Bai Liu’s mouth slowly curled up. “If I’m not guessing incorrectly, the puppet master will come find us to attack. He should also know that the broken lenses are on the passengers’ bodies. The puppet master is lacking people and will need to control us to help him search the passengers. We obviously can’t beat the puppet master so my plan is this—”
“—It is better to seek the cooperation of the puppet master in exchange for me and Mu Sicheng being controlled.”
Mu Sicheng heard this and became furious. “Bai Liu, what the hell are you talking about?!!!”
Puppet Zhang played with the broken lenses in his hand, his sharp eyes picking out something that looked like a deformed diamond. “I have 20 of them here. Mu Sicheng is good at stealing things and should have 20. There are around 40 at one station and a total of 10 stations…”
Puppet Zhang stopped the following words in time. His three puppets stared at Puppet Zhang who stopped the conversation suddenly, as if they couldn’t react. Puppet Zhang couldn’t help wanting to sneer at this silly look. He had been afraid that this group of goods had found the problem with this game and didn’t say the rest.
Then Puppet Zhang remembered that he had been using this batch of puppets for a while. Apart from Li Gou, the other puppets had their intelligence sucked by him. However, Li Gou himself wasn’t very intelligent. It would be strange if this group of idiots could find out the key point of this game.
One health point was exchanged for one mirror fragment. 400 fragments would kill four people. Even if all three of Mu Sicheng’s group were killed, one of his puppets would need to take the last spot.
Puppet Zhang never felt sorry for his puppets. The puppets were just consumables for him. There were many spare puppets in the Kings Guild. Even if some of his puppets were wiped out, the Kings Guild would recruit new ones for him. Puppet Zhang never felt sorry for his puppets except for the ones who were easy to use.
Even though Puppet Zhang’s use of puppets was cruel, there were people constantly clinging to him to become his puppets. After all, the death rate when clearing the game themselves was much higher than when they were Puppet Zhang’s puppets.
“I have identified the key clues. Next, we need to find Bai Liu’s group. I can’t just consume you.” Puppet Zhang pretended to be kind. “I’m going to control them. Then I will have them help me search for the fragments and consume their health.”
The extremely burned Li Gou’s eyes brightened. “Master, are you going to attack Bai Liu?”
“No.” Puppet Zhang looked at the deformed mirror ‘diamond’ in his hand and slowly smiled. “Kill the seventh player first. I am now sure that the seventh player is Du Sanying.”
Li Gou was even more confused. “Master, how did you confirm it?”
“Bai Liu is a player with a luck value of only zero.” Puppet Zhang played with the broken lenses in his hand. “According to his low luck, he should’ve met me in the carriage during the two chases. If it wasn’t for a player with high luck being with him so that he ‘just’ missed me every time, he should have been in my hands a long time ago.”
“After all, I should be the biggest misfortune for Bai Liu in this game.”
Puppet Zhang smiled arrogantly and pretentiously. Then he threw the broken mirror fragments to Li Gou and Li Gou hurriedly picked them up. Then he looked up at Puppet Zhang with trepidation. “Master? Why did you give them to me?”
“Naturally, it is because I value you Li Gou.” Puppet Zhang gave a hypocritical leader’s smile and patted Li Gou’s shoulder. “Take good care of them. This is the big task I’m giving you and you should do it well.”
If Bai Liu was here then he would surely recognize Puppet Zhang’s smile as ‘a leader’s special fake smile’.
In fact, Puppet Zhang’s move of giving the lens to Li Gou had the same purpose as Bai Liu giving them to Du Sanying—reduce the risk of carrying important items and create confusion.
Du Sanying and Li Gou were both under the control of Bai Liu and Puppet Zhang. If given to them, it wouldn’t have much impact on Bai Liu and Puppet Zhang. They could get them back any time before the end of the game.
However, these two guys with a human face and an animal heart chose a sweet and amiable shell to wrap around their sinister intentions.
Bai Liu’s was: This is the trust I give to you, Du Sanying.
Puppet Zhang’s was: This is because I value you, Li Gou.
“Now let’s go and find where those three people are hiding.” Puppet Zhang waved his fingers and transparent silk threads wrapped around the joints of his three puppets’ hands and feet. Puppet Zhang lightly flicked the silk threads with his fingers and the three puppets trembled like they were shocked.
“Before that, let me give you an enhancement. Puppet players other than Liu Huai, enhance!”
[System tip: Player Puppet Zhang has used his personal skill ‘Puppet Enhancement’. Half the puppet’s mental value is sacrificed in exchange for the puppet’s other panel attributes doubling.]
