Chapter 18: The Puppeteer’s Masterpiece and a Glimmer of Starlight

No sooner had the words left his lips than a figure slowly emerged from behind the Puppeteer.

Her posture was upright, her demeanor cool and distant.

It was none other than the student council president, Xia Xingyan.

Yet, at this moment, her eyes were vacant and lifeless.

“What in the world do you beast intend to do?!” Flame Rose roared.

“Why, to introduce you all to my most prized creation, of course.”

The Puppeteer’s voice was laced with a sense of boastful pride.

“This supreme raw gem is about to be sculpted by my hands into the most flawless puppet.”

“Now, let her present the most magnificent curtain call dance for my grand performance!”

****

The clock rewound a few minutes.

Gu Qing had just returned to campus, only to be met with a scene of utter chaos.

Screams, cries, and the eerie cackling of puppets intertwined in a cacophony.

Then, his gaze fell upon Gu Qianqian and Lin Xiaolu, who were under siege.

Back to back, they were desperately holding their ground.

[Combat Instincts activated.]

[Environmental scan in progress… Void Abyss energy detected: large-scale, low-concentration, diffusive type.]

[Energy source locked: rooftop of the academic building.]

[Target analysis in progress… Speculated to be a high-ranking member of the Heirs of Dawn. Threat level: controllable.]

[Contamination mode analysis: Void Abyss spores, transmitted via bodily fluids, transforming infected individuals into controlled puppets; physical functions enhanced, rationality lost upon transformation.]

[Solution deduction in progress…]

[Option one: Transform into Tian Lanxing, eliminate the target, then cooperate with the GSA to purify the Void Abyss.]

[Option two: Utilize the Seed of the Abyss for reverse purification. Risk assessment: unknown. Advantage: rapid, capable of dispelling all spore infections.]

Gu Qing let out a long breath.

If this was the case, then the situation was not as dire as it had seemed.

The instigator on the rooftop, masked by a clown’s face, was not inherently powerful.

Such a low-tier opponent hardly warranted his direct intervention.

He only needed to resolve the spore infection.

As he gazed at the Seed of the Abyss in his hand, a glint flashed in Gu Qing’s eyes.

‘Purify Void Abyss energy?’

‘If this idea were to be voiced, those old fossils at the GSA would likely deem him insane.’

He had already been considering trying it, and his combat instincts affirmed its feasibility.

‘Then what’s there to think about?’

He channeled his Starlight energy into the Seed of the Abyss.

The very next second, a surge of tyrannical Void Abyss energy threatened to violently backlash.

“Hmph, disobedient thing.”

The Starlight energy within Gu Qing erupted, forcefully suppressing the Seed of the Abyss’s turbulence, then taking control and guiding it with his own power.

“Now, get to work!”

Invisible ripples silently spread outwards, with Gu Qing at their epicenter.

The infected puppets’ movements faltered.

In their hollow pupils, light began to coalesce once more.

“I… what was I just doing?”

A boy stared at himself in confusion, his hand, which had been clutching a classmate’s collar, quickly releasing its grip in alarm.

“My head hurts so much…”

“Why can’t I remember anything?”

****

One by one, the students regained consciousness, and the chaos on the scene rapidly subsided.

On the rooftop of the academic building.

The Puppeteer was engrossed in admiring his masterpiece, his clown mask trembling with maniacal laughter.

But the very next second, the smile on his face froze.

He watched, horrified, as all the puppets he controlled regained their senses.

His meticulously prepared performance came to an political halt.

“What’s going on?!”

The Puppeteer demanded an answer.

“Who?! Who dares to destroy my art!”

Infuriated, he turned his gaze to Xia Xingyan beside him.

“Since that’s the case,” the Puppeteer’s expression twisted into a grotesque snarl, “then my most perfect creation shall simply eliminate all of you!”

He pulled a syringe filled with thick black liquid from his pocket and plunged it towards the newly awakened, still bewildered Xia Xingyan.

Gu Qing, who had just noticed the situation from afar, muttered ‘Not good’ under his breath.

But it was too late!

The black Void Abyss energy had already seeped into Xia Xingyan’s body.

“Ah!”

Xia Xingyan let out a piercing shriek.

An indescribable agony threatened to tear her very soul to shreds.

Innumerable malicious whispers echoed in her mind.

She collapsed to her knees, her body wracked with violent convulsions.

The scene before her began to shatter, and icy memories threatened to engulf her.

****

In a luxurious yet empty dining room, the long, narrow table was laden with exquisite dishes.

A younger her sat opposite her father, her breaths cautious and shallow.

“Xingyan,” her perpetually suit-clad father intoned, “your engagement to the Li family has been settled. Once you come of age, you will marry Young Master Li. This is your duty, and it is the honor of our Xia family.”

She longed to ask why, but the words died on her lips, and she could only nod.

“Yes, Father.”

****

She presented her mother with a perfect report card.

The elegant, noble woman merely glanced at it, her face devoid of any emotion.

“This is what you are expected to achieve. An heir of the Xia family cannot possess any flaws.”

There was no praise, no embrace, only ever-increasing demands.

She felt like a delicate porcelain artifact, placed on the highest pedestal, yet never truly regarded as a human being capable of tears or laughter.

****

As time wore on, only the rooftop terrace of her home remained her sanctuary.

It was only there, alone beneath the vast starry sky, that she could momentarily breathe.

On her phone screen, a concert recording from over a decade ago played.

The dazzling legend sang, ‘Illuminate the entire universe with starlight.’

Tian Lanxing, her sole idol, was the embodiment of freedom and power in her heart.

Only in this fleeting moment did she dare to shed all her pretenses.

****

‘Are you in pain?’

A voice echoed in her mind.

‘They don’t love you at all; you’re merely a puppet on strings.’

‘Look at the shackles they’ve placed upon you—how ridiculous.’

‘Break free from them, destroy them!’

‘You possess unparalleled talent; you should not be bound. Return all this pain, all this despair, back to them!’

‘Come, accept this power, and you shall achieve true freedom!’

****

Xia Xingyan’s consciousness sank into the darkness.

‘Yes…’

‘Why?’

‘Why must I always play this perfect ‘Xia Xingyan’?’

‘So tired…’

‘Let it all be destroyed.’

Her rationality was slowly devoured by the darkness.

Just as she was on the verge of plunging into the abyss.

A familiar voice pierced through the endless darkness, resonating clearly within the depths of her soul.

“Hey, are you really giving up over such a small amount of pain?”

‘That voice is…’

Xia Xingyan struggled to open her eyes.

Amidst a radiant azure glow, the figure that had appeared countless times in her dreams slowly descended.

Silky silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and sapphire eyes, holding the mystery of cruciform stars, gazed calmly at her.

This was the person she only ever saw in her dreams, night after night.

Tian Lanxing was her faith, her light.

“Adjust your emotions,” Tian Lanxing said softly. “This pain originates from within your heart; what they call despair is merely a lie woven by the Void Abyss.”

“Master your own heart, and do not let it become an enemy that corrodes you.”

But Xia Xingyan’s voice trembled, and tears welled in her eyes.

“But I truly… I truly can’t hold on any longer…”