| PN | Flowers | 121
Inside the trial grounds, Old Liu and Zhang Li looked at the scene before them, their eyes filled with fear.
"Wh-what did he just say his name was?"
Zhang Li's face was pale, and his lips trembled.
Why was Qiao Sheng here?
According to the plot, he should be outside the trial grounds, trying to figure out a way to save Lu Chen. Why did he suddenly come in?
Not far away, the dejected-looking Qiao Sheng was chatting with Lu Chen.
In just a few days, Lu Chen had already lost a lot of weight.
After confirming that Lu Chen had only suffered some superficial injuries and that his mental state was fine, Qiao Sheng breathed a sigh of relief.
He leaned against the wall, his gaze shifting from Lu Chen to Old Liu and Zhang Li.
"What's wrong with them?"
A sharp glint flashed in Qiao Sheng's eyes behind his glasses. He could sense that the way these two were looking at him was different from how others did.
Old Liu and Zhang Li sat in a corner, a bit further away from the campfire. Compared to the others around them, they seemed somewhat silent. However, since they had been in the trial grounds much longer and were in poor mental states to begin with, their behavior didn’t seem particularly odd.
Lu Chen glanced at them, frowning slightly. He didn't notice anything unusual about the two of them. Compared to Old Liu and Zhang Li, he was more concerned about how Qiao Sheng had managed to get inside.
Qiao Sheng had consistently suggested that he search Shen Yuxi’s villa for the missing people, and Lu Chen followed his advice.
However, deep down, he was doubtful about the entire situation.
To him, although Shen Yuxi was mysterious, he was still just an ordinary person.
But as it turned out, Qiao Sheng’s claims were correct.
"What exactly is Shen Yuxi trying to do?"
Lu Chen had never seen Shen Yuxi in person. Everything he knew about him came from Qiao Sheng and the written reports. He furrowed his brow, his gaze fixed on Qiao Sheng with a serious expression, radiating the unique authority of a marshal.
In truth, Lu Chen was more curious about how Qiao Sheng knew so much and what his actual relationship with Shen Yuxi was.
Qiao Sheng’s attention returned to Lu Chen. He smiled and slipped back into his usual laid-back demeanor.
"I don't know," Qiao Sheng casually brushed off the question.
Shen Yuxi's puppets were likely nearby, monitoring them. In this situation, the more Lu Chen knew, the more dangerous it would be for him.
"How did you get in here?" Lu Chen changed the subject.
Qiao Sheng remained silent for a moment, unwilling to admit that he had been thrown in because he had angered Shen Yuxi.
Seeing Qiao Sheng's reluctance to speak, Lu Chen seemed to guess the truth. He stared at the fire and said, "This place is dangerous. Your body is too weak. From now on, you can't leave my side."
"Alright,"
Qiao Sheng was well aware of his own limits. Any one of the puppets in the trial grounds could beat him effortlessly—it would be insane for him to leave alone.
His gaze drifted to the corner, where the two men who had been crouching there earlier had vanished without a trace.
Old Liu and Zhang Li were supporting each other, their expressions dazed. They hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary—just happened to encounter the protagonist.
Yet somehow, the protagonist's "plot armor" had dragged them into the trial grounds.
Now that Qiao Sheng had entered, they couldn’t help but wonder—could they still get out?
"Brother Zhang, what do we do now?" Old Liu asked, his voice tinged with fear.
"I don’t know," Zhang Li replied, equally lost. He only knew fragments of the story's early events, and the protagonist’s group had been his only hope of surviving. But with such a major twist in the plot, no matter how optimistic he tried to be, he couldn’t force a smile and say everything would be fine.
The two men collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.
"Are we going to be stuck here for the rest of our lives?" one of them muttered despairingly.
Thinking about spending the next few decades in a never-ending cycle of being hunted by puppets, barely surviving, healing, only to be hunted again—an endless, sunless loop—Old Liu's breathing became shallow.
It felt like he was sinking into a dark, suffocating swamp of despair, powerless to escape. For a moment, the thought of ending it all crossed his mind.
Zhang Li was equally on the verge of breaking down. However, having witnessed firsthand the scenes in the book where the protagonist single-handedly defeated the puppets, he still clung to a shred of hope.
"We'll stick with Lu Chen for now and look for our teammates along the way. If the plot has changed this much, there must be more transmigrators like us. If we can find more allies, our chances of survival will be better."
