the once-sexy Scorpion Queen was now in poor condition, with a broken right arm hanging limply at her side.

This meant that if she wanted to take a shortcut and choose a higher difficulty obstacle, the Scorpion Queen might end up with a fate similar to the Wolf King’s.

Professor Qiao’s Beast Girl was also at a disadvantage due to her special ability of charm. 

However, Professor Qiao had directed her through a route with medium difficulty obstacles. 

Perhaps because fantasy-type puppets generally have higher physical abilities than realistic ones, the Beast Girl remained uninjured and easily left other puppets behind.

The graceful and beautiful girl flicked her tail lightly, her chin held high. The tip of her tail seemed to sweep over everyone’s hearts, instantly making fans in the comment section blush and their hearts race.

Seeing that the white dot was about to overtake his puppet, Zhao Benshu’s smile remained unchanged, but he was torn between whether to take a shortcut or not. 

In the end, he decided not to take the shortcut. Zhao Benshu clenched his fists tightly, determined not to let the Scorpion Queen take a shortcut. If her face was injured, the fickle viewers might switch their support to the flashy Beast Girl in the third round.

After all, a mere child’s support rate in the third round would surely be lower than that of a beautiful girl. With this thought, Zhao Benshu’s smile relaxed considerably.

Professor Qiao, slumped in his chair, seemed unmotivated to do anything, merely casting a meaningful glance at Qi Chao, who was not far from him. He then yawned dejectedly and continued to select a medium difficulty obstacle for his puppet.

【Ugh, go, go, go!】

The viewers in Qi Chao’s live stream were thrilled as they watched Li Bai, moving with the speed of a gust of wind, surpass the Beast Girl and the Scorpion Queen. Their excitement reached its peak when they saw Li Bai reach the finish line and meet Qi Chao.

【I declare that the winner of this parent-child competition is Qi Chao!!!】

【So touching, did you see that? Li Bai jumped straight into Qi Chao's arms and nearly knocked him off balance. Qi Chao didn't say a word but smiled and ruffled Li Bai's hair. Aww, so affectionate!】

【This is what it means to fight side by side and win together! Earlier, Zhang Ya just picked a random path and left everything to his puppet, then complained that the puppet was useless. What kind of person is that?】

【?? Why are you insulting our boss? Are you out of your mind? It's just a puppet! Are you really so dumb that you think our boss should treat his puppet like a father?】

【Ignore them upstairs. These idiots suddenly developed a sense of sympathy, probably because they were scared by how the puppets looked before. Well, who can blame them? The puppets are just too good-looking.】

After the competition ended, all the live streams merged into one. Some congratulated Qi Chao on his victory, while others were displeased, especially fans of the idols who didn’t make it to the third round, who grew even more resentful towards Qi Chao.

【So funny. In the first round, the character design was completely off-topic, and you won just by relying on the character background. Now you're so happy? What a shameless act.】

【Are you out of your mind? Are you saying that design wasn’t stunning? Are you saying the puppet’s background and design can be separated? The verification machine at the Central Brain Headquarters is so advanced, it’s more intelligent than the judges, and it approved it. How can you not accept it?】

The haters seized on the first round’s issues to criticize Qi Chao, and of course, his fans couldn’t stand it. The two sides clashed fiercely in the comment section, arguing back and forth without backing down.

Qi Chao, unaware of the ongoing drama in the comment sections, smiled warmly as he patted Li Bai’s head, praising him genuinely and naturally, “It’s all thanks to Li Bai. If it weren’t for you, Dad wouldn’t have made it to the next round. Li Bai is truly amazing! Tonight, I’ll make something delicious for you.”

“Okay!” 

Li Bai chirped back, his chest puffing up proudly under his father's affectionate praise. His golden-hued eyes sparkled behind the mask, and he showed his small tiger teeth with a big smile.

Once the top five puppets reached the finish line, the second round concluded, and the remaining puppets slowly exited the maze.

The participants advancing to the third round were Qi Chao, Zhao Benben, Professor Qiao, the advertising-focused Xiu Mei, and an older puppet master who had created an A-grade puppet.

Among the S-grade puppeteers, only Zhang Ya did not make it to the finals, having been eliminated in the first stage of the second round.

For Zhang Ya, whose pride was extremely high, this was a disgrace. When the once-proud Wolf King was brought out by the staff, Zhang Ya’s eyes were filled with disdain. Still, maintaining his composure, he walked over to his side.

The Wolf King, covered in black holes and lying awkwardly on a stretcher, had his legs and arms twisted from the heavy weight that had crushed him. Noticing his father nearby, the Wolf King struggled to lift his head. 

His face was smeared with dust, and his lips moved in a silent plea, clearly trying to call out to his father.

Zhang Ya glanced at him but chose to ignore him.

Qi Chao set Li Bai down and turned his attention to the puppets that had returned to the competition arena.

Apart from Li Bai, the Beast Girl, and the Warlock Master, who were all unscathed, the other puppets had varying degrees of injuries. Some had only minor scratches, while others had suffered severe damage, with legs completely severed.

