Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 93

 

| PN | Name | 93

The Double Mirror are two puppets. 

However, the two puppets share only one name. 

From the moment they reached out their hands to their father, wanting to be embraced but only receiving his disgusted gaze, the Double Mirror understood that they were not liked by their father. 

They were created in a deformed manner to satisfy people's curiosity and twisted aesthetics, they were merely tools for their father. 

The Double Mirror despise humanity, hated their father, and also loathe the world. 

They were born out of human selfishness and, due to human selfishness, they died.

The pain in their bodies constantly fueled their hatred, and until the moment of their death, they continued to hate this world that had never shown them kindness. 

In the illusory dark space, one black and one white puppet lean back to back. Their faces are blurred, their figures indistinct, and green light orbs, like fireflies with a rhythmic life of their own, drift around them. 

The silence in this space is terrifyingly complete, and the lack of any sound could gradually drive a person's mind to collapse. 

Yet, the Double Mirror likes this place very much. Despite their blurred faces, which make it impossible to see their expressions, the pleasant atmosphere around them cannot be hidden.

The two puppets lifted their blurred faces, intently "staring" at the seemingly endless green light orbs in front of them. Each speck of light in the air seemed to convey anticipation and affection for them.

For a long time, the two puppets would remain like this, back to back, holding hands, silently gazing at these light orbs. 

Ever since the Double Mirror regained consciousness, these green light orbs have been constantly surrounding them. 

Due to their past experiences, the puppets initially refrained from reaching out to these orbs, but the green light orbs showed no resentment toward their indifference. Like lively bees, they buzzed closely around them.

They understood that these orbs represented human spiritual energy. 

The Double Mirror despised humanity because humanity had only ever brought them pain. 

Yet, when a person shows them kindness and affection, the puppets find themselves at a loss and awkward.

The Double Mirror is like a pure mirror, reflecting the truest emotions. They despise humanity because of the harm inflicted upon them, but they also soften in response to human affection.

Even now, they do not understand why they find themselves in this strange space, but they do know that outside this space, there is a human who has been eagerly anticipating their arrival.

[I like this human.]

The white-haired puppet, whose head had been severed by a human, spoke. This human would incessantly talk to them and touch their mother stone, explaining the progress of their body’s creation. 

They knew that this human liked them.

[Mm.]

The black-haired puppet silently tightened its grip on half of its body.

Having never experienced care or affection before, the Double Mirror understood how precious human emotions were. 

As time passed, their anticipation for their new existence grew, even overshadowing their disdain for the world.

“You’re awake.”

At the sound of the man's deep, smiling voice, the two puppets opened their eyes.

They quietly looked at the hand extended towards them and, after a few seconds, reached out to grasp it.

After leaving the bathtub, the liquid on their clothes instantly evaporated into the air. 

The puppets' robes and hair were dry, and they stood barefoot on the carpet, staring blankly at Qi Chao, who was smiling at them, their expressions somewhat awkward and uncertain.

Qi Chao's gaze drifted over the two puppets' feet. As if remembering something, he said "wait a moment" and turned to search for shoes and socks of their size on the rack next to the glass cabinet.

The two puppets watched Qi Chao’s retreating figure, clenching their fists to suppress the sudden surge of emotions within them. 

This emotion was somewhat similar to what they felt when they first met their father, but it was even more intense—admiration, respect, and a lingering fear intertwined, making them appear somewhat silent.

They still remembered how they had once twistedly crouched on the ground, anxiously clutching at their father’s clothes. The pain from their connected spines had made them yearn for their father’s comforting touch, but they had only received a look of disgust in return.

As they watched Qi Chao, who had found the shoes and socks and was turning back, the puppets fell into their memories. 

Though they knew Qi Chao was different from their despised father, seeing the black-haired man before them made them feel afraid that Qi Chao might discover they were not worthy of affection.

“Do you know how to wear shoes?” 

Qi Chao asked with a smile. After the two puppets nodded silently, they skillfully put on the socks and shoes. 

After a moment of thought, he hugged each puppet once they stood up straight, his voice rough and deep as he said, “Although it’s a bit late, I still want to say—welcome back.”

For the first time, the puppets felt the warmth of a human body, causing their bodies to stiffen. 

After hearing Qi Chao's four words, the black-haired and white-haired puppets lowered their heads, unsure why their eyes suddenly felt a bit moist. Their lips trembled, and after a few seconds, they both looked up and smiled at him.

Qi Chao noticed that the Double Mirror seemed even more timid than he had anticipated.

However, given their experiences, such a reaction was not surprising.

He paused for a moment before continuing, “I know your name is Double Mirror, but that’s just a name. It doesn’t seem right to call you both by it. Do you have individual names?” Realizing his question might be a bit awkward, he added, “Or do you have any names you’d like to be called?”

The puppets looked up at Qi Chao and shook their heads. Their transparent black and white eyes were devoid of emotion, simply gazing at him with no particular thoughts.

“Then, may I give each of you a name?”

Qi Chao smiled at them. In fact, he had already thought of names for the Double Mirror, but out of respect, he had initially kept them to himself. “How about Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian?”

The names corresponded to the colors of their hair and eyes.

The puppets repeated the names in their minds, and their originally emotionless black and white eyes gradually brightened. 

The Double Mirror didn’t care much about whether the names sounded good or not; what mattered to them was the meaning behind the names.

“Dad.”

Shuang Jian's white eyes looked at Qi Chao, and his lips trembled slightly, but the two words he uttered were firm. 

Xuan Jian also looked up at Qi Chao. His tone was similar to Shua Jian's but slightly deeper. "Dad."

The two of them were awakened by Qi Chao's mental power and were influenced by each other's memories. They knew that the puppets made by Qi Chao would all call him Dad.

