Creepy Pharmacist: All my patients are scary!

Chapter 548: The Hidden Hand in the Shadows

After leaving the Sight, Lynn returned to his own room and immediately fell into contemplation.

A clown?

That inevitably triggered some unpleasant associations, because the curse he still hadn't managed to remove from within his body was called the Crying Clown.

Could there be a connection between the two?

Indeed, just as the Matriarch had said, this was a man-made factor. Someone had deliberately intercepted Little One's family, preventing them from arriving at the Cursed City in time. So what was their goal?

In truth, the biggest beneficiaries were undoubtedly the Mechanical Cult and the Flesh and Blood Cult.

Because if Big Brother's family had come here, those two cults would have gained absolutely nothing.

But Lynn quickly dismissed that line of thought.

First of all, they shouldn't have known that he had called Big Brother's family for help. Even if they had guessed it, that would have been during his confrontation with the God of All Machines—far too late to act.

And most importantly, if they had the power to intercept Big Brother's family, why would they bother with this roundabout move?If those two cults were ruled out...

Then the only remaining possibility was himself.

There was a hidden hand lurking in the shadows, targeting him, subtly influencing the course of events?

Lynn raised an eyebrow.

Because according to his calculations, under the premise that Big Brother and his family couldn't perform long-distance descent, during that period when he was facing off against the God of All Machines, Big Brother and the others should have been just about able to reach the Cursed City.

And it was precisely because of this unexpected development that he had lost his greatest and most invincible trump card.

Who could it be?

Clown...

Crying Clown...

In an instant, Lynn's pupils dilated.

That Pig-Headed Butcher?!

Lynn furrowed his brow, thinking back to that cold, powerful monster he had encountered at Happy Home. And judging from the conversation between his mentor and that thing, it seemed that when he had fallen two years ago, the Pig-Headed Butcher had played a very important role in that event.

But he still couldn't figure it out.

If it really was him, then what was his goal?

There was no way to analyze it—too little information. He had only met that pig-head once at Happy Home. What his true identity was, what his level of strength was, he knew nothing at all.

But after this incident, he had no choice but to pay more attention to the matter.

After the Cursed City incident was resolved, he absolutely had to go back and thoroughly investigate that pig-headed monster. If there really was a creature like that watching him, how could he ever feel at ease?

"Big brother?"

Alice, by his side, looked up, clearly noticing the pensive expression on Lynn's face.

Because according to his calculations, under the premise that Big Brother and his family couldn't perform long-distance descent, during that period when he was facing off against the God of All Machines, Big Brother and the others should have been just about able to reach the Cursed City.

"Nothing, just thinking about some things. Come on, let's go check on Miss Puppet's condition."

...

They made their way to Miss Puppet's room, and Lynn gently knocked on the door.

"Miss Puppet, are you booted up?"

This time, he had learned his lesson. He didn't go flying in like the last time, only to crash into Miss Puppet again—that would really be going too far.

"Mmm."

From within the room came that familiar, emotionless female voice.

The door then swung open from the inside, and Miss Puppet, now fully dressed and back in her previous attire, appeared before him.

Her long silver hair was neatly arranged, her head adorned with that small black hat. She had changed into a black gown identical to the gothic dress she had worn before, complete with gloves. With her jet-black eyes, she looked like a dark rose of the night.

Apparently, she had more than one set of clothes.

Lynn's eyes lit up, because no matter when he saw Miss Puppet, he was always a little taken aback by her beauty.

"Does everything feel comfortable? Any parts that don't quite fit?"

Lynn smiled, adjusting his monocle, showing no trace of his previous attempt to trespass against Miss Puppet.

Hei Xianyue raised a hand, gently flexing it, and said calmly:

"It fits perfectly. My combat capability has improved by at least 40% compared to before."

And then her gaze fell on Alice, who was in Lynn's arms, sensing the faint aura of an Evil Spirit emanating from her.

"Death... Omen Tier?"

She stared at Alice.

Lynn chuckled, patting Alice on the shoulder, and said cheerfully:

"Let me introduce you. Her name is Alice, and she's my little sister. When you went into standby mode, she sensed I was in danger and stubbornly ran over all on her own. She's family."

"Alice, this is Miss Hei Xianyue. She's your big brother's good friend and bodyguard. Get to know her."

