Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 64

 

| PN | Fishing For Men | 64

Sensing danger, Lan Luo nimbly rolled out of the way, his chest enveloped in swirling black mist, which served as a thick layer of armor.

Lu Chen, standing a short distance away, withdrew his hand, maintaining his calm demeanor. He looked at Lan Luo and said, “You’re quite strong.”

This man indeed had special abilities. Lan Luo was not surprised. The research institute had informed them about acquiring a puppet’s special abilities through the Puppet Heart, but this was Lan Luo’s first time witnessing a human with special abilities.

His blue eyes narrowed slightly as he took a few steps back, then swiftly turned and charged toward Qiao Sheng. The black mist around his hands exploded, nearly enveloping his target.

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared, grabbing Qiao Sheng and lifting him away from the wheelchair. The figure had a fluffy tail and upright ears, clearly one of Qiao Sheng’s puppets—Chao Yang.

Beast-type puppets were more adept at stealth compared to others. Zhao Yang had been hiding in the shadows to protect Qiao Sheng’s safety.

Chao Yang placed her useless father in a corner and stood in front of Lan Luo, her gaze sharp and threatening. “Are you looking to die?”

Lan Luo’s blue eyes were shadowed with malice. The situation was indeed unfavorable for him, as both opponents had special abilities while he had only one. However, he was not afraid. The black mist around him thickened, and he smiled brightly. “It’s you who are seeking death by approaching Qi Chao.”

Qiao Sheng had already guessed that the sudden attack was related to Qi Chao, but hearing it confirmed was still astonishing. It was hard for him to imagine that a puppet created by Shen Yuxi would go to such lengths for a human.

“Did your father send you to kill me, or is this your own decision?” Qiao Sheng asked curiously.

Lan Luo didn’t respond. 

At that moment, Lu Chen had positioned himself in front of Qiao Sheng, standing side by side with Chao Yang. He addressed Lan Luo. “Your actions are a violation of imperial law. If you don’t want to be arrested, you should cease immediately.”

“No way,” Lan Luo retorted. “Even if I stop now, you’d still see me as a bad puppet and take me to some research facility where they’ll deal with me.”

As he spoke, the black mist around him grew thicker, nearly filling the entire cave.

Lan Luo’s black mist was a terrifying ability. Not only did it enhance his own physical capabilities, but it also caused immediate weakness and suffocation in anyone enveloped by it. 

If the empire had discovered this ability earlier, Lan Luo would have been sent to a research facility right away.

Lan Luo had always followed his father's orders to hide his powers, and this was the first time he was using them in front of people from the association. 

Seeing the black mist filling the cave, Qiao Sheng’s expression remained nonchalant. “Are you planning to kill Qi Chao along with us?”

“No,” Lan Luo responded with a bright smile. “Once you’re dead, the mist will dissipate.”

Despite his cheerful tone, Lan Luo was growing anxious. He had limited time and needed to resolve the situation quickly. With that thought, he charged forward.

Chao Yang reacted immediately, her claws extending significantly as she engaged Lan Luo in combat.

Qiao Sheng, reclining in the corner, smiled slightly, having deduced Lan Luo's plan. Given his analysis of the black mist, he estimated that they might be dead within a minute.

Qiao Sheng tugged on Lu Chen’s sleeve and, when Lu Chen looked at him, pointed towards the wall behind them.

Lu Chen looked at the wall for a moment and nodded. 

On the other side, Qi Chao was holding Li Bai's hand and searching for Lan Luo when he suddenly heard a loud crash. He stopped in his tracks. 

The sound had come from not too far ahead. Qi Chao suspected it might be a landslide in the mine, but after thinking about it, he found it unlikely. Given how close the cave intersections were, if there was an accident on one side, they wouldn’t escape unharmed.

Thinking of Lan Luo, Qi Chao pursed his lips and quickened his pace with Li Bai towards the sound. As they entered the next mine tunnel intersection, a cloud of dust hit them, making Qi Chao cough a few times. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lan Luo standing inside the cave.

Not far away were Qiao Sheng and a few others, with a pile of rubble in the corner, as if someone had used a hammer to forcefully break it down. From their appearance, they seemed to be unharmed.

“Lan Luo!”

