| PN | Exhaustion | 192
The President sat motionless like a statue from morning until night. He didn’t even bother to turn on the lights, leaving the room shrouded in darkness, mirroring the heavy and oppressive state of his heart.
Throughout the entire day, he finally came to understand one thing: from the very beginning, Elliton had approached him with a purpose.
All that nonsense about loyalty and camaraderie—it was all a carefully laid plan. Elliton had schemed to use his power to ascend to the throne, then discard him to enjoy his supreme authority.
After living for over a hundred years, the President had been outwitted by someone barely in their thirties. The thought was utterly ridiculous and infuriating. His eyes darkened with resentment as he reflected on it.
Sowing discord between him and the Vice President, orchestrating Qi Chao to sideline him—one calculated move after another.
The sheer effort put into these schemes was impressive, and the most laughable part was that he, like a fool, had believed all along that the Emperor trusted him.
No, wait. Did he truly know nothing about this from the start?
Not necessarily. As the President reviewed his internal responses over time, he realized that ever since killing the previous Emperor, he had always harbored a fear of being exposed.
This fear had transformed into euphoria after supporting the new Emperor’s rise to power. For a long time, this euphoria blinded him, driving him to lose all sense of reason.
Even when he noticed something was amiss, the President had deliberately ignored it, avoiding the truth until he could no longer deceive himself and was forced to face reality.
The President was a man terrified of death.
Not only was he afraid of death, but he also had an insatiable craving for power.
The President would not sit idly by, waiting for the Emperor to completely eliminate him, nor would he allow Qi Chao to take his place without a fight.
As he contemplated his next move, a glimmer of hatred for Elliton flashed in his eyes. He dialed the Vice President's light brain. Hearing the excitement in the other’s voice, he spoke in a kindly tone:
“Come to my office. I need to discuss something with you.”
“President, may I ask what this is about?”
The Vice President hesitated. He was about to meet with several council members to discuss plans to address the alliance issue. If the President had called him over to express dissatisfaction, he felt it wouldn’t matter much if he chose not to go.
Suppressing the anger roiling in his heart, the President feigned a kind demeanor and replied,
“Of course, it’s for the future of the association. If you still want the association to survive, you’d better come!”
The Vice President immediately detected the displeasure in the President’s tone. A shiver ran down his spine as he quickly responded,
“Understood, President. I’ll head over right now.”
After hanging up the light brain, the President felt considerably calmer.
He lifted his head, gazing in the direction of the royal palace, his teeth grinding audibly. The Emperor had brought Chi Chao into the fold clearly to seize control of the association's leadership.
But the President scoffed inwardly, determined to see if, by joining forces with the Vice President, they could not put a naive rich kid in his place.
From beginning to end, the President had never taken Qi Chao seriously. In his eyes, Qi Chao was merely a pawn of the Emperor.
Yet, he failed to realize that everything—from the diminishing powers of the ability users, to the increasingly strained relationship between him and the Emperor, to Elliton’s growing ambition to claim the throne—was orchestrated by Qi Chao.
If the President knew the full extent of this, he would not remain as composed the next time he faced Qi Chao.
Unlike the scheming and power-obsessed old bachelor, Qi Chao was a normal man with a loving partner and a harmonious relationship.
There was no way he would set aside his gentle and beautiful lover to concern himself with conspiracies.
After returning to the villa, Qi Chao spent a few hours in bed with Shen Yuxi, until his ears turned red and his heart beat fast.
Shortly afterward, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The next morning, as they went downstairs, they learned from the children that they needed to attend to their own organization matters. Qi Chao gave it some thought but decided not to interfere.
As he reviewed the children’s written reflections from the previous night, he looked up and empathize firmly,
“Remember the two points I emphasized to you yesterday evening.”
“Alright, got it!”
The puppets drew out the final syllable, lifting their heads to look at Qi Chao and solemnly made their promise.
Qi Chao chuckled softly, placing the reflections neatly to his left. He watched them leave the house, and in just a moment, the previously lively living room became eerily quiet.
