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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 484: Human Skin Puppet (Forty-Seven)
I worried that if I stayed in a place like this for too long, I might also become a Human Skin Puppet. In truth, this concern was unnecessary. As long as I stayed close to Xie Ke, he could create a fake Ma Qi from just a single strand of hair—who could tell what was real?
I had only heard of Evil Sorcerers using a single hair to harm others. The Miaojiang Gu Technique was terrifying; my grandfather never mentioned it and forbade us from even touching anything related to it. If he found a book that slightly referenced it, he would burn it without hesitation.
If a single hair could forge a fake Ma Qi, and if that were true, wouldn’t it spell disaster? Fortunately, I had encountered Xie Ke. Although I still didn’t know whether he was real or not, there remained some semblance of human conscience within him. So even if a fake Ma Qi appeared, I wouldn’t be afraid; after all, I was the real Ma Qi—the fake couldn’t compare.
We walked along, stopping intermittently. Xie Ke specifically chose secluded paths, and at the slightest rustle of wind or movement in the grass, he would immediately urge me to hide. There were many people on the road; Xie Ke told me they were all Human Skin Puppets created from souls abducted by wild ghosts during their time as hypnotists.
He then asked if I knew about a miraculous potion called Regeneration Water.
Honestly, I had never heard of such a thing as Regeneration Water. Xie Ke shook his head and explained that it was the primary material for creating Human Skin Puppets. Could I believe him? I had heard of elixirs for immortality and thousand-year-old ginseng that extended life, but this was the first time I had come across something called Regeneration Water.
Seeing my bewildered expression, Xie Ke sighed in exasperation. “This is something wild ghosts brought over from Japan. We don’t know much about it, but I’m unhappy knowing they want to use this stuff to deceive our people.” Perhaps this was the true reason behind Xie Ke’s betrayal; he didn’t need to be the real Xie Ke anymore.
Yet another question lingered in my mind. When Thank You, Master took us to see Xie Ke’s incomplete body, I clearly saw that it was indeed a rolled-up mass of flesh—a human body with blood and meat.
Moreover, no matter how well Plastic Models are made or how advanced the techniques become, don’t they emit an odor when exposed to fire?
Neither Qin Jian nor any of the others detected any burnt smell. This meant that this Xie Ke was indeed real—
If that Xie Ke was real, then who was the person in front of me?
It seemed like knowing Gousi was a mistake for Xie Ke; it was stepping into a trap. Extracting his DNA would be an easy task. Therefore, this Xie Ke before me must be at least eighty percent fake. Though I half-believed him, I couldn’t expose his identity and had to pretend to trust him as we walked behind him until he led me to a certain place.
It was a room—was it a cabin in the woods? Stepping inside felt like entering a magical world. Just one glance at the room made it seem vast; after entering with Xie Ke, the space expanded infinitely.
It grew large enough to resemble a factory from the real world.
He gave me a full-body suit that covered me from head to toe. This kind of suit is worn to avoid unfortunate incidents. Generally, the workers in the Human Skin Puppet factory are real people. Thus, the wild ghost used fake Human Skin Puppets to exchange for real humans, specifically to create fake Human Skin Puppets for him.
If someone dies unexpectedly, excluding suicide, homicide, or murder possibilities, there are conditions under which someone might be called to investigate or report it. In particularly poor and remote areas where people lack the means to seek help, a death is not unusual; you might not even know if the deceased was your relative.
Isn't it said in the news that someone who was clearly dead and even turned to ash suddenly appeared before the public? This leaves people baffled. If I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, perhaps this secret would never have been revealed.
Wearing the suit alongside Xie Ke, I followed him into the Workshop. Logically, as the manager of the Workshop, he should have received greetings upon entering; at the very least, there should have been some acknowledgment. However, as I watched him enter, the people inside remained expressionless and continued their work as if they hadn't noticed the two newcomers.
I stole glances at the workers. Among them was a young student and a middle-aged bald man; others were too far away for me to see clearly. One person nearby was hunched over searching for something. I felt an uncanny resemblance between this hunched figure and someone else. It couldn't be Chen Pi; I had examined Chen Pi's corpse, and whether it was bones or muscles, peeling back the scalp revealed a human skull—not a plastic core. I pretended to follow Xie Ke obediently while casually glancing at the person who was slowly standing up.
The way this person stood surprised me; it resembled a woman's posture. Perhaps noticing new arrivals, she casually lifted her hat slightly, revealing a mess of hair. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that this person was Peng Yan, the wife of Fatty, whom I had once found repulsive and detestable.
Seeing Peng Yan trapped in this illusory space made my heart feel particularly heavy.
Xie Ke continued walking until we reached the end of the Workshop where there was a small crowd. He led me straight in and picked up a work badge from the table to wear. The badge indicated that he was the director of the Workshop—indeed he was in charge.
Once Xie Ke donned his badge, he said loudly, "I don't know where the Regeneration Water is because wild ghosts are inherently suspicious. They won't easily reveal its exact location to anyone they don't trust, including Gousi."
"What about that woman?"
Xie Ke replied, "Once, while passing through a certain place, the wild ghost saw her and thought she would be amusing. He used his enchantment technique to bring her here for his amusement."
Ugh!
Seeing that the wild ghost appeared to be a charming and harmless warm-hearted uncle on the outside, I never expected him to be so lewd at heart—to abduct Fatty's wife for his own entertainment.
I felt angry but kept my expression indifferent as if it had nothing to do with me. Noticing my reaction, Xie Ke shifted his tone and probed, "Do you want to know who she is?"
"I don't want to know."
Xie Ke walked ahead into the Crowd, which resembled a temporary office. As the director of the Workshop, he naturally needed such a place to supervise the workers inside. I saw him sit down; there was only one stool here, and although I was tired, I could only stand obediently.
"Just because she resembles someone, and that person was the former beloved of the Wild Ghost, she was brought to this place as an exception."
I had no interest in Peng Yan, but I was quite curious about the "she" that Xie Ke mentioned. Unable to help myself, I asked, "Who is she?"
Xie Ke replied, "Qianying."
"Who is Qianying?" When Xie Ke mentioned Qianying's name, I immediately thought of Qianmi.
"Qianying is also Japanese; she is a Japanese spy and the former lover in the past life according to the Wild Ghost." Upon hearing that Qianying was a Japanese spy, I instinctively dismissed the idea that this woman named Qianying could be Qianmi. After rejecting this notion, I pondered why Xie Ke wasn’t assigning me any tasks but instead was telling me about Regeneration Water. Did he want me to find Regeneration Water? But I hadn’t seen Qin Jian, Chi Xinrong, or Ling Juan. What would finding Regeneration Water accomplish?
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