It's Actually This Lifelike!

After Luoxi left, Molly eagerly walked over to the Magic Puppet.

"How do I use this puppet?"

"Hmm... I wonder if it can understand my commands."

Molly tried giving it an order:

"Raise your hand."

The puppet immediately raised its right hand.

"Raise your foot."

The puppet raised its left foot again.

An excited expression appeared on Molly's face.

She tried having the puppet perform all sorts of movements, and it completed every one of them precisely.

Unable to resist, she reached out and pinched the puppet's cheek.

It was soft and smooth like peeled egg white, with an incredible feel—exactly like her own face.

Molly's curiosity grew stronger and stronger.

Finally, after examining it closely:

"Holy crap, this is ridiculously realistic!"

Molly muttered quietly as a strange thought suddenly popped into her head:

"If I put Magic Puppets like this on the toy market... wouldn't they sell like crazy?"

The moment that thought arose, Molly hurriedly stamped it out.

"Pah, pah, pah... What am I even thinking?"

She shook her head, tossing those messy thoughts to the back of her mind.

Now was not the time to think about that. She needed to hurry to Prosperous Festival Backstreet and check things out.

Luoxi had organizational matters to handle and might arrive late, so it would be good for Molly to scout the place out first.

Molly stopped wasting time. She changed into clothes suitable for moving around, put on a hat and mask, and after confirming everything was in order, slipped out the window while her younger sister was not paying attention.

She left the Magic Puppet in her bedroom. Following her instructions, it sat obediently by the bed and would automatically go to school in her place later.

Prosperous Festival Backstreet.

The moment Molly reached the street entrance, she saw a faint purple-black mist hanging in the air.

The mist was thinner than the one near the food factory, but it still carried a pungent smell.

The pedestrians on the street all frowned as they hurried along.

Quite a few wore masks, clearly uncomfortable from the strange odor.

Frowning, Molly slowly walked forward along the backstreet.

All five of her senses were fully alert as she carefully picked up on the activity around her, especially in the more secluded alleys.

The source of the Miasma was most likely hidden in one of those rarely visited places.

After wandering around for more than ten minutes, she finally found something unusual at the entrance of an extremely secluded alley.

Thick purple-black Miasma filled the depths of the alley, far denser than the mist on the street.

Two people in black protective suits were struggling to carry a purple-black sphere half the height of a person deeper into the alley.

Its surface was covered in dense patterns, continuously releasing Miasma.

Defectors!

Molly's gaze instantly turned cold.

She did not rush forward immediately. Instead, she silently circled around to the other side of the alley.

Hiding behind a corner, she silently said, "Transform."

After transforming into Magical Girl Pale, she carried her Broken Sword into the middle of the alley and blocked the two Defectors' path.

"Stop!"

Molly's voice was cool and clear, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"!!!"

The two Defectors were startled and abruptly stopped, turning around.

When they saw Molly, they froze for a moment before greedy light filled their eyes.

The magical girl before them had a curvaceous figure and breathtaking beauty. Her eyes in particular were both cool and alluring—she was simply exquisite!

The two exchanged glances and saw burning desire in each other's eyes.

They set down the purple-black sphere in their hands, flattering smiles appearing on their faces.

One of them, a tall, skinny man, rubbed his hands together and leered as he spoke:

"Well, well, isn't it the magical girl herself?"

"What brings you to a place like this?"

The short, fat man chimed in as well:

"Yeah, yeah! Magical girl, you're really gorgeous—prettier than any celebrity on television!"

Molly could not be bothered to waste words with them and coldly demanded:

"Who are you?"

"Why are you transporting a sphere that releases Miasma?"

"And what are you trying to accomplish?"

At Molly's question, the smiles on the Defectors' faces stiffened.

The tall, skinny man's eyes darted around before he quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Magical girl, we're just errand runners! We don't know anything!"

"It was an order from above to move this thing here. We're only following orders!"

The short, fat man nodded and bowed along with him.

"Yes, yes, yes! We really don't know anything!"

"Please show mercy and spare us!"

"..."

Watching the two act so pathetic, Molly frowned.

She had originally wanted to pry some useful information out of them, but she had not expected these two to be so useless.

"Take me to your base," Molly said coldly.

The two Defectors exchanged a glance, each seeing a trace of viciousness in the other's eyes.

The tall, skinny man quickly nodded.

"Okay, okay, okay! We'll take you there right away! Please follow us!"

With that, the two turned and headed deeper into the alley.

Molly followed behind them, but she felt a faint unease in her heart.

These two Defectors were cooperating far too readily. It was abnormal.

She tightened her grip on the Broken Sword and vigilantly watched her surroundings.

The alley grew deeper, and the Miasma around them grew thicker.

The walls were covered with moss, while garbage piled up in the corners, giving off a foul odor.

After walking for several minutes, the two Defectors suddenly stopped.

Molly looked up and discovered that the path ahead was actually a dead end.

And in the middle of that dead end lurked an enormous Monster Demon!

The Monster Demon's body resembled a gigantic ball of flesh, covered in countless tentacles. Every tentacle was lined with barbs that glinted coldly.

[Monster Demon: Tentacle Demon]

[Level: 10 (Elite)]

[Traits: Tentacle Restraint, Corrosive Venom]

A level ten elite monster!

Molly's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly understood.

She had been tricked!

Those two Defectors had deliberately lured her here!

The tall, skinny man and the short, fat man turned around. Their earlier cowardice was nowhere to be seen.

It had been replaced by smug, arrogant expressions.

The tall, skinny man crossed his arms and sneered.

"Hahaha! You idiot! You actually believed us!"

The short, fat man laughed loudly as well, his gaze full of lecherous light.

"If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear!"

"We're experts at luring enemies deep into traps!"

"Once the Tentacle Demon catches you, the two of us brothers will definitely take good care of you!"

Molly's face was icy. Gritting her teeth, she cursed under her breath:

"I must be insane to have believed the Defectors!"

The tall, skinny man grinned smugly.

"It's too late to realize that now! Tentacle Demon, get her! Catch this little bitch!"

As his voice fell, the Tentacle Demon let out a low roar.

"Oho!!!"

The tentacles on its body suddenly moved, lashing toward Molly like venomous snakes!

The gusts stirred up by the tentacles stung Molly's cheeks.

But Molly's gaze sharpened.

Rather than retreat, she tightened her grip on the Broken Sword and charged straight at the Tentacle Demon.

"I was just worried I wouldn't have any Monster Demons to kill!"

Molly's voice was cool, carrying a hint of killing intent.

"Thanks for delivering one right to me!"

As her words fell, her figure flickered like a ghost.

Fourth-Tier Basic Swordsmanship surged at full force.

The Broken Sword carried fierce sword energy, like a silver serpent striking, and accurately slashed into one of the incoming tentacles!

"Squelch!"

A crisp sound rang out!

That barbed tentacle was sliced directly in half by the Broken Sword.

Dark green venom gushed out and splattered onto the ground, producing sizzling corrosive sounds.

"Hiss—"

The Tentacle Demon let out a miserable howl, clearly suffering immense pain.

The smiles on the tall, skinny man's and short, fat man's faces instantly froze.

"!!!"

They stared dumbfoundedly at the scene before them, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Th-This was impossible, wasn't it?

A level ten elite monster's tentacle had been severed by that magical girl with a single slash?!