Old Liu, feeling lost and desperate, quickly nodded in agreement. He stumbled as he followed Zhang Li.
Perched in a tree, Agu watched the scene with a mischievous smile.
Plot?
Transmigrators?
What were these people talking about?
This was definitely worth the trip, Agu thought.
That fool Ayu had been watching Lu Chen and his group for so long without learning anything useful. Meanwhile, Agu had only just arrived and already overheard something so interesting.
Watching the two leave, Agu's smile widened, his bright green eyes narrowing slightly, resembling a contented cat. His fingers moved across the screen of his light-brain, sending a message to his father.
Agu thought to himself that he should keep a close watch on these two while he still could; perhaps in a few days, his father would send Ayu to replace him.
The storyline in the trial grounds was heading in an entirely new direction, something the system—far away and engrossed in writing a report—was completely unaware of.
"What are you writing?" Qi Chao asked, hearing a soft scratching sound in his ear.
The Craftsman's System, being from a formal organization, was required to submit monthly work reports to its superiors. Upon hearing its host's question, the system immediately realized that it had forgotten to mute itself.
【Apologies, Host, I forgot to turn off the external sound.】 The system felt a bit guilty, having picked up some bad habits from its time with a neighboring host.
Qi Chao wasn’t upset, but the constant noise had been distracting him while he worked on his puppets. Once the system turned off the external sound, the world fell silent, and Qi Chao exhaled in relief.
He massaged his wrist before lowering his head to continue crafting his puppet.
When people think of fairies, they can’t help but imagine the delicate, transparent wings on their backs.
Unlike the feathered wings used by Xiang Yue, the wings of fairies were much more delicate and graceful. The transparent material depicted in the character design was especially difficult to replicate. If handled carelessly, the wings could easily appear stiff and low-quality.
After a long conversation with Brother Shen the previous night, Qi Chao finally had a rough idea of what materials to use for the puppet’s wings.
The light-brain on his desk vibrated.
Qi Chao glanced at it—it was a notification from the delivery service, informing him that the package he had ordered online last night had arrived. He put down his carving knife and left the basement.
Delivery on Blue Star was quick; packages often arrived at your doorstep the next day. The message just now was a reminder for him to pick up his order from outside.
Qi Chao brought the package into the living room, where his kids were studying. Seeing him come in, they all gathered around.
"Dad, what's this?" asked Li Bai, poking at the black delivery bag. He tugged his mask onto his head, his golden eyes filled with curiosity.
"Are these the materials for making our little sister?" Xiang Yue's gaze remained calm as his tail flicked slightly behind him. He tilted his head and looked at Qi Chao.
Although his question was phrased as such, he seemed quite certain of the answer.
"Yes," Qi Chao responded with a smile. His gaze shifted to Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian, who were standing beside the sofa. He paused for a moment and then teased, "Don't Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian want to come take a look? These are the materials Dad worked so hard to find."
Hearing this, Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian immediately walked over.
They crouched down just like Li Bai had, their pure black and white eyes, clear as glass, focused on the various potions and tools inside the delivery bag. It was quite a collection—finding everything had indeed taken a lot of effort.
"Dad, you've worked hard," Shuang Jian hesitated for a few seconds before murmuring softly, her voice slightly lowered as if unsure of what to say.
Xuan Jian looked up at Qi Chao and echoed softly, "Dad, you've worked hard."
Both Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian were not particularly talkative puppets. Their reserved nature largely stemmed from their carefulness and caution; they were always worried about upsetting their father or making him dislike them.
Even though they understood that Qi Chao would never get angry with them, these feelings weren’t something that could be changed overnight.
In fact, compared to before, Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian had already opened up considerably.
Hearing their words, Qi Chao couldn’t help but chuckle. He gently ruffled both Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian’s hair. "I’m not tired at all. Just like when I made you two, the thought of bringing you into this world makes me happy."
Their hair became slightly tousled from the affectionate gesture, but a faint smile appeared in their eyes, as clear and transparent as glass, making the joy within them unmistakable.
Nearby, Li Bai, Lan Luo, and Xiang Yue watched quietly without saying a word. After months of living together, they all understood Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian’s reserved personalities.
The simple act of being close to their father was enough to make the two of them happy for a long time. The three knew better than to interrupt this moment.
