Realm Walker

Chapter 102: The Puppet Soldier

Zhang Yuanqing, swift and light on his feet, arrived at the mouth of the underpass in less than half a minute.

Fu Qingyang looked over at him, and Zhang Yuanqing walked to the opening and peered inside. His Nocturnal Specter's vision pierced the darkness, allowing him to spot a man in a black hooded sweatshirt slumped against the wall. A finger-sized hole sat dead center in the middle of his forehead, fresh blood still gurgling out and flowing down his face.

Zhang Yuanqing studied his features carefully. The man had protruding brow ridges, narrow, slit-like eyes, and a gaunt, angular face. He looked every bit the villain.

He died that easily. It seemed like Heaven's Injustice is the same as Rampaging Recklessly, a mere Transcendent-tier Hex Master. Darkness churned in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes as he reached out to the lingering spirit within the corpse. Then he drew the Demon,subduing Awl and handed it to Fu Qingyang.

With the preparations complete, Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath. The spirit body dissolved into pale smoke and slipped into his mouth. Memories that did not belong to him flooded in, and his sea of consciousness swelled violently, like a balloon being pumped full of air.

Scenes flickered past like a shadow puppet show. From the fragmented, scattered shards of memory, Zhang Yuanqing pieced together the rough outline of Heaven's Injustice's life.

Born to a gambling addict father and a mother who remarried and left, he was raised by grandparents. An unhappy childhood planted dark seeds in his heart, and the hardships of growing up alone and unsupported became the fertilizer that made those seeds sprout. He had grown, inevitably, into a violent and twisted criminal.

Among the shifting scenes, Zhang Yuanqing saw a dim bedroom. Heaven's Injustice stood beside a desk, slicing open his wrist and letting blood flow into a bronze bowl.

The blood inside the bowl boiled. Crimson mist rose and coalesced into a blurred human face which spoke in a shrill and piercing voice. "What did Dark Rose say?"

Heaven's Injustice adopted a respectful tone as he answered, "They've agreed to assassinate Yuanshi Tianzun to avenge Rampaging Recklessly's death. Also, Dark Rose wants real world intelligence on Young Soldier King."

The blood-mist face went silent for a moment, then the shrill voice spoke again. "There's no reason why Dark Rose should be interested in that guy."

"I don't know anything about that. They were very tight lipped about it," Heaven's Injustice replied.

The blood mist hovered over the rim of the bowl, swaying gently. "If Dark Rose successfully assassinates Yuanshi Tianzun, then give them the information. Young Soldier King's real name is Lei Yibing. He lives in Songhai and attends university in Jiangnan Province. His home address is..."

After the apparition relayed the information, it spelled out a demand of its own. "Before you tell Dark Rose any of this, make sure you find out why they're looking into Young Soldier King."

Heaven's Injustice nodded, then said hesitantly, "I've noticed that Dark Rose seems extremely invested in this matter, yet they don't appear willing to share their reasons with us."

The blood-mist face swayed a few times. "If they won't share, then forget it. The priority right now is securing the Fallen Holy Grail. Everything else can wait."

***

Golden light blazed around him. Zhang Yuanqing broke free of the spirit communion and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the lightless night sky. He was lying at the mouth of the underpass, and the back of his head throbbed with pain.

He hissed through his teeth and sat up, rubbing his skull. I was knocked out again. If Fu Qingyang doesn't reward me with a bunny girl after this, it would be an absolute injustice, given my sacrifice...

Zhang Yuanqing looked up at the white robed young nobleman standing beside him. "I got something, but nothing groundbreaking."

He gave Fu Qingyang an abridged account of Heaven's Injustice's memories on the spot, carefully omitting any information about Bro Bing. Then, he said with a troubled expression, "Black Wuchang communicates with his subordinates through some kind of item. Heaven's Injustice had no idea where Black Wuchang was hiding."

Naturally, Black Wuchang would never reveal his location to mere underlings. If even one of them defected or got subjected to spirit communion, it would be the same as exposing himself. An experienced leader of an evil organization would never be that careless. It was expected, but still disappointing. This meant their only remaining hope rested with the Hex King.

Zhang Yuanqing let out a sigh. That was when he noticed Fu Qingyang extend a hand and snatch something out of thin air. He had pulled an object from his Inventory.

It was a hand puppet, crudely made and rather ugly. It had a round head and a body that seemed to be all skirts. At first glance, it could be mistaken for a sunshine doll. Its eyes were two little X's stitched in black thread, and its mouth was a single straight line.

"Did you see Heaven's Injustice's hideout in his memories?" Fu Qingyang asked.

"I did," Zhang Yuanqing replied.

The centurion nodded and slipped the ugly puppet onto his right hand. In the next instant, Zhang Yuanqing saw faint silver threads extend from the puppet's head and hands, stretching outward until they wrapped around Heaven's Injustice's corpse.

A few seconds later, rustling sounds came from inside the underpass, and Heaven's Injustice crawled out. The hole in his brow had sealed shut, and the blood had stopped flowing.

He was alive again.

Zhang Yuanqing stared at the scene in wide-eyed shock. Fu Qingyang wiggled his fingers, and Heaven's Injustice's lips curled into a smirk, and a low, raspy voice emerged from his mouth.

"This item is called Puppet Soldier. I requisitioned it from an Elder of the White Tiger Legion. It possesses some of the abilities of a Sovereign-tier Puppeteer. It can mimic the finer parts of the deceased when they were alive, including their voice, physical mannerisms, and skills, all while remaining under the item holder's control."

