Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 356 - 87: Puppet

The Gard Car drove back along the highway, soon entering a bustling urban area. The number of vehicles and colorful holographic advertisements gradually increased. It was then that Chen Chuan suddenly noticed something was different.

He felt his senses had become far sharper than before. It was as if he had an intuitive understanding of the paths of vehicles on the road and the movements of unrelated pedestrians, a feeling of having it all under his control.

When he focused his attention on a specific point, the voices of two pedestrians on the roadside seemed to peel away from the noisy background, becoming clearly audible. He could even seem to smell the Anti-Differentiation Potions they had taken.

As he sped past in the car, these sensations gradually faded. But whenever he focused his gaze on a particular spot, every detail there would become crystal clear.

’This situation...’

He understood what this meant. He was gradually approaching the Third Limit.

The Mutated Organization within a Fighter’s body didn’t just appear suddenly. It grew subtly and imperceptibly over a long period of time.

Fighters at the Third Limit would experience a certain degree of mutation in their brains. This was a sign that would only appear after the body’s Mutated Organization had strengthened to a certain point—a very natural transition.

After coming to Central City, he had invested so many resources into himself, and coupled with his long, relentless training, he was finally beginning to approach this level.

It probably wouldn’t be long before he achieved a true breakthrough.

After returning to the Profound Palace Building, he entered his dorm. He first set down the Snow Monarch Blade, then went to take a shower. When he came out, he glanced at the corner of the room.

The incubation box sent by the Secret Snake Sect was there, a constant-temperature lamp glowing on top. He had been away for a few days, but it looked unchanged.

He walked to his desk, took out the medicine box from the Cyan Bag Jade Workshop, and took one Cyan Pill.

He wasn’t sure of the specific details of the Snake Shedding service, so it was hard to say if the Cyan Pill would conflict with its medicinal effects. That was why he hadn’t taken it beforehand this time.

Although it had been more than four days, the interval wasn’t a problem. It was considered normal for a Drug Tester to take the pill every ten days. That was why the Cyan Bag Jade Workshop had the rule about taking ten pills within three months.

Though the gap this time was a bit longer than before, it was actually for the better. It would make him seem somewhat special, but not *too* special.

After taking the medicine, he went to the training room to resume the daily training he had missed for the past few days. When he was done, he sent a record of the pill’s effects to the Cyan Bag Jade Workshop and went back to rest.

The physical exertion these past few days was nothing; the main toll had been mental.

This time, to allow the Mutated Organization to grow in all aspects, he hadn’t just been passively resisting. He had also been actively using every part of his body to coordinate and fight back. Now, he could finally let the tension unwind.

He rested from evening until late at night. When he opened his eyes again, his spirit was fully restored, his dark eyes sparkling with energy.

He got up, tidied himself up briskly, then took his Snow Monarch Blade and left, driving toward the Deep Unexplored District.

Zhao Qian’s private residence in Xunfeng Garden was located on the edge of the Deep Unexplored District, not far from the Weiguang District. On the way, he used his Realm Token to contact Lu Fang, confirmed his location, and hurried over to successfully rendezvous with him.

Lu Fang hadn’t gone back these past few days, staking out the residence from the outside. When he met with Chen Chuan, he explained the situation.

"I’ve been watching for a few days. The lights in this house turn on after six p.m. and off after ten p.m. every day, right on the dot. The person inside has never come out. It’s eleven now, so they should be asleep. It’s the perfect time for us to go in and check things out."

Chen Chuan, meanwhile, contacted Wubei. "Brother Wu, have you dug up any more leads on this house?"

Wubei said, "Nothing more for now. The information is either buried deep or was deliberately deleted."

Chen Chuan said, "Understood. Brother Wu, can you block the Domain alarms inside?"

Wubei replied, "I can. One moment... All right, you can go in." In less than a second, he had cracked the Domain signal, giving the two of them a Domain frequency that would let them enter without triggering an alarm.

Lu Fang said, "Junior, we should leave someone on lookout. I’ll go in and check the situation first."

Chen Chuan said, "Be careful."

Lu Fang gave a serious nod. He took out a short baton and walked over. Encountering no issues, he reached the main gate, placed his hand on it, and sent a jolt of Soft Power through it. The inner lock was instantly destroyed with only a faint, soft click.

In reality, an ordinary person wouldn’t have heard that sound, but to Chen Chuan, it was as if it had sounded right next to his ear. His attention focused there, and the sensory feedback naturally became clearer.

After Lu Fang went in, there was no movement for a moment, but after a short while, the sounds of a fight came from inside.

Chen Chuan stood outside the gate, not entering. From the sounds of the fight, he could tell that Lu Fang’s opponent was likely also a Second Limit Fighter. However, their rhythm and movements were inferior to Lu Fang’s. Their weapon was probably a long blade.

