Yan Wei listened intently to the elderly woman’s explanation, seemingly focused, but his eyes were actually scanning the surroundings.
Compared to the grand hall of the main castle, this small castle hidden within the maze on the fourth floor was much more modest. Many of the furnishings in the hall showed signs of age, with some areas even rusted and decayed. Despite its age, the place was remarkably clean.
Except for the trail of blood the woman had dragged from the entrance to the chair, the rest of the area was so spotless that even Yan Wei, who was particular about cleanliness, couldn’t find any significant flaws.
After finishing her words, she raised her hand, signaling Yan Wei and his companion to sit in the chairs before her.
“I am his mother,” she said. “I can tell you everything about Ace, slowly.”
Yan Mingguang didn’t move; he just glanced at Yan Wei, silent.
Yan Wei found it amusing. This man had just taken the initiative to hint at a clue earlier, which Yan Wei had criticized, and now he seemed to be doing nothing, leaving all the initiative to Yan Wei to think and decide. On the surface, he remained composed, but Yan Wei felt that this was somewhat like a silent attempt to please him.
In such a critical moment, this silent attempt to please.
He was both annoyed and amused.
He looked at the woman’s wrinkled face, stained with dried blood, and simply said, “Sorry, we’re in a hurry and don’t want to take it slow.”
Yan Mingguang: “…”
Lin Zhen’s voice came through the communication device, barely audible, “Wow, little pet, as expected of you, so bold.”
The woman seemed caught off guard by Yan Wei’s response and was silent for a good minute or two before finally managing to speak in her hoarse, aged voice, “…You must kill Ace.”
Yan Wei raised an eyebrow, “Why? Although we’re in a dangerous situation where we could be killed by the puppets in this castle at any moment, you’re here talking to us for a reason—you need us. Whether this is your scheme or your genuine goal, we’re not friends. Since you have a purpose, you’re asking for my help, so please quickly tell us the whole story. I don’t want to waste time asking why after why.”
The woman stared deeply at him.
Her bulging eyes showed no emotion, and though they were directed at Yan Wei, her pupils remained unfocused.
She must have been dead for a long time, Yan Wei thought.
After a while, the woman said, “I didn’t expect Ace to have a guest like you this time, no wonder you could get here so quickly.”
Yan Wei shrugged.
The woman continued, “Ace is my son, the one always wearing the black robe. This small castle was my home initially. After he was born, he created the main castle and moved this small castle into the maze. He became increasingly obsessed with puppetry. The entire castle is filled with his puppets. If anyone from the town enters here, he turns them into soulless puppets. You guests are also prey he drives in. He enjoys watching you kill each other, then destroys the puppets with souls, leaving only the stiff Malevolent Automatons. He learned about worldly things like friendship, love, and family from the guests. He started wanting a mother, so he…”
Yan Wei’s eyes flickered, and he interjected, “You’re a puppet?”
“He turned my corpse into a puppet. I was the first conscious puppet he made.”
Yan Wei paused.
He narrowed his eyes, seemingly looking at the woman, but also perhaps gazing at the furnishings behind her in the castle’s first floor. He remained silent for a moment, the small castle eerily quiet, with only their voices audible. Even the woman before them made no sound.
After a while, he said, “You’re a Benevolent Automaton he made?”
“Yes. I am his mother, but strictly speaking, his mother is dead. I am a Benevolent Automaton he made.”
“Then why do you want us to kill him?”
“Because only by killing him can we end this and prevent more innocent people from dying,” the woman’s expression was vacant, but her whole body trembled, clearly showing her agitation. “He was born in this forest. The castle is both his source of power and his prison.”
Yan Wei understood.
This was the meaning behind the castle’s outline.
A sinister crow trapped within a circular coin, with a smaller crow on its back, everything confined in this place. The Man in Black Robe, Ace, had the ability to control puppets. He could create the most numb Malevolent Automatons and the most lifelike Benevolent Automatons, but he too… could not leave this place.
“Kill him, and it all ends.”
“His manipulation of human nature, his mastery of puppetry, his complete lack of goodness, and this bloody castle will all disappear.”
Yan Wei asked, “How do you know the Meat Grinder can kill him? He can control all the Malevolent Automatons in this castle; it’s not that easy to kill him, is it?”
The woman seemed willing to share everything, “Because of puppetry.”
“Ace can give Benevolent Automatons souls, but this must be based on a corresponding reference—the True Self of the puppet. He can’t create a puppet out of thin air, but he can always create a Benevolent Automaton identical to himself. Even if he dies, he can create a Benevolent Automaton with his soul. Such a Benevolent Automaton is different from you; it can exist independently and become the next Ace, continuing to live. This is how he remains forever.”
“Only by using the Meat Grinder to instantly destroy everything about him can we prevent him from creating a Benevolent Automaton in time.”
Yan Wei sneered, “Aren’t you his mother? Would he want to die such a pitiful death?”
