Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 82

 

| PN | Proving Grounds | 82

In the depths of a dense forest, thick foliage blocked out the sunlight. Although it was daytime, the surroundings appeared eerie and silent. 

A few seconds later, the sound of heavy breathing emerged from within the forest, followed closely by the chaotic sound of footsteps. Four or five middle-aged men, covered in blood, appeared. 

Upon seeing the familiar lake in front of them, their eyes filled with panic and fear.

Their clothes were disheveled, as if they had been violently torn apart. Their arms and legs seemed to have been severed by some sharp weapon, leaving them with empty, bloody stumps. 

The crimson blood trailed from the depths of the forest all the way to the edge of the lake.

"Why can't we get out? Why?" Zhao Nan, a man with a scruffy beard, muttered in a daze. His eyes were bloodshot, and he kept hitting his head with his hands, as if unable to believe what was happening before him.

This was the fifth time they had returned to this lakeside. The past few days had been like a nightmare. 

They were relentlessly pursued by grotesque monsters, while delicate-looking black-haired dolls followed behind, chopping off their limbs with smiles on their faces, before leaving them as if it were a game. 

The dying men were healed and regenerated by their companions, forced to endure this cycle of pain and despair over and over again.

Upon hearing Zhao Nan's words, a nearby man named Li Te, who had a large belly and a corpulent figure, wore an expression of extreme pain. With his sweaty hand, he grabbed his thick right arm and angrily shouted to his right, "Hurry up and heal me, you worthless scum!"

The frail man named Zhang Tao, who had been curled up clutching his stomach, quickly crawled over after hearing Li Te's command and placed his hand on Li Te's arm. 

In the next moment, a warm yellow light appeared, and as the flickering light faded, Li Te's severed arm began to regrow, becoming exactly as it was before in just a few seconds.

The other men showed no signs of surprise; they had long grown accustomed to this sight. 

In fact, ordinary people couldn’t see the warm yellow light—only those who had gained supernatural abilities from the research institute could perceive it. 

These men held high status on Blue Star, and it was precisely because of this that they were able to bypass numerous marshals and generals to be among the first to obtain these powers.

After gaining these abilities, they were supposed to be met with admiration and unparalleled reverence. 

But instead, they found themselves in this nightmarish place.

“What do we do now?” Li Te, still trembling with anxiety, couldn't help but shudder at the thought that the dolls might find them in just a few minutes. The pain in his body and the unbearable hunger only deepened his despair.

The others, upon hearing Li Te's words, seemed numb. They knew there were no fish in the lake, and up until now, they hadn’t found any food. They had been surviving on leaves, which were sour and not fit for consumption.

Zhao Nan, the scruffy-bearded man, stared blankly at the calm surface of the lake, lost in thought. 

Even if the puppets didn’t kill them, they would starve to death here in just a few days.

Just as Zhao Nan was thinking this, a faint sound emerged from the forest, like the scuttling of countless spiders on the ground—a chaotic noise that made the middle-aged men realize what was coming. 

Trembling, they quickly got up and began to run.

Their desperate sprint left them gasping for air, unaccustomed as they were to such exertion. 

Their eardrums buzzed with a deafening roar, and their chests heaved violently. Zhao Nan ran blindly, panicking. When he heard Li Te's scream, he glanced back with great effort.

What he saw was Li Te falling to the ground, instantly swarmed by a mass of grotesque puppets. 

These eerie creatures were shrouded in shadows, which, from their outline, looked disturbingly human-like. Li Te’s large body was quickly buried under the swarm of these monsters.

Zhao Nan and the others felt a jolt of fear at the sight but didn’t stop running. The horde of deformed puppets continued their relentless pursuit, leaving the men with no choice but to keep running and running.

After what felt like an eternity, Zhao Nan and the others found themselves back at the lakeside. Zhang Tao, the frail man, collapsed onto the ground, his body covered in blood.

His healing ability was nearing its limit, and once it was exhausted, he wouldn’t be able to heal any wounds for at least eight hours.

Gasping for breath, Zhao Nan, his face streaked with blood, weakly walked toward the spot where Li Te had fallen. 

When he saw the mangled body on the ground, Zhao Nan wasn’t surprised. He turned Li Te over and noticed the faint rise and fall of his chest, and let out a sigh of relief.

Li Te held a high rank. If he died, it would be difficult for Zhao Nan and the others to explain what had happened.

