Puppet

The <Puppet>'s eyes shimmered with a starlike brilliance, making her already beautiful face even more captivating.

This momentarily stunned <Li Yèlái>, who felt his colleague's emotions had shifted dramatically.

The <Puppet>, naturally, was filled with surprise and excitement.

In her youth, she was suddenly afflicted by a curse. Her loved ones, gripped by fear, abandoned her.

This forced her to leave her home and wander the wilderness.

A young girl walking the wilderness should have become the weakest prey.

But she transformed into a being that even beasts, bandits, and <Void Realm> monsters avoided.

She was the embodiment of fear, a being that instilled terror in all things.

Her appearance would send the fiercest beasts fleeing in terror, her voice would make even cruel and heartless bandits wet themselves in fear. Her approach would make even the strange entities wandering the wilds tremble.

Thus, loneliness became her eternal companion.

No being could harm her, and no being could communicate with her.

It wasn't until years later, when she was discovered by an expeditionary official team and brought back to <Giant City>, that she had any interaction with humans again.

But even so, she remained alone.

Years passed, and she grew into a graceful young woman, even more stunningly beautiful.

Yet, no one could look directly at her, no one could listen to her voice.

She could only wear the <Puppet> outfit that concealed all her skin, holding a sign displaying words to communicate with her colleagues.

Even though her colleagues were kind and enthusiastic towards her, she still felt pain.

She longed to chat and interact with her colleagues normally, to go shopping with friends like a regular person. She also wished to be hugged like a normal person.

And now, she finally saw hope.

The <Puppet> looked at <Li Yèlái>, her eyes flashing with flowing light, but reason ultimately made her suppress the urge to pour out her heart.

She turned and put on her hood again.

She knew what was more important. First, she had to kill this illegal <Spirit Ability User>!

So, she picked up her sign and replied to <Li Yèlái>.

[Run far away, I'll be right back (｀ω)]

"Sure thing, I'm a good listener! I'll treat you to a meal next time!"

<Li Yèlái> readily agreed. A <Spirit Ability User> of his level shouldn't get involved in this kind of trouble. Since he wasn't going to make a deal with '<Mr. Shadow>', he naturally had to run.

He immediately dashed out of the alley to rendezvous with the other handlers surrounding the area.

Meanwhile, the <Black Umbrella Youth>, simultaneously under siege by two captains, was already in a sorry state.

His mind overwhelmed by fear, he couldn't make any counter-moves and was directly hit by the lightning unleashed by <Moon Shadow> and the dragon claws manifested by <Melting Furnace>.

His skin was charred black by the electricity, and his shoulder was pierced and torn open.

However, after being attacked, he immediately broke free from his state of fear.

The black umbrella in his hand flew up on its own, blocking the even more ferocious lightning unleashed by <Moon Shadow>.

At the same time, he spat out a mouthful of dark green liquid.

Upon hitting the ground, the liquid began to spread rapidly, transforming into a quickly expanding swamp.

Within the swamp, a grotesque head appeared, holding a cleaver in its mouth. The head had sparse hair and a bloated face; it looked like a toad despite being a human face.

Its oily green eyes were fixed on <Melting Furnace>, who was trying to approach.

<Melting Furnace>'s expression changed slightly: "This guy can actually enslave a <Dāo láo guǐ>? Speed up the evacuation!"

The other handlers surrounding the area changed their expressions and quickly widened the distance.

Among them, of course, was <Li Yèlái>.

"What is a <Dāo láo guǐ>?" <Li Yèlái> asked as he ran.

"A type of strange entity, a monster that appeared before the Cataclysm, possessing potent poison!" an unfamiliar colleague explained briefly: "In short, it's very dangerous. Once contaminated, an ordinary person will die within ten seconds, and <Spirit Ability Users> will also have a hard time. Erect your <Psychic Barrier>!"

<Li Yèlái>'s heart skipped a beat. This was a busy commercial district with a large number of people.

If this thing spread, the consequences would be unimaginable. How many people would this poison kill?

Also, because it was a busy area, the handlers dared not use any large-scale destructive weapons or abilities.

As if sensing <Li Yèlái>'s worry, the handler whispered, "Don't worry, comrade. Several colleagues have already gone to evacuate the civilians. Besides, with both captains and the <Puppet> attacking at once, this guy can't escape."

On the other side, the <Black Umbrella Youth> spat out blood and sneered, "You made me take a small loss, and now you think you can take me down? I dared to come to <Giant City> alone, so naturally, I have my confidence!"