After spending some time with the children, Qi Chao stood up and, taking the bag of materials with him, prepared to head back to the basement. "Dad is going to work downstairs now. I’ll be back before lunch. If you need anything, just message me on the light-brain."
"Alright," the five puppets responded in unison without any objections.
Once Qi Chao left, they sat back down and resumed looking at their light-brains.
"We've received word from Xiao Que—he's already made contact with other puppets on the dark web," Xiang Yue reported.
Xiao Que’s ability was extremely useful. As long as he had some basic information about a target, he could extrapolate further details. While the accuracy of this ability still needed to be tested, it had undeniably sped up their progress.
The other puppets turned their attention to Xiang Yue.
"Next, we'll need sufficient funds," Xiang Yue continued.
To achieve their father’s vision of raising the status of puppets, a significant initial investment was unavoidable. Some of the funds would go towards enhancing the puppets' basic knowledge, while the rest would be allocated to maintaining their essential energy requirements.
"Do we need to chip in our allowances?" Li Bai asked, a bit confused.
Xiang Yue didn’t deny it.
"Lan Luo doesn't have much allowance," Lan Luo chimed in softly, clearly concerned.
Lan Luo felt a twinge of dissatisfaction. The pocket money was given to him by their father, and every night before he went to sleep, he would check to make sure his sparkling star coins were still there. If he had to hand them all over, he would be left with nothing.
"Dad is more important than star coins," Xiang Yue said, looking at Lan Luo with his crimson eyes. "Star coins can be earned back."
Of course, their father was important. But if they truly couldn't earn it back, wouldn’t his precious coins be lost forever?
The thought of his star coins disappearing darkened Lan Luo's expression.
"Alright, but Li Bai can only keep three star coins," Li Bai’s silly voice piped up, causing Lan Luo’s blue eyes to widen in surprise. He immediately turned to grab his good friend's arm, wanting to get Li Bai to take back what he just said.
"It's fine, Lan Luo. Xiang Yue is as smart as Dad. If he says we can earn it back, then we definitely can," Li Bai reassured him, trying to boost his friend’s confidence.
Li Bai noticed Lan Luo's expression and his golden eyes curved with confidence.
Xiang Yue is as smart as Dad?
Lan Luo fell silent. He didn’t really believe Xiang Yue's intelligence could match that of their father, but the other puppets from upstairs had already come down and handed their star coins to Xiang Yue.
After a moment of hesitation, Lan Luo decided to give his star coins to Xiang Yue as well. He threatened playfully, "You better return it to me, or else I'll pluck your feathers."
If Xiang Yue really didn't give the star coins back, he could always act cute in front of their father to seek comfort. The thought of their father gently patting his head made Lan Luo feel a bit more at ease.
"Why are you keeping three star coins?" he asked Li Bai. Given Li Bai's trusting nature, he wouldn’t typically think of holding back any coins.
"Our little sister at home will be done soon, and I want to give her a gift," Li Bai replied eagerly, clearly excited about having the only girl in the family. "Three star coins can buy flower seeds. I’ll start planting flowers now, so when she wakes up, she’ll see the flowers I grew for her."
He hesitated for a moment and then added, "She’ll like flowers, right?"
Li Bai’s thoughts were actually quite thoughtful. At least, the other puppets had never considered such things.
In the eyes of the other puppets, if Xiang Yue inherited their father's intelligence, then Li Bai must have inherited his personality; they were both equally kind-hearted and warm.
Watching Li Bai like this, Lan Luo suddenly recalled a long time ago when Qi Chao gifted him a little deer headband. To this day, the hairband still rested on his head, and it was the gift he cherished the most.
"She will definitely like it," Lan Luo said confidently, then quickly added, "I also want to buy seeds."
While Lan Luo didn’t have any particular affection for the so-called sister, he understood that following Li Bai’s lead would surely earn him praise from their father.
Though Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian were more reserved, they were not dull. In fact, they particularly enjoyed doing things that would earn their father’s affection.
Xiang Yue’s dog ears perked up slightly as his red eyes scanned over the puppets before him.
He took out a few star coins from his hand and pressed his lips together. "If you want her to see the flowers, you’ll need to grow them within two months."
Li Bai nodded vigorously upon hearing this, unable to suppress the smile in his eyes. He loved the lively atmosphere, and having Lan Luo and the others join him in planting flowers was a wonderful thing.