Shen Yuxi, who had remained silent for most of the time, stared at Qi Chao for a few seconds before asking gently,
“What’s wrong? Feeling lonely already?”
“A little,” Qi Chao admitted without hiding his feelings from Shen Yuxi. He sighed wistfully, finally understanding the sentiment of fathers who watched their children leave home.
Hearing this, Shen Yuxi smiled faintly and sat down beside him, holding his hand. “Don’t worry. They’ll all be back soon enough.”
“Yeah,” Qi Chao replied, quickly pulling himself out of that emotional state. After all, he had important matters to attend to. “Brother Shen, I need to head to the palace later. You—”
“I’m going to the Alliance to deal with the wild mountain situation from last night,” Shen Yuxi interrupted, cutting off Qi Chao mid-sentence.
Just as the puppets didn’t want to see Qi Chao overworked, Shen Yuxi felt the same way. In his heart, he silently calculated the time left until the association’s downfall.
A smile played on his lips—just a few days more. Once those days passed, he wouldn’t have to endure being separated from Qi Chao anymore.
Qi Chao, however, was unaware of Shen Yuxi’s deeper thoughts. After piloting the aircraft to drop Shen Yuxi off at the Alliance’s base, he turned and headed toward the palace.
Shen Yuxi stood watching the aircraft grow smaller in the sky until it vanished completely from sight. Only then did he turn away and step into the Alliance’s headquarters.
The base of the Puppet Master Alliance was located in the business district of Linjing, a stark contrast to the association’s scenic location. Here, the area was bustling with people.
After parting with Qi Chao, Shen Yuxi’s gentle expression remained, but there was an inexplicable aloofness and chill beneath it.
As he passed by, the staff members greeted him, and while he responded to each one, his attitude remained distant. To these staff members, Shen Yuxi was an untouchable presence.
“Ahhh, I’m so happy! I can’t believe I get to work in the same organization as my idol!” Li Yueya stood rooted to the spot, gushing excitedly to the person beside her.
Although the public didn’t know what the Doctor looked like, as a die-hard fan, she had recognized the Doctor the moment she heard his voice.
To avoid exposing the Doctor’s identity, Li Yueya had never shared her guess with anyone.
Even the companion listening to her gush only knew that the person in question was her idol—nothing more.
Li Yueya had previously been a third-tier puppet master in the association.
When she learned that the Alliance only recruited puppet masters who genuinely loved puppets,
Li Yueya immediately became one of the first to defect from the association to the Alliance. Thanks to her skills and deep passion for puppets, she quickly rose to a key mid-level position within the Alliance.
“Joining the Alliance was definitely the right decision,” she murmured, staring at Doctor’s retreating figure.
Doctor had been out of the public eye for nearly two years, and discovering his presence in this small organization was an unexpected delight.
Back when she decided to leave the association, all her friends tried to dissuade her. Even with her firm resolve, she had moments of hesitation, especially given the generous benefits offered by the association.
But at her core, she could never align herself with the association’s philosophy.
To this day, Li Yueya could not forget her first lesson at the association. She had watched her teacher detach a puppet’s arm to demonstrate that puppets were merely tools.
The puppet used for the demonstration clutched its missing arm, its gaze filled with confusion and helplessness, its expression laced with fear of humans.
At that moment, Li Yueya knew she did not belong there.
The Alliance, though much smaller than the Association and without any notable benefits, fostered a love for puppets that the Association couldn’t even come close to showing. Li Yueya truly cherished this environment.
This sentiment was shared by every member of the Alliance. Nowhere else would such comprehensive knowledge about puppets be so freely shared.
The way Qi Chao had once guided You Zhao, Guo Li, and Li Lang was now reflected in how these three mentored the Association defectors.
It had to be said that Qi Chao had an exceptional eye for people. Had it been someone else, the Alliance’s atmosphere might not have been nearly as harmonious or vibrant as it was now.
“Brother Shen!”
The moment You Zhao spotted his teacher’s partner, he immediately stood up, instinctively glancing behind Shen Yuxi.
