Chapter 1231: The River Cooled by Moonlight
Lin Sanjiu had envisioned countless times what the situation would be like when Gong Daoyi reappeared.
In each of her mental scenarios, Puppeteer stood opposite Gong Daoyi, a breeze gently ruffling a few strands of his shiny black hair, creating an ethereal image. It was a deep-seated feeling within her, devoid of logic, that Puppeteer deserved this moment after the long, dark night—a chance for his heart to beat again or a chance for redemption when it would never beat again. It was only natural for him to be there.
Ironically, she had never considered the possibility that Gong Daoyi might appear while Puppeteer was unconscious.
"Oh, he hasn't awakened yet," Ya Jiang said, his face bearing a faint smile, but behind it, Gong Daoyi's eyes swirled like an abyss. "Actually, I knew. That's why I came to find you."
The sensation she experienced at this moment was reminiscent of the vague feeling she had encountered when facing Nüwa in the past. It wasn't just about the disparity in power between individuals—after all, her strength had evolved significantly over the years—but something more akin to the shock of unexpectedly catching a glimpse of fate.
"When did you..." Lin Sanjiu shut her eyes, and scenes of her initial encounters with Ya Jiang rushed through her mind. She fervently wished that Ya Jiang didn't exist from the start, that he was merely a role played by Gong Daoyi. "How did you know..."
However, Gong Daoyi did not peel away the mask of Ya Jiang to reveal his true face.
As he slightly raised the corners of his mouth, a faint shadow of darkness crept over Ya Jiang's delicate features for the first time. His expression seemed to suggest he understood exactly what she was thinking at that moment.
"I find Ah Yun to be quite extraordinary," he continued slowly. "Among the people I've... encountered, he's the one who evokes the strongest sense of destiny within me. He has transformed into what he is today, which leaves me somewhat concerned and unwilling to make an enemy of him."
"So, you..."
"I surveyed the surroundings and stumbled upon this young man by your side." He touched Ya Jiang's cheek. "Doesn't he bear a resemblance to me? Using him feels more comfortable. If you're wondering when... well, not long after I entered Ya Jiang's body, I killed Wushi Fan."
He raised his finger, as if gently outlining the contours of the air, observing the world as if it were a stage in his personal play. He whispered, "Compared to his sister, I found it more satisfying to resurrect Wushi Ming. If I had killed Wushi Ming, Wushi Fan wouldn't have wandered the streets, endlessly applying ointment to her brother's head."
Why was it that those who appeared less human seemed to understand humans so well?
"You employed a soul projection on Ya Jiang, didn't you?" Lin Sanjiu asked, her gaze locked onto Ya Jiang's chest and neck. She knew she couldn't discern if his arteries were pulsing, but she desperately needed to determine if Ya Jiang was still alive.
"It's a similar method to soul projection," Gong Daoyi pulled open his collar, seemingly wanting her to see the faintly visible veins under his skin, and chuckled softly. "The final product of the Munitions Factory was probably too hasty, and the quality... I tried it once, but I wasn't very satisfied. This method is different; it doesn't have as many limitations as soul projection. I can use his body, and of course, his abilities. Ah, come to think of it, it's a bit like the situation with the twelve personalities, isn't it?"
Lin Sanjiu almost forgot that she was a posthuman; she just wanted to be like a mother leopard, using the most primitive method to sink her teeth and nails deep into his flesh.
"Besides keeping this man's personality, I actually didn't put much effort into concealing the traces," Gong Daoyi said thoughtfully. "I thought you would have discovered it early on. I didn't expect you to never doubt the people around you. You've always been like this, haven't you?"
As he said this, he seemed to finally notice Lin Sanjiu's expression.
"Don't be angry," he said, loosening his collar and glancing into the room behind her. Given that the patient room was located within vertical walls, theoretically, one couldn't see the people inside from the outside. However, as if he had seen them himself, he said, "You've frightened those two kids inside the room."
"You... Your mom is a kid..." Bohemia replied hesitantly and not very loudly from inside the room.
"Stay inside; don't come out!" Lin Sanjiu shouted without turning her head. Gong Daoyi had already said that he came while Puppeteer was unconscious, which meant that if something happened, it would be up to her to resist. Bohemia was still...
"Hold on," she said, suddenly shaking as she realized the meaning behind Gong Daoyi's words. "You deliberately came while he was still unconscious. Are you saying that you won't wait for him to wake up and see you?"
"I said I don't want to be his enemy. Ah Yun is Mad Dog now," Gong Daoyi said with a smile, and as he did, Ya Jiang narrowed his eyes playfully.
This might be Puppeteer's only chance to see Gong Daoyi. She didn't know if revenge was good or bad for Puppeteer, but she knew how important it was to him. Gong Daoyi clearly understood the whole situation. How could he... How dare he... intentionally bypass Puppeteer's hopes and let him miss the only chance of meaning in this moment of fate.
"I'll leave before he wakes up. Trust me," Gong Daoyi said, tilting his head. "You can't stop me. But I am curious about one thing."
