novelraw Chapter 1114: Puppet
Chapter 1114: Puppet
It looked like the gaping maw of a monster, constantly devouring one living person after another... Yet the people, as if unaware of what lay before them, showed no fear—only eerie calmness, or perhaps complete confusion.
“What... what are they doing?” Jessica asked in horror.
“It’s probably a method to extract living souls...” Su Zijun frowned. “There’s something under that pit, something that’s devouring their vitality, spirit, and will.”
Looking more closely, not only were people continuously walking in from the mist, but among them were over a dozen individuals in black clothing and bronze masks. Each held a small bell, and as the bells jingled, the pace of the living quickened. Like escorts, they guided the mindless masses to the edge of the pit—where they then jumped in.
“These bastards! They really dare do this!” Long Xiruo gritted her teeth, the sacred pearl in her hand glowing faintly. “Damn it!!”
Suddenly, a dragon’s roar echoed from the cliffside—and then a golden figure plummeted like a meteor toward the pit below!
“Master?” Jessica gasped at the sight.
Su Zijun remained calm. “The common people are this country’s bottom line... and also the leverage that gives the Daoist and Demon realms of Divine Land even a sliver of survival. If this were to be discovered by the nation’s government, the result would be a devastating crackdown on both realms.”
“But master... supernatural power is too overwhelming. If a practitioner were to go all out, even if they didn’t fight to the death—if they simply fled...”
“It’s the age of humanity now,” Su Zijun said coldly. “If they insist on standing against it, I’ll kill them one by one.”As Su Zijun sighed, Long Xiruo’s furious voice thundered across the heavens.
“You scum!!”
Her roar shattered the bells held by the masked ones, and the people they had guided suddenly collapsed unconscious to the ground.
Hovering above the pit, a golden dragon glared at the earth.
“It’s the True Dragon!”
“She’s here?!”
Under the immense pressure of the True Dragon’s power, the masked ones looked up in horror. Across the Daoist and Demon realms, it was common knowledge—the True Dragon was invincible.
In an instant, golden auras wrapped around each masked figure and pulled them into the air.
“Do you even know what you’re doing?!” Long Xiruo’s thunderous voice rang out. “Who gave you the courage to touch innocent people? Was it the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart?! Get him out here to see me!!”
The figures remained silent inside their glowing prisons.
Roaring again in fury, the True Dragon’s voice shook the earth like a shockwave.
Suddenly, one of the masked men shouted, “True Dragon! What exactly are you protecting? The land itself or the living on it? If it’s the people—we are part of that life too!”
“ROAR!! Bring out the 71st Heavenly Heart!!”
“For the sages—! Carry forward—! Ultimate Art—!!”
In a flash, the man’s body expanded like a volcano about to erupt. He shattered the golden light imprisoning him.
“You’re insane! Destroying your own Dao foundation?!”
But before Long Xiruo could react, the rest did the same—igniting themselves and breaking free, not to fight, but to hurl themselves into the pit.
One by one, they were consumed instantly—as if plunging into molten lava.
A blood-red glow erupted from the pit, and a blood-colored pearl rapidly condensed in midair.
Long Xiruo roared again, diving into the pit with lightning speed, reaching for the pearl. Just as her claws were about to grasp it—space itself twisted.
The pearl vanished.
“Hope...”
It was Hope's Power, the Dragon of the Dragon Vein!
A furious roar burst out of the pit, filled with endless wrath.
...
Su Zijun slowly descended beside Long Xiruo, who was staring silently at the massive pit where the red glow had disappeared.
“Isn’t it great?” Su Zijun muttered. She extended her hand, drawing a broken bronze mask from the pit into her palm.
She gently placed it on her face, peering through the eye holes at Long Xiruo.
“You said... great?”
“At least it feels like I’m alive.” Her voice remained calm. “It’s better than hopelessly waiting for death, don’t you think?”
Long Xiruo clenched her fists, turned away, and took off into the mist.
Su Zijun watched quietly, expression cold. “Trying to protect both sides... how can anyone have it all? But I don’t really have the right to criticize—after all, I’m just a puppet of the human world.”
In the distance, Jessica came running.
“Master! Where did Miss Long go?”
“She’s being stupid,” Su Zijun said indifferently. “Don’t mind her. Must be menopause—mood swings.”
Jessica froze, more confused than ever about their relationship. “So... should we follow her?”
“Follow?” Su Zijun scoffed. “For what? The debt collector’s already here.”
She looked to the side—Luo Qiu had appeared, walking calmly over the unconscious citizens, with Nero trailing behind.
...
“Miss Su Zijun, do you have a moment?”
Boss Luo greeted her politely and nodded at Jessica.
“I’m busy. If you want to treat me to a meal, pick another day!” Su Zijun snapped. “Want to woo me? At least bring me a few dozen times Cain’s blood as a gift! I’m a busy woman!”
Nero blinked, instantly intrigued by this sharp-tongued girl in a youthful form.
“Then allow me to host a banquet for you another day, Miss Su Zijun,” Luo Qiu smiled. “Of course, I’ll cook personally.”
“Che!”
Su Zijun snorted, then waved her hand—four glowing sigils shot toward Luo Qiu.
He calmly caught them.
