Chapter 97: The Choice of a Growth-type Posthuman
Translator: Pluto Editor: Tehrn
When Lin Sanjiu considered what had happened on that day in retrospect, she couldn’t help wondering if everything would have turned out differently if she had thrust her forehead forward.
However, she knew that the idea of using her forehead to touch his hand was just oversimplifying things. The truth was that she didn’t even dare to move when his finger was pointing at her.
No one was holding her back or restricting her movement, but when she stood in front of Puppeteer, she sensed the underlying aura that the man exuded. She felt as if she was looking at a monster in an abyss, one that hid in a dark mist showing only its silhouette. She was frightened, and her legs turned wobbly by simply looking at him directly.
Lin Sanjiu lost all courage to move.
Puppeteer did not have the intention of pressurizing her. He looked at her indifferently, and it was obvious that his main focus wasn’t even on Lin Sanjiu. That short interlude of him discovering her Versu Poison only delayed him for a few seconds. Lin Sanjiu only noticed the red ring on his finger when he withdrew his hand. He took off the ring and pressed it on her forehead, carefully avoiding her skin. Once it touched her head, he sighed, "You’re not a Consular Officer. I was betting my stakes on you…"
From his reaction, he had probably remembered her face when he saw her peering out from the container.
The ring was most likely a testing device which could help him identify a Consular Officer. With that, it must be much easier for him. Lin Sanjiu eyed it for a second before she gathered her courage and said, "Mas… Master Puppeteer," she greeted him the same way as Shen Lianqi.
Puppeteer walked past her without looking back, acknowledging her with a short, "Um?" Meanwhile, he pressed the ring on Hu Changzai’s forehead in the same manner. A mannequin immediately stepped forward and stood right in front of Lin Sanjiu.
"The Consular Officer in this region has died…" The image of Fang Dan sitting on the ground with a knife sticking out from her stomach flashed passed Lin Sanjiu’s mind. She took in a deep breath, trying her best to ignore the mannequin standing in front of her, "I saw it with my own eyes."
Puppeteer froze for a second.
"Is that so?" he maintained his cordial, mild voice while he turned his gold-dusted eyes at Lin Sanjiu. "Why didn’t you say that when I asked?"
Her heart dropped for a second but, thinking that it wasn’t that serious, she opened her mouth wanting to explain herself. Just then, she caught a glimpse of Shen Lianqi’s face. His face now looked ten times gloomier than before. Her heart froze, and her words were stuck in her throat.
"Since you addressed me as Master, you should know my temperament." Puppeteer maintained his tranquil expression. "You made me stand on the stage like an idiot while you quietly kept that answer in your stomach. Are you mocking me?"
"This… was not…"
The situation seemed dire.
Lin Sanjiu was regretting over her action, with her body fully tensed. Unexpectedly, Puppeteer ignored her and walked to the next person.
[From this reaction, this person isn’t so tyrannical after all...] Just as this thought surfaced in Lin Sanjiu’s mind, she heard someone muttered in a tearful voice, "Sh*t…"
It belonged to Shen Lianqi.
"What’s wrong?" Lin Sanjiu asked quickly.
Shen Lianqi looked at her with a complex expression, "Considering Pu— Master Puppeteer’s temper, don’t you know what it means if he just let you off the hook?"
Lin Sanjiu did not know what that meant at all.
Staring back at her ignorant face, Shen Liangi stomped his leg and exclaimed, "You may look intelligent but… Oh God, you’re stupid! We are all dead meat to Puppeteer. That’s why he didn’t even bother dealing with you…"
"The rumor must be true… things can’t continue like this…" he mumbled to himself as his face turned white.
Noticing his odd behavior, the mannequin standing beside Shen Lianqi lifted its arm. Lin Sanjiu only noticed then that the mannequin standing near them did not hold any guns. The mannequin reached out to grab Shen Lianqi’s arms. The latter moved his arms, and Lin Sanjiu didn’t see him doing anything else, yet, he managed to chop off one of the mannequin’s hands stealthily.
The hand which seemed to resemble a real human’s hand, turned to plastic once it fell from the mannequin’s arm. It fell to the ground with a "thud". Puppeteer, who had already walked a few meters away from them, stopped.
"Do you want to die?" Hu Changzai commented before Lin Sanjiu could say anything, "He’s coming!"
"I’m sorry, I can’t help you. Didn’t I tell you that we’ll have to escape using our own capabilities…" Shen Lianqi flashed Lin Sanjiu a forced smile.
Puppeteer turned around and walked toward them leisurely. After a few steps, he was already behind Hu Changzai.
"300km to the south…" Shen Lianqi forced himself not to turn back as cold sweat poured from his forehead. "Directed Jump!"
Once he said that, his body rose to the sky like a rocket, throwing off the mannequin who had flung itself at him. His body shot toward the south, and soon he was a mere dot in the sky, all that was left behind was a cloud of dust.
"Ah, that’s a creation from ‘The Munitions Factory’." Puppeteer was too late, but he did not appear frustrated. "I didn’t expect to find a resident from Twelve Worlds Centrum."