Li Bai, excited to see Lan Luo, ran over without noticing the cave’s oddity. He then said somewhat apologetically, “I couldn’t find you, so I had to bring Dad with me. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Lan Luo’s golden, slightly curled hair was covered in dust, and his face was smeared with grime, but his smile was still bright, though it seemed forced.

“What’s going on?” Seeing that Lan Luo was unharmed, Qi Chao walked over to the two children and looked at Qiao Sheng and the others, his deep brown eyes showing a probing expression.

Before Qi Chao arrived, Qiao Sheng had already returned to his wheelchair, and Lu Chen remained equally calm. The Beastwoman, Chao Yang, had disappeared without anyone noticing, so outwardly, the two of them seemed perfectly normal.

Qiao Sheng’s expression remained listless as he said calmly, “It must be that the mine wall here is unstable and has naturally collapsed. Fortunately, it didn’t cause an accident.”

Lan Luo did not dispute this. The pile of fallen rocks in the corner was not large; such occurrences were not unusual in the mine.

Since this mother stone mine now belonged to Qi Chao, he was responsible for any issues that arose. 

After apologizing to the two men, Qi Chao took out his communicator to report the incident to the staff. He then told them, “The mining supervisor will come over to inspect the wall shortly. I’ve arranged for medical personnel, so you should come with me to check your conditions first to avoid any problems.”

Qiao Sheng and Lu Chen had no objections.

“Do as you see fit.”

Qi Chao nodded, but he cast several lingering glances at the wall. The marks on the wall seemed more like they had been hammered rather than naturally eroded. However, it seemed that Qiao Sheng had no reason to lie to him about this.

He set aside his thoughts about the wall and looked down at Lan Luo, crouching to pat the dirty little head with a serious expression. “Lan Luo, didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t run off? Why did you end up here?”

Lan Luo’s heart tightened, but he looked somewhat aggrieved as he explained, “Lan Luo just wanted to win.”

He pouted and earnestly apologized, “Lan Luo knows he was wrong. Please forgive me, okay? I’ll definitely not do it again!”

Even though he was covered in dirt, Lan Luo still looked like a little angel, with his slightly curled golden hair and dirty little nose making it hard for anyone to be harsh with him.

Qiao Sheng and Lu Chen, seeing the demon puppet that was just fighting and now appeared as a meek little lamb, felt a bit uncomfortable.

Qi Chao didn’t continue his reprimand and gently ruffled Lan Luo’s head. “Wanting to win is fine, but next time, you must tell me before you leave. Otherwise, I’ll be very worried about you.”

“Mm!”

Lan Luo nodded vigorously, his smile radiant. He held Qi Chao and Li Bai’s hands as they walked out of the cave. 

However, when Qi Chao and Li Bai were not paying attention, he slowly turned his head to glance back.

His eyes were shadowed, like a venomous snake fixated on its prey, seemingly unwilling to ever give up on its hunt.

When Lu Chen saw the demon puppet’s gaze, he almost lost control and wanted to deal with it directly.

Qiao Sheng, however, interestingly stopped Lu Chen.

“Are you letting him go?” Lu Chen was confused about what his friend was thinking, given that the puppet had just tried to kill him. “We need to take him to the research institute; we can’t let that puppet roam free.”

Lu Chen thought that keeping such a humanoid weapon outside could have serious consequences for humanity.

Qiao Sheng shook his head and patted his friend’s hand reassuringly, chuckling softly. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to die. Also, this puppet was clearly placed here by Shen Yuxi. If you really take it to the research institute, that would be the real disaster for humanity.”

His friend was always the more thoughtful one. Lu Chen knew his intelligence was not on par with Qiao Sheng's. Seeing Qiao Sheng’s dejected expression, Lu Chen silently nodded. After a few seconds, he added, “If that puppet does anything to harm others, I won’t hold back.”

“Good.”

Qiao Sheng could tell that Lu Chen had compromised. He knew his friend was stubborn and not interested in puppets, only focused on the people of Blue Star.

Even now, Qiao Sheng couldn’t understand how such a troublesome person could be his friend, but he felt it wasn’t too bad. As long as Lu Chen didn’t find out about his past actions, Qiao Sheng thought their friendship could last a long time.

After leaving the mine, the medical staff waiting outside checked Qiao Sheng and Lu Chen one by one.

Once it was confirmed that they were fine, Qi Chao let the medical staff go back to rest.