Among all the puppets, the Wolf King and the puppet with the lower body severed are the most severely injured. They lie on stretchers, and despite their faint voices, Qi Chao can tell from their eyes that these two severely wounded puppets are helplessly begging for their creators' comfort, while the two creators standing nearby show no concern whatsoever.

Seeing this, Qi Chao's joy at advancing in the competition completely fades away. If he hadn't won, he would have tried to persuade them, but now that he has advanced, approaching them might anger the creators, which could be detrimental to the puppets.

While Qi Chao listens absentmindedly to the host speaking on stage, his eyes remain fixed on the two injured puppets.

After the event, as the creators start to leave with their puppets, Qi Chao notices that the two creators remain in the venue without moving. He thinks for a moment and then leads Li Bai to a corner.

"Dad?"

Li Bai looks puzzled and follows his father's gaze.

"Wait here, I'll see how those two creators handle their puppets," Qi Chao says softly, patting Li Bai's head.

Li Bai, who is usually timid but loves excitement, nods vigorously and says, "If they treat the puppet brothers badly, can we bring them home, Dad?"

If the two creators really plan to discard their puppets after using them, Qi Chao certainly wouldn't leave the severely injured puppets unattended.

He remained silent and continued to gently rub Li Bai's head.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ya was looking at the Wolf King, which he had once been so proud of.

“What do you plan to do with it?” 

Li Xiao, the father of the puppet with the severed legs, kicked his own puppet with the tip of his foot, seemingly indifferent to its injuries. “My puppet is still intact, just needs the legs repaired. With a bit of work, I can find a collector and make a profit. Your puppet, though, is beyond repair, right?”

“Yeah, its mother stone is shattered,” Zhang Ya replied, visibly displeased. This was his only S-level puppet, and now it’s ruined. It was a real letdown, but it’s okay. He can make another one. It’s just a shame that high-quality materials he used went to waste.

“I should have known better than to come here!” Zhang Ya muttered under his breath, extremely frustrated. He gave the Wolf King a heavy kick. Although the Wolf King appeared to be an adult, it was still a puppet and quite light. The kick sent it crashing into a pillar.

The Wolf King lay on the ground with twisted limbs, still trying to call out to its creator, its eyes filled with panic and fear, desperately afraid of being abandoned.

After kicking the Wolf King, Zhang Ya left without looking back, and Li Xiao, glancing at the Wolf King lying on the ground, felt a bit of regret.

If he could create an S-level puppet, he would definitely be celebrated, but now, with an A-level puppet having lost two legs, he had to be frugal and take it back to repair.

Li Xiao thought this and then left with his puppet, not paying any attention to the Wolf King on the ground. 

After all, it wouldn't live much longer. The association’s cleaners would come by tomorrow, and it would be discarded at the trash site.

Qi Chao’s face darkened after seeing the Wolf King being kicked. He gritted his teeth, watching as Zhang Ya and Li Xiao left.

Did Zhang Ya really abandon the Wolf King?

Damn, what trash.

Qi Chao cursed silently and walked over to the Wolf King with Li Bai. He crouched down, trying to straighten the Wolf King’s twisted body.

S-level puppets are not fragile; as long as you are careful, even if the limbs are twisted, they won’t fall apart.

“Sorry, I’ll be gentle,” Qi Chao said softly to the Wolf King.

The Wolf King looked at Qi Chao with some confusion.

After the defeat, the Wolf King had vaguely guessed that he might be abandoned by his creator, but he still held out some hope. After all, he was an S-level puppet, different from the worthless lower-level trash outside. 

When his creator actually left, the Wolf King’s entire world collapsed.

He knew that the person in front of him was a puppet master who had made it to the third round, but he didn’t understand why this person wanted to help him.

“Do you want to come home with me?”

Upon hearing the puppeteer's words, the Wolf King replied, “I need to wait for my father to come and get me.”

The Wolf King knew deep down that his father would not come, but he still harbored some hope. 

Unlike his father, Xiu Mei was gentle and kind to her puppets. Those puppets would receive praise from Xiu Mei just for saying a few words in front of the camera. 

His father, on the other hand, never praised him. 

However, the Wolf King thought his father cared for him because he would always proudly say that the Wolf King was his most satisfactory creation.

The Wolf King wanted to go home with his father.

The puppet master’s expression was complex, as if he wanted to tell the Wolf King that his father would not come for him. The Wolf King waited for him to say it, but the puppet master seemed reluctant to hurt his feelings and remained silent in the venue for a long time.

“There are some energy stones here. If you’re hungry, you can eat them,” Qi Chao said, observing the Wolf King’s twisted hand hooked on the iron pole, his face showing caution. It was clear that the Wolf King was reluctant to go with him, but Qi Chao found it hard to tell him that his father had abandoned him.

He bought a mattress and some energy stones from outside, ensuring that the Wolf King would be comfortable for the night. 

“I’ll come to pick you up early tomorrow.”

Qi Chao thought that a night would be enough for the Wolf King to realize that his father would not be coming for him. Originally, Qi Chao intended to stay and keep him company, but the Wolf King’s high level of vigilance made it impossible for him to rest. 