“He is no longer my child,” the woman suddenly screamed, her voice echoing through the castle, her hoarse voice filled with sorrow. “It’s been so long, so long… Many batches of guests have come, some have tried to kill him, or time might take him, but there’s always a Benevolent Automaton he created to replace him. The Benevolent Automaton creates a new one before it dies, replacing the old one… My child is dead, long dead!!!”
On the second floor of the castle, several players were being chased by Malevolent Automatons, fleeing in panic.
They ran forward but suddenly found two people blocking their path, while the Malevolent Automatons behind them were instantly split in half by a figure who appeared out of nowhere.
The bloodless remains of the Malevolent Automatons scattered across the floor, and the players looked in horror at the Morning Star players who had appeared both in front and behind them—they were more terrifying than the Malevolent Automatons chasing them. Being caught by the Malevolent Automatons meant a quick death, but being caught by the players meant being thrown into the Meat Grinder to be minced to pieces.
They cowered, but then one of the Morning Star players stepped forward, the tip of his knife pointed at them, and said, “Hand over all your coins—remember, all of them. If I find even one on you during a search, I’ll send you to the Meat Grinder for some fun.”
The players hurriedly pulled out their coins.
They knew the importance of the coins and that Morning Star was using this method to prevent others from scoring and secure their top position. But for them now, survival was clearly the priority.
Without hesitation, they handed over all their coins. The Morning Star players kept their word, noted down their organization, and let them go.
The one who had held the knife earlier weighed the coins in his hand and said, “Third Brother, who’s left?”
“Not many, the ones still alive are the tough nuts to crack. The Remaining Flower group’s coins have all been taken by us. Tsk, Manjusaka really knows how to hide, cowards.”
“Let’s go find Xu Miaomiao first, they’re hard to deal with—”
His voice suddenly stopped.
He looked surprised, pointing down the distant corridor and whispering, “Look!”
The others followed his gaze.
A young man in a trench coat, looking disheveled, with several tears in his coat, some stained with blood, and multiple knife wounds on his body, was being chased. He seemed exhausted, staggering and falling to the ground, looking in terror at the approaching figure.
They recognized him; he had clashed with them at the Stargazing Platform before. And the approaching figure…
The Morning Star players immediately recognized him—it was Xue Wan.
The young man on the ground might not have noticed them in his fear, but if Xue Wan continued forward, he would see them.
“Something’s off,” Third Brother whispered. “We haven’t seen the other Xue Wan. This one should be him, but we don’t know if it’s the Benevolent Automaton or the True Self. Xue Wan himself said that if we meet the other him, it wouldn’t be peaceful. Let’s retreat, don’t let him see us, and then tell Xue Wan that the other him has appeared.”
The others clearly agreed, not wasting any time, nodding and turning to head back to the fourth floor’s Stargazing Platform.
Once they disappeared, the Benevolent Automaton Yan Wei, who had been feigning panic, immediately stopped moving and smiled faintly in the direction they had left.
In front of him, the “Xue Wan” who had been holding the knife also stopped.
This “Xue Wan” was expressionless, his movements mechanical, only maintaining the same posture from a distance to convincingly play the part.
Xu Miaomiao stepped out from behind the puppet, clearly displeased, “You destroyed one of my puppets and then made me create another in such a short time. Really uncomfortable, you know.”
The Benevolent Automaton Yan Wei slowly straightened up, brushing off the dirt on him, and said, “Don’t tell me you didn’t know how effective this trick would be? No one can beat Xue Wan, but internal strife and suspicion can.”
“So you’re asking us to capture the Man in Black Robe, your son Ace, and throw him into the Meat Grinder to end all this?” Yan Wei asked.
The woman nodded, “Yes. Ace just returned, seemed quite drained, but he left after recovering, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to let you in. This is just his secret resting place; he should be at his favorite Stargazing Platform. You might need to put in some effort to catch him.”
Yan Wei chuckled, “I think you need to understand something—I’m no savior. I have no interest in ending all this…”
He paused.
Yan Mingguang looked at him.
Yan Wei suddenly felt like he was lying but continued, “I have no interest in ending all this; I’m just a guest who wants to leave. And you’re the one who urgently wants me to act. Why should I trust you? From the moment I entered, everything has been your words, your explanations. You say this, you say that. What if I can’t kill Ace? What if we’re no match for Ace and end up as easy prey instead?”
The woman was taken aback.
Yan Wei raised an eyebrow, “Of course, based on my current deductions, I think there’s some truth to what you’re saying—the coin traps the crow, the crow symbolizes all evil, and once the crow is dead, the evil dissipates. But the risks involved are too great. How can I ensure that even if I fail, I can still survive?”
“Ah, how about this? Since Ace has been replaced one after another, but you’re still here, he must still have some obsession with the concept of a mother, right? Easy then, we’ll capture you. If something goes wrong, we’ll use you as leverage.”
The woman was completely stunned.
But Yan Wei smiled, putting his hand on Yan Mingguang’s shoulder, and said, “Teacher Yan, what do you think?”
Before Yan Mingguang could respond, Lin Zhen’s voice came through the communicator, unable to contain a soft cheer, “Win big, lose nothing!”