Reflecting on their recent experiences, Zhao Nan suddenly realized something—the puppets never seemed to finish them off. 

Zhao Nan could sense the puppet’ hatred and murderous intent toward them, yet no matter how severe their attacks were, the creatures always left them with a sliver of life. It was as if something was restraining the monsters from killing them outright.

“Brother Zhao, do you need healing?” Zhang Tao asked timidly as he approached, his gaze fixed on Li Te.

"No need," Zhao Nan replied, glancing disdainfully at Li Te. "He's not dead yet."

In this cursed place, who knew what might happen in the next second? Zhao Nan figured it was best to focus on keeping himself alive first. 

Estimating the time it would take for his own abilities to recover, he continued, "In three hours, you can heal him."

Zhang Tao, who was timid and always followed Zhao Nan's lead, had no objections to this plan.

As night fell, the deformed puppets wouldn’t come out, but Zhao Nan felt that the night was far more terrifying than the day. It was as if something else lurked in the forest—something ominous and eerie.

The night wind rustled the leaves, and the faint sound of footsteps reached their ears. Zhao Nan and Zhang Tao instantly became alert, dragging the barely conscious Li Te behind a tree. 

When they saw a few emaciated humans emerge from the darkness, Zhao Nan and Zhang Tao exchanged glances.

This was the first time they had encountered other living people here.

Zhao Nan swallowed hard, sensing that his abilities had mostly recovered. His legs trembling, he told Zhang Tao to stay put while he cautiously stepped out.

The sound of rustling leaves caught the attention of the group by the lake, who turned to look.

“Are you newcomers?” one of them asked.

Zhao Nan quickly nodded upon hearing their words, overjoyed as he asked, "You were brought here suddenly too? What is this place?"

"This place?" The skeletal woman by the lake spoke with a trembling voice. She tilted her head slightly, the dark circles under her eyes making her look almost crazed, and the wide grin on her face was unsettling. "It's hell."

The chilly autumn night wind blew through, and Zhao Nan felt a sudden coldness in his heart.

…

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Xiang Yue's black canine tail wagged excitedly. His red eyes gleamed as he stared at the baseball in his hand, then looked up at his father with barely contained excitement in his voice. "Is this for Xiang Yue?"

"Yes," Qi Chao replied, reaching out to ruffle Xiang Yue's hair. Noticing Xiang Yue's canine ears twitching, he couldn’t resist giving one of his furry ears a playful squeeze. 

"If you like playing with the ball, I'll teach you how to play baseball another day."

Indeed, Blue Star's delivery service was much more convenient than in his previous life. The baseball he had ordered online during the day had arrived before six in the evening, showing impressive efficiency.

Xiang Yue nodded vigorously, his expression as calm as ever, but his tail wagged so rapidly it almost blurred. 

Li Bai, whose golden eyes stared unblinkingly from beneath his mask, fixated on Xiang Yue's tail. He rubbed his hands against his pants, resisting the urge to touch it.

A few seconds later, he couldn't hold back and reached out to touch the tail.

Feeling his tail being grabbed, Xiang Yue stiffened and turned his head, only to see Li Bai retracting his hand with a small, mischievous grin, revealing two tiny fangs. 

Li Bai was his brother, created by their father.

Xiang Yue thought this over and decided not to react. His canine ears twitched slightly, a subtle acknowledgment of Li Bai, before he returned his attention to the ball in his hands, his tail swaying from side to side.

Xiang Yue had noticed this round object back in the park. He wasn't sure how to play with it, but it caught his interest—perhaps because he didn't particularly like swings. 

From the moment his father gave him the ball, Xiang Yue had ranked it as his second favorite thing.

The first was his feathers.

Lan Luo, who had just watched Qi Chao ruffle Xiang Yue's hair, shifted his gaze and caught sight of Li Bai touching Xiang Yue's tail. 

His bright smile faltered, stiffening noticeably.

Lan Luo hesitated for a moment before walking over to Qi Chao and tugging on his clothes. 

When Qi Chao leaned down, Lan Luo buried his face into Qi Chao’s waist, mumbling, "Lan Luo wants a head pat too."

Qi Chao chuckled softly and ruffled Lan Luo's golden hair. "Alright."

Seeing Lan Luo's smile, Qi Chao thought for a moment and then walked over to Li Bai, giving his hair a gentle pat, before doing the same for San Yue. 

With so many children at home, Qi Chao knew he had to treat them all equally.