[Player Li Gou’s Personal Panel]
[Mental value: 80 → 40]
[Physical strength: 251 → 502]
[Agility: 270 → 540]
[Attack power: 310 → 620]
[Resistance: 350→ 700]
[Comprehensive defense and attack power has increased. The total of the panel attribute points has exceeded 2000 and the player is rated as an A level player. The player Li Gou’s level has increased from B to A level.]
[Player Fang Ke’s Personal Panel]
[Mental value: 82 → 41]
……
[Comprehensive defense and attack power has increased. The total of the panel attribute points has exceeded 2000 and the player is rated as an A level player. The player Fang Ke’s level has increased from B to A level.]
Li Gou and Fang Ke lost their focus in an instant. They stood blankly on the spot like they were caught in some type of confusion. They had no more thoughts. They were obviously in pain. There was a strange and struggling expression on their faces. The drop in mental value caused the two puppet players to instantly enter the hallucination stage. They were obviously tortured in their hallucinations.
Nevertheless, Puppet Zhang didn’t care if the two people were suffering. Their joints were raised by Puppet Zhang and they made exactly the same movements.
Puppet Zhang smiled with satisfaction and a type of loftiness in his eyes. Puppet Zhang fiddled with his 10 fingers, casually and cheerfully mobilizing his powerful puppets to perform various actions. Then he spoke in an arrogant tone, “The decline in your mental value might make you lose the ability to think independently but the actions that you do with your stupid brains thinking are also stupid. It is better to exchange it for something else.”
The only puppet who hadn’t been strengthened, Liu Huai shrank back in the corner and shivered. He was too scared to speak.
Puppet Zhang’s expression of admiring his puppets was like an artist admiring the outstanding artworks in his hand that didn’t have any brains or thinking ability. They just obeyed his instructions. This gaze made a chill go down Liu Huai’s spine. Puppet Zhang was an inhumane player who enjoyed the pleasure of controlling and killing others.
Liu Huai really regretted it. He regretted betraying Mu Sicheng. Mu Sicheng might not be a good person but he wouldn’t throw people away after using them like Puppet Zhang. However, what was the use of regret? There was no going back.
Puppet Zhang crouched on a subway chair. Li Gou and Fang Ke were spread out under his feet and had empty eyes like dolls that had lost their batteries. Puppet Zhang hooked his finger and smiled at Liu Huai. “Come here, I have a task for you. Go to Mu Sicheng and say that you have betrayed me and want to take refuge with them.”
Liu Huai gulped. “T-They won’t believe me. I am Master’s puppet.”
“Is it hard to believe a betrayer’s second betrayal?” Puppet Zhang placed his hand on the chair, sneered and sat down on the chair again, his hands crossed under his chin. “You can just say I have no humanity and I’m ready to use your health in exchange for the fragments. You want to live, not die, so you betrayed me.”
“B-But—” Liu Huai was a bit flustered. “Even so, they won’t accept me so easily! I still have your puppet silk threads on me! You can control me at any time!”
Puppet Zhang stretched out his hand and grabbed something. Liu Huai felt the sharp pain of cramps from his limbs and joints. He screamed and knelt down on the ground. A roll of transparent silk covered with blood drops appeared in Puppet Zhang’s hand. He shook the blood off it in a bored manner. “Okay, I will take back the puppet silk threads. Go ahead.”
Liu Huai was frozen on the spot. He never thought that Puppet Zhang would take back the puppet silk threads so easily and he didn’t know how to react for a while.
Puppet Zhang wiped the blood from the puppet silk threads on Li Gou’s body, speaking slowly as he wiped it. “They will definitely accept you. As I just said, they are short on people and need to consume health. Even if they see that you have ulterior motives, they won’t push you away easily. They will send you to find fragments.”
Liu Huai didn’t speak. He took off the puppet headgear from his neck and gently placed it on the seat. Then he cautiously said, “T-Then I’m going, Master.”
As Liu Huai turned away nervously, he heard Puppet Zhang’s slow voice coming from behind him. “Liu Huai, do you know how to control someone who might betray you again and again?”
Liu Huai paused, his voice trembling slightly, “No, I don’t know Master.”
“Don’t give them room to betray you.” Puppet Zhang suddenly laughed. “Liu Huai, do you really think I took away all your puppet silk threads? Look down.”
Liu Huai lowered his head and was surprised to see a very transparent silk thread passing through his chest. He turned and followed the silk thread all the way to Puppet Zhang. The silk thread that passed through his heart was tied to Puppet Zhang’s little finger.
Puppet Zhang gave a smile that wasn’t a smile. “Do you think I would be an idiot like Mu Sicheng and rely on trust to maintain the relationship between people? Liu Huai, if you behave a bit wrongly then I will kill you.”
“I can lack everything but I don’t lack self-righteous idiots and puppet players.” Puppet Zhang slowly retracted his hand. He raised his eyebrow and laughed as he saw the pale and shivering Liu Huai. “Unfortunately, you seem to be both.”
