Chapter 30
by GideonChapter 30: The Puppet Master – 6
The final syllable seemed to linger faintly on “Qing Guizhu’s” tongue…
Sensing the danger, Tu Jin didn’t hesitate for even a moment. A golden gemstone appeared out of thin air between his fingers. With a gentle pinch, it quickly disintegrated into nothingness.
At the same time, golden afterimages appeared so quickly that even Storm couldn’t see where they had come from or what they were made of. They all shot toward “Qing Guizhu” in a deadly assault—
Yet “Qing Guizhu’s” smile remained unchanged.
His eyebrows lifted slightly, and his frivolous gaze regarded the golden attack as though it were nothing more than a gentle spring breeze brushing against his face.
“Clap—”
He gently clapped his hands.
The movement was visibly slow to the naked eye, yet it was actually faster than the golden light that had moved so quickly it left afterimages.
As the sound of his clap spread through the air, an invisible clash took place. The golden afterimages were almost completely defeated at the first encounter. They even stopped in midair, turning their sharp points toward Tu Jin instead.
Only then did Storm recognize what those streaks of golden light actually were.
They were layer upon layer of metallic thorns.
The sections resembling vine roots, seemingly composed of countless blades, appeared and disappeared intermittently. They pointed threateningly toward Tu Jin, looking as terrifying as enormous snakes baring their venomous fangs.
However, when “Qing Guizhu” casually extended his hand and paused his fingertips slightly, those metallic vines instantly transformed into affectionate little kittens. They withdrew their sharp edges and gently rubbed their smooth surfaces against his palm.
He smiled warmly, looking as though he rather liked these vines.
“Vulgar methods and vulgar people… How perfectly they suit each other.”
Although his words were clearly mocking, they sounded surprisingly sincere coming from his mouth.
“Go on, you vulgar little pieces of trash. You belong with your equally vulgar master…”
Beneath his affectionate tone, “Qing Guizhu” gently raised his eyes and looked toward Tu Jin.
The metallic vines immediately obeyed his command like soldiers receiving military orders. They shot toward Tu Jin at an even greater speed than before—
Unable to move?
Tu Jin’s pupils contracted sharply.
Looking at the elegant, almost leisurely expression of someone enjoying a show on “Qing Guizhu’s” face, he immediately understood that the other man was responsible.
This wouldn’t do…
The threat of death was closing in on him with every passing moment. Just as the situation was about to reach an irreversible point, “Qing Guizhu” had already begun withdrawing his gaze with an air of superiority and disappointment, seemingly unwilling to watch Tu Jin’s unsightly death any longer—
Tu Jin finally made up his mind and opened the system shop.
He went straight to the system’s gold, jade, and gemstone section, selected the option to sort the items from highest to lowest price, and then…
Without even looking, he swiftly placed an order, spending five billion points to purchase five top-grade Imperial Green jadeite stones.
The moment the first emerald-green gemstone appeared, it rapidly dissolved into a cloud of green mist.
Almost at the exact instant the green mist appeared, the golden light plunged straight into it!
A teeth-grating sound of corrosion came from the point where the two forces collided. When everything finally dissipated, Tu Jin had barely managed to break free from the control. He held the little puppet by the hand with one hand, while the fingers of his other hand were clasped around the remaining four Imperial Green jadeite stones. His expression was grave.
His most important and powerful skill, one he would never use unless absolutely necessary, was the very skill he had just activated.
It was called Pearls Shattered, Jade Broken.
The phrase referred to precious treasures being damaged or destroyed. Applied to the skill’s effects, the more points one spent—or the rarer and more valuable the gold, silver, jade, diamonds, gemstones, and other precious materials used—the greater the destructive power released upon their destruction.
Under normal circumstances, even against that flirtatious fox, Tu Jin was confident that spending ten billion points would be enough to make the other man suffer terribly.
But now…
He had thrown a ten-billion-point Imperial Green jadeite stone at the man opposite him, yet all it had accomplished was breaking through the man’s casual counterattack.
This man was powerful!
So powerful that Tu Jin wasn’t even sure he could win…
Realizing this, and recalling how the little puppet had clearly seemed to know this man beforehand, Tu Jin’s gaze shifted slightly.
Before “Qing Guizhu” could make another move—
“If I’ve offended you in any way, I apologize.”