Pitch-black mist spewed from his mouth, nose, and wounds, instantly shrouding half the alley and rapidly spreading outwards.

<Li Yèlái>, who had already retreated far away, could even hear the thunderous sound of iron hooves from within the mist.

"All units, be on guard!"

The handler and the other colleagues immediately assumed defensive stances, seemingly preparing to face the enemy's attack.

<Li Yèlái> also drew his <Crimson Longsword>, preparing to shake the silver bell.

However, before the summoned creatures in the black mist could surge out, the black mist suddenly sank and dissipated. The <Black Umbrella Youth> within suddenly knelt on the ground.

The swamp where the <Dāo láo guǐ> was located also began to collapse.

This was not him giving up resistance and kneeling in surrender.

It was because a terrifying pressure struck his body, pinning him to the ground. Even the black mist and swamp he summoned dissipated under the pressure.

The surrounding ground began to crack and sink rapidly.

He himself knelt under the immense pressure, sinking into it, unable to move.

He could only struggle to raise his head, attempting to use some ability, but failed.

It was <Puppet> who made a move!

She raised her advertising board and slammed it down, a colossal force pressing down on the <Black Umbrella Youth>.

As she raised the advertising board again and slammed it down with force.

The terrifying pressure doubled!

The <Black Umbrella Youth>'s head, which he had struggled to lift, was forcefully smashed into the ground.

Bones snapped, muscles tore, internal organs spilled from the wounds, and blood flowed into the cracks in the ground.

Like a mosquito being swatted.

But even though his body was shattered, he did not die.

He endured the immense pressure, reaching out towards the black umbrella, seemingly still attempting some resistance.

But under <Puppet>'s suppression, he couldn't even control the black umbrella. No matter how he reached out, the black umbrella didn't approach him.

With the black mist and swamp suppressed, <Melting Furnace> stood imposingly on the rooftop.

He deliberately glanced at <Li Yèlái>, who was dozens of meters away, then chuckled, "Young man, let me show you the power of us Myriad Manifestations!"

Then, he took a deep breath.

The next moment, behind him, a massive, ferocious dragon head phantom appeared.

The dragon head opened its eyes and reared back.

Then, it spewed a mouthful of scorching dragon flame!

Myriad Manifestations Path, Mimicry · <Flame Dragon Breath>!

The searing flames instantly filled the alley. The <Black Umbrella Youth> was engulfed by the inferno before he could even let out a whimper.

Even from dozens of meters away, <Li Yèlái> could feel the terrifying heatwave slamming against his <Psychic Barrier>.

This was Myriad Manifestations! Mimicry, imitation, making it one's own!

However, amidst the flames that could melt steel, a shadow shot up into the sky.

It wasn't the <Black Umbrella Youth>, but the black umbrella!

It soared upwards, its speed so fast it produced sonic booms, flying towards the high wall of <Giant City> at extreme speed.

However, the next second, bolts of lightning struck down from seemingly nowhere.

They precisely hit the black umbrella, causing it to pause, but it still rapidly flew towards the high wall.

Its speed was so great that everyone was unable to continue intercepting it.

"Damn it, so the black umbrella was the main body! You bastard...%%￥ Grandma's (*&...&(#￥@" <Moon Shadow>, wielding a long sword and shield, was the one who unleashed the lightning just now. He was now cursing vehemently.

His foul language surprised <Li Yèlái>, who turned to ask the colleague beside him, "Captain <Moon Shadow>'s curse, does he have to curse at people for it to work?"

"No, you're overthinking it." The colleague covered his face. "He's just genuinely uncouth."

"Oh."

Soon, the flames disappeared, and the dark alley was cleared.

The body of the <Black Umbrella Youth> was discovered, undoubtedly burned to a crisp.

The <Dāo láo guǐ> was also completely incinerated. Any remaining toxic residue was safely handled.

The only drawback of <Melting Furnace>'s spirit-infused flames was the long charging time required to unleash them, about two seconds.

But with <Puppet>'s gravity suppression, that drawback vanished, leaving flames capable of burning everything.

<Li Yèlái> specifically asked Captain <Melting Furnace>.

He learned that this was an ability <Melting Furnace> acquired during his fourth awakening.

It was said that he spent over a thousand <Merit Points> to gather the main materials, and <Li Yèlái> was advised to start saving <Merit Points> for a magic potion.

However, <Li Yèlái> felt he was still a ways off from his fourth awakening and didn't need to consider it for now.

