Chapter 42: Doll

Yinlang suddenly felt a strange chill run up from the spine to the back of the head, as if something extremely troublesome had fixed its gaze on them.

"Actually,"

Heimu spoke again, voice still steady, but the content made the just‑eased atmosphere turn subtle once more: "There's also… well, a personal request, I hope you can help a bit."

Kafuka's eyes flickered slightly: "Oh? Please go on."

Heimu's fingertip pointed clearly at the Yinlang, who was quietly shrinking back behind Kafuka: "Whether you help with this or not is up to you; it mainly depends on whether you're willing. I hope… she can spend some time with me."

"Me? Spend time with you?!"

The Yinlang jumped up like its tail had been stepped on, fur bristling, leaping out from behind Kafuka, face full of shock and resistance: "What do you want?! I'm not some accessory you can just hang on! Besides, we're busy! No time to 'play' with someone of unknown origin like you!"

Kafuka also fell silent, a flash of genuine surprise and scrutiny passing through her rose‑red eyes.

This request is indeed too abrupt and…

easy to let the imagination run wild.

A mysterious powerful being, after reaching a strategic cooperation, suddenly singles out another member to keep company?

What's the purpose behind this? Control? Surveillance? Or… something else?

Heimu looked at the two people's instantly wary and odd expressions, immediately realizing his wording might have caused serious ambiguity.

Even though most of her face was shadowed by the witch's hat, a hint of awkwardness could be felt emanating from her.

She herself felt that, combined with her villain‑boss‑like outfit, that remark really resembled some sort of… awful scene of forceful seizure.

"Cough,"

She gave a light cough, trying to recover: "What I mean is, we could do some… technical exchange, or simply observe as peers. It's not what you imagine."

Attempting to explain, after all the true purpose of "data collection" obviously cannot be stated outright.

Kafuka quickly weighed it, her face settling into a flawless smile that carried a clear distance: "Sorry, Black Curtain Lady. Yinlang is an important member of our team; she has her own duties and responsibilities. She probably can't leave the team for a long time to keep you company alone. We must refuse this request."

Her refusal was clean and decisive, leaving no room for doubt.

After saying that, she gave Heimu a slight nod, then grabbed the Yinlang, who was still muttering indignantly, "Technical exchange? Who wants to trade tech with a guy who looks like Black Tower?" and turned toward the door.

The two figures quickly melted into the corridor's shadows and vanished, walking away briskly, as if afraid Heimu might change his mind.

Watching their nearly "fleeing" backs, Heimu stood where he was, somewhat helplessly giving a slight shrug.

A hint of regret flashed in her purplish‑black eyes.

(What a pity, such a great data‑collection subject… that little hacker's potential feels perfect for "persuading" some Golden Descendants…)

She then gracefully raised her hand, fingertips lightly brushing the hat brim, her purplish‑black eyes swirling with a complex expression.

"System," she murmured inwardly, "have we recorded the relevant data of the Star Core Hunter?"

【Ding! Successfully recorded the basic energy fluctuations and dialogue patterns of the two key targets. But to fully analyze their combat data, we still need closer contact, especially the Yinlang lady's hacking ability, which is extremely valuable for deciphering the database's seals.】

"What a pity," Heimu murmured, shaking his head slightly, "but since we've come to Yaliluo‑VI, we can't leave empty‑handed."

She turned to face the window, looking down upon the ice‑and‑snow‑covered Beloberg.

Every life in this city contains a unique data stream; though not as powerful as that of the Star Core Hunter, it is equally indispensable as a reference for the plan to rescue the Golden Descendants.

"System, activate the 'Data Doll' plan. Let's send a little… surprise to several key figures in this city."

【Four key coordinates have been located: the Jixie Gongfang, the Governor's Residence, the Underground Stronghold, and the Scholar's Study. Deployment of the Data Collection Units begins.】

Heimu's lips curled into a mysterious smile, then, at random, he turned into a purplish‑red data stream under the moonlight and dissipated into the air.

In the Jixie Gongfang of Maodingzhen, Kelala was carefully pulling the blanket over the sleeping Pajinsi.

This little girl, adopted by Shiwalo, finds her most peaceful moment in the late night after taking care of all the robots.

"Good night, Pajinsi." She whispered, then turned toward her own small bed.

Just then, she caught sight of a doll she had never seen before lying beside her pillow.

It wore an exquisite black‑purple witch's hat, its gray‑white long hair like real strands, and the black‑purple Lolita dress details were astonishing, even bearing a few miniature skull‑head ornaments around the neck.

"What is…?" Kelala tilted her head, puzzled: "Is this a gift from Mr. Shiwalo?"

She carefully lifted the doll, finding it unusually soft and carrying a faint cool fragrance.

Most astonishingly, the doll's purplish‑black eyes seemed alive, flickering with a faint light in the dim lamp.

"Are you lost?" Kelala whispered to the doll, just as she usually does with all her robots, "Just like I used to…"

She gently held the doll in her arms and walked to the window to gaze at the starry sky.

Since being adopted by Shiwalo, she had finally felt a sense of belonging, but the doll's appearance awakened a deep‑seated resonance she could hardly name—curiosity about the unknown.

"If you have no home, stay here." She whispered, placing the doll beside her pillow, "Mr. Shiwalo and I will take care of you."

Before falling asleep, Kelala seemed to see a faint purple light flash in the doll's eyes, but she dismissed it as a trick of the moonlight and smiled as she drifted off.

In Kelibopo's chambers, Bronya was reviewing the final document.

As the heir to the Great Guardian, she bore the weight of all Beloberg, each day feeling like walking on thin ice.

When she rose to change clothes, she found a strange doll on the dressing table.

It was so finely made it didn't look like a product of Beloberg, its black‑purple attire unlike any culture she knew.

"Guard!" she shouted instinctively, but then realized the room showed no signs of intrusion.

Bronya carefully examined the doll, finding it had no mechanical structure or hazardous substances—just an ordinary doll, so ordinary it became suspicious.

"Is it some new toy? Or…"

She recalled the recent anomalies reported by the Silvermane Guard, her brows knitting together.

As a leader, she could not afford to take any anomaly lightly.

But strangely, when she gazed into the doll's purplish‑black eyes, a strange sense of calm welled up inside her, as if the doll represented something transcending Beloberg's current state.

"Either way, we must tighten Kelibopo's security tomorrow."

She made up her mind, locked the doll in the drawer, but then hesitated at the last moment and placed it on the bedside table.