Chapter 33
by GideonChapter 33: The Puppet Master – 9
From an angle that Tu Jin couldn’t see, the little puppet quietly raised her head and exchanged a knowing glance with “Tu Jin.”
That was enough. They had made their point.
After all, this guy was now, more or less, a “Master” she had acknowledged. You had to look at the owner before beating the dog… No, wait. It was more like, when beating the owner, you had to consider… That wasn’t right either.
The little puppet fell silent for a moment, then decisively refused to think about it any further.
What could “Tu Jin” do about it?
At the end of the day, the little puppet was also one of his kind—a member of the same group of doppelgängers. And Tu Jin did seem like a rather useful tool. He could at least be given that much consideration.
Besides, the performance for today’s grand entrance and demonstration was practically complete. He had already found the feeling he was looking for.
It was time to wrap things up.
With that thought, “Tu Jin” gave a slight blink and tossed the little puppet a meaningful look.
The little puppet immediately understood.
However…
Considering her future life…
The little puppet, who had absolutely no desire to work for Tu Jin and only wanted to be treated like his little ancestor, felt that the final scene needed to be planned carefully. For example…
Using the connection between their doppelgängers, she quickly transmitted her script to “Tu Jin.”
Only after confirming that “Tu Jin” had completely understood it…
“I don’t care about your inheritance!”
She lowered her head, slipping into character in an instant. When her face reentered Tu Jin’s field of vision, it was filled with sorrow and the determination of someone with nothing left to lose.
“Don’t underestimate me. I’m actually quite strong!”
What did she mean?
Looking at the little puppet before him, Tu Jin felt a sudden, ominous premonition rising in his heart.
He wanted to stop her. He wanted to say something, anything. He even wanted to tell the little puppet to hurry up and get lost.
But in the end, those were all just things he wanted to do.
Right now, he couldn’t do anything. All he could do was watch helplessly as the little puppet released him and turned toward “Tu Jin” with unwavering determination.
She declared—
“I absolutely won’t allow you to hurt my Master!”
“Oh?”
“Tu Jin” was clearly amused by the little puppet’s appearance.
The teasing and frivolity in his voice were utterly undisguised.
“Little one, being brave and throwing your life away are two different things, you know…”
“Then I’ll throw my life away!”
The little puppet’s voice became utterly resolute.
“If you dare touch him today, I’ll take you down with me!”
She stared stubbornly at the “Tu Jin” before her. Anyone could hear the determination in her voice—the resolve to face death without hesitation.
“I’m not afraid of you!”
Rather than being directed at “Tu Jin,” those words sounded more like an attempt to give herself courage.
Hearing the sob in the little puppet’s voice, Tu Jin suddenly felt his eyes sting.
He knew just how terrified the little puppet was of that “Tu Jin.”
When she had merely sensed that “Tu Jin” was entering the instance, she had already been scared out of her wits…
And yet now, for his sake, she was forcing herself to face “Tu Jin,” confronting him despite her fear…
Tu Jin couldn’t even begin to imagine how helpless, frightened, and reluctant the little puppet must be feeling right now.
Memories of his final moments—memories that should have long since been forgotten, that he had kept buried deep in his heart—overlapped with the sight of the little puppet standing in front of him.
Before his death, how desperately had he, a man betrayed by the very people he trusted most, wished for someone to stand in front of him?
Just one person. One would have been enough.
He hadn’t asked that person to sacrifice their life for him. All he wanted was for someone to say a few words in his defense, just once, and try to stop what was happening.
But there had been no one!
Not a single person!
And what about him and the little puppet?
They had known each other for such a short time. Before this, he had even considered killing her. Even when he had coaxed her, upgraded her, and given her Points, he had always had one ulterior motive or another…
Yet this little puppet had treated him with more sincerity than the people who had spent years by his side!
How ridiculous!
Those so-called family members, whom he had treated with genuine affection, had been able to murder him without the slightest remorse for the sake of the fortune he would leave behind. Meanwhile, this little puppet, whom he had treated with nothing but pretenses, had shown him such wholehearted sincerity…
Something he had desperately wanted while alive had somehow, through a cruel twist of fate, come to him only after his death.
But how was he any different from those hypocritical so-called relatives, when he had treated the little puppet that way?
Did he deserve it?