After saying those two words, Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian both pressed their lips together and let their lowered eyelashes hide their emotions. They were afraid that Qi Chao might not acknowledge them.

"Mm."

Qi Chao paused for a moment, his deep brown eyes showing a hint of amusement. He responded with a pleased "mm," seemingly very happy that the two puppets were calling him that.

In fact, upon hearing them call him dad, Qi Chao felt both happy and somewhat surprised. After all, puppets naturally have an affinity for their creator, and he had originally worried that the two puppets might still be fixated on their scummy father, Qing Yu. 

But now it seemed he had been overthinking.

Upon receiving Qi Chao's response, the expressions of the two puppets showed subtle changes. 

Their eyes revealed the joy of being acknowledged, and their small movements became more lively.

Qi Chao naturally noticed this and smiled. He said to them, "Let's go upstairs. The basement is a bit cramped and not convenient for conversations."

Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian had no objections, but as they passed by the glass cabinet, their steps slowed considerably.

The glass cabinet was about the height of an adult man, and due to the different angle of the basement light, their reflections were clearly visible on the cabinet. 

The "boys" in white and black robes stood side by side. Their appearances were exquisite: the "boy" with white hair and white eyes even had white eyelashes, making him look like snow. 

However, the black earring on his left ear and the seductive patterns extending from his temple to his brow gave him a touch of darker color.

The "boy" with black hair and black eyes resembled Shuang Jian but with a more somber demeanor and deeper gaze.

Having just escaped their deformed bodies for the first time, Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian walked slowly. 

Qi Chao, mindful of them, also moved at a slower pace. Noticing their reaction, Qi Chao decided to stop and let them appreciate their current appearance.

His gaze lingered on the red patterns on the left side of their faces, and he pondered. 

Although the patterns were not unattractive, they had appeared suddenly when he awakened the puppets. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

He hadn't told them about it, fearing that the two new puppets might overthink things. However, Qi Chao felt that once he got Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian upstairs, he should look into the matter or ask Brother Shen about it. 

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to put his mind at ease.

…

Meanwhile, in the trial grounds thousands of miles away, Old Liu followed nervously behind the ragged strangers. He swallowed hard, afraid to ask any questions, fearing that the group might notice something amiss.

Old Liu wasn't originally called Old Liu. Until this morning, he was named Li Qing. However, due to driving too fast and not noticing the traffic lights, Li Qing had swerved to avoid hitting a pedestrian and ended up crashing into a roadblock.

Li Qing had been wearing his seatbelt, and the roadblock was a small barrier that shouldn't have been fatal—at worst, he might have suffered a concussion. 

But when he opened his eyes, he found himself in this strange place.

The people in front of him were dressed in tattered clothes, dirty and with eyes full of neurotic fear. Li Qing was now dressed similarly, looking like a refugee who had been starving for months. 

To uncover the truth of the situation, he had no choice but to follow them.

"Old Liu, why have you been so quiet today?"

Zhao Nan looked at him with some confusion. They had been in this trial ground for nearly half a year, and had gotten to know the personalities of their fellow survivors. Old Liu was also an ability user, who usually boasted a lot. His silence today was definitely unusual.

"It's nothing, just didn't sleep well," Old Liu said with a forced smile, brushing off the concern.

Zhao Nan didn't press further. After all, they had pressing matters at hand. He gathered his team members and said, "We need to head to the Toxic Gas Forest. Our immediate priority is to familiarize ourselves with the terrain before those puppets arrive."

Three or four emaciated team members nodded, their eyes filled with desperate determination. 

This place was hell, and if they stayed any longer, they would eventually go insane. They had to find a way to escape.

"Old Liu, you'll need to use your abilities to protect us. According to what we've heard, staying in the Toxic Gas Forest for three minutes could cause shock and death."

Li Qing's face turned pale upon hearing this. What abilities? Where would he get any abilities? 

Without the memories of his original self, he wouldn't even know if he had any abilities.

From the conversation, it was clear they were heading to some Toxic Gas Forest. Li Qing felt a surge of fear, but he maintained a smile and agreed. 

As soon as the group was ready to depart, he took advantage of the opportunity to excuse himself to find a place to relieve himself and slipped away.

Although Li Qing didn’t know what the "puppets" mentioned by the group were, it was clear that they were much less dangerous compared to toxic gas. With that thought in mind, he ran even faster.

Not far away, on a large tree, Agu watched with a smile as the team members, who had grown increasingly impatient from waiting, started to show signs of agitation. 

When the deformed puppets reported that Li Qing had already run quite far, Agu clicked his tongue.

"How strange. Why would that human run away?" Agu knew that the abilities of that human were related to the air, and that entering the Toxic Gas Forest would require the abilities of someone called Old Liu. 

Now that he had fled, the other humans would likely return empty-handed.

Agu sighed in disappointment. He had set up quite a few surprises in the Toxic Gas Forest. If they didn’t go in, wouldn’t all his surprises go to waste?

With that thought, Agu’s green eyes showed a hint of displeasure. He shook his arm, which his father had recently repaired, and turned to the nearby distorted, deformed puppets. 

“You all go and chase the team members around for fun. Agu will go find the one called Old Liu and play a little game of chase.”

“Remember to be gentle. Don’t scare them to death,” Agu said with a smiling reminder, appearing quite friendly. 

In reality, though, his threat level was much greater compared to the terrifying deformed puppets.

However, the lower-level deformed puppets were clearly not as intelligent as the Chi Yao, and they simply nodded in response to A’gu’s instructions.

Feeling a bit bored, Agu’s smile widened, and with a light leap, he moved to another tree, ready to begin his task.

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