“That’s the key! I told you the location! Now go move the stuff!” she said.
“The quantity’s right,” Luo Qiu nodded. “Thank you for your visit, Miss Su Zijun... I won’t take up more of your time.”
It seemed he’d come solely to collect the debt. Now that the goods were in hand, he turned to leave without any sentiment.
But Su Zijun frowned. “Wait a second!”
“Yes? Is there anything else I can help you with?” Luo Qiu turned back.
Su Zijun hesitated, then quickly walked up to him—and whispered something in his ear.
At that moment, even with his normally calm demeanor and the emotional detachment granted by the club, Boss Luo still couldn’t help but open his mouth in surprise.
“Miss Zijun, are you being serious?”
Su Zijun sneered, “What? You don’t dare sell it?”
“It’s not that,” Luo Qiu shook his head. “It’s just... could I confirm one more time—what you just said, do you really intend to go through with that deal?”
“Deposit!”
Su Zijun narrowed her eyes and waved her hand again. A glowing sigil appeared in the air. “This one's by the southern sea!”
“Well then.” Boss Luo nodded. Naturally, there was no reason to refuse money.
An ancient scroll unfolded before the two of them. Without hesitation, Su Zijun slammed her palm down on it and said cheerfully, “Then I’ll wait for your performance! Be sure to give it your all!”
Watching Su Zijun and Jessica vanish into the mist, Luo Qiu stood silently for a long time.
Nero, nearby, only heard their Boss mutter softly, “Seems like... with money, you really can do whatever you want…”
...
...
When Bu Bugao and Wang Hu arrived at the stadium, they found it deserted.
However, Wang Hu said there were still strong traces of human presence—clearly, the people had left not long ago. Bu Bugao then searched the stadium thoroughly.
“Weird... Could it be the troops here moved out?” Bu Bugao frowned. “Or maybe someone arrived ahead of us and took them away?”
“What, you don’t know how many people you have?” Wang Hu asked curiously. Though he had memory issues, his logic was still intact.
Bu Bugao shook his head. “Bro, look at the situation. We’ve been out of contact for ages. But if it was our people, they should’ve left some kind of signal for others to follow. But I haven’t found anything—just a few frozen mummies.”
Wang Hu glanced across the basketball court inside the gym, which was scattered with used supplies. “They probably left not long ago. If you hurry, you can catch up. Are you going?”
“Of course!” Bu Bugao answered righteously. “It’s dangerous out there. How could I abandon them?”
—Got to follow and earn some merit. How else am I supposed to get promoted!?
“Then you’d better move fast.” Wang Hu nodded. “I’ve got a bad feeling... like something terrible is about to happen.”
“Something bad?”
Wang Hu shook his head. “Can’t say for sure. Just... a gut feeling. There’s something up ahead.”
...
“Everyone, stay together! Keep formation! Don’t panic! We are with you! We will protect you!!”
In the thick mist, soldiers frequently shouted loudly—to maintain public morale.
The group now had over forty thousand people—originally just thirty thousand, but soldiers had brought back more civilians from outside.
A crowd this size could clog an entire avenue. The line stretched far, and without equipment to help, soldiers had to scream themselves hoarse to ensure they were heard.
“Damn! If anyone badmouths our military again, I’m gonna write a scathing article about them when I get back!” Editor-in-Chief Ren said emotionally—though her phrasing made Li Zi roll her eyes.
But the crowd had already been walking for over two hours. For soldiers, that wasn’t an issue—but for civilians, under such fearful and oppressive circumstances, it was exhausting. Their pace was slowing.
At the front of the group, Leng Feng frowned and turned to the two men from the Management Bureau. “Gentlemen, we’ve been walking for over two hours. Let’s rest for ten minutes. There are elderly folks, children, and pregnant women here.”
One of the Bureau men responded coldly, “Major Leng, I understand your concern. But we absolutely can’t stop. You know how fast the mist is spreading. If we pause, we might not outrun it. Do you want to be trapped forever?”
Leng Feng understood the reasoning. As a soldier, he knew the importance of speed during crises.
“Alright,” Leng Feng nodded.
But he still gave a quiet order to his adjutant, “Tell the men to drop non-essentials. Have them carry the elderly, kids, and pregnant women. We can’t afford to slow down. Let the men work harder.”
“Yes, sir!”
The adjutant ran off to relay the message.
“Major Leng, you truly care for the people,” one Bureau man smiled, seemingly impressed.
Leng Feng replied flatly, “Soldiers have hearts too. In war, we must be steel—but in peace, we must show humanity.”
“Heh.” The other man suddenly grinned. “Major Leng, I have a way to ease everyone’s burden.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Leng Feng perked up.
The man opened a suitcase and took out a small bell. The other man did the same.
Leng Feng frowned. “Gentlemen... what’s that for?”
“People feel tired because their minds are tired,” the man chuckled. “So it’s simple. Make their minds forget about being tired. This bell can make anyone who hears it forget everything... stop thinking... stop remembering…”
Think—think—think—think—
With the bell’s jingle, the word think echoed in Leng Feng’s mind like a hypnotic chant, growing louder and louder...
“You… you…”
Leng Feng clutched his head in agony, staggering as if he were about to collapse.
(End of Chapter)