Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 159

 

| PN | Cocoon | 159

The situation is a bit dire right now.

Li Ge, Old Liu, and Zhang Li are sitting in the back row of the aircraft, their foreheads constantly sweating. 

This time, the atmosphere is completely different from the last time they were on the aircraft. 

The pilot, Qi Chao, hasn't said a word, and out of consideration for their father’s feelings, the puppets didn’t say anything either. The atmosphere inside the aircraft is particularly silent. 

The book transmigrators were looking around at the puppets, huddling together tightly. 

Even though Li Bai and Qiu Qiu are acting friendly, the three men, already scared out of their minds, can’t relax easily. Especially considering that their destination is the trial ground that brings them heavy psychological trauma.

Qi Chao noticed the movement behind him but said nothing. His gaze moved through the window, focusing on the large forest in front of them.

From the outside, it looks like an ordinary and quiet forest, one that wouldn’t have caught Qi Chao’s attention in the past. But this forest, according to Li Ge and the others, has become synonymous with hell and terror.

“Get off,” Qi Chao says, stopping the aircraft at the edge of the forest. He casually says to the three men, then reached out and rubs the head of Xuan Jian, who is sitting closest to him. “Dad doesn’t know what’s inside, so you guys stay here, alright?”

The children at home are all in very good physical condition.

However, their abilities are unknown. To Qi Chao, his children may be physically strong, but if they really encounter danger, they would have no ability to fight back.

"Dad, we want to go in."

Li Bai spoke anxiously, his golden eyes behind the mask filled with nervousness and caution, seemingly afraid that their father would really refuse to let them enter the trial ground.

They had heard very clearly from outside that this place could be very dangerous, and of course, they didn’t want their father to go in alone.

Qi Chao looked at the expressions of the children and knew that he couldn’t change their minds. He scratched his head, feeling somewhat conflicted.

Qi Chao wasn’t sure whether the trial ground really existed. If what Li Ge and the others said was true, then the place called the trial ground was extremely dangerous.

According to the three of them, the forest contained countless strange and grotesque puppets that would continuously attack humans. 

Once a human was on the brink of death, the puppets would stop and search for new targets. 

After the human’s injuries improved, the deformed puppets would return again.

They seemed to be born as evil beings, deriving pleasure from torturing humans without any purpose or moral boundaries.

Qi Chao was skeptical about the truth of this statement. Putting aside the fact that the grotesque puppets had difficulty even walking, it was hard to imagine them attacking healthy humans. 

Of course, more importantly, Qi Chao couldn’t fathom that it was Brother Shen who masterminded all of this. In his opinion, Brother Shen would never do something so pointless, just to take revenge without any benefit.

After a brief hesitation, Qi Chao finally agreed, "But you must stick close to me, understood?"

"Okay!" Li Bai and Qiu Qiu responded cheerfully.

Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian both smiled faintly, and Xiang Yue, hearing his father’s reply, also let out a sigh of relief. His tail behind him swayed slightly.

Clearly, the puppets were excited about the fact that they could protect their father up close.

Li Ge and the other two looked at the forest not far ahead, their expressions dazed. After a day's gap, they had once again returned to this place that had brought them endless nightmares.

Qi Chao was originally smiling at the children, but his smile faded slightly when he noticed the gaze of the three men.

"Let's go in," he said to Li Ge and the others.

Only by seeing the trial ground with his own eyes would he believe in everything that had been said.

Upon hearing this, Li Ge, Old Liu, and Zhang Li shuddered simultaneously. They spoke cautiously, "Once we enter the forest, it's already considered entering the trial ground. Within ten minutes, those grotesque puppets will come to attack us."

To be honest, they really wanted to run away.

But Qi Chao was watching them closely at all times, and even if they wanted to escape, there was no chance. They could only resign themselves for now and try to prepare themselves.

"Alright."

Qi Chao nodded, maintaining a safe distance and following the three men closely, neither too far nor too near.

The three men, forced to lead the way, had no choice but to swallow their reluctance.

It was midsummer, and as they stood outside the forest, they could still occasionally see small insects buzzing around and hear the chirping of birds. 

But as soon as they stepped into the forest, everything seemed to change.

The towering trees reached high into the sky, creating an eerily quiet atmosphere. The dense canopy of leaves blocked out all the sunlight, leaving not a single ray of light to penetrate through. Even the wind had come to a standstill. The deathly silence and gloomy environment made them feel as though they had entered another world entirely.

