"After you get back this time, take a good break for a while. Always taking on these dangerous missions can cause severe wear on the brain-machine body."

Jing suddenly spoke to Shiqi.

Judging by his familiar tone, it seemed like he and Shiqi had a pretty good relationship.

"You... you know each other?"

Yun You was a bit puzzled.

She didn't expect that the girl who stayed with her all night actually had ties with her mentor, Old Jin.

"Know? Sort of..."

Old Jin said calmly, waving to Shiqi.

The latter suddenly opened her eyes, like a machine being "activated," obediently walking to Old Jin's side.

"But she's not human... strictly speaking, not what the public knows as a human."

"She's a doll, which means a [Puppet]."

"A puppet...?"

Hearing this rather novel term, Yun You paused slightly and instinctively asked: "Not considered a human?"

"Considered... but not entirely."

Old Jin looked at the expressionless Shiqi and softly said, "Puppets are the exclusive servants of Apprentice Death Gods. Generally, they don't have much emotion and won't show any emotion, nor do they have the ability for self-initiated actions."

"All actions of a puppet are decided by their master, the Apprentice Death God who has bound an electronic contract with them. If the master orders them to fight, they will engage in combat; if told to do laundry and cook, they will become your housekeeper... even if told to die, they won't hesitate."

"However, these uses are rather overkill; the most common function of a puppet is their ability to connect their masters to the Ethereum Network directly through chips installed in their brains, or to transmit information and intelligence to their masters."

While speaking, Old Jin gently pulled up the hood of Shiqi's clothing, once again covering her soft and cute little face.

"The reason I found you so quickly was that I sensed Shiqi's location, thereby finding your residence."

"Oh, I see..."

Yun You touched her chin, understanding the reason for being found.

"The reason Shiqi appeared in the Death Domain was that she happened to take on the position of [Death God Examiner] this time, and naturally, the one being assessed was Mad Spirit."

Jing drew a handkerchief from somewhere, explaining while wiping mud and water off Shiqi's face.

"She was there to monitor Mad Spirit and report scores to the organization based on his performance in the Death Domain, so she remained silent, continually playing the role of a 'civilian'... As for the specific details within, I won't say for now to avoid interfering with your future assessments."

"However, I still want to thank you, little girl, for protecting Shiqi in the Death Domain."

"Puppets don't have strong combat abilities, and without prosthetic bodies or genetic modifications, their life is as fragile as ordinary humans and can easily die."

"Thanks to your help, Shiqi could return safely... and that's one of the reasons I've decided to take you as my student."

At this point, Jing turned his head again, grinned at Yun You, showing a slightly grateful smile.

"I see..."

Yun You altogether understood the causes and effects, and then couldn't help but ask again: "So how do these dolls... these puppets come about? Genetic engineering?"

"..."

Upon hearing this question, Jing's hand suddenly stiffened.

After a long time, he moved again, answering in a voice as thin as a mosquito: "Sort of genetic engineering."

"The organization collects abandoned children in Nest City and uses special means to transform them into puppets."

"Their physiological age will be locked at 14, their minds sealed, their brains become computers, and their thoughts will be entirely erased. So, from the perspective of the Apprentice Death Gods, they are more like consumables... tools rather than people."

"Every Apprentice Death God who passes the internship assessment can choose a puppet for free, but if that puppet is unfortunately destroyed, they will have to spend a lot of money to buy a new one."

Upon hearing this, Yun You genuinely felt it was somewhat absurd.

Although she had seen many bad things in Nest City, she had never heard of people being completely transformed into puppets like this.

"Sounds really inhumane..."

Yun You sighed, quipping: "Though Apprentice Death Gods were never associated with the term humane anyway..."

"There are plenty of inhumane things in Nest City, what's one or two more."

Jing wiped his handkerchief, then opened the door facing the sunlight, leaving his back to Yun You.

"No need to be shocked, kid; you'll have your own puppet in the future..."

"But... as a teacher and senior, I genuinely hope you can treat them as kindly as possible."

"Although puppets don't have human rights, if you spend a long time together, she might just be the one most worthy of your trust."

"Alright, goodbye, kid."

Jing put on his gloves again, smiling, "If you want to contact me, just say hello to Shiqi in the Ethernet, I've engraved the contact on the virtual glasses."

"I hope next time we meet, you'll wear the cloak of an Apprentice Death God, this way you'll have the opportunity to get more good stuff from me."

When he finished speaking, his figure slowly disappeared into the sunlight.

And little Shiqi also slowly walked out of the room.

But just at the moment she reached the corner, the little girl suddenly turned her head, actively waving to Yun You, with eyes under the hood glistening with a hint of gratitude, as if thanking Yun You.

Upon seeing this... Yun You was first stunned, her eyes passing through surprise and confusion.

But soon, all the emotions turned into relief and acceptance.

"It seems the point that puppets lose all emotions isn't necessarily an unchangeable rule."

Yun You silently watched Shiqi's back until she fully left.

She knew she was once again in a state of solitude.

However, she was already used to this kind of loneliness, so after a brief sentimentality, she closed the door and slumped back onto the sofa.

Originally, this was the time for Yun You to work a black job at the restaurant to make money.

But now, she had no mood to wash dishes anymore.

How to spend the 210,000 Yabi in her hand was what she was most concerned about.

Yun You simply closed the windows tightly, picked up the glasses on the table, intending to browse the Ethernet.

"Ding ding ding~"

But just then, a piercing message alert suddenly burst out from her tablet.

Then came a voicemail with a forced answer.

[Listen here, girl]

[Considering that your prior repayment speed was too slow, I've changed my mind and no longer wish to drag this out with you]

[I don't care what method you use, in any case, within a day, you must scrape together all the debts and deliver the money to me politely]

[Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite...]

[Message from: Insect Gang · Zhou Kui]

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