Chapter 1001: Everyone Needs Someone
Lin Sanjiu felt that she wasn't the only one who had just regained her senses from the chaos.
After the tumultuous and seemingly endless five seconds filled with death, screams, and chaos, the five surviving Night Wanderers on the opposite side looked as if they had been painted over with white paint on their faces. Even the petite woman lost her composure for the first time. Her golden hair was mottled with bloodstains and some unidentifiable slimy fragments that slid down her face.
From her expression, she must be aware that their group survived only because of Puppeteer's serious injuries.
The corridor was littered with bodies strewn in all directions, with arms pressed against their backs, and heads leaning against the corners of the walls. There was hardly anyone left intact. Four of their former companions were now walking through the blood-soaked corridor, bending down to inspect the bodies at their feet, their ankles becoming stained red in the process.
It must be said that the petite woman's reaction was extremely fast, and her combat ability was outstanding. Even without the opportunity to give orders, she acted faster than Puppeteer. She personally dismantled several Night Wanderers who were about to turn into puppets, reducing them to pieces of flesh.
More people lost their lives in the chaos, not knowing how they perished. It was possible that they were just unlucky and happened to be passed by Puppeteer.
For several seconds, apart from the sound of footsteps from the puppets treading on the blood-soaked ground, no one made a sound.
Until the black figure suddenly flashed, and Lin Sanjiu hurriedly took two steps forward. Her hand reached out, but before it touched the leather, she quickly retracted it.
"Consider yourself lucky," Puppeteer barely supported his body and coldly glanced at her from under his shadowy black hair, his breath slightly labored.
His injuries seemed to have filled him with anger. If she had really supported him, she might have become Puppeteer's outlet for venting.
"There are no intact corpses left," he looked at the slaughterhouse-like corridor and said in a low breath, "Come back."
The puppets immediately stood up and obediently returned to his side. They knelt down quietly, linking arms to form a half-height "chair" for Puppeteer to slowly lean on—Bohemia immediately lowered her eyes.
A mournful sound escaped from the throat of one of the surviving men. He survived the previous five seconds but lost control at this moment when he saw the "chair" made of puppets. He pleaded with someone, not knowing who, "I... I want to leave, let me go!"
"Shut up!" The petite woman stopped his sobbing, turned her head and glanced at Puppeteer.
Anyone could see that his injuries prevented him from moving as he did before. Although no one knew what other Special Items he had, compared to inanimate objects, this person himself was the greatest threat.
"Why?" After pondering for a moment, she suddenly turned her gaze to Lin Sanjiu with a sincere expression, "I can see that Bohemia is afraid of him... What about you? Why are you on Puppeteer's side?"
Lin Sanjiu was taken aback and hadn't figured out how to answer when the petite woman smiled palely, "You are not the kind of person who attaches themselves to a strong individual. Otherwise, you wouldn't be standing on the opposite side."
Before she could speak, Puppeteer spoke first.
"No one is interested in your answer," he said, his voice unstable and devoid of warmth, almost freezing Lin Sanjiu's skin, "If you dare to open your mouth, I'll tear it off."
A promise not to kill didn't mean he couldn't torture—she coughed and dared not answer the question directly, "Um... Shouldn't we find a way to get out now?"
She looked at the petite woman and asked, "You must have left a way for yourselves to leave. Is it that fleshy red tube? Where is it?"
"You have no reason to help Puppeteer," the woman continued, "Come to our side... He is currently unable to move, I assure you that you can leave with us. Bohemia, aren't you afraid? If you're afraid, then don't do anything and just come with us."
"Your metric of strength..." Puppeteer suddenly spoke in a low voice, startling everyone on the other side. "Is it based on the number of individuals? I have four puppets, and you have five people... so, are you under the illusion that these two human skin sacks are the key factors?"
One of the human skin sacks, Bohemia, stood beside Puppeteer, as calm as a tree, with her eyes fixed on her nose and mind focused within. The other human skin sack, however, seemed a little anxious. "If you think you can escape while leaving Puppeteer trapped here alone to solve the problem, you're mistaken."
Lin Sanjiu and the Night Wanderer woman had no grievances against each other initially, but circumstances had led to the deaths of many people. Now, Lin Sanjiu really didn't want to escalate the conflict any further.
"You probably don't realize it. Why did Puppeteer suddenly appear on your ship when the Ocean Voyager was almost at its destination? And why did he choose to confront you when he was injured?" Seeing no response from the other side, Lin Sanjiu continued, "That's because he wasn't originally on the Ocean Voyager. Someone from your organization infiltrated us and took control of our ship, steering it to the Ocean Voyager, which is why he suddenly appeared here. If you go to the dock now, you can still find our circular spacecraft. So, your real enemy isn't Puppeteer; it's the unknown and sinister person outside."
Bohemia suddenly staggered as if she couldn't stand steadily. She took a deep breath and straightened her knees, supporting her body.
Lin Sanjiu glanced at her, suppressing her confusion, and then shifted her gaze to the petite woman, seizing the opportunity to say, "Do you understand now? Tell us how to get out, and I will do my best to ensure the safety of your lives. Otherwise, even if Puppeteer is injured, you shouldn't really think that you can take him—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the male posthuman who had pleaded to leave suddenly shuddered, as if he had seen something shocking, and his eyes widened. Before she could turn her head to look, the male posthuman collapsed to the ground like a melting ice cream, his shoulders slumping and making a thud. As soon as he hit the ground, the female posthuman beside him also fell straight down. Behind the two of them, the expressionless faces of two Night Wanderers were revealed.
The petite woman quickly stepped back a few steps from her own companions, her face alternating between pale and green. "Y-you... How... are you puppets? When did this happen? No, he didn't even touch you. This... this can't be possible..."
"I usually don't let them speak or show expressions," Puppeteer suddenly laughed softly, his gloomy and icy voice crawling up one's ankles like a snake in the grass, "But that doesn't mean my puppets can't do it. They seem quite lively, don't they?"
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but stare at the two puppets for a moment. She had just witnessed these two approaching the other Night Wanderers with the same panicked expression and the same look as living people. When did Puppeteer's control over the puppets reach such a level of perfection? Losing all her companions, the petite woman was finally on the verge of a breakdown. Trembling, she cried out, "Wait, don't kill me! I know how to get out!"
Puppeteer slowly licked his upper lip, the glittering red powder at the corner of his eyes a terrifying sight.
"Um..." Lin Sanjiu took a step forward, fearing his murderous intent. "I think—"
"Shut up," Puppeteer interrupted her in a low voice. He turned his gaze to the petite woman, and after a few seconds, he finally let out a cold sneer, "Fine... let's go."
As the group walked deeper into the corridor accompanied by the six puppets, Bohemia suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Sanjiu's arm. Her fingertips were cold, and her voice was weak and breathless. She spoke in a hushed tone that was almost inaudible, tinged with a bit of fearful curiosity, "So... why?"
It took Lin Sanjiu several seconds to realize that Bohemia's "why" was probably asking why she would be friends with Puppeteer, if they could even be considered friends.
"I've always felt," she softly said with a whisper, holding onto Bohemia's arm. "That in order to live well in this world, everyone needs someone. You see... he always says he wants me dead, but I hope he can live."
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