Alice nodded slightly. Since Lynn had said to make an acquaintance, she turned her head, her eyes gazing faintly at Hei Xianyue across from her, and said:

"Hello."

Hei Xianyue paused for a moment, then gave a nod of acknowledgment without saying much else.

But the way she looked at Lynn had clearly changed compared to before. Even she couldn't understand how this seemingly frail guy could have such terrifyingly powerful family by his side.

Even a little sister was a Death-Omen Tier Evil Spirit. What kind of beings were the rest of his family?

But she didn't dwell on it. With a light flick of her toes, she took a small step back, her form slowly turning transparent as she vanished from Lynn's sight.

Lynn said with a wry smile, "Miss Puppet, why did you turn invisible again?"

That emotionless voice came through.

"Body fully restored. Protective duties will resume as normal."

As simple and straightforward as ever, no wasted words, and just as devoid of human warmth.

Lynn: "..."

But Lynn knew that Miss Puppet's personality had always been like this. His earlier words should have left enough of an impression on her heart, but changing her nature would likely take a considerable amount of time.

Still, Lynn wasn't in a hurry. Take it step by step, let things flow naturally—only then could he achieve lasting results.

And now that Miss Puppet had recovered,

the next order of business was the Cursed City.

"Let's go find Big Brother Aiwen."

Lynn adjusted his monocle, his expression turning serious. He then immediately drove his wheelchair through the corridor and arrived at Sir Aiwen's temporary office.

He gently knocked on the door.

"Big Brother Aiwen, are you in there?"

There was no reply from within the room.

Just as he was about to push open the door to check, the space around him warped, and when he opened his eyes again, he, wheelchair and all, had been teleported to an open space outside the base.

A hand rested on his shoulder.

Lynn was startled. He turned around and saw Sir Aiwen standing right beside him.

Apparently, Sir Aiwen had sensed him coming to his office and had directly teleported him to his side.

"The Matriarch just contacted me. She told me to take good care of you during this time, and said that if you caused any more trouble, she'd hold me accountable."

Sir Aiwen smiled and rubbed his brow, looking visibly exasperated.

Lynn: "..."

That communication speed was way too fast.

He had only just left the Sight, and the Matriarch had already turned around and contacted Sir Aiwen. It was clear she had absolutely no confidence in his promises.

Lynn was about to speak when his gaze was immediately drawn to the massive portal standing in the open space.

His vision instantly displayed an introduction for that door.

[Psychic Jump Device]: A long-range, rapid fold-jump device manufactured by Sir Aiwen and capable of being driven only by Psychic Energy. A connection to the City of Night has been established. Current charge rate: 68%.

Lynn said in astonishment, "This is..."

Sir Aiwen looked up and said, "A teleportation device leading to the City of Night. Ever since the appearance of the Leviathan and the Mechanical Cult's Hive, the spatial disturbances here have become quite severe. But I finally managed to complete the construction. You should have heard from the Matriarch, right? We Night Doctors are officially stepping into the fray."

Lynn nodded, his eyes reflecting Sir Aiwen's face as he asked:

"Big Brother Aiwen, what's the current situation in the Cursed City while I've been unconscious? Has the Colossus's Tower been breached?"

This was what concerned him most.

Because various facts had already proven that he and the Colossus had long been connected in countless ways.

He had even stepped into the Colossus's network through Hyper-Dimensional Perception before. It was just that at that time, the Colossus's Brain hadn't fully awakened yet, allowing him to briefly take control of that phantom avatar.

Sir Aiwen turned to look at the city shrouded in black fog in the distance, then raised his head and said:

"Because of that battle between you and the God of All Machines, the situation inside the city has become even more complicated. After I brought you away, the Mechanical Cult also quieted down and stopped their further offensive. The Flesh and Blood Cult took that opportunity to organize an even larger army. Now, they've completely seized control of the core area surrounding the Colossus's Tower."

He slowly waved his hand forward.

The space before them immediately rippled like water.

And in the next moment, an image of the interior of the Cursed City at that very moment appeared before them.

They saw that the Colossus's Tower, which had risen from underground, was now completely engulfed by the branches of the Desire Mother Tree. It was covered in twisted blood-and-flesh vines, to the point where the tower's original form was no longer discernible.

And that wasn't all.

Those dense, countless vines had taken the tower as their epicenter, covering nearly a third of the city's districts.