Chapter 248: Puppet

"No mission, why are you stopping me?"

Ying Duo's tone was flat and unruffled, but Fang Zhiyan somehow read a hint of disdain from that unchanged face.

After saying that, Ying Duo actually turned around, walking without a hint of reluctance toward the Old Street Lamp he had marked as a Teleport Marker, as if Fang Zhiyan were merely a passerby NPC who had just appeared.

Fang Zhiyan watched his back, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes before turning into a deeper smile.

His voice wasn't loud, yet it reached Ying Duo's ears clearly.

"Wait."

Ying Duo's steps did not stop.

"I understand."

Fang Zhiyan's voice sounded as if he were talking to himself, yet also as if he were speaking directly to Ying Duo, his gaze fixed on Ying Duo's dazzling Ying Guang Lu.

"Trying to judge the manipulator's origin and intent from a 'puppet's' facial changes... I see I've fallen into a misconception."

He gave a slight shake of his head, as if he had found the answer.

A puppet's sorrow or joy has always stemmed from the Puppet Master's will.

Yet the Puppet Master himself remains far behind the curtain, separated by an insurmountable dimension.

He watches each tremor of the puppet here, speculating on the technique behind it, but forgets that the puppet itself will never produce the reactions he expects.

The puppet's "indifference" is the truest feedback.

Ying Duo's steps finally halted.

He turned his body sideways, half his face hidden in shadow, only the glow from his green hair shining resolutely, his golden pupils locked on Fang Zhiyan.

Fang Zhiyan put back on his elegant, composed smile, no longer beating around the bush with Ying Duo.

"Let me reintroduce myself: I'm Fang Zhiyan, sent by Bai Mu Yun to give you a comprehensive 'check.' I originally intended to specifically examine your brain."

He paused briefly, never ceasing to observe Ying Duo's reaction.

But Ying Duo only stared at him silently, while Yang Yixie, far away in another world, fell into deep thought.

Although he had anticipated that this suddenly appearing NPC wasn't a friendly type, how did he instantly associate Ying Duo with another hidden operator behind the character?

No, is this NPC cheating somehow?

The problem is that after noticing this, he didn't press on as before; instead, he started a self‑introduction.

Abnormality often also means trouble.

But the other person is still in this world, his soul hasn't entered the game; even if this thing really kills Ying Duo, so what? Could it still crawl along the network line into this world?

Fang Zhiyan was completely unaware of Yang Yixie's mental whirlwind, merely trying to make Ying Duo believe his background.

"If you don't believe me, we can return to Dream Illusion Bar right now; Bai Mu Yun and the others should be back to rest soon. After all, you've been following Bai Mu Yun here; with him present, you'd feel more at ease."

Ying Duo shook his head, refusing cleanly and decisively.

"Not going."

"Oh?" Fang Zhiyan wasn't surprised; he knew his previous words had certainly taken effect, at least alerting the person behind Ying Duo.

After all, he thought himself lofty and hidden behind Ying Duo, isolated from this world's chaos, only to have someone suddenly expose his truth hidden beyond the world.

The more important the secret that gets exposed, the more frantic one becomes.

And the more frantic, the more chance Fang Zhiyan has to grab the opponent's tail.

"Then where do you want to go? After tonight, the bounty on you at the Church will only increase."

The Church has indeed struck some cooperation with those 'Undead,' but Ying Duo...

Heh, after tonight's turn, the Church will certainly not accept such a dangerous fellow.

Ying Duo didn't answer Fang Zhiyan's question; he merely tilted his head slightly and performed another verification.

"You're from the Dome, right?"

"You could say so," Fang Zhiyan did not deny.

"Then our mission hasn't ended yet," Ying Duo stated calmly.

Fang Zhiyan let out a light "heh," his tone tinged with helplessness, like coaxing a child.

"No, the operation failed the moment you stepped into that fake Core Chamber; it was a complete trap."

"Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu are currently being hunted by the Supervision Bureau; although I arranged reinforcements, the plan to blow up the Air Train Power Core has utterly failed."

He had thought this explanation would make Ying Duo see reality, that evading the task and inspection had no chance of success.

However, Ying Duo cut him off, his tone unruffled yet unusually firm.

"Can't blow the core? Then blow the train."

Fang Zhiyan was stunned for a moment, then heard Ying Duo continue.

"The Supervision Bureau and the Church's people are both tied up by the Mutation erupting in Tianmian City; they have to deal with contamination and pacify the populace, so the guard forces along the Air Train route will be much weaker than usual."

Those inorganic eyes silently stared at Fang Zhiyan, showing no emotional fluctuation, even though countless people would innocently die tonight because of his plan.

"Since you're also from the Dome, your combat ability shouldn't be lacking, right?"

"We don't need to destroy the entire track; just select a few key nodes for sufficiently thorough blasts, and we can cripple the Air Train for a long enough period."

Doing so would also achieve the effect they need.

Just the Mutation erupting in the city is enough to spark civil unrest in Tianmian City, let alone if the Air Train were also blown up; that would deal a massive blow to the Church's reputation and order.

The alley fell silent for a moment; Fang Zhiyan stared steadily at Ying Duo, as if stunned by his simple, brute plan.

He suddenly let out a low laugh, the laughter sounding especially clear in the silent night.

Fang Zhiyan couldn't help but shake his head; his gaze at Ying Duo even carried a hint of admiration.

The moment the mission failed, they immediately turned the Mutation into a weapon, spreading it within Tianmian City as retaliation.

Even within the Dome, those above hesitate repeatedly before issuing similar plans.

But Ying Duo is the one who devised this whole series of plans.

Or rather, the conduct of the person behind Ying Duo is even more unscrupulous than that of some people who have been rolling in the shadows for half their lives.

I seem to have taken a liking to you, Little Undead, or rather, I like the way of thinking of the 'Puppet Master' behind you.

He merely thought for a brief moment, then made a decision.

All right, since you feel the mission isn't over yet, I'll accompany you to finish it.

Yang Yixie stared at the NPC on the screen, subconsciously rubbing his chin.

This NPC is more troublesome than he imagined, but its level should not be low. Since the link between game and reality has been confirmed, no matter how he acquires the abilities of game characters, anyway, giving Ying Duo more trump cards is definitely not a problem.

No matter what, the reward for this mission must be obtained.