Suffocation Puppet

This period of life has been surprisingly peaceful.

Xiao Xiao leaves early and returns late every day, toughening his body through the heavy labor at the docks, and earning the several hundred yuan he desperately needs. For a long time, he hasn't felt that sudden sense of panic. When he gets home from work, he can even manage a weak smile for his "mother's" concern. Sometimes, he's even willing to say a few more words to her to reassure her.

Compared to the torment of being cooped up in his bedroom for four years, constantly accompanied by fear, this is like a dream.

He even occasionally wishes he could believe that the life around him is real, that all of this is real, and be willing to sink into it.

Unfortunately, whenever the chilling gaze of that malice attacks him from his memory, he has to realize once again—this beautiful dream is built on a foundation of immense absurdity.

He lives in a world of giant monsters, and the small measure of stability and peace he has can be taken away at any moment.

Whenever this happens, the smile on his face freezes unconsciously, and a faint sense of desolation creeps over his features.

People really aren't very smart sometimes. They'd be happier if they didn't think about certain things, but they can't help but think about them anyway.

Fortunately, this kind of life didn't last long before Xiao Xiao received a call from the designer, Ruan Ruan.

"I've found a mission that's suitable for you..."

"So soon?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao was the one who was initially eager to find a new mission to carry out.

Because on a whim, he spent thirty Points to buy three hunting dogs that only knew how to tear up the house, leaving him with only ten Points.

In other words, he had to find a new mission to earn more Points.

However, Ruan Ruan said that there weren't many missions suitable for him, and told him not to rush, to first get used to the changes brought about by the Violence Factor, and that she would notify him when there was a suitable job.

After a few days of this, Xiao Xiao almost forgot about it.

Alas, in the end, after being tormented for those four years, he was just too eager for this feeling of living in a normal world...

Even if this normality is only a facade.

After a moment of silence, he quickly adjusted his state and asked in a low voice, "What's the mission this time?"

Ruan Ruan laughed, "Don't worry, it's just a small mission."

"I'll tell you the details on the way. I'll come pick you up. Are you at home? Jiajia-jie gave me your address before."

"No..."

Xiao Xiao hurriedly denied, "I'm at Blackwater Bay Docks."

"Oh?"

"Um, I'm working here..."

"..."

Ruan Ruan was clearly a little surprised, but she didn't ask any further questions. After clarifying the address, she said, "See you in twenty minutes."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Xiao found the foreman and told him that he needed to take a leave of absence later and leave a few hours early.

After all, even though there are monsters everywhere in this world, and the foreman in front of him might be one too, he still has to abide by their rules on the surface. If he gets fired, it'll be hard to find another job.

"Leave early? Sure!"

The foreman immediately agreed readily.

Having been a foreman for so many years, this was the first time he'd been frightened by the diligence of one of his workers...

He saw that Xiao Xiao was young and had been worried about him overworking himself. Being able to take a leave of absence? That's a good thing.

Xiao Xiao didn't expect the foreman to be so easy to talk to. He turned around to change his clothes.

Hearing this, the yellow-haired guy resting nearby immediately said with a grin, "Foreman, I want to take a leave of absence too. My girlfriend is waiting for me..."

"Damn it..."

The foreman cursed as soon as he heard it, "What kind of red-assed monkey could a loser like you find as a girlfriend? Go do your work for me..."

The yellow-haired guy was unconvinced, "Foreman, you're not fair. How come he can take a leave of absence?"

"Damn it..."

The foreman cursed even more fiercely, "Call your mom over here. I'll give you a leave of absence if she does my work for me..."

The yellow-haired guy chuckled, "My mom's not home..."

"Damn it, how come she's home when your Uncle Wang from next door goes over, but she's not home when I want to find her..."

"Are you looking down on me? Huh?"

"..."

Amidst the rhythmic cursing, Xiao Xiao suddenly felt very happy. He changed his clothes, greeted a few of his coworkers, and went to the docks to wait.

Behind him was the busy dock, and in front of him was the city as night began to fall. Xiao Xiao felt like he was traversing between two worlds.

About ten minutes later, a heavy motorcycle slowly drove up to the factory gate and stopped outside the boom barrier, facing the warehouse. It flashed its lights a few times and honked its horn.

Xiao Xiao immediately knew that Ruan Ruan had arrived and quickly got up to greet her.

"What are you doing here?"

Ruan Ruan lifted her helmet, her delicate little face showing surprise. She felt that Xiao Xiao's physique had become much tougher in just a few days.

"Work..."

Xiao Xiao reached out and hopped onto the back of her bike, instantly towering over her.

"You, a city contractor who roams the urban night, accompanied by mystery and danger, your job is to come to the docks and carry boxes?"

Ruan-jie clicked her tongue. "Impressive."