Qiao Sheng took the opportunity to suggest leaving. His face was pale and his demeanor weary. “Let’s arrange another time to meet. I’m heading back now.”

Of course, Qiao Sheng's exhaustion was an act. He noticed Lan Luo's gaze a few meters away made him feel an ache in his chest, and realized he had to be quite cautious about his own life. 

Although he couldn’t yet see what attracted Shen Yuxi to Qi Chao, he decided to lay low for the time being to protect himself.

“Alright,” Qi Chao smiled at them. “We’ll talk another day.”

After sending off Qiao Sheng and Lu Chen, Qi Chao also left the mine with the two children.

On the way, Qi Chao thought about the marks he had seen on the wall earlier. He frowned in confusion and looked at Lan Luo in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

“Lan Luo, when you went to the intersection before, were those rocks already there?”

“No.” Lan Luo looked somewhat puzzled, as if he didn’t understand why Qi Chao was asking this. However, he nervously fiddled with the leather seat beneath him, afraid that something might be noticed.

“After Lan Luo met those two uncles in the cave, the rocks on the wall fell down on their own a while later.” Lan Luo became increasingly confident in his explanation, convinced that he hadn’t made any mistakes.

Qi Chao heard Lan Luo’s explanation and responded with a thoughtful “Hmm.” Although it seemed a bit strange, he felt he might be overthinking things. After all, there was no real need for Lan Luo to lie about this matter. “You need to listen and not be so reckless, understand?”

Hearing Qi Chao’s return to his usual tone, Lan Luo knew Qi Chao believed him. He sighed in relief and replied with a bright smile.

After arriving home, Qi Chao briefly spoke with the children before heading to the basement.

Despite the minor incident, Qi Chao managed to select a piece of mother stone from the mine with a speed comparable to when he chose Li Bai’s mother stone.

The mother stone resembled a small dog. It seemed like fate, as Qi Chao’s next puppet was that of a celestial dog. When he saw the stone in the mine, he immediately took a liking to it.

He rubbed his thumb over the dusty little dog-shaped mother stone a few times before tossing it into the nutrient solution. Just as he was about to start infusing spiritual energy according to the procedure, he paused, remembering something. He turned around and took out the two mother stones from his desk.

There was no information on how to reawaken mother stones on Blue Star, and the system hadn't returned, so Qi Chao decided to handle the Double Mirror mother stones according to his own plan. 

After all, the outcome couldn’t be worse than the current situation.

Thinking this, Qi Chao placed the Double Mirror mother stones into the bathtub as well. Inside the transparent fish tank, the dusty stone lay side by side with two dim red crystals, making the red crystals appear somewhat more attractive by comparison.

A faint smile appeared in his deep brown eyes. He closed his eyes and, while meditating, began to transmit spiritual energy into the nutrient solution. Invisible green light clusters poured into the solution in vast amounts, seemingly inexhaustible.

Upstairs, Lan Luo was initially watching an animation with Li Bai. After confirming that Qi Chao had gone to the basement, he hesitated for a moment, thinking about the earlier events with Qiao Sheng and Lu Chen. 

Lan Luo decided to tell his father about what had happened.

Lan Luo stood up from the ground, when Li Bai looked up in confusion. “Lan Luo, where are you going?”

“I want to go back to my room.” Lan Luo quickly added, seeing Li Bai’s expression, “I’m just tired and want to sleep. You’re not allowed to follow!”

Li Bai, who initially wanted to join Lan Luo in his room to play, looked disappointed upon hearing this. If he had a tail, it would have drooped by now.

Lan Luo showed no sign of sympathy, glanced at Li Bai, and quickly turned to run upstairs.

Li Bai wasn’t sure if Lan Luo really wanted to sleep. He hesitated between eavesdropping upstairs and continuing to watch the animation downstairs. In the end, he obediently sat in the living room.

He pursed his lips and changed the channel with the remote. Since Lan Luo wouldn’t keep him company, 

Li Bai decided not to continue watching the animation Lan Luo liked. He picked a random animation and watched it seriously.

Upstairs, Lan Luo took a communicator out of his drawer.

This communicator had been bought by Qi Chao a long time ago, and it only had two contacts: Qi Chao and his father.

Due to various reasons, Lan Luo had never dared to message his father, so the communicator had never been used. He looked down at the screen and dialed a voice call.

After a series of knocks, his father’s gentle and elegant voice came from the communicator.

