Chapter 1126 - 213: Silent Terror

Too identical!

Identical enough to give one chills.

It's as if the people who were just taken out had tidied up their hair and clothes and then walked back nonchalantly.

Chris felt his palms start to sweat. His fingers tightened unconsciously around the wheelchair handles, almost embedding the nails into the soft leather.

What... are these things?

Poppets?

But he had seen poppets before—those Vampires and Werewolves on stage, and the Trolls hidden in underground garages. Although they looked realistic, their eyes were vacant, their movements mechanical, and upon close observation, you could easily tell there's a non-human feel.

But these...

Chris forced himself to maintain steady breathing, but his mind was already in turmoil.

These things can smile, have slight changes in expressions, and perform subtleties almost identical to their original counterparts.

When "Lady Margaret" passed by "Mr. Harold," "Mr. Harold" even naturally sidestepped to make way and returned a standard, courteous nod and smile.

Suddenly, "Lady Margaret" stopped before taking her seat.

Chris followed her gaze and saw a sapphire necklace lying on the ground, with huge gems emitting deep ocean-like luminosity under the lights.

That was the real Lady Margaret's jewelry that slipped from her neck when she was carried away by the bodyguards.

Then, Chris saw the "old lady" elegantly stoop down, pick up the necklace with her hand wearing a white lace glove, and slowly put it back around her neck.

Only then did she sit back in the seat originally belonging to Lady Margaret, her back straight, the corners of her mouth holding a barely noticeable hint of a smile.

An icy chill, ten times stronger than before, instantly seized Chris's heart.

They are mimicking social interactions... They are playing the role of "human."

Chris struggled to remain calm, but his breathing became uncontrollably rapid.

If...

An alarming thought involuntarily came into his mind:

If these poppets... are not satisfied with being controlled by the Stonefield Clan and want to replace real humans... even rebel against the Stonefield Clan?

"Did you see that, Chris?"

William's voice suddenly sounded, low and satisfied:

"This is the true 'masterpiece' of the Stonefield Clan."

Chris snapped back to reality.

He saw his grandfather slightly raise his head, his gaze sweeping over those "guests" who were walking into the venue, his aged eyes glowing with a nearly affectionate light—

just like a collector examining the most precious jewels in a glass case.

"This is the perfect creation born from the combination of Illari's poppet technology and our forty years of scientific research."

William's voice was filled with undisguised pride: "Not just appearance and behavior imitation. They have learned all public and non-public conduct data, body language, and interaction patterns of the target individuals over the past five years."

"Of course, if that was all, they would only be able to mimic the surface, easily exposing their disguise to truly intimate people."

"But our dear 'guests' will be staying at the manor for a whole night!"

He paused, as if savoring his perfect plan, and said:

"Tonight, Illari will extract the memories of those people and inject them into the consciousness of these new poppets, so they can complete the full impersonation!"

Chris frowned, sensing some danger: "Will the success of the plan entirely depend on Mr. Illari?"

—Considering such enormous benefits, is he still reliable?

William understood his unspoken concerns, chuckled, and said:

"Don't worry, your grandfather is not so inept that he can't even judge people."

"Besides, Illari doesn't realize the significance of what he's doing—like most technicians, he's very smart but lacks ambition, and isn't much interested in things beyond his research."

"Furthermore, we don't need these new poppets to exist for too long..."

William's lips curled into a cold arc:

"As long as they can survive two or three days without being suspected of their identities, that's sufficient... sufficient for them to sign some important agreements and smoothly transfer power to the people I've arranged."

"Then..."

"Sudden heart attack, car accident, yacht mishap, or even 'accidental' murder by an intruder during a robbery... once the substitutes die, what other problems could there be?"

Hearing that the replacement time was only two or three days, Chris relaxed his fears, took a deep breath, his eyes almost overflowing with greed:

"Then these people's assets... will all be entrusted to the people you've arranged?"

"Of course not."

William looked at his grandson with satisfaction, and said, "These assets will eventually be channeled into offshore accounts controlled by the family through financial maneuvers."

He wouldn't completely let even poppets under his control, let alone humans with independent thoughts who may be particularly complex and greedy.

William said, "Some of the industries we'll retain, some will be split and sold, some... will serve as leverage to control their original allies. Once this batch of people 'unexpectedly passes away,' the Stonefield Clan will become truly unshakable."

"Not by Magic, but by the oldest and most effective things—"

"Money and fear."

"When that time comes," Chris said with a radiant smile, "we will truly have no opponents."

He smiled, unconsciously glancing again at the focal point of the plan—the new poppets already seated for the most part below, still feeling a tingle like electricity coursing through his body, his hair standing on end.