He turned around, and Lin Sanjiu couldn’t help taking a step back. Surprisingly, Puppeteer paid no attention to her, he beckoned for the mannequin on the floor and asked it, "Who saw that person’s face?"
The mannequin, who was wearing woman’s clothes, lifted its face rigidly and slowly pointed to Lin Sanjiu. Puppeteer turned to look at her, the gold dust on his face dazzled under the sun.
[Oh no!] this was the first thought that came to Lin Sanjiu’s mind. She acted almost intuitively, she pumped her legs and jumped backward. At the same time, she pulled out her long whip-like mouthpart and struck the plastic mannequin which had lunged itself at her.
The mannequin’s head fell to the ground. Simultaneously, Lin Sanjiu landed heavily and skidded backward for a few meters before she steadied herself. When she looked up again, she realized that Puppeteer was standing right in front of her, and he was smiling. They were still the same distance apart from each other. It was as if she didn’t even move from her previous position.
"Don’t run. I just need your pair of eyes…"
Lin Sanjiu felt cold sweat running down her spine as she gulped. She finally understood Shen Lianqi’s dread. To her, this man’s existence was on an entirely different tier compared to her.
Just when Puppeteer was about to move, a small brown shadow shot out of nowhere, targeting his chest; at the same time, Hu Changzai rushed behind Puppeteer and aimed his fist at the Puppeteer's exposed neck. Their goal was simple: they just needed to come in contact with the Puppeteer’s skin.
Hai Tianqing, who was standing on the other side, threw aside the mannequin standing in front of him. He ran over, grabbed Lin Sanjiu’s singlet and pulled her behind him, shielding her.
As the four of them had been together for some time, their coordination was quick and accurate. They blocked every opening which their opponent could use to evade the attacks. If their opponent was anyone but Puppeteer, they would have been successful. However, when B.Rabbit landed on the ground, and Hu Changzai stopped, Puppeteer was still standing idly in the middle. He was totally unharmed.
The whole situation went out of control. After witnessing a person escaping, and then another group fighting back, chaos ensued, and numerous mannequins were pushed to the ground.
"Oh really. You guys just know how to give me trouble." Puppeteer sighed and quietly ordered, "Forget it, kill the rest of them. Slit their throats. Don’t damage their bodies."
He only mumbled those words, but all the plastic mannequins, dummies, and dolls seemed to have received his order at the same time. The legion of puppets charged toward the Posthumans, and before Lin Sanjiu could react, fountains of blood erupted across the pier.
Unavoidably, they were splashed by the blood around them.
"Let’s flee!" Lin Sanjiu yelled out anxiously.
"But how? We are already surrounded by all his puppets!" B.Rabbit’s urgent voice rang out in her ears.
Under the assault of massive, black waves of puppets, the small battalion of 200-odd Posthumans could not last much longer. Half of the Posthumans had already been "swallowed" by the sea of enemies. The sky was decorated with blooms of blood, like brilliant fireworks. A few fine droplets of blood landed on Puppeteer’s face. He lifted his finger and gently wipe off the blood satisfyingly as if enjoying everything that was happening.
"So, you’re a Growth-type?" He fixed his gaze on Lin Sanjiu for a few seconds. Suddenly, he cracked his lips into a menacing smile.
"Growth-type." That was a term that Lin Sanjiu had already heard many times. Lin Sanjiu stepped out from behind Hai Tianqing and gestured for her companions to move further away from Puppeteer. "What do you mean by Growth-type?" she asked, with every intention to delay him as long as possible.
Even though she asked that question, she did not expect any answer — all of them stood defensively, preparing themselves for any sudden attacks.
"You still don’t know about this?" Puppeteer nodded his head, showing an unexplainable delight. "I think it’s alright for us to have a chat."
"All of us Growth-types are well-known figures among all Posthumans. Our abilities might be weak at first, but eventually, we are the ones who will hold true power." An excited flush appeared on his fair skin. "No. I should put it this way. We’re a species superior to other Posthumans. "
"Are you also a Growth-type?" Lin Sanjiu asked with astonishment.
"That’s right." Puppeteer nodded conceitedly as the blood-curdling screams and shrills of people, on the brink of death, surrounded them. "To be honest, I’m more suitable to be your companion. What are you doing with those low-level posthumans… If you choose to come with me, I promise to lead you down a path where no one dares defy you."[1]
Pausing for a moment, he flashed his teeth. "But, to show your determination to be with your kind, you have to get rid of these people, yourself."
Lin Sanjiu’s face tensed up, she bit down on her lower lip till it was almost white.
"Blah, Blah, Blah. You irritating old man! You are full of rubbish! Does everyone become like this when they’re old?" B.Rabbit sneered coldly.
Puppeteer raised a brow, and a vicious smile appeared on his face. "I only talk to Growth-types. Commoners like all of you are quite an eyesore."
He just lifted one of his hands and was interrupted by a trembling female’s voice: "Wait, let me do it!"
Hai Tianqing and the others froze. They turned to look at Lin Sanjiu while Puppeteer observed her with narrowed eyes.
Lin Sanjiu avoided her companions’ gaze and whispered, "Sorry." With that, she aimed a kick at B.Rabbit.