Doomsday Wonderland

After the Veda disappeared, a cord extended itself from the web in the front void. It pulsed with mild radiance as it gradually turned into the shape of a human.

Lin Sanjiu waited and watched as the ball of light congealed into the Puppeteer of her memory.

Locks of wet hair draped over his face and clavicle. His countenance was as bloodless as always.

This was the very first time since their encounter that the glitter powder around Puppeteer’s eyes appeared translucent. It sparkled like fine diamonds on his pallid skin. He donned his usual black leather jacket that reflected a shimmering white glow with every step he took.

Lin Sanjiu had returned to her human form as well. Although both she and Puppeteer had been analyzed, they were open to the Veda only. If they wanted to talk to each other, they still needed their bodies and vocal cords.

As the man clad in black walked closer, a strong and unnatural aroma assaulted her nostrils. Lin Sanjiu averted her gaze, but she soon raised her head again and looked into his eyes.

Both of them stared at each other in speechless dismay for a while.

Suddenly, Puppeteer spoke. His voice remained the same, but Lin Sanjiu felt that something about it had changed. ‘Perhaps it is because Yun’s voice has already been rooted deeply in my mind,’ Lin Sanjiu thought.

“After I returned from the balcony, I sat on the stairs for a while,” Puppeteer said, his voice soft and low, “The same spot you were sitting in at that time.”

Stunned, Lin Sanjiu said, “…You’ve seen everything.”

“Yeah.” Puppeteer did not look her in the eyes. His gaze looked past her shoulders at the void behind. There was no light behind his stare.

“I sat there alone for a while until I grabbed a black leather jacket from a Vindice.

“Hence, I’ve been dressing like this ever since.” Puppeteer caressed his arm, causing the leather to emit a series of light squeals as his finger ran across the hide. “As for the reason, I have no idea.”

Lin Sanjiu listened quietly, but Puppeteer had stopped talking.

Both of them stood there in total silence for a long while. Then Puppeteer heaved a long sigh, shattering the impasse. His breath that grazed past her ear reminded Lin Sanjiu of the early winter wind.

“Not long after you walked into Sector 9, I began drawing a plan to kill you,” Puppeteer said slowly. “It was a well-thought-out plan. I had all the facets covered, and I’d prepared for all the consequences. When you were crying outside the door, I even began to imagine your face on your death throes.”

Lin Sanjiu remained standing stock-still. She felt no fear; her heart was calm. She looked at Puppeteer’s shoulder, inwardly wondering if he had been eating well all these years. He looked so lean and brittle. It was as if there weren’t any flesh underneath the layer of skin.

“I get it,” she spoke softly, “I am sorry.”

“Shut up.”

Lin Sanjiu then kept quiet.

Once again, silence fell. Lin Sanjiu waited with bated breath until Puppeteer began to speak again. “During that time, you were like a ghost. Wherever he went, you went.”

Lin Sanjiu gave an involuntary half start before she realized that the “he” Puppeteer was referring to was Yun.

All of a sudden, Puppeteer lowered his head, stretched out his hand, and grabbed Lin Sanjiu’s wrist. Shocked, Lin Sanjiu tensed. However, he just pulled her hand and placed it on his throat.

A warm sensation, very low in temperature but still warm, emanated beneath her palm. Lin Sanjiu was at a total loss. She had no idea what he was doing or what she should do. Her fingers were frozen stiff on his neck.

“It’s not big, isn’t it? It has not grown much from the time I was sixteen.”

As he spoke, Lin Sanjiu could sense his throat vibrating under her palm.

“When I look in the mirror, it feels like… there’s a stone stuck in there. I can’t spit it out, nor can I swallow it down. Only then do I realize how tense I have become after all these years.”

Puppeteer smacked her hand away as if he’d had enough of physical contact with Lin Sanjiu.

“I knew what was coming and how it would end, but I couldn’t stop myself from watching. The Veda told me that all the hatred and love we harbor is nothing but mere emotions and chemicals secreted by our brains. Their presence is completely meaningless.”

Lin Sanjiu gave a start. She said, “Are you really going to accept the Veda’s proposal?”

Puppeteer turned his eyes and met gazes with her, but he said nothing.

His impassiveness made Lin Sanjiu’s heart spur into a gallop. She had no idea why, but she felt that she had to do something. Before she knew it, she was bombarding Puppeteer with all sorts of questions. “Are you really planning to become a Veda? I… I know I have no place in influencing your decision, but even if you had a past like that, what’s wrong with that? Without the past and your memories, what are you?

“How many years have you been living as Puppeteer? You only relived your memories as Yun once, and now you can’t take it anymore? So you want to run away? What is the difference between you and a coward? If you’re a man, suck it up and live on!”

The moment she finished speaking, she felt a hand choke her throat. This was the first time she felt Puppeteer’s strength, and to her surprise, it wasn’t any inferior to Hei Zeji’s.

Puppeteer lowered his head and pressed his face close to Lin Sanjiu. His breath sprayed on her skin, his oppressive and cold aroma enveloping her whole, but she could not smell anything. Her face reddened due to the lack of oxygen.

“Let me remind you of something: I haven’t given up on killing you. It’s just that there are two more targets on the list that come before you, so don’t force me to skip them,” Puppeteer hissed into Lin Sanjiu’s ear before pushing her away.

Lin Sanjiu covered her throat and coughed twice. “…Who are they?” she asked in a husky voice.

Puppeteer rubbed his fingers in disgust as if he wanted to dust off the specks he’d gotten from Lin Sanjiu. “The Veda… and Gong Daoyi.”

Lin Sanjiu’s throat was still throbbing with pain, but she could not help but heave a sigh of relief. She pressed down the jubilation that ballooned up in her heart and said, “You scared me. I thought you wanted to…”

“Shut up.”

Lin Sanjiu kept her mouth shut again. Suddenly, something came into her mind, and her heart shuddered. She glanced inquiringly at Puppeteer.

For the Veda, both of them were like two pools of data that required no permission for access. Thus, the Veda could see through Puppeteer’s thoughts. In other words, he could not lie to them.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Puppeteer turned his body to the other side. He refused to look her in the eyes, not wanting her to see the expression on his face. “When they offered me the opportunity to become one of them, you were still in Sector 9.”

“While I was still in Sector 9?” Understanding instantly dawned upon Lin Sanjiu. It appeared to her that Puppeteer accepted the Veda’s offer as he watched his past being replayed once more right in front of his eyes. To put it simply, he had wanted to give up his life at that moment.

“…I’m sorry,” Lin Sanjiu said, bending her head over.

If she had not walked away from him in the convenience store, then perhaps everything would not have come to this.

“That’s not necessary. You and I, after all, are enemies,” Puppeteer said calmly. “However, I do appreciate that you did not make a disgusting look.”

Lin Sanjiu saw the light behind his words. She smiled but did not say anything. Somehow, she would rather see him as a root of fear, someone to hate or even despise instead of sympathize with.

“Then… What do we do now?” she asked after a short while, as they still hadn’t gotten themselves out of this mess. “They have access to our information. We cannot do anything in front of them.”

As soon as the Veda returned, they would know all their thoughts with a simple glance. How would they fight against an enemy that knew all of their plans?

Puppeteer turned his body, and the black leather jacket creaked.

“Yes, but you forgot something: we are not alone here. Aside from us, there’s someone who hasn’t been analyzed yet.”

“Huh?” Lin Sanjiu opened her mouth wide in surprise. “The Veda haven’t gotten Soulsqn’s information yet?”