Hunter of Mysterious Creature

Chapter 747 - 40: Empathic Puppet

"Black statue... I suddenly thought of something," Wang Xiyi said.

"What thing?" Yan Yu'an and Sun Hang asked simultaneously.

"A kind of plastic toy soldier, molded and only able to hold one pose, with a base connected to its feet. They're sold at the entrance of elementary schools in Tianfu City, fifty cents a bag. I've bought several bags when passing by there. Soldiers in various poses, some shooting and attacking, others lying on the ground struggling in pain… but that dying pose seems rare. After all, kids buying toys wouldn't want their plastic army filled with 'dying' soldiers," Wang Xiyi said.

"Now that you mention it... it really does seem similar," Yan Yu'an nodded slightly, clearly having played with or seen the toy soldiers Wang Xiyi described.

"I want to try," Sun Hang suddenly said.

"Try what?" Wang Xiyi asked.

"Try and see what it feels like to touch the black liquid."

"No way!" Yan Yu'an immediately said, "I know you're amazing and possess many inexplicable abilities, but it's too risky. I can't ensure... if you insist on trying, I'll use all means to stop you."

"You think you can stop me?" Sun Hang asked, glancing at her.

"I'll do my best," Yan Yu'an said, "You could kill me, but as long as I'm alive, I won't let you touch that liquid."

"You can just grab a knife and keep an eye on me. Once any part of my body starts getting assimilated, you just slice off the assimilated area," Sun Hang shrugged and said.

"The assimilation speed is unpredictable... among the assimilated soldiers, the slowest struggled for over ten minutes, while the fastest was fully assimilated in mere seconds," Yan Yu'an said, "What if you're completely assimilated the moment you touch the black liquid?"

"That's why I said... you're really quite rigid," Sun Hang sighed, "Don't you know how to be flexible at all?"

Yan Yu'an didn't speak, instead, she stepped closer to Sun Hang.

From her posture, if Sun Hang dared to move any part of his body closer to the black liquid, she would immediately pounce and drag him away with raw force—whether she could manage it or not is another matter.

"You've already said, I possess many inexplicable abilities... so why must I use my own body to touch this liquid?" While speaking, a shadow seemed to separate from Sun Hang's back like shedding a cocoon.

This was a human-shaped fungus puppet, all white—Sun Hang didn't even bother molding it into his own shape. The puppet stood there looking like a mannequin from a clothing store.

"Oh wait... being too frugal isn't right; necessary things must be present after all." Sun Hang examined the fungus puppet up and down, and the next moment, human facial features suddenly appeared on its previously blank face. Hair and pores appeared on its smooth skin, and the blood vessels and muscles under the skin were perfectly simulated.

Wang Xiyi glanced at the lower half of the mannequin, smiling as she said, "You even want to mold that thing?"

"Yes, to ensure the puppet's reactions are realistic enough, I replicated it in a one-to-one human body structure," Sun Hang nodded, "Now, except for lacking self-consciousness, it is indistinguishable from a normal human."

"Aren't you essentially creating a person out of thin air?" Wang Xiyi was slightly surprised, "Does it still count as a puppet?"

"Yes. Those human organs and various life activities were simulated using the Taishan fungus," Sun Hang said, "Once the connection between it and me is severed, the puppet will soon crumble on its own."

"Are you planning to test with the puppet?" Yan Yu'an's tone softened slightly.

"What else?" Sun Hang replied snappily, "Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

Yan Yu'an: "..."

"The senses of this puppet are directly linked to my consciousness. Every sensation it feels will be shared with me immediately, including various physiological responses of the organism..." Sun Hang said while controlling the puppet to step out toward the bar.

However, before the puppet reached the bar, its feet were already "glued" to the floor by the creeping black liquid.

"What does it feel like?" Wang Xiyi quickly asked.

"There's a sensation like many needles sticking into the soles, this kind of stinging... how to put it, it's both painful and itchy, simply making one's scalp tingle," Sun Hang rubbed his cheek, "Honestly, damn uncomfortable."

"It's assimilated up to the ankles," Yan Yu'an said in a serious tone. The puppet's feet were already entirely black, with a streak of black rapidly spreading upward.

"Can you still feel your feet?" Wang Xiyi asked again.

"No, my feet no longer belong to me," Sun Hang shook his head, "That unbearable stinging sensation is spreading up my legs, with every inch it goes up, I lose sensation in another inch of limb... It's like the body is being swallowed bit by bit."

Finally, when the assimilation effect spread to the puppet's chest, Sun Hang severed the shared connection between himself and the puppet— the sensation of the lungs being assimilated little by little was making him crazy...

"It's like chugging an entire bottle of paraquat, causing the whole lung to fibrotize," Sun Hang commented.

"Good grief, have you really drunk paraquat?" Wang Xiyi was surprised, "Why don't I know? Was it due to an awakened memory from before? But that's impossible, if you really drank it, you wouldn't even be here now, right?"

"No, I've only seen people drink it on TV," Sun Hang said, "But I imagine that's probably how it feels."

Indeed, Sun Hang once had the firsthand experience of consuming paraquat.

This memory came from a cult follower devoured by Taishan, who drank half a bottle of paraquat in a rage after an argument with his family. After seeking medical help for days, he was tactfully advised by doctors to "go home and wait for death"... In despair, his family turned to the cult organization that worships Taishan...

No doubt, Taishan's restructuring ability was indeed handy; with nearly 80% of his lung tissue fibrotized, Taishan forcibly pulled him back from the edge of death, extending his life by four years before 'sacrificing' him as nourishment.

It's no wonder those followers were so devoted to Taishan.