Chapter 441: Puppet Boss

Cheng Shuili's expression didn't change much; after Qing Qing slipped past the Big Bad Wolf's attack, she lifted her hand and flicked, taking off the gray wolf headpiece it was wearing.

She tossed it up, and the gray wolf headpiece floated down like a petal drifting in the air, spiraling slowly.

And the Big Bad Wolf...

Cheng Shuili originally thought this fellow would, like Little Red Riding Hood, frantically try to snatch the hat she had knocked off, or attack her.

But to her surprise, the moment the hat was lifted, the Big Bad Wolf's eyes became clear.

It stood there blankly, its zip‑stitched mouth slightly open, blinking dazedly a few times, as if it hadn't yet realized what had happened.

Its gaze first followed the falling headpiece, then slowly turned, landing on Cheng Shuili, and finally lowered to glance at the lamp and key it was holding.

That fierce, twisted aura seemed to be drawn away with the headpiece, replaced by an almost foolish confusion.

"Ah... oh?"

It emitted a short, vague syllable; the voice was no longer hoarse, but rather... dull.

Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow, seized the opportunity, and without hesitation used Insight.

【Insight succeeded!】

【Name: Big Bad Wolf (False)】

【Description: A Juchang puppet responsible for guarding the backstage entrance. When it dons a character headpiece, it plays and immerses itself in the Big Bad Wolf's greed and ferocity, strictly enforcing Juchang's rules. After the headpiece is removed, it reverts to basic maintenance instincts, falling into a brief, harmless bewilderment.】

【Weakness: Not advisable to attack when the headpiece is lost.】

So that's how it is.

Cheng Shuili looked at the creature before her, its eyes clear, face full of bewilderment, eyes scanning left and right, finally blankly settling on the puppet on her, and couldn't help asking, "May I go in?"

The Big Bad Wolf blinked, perhaps out of responsibility, or simply habit, and instinctively retorted, "Are the procedures all completed?"

Cheng Shuili lied without blinking, her face resolute, saying, "You already took care of it for me earlier."

"Oh... so that's it," the Big Bad Wolf scratched its head, seeming to recall what had just happened, but soon it waved its hand and casually said, "Go in, be careful, don't affect the other actors."

Cheng Shuili nodded, no longer paying attention to the self‑doubting puppet, and turned to walk through the door that had long been open.

Upon entering, Cheng Shuili saw that the hanging curtain was not fully closed; its edges let out warm, wavering yellow light, outlining the rear space in vague silhouettes.

More importantly, the sound.

It was no longer the absolute dead silence of the corridor, but a noisy background hum.

There was the rustle of clothing, the faint clink of metal props colliding, and low, rapid, garbled chatter.

Everything was separated by the thick curtain, appearing blurry and distant, yet undeniably present.

It felt like the backstage of a large production: busy, chaotic, full of people.

Cheng Shuili didn't immediately pull back the curtain to rush in.

She stood in place, tilted her ear to listen, and quickly scanned the surroundings.

It was a narrow space like a transition area; besides the wooden door that led in and the curtain ahead, the sides were rough log walls, with several rows of simple wooden racks nailed on, haphazardly holding various items.

Dust‑covered, suspiciously stained feathers, broken wooden swords, a few jars of flaking paint, rolls of uneven hemp rope…

There were also a few character headpieces resembling Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, crookedly hanging on wooden nails, their hollow eye sockets looking especially eerie in the dim light.

The sweet, cloying fragrance in the air was almost gone here, replaced by the stale smell typical of a backstage.

Cheng Shuili's gaze finally returned to the massive curtain.

The hint had said to go to the Juchang.

What she had arrived at… is the Juchang backstage.

That should count as success, right?

After all, the mission objective only said to go to the Juchang, without specifying whether to enter as a spectator or through the backstage.

Cheng Shuili vaguely sensed that her way of solving the puzzle differed from others'.

It felt like playing a visual game where choices determine outcomes; others reached the most common endings, while she poured a bucket of water onto a hidden route.

But regardless, the mission is completed, isn't it?

Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow, ready to step forward and lift a corner of the curtain to peek, when a rapid, heavy footstep suddenly came from behind the curtain, accompanied by coarse breathing and a tearing fabric sound, rushing closer!