After ensuring that the Wolf King would be okay, he left with Li Bai and went home.

In the venue, the Wolf King quietly looked at the bag of high-grade energy stones beside him. 

After a long while, he finally lowered his gaze.

It was around eight o’clock in the evening. The third round of the competition would start in three days. 

When Qi Chao returned home, he carried the already-sleeping Li Bai from the spacecraft back to the bedroom.

Shen Yuxi was watching a projection in the living room. Seeing Qi Chao come down from upstairs, he looked somewhat worried. “Did something happen?”

Qi Chao explained the situation with the Wolf King and then said, “Sorry, I didn’t send you back.”

“It’s no problem,” Shen Yuxi said with a gentle smile. “I can go with you to pick up the Wolf King tomorrow.”

Qi Chao was about to refuse, considering that Shen Yuxi had been having trouble resting well because of the competition. 

Just as he was about to speak, Shen Yuxi added, “Let’s bring the three puppets along too, or they might think we’re sneaking out for fun.”

Hearing this, Qi Chao realized that Shen Yuxi was determined to go with him. He chuckled softly, “Alright, it’ll be good to have them help with carrying the mattress.”

Shen Yuxi smiled warmly at this. He was curious to see how Qi Chao would manage to take the abandoned puppet home. Though it was a trivial matter, Shen Yuxi was unexpectedly interested.

Meanwhile, in the quiet venue, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed. 

The Wolf King, who hadn’t been sleeping, opened his eyes as the footsteps drew nearer.

Though the Wolf King’s body was still twisted, Qi Chao’s slight adjustments had made him look less awkward. However, he still lacked the strength to rise, or rather, the Wolf King might never be able to stand again.

“Wolf King.”

The familiar voice suddenly rang out, and the Wolf King couldn’t help but tremble with excitement. He looked up at the familiar figure kneeling in front of him and, with great effort, managed to croak out, “Father.”

Zhang Ya’s gaze was filled with disgust as he looked at the weak Wolf King on the ground, resembling a struggling insect. 

However, remembering what Zhao Benben had told him, Zhang Ya tried to keep his composure and said, “Did Qi Chao come looking for you earlier? Is he taking you back?”

The Wolf King stiffened, sensing what his father’s intentions might be.

“I can take you back.”

The Wolf King’s heart leaped at the words. Going home? The thought of returning to the place where he was created, his eternal home, was overwhelmingly exciting. Everything he had ever seen upon opening his eyes for the first time belonged there. Not being able to return home left the Wolf King uncertain about where he could go.

Zhang Ya, thinking about the promised reward from Zhao Benben, licked his lips. “As long as you follow my instructions, I’ll take you back.”

The next morning, Qi Chao, like the days during the competition, set out with his family in the spacecraft to the venue.

“What kind of puppet is it?” Lan Luo asked, looking at Li Bai.

“It has black hair on top and a ring of white hair below, looking very much like a wolf from an animation. It even has wolf patterns on its face, just a bit shorter than Dad! It’s super cool!”

Li Bai, dancing with excitement, described the puppet enthusiastically. His golden amber eyes sparkled behind the mask, clearly considering "cool" as the highest praise.

Moss, listening from the side, lowered his gaze and continued to arrange the puppet's hair. He had already seen the appearance during the competition, so Li Bai's description seemed redundant.

Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi, sitting in the front row, heard the conversation among the puppets and joined in, making the atmosphere even more lively.

“Be good, alright? The Wolf King is injured, so try not to make any fuss in front of him,” Qi Chao said to the three small children as they entered the venue. Of course, it was just a casual remark, as Qi Chao considered them all to be perfectly obedient.

“Okay!” Li Bai and Lan Luo responded enthusiastically, while Moss, standing in the back, also nodded slowly in acknowledgment.

With such a large group arriving at the venue, the Wolf King seemed momentarily stunned, but he quickly lowered his lashes.

Noticing this, Shen Yuxi’s blue eyes darkened, sensing that something might be wrong.

“Wolf King, would you like to come to my house and stay for a few days?” Qi Chao continued to avoid mentioning that his father had abandoned him and tried to keep the situation light.

The Wolf King remained silent for a few minutes, then stiffly turned his neck and slowly nodded.

Qi Chao was taken aback, having expected that he might need to persuade the Wolf King for a long time. Surprised but pleased with the quick agreement, Qi Chao smiled, stepped forward, and prepared to lift the Wolf King.

“Alright, I'll carry you to the car first.”

“I’ll help my brother bring the pillow back!” Li Bai said, excited about the prospect of a livelier home in the future. He eagerly walked over to the mattress, lifting the pillow high and ready to seek praise from his father as usual.

But just as he was about to ask for praise, he suddenly heard his godfather say, “Wait a moment.”

Li Bai paused, looking over with some confusion. The next moment, his face seemed to be splashed with a warm, unsettling sensation. He froze, his eyes growing blank and distant.

—A dagger was embedded in Qi Chao’s chest.

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TL: Didn't mean to leave you guys on a cliffhanger ﴾´•ᴗ•`﴿