He didn’t!
And why…
Why did she have to let him find out at a time like this?
When he was at his weakest and most helpless!
Countless complicated emotions surged through Tu Jin’s mind, threatening to tear him apart.
He wanted so desperately for the little puppet to let go of him and run away. But he couldn’t! He couldn’t even force a single word out of his mouth!
All he could do was…
Watch helplessly as “Tu Jin” slowly smiled at the little puppet’s resistance.
Watch helplessly as “Tu Jin” raised a finger and sliced open the little puppet’s head.
Thud, thud, thud—
Her head fell from her body. The frightened yet determined expression remained frozen on her face. Her eyes were still open, facing Tu Jin directly. She had clearly wanted to force a reassuring smile, but in reality…
Her lips had barely moved, forming the faintest curve. Before that smile could bloom, her expression froze completely.
The little puppet was actually quite pretty.
But no matter how beautiful her face was, when combined with a smile more ghastly than a grimace, the result was undeniably eerie.
And that horrifying smile, when it fell into Tu Jin’s eyes…
“No!”
Who knew where the strength came from? For one brief moment, Tu Jin actually broke through “Tu Jin’s” control.
His body instantly recovered.
Even after regaining the ability to move freely, Tu Jin didn’t spare a thought for his own Strange Orb. Instead, the very first thing he did was gather the little puppet’s body and head into his arms.
At that moment, looking down at the little puppet in his embrace, he cried like a child who had just learned that Ultraman didn’t actually exist.
Well, how should she put it…
She did feel a little guilty, didn’t she?
The little puppet, who was pretending to be dead, silently held on to her performance.
“Tu Jin,” on the other hand, didn’t care in the slightest. Completely unaffected, he continued acting according to the script.
“How touching—”
After squeezing out two crocodile tears, “Tu Jin” looked at Tu Jin, who had successfully been provoked into hating him with every fiber of his being. He pretended to be preparing to eliminate the threat once and for all, while secretly taking out Night Jiujui’s original body.
And so…
Just as “Tu Jin” was about to reunite Tu Jin and the little puppet in death, wearing an expression of pity as he faced Tu Jin’s eyes filled with bone-deep hatred—
“Mr. Puppet Master, you haven’t been doing anything behind my back that would make me unhappy, have you?”
A clear, ethereal female voice rang out, carrying an indescribable sense of detachment.
It was a seemingly simple question, yet it made the usually arrogant and untouchable “Tu Jin” stop in his tracks.
The next second—
The face that belonged to Tu Jin disappeared, and even his clothes changed in an instant.
In their place stood an enchanting young man with black hair and green eyes.
His skin was so pale that it seemed he had spent his entire life away from sunlight. His lean, muscular frame was tall and resilient. His features possessed an almost demonic beauty, yet the tiny beauty mark beneath the corner of his eye added a lingering, romantic charm.
“Ah la la la—”
His voice was just as bewitching as his appearance, as though it had been born to tempt and ensnare. Even a single word seemed capable of making people fall at his feet.
This man, who had finally revealed his true appearance and was known as the Puppet Master, had a genuine trace of guilt in his eyes when he heard the girl’s voice.
He raised his head and spread his hands helplessly, trying to come up with an excuse for the scene that had just unfolded before the girl who had suddenly appeared…
But all his honeyed words died on his tongue when he met her dark eyes. In the end, all that remained was a pair of dewy green eyes.
“Darling, I was just having a little joke with this Mr. Tu… What was his name again? Hmm… Mr. Tu, over there.”
The Puppet Master put on an utterly innocent expression.
“I was simply so curious to know what kind of person could receive the little puppet you wouldn’t even give to me…”
Tu Jin, who had never imagined that this was the reason behind everything: …
To be fair, this Puppet Master lady was indeed beautiful—though she was still nowhere near as pretty as his own little puppet!
And, more importantly—
Tu Jin looked at the Puppet Master, then at the Puppet Master girl who had appeared opposite him.
His arms, still holding the little puppet’s head and body, tensed until the veins stood out. His eyes were bloodshot.
Damn it!
He hated simps the most!
Especially rabid dogs who couldn’t win someone’s affection and took it out on everyone else!
Serves you right for failing to win her over!
May you spend eternity chasing after her and never catch up, you pathetic simp!
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