"Get out! All of you get out! Mine! That's my spot!"

A massive, twisted silhouette burst through the curtain, staggering into the cramped transition area!

It was a… thing hard to describe in words.

It vaguely had a humanoid outline, but its body was a hasty patchwork of tattered costumes, typical doll stuffing, broken wooden rods, and assorted chaotic props.

Its head was a huge, ear‑to‑ear grinning clown mask, painted with peeling, mottled paint, revealing rough wood grain beneath.

One arm was a broom handle draped with tattered cloth strips; the other was unnaturally bent back, its end tied to a rusted pair of scissors.

Its body was exposed everywhere with coarse seams and cotton stuffing, and as it moved violently, dust and debris constantly fell off.

The moment it surged forward, the crying clown mask stared at Cheng Shuili.

The exaggerated tear streaks painted on the mask seemed to come alive, oozing thick black liquid.

"You...!"

It let out a huffing, leaking sound, its broom‑handle arm flailing wildly.

"Newcomer? Trying to steal my spot? No way! I'll kill you! Tear you apart! Sew you into my new costume!"

The raging malice surged forward like a tangible force.

Cheng Shuili's gaze hardened, her body tensed instantly, a long sword already in hand.

But before she could act, from behind the torn opening in the curtain came an even more rapid, chaotic footstep, accompanied by several overlapping, high‑pitched, frantic voices:

"Grab it!"

"Quick! Don't let it escape!"

"It's having a relapse! The madness of fighting for the spotlight!"

"Be careful! Don't break the props!"

Whoosh, five or six people surged in through the torn curtain.

They are also theater puppets, but compared to this frantic spliced monster before us, or the earlier Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf, they look… much more normal.

They wore uniform gray coarse‑cloth work uniforms, their faces bearing white masks with only simple brow‑and‑eye lines, and they held tools such as long‑handled brooms, nets, and coarse hemp ropes, moving swiftly and skillfully—clearly they were backstage staff.

These puppets' target is clear: that frantic spliced puppet.

"Hold it down! Quick!"

Two Gray Puppets lunged first, using their long‑handled brooms to block the spliced puppet's swinging broom‑handle arm.

The other three threw coarse hemp ropes, trying to loop them around its torso and its bent scissor arm.

The spliced puppet struggled wildly, emitting a piercing roar and sobbing noise; its rusted scissors opened and shut wildly, nearly cutting a rope that had been looped over it.

Amid the chaos, a Gray Puppet seemed to finally notice Cheng Shuili standing in the corner.

Its simple brow‑and‑eye lines twitched, and it uttered a voice of extreme speed:

"Newbie? What are you doing? No matter why you're backstage, don't just stand there—come help!"

Cheng Shuili: "…"

She glanced at the melee, then at the cold long blade in her hand.

Help?

She actually wanted to help—just chop that mad thing to pieces with one strike.

Just in case, she first used Insight once.

After entering this Instance, Cheng Shuili once again marveled at how powerful this cheat was.

【Insight Success!】

【Lost Actor】

【Description: Utterly lost self, on the brink of collapse theater puppet. Its obsession and resentment twisted its form, making it full of aggression and instability. It is one of the backstage's safety hazards, protected by the theater's basic rules.】

【Weak point: Not recommended to attack.】

This description.

Cheng Shuili glanced at the still‑struggling puppet—indeed, it's a lunatic.

What about these staff members…

【Insight Success!】

【Name: Theater Maintenance Puppet】

【Description: Responsible for backstage basic cleaning, order maintenance, and prop management. They subconsciously obey absolute leadership. Perhaps you can conquer them with your aura and become the puppet boss!】

【Weak point: Not recommended to attack.】

Become the puppet boss…?

Cheng Shuili was still pondering that title when the Gray Puppet speaking to her grew impatient: "Hey! What are you spacing out for?!"

Cheng Shuili: "…"

In the blink of an thought, she sheathed her long blade.

She didn't rashly join the clumsy encirclement, but called out: "Control its scissor hand first! Don't let it cut the rope!"