Liu Huai’s face was pale as he covered his heart and walked through the shaky train. He did have a weak idea of betraying Puppet Zhang previously but now he couldn’t do anything that was contrary to Puppet Zhang’s mind.
Puppet Zhang wouldn’t leave any loopholes in his plan.
Liu Huai didn’t think that Mu Sicheng and Bai Liu were Puppet Zhang’s opponents. The level difference was too far. Mu Sicheng might have outstanding personal skills but his control of people’s hearts was simply too far behind Puppet Zhang who had 93 points in intelligence.
As for Bai Liu, Liu Huai had previously watched Bai Liu’s video. He had to say that this person was indeed very smart but it wasn’t enough compared with Puppet Zhang. At the very least, Puppet Zhang wouldn’t join hands with Mu Sicheng and Du Sanying in a collecting game. One was a thief and the other was the king of picking up mistakes. He wouldn’t be able to get anything by joining with them.
However, Puppet Zhang didn’t underestimate Bai Liu. Puppet Zhang’s plan echoed in Liu Huai’s ears.
“This game requires exchanging health for the broken lenses. It has become a game where both sides need to grab heads. Now there are three heads on my side. I’m definitely not a head.”
“There are three heads on Bai Liu’s side. Since the four of us are bound, they can’t easily grab us. I feel that Bai Liu will think we will take the initiative to attack and set a trap for us, waiting for us to throw ourselves into the net. The purpose of sending you is to try it out.”
“Since this broken game requires 400 fragments, it is impossible for me to consume my health. I need you to tell them that I intend to consume my puppets’ health to obtain the fragments. This caused my puppets to turn violent and a conflict occurred. I’m not in a position to give absolute protection.”
“My puppet manipulation skill isn’t 100% flawless. If a puppet struggles to the death then I will also suffer a certain degree of backlash. I temporarily took back the more conspicuous puppet master silk threads from you. The one around your heart can’t be seen by anyone except for me and you. You can tell them that this is the result of your fight to the death. In order to avoid the backlash, I took back the puppet silk threads from you.”
“On their side, Du Sanying definitely won’t have any health consumed and Bai Liu is someone with an F-grade attributes panel. Mu Sicheng will definitely be the focus of the consumption. His mental value should be on the border after two rounds of chasing battles. It is possible to cleanse this with bleach but I think Bai Liu will stop him.”
“It is because he needs Mu Sicheng to lower his mental value to enter the rage state and increase the combat power. Mu Sicheng shouldn’t be sober right now. He was very irritable and impulsive the last time he was in the rage state and killed four of my puppets. I don’t think Bai Liu can control him.”
“In this way, before the train arrives at the platform and the chase starts, I believe the thief who feels hatred toward me and is in an urgent situation will be tempted to come and steal the fragments from our side while attacking me. It is because things will become much easier if I am controlled. My puppets are all B-grade players without my personal skill enhancement and are easily defeated.”
Liu Huai didn’t quite understand why Puppet Zhang was making things so complicated.
Based on Puppet Zhang’s strength, he could completely win against the opponent in a frontal confrontation. He didn’t know why Puppet Zhang needed to carry out these spy countermeasures or something.
Puppet Zhang was a bit speechless and he couldn’t help looking at Liu Huai like this person was an idiot. “It is naturally to keep everyone’s health. I don’t want to consume my health or Mu Sicheng and Bai Liu’s health. It is better to ambush and destroy them one by one since the loss is smaller. The consumption in a frontal conflict is too large for everyone. If we fight, we’ll lose everything. If everyone’s total health falls by 400, everyone will die together.”
“Judging by the fact that Bai Liu could last until now, he must’ve reached a partnership with Mu Sicheng. However, this partnership must be quite weak.”
Puppet Zhang smiled. He looked at Liu Huai, patted Liu Huai’s face with the back of his hand and stretched out his tone. “I believe that once Mu Sicheng sees you, he will definitely think of your unpleasant partnership. He already has painful memories and once his mental value is low, this type of memory will give rise to countless hallucinations, making people crazy. Liu Huai, my only request is that you keep reminding Mu Sicheng that you betrayed him.”
Liu Huai recalled these words and wiped the blood stains from the corners of his mouth. He was beaten by Puppet Zhang in order to act realistically and show the feeling of a conflict.
Even so, Liu Huai was very disturbed. He always felt that Mu Sicheng wouldn’t necessarily believe him since he had once betrayed Mu Sicheng in order to live.
However, Puppet Zhang had told him with a smile, “It is precisely because you have betrayed Mu Sicheng in order to live. This way, you betraying me to live seems more realistic. Remember, you really want to live. You became determined to betray me because you want to live. This is why I chose you.”
Proofreader: Purichan
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