When Qi Chao patted San Yue's hair, San Yue’s body tensed, but upon seeing the warmth in Qi Chao’s eyes, he pressed his lips together.

"I bought some toys earlier. Come take a look and see if there’s anything you like," Qi Chao said. He hadn’t just bought the baseball; he had also picked up things like a Rubik’s cube so the kids could entertain themselves when bored.

He handed the Rubik’s cube to San Yue and smiled at him, briefly explaining how to play with it.

San Yue looked at the Rubik’s cube in his hands and held the colorful toy a little tighter. It reminded him of the time when Tu Zhuang used to enjoy playing with him. 

Back when the family had money, San Yue had many toys, but after losing everything, all he had left was Tu Zhuang.

"Thank you," San Yue said earnestly, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, as if a weight had been lifted from him.

"No problem," Qi Chao replied with a smile. He hadn’t noticed it at first during the day, but later on, he realized that something had been bothering San Yue.

Though San Yue appeared to be an adult man on the outside, Qi Chao still saw him as just a child. 

Now that he saw San Yue relaxing, Qi Chao felt more at ease himself.

As the night grew late, Qi Chao decided to take San Yue home in his aircraft. During the ride, San Yue fidgeted with the Rubik's cube.

On the surface, he seemed to be playing with it, but in reality, his mind was elsewhere, silently reflecting on the day's events.

Qi Chao was warm and caring. He took the puppets for walks in the park, carved elaborate energy stones for them, and even patted their heads, praising them. 

If San Yue were to tell him that the puppet named Lan Luo would go blind, Qi Chao would undoubtedly be worried. 

San Yue stopped turning the Rubik's cube, finally deciding to keep this matter hidden for now. He needed to figure out what his dreams really meant.

Qi Chao, sitting in the driver's seat, glanced over at San Yue, who seemed lost in thought. He looked back to the road and smiled slightly, choosing not to ask any questions.

Since it was already late, Qi Chao didn’t go into the villa where his brothers lived.

He waited until San Yue had entered through the gate before preparing to head back home. Just as he was about to press the start button on the vehicle, his communicator suddenly vibrated.

Doctor: [I need to go to Linjing District for a few days. Do you mind if I stay at your place during that time?]

Qi Chao's smile widened slightly as he replied, [How could I mind? I'll tidy up your room as soon as I get home.]

Doctor: [Are you out somewhere?]

Qi Chao casually responded, [Yeah, I just dropped San Yue off to see Tu Zhuang. Tu Zhuang is really attached to his family’s puppet.]

After sending the message, there was no response from Brother Shen for a while.

Qi Chao glanced at what he had written, reassured that there was nothing wrong with his words, and didn’t think much more of it, assuming Brother Shen was just busy with something.

…

Meanwhile, in the Qiao family villa in Linjing District, Qiao Sheng lay slumped in his wheelchair like a lazy fish, seemingly lost in thought after hearing from Lu Chen that the research institute had added ten new ability users. 

Ten ability users? The research institute is moving fast. Creating ten ability users would mean destroying at least ten S-class puppets. 

Since when have S-class puppets become so mass-produced?

As Qiao Sheng pondered this, his gaze drifted to a news post on his communicator about Qing Yu. Scratching his neck, he considered that the institute's eagerness to push Qing Yu into the spotlight might also suggest their intention to ramp up the production of S-class dolls.

Perhaps in the coming days, many puppet makers capable of producing S-class puppets would receive invitations.

Recalling Qi Chao, who won the competition last time, Qiao Sheng smirked slightly. If the research institute was really interested in Qi Chao, it would certainly make things interesting with Shen Yuxi.

He touched his chest, seemingly remembering the knife wound from before.

"What's wrong? Is your chest still hurting?" Lu Chen asked, concerned, noticing Qiao Sheng's gesture. "Who exactly injured you back then?"

"Just a case of sleepwalking and stabbing myself," Qiao Sheng replied with a nonchalant tone, his answer somewhat offhand.

Before Shen Yuxi's wild plans were fully set in motion, Qiao Sheng had no intention of revealing any details about Shen Yuxi. 

Unlike Lu Chen, who was solely focused on the well-being of humanity, Qiao Sheng had no particular fondness or aversion toward the research institute. 

As long as the institute's interests didn’t encroach upon his daughters, he was willing to consider humanity’s interests a bit more, only for Lu Chen's sake.

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