Lin Sanjiu closed her eyes and pondered every means she could use to delay him. She felt Ya Jiang's slightly warm breath just a fist away from her.
She could guess what he was curious about.
When Gong Daoyi spoke, his tone had no resemblance to Ya Jiang. His voice was faintly hoarse with longing, yet soft and cold, like a foot stepping into a moonlit cool river at night.
"When he wakes up, will you tell him that I've been here?"
Even though she was vaguely prepared, this sentence still struck Lin Sanjiu's Achilles' heel. It felt like her armor suddenly fell apart, and she even let out a low sound from her throat. For a moment, she just wanted to bury her face in her hands and never lift her head again.
"Are you planning not to tell him so he can continue to hold the illusion that he can seek revenge on me and find motivation to live?" Gong Daoyi said, genuinely puzzled. "Or will you tell him the truth, that he will never be able to get this close to me again?"
Lin Sanjiu would never allow Puppeteer to fall into such a situation.
Before she could react, she suddenly lunged at him—no tricks, no active abilities, or even summoning her metal gauntlet. She resembled a primitive beast, charging straight at him.
Surprisingly, she actually collided with Gong Daoyi's body, immediately knocking his feet off the vertical wall and causing him to plummet towards the cylindrical building below. Lin Sanjiu's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly became more alert. She kicked off the wall, leaning forward, and leaped towards him. However, the force of her previous impact was much greater than she expected. Before she could catch Gong Daoyi, Ya Jiang's body had already crashed into the ground dozens of meters below.
With a few crisp sounds of bones breaking, something small burst out from Ya Jiang's body.
Despite breaking Ya Jiang's bones, Gong Daoyi still stood up from the dim corridor. He cautiously tapped his right foot, and when it couldn't support his body's weight, he leaned against a nearby wall. He moved his neck a bit, like a tired person finally getting some rest.
"You seem not to have realized," he said, closing his eyes while his thick eyelashes trembled slightly, "that if I want to leave, I can leave at any time."
Having experienced so many deceptions in the lava, Lin Sanjiu suddenly sneered, saying, "What you just said could also be a load of nonsense. Maybe you're just wearing someone else's mask, and there's no such person as Ya Jiang in the world. You're deliberately saying this to make me hesitate to take action against you."
Gong Daoyi thought for a moment.
"You're right," he conceded, a smile forming on his lips. "In that case, it depends on whether you're willing to take the risk, right? How about it? Do you want to give it a try? Given your personality, you'll spend the rest of your life suspecting whether you killed a friend with your own hands. I think that's quite fitting. When the time comes, whether I should appear before you again and when to appear is a decision worth my time to think about."
When it came to playing with human psychology, Lin Sanjiu naturally had no chance of winning.
"Why?" She gritted her teeth, looking at Ya Jiang's shoes, unwilling to look at his face. "Were you just born a psychopath? What do you want? Do you enjoy watching others suffer?"
Gong Daoyi raised his head, gazing in the direction of the patient room above for a moment before saying, "I once told Nüwa that I am an optimist. Because I believe that there will always be someone in this world who can withstand her torment, someone who can give me what I've always wanted."
He lowered his head, chuckling softly. "You know, if my adoptive parents heard you say I was born a psychopath, my mom would be very angry."
Lin Sanjiu was stunned.
She had never considered that Gong Daoyi had once been a child, raised by parents just like anyone else.
"You are truly a strange force of nature," Gong Daoyi said, sighing. "God knows how long it has been since I last mentioned my parents."
"I don't care what's going on with you," Lin Sanjiu said, lowering her head and clenching her fists tightly. Gong Daoyi didn't give her many choices, so she would create one with her own fists. "Even if you are indeed using Ya Jiang's body, I don't believe you can leave him at any time, without any limitations. So, no matter what, I won't let you get away."
It wasn't just for Puppeteer. She also had questions for him about the twelve personalities.
Gong Daoyi tilted his head, his eyes shimmering with a lake-like luster in the dimness. Just then, a sharp cry came from above their heads, saying, "Lin Sanjiu!"
Was Bohemia in danger?
Lin Sanjiu looked up and saw that Bohemia's small figure had already jumped out of the patient room without her noticing, rushing towards them. The voice was trembling, sharp, as if it was tightly bound by rubber bands, and she could hardly say anything besides repeatedly calling her name, "Lin—Lin Sanjiu!"
"What's going on?" she asked, noticing from the corner of her eye that Gong Daoyi was still leaning against the wall.
"It's Puppeteer..." Bohemia said, finally finding her voice. "Puppeteer sir has woken up!"
As if echoing her words, Lin Sanjiu's gaze fell on the shadow in the distance behind Bohemia. A pitch-black figure was slowly rising from the vertical wall, a tall, narrow silhouette resembling a nightmarish cutout. His slightly disheveled hair, with a few black strands hanging down, swayed gently in the air.
Ya Jiang's body suddenly collapsed heavily on the ground.
Gong Daoyi's last words echoed in her ears like a whisper in a dream, saying, "See? I was telling the truth."