He tightened his grip on the little puppet’s hand. In the end, he had decided to swallow his pride.
Games weren’t always about fighting and killing. Sometimes, they were about human relationships and knowing how to handle people.
“Whatever your intentions are, you can tell me directly. If it’s within my capabilities, I’ll make the necessary arrangements and cooperate with you.”
Oh?
Meeting Tu Jin’s nervous gaze, “Qing Guizhu” seemed to have become interested.
If he put it that way…
Looking at Tu Jin, who seemed terrified that he might ask for the little puppet back, “Qing Guizhu” suddenly found the situation hilarious.
He laughed so hard that he bent forward, laughing until he covered his face with one hand, laughing until…
A bone-chilling coldness seeped through the air.
“I thought that someone who had received the most perfect puppet as a gift from her would possess something special. But now that I look at you…”
“Qing Guizhu” straightened his body and lifted his face.
It was a face…
Identical to Tu Jin’s.
A strange smile spread across it, while his crimson eyes seemed to contain a flickering flame that was impossible to make out clearly.
Amid the inexplicable sense of unease, Tu Jin furrowed his brows tightly. The four Imperial Green gemstones between his fingers were almost immediately ready to be hurled at the man opposite him.
But—
His hand suddenly seemed to have a mind of its own. Instead of throwing the four gemstones, it began leisurely rolling them around in his palm.
The movement was exactly like…
Tu Jin stared in horror at the “Tu Jin” opposite him, whose posture and movements were identical to his own.
“You said it yourself, didn’t you? You wanted to play a game with me… Let me think. What game should I play with you?”
His laughter carried a strange, unsettling madness. “Tu Jin” tilted his head slightly, pretending to be troubled. But in the next second, it was as though he had remembered something incredibly delightful. Even his pronunciation became somewhat lingering and affectionate.
“How about… a Mirror Game?”
What?
Seeing the expression on Tu Jin’s face, as though he had realized something, “Tu Jin” spread his arms theatrically.
“Crack! Crack!”
Two overlapping, brittle cracking sounds rang out.
His arms, broken by an invisible force, dropped limply at his sides.
At the same time, Tu Jin’s arms were also broken in exactly the same way. Even the hand that had previously been gripping the little puppet went limp.
A twisted, unbearable pain spread throughout his body. In the blink of an eye, Tu Jin’s skin took on a bluish hue. The darkness in his eyes disappeared completely, leaving only lifeless white eyes staring fixedly at the man opposite him.
The death appearance he had displayed when entering the Death Game had been forced out.
Yet even after revealing his death appearance and returning to his strongest state, Tu Jin still couldn’t escape “Tu Jin’s” control.
“Tu Jin” slowly and methodically crushed every bone in his own body. It was as though the process had no effect on him whatsoever. Looking at Tu Jin, who had become little more than a pile of limp flesh with only his head intact, he finally stopped.
It seemed as though countless invisible strings had wrapped around Tu Jin’s joints, pulling his body—which had become a heap of soft flesh—back upright.
“One, two, three, four, two, two, three, four…”
“Tu Jin” began softly humming a steady rhythm.
Like a little dancing figurine popping out of a music box, Tu Jin’s body, with its flesh and skin forcibly propped back into place, began performing a series of movements in unnatural, twisted positions that no ordinary human body could possibly achieve.
He jumped and danced repeatedly, hitting every beat with perfect precision.
Again and again and again—
After who knew how many repetitions, “Tu Jin” watched with an almost appreciative gaze as Tu Jin, unable even to produce a muffled groan, continued glaring at him with deep resentment.
“That look… That hatred… So vivid and overflowing with emotion… As expected of a masterpiece sculpted by my own hands!”
Amid those subtly fanatical words of praise, Storm was privately cursing the NPC for being a complete fucking psychopath when…
“Tu Jin” suddenly turned his head a full 180 degrees.
His shadowy gaze settled on Storm, his expression deceptively calm, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Why aren’t you saying how wonderful it is? Was my work not impressive enough to leave you amazed?”
Storm: …!
With Tu Jin’s fate unfolding right before his eyes, Storm genuinely felt as though he might be the next one to suffer the same fate. He was so frightened that he nearly forgot how to breathe.
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