Fortunately, this operation resulted in no casualties and did not affect the public.

But it did burn down an alley, which would likely give the finance department of <East City Branch> a headache.

As for <Li Yèlái>, the person involved, he returned to the branch and wrote a report as required.

Meanwhile, an investigator dispatched from headquarters personally questioned <Li Yèlái> about the incident.

"The Black Umbrella ultimately disappeared in the northeast direction outside <Giant City>. We've already sent an expedition team to investigate the route, but we're unsure if there are any enemy accomplices still in <Giant City>. You need to be careful and observant of your surroundings. If you detect any danger, sound the alarm immediately." The investigator was very friendly. "You did very well, successfully containing the danger within the alley. For this, <Border City No. 3>'s Handling Department will reward you with twenty <Merit Points> as commendation."

"Thank you." <Li Yèlái> smiled. He hadn't actually participated in the previous fight, yet he was getting twenty <Merit Points>. What more could he ask for?

Adding to the previous twenty-five points, he now had forty-five <Merit Points>.

The anti-psionic helmet plus shipping cost ninety points, so he had reached the halfway mark.

"Next, is the second question." The investigator continued with a smile and asked, "Did you see the face of the handler '<Puppet>'?"

Recalling that stunning face, <Li Yèlái> nodded. "Yes."

The investigator paused, then continued, "How did you feel?"

"A very pretty girl." <Li Yèlái> replied honestly.

"Uh, she is indeed very pretty from photos, but... anything else?" the investigator asked curiously. "Did you have any other thoughts? Did you feel any fear?"

Now, <Li Yèlái> also remembered that <Puppet>'s curse was feared by the outside world.

Everyone, whether it was <Cheese>, or <Yáng Chén>, or even more powerful <Spirit Ability Users>, could not look directly at her face. Even a sliver of exposed skin could instill fear in all living beings.

Her voice could even make <Void Realm> creatures fall into immediate terror.

Therefore, she usually lived within the <East City Branch> and had to wear thick <Puppet> attire whenever she went out, which was also the origin of her codename.

In the past, when communicating with others, she would either use a signboard or type on a communicator.

In a sense, her curse was the opposite of her sister <Li Yúnyān>'s.

The commonality was that they both suffered greatly.

But for some reason, <Li Yèlái> was not affected by their curses.

His sister's curse was a fear of outsiders, but she was not afraid of <Li Yèlái>. <Li Yèlái> initially thought it was because he was her blood-related elder brother that he was unaffected.

Now, <Li Yèlái> could even face <Puppet>'s true appearance directly.

Is it <Mr. Shadow>? Because of His existence, I'm not affected by these curses? Or is there some other reason? <Li Yèlái> pondered in his heart and said, "No, I didn't feel any fear."

"Very good." The investigator nodded. "It seems your curse resistance is extremely high!"

"Is it rare?" <Li Yèlái> asked tentatively.

"Rare, very rare." The investigator replied. "But not unheard of. Among <Spirit Ability Users>, curse resistance varies across different paths, but there are also those born with extremely strong curse resistance. In a <Giant City> far from us, there's a handler who is naturally gifted with exceptionally high curse resistance. There's even a natural anti-<Spirit Ability User>, a true miracle of humanity."

Looks like I'm lucky, <Li Yèlái> felt slightly relieved.

"Indeed, and this is also a good thing for <Puppet>." The investigator smiled. "You know her curse; she's too lonely. We all worry she'll be crushed by loneliness and become twisted."

"Fortunately, you can now communicate with her normally. Therefore, headquarters hopes you can interact and meet with <Puppet> more often. Don't let her be too lonely and repressed."

"From my personal perspective, this isn't a disadvantage for you either."

<Li Yèlái> nodded. "I will."

"Excellent, then I won't stay any longer." The investigator stood up, shook hands with <Li Yèlái>, and then left the room.

<Li Yèlái>, however, fell into deep thought. He had already entered the sights of certain organizations. Coupled with his <Myriad Faces> ability, he would sooner or later be taken seriously by those organizations.

They would either capture him for research or kill him and refine him into a <Psychic Weapon>.

These were all threats; he had to become stronger immediately.

Furthermore, his sister could no longer stay in the old apartment. He had to have a serious talk with her.

With that thought, <Li Yèlái> pushed open the door and froze.

Standing outside was a snowman <Puppet> wearing a red cape.

Upon noticing <Li Yèlái> emerge, <Puppet> raised a hand, and words appeared on its signboard.

[When are we eating? (^▽^)]