Even though Lu Fang was only armed with a short baton, he was still able to suppress his opponent steadily. His moves were very stable, his strategy clearly being to first ensure his own safety, then wait for his opponent to grow lax or impatient before launching a counterattack.

And just by listening to their continuous fighting and exchange of blows from where he stood, he could roughly sketch out the opponent’s height and weight, and even accurately judge both of their breathing rhythms.

Just then, he suddenly detected faint static coming from his Realm Token.

Wubei’s voice came through. "Brother Chen, someone is attacking your Realm Tokens. There must be a Resonator in the room. I’ve already blocked the Domain interference for you."

Chen Chuan grunted in acknowledgment. Besides attacking Realm Tokens, Resonators could also interfere with Implants. But Lu Fang didn’t have any implants, so the interference had very little effect on him.

After another ten-odd seconds, Lu Fang found an opening and suddenly struck.

Chen Chuan could tell that his baton had struck the enemy squarely in the chest, followed by a light punch to the side of their head, knocking them out instantly. The movements were swift and clean, and he had avoided any vital spots.

The sounds of fighting finally stopped, followed by muffled conversation. A moment later, the lights in the room turned on, and Lu Fang’s voice came from the Realm Token. "Junior, it’s clear."

Chen Chuan walked over. After entering the house, he saw a masked man lying on the floor, a long blade of an Outer Ocean style on his person.

Ahead, a young girl was standing there. She looked to be thirteen or fourteen, with a petite frame and a delicate face. He could tell she was the girl from the scene display.

’It looks like our target is here. That saves us a lot of trouble. But her identity still needs to be confirmed.’

Lu Fang then said in a low voice, "She says she’s Zhao Qian’s servant. I told her Zhao Qian is dead, but she doesn’t seem to believe me."

Chen Chuan used his Realm Token to observe the girl. A dense list of Implant information immediately popped up on the token, but there was no name.

The reason he could scan her so easily was not just because his Realm Token was issued by the Processing Bureau, but also because she didn’t have the official status of a Central City citizen.

He tapped his Realm Token and said, "I’m sending you the proof of Zhao Qian’s death."

The girl glanced at him and added him as a contact. A moment later, an internal confirmation of Zhao Qian’s death from the Processing Bureau came through, complete with an attached photo of the head.

The girl was silent for a moment, then looked up and asked, "So, are you my new masters?"

Lu Fang was taken aback. He sighed. "No one is your master. Zhao Qian wasn’t, and no one else will be. You are your own master."

A flicker of confusion seemed to cross the girl’s eyes for an instant.

Lu Fang looked at her with a hint of pity. He softened his voice and asked, "What’s your name?"

"No. 13."

Lu Fang said, "Not a designation. Your real name."

The girl said, "That is my name."

Lu Fang asked, puzzled, "Have you always been called this? What about before this name?"

"I don’t remember. Mr. Zhao gave me this name."

Lu Fang was beginning to understand. He took a breath and asked, "Then... what’s the earliest thing you can remember?"

The girl answered with certainty, "Three years ago, when Mr. Zhao brought me here."

Chen Chuan didn’t speak. The girl’s emotional response was minimal as she spoke, which suggested she was telling the truth. Just then, Wubei’s voice came through. "Brother Chen, I think... I know what’s going on with her..."

Lu Fang quickly asked, "What’s wrong with her?"

Wubei said hesitantly, "She might be a Puppet."

"A Puppet?" Lu Fang froze. The word immediately brought many unpleasant things to his mind.

Wubei said in a low voice, "’Puppets’ are slaves and servants created through brainwashing, hypnosis, and Implant modifications to satisfy all sorts of client perversions and needs. There are specialized companies that handle this business... My family used to have one." It was clear from his tone that he had a strong dislike for such things.

At that moment, some information about the creation of Puppets was transmitted to Chen Chuan’s and Lu Fang’s Realm Tokens.

Domestically, the company that does the most of this business is the Paperman Company, while internationally, the one with the most advanced technology is the Original Man Company. These companies have their own human-stock warehouses, and their mid- to high-end Puppets are groomed and brainwashed from a young age.

Besides the major corporations, some small workshops also engage in this business. Their methods are extremely crude. They just buy Implants from some company, then take people with no identity or criminals sentenced to death, wipe their memories, and modify them into Puppets.

Seeing the Original Man Company mentioned, Chen Chuan paid extra attention. He thought for a moment and said, "If she really has been modified into a Puppet, is there any way to prove it?"

Wubei said, "Those modified by a company will definitely have the company’s mark on them. But if she was made by a small workshop, she won’t.

However, her face seems to have undergone some adjustments and sculpting. And while the Implants in her body aren’t expensive, they aren’t low-end either. This level of technology suggests a corporate modification."

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