Zhang Yuanqing blinked, a look of startled delight crossing his face. "You mean..."

"We manipulate this body to contact Black Wuchang and find out what he's planning next," the animated body of Heaven's Injustice replied in its raspy voice, cool and detached.

He had planned such an operation?!

Elation surged through Zhang Yuanqing. Clearly, Fu Qingyang had anticipated all along that Heaven's Injustice wouldn't have any intel on Black Wuchang's whereabouts, so he had arranged the appropriate item in advance. The man might be annoyingly aloof and full of himself, but he was genuinely impressive, the kind of teammate who made one feel safe.

Then, Zhang Yuanqing's heart lurched. He had withheld information from the spirit communion. If Black Wuchang brought up the matter of Bro Bing, what then? If Fu Qingyang couldn't answer, their cover would be blown, and days of effort would go up in smoke.

But if he came clean about Bro Bing, then given Fu Qingyang's sharp instincts, the centurion would almost certainly piece together more than Zhang Yuanqing wanted him to know.

This was a textbook case of plans failing to keep pace with change. The world was nothing if not unpredictable.

"You are wise and mighty, Centurion," Zhang Yuanqing said, swallowing his anxiety and delivering his usual flattery on cue.

Heaven's Injustice quirked his lips and responded in a low, detached voice, "Next time, feel free to use even more flattering words. I wouldn't mind."

With that, the puppet walked over to Fu Qingyang's side and hoisted the centurion's body onto its back.

So that's the cost of using the item? Zhang Yuanqing speculated as he watched the scene.

Heaven's Injustice continued in that same cool tone, "this Puppet Soldier has two costs. First, it can only control the dead. Second, while the puppet is active, the user's real body cannot speak or move."

That's a steep price. What the heck is this, carrying yourself on your own back? Although, if you swapped this puppet for a cute girl, I can suddenly think of all sorts of creative applications—No, no, I can't go there! Zhang Yuanqing shook his head, banishing the bold ideas from his mind.

The three of them returned to the SUV. Following the scenes Zhang Yuanqing had witnessed in the dead man's memories, they found Heaven's Injustice's hideout. It was in a somewhat worn apartment building at the border of Kangyang District and Fenghui District.

Night hung heavy overhead. Streetlamps cast lonely pools of light on the asphalt below, and tree shadows swayed in the wind. Apart from a handful of 24-hour convenience stores, every other shop had already closed for the night.

The white SUV pulled up outside the apartment. Zhang Yuanqing stepped out, walked to the entrance, and used his Charm on the elderly security guard. Heaven's Injustice, carrying Fu Qingyang's body on his back, followed Zhang Yuanqing inside.

Zhang Yuanqing led the way from memory, climbing to the third floor and stopping in front of Room 302. Fu Qingyang, controlling Heaven's Injustice, fished out a key and unlocked the door.

Once inside the apartment, Zhang Yuanqing swept his gaze across the darkness. The apartment was roughly seventy square meters, with two bedrooms and one living room. The furnishings were sparse. A dust cloth covered the dining table, and the kitchen utensils clearly hadn't been used in ages. There was no sign that anyone had actually lived in that place. It seemed Heaven's Injustice had only been using it as a temporary base.

"The item he uses to contact Black Wuchang is in the bedroom," Zhang Yuanqing said, walking ahead and pushing open the bedroom door.

The moment he stepped inside, a faint but unmistakable odor hit his nostrils. His head went light, his lungs constricted, and he had to fight the urge to cough.

Fu Qingyang, speaking through Heaven's Injustice, said calmly, "The bedroom is filled with toxic gas. Tell me where the communication item is, then take my body and get out."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded and retreated several steps. "It's in the wardrobe."

Heaven's Injustice dipped his head, handed Fu Qingyang's body over to Zhang Yuanqing, and entered the bedroom alone.

The door slammed shut.

Zhang Yuanqing carried the Centurion on his back and withdrew from the apartment, waiting in the quiet corridor.

***

Inside the bedroom, "Heaven's Injustice" wiped the bloodstains from his clothes, opened the wooden wardrobe, and retrieved a bronze bowl.

It was heavy in his hands. Snakes, centipedes, and other venomous creatures were carved into the bowl's surface, and a faintly acrid smell wafted from the rim. He brought the bowl to the desk, slit open the wrist, and let blood flow into it.

According to the intel Zhang Yuanqing had obtained through spirit communion, the bowl required no special procedure to operate. All it required was a sufficient amount of blood.

The blood quickly pooled across the bottom and rose to fill nearly a third of the bowl.

Moments later, the blood began to boil. Wisps of crimson mist rose and coalesced into a blurred human face that spoke in a shrill voice. "Well?"

Heaven's Injustice bowed his head. "Boss, Yuanshi Tianzun is dead. Dark Rose has proven their sincerity."

The bloody mist rippled, and a hint of satisfaction crept into the shrill voice. "Good. I'll have Mature Women Are Moist handle the follow up arrangements. I plan to meet with Dark Rose's people in two days. When the time comes, head to the usual place."

Heaven's Injustice bowed. "Yes, sir!"

"What did Dark Rose say about the Young Soldier King matter?" the face in the bloody mist asked.

Heaven's Injustice's body went stiff.

***

Out in the corridor, Zhang Yuanqing had been wrestling with himself the entire walk back. Finally, he made his decision.

He gritted his teeth and said in a quiet voice, "Centurion, there's something I need to report..."