Li Ge, Old Liu, and Zhang Li felt uncomfortable the moment they entered, a subtle nausea rising within them.

However, Qi Chao showed no signs of discomfort. In fact, he felt even more at ease than before.

He looked around at everything in front of him, his brow furrowing. Though he had never been here before, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity that he couldn’t shake.

A dull pain throbbed in Qi Chao's head, and he vaguely recalled a dream from long ago, one involving a forest. But the dream was so distant in time that he could only remember fragments.

Could it be because of that dream that the scene in front of him felt familiar? 

Before Qi Chao could sort through his thoughts, he was suddenly interrupted by a voice.

"Quick, aren't you eager to witness everything in the trial ground? Let’s go meet Qiao Sheng first."

Li Ge and the others sounded anxious. They were worried that if they delayed any longer, they might run into the grotesque puppets.

Qiao Sheng? Why would Brother Shen’s senior be in the trial ground?

Qi Chao suppressed his questions and pushed them to the back of his mind. He lowered his hand, nodded to the three men, and then looked down at his children. His tone was low but reassuring. "I’m fine. You don’t need to worry."

On the surface, Qi Chao seemed perfectly fine, his complexion even looking a little healthier, as though his spirit had improved compared to before.

The five puppets immediately felt relieved, their attention shifting to their surroundings. Even Xiang Yue, who was always concerned about his father, couldn’t help but be distracted by the eerie environment.

Xiang Yue looked up at the towering trees in front of him, his red eyes narrowing slightly.

He had been here before.

Xiang Yue remembered that it was in this very place where he had first met Agu. Connecting that memory with his father's current purpose, Xiang Yue pursed his lips.

His father might really have some connection to this place.

If this place truly was as hellish as the three men had described, then considering his father's personality, he might be angry about it.

Xiang Yue watched his father's back, hesitating between speaking up or keeping quiet. Before he could make up his mind, Qi Chao suddenly stopped.

"Dad?" Xiang Yue asked, somewhat confused.

Li Ge and Old Liu, who were walking ahead, also turned around. They sounded anxious, "Why did you stop? We need to hurry, so we can meet Qiao Sheng before those grotesque puppets find us."

Had it been earlier, Qi Chao might have agreed, but now, he couldn’t hear anyone’s words. His heart was racing, his eardrums thumping loudly, and his head felt slightly dizzy, as though it was filled with blood.

It was a strange sensation.

Qi Chao didn’t feel uncomfortable; on the contrary, he felt exceptionally clear-headed. His gaze pierced through the trees, locking onto a spot in the northeast, where something seemed to be calling to him.

He turned slightly and took a few steps toward the northeast. The closer he got, the more he could sense that thing, and it seemed to grow more joyful, as if it were continuously beckoning him.

“Dad?” 

Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian noticed Qi Chao’s unusual behavior and couldn’t help but call out to him.

“I’m fine.” Qi Chao briefly regained his focus, lowering his head to reassure them. He then turned to look at Li Ge and the others. “Sorry, let’s speed up and continue.”

Saying this, Qi Chao temporarily suppressed the urge to head toward the northeast corner and followed closely behind Li Ge.

Qiao Sheng was the person who knew the trial ground the best, aside from the villain. If Qi Chao wanted information about the trial ground, asking Qiao Sheng was the easiest choice. 

This was also why Li Ge and the others had brought Qi Chao to find him as soon as they entered.

However, in reality, since they had escaped the trial ground two days ago, the three of them had lost contact with Qiao Sheng. Now, to find him, they had no choice but to head to the cave where they had been staying.

After finally locating the cave, the three book transmigrators discovered that neither Qiao Sheng nor Lu Chen were there. Judging from the extinguished fire, they hadn't returned in at least two days.

"Should we keep looking for Qiao Sheng?" Li Ge asked, trying to get Qi Chao’s opinion.

"Hmm." Qi Chao nodded, not mentioning anything else. 

As Shen Yuxi’s senior, Qiao Sheng must have known many things about Brother Shen. There were too many questions Qi Chao wanted to ask him.

Just as they were about to leave the cave and continue searching for Qiao Sheng, a rustling sound faintly echoed from the forest, as if countless climbing creatures were surrounding the entire cave.

"They’re here!" Li Ge’s voice trembled with panic, the memories of past encounters starting to resurface.

After entering the trial ground, everything had been calm up until now, and Qi Chao hadn’t really grasped the danger of the trial ground. But hearing the sounds outside, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread creeping in.

They couldn’t afford to just wait and do nothing.

