Chapter 457: Judgment

Afterward…… it actually really followed what Wu Ya said, walking step by step toward Wu Ya, even though its steps and movements were extremely slow.

But it indeed truly obeyed Wu Ya's instructions!

Qing Qing's eyes widened as she looked at the Gray Puppet, then at Wu Ya standing beside her, and even reached out to pinch Wu Ya's face.

After confirming that the touch was real flesh, that the one standing beside her was indeed a person, not an ultra-realistic stuffed cotton doll, Qing Qing finally let out a breath of relief.

But immediately afterward, she furrowed her brows and exclaimed, "Why would it listen to you?!"

Her tone was full of doubt, yet carried no hint of interrogation—pure astonishment and bewilderment at what was happening before her.

Not only her, but the three people huddled on the other side had already lifted their heads when they heard Cheng Shuili's voice.

Cheng Shuili's words were vague, using only a "you," which terrified the three, yet they feared that if they didn't follow this person—who was even more terrifying than the other woman—they would end up like the burly man.

Thus the three hesitated but still lifted their heads.

But the sight before them instantly made the three feel that it would have been better not to lift their heads!

They first saw that the terrifying person from earlier was speaking to the Gray Puppet; before the absurd emotion could rise, they then saw the Gray Puppet actually move slowly as she had said!

The entire Juchang fell into dead silence.

The faint sound of leather friction was infinitely amplified in the silence; the puppet's joints emitted a dry "creak, creak" as they turned, each step landing unusually heavy yet unmistakably clear as it moved toward Cheng Shuili.

Its head bowed slightly, and the face that ought to have borne a weird or terrifying expression was now overlaid by its movements with an indescribable gentleness.

Qing Qing's fingers, still tingling with a faint warmth from pinching Cheng Shuili's cheek, were certain that the one standing beside her was a living human being.

But the shock brought by this scene was far stranger than having an NPC standing beside her!

"You…" she lowered her voice, each word filled with disbelief, "How did you manage it?"

Cheng Shuili did not answer; her gaze fell on the Gray Puppet approaching her. After waiting about ten or so seconds, seeing its movement was truly slow and time pressing, she simply frowned and issued a new command in that commanding tone:

"All right, don't move."

As her words fell, the slowly moving Gray Puppet, as if a pause button had been pressed, stiffened in place a few steps away from Cheng Shuili.

It remained in the pose of a leg lifted to step, its joints frozen.

Cheng Shuili stepped forward a few paces, hands behind her back in a leader's demeanor, standing boldly before the Gray Puppet, and after clearing her throat she spoke:

"Tell me, what function does this ring have in the final act?"

The Gray Puppet remained silent, showing no response, like a true lifeless object.

Qing Qing held her breath, her fingertips unconsciously tightening into her palms.

The other three dared not even breathe, huddled in the seat corners, their eyes locked fixedly on this side.

One second, two seconds…

Just as Qing Qing thought this test had failed and was about to say something, the Gray Puppet's crude stitched lips suddenly opened and closed by an extremely slight amount.

All the survivors immediately held their breath, pricked up their ears, and patiently awaited the Gray Puppet's reply.

After a while, a voice finally sounded: "Return…"

"Return?!" Qing Qing instantly perked up, "Is it for going home? Standing inside lets you exit the Instance?!"

"Return…" the Gray Puppet's lips slowly writhed, and after a while it managed the rest: "Return… return to Lao Da…"

Qing Qing: "???"

"After all that, that's all you have to say?!"

She slapped Cheng Shuili's back and snapped, "Now it's a new era! No more feudal patriarchal nonsense! The child finally managed to say something, and yet it's still this pointless drivel?!"

Cheng Shuili staggered from the slap, almost losing her footing.

She steadied herself, shot Qing Qing a glare, and snapped, "You think I taught it that?"

Qing Qing shrank her neck; Cheng Shuili's words made sense, she felt guilty, and simply shut her mouth.

Cheng Shuili wasn't the type to hold a grudge; she turned back, stared at the still‑stiff Gray Puppet that had laboriously squeezed out those three words "return to Lao Da," and furrowed her brows even tighter.

Perhaps because this Gray Puppet's mouth was too crude, producing sound was infinitely harder than for other Gray Puppets, making its speech so labored.

Cheng Shuili's voice still carried the authority unique to a leader, as if she were looking at an incompetent subordinate, and she said coldly:

"Don't waste time on useless things. Answer my question: What is the specific function of the ring at the center of the stage in the final act? What happens if you step inside? Say it clearly, word by word."

The Gray Puppet seemed stirred by this firmer, clearer command. Its hollow eye sockets slightly turned toward the faintly glowing ring at the stage's center, its leather skull emitting a hoarse "ge, ge" sound, like rusted gears being re‑calibrated.

After several seconds of suffocating silence, its stitched lips began to writhe again, extremely slowly.

"Blood… Blood Ring's…" its voice hoarser and more fragmented than before, like an old bellows being pulled, "Use… is…"

Qing Qing and the other three held their breath, bodies unconsciously leaning forward, afraid to miss a single word.

"Judg… judgment…" the Gray Puppet paused, as if each word cost immense effort.

"Judgment?" Qing Qing couldn't help but whisper, "Judgment of what?"

Cheng Shuili raised a hand to stop her follow‑up, fixing her gaze on the puppet and signaling it to continue answering.

"Judgment… each round's… dead…" its head trembled minutely, then it painfully spat out the rest: "Straight… until… only one role remains…"

"Only… one role left?!"

The short‑haired woman cried out in disbelief, her face instantly turning ashen as paper.

The other two in the trio were struck as if by lightning, collapsing limp in their seats, seemingly unable even to tremble.

This information was too cruel.

Not only could it confirm that the rule they had just seen was completely correct, it could also show……

The short‑haired woman's gaze suddenly shifted.

She anxiously glanced at the clock—ten minutes had passed, leaving less than two minutes!

In two minutes, it would be the time to randomly select who would die this round.