In the control room, the sound of ragged breathing suddenly broke the silence.
【Zhi Tianming】 drew a deep breath. "It's really appeared," he murmured.
You Ling ignored him. Every ounce of her concentration was devoted to controlling the puppet.
Golden threads linked the world inside the screen to the world outside. The deal? That had only been a front. Its true purpose was to fulfill Rule Three: the target had to genuinely believe, from the bottom of their heart, that she could control them.
The moment Yiluoqi was willing to surrender his soul, he had already implicitly accepted that You Ling would be the one in control. Whether or not the words were spoken aloud no longer mattered.
A deal? No such thing had ever existed.
Was she supposed to be some kind of good person? The dead had no moral conscience.
Trust the devil, and all you'd get was death.
The researcher puppet had been disguised as 【Railgun】. After luring Yiluoqi in, he had already become You Ling's puppet — she had simply indulged him in one final performance.
At precisely the right moment, You Ling sealed off Yiluoqi's consciousness, and the body came entirely under her control. Once he became her puppet, she held priority control over him — superseding any other ability user's.
So exhausting. The thought drifted through You Ling's mind.
Unlike last time, when she only needed to control the body's movements, this time she had to manage every expression as well. Bi Xi's every frown and smile, the pace and posture of his leisurely steps toward You Shuo — all of it was her doing.
This was her first time attempting such a difficult dual-control split. To maintain the main stage's effect, she could only temporarily ease her grip on her own body here.
The mask hid her face. 【Zhi Tianming】 was absorbed in the performance playing out on the monitors. Nobody noticed that her eyes had gone blank.
You Ling took this matter seriously — whether it was building a persona for the manga, or simply surviving.
At the other end of the golden threads, Bi Xi closed his eyes as if savoring the moment, then let his gaze settle on You Shuo.
"Unhappy to see me?" he said.
The next second, he appeared right in front of You Shuo.
Yiluoqi's ability — space-type spatial teleportation. The puppet possessed it as well.
Bi Xi leaned down slightly, tilting his head so that the emerald eyes behind red lenses drew close to You Shuo's. A finger tipped with a sharp, pointed nail tapped against You Shuo's chest. "I went and made an exception for him — just for you — and you're still unhappy? Don't push your luck."
...
Bi Xi was no miracle.
Yiluoqi had traded away his soul, and then — he had become Bi Xi.
Even though his eyes had witnessed the scene, even though his brain had processed the result, his heart refused — or perhaps couldn't bear — to accept it. Yiluoqi was supposed to die, yes. But not like this —
Bi Xi was even more phantomlike than before, as though he'd merely blinked and materialized right in front of him. That face filled his vision, and as always, there was not a single ripple of emotion in those eyes.
Every feeling Bi Xi had ever shown in front of You Shuo — all of it seemed to have been an act. Every last bit of it, fake.
A sudden sharp sting in his chest. He looked down — the devil had reached out a single finger and poked him.
He looked so innocent.
You Shuo heard the unsteadiness in his own voice: "...Is this freedom?"
"Of course it is."
The devil's hand slid across his shoulder as he strolled around behind him.
"Am I not free? I'm the freest person under heaven," the devil said.
You Shuo lowered his head. He wanted to shake it.
How could he possibly accept that reasoning? Whose idea of freedom involved being devoured, being turned into someone else?
Was this supposed to be some kind of charity from the devil?
"Then forget about him — he doesn't matter. What matters is you." The devil's tone lifted suddenly. "I've seen into your heart. You didn't know how to face him. He killed your sister, yet he had his own hardships, his own reasons. What a dilemma. You knew you should kill him, but that would only bring you pain. So what could possibly make you happy?"
Those hands covered You Shuo's eyes. In the pitch-black world, the only sound seemed to be the devil's voice.
"They made you sad, so I made them disappear. You didn't want to see them, so I made sure they'd never appear before you again." The devil smiled as he spoke. "See how good I am to you? Hurry up and thank your master."
Monster.
You Shuo said it in his heart.
In the darkness, the devil seemed to withdraw one hand. A fingertip slid from the shell of his ear down to the wound on his neck.
You Shuo opened his mouth, only then realizing that ten minutes had already passed.
Sui Xiao didn't know what was happening in here, but she hadn't dared take the risk and had already withdrawn her ability. The mycelium receded, and blood seeped from his neck once more. The devil's sharp-tipped finger paused at the wound.
"How did you let yourself get into such a state? It pains me to see this." The devil murmured against his ear, and the next instant, the wound began to heat up, itching faintly.
The temperature of his skin climbed. You Shuo raised his hand, and when he touched where the wound had been, he felt only smooth, intact skin.
The wound had healed.
"I don't like my things being battered and broken by other people. Remember that," the devil said.
"Bi Xi," You Shuo said, "you frighten me."
What was the deal, really? What did he need to give? Would he end up like Yiluoqi — turned into him? What... are you, exactly?
He truly didn't know, and the less he understood, the deeper his fear grew. Fear that one day he, too, would become him. Fear of what he even counted as now. Could he still appear before the people he cared about the way he used to? After everything that had happened, could he still face Sui Xiao? Could he still face You Ling?
You Shuo gazed at the devil. His wish had been granted — in a sense. Part of him did want to run from all of it, but that only made him feel even more wretched. So his heart was this feeble after all. Facing Bi Xi in this moment, the thought running through his mind was: why couldn't the devil turn back time and make none of this ever happen?
