Several Fractsidus members lunged at him, swinging massive hammers.
The ground trembled with every step they took.
Ling An watched quietly. Surely he wouldn't have to deal with these small fry himself.
Sure enough, Yinlin gave a haughty command: "Suspended Strings."
Lightning flashed, and fine threads appeared, already wound around every one of them.
"Damn it!"
"It's an ambush!"
Yinlin extended her slender fingers, where the ends of all the threads converged.
With a gentle tug, she made the Fractsidus members scream.
Clearly, she had been in control all along.
She exerted a little more force, and lightning bloomed along the threads.
In an instant, every Fractsidus enemy was down.
She gracefully brushed back her hair and threatened Ling An in a low voice. "If you dare misbehave again, I'll truss you up."
Ling An stayed silent, resting obediently in Yinlin's arms.
Apparently, she had quite the expertise in rope bondage.
"All right, let's catch up with Li Rong. I know where he keeps the puppets."
Carrying Ling An, she followed the tracks Li Rong had left behind.
At last, they found Li Rong sitting blankly on a narrow path.
He kept murmuring to himself, "Yuanyuan... Yuanyuan..."
Beside him sat a dozen or so expressionless puppets.
Every puppet embodied an ordinary person's lingering attachment from life.
Was this how the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society had attracted so many citizens?
Ling An couldn't understand it.
If all they did was project their longing for the dead onto lifeless imitations, that would have been one thing.
But the puppets from the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society had very obvious side effects.
Anyone who spent too long around them would sooner or later end up like Li Rong.
They would slip into an Overclocked state at the slightest provocation.
In the end, they would break down and go insane.
People who couldn't face reality might as well remain forever immersed in the Mangekyo Sharingan's genjutsu.
Yinlin glanced at Li Rong and told Ling An, "These puppets are test subjects the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society supplied to Fractsidus. Gather them up. I know a safe house where we can keep them for now."
Ling An nodded and used his gaze to help Yinlin transport the puppets to her supposed safe house.
Looking around, he found that the so-called safe house appeared to be a cave hollowed out of the mountain.
There were no other Patrollers here, though.
"Stop looking around," Yinlin suddenly said, her voice turning cold and sharp.
Ling An looked over.
Yinlin stood at the cave entrance, the faint light spilling in from outside outlining her tall, alluring figure.
She walked slowly toward Ling An, her high heels clicking crisply against the ground.
Ling An was puzzled. What was this supposed to mean?
A wicked smile curved her lips, and she rushed at him.
A second later, she stood behind Ling An, several threads binding his limbs and body.
Ling An was stunned.
Were they really going to play something this risqué?
Th-this... this wouldn't do.
Sure, this place was secluded, but what if someone came along?
What if someone filmed them?
All sorts of nonsense ran through Ling An's mind, his expression shifting constantly.
He showed every possible reaction except fear.
His reaction rattled Yinlin instead.
Looking perplexed, she asked, "I ambushed you, and now you can't move. Aren't you afraid of me?"
"Afraid?" Ling An was confused.
Only then did he catch on.
Ha, so it was an ambush.
He'd thought she was just playing around.
His reaction seemed to irritate Yinlin even more.
"You've taken advantage of me plenty. It's time I collected a little interest."
With a sharp cry, she sent purple lightning racing along the threads toward Ling An.
A tingling numbness spread through him.
Ling An squirmed. "That tickles!"
"Tickles?" Yinlin's eyes went wide.
She had used at least seventy percent of her power, intending to knock Ling An out in one shot.
And it only tickled a little?
Yinlin completely lost her composure.
Only now did she realize that she seemed to have underestimated Ling An all along.
There was something strange about this cat.
Her gaze hardened, and she simply unleashed her full power.
Bound by the threads, Ling An felt the current pouring into his body.
So she really was playing around.
Was this the legendary electrotherapy?
It was pretty comfortable.
Yinlin's all-out effort wasn't entirely without results.
At least Ling An's fur visibly began to stand on end.
Half a minute later, Ling An stared at his own explosive hairdo, while Yinlin stared at the still-lively Ling An.
Both fell into contemplation.
An awkward atmosphere filled the entire cave.
Yinlin rubbed her tired wrist, walked up to Ling An, and said helplessly:
"Work with me."
Ling An froze, looking at her in confusion.
He'd already been very cooperative, okay?
Surely she didn't actually need to tie him up in some elaborate bondage arrangement.
Yinlin's expression darkened. She knew this naughty cat's imagination was running wild again.
She raised a hand and gave Ling An a moderate smack on the forehead, snapping, "Save me some face and pass out!"
Ling An immediately understood. So there was another step.
He pressed the switch. "Cuddle me."
"Fine. I. Promise," Yinlin said through gritted teeth, stressing every word.
The moment she finished speaking, Ling An flopped onto his back and went straight to sleep.
A second later, a trace of fragrance reached his nose.
The scent lingered for a long time. In the darkness, Ling An felt himself being placed on a platform.
Before long, a voice sounded nearby. "Both test subjects Lord Puppetmaster requested are here."
It should be about time, right?
With that thought, Ling An opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a familiar, exquisite face in profile.
Holy crap!
Tide Sis!
Ling An sprang up like a startled bird and scrambled backward.
Why was Tide Sis here?
Ling An felt the helplessness of someone caught red-handed doing something wrong.
Beside him, Tide Sis calmly scooped him up, a subtle emotion flickering in her brilliant golden eyes.
"What, surprised to see me here?"
Ling An hurriedly waved his paws. "Not surprised, not surprised."
He wouldn't dare be surprised.
But Tide Sis still wouldn't let him off. Feigning indifference, she said, "When that woman brought you over just now, you looked like you were really enjoying yourself, with your eyes half-closed."
Ling An's heart jolted.
He was done for. She'd seen him.
RIP.
"Why are you spacing out? Was it comfortable in her arms?" Tide Sis leaned closer and closer until her nose touched Ling An's.
Guiltily, Ling An lowered his gaze.
Help.
How was he supposed to answer that?
It was comfortable?
It wasn't comfortable?
This suffocating feeling, like a python coiling around him...
Every answer was a death sentence!
"Getting bold, aren't you? I haven't seen you for a few days, and not only have you become a Patroller, you've been fooling around behind my back."
Tide Sis spoke softly, her tone even.
But the tsunami hidden beneath it made Ling An tremble with fear.
She extended her slender fingers and idly toyed with the miniature gourd hanging around Ling An's neck.
Suddenly, she asked, "Tell me, do I need to replace this with a collar before you learn to behave?"
Her finger inadvertently touched the audio switch.
A desperate voice came from the gourd:
"Save me, save me."
Before you continue