Xiao Xiao also felt a little ashamed and couldn't help but ask, "What's your job then?"

Ruan-jie said proudly, "I'm a nanny..."

"Oh..."

Xiao Xiao responded, then suddenly felt something was off. "Huh?"

Before he could ask further, the motorcycle roared and sped forward.

Behind them, the foreman who had just passed by watched Xiao Xiao's receding figure. After a long while, he withdrew his envious gaze and muttered, "Damn it, being handsome means you can be unreasonable. You can even find a girlfriend working at the docks..."

"How come I've been working for so many years and can't even hook up with Yellow Hair's mom?"

"Damn you, Yellow Hair, you're working overtime!"

"Is this mission dangerous?"

Xiao Xiao sat on the back of Ruan Ruan's motorcycle, watching her increase the speed. He couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going?"

Ruan Ruan said without looking back, "Check your email first!"

"Email?"

Xiao Xiao felt a little strange. He took out his phone and checked, and sure enough, there was an unread email lying quietly in his inbox. The sender's name was: Ye.

[Aberrant Creature Serial Number 031 - Suffocation Puppet]

[Danger Level: D]

[Clue: Above-standard radiation was detected at the South City Old District Sixth Street Intersection two hours ago. The final location has been sent. It is recommended to start tracking from here.]

[Reward Points: 100]

[...]

That's strange, he didn't seem to have given them his email address before.

But Xiao Xiao didn't dwell on this question. He carefully read the information and asked in surprise, "Are the missions we usually take graded?"

"They weren't originally."

Ruan Ruan explained with a smile, "But there are more and more Outsiders in the same boat, and more and more people are dying. So everyone has summarized some experiences as a reference for newcomers."

"At least, this way some newcomers can avoid dying without knowing why..."

"What difference does it make whether you die knowing why or not?"

Xiao Xiao thought to himself, then asked, "So, how dangerous is this D-level mission?"

"It's so-so!"

Ruan Ruan said, "Jiajia-jie helped you deal with a Rat-Man, didn't she?"

"Something like a Rat-Man that has already completed its aberration and started to affect the city is a D-level mission."

"And a C-level mission is one that has assimilated part of the environment and formed a nest... Like the Rat-Man, it's D-level difficulty, but after it forms a Rat Nest, it becomes C-level difficulty."

Xiao Xiao was a little tempted when he heard this and quickly asked, "What about B-level?"

Ruan Ruan said, "Hehe, those are often things that can't be solved for a long time, or even those pirates or other mysterious wills from outside the city..."

"There are strange things outside the city too?"

Xiao Xiao thought to himself. In fact, he had long wondered, since the city he lived in was a giant monster, what would it be like outside the city?

But it was just a thought.

Every time he looked up and saw the vast, boundless city and the layers of high-rise buildings, his vision was blocked, as if he were in a cage.

And standing at the dock, looking at the dark and gloomy sea, he felt like he was on an isolated island. The ships coming from afar swayed gently, like an unreal dream.

So, there were things outside the city, and even this city was afraid of some things...

He had many questions he wanted to ask, but Ruan Ruan interrupted him with a smile, "Don't think so much for now. Focus on this mission."

"Xiao-gege, this mission is different from the last one..."

Xiao Xiao was indeed drawn back to his attention by her. He reread the information and said, "What's different?"

"Last time you dealt with the Rat-Man, you were hiding behind Jiajia-jie, right?"

Ruan Ruan sounded a bit smug as she said, "This time, I definitely won't give you the chance to hide behind me."

"This…"

Hearing Ruan Ruan bring up the first time they met the Rat-Man, Xiao Xiao felt a little embarrassed and asked, "So, what are you going to do this time?"

"I'm only responsible for watching you."

Ruan Ruan said, "You're completely responsible for solving the mission. I'm just responsible for observing and giving you some advice."

"I'll only step in if you're in mortal danger or some other crucial moment. Of course, you better not let me step in…"

"…"

Hearing how serious she sounded, Xiao Xiao quickly asked, "What happens if you step in?"

"It will…"

Ruan Ruan paused for a moment before saying, "You'll lose a lot of face."

"…"

Xiao Xiao didn't know how to respond to that, and Ruan Ruan added with a smile, "Also, I'll definitely earn all the Points this time. Let me tell you, I'm not as generous as Jiajia-jie. Once it's in my hands, I definitely won't give it back."

"So, it depends on your performance…"

"…"

"Okay…"

Xiao Xiao thought to himself, this time he was mentally prepared and definitely wouldn't hide behind Ruan Ruan.

Mainly because even if he hid, she wouldn't be able to block him properly…

During the new book period, I ask for all support, everyone's care, everyone's love… Even a rougher touch is acceptable.