“Lan Luo?”

“Father.” Lan Luo mustered up his courage to respond. He then recounted the events of the afternoon to his father.

“Qiao Sheng approached Qi Chao voluntarily?”

“Yes.”

After Lan Luo finished speaking, he nervously added, “I think Qiao Sheng’s intentions in approaching him aren’t good.” He was worried that his father might think he acted impulsively.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the communicator. After a few seconds, his father’s calm voice replied, “You’re not wrong. Don’t be afraid.”

Lan Luo, who had been anxiously clutching his pants, immediately felt much more at ease upon hearing this. He smiled brightly, his blue eyes curving into crescents, as if he had received validation.

The call soon ended. Without being reprimanded by his father, Lan Luo happily ran downstairs to watch animation. 

On the other side, Shen Yuxi’s face showed no sign of amusement.

He stared at the communicator on the coffee table, his gaze cool. His fingers lightly tapped the armrest of the sofa, clearly displeased.

Moss, instead of grooming the doll's hair, held it and looked at his father, his single black eye reflecting worry.

Agu, still wearing his favorite floral shirt and shorts, with his legs propped up on the table and a book covering his face, spoke up: “Does Father need to go after Qiao Sheng again? I said it would be simpler to just eliminate him. Look, now he’s popped up again—so troublesome.”

Shen Yuxi glanced at him and replied calmly, “Killing him would bring its own set of problems.”

Agu understood this well; he was just making a joke. If Qiao Sheng were dead, it wouldn’t help their situation and would likely make things even more complicated.

“That Lu Chen, right?” Agu stroked his chin and smiled. “He’s a marshal. Once he learns about Lan Luo, he’ll definitely keep an eye on him. Maybe one day Lan Luo will end up at the research institute, skinned and dissected, with his heart extracted.”

Agu said this with a smile, clearly enjoying the idea.

Moss shot him a cold glance, which only seemed to amuse Agu more.

“Lan Luo looks the most like Father, but his personality is completely different!” Agu continued with a grin. “First, he had a brainless plan to kill Qiao Sheng, then he exposed his abilities to Lu Chen without considering the consequences if he didn’t kill both of them.”

“Luckily, Qiao Sheng is still concerned about us; otherwise, that guy would be done for by now.”

Agu whistled, “A fool like that dying isn’t a bad thing!”

Shen Yuxi’s fingers, which had been tapping on the sofa armrest, came to a stop. His blue eyes turned coldly towards Agu, his tone revealing displeasure: “Say that again.”

Agu immediately fell silent, though he sighed inwardly.

His father was such a complex person—one moment treating them as tools and the next showing affection. The four puppets at home were being played around in circles.

Agu thought to himself that he was the smartest among them and hummed a cheerful tune.

Moss glanced at Agu, who was singing neurotically, before returning his gaze to Shen Yuxi. “Father, what should we do now?”

As Agu had mentioned, Lan Luo was already being targeted by Lu Chen. Even if Qiao Sheng wouldn’t have him arrested, all of Lan Luo’s future actions would be under surveillance.

“Bring Chi Yao and Ayu over.”

Shen Yuxi looked at Moss and said calmly.

Agu, who had been singing, stiffened upon hearing these names. With a grin, he said, “Father, I’ll head off now. There’s quite a bit to do at the trial grounds!”

Shen Yuxi took a small sip of his coffee, his voice faintly indifferent: “No need. You should also meet your two sisters.”

Agu’s back stiffened. His eerie, reclusive father was definitely getting back at him. Though he was well aware, Agu still obediently stayed in place.

A space vortex opened and closed, then reopened quickly, and three figures emerged.

The woman leading them had a cool, stunning appearance. She wore a white naval cap and a sexy white skirt, with a curvaceous figure. Her white gloves and a horsehide whip at her waist added to her imposing demeanor. With her chin slightly raised, she had a hint of disdainful smile at the corner of her mouth.

“Hi, sister,” Agu said with a smile, showing none of the unease he had before they arrived.

Before the leading woman could speak, a fiery red figure burst out from behind her. This person, like a blazing inferno with red hair and eyes, seemed to be on fire, and swung a two-meter-long large blade directly at Agu.

Agu, smiling, jumped backward. In the next moment, the floor where he had been standing was split open by the blade, showing that the attacker wasn’t holding back.