"Xiang Yue, do you want to join us?" Li Bai asked, looking up with excitement. "We can plant flowers for Dad to see."
Initially, Xiang Yue had no interest, but at those words, his tail swished behind him.
"Sure," he replied.
The thought of their father seeing the flowers he planted brought a rare glimmer of anticipation to Xiang Yue's typically calm red eyes. A few moments later, he added, "But even if we’re planting flowers, it can't interfere with our plans."
"Okay!" Li Bai responded cheerfully, happy to accommodate.
From that day on, the group of puppets became busier. They studied during the day, planted flowers in the evenings, and occasionally discussed plans with the outside puppets late at night.
Under this fulfilling routine, they quickly received a notification from Qi Chao.
"Can you all come down to the basement tomorrow?" Qi Chao asked them with a smile.
Since the incident where they made friends, Qi Chao had been attentive to his children, making a point to check in on them no matter how busy he was.
He had also noticed that the puppets occasionally ventured up to the flower room to tinker with something.
After curiously asking Xiang Yue about it, he received a surprising answer.
"We're planting a gift for our sister."
Hearing this, Qi Chao couldn't help but think how adorable these kids were. The moment he heard their plan, he found himself visiting the flower room even more frequently.
The puppets had learned how to plant flowers using the holographic interface, and it was clear that they were meticulous in their approach.
From selecting the right seeds to determining the ideal location in the soil, every detail was carefully considered. They even controlled the amount of water and the intensity of sunlight in the flower room with precision.
Every time Qi Chao came to check on them, he would find Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian carefully watering the plants, Li Bai and Lan Luo loosening the soil, and Xiang Yue jotting down notes in his notebook.
They were all eagerly anticipating the arrival of their sister. Every time Qi Chao visited the flower room, he felt more motivated to create puppets, often mumbling to the mother stone in the fish tank about how much her brothers were looking forward to her arrival.
Every night, when he video-called Brother Shen to talk about this, a smile would unconsciously spread across his face. With the birth of the puppets just around the corner, Qi Chao decided to invite them to the basement.
He said with a smile, “The mother stone was awakened a couple of days ago. If all goes well, I’ll be placing her into the chest cavity tomorrow.”
Li Bai and the others' flowers had already bloomed the day before.
Upon hearing their father’s words, the puppets did not object.
“We won’t disturb you, Dad,” Lan Luo said with determination in his blue eyes. He understood that a human-shaped craftsman had to be very cautious during the awakening of a puppet; most craftsmen would ask outsiders to avoid the area during the awakening ceremony.
The fact that their father allowed them to accompany him to the basement spoke volumes about his trust in them.
Qi Chao, however, didn’t think too much about it. In his eyes, it was only natural for his children to meet their sister as soon as possible, especially since they were so excited about it.
The five puppets rarely entered the basement. Except for Lan Luo, they had all been born in this place and loved it dearly.
However, in order not to disturb their father, they almost never came here and had never witnessed how Qi Chao awakened a puppet.
This was their first time watching their father perform the awakening.
Qi Chao’s mental power was immense.
Gradually, green orbs of light began to fill the entire basement. The puppets couldn’t help but fix their gazes on these glowing spheres, which seemed to possess a life of their own, dancing around them. Some even penetrated their skin and dove into their hearts, continuously replenishing their energy.
In this environment, the emotions of the puppets, including Lan Luo, relaxed. It felt as if they had returned to the safety of the mother stone.
The green orbs gradually flowed toward one direction, and the puppets followed their movement, their eyes landing on the transparent bathtub.
In the transparent bathtub floated a delicately crafted fairy puppet. Her platinum hair cascaded over her shoulders, and behind her were dragonfly-like wings, transparent and ethereal, exuding an indescribable air of enchantment. The sight of her sleeping form made one instinctively hold their breath.
Watching this scene, Lan Luo turned to glance at the other stunned puppets, pressing his lips together in contemplation.
He couldn't deny that the puppet was beautiful, but he felt that he was more appealing. Even if this puppet had exquisite wings, their father must prefer him the most.
With this thought, he plucked the flower he had previously removed and tucked it into the antlers of his headband. A pink flower now adorned his curly golden hair.
This flower could be given to the fairy.
However, she must notice his headband and realize that he was the one most favored by their father.
As he contemplated, Lan Luo's eyes curved into a smile, resembling his father, who was always scheming in his own way.
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