Seizing the right moment, Qi Chao rushed out of the cave with his five children in tow.

Li Ge and the others were still mentally preparing themselves, which made their reaction slower than Qi Chao’s.

Outside the cave, countless grotesque puppets—some with missing limbs, others with blind eyes—suddenly rushed at the sight of their prey, as if they had discovered a delicious meal. 

Without hesitation, they lunged toward the figures that had emerged from the cave.

From the scene alone, it was indeed terrifying.

Qi Chao, in the chaos, was inadvertently scratched on the cheek by one of the grotesque puppet’s sharp claws, and blood began to seep from the wound.

The puppets that had been running behind him and his children froze when they saw the injury on Qi Chao's face.

"Dad is hurt?"

Li Bai, who had been following closely behind, paused after running a few steps. His golden eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty red glow, and his pupils turned into slits, resembling those of a beast. His once cute nails sharpened into deadly points.

When Qi Chao turned around, he only saw Li Bai suddenly charge in the opposite direction. 

Before he could stop him, he also noticed Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian, who had been behind him, unexpectedly rush out as well.

Countless grotesque puppets instantly swarmed over them.

Qi Chao’s eyes widened in shock, instinctively wanting to rush forward. But the next moment, his three children emerged from the pile of puppets, dragging one of the deformed figures along with them.

“Dad, he’s bad,” Li Bai growled, his sharp claws digging into the deformed puppet’s arm as he tried to exact revenge for his father.

Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian remained silent, but from the way they were each pulling at a different part of the puppet’s body, it was clear they too were consumed by anger.

“Dad’s fine, the wound will heal soon,” Qi Chao reassured his children, dodging attacks from the grotesque puppets while speaking in a calm tone. He wanted to soothe them, but he was also trying to stay focused on the danger around them.

When Li Ge and the other two rushed out of the cave, they were met with a scene that was as bizarre as it was unsettling.

Forget about what the three puppets had done; just Qi Chao’s behavior was strange. Wouldn’t an ordinary person be afraid of a horde of grotesque puppets? 

Why did he act as if it was nothing more than seeing elementary school students getting out of school?

Sure enough, anyone who caught the attention of the villain couldn’t be a normal person. No matter how much they pretended to be ordinary, deep down, something was definitely off.

With that thought, the three of them shivered, instinctively trying to distance themselves from Qi Chao.

In truth, Qi Chao wasn’t really afraid.

Aside from the brief moment of panic when Li Bai, Xuan Jian, and Shuang Jian had been buried under the pile of puppets, Qi Chao otherwise treated the grotesque puppets as if they were mischievous children.

Despite the puppets' aggressive and agile movements, and the fact that they had even wounded him, oddly, Qi Chao felt no fear whatsoever.

He couldn’t help but think to himself that something was wrong with him too.

Had Qi Chao been a puppet master for so long that he had unknowingly given himself a fear-reducing buff?

"Where do we go now?"

Surrounded from all sides, Li Ge, who had initially avoided getting close to Qi Chao for his own safety, had no choice but to move closer. He used his original body's ability with difficulty to push through the encircling grotesque puppets, finally making his way to Qi Chao’s side.

"The puppets won’t leave until they see a human near death. We need to find a safe place to hide. Once we get through this, we can go look for Qiao Sheng," Qi Chao said.

His gaze fell on his children, confirming that all of them, including Qiu Qiu, were unharmed. After ensuring their safety, he turned his gaze away and nodded. "Alright, can we go northeast?"

"Northeast? Is there somewhere safe to hide there?" Li Ge wondered, his mind racing.

Li Ge looked at Qi Chao’s calm expression and found it quite credible. After all, from what he had seen earlier, Qi Chao seemed like a seasoned expert who remained unshaken under pressure.

"Alright, we’ll follow your lead!" Li Ge agreed.

The group, while dodging the constant attacks from the grotesque puppets , steadily moved toward the northeast corner. 

In Li Ge’s mind, the number of grotesque puppets should have been decreasing as time passed. 

That’s how it would normally go. But, as they got closer to the northeast corner, the puppets seemed to multiply. It was as if every grotesque puppet in the trial ground had gathered at this point, as though trying to stop them from advancing.

This bizarre situation made Li Ge glance at Qi Chao, wondering if he had already predicted this outcome.

What Li Ge didn’t know was that Qi Chao was also feeling a little confused at this moment.

Qi Chao: …  

Why would Brother Shen put so many puppets northeast? 

Is he trying to make them all cozy together?

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