A Gray Puppet that was trying to loop a rope paused, its simple‑line eyes flicking toward Cheng Shuili, then swiftly flung the hemp‑rope lasso from its hand toward the wrist joint of the scissor arm.

This time, the lasso precisely snagged that bent joint!

"Pull!" Cheng Shuili commanded succinctly.

Two other Gray Puppets lunged at once, jointly pulling the other end of the rope.

The rusted scissor arm was forcibly pulled apart; its blades opened and closed uselessly, but could no longer threaten the rope.

Having lost its most dangerous weapon, the spliced puppet's struggle remained fierce, but its threat was greatly reduced.

More hemp ropes were wrapped around it, binding its arms, torso, and even the broom‑handle legs in layers.

"Mmm… ahhh! My! My position!"

It was trussed up, fell to the ground, still unwillingly writhing; black ooze flowed more freely from beneath its weeping mask, soaking the floor.

A Gray Puppet whose mask's brow‑and‑eye lines were somewhat thicker than the others approached Cheng Shuili, sizing her up.

"New temp worker? Or… intern stagehand?" Its voice remained flat, but slowed, with a hint of scrutiny: "Response is decent. Report your number, or show your work badge."

Cheng Shuili's expression didn't change; she met that simple‑line gaze, her tone flat yet carrying absolute certainty:

"Intern stagehand? You don't know my background? How dare you address me like that."

Perhaps from long habit of being a king and a boss, her words now carried an innate convincing aura.

Thus, the Gray Puppet's simple‑line eyes locked onto Cheng Shuili, completely silenced by her perfectly reasonable retort.

Amid the backstage's noisy background, only the trussed‑up Lost Actor on the ground continued to emit unwilling whimpers.

Without waiting for a reply, Cheng Shuili stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the apparent leader puppet, then flicking to the several Gray Puppets busy lifting the trussed‑up bundle.

Her voice wasn't loud, she continued with that calm tone to bluff: "Your management here seems a bit lax."

Her gaze deliberately lingered for a moment on the struggle marks on the ground and the torn curtain.

The leader Gray Puppet's body seemed to stiffen slightly.

It instinctively followed Cheng Shuili's gaze.

The torn curtain needs mending, the chaotic scene needs cleaning, the uncontrolled actor needs handling…

These are clearly its dereliction of duty as maintenance staff.

"Sorry…" its flat voice betrayed a barely perceptible panic: "It's… our negligence. This actor's condition has been unstable lately; we've been trying hard to control it."

Done.

Cheng Shuili felt a surge of joy, knowing this identity hurdle was now past.

She followed the other's lowered-head, yielding attitude, no longer pressing, her tone softened somewhat but took on an instructive tone: "First handle the scene. The curtain is torn, the props are in disarray, the floor is dirty. And it……"

Cheng Shuili pointed at the lost actor bound with hemp rope but still wriggling, and said, "According to the rules, how should we dispose of them?"

The Leader Puppet let out a breath, seemingly relieved that this superior had not immediately pursued its responsibility.

It quickly turned to the other Gray Puppets, using that flat yet urgent voice to command: "Quick! You two, lift it to the Isolation Room, move gently, don't scatter! You three, clean the floor, repair the curtain, and put everything back in place!"

The Gray Puppets immediately sprang into efficient action.

Two carried the struggling zongzi hurriedly back through the tear in the curtain to the deep backstage, while the other three began swiftly cleaning the floor stains; one even produced needle and thread and a piece of similarly colored thick velvet from somewhere, and began skillfully sewing the curtain's tear.

Cheng Shuili crossed her arms, appearing to casually observe all this, while in fact her mind raced with calculations.

The hint from the Insight Skill, "Become the Puppet Lao Da," was indeed feasible.

These maintenance puppets have an instinctive obedience to clear commands and authority.

What she needs to do now is solidify this fabricated identity of hers and completely control these puppets, even though the current Cheng Shuili still doesn't know what controlling them is good for.

The Leader Puppet finished handling the order, then turned back to face Cheng Shuili, its posture much more respectful than before.

"It has already been handled according to the rules. It… will be temporarily sealed until the director decides whether to recycle it."

After giving a brief report, its line-eyes glanced warily at Cheng Shuili, asking, "Do you have any further orders?"

Yes, of course.