“How rude, Chi Yao,” Agu said as he hopped behind Shen Yuxi, seeking comfort. “Father, look, she’s so fierce!”

Shen Yuxi ignored Agu’s complaint and turned his attention to the two female puppets. His peach blossom eyes softened, and his voice became much gentler: “You’ve returned.”

“Yes, Father,” Ayu, the cool, elegant woman, nodded. She sat down on a nearby sofa and pulled out a notebook from her skirt pocket, seemingly taking notes.

“Father, the bug behind you is so annoying. Chi Yao wants to pin him down,” Chi Yao, only 1.6 meters tall but wielding a two-meter-long blade, tilted her head. Her red hair flowed in the air as she licked the blade’s edge and smiled at Agu. “Brother, don’t worry, it won’t hurt much.”

Agu made a grimace with a smile, his blue earrings swaying in the air: “I don’t believe Chi Yao. You little bastard!”

Little bastard??? 

How had this guy gotten even more annoying after just a few days?!

Chi Yao was so disgusted that she nearly wanted to vomit. Not only was Agu pretending to be young and calling Ayu “sister,” but now he was even upgrading the term?

Moss watched the lively scene in the living room, quietly moving behind his father to braid the doll’s hair. 

Braiding the doll’s hair was still the most satisfying thing.

Moss thought.

Shen Yuxi seemed to find the noise a bit bothersome. He glanced at Chi Yao and Agu, and the two puppets instantly quieted down.

The elegant and noble Ayu stood up and reported to her father: “Five new council officials have been added to the association’s roster. Their homes collectively have fifteen A-grade puppets, of which thirteen are eligible to participate in the plan.”

Dressed in a naval uniform, her serious report had a distinct air of presenting a briefing to a superior.

“The other two puppets were too foolish, so their owners gouged out their eyes and severed their limbs. They are temporarily unable to join the plan.”

Chi Yao added from the side: “I’ve dragged their owners into the trial grounds, and I’ve cleaned up the mess. I’ll take them for some practice another day.”

“Chi Yao and Ayu are so kind,” Agu said with a click of his tongue. His green eyes were smiling, but his words carried an inexplicable touch of sarcasm.

Chi Yao tightened her grip on the knife, her red eyes glowing like flames, and the patterns on her face seemed to burn like fire, searing the eyes of anyone who looked at her.

“You all did very well.”

Shen Yuxi’s voice was gentle and filled with satisfaction.

The mature and elegant Ayu adjusted her naval hat, pressing her lips together to hide her expression, while Chi Yao proudly rubbed her nose with her index finger.

Clearly, both girls were pleased with their father’s praise.

“Did Father bring us here for something specific?” After calming herself, Ayu asked with her light blue eyes wide open.

Shen Yuxi nodded: “Find something on Marshal Lu Chen, who is stationed in Linjing District, to do. He has discovered Lan Luo’s abilities.”

While listening to Shen Yuxi, Ayu wrote notes in her notebook. Once Shen Yuxi finished speaking, she paused her pen and responded with a cold but determined tone: “Yes, Father. I will complete the task soon.”

Ayu was the most talented among all the puppets Shen Yuxi had created. Whatever the task, she could handle it exceptionally well.

Shen Yuxi nodded, then turned to Chi Yao and inquired about the trial grounds.

As the person in charge of the trial grounds, Chi Yao, with her disheveled red hair and a proud expression, reported to her father about the recent injuries among some humans in the trial grounds and the useful intelligence extracted from their interrogation.

Chi Yao danced with excitement, her face beaming with a bright smile, though the patterns on her cheeks appeared quite enchanting.

“Very good.”

Shen Yuxi nodded with a smile.

Chi Yao plunged her two-meter-long blade into the ground and grinned with delight.

Watching the obvious cracks in the floor and seeing his father’s calm demeanor, Agu couldn’t help but sneer.

As expected, Father was a double standard hypocrite.

Everything Agu did was wrong, while Chi Yao could even break the floor and still not get scolded.

With this in mind, Agu smiled and said, “Since the sisters have finished their reports, it’s time for Father's turn! Can you tell us how you plan to catch a man?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Moss, Chi Yao, and Ayu all looked puzzled. What catching a man? Who’s catching whom?

Shen Yuxi’s gentle smile gradually faded. His peach blossom eyes, once warm and affectionate, turned cold and icy.

“Agu, could you repeat that?”

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