“There’s no need to look. Qi Chao isn’t here,” Shen Yuxi said with calm poise as he seated himself on the sofa.
You Zhao quickly nodded, explaining that Li Lang and Guo Li were both conducting training sessions for the new puppet masters.
Shen Yuxi nodded slightly, then went straight to the point. “I’ve purchased the wild mountain numbered 637. It will soon be ready for excavation. Make a note of the number, and if any mineral veins are discovered, report it under the Alliance’s name.”
Buying more mineral veins?
When You Zhao heard the news, his heart skipped a beat. Ever since the Alliance began operations, his teacher and his teacher's partner had continuously funneled mineral veins into the Alliance.
By now, there were at least six veins contributed. While they certainly had money, it felt reckless to spend it this way.
The more You Zhao thought about it, the more distressed he became. He even entertained the idea of asking his teacher’s partner to retract the mineral veins.
After all, the Alliance hadn’t turned a profit yet. On the contrary, the ongoing promotions had drained their funds significantly, creating a bottomless pit.
Nobody knew when the Alliance would reach a financial break-even point. If he were being pessimistic, You Zhao felt that unless they found a way to recruit more puppet masters, the Alliance—glamorous as it seemed now—was destined to collapse entirely.
“Don’t worry.”
Hearing these words, You Zhao froze. It was only then he realized that he must have unconsciously voiced his concerns out loud.
Shen Yuxi’s expression remained unchanged as he lightly tapped the cup with his fingers. His peach-blossom eyes seemed to glimmer with amusement. “Once the mineral veins are mined, we will distribute more benefits. Soon, many puppet masters will be eager to join the Alliance.”
What did he mean?
You Zhao didn’t fully understand. Even if they distributed benefits, those puppet masters who relied on the Association’s welfare were unlikely to be swayed.
Why would they even consider joining the Alliance?
However, seeing the composed expression on his teacher’s partner, he wisely kept his thoughts to himself and refrained from asking further questions.
–
Meanwhile, back at the Association, the puppet masters had all noticed the subtle tension in the air over the past few days. They usually felt proud of their affiliation, they now felt uneasy and restrained their usual arrogance.
“Did you hear? I heard the Association is planning to reduce the monthly supply of energy stones and mother stones for puppet masters.”
“What?! I rely on selling those energy stones to make a living every month! What do they mean by cutting my supply?!”
The ones most affected by this rumor were the lower-tier puppet masters in the Association.
Many of them rarely produced high-quality puppets and depended on the welfare stones provided by the Association to survive.
“I heard it’s because the mineral veins are running dry.”
“Running dry?!”
“Yeah, that’s what I overheard. It hasn’t leaked out officially yet, so don’t spread it around.” A puppet master whispered this to his friend.
“Got it, I won’t say a word,” the friend replied hastily but immediately turned to share the information with others he was close to.
–
Rumors spread quickly, as they always do. The puppet masters, already on edge from the tense atmosphere, found a release valve for their anxiety in these whispers.
The idea of depleted mineral veins became a chain reaction of negativity.
Distrust toward the Association grew by the day, as puppet masters passed along their unease and frustrations like wildfire.
What had once been a proud and unified group now felt like a crumbling foundation, with cracks growing deeper and more visible by the hour.
The president and vice president had finally reached a fragile reconciliation and were preparing to launch a heavy strike against Qi Chao and the emperor to defend the association.
But then, they heard this news.
"Mineral veins are depleting?" The president wasn’t concerned. After all, mineral veins were bound to run dry eventually.
What’s the big deal?
The puppet masters were just making a fuss over nothing.
The vice president felt the same. He asked the secretary one more question, "Which mineral veins are depleted?"
The secretary hesitated, reluctant to speak, "The veins numbered 509 and 602 have depleted, but it’s not just these two. According to the workers, the amount of energy stones and mother stones recently mined from the association has been very low. They say this could be a sign of depletion."
With just those few words, the president’s grip on his teacup faltered, and it slipped from his hand.
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