His voice came out dry and hoarse. "Can you give me a day? I probably... need time to calm down."
The devil let out a soft laugh.
Not angry. Not mocking. All of You Shuo's resistance was utterly inconsequential in his eyes.
When humans kept pets, even a cat baring its claws was seen as nothing more than an endearing gesture.
Bi Xi didn't care — just as he didn't care what Yiluoqi actually wanted, or what You Shuo wanted.
He was an inhuman monster.
The presence slowly withdrew. You Shuo didn't turn around, but he heard Bi Xi's voice.
"Sure thing. I really am too good to you — but what can I say, I'm just that generous." Bi Xi said.
"I just so happen to have found something new and interesting lately. I'll come find you to play next time."
Light seeped through his eyelids once more. You Shuo opened his eyes.
All he saw was a hall full of operating tables, the overhead fluorescent lights casting their pallid glow, the floor a scene of total wreckage. He turned around — not a soul behind him.
The devil had vanished. And Yiluoqi had vanished with him.
The muscle relaxant still hadn't fully metabolized. Strength drained from You Shuo in an instant, and with one hand braced against an operating table, he slowly sank to his knees.
Nothing was left. He hadn't held onto anything. He hadn't accomplished a single thing. Just like his life — falling apart, piece by piece.
He bowed his head. In the long silence, two drops of water splashed onto the floor.
"Captain!"
Chaotic footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor — the ten minutes were up. Sui Xiao rushed in with the Logistics Team.
White hazmat suits concealed his form. On the surveillance screens, he could no longer be seen.
...
You Ling stared at the screen. The Nightwatches had entered — they'd take full control of this place soon.
I'm sorry, You Shuo. She said it silently.
Take some time to rest. You didn't have to do it — the one who killed Yiluoqi was her. He chose his own death, and it had nothing to do with you. He went crazy and tried to kill her on his own — that had nothing to do with you, either. You didn't do anything wrong.
Now that the Nightwatches had begun searching the place, it was time for her to leave. Getting caught would be a problem.
She turned to go, but at that moment, 【Zhi Tianming】 — who had been silent all this time — suddenly spoke up.
"You bear His mark. Please pass along a message to the Demon God — I wish to make a deal with Him as well. With utmost sincerity."
You Ling froze. Could it be that 【Zhi Tianming】 kept his eyes closed to hide those all-too-perceptive eyes of his?
She was the one playing this character — as if she didn't know exactly what Bi Xi's situation was. From an outsider's perspective, Bi Xi granted wishes in nothing but twisted forms. Was this man out of his mind?
"Everyone claims sincerity. Is your sacrifice any greater than anyone else's?" You Ling asked.
"For a miracle, there's always a price to pay," 【Zhi Tianming】 said. "I'm ready."
Beneath the mask, You Ling's eyebrows rose high.
But she wasn't ready. She wasn't actually some omnipotent wish-granting machine — she'd been scamming people purely to meet her ability's activation conditions.
More to the point, an S-rank information-type ability user had completely bought into Bi Xi's existence. He might genuinely need his head examined.
"Suit yourself, then." You Ling shrugged.
She'd count him as a reserve puppet. A free puppet was a free puppet — no reason to refuse.
She walked out of the control room. The Nightwatches hadn't found this area yet. As she made her way down the dim corridor, a faint rush of wind stirred the air behind her.
Golden threads spread from her fingertips, dissolving into the phantomlike creature at her back.
In the darkness, only the faint glow of emerald eyes was visible.
Bi Xi tilted his head and smiled. "Tonight was pretty fun. Did you have fun?"
The Puppeteer said nothing.
"As long as you're happy~ Let's go." The puppet placed a hand on You Ling's shoulder.
The next second, both figures vanished from the building.
...
In the 【Petri Dish】 hall, people came and went — collecting evidence, investigating the scene. You Shuo leaned against a table, back hunched, trying to steady his nerves.
Then he heard Sui Xiao's voice. "【Zhi Tianming】? What are you doing here?"
"I rushed over as soon as I notified you," 【Zhi Tianming】's voice replied.
You Shuo raised his head. 【Zhi Tianming】 walked to his side and sighed softly. "The manga has updated."
"The manga?" You Shuo's voice was hoarse.
Just then, his phone rang.
"【Yanmo】, headquarters is convening a meeting. Arrive within five minutes."
...
In a cramped rental apartment, an ability user was working remotely. He'd been absorbed in his work for some time, until the incessant buzzing of group chat notifications shattered his focus.
Irritation plain on his face, he was about to check who was disturbing him — but the notification banner read 【Edge Ability Users Group】, the group chat where scores of ability users gathered.
He unlocked his phone and tapped in. The instant he entered, he couldn't even make out the messages through the flood of text.
It was as if every last one of the hundred-plus members was talking at once, each of them spamming the chat like they'd lost their minds.
[Hello, has anyone ever cared whether ability users live or die?]
[What the hell was the latest chapter?!]
[That dog Yi is just gone?! Dead?! I'm no fan of the Nightwatch, but... he's just gone, like that?]
[Does anyone know what the Demon God actually is? Is Bi Xi really the Demon God from the legends?]
[Shut up, don't say the name! Didn't you see what Yiluoqi said in the manga — he's everywhere, he can see everything! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!]
[Admin, add a rule — ban mentioning You-Know-Who's name! Otherwise I'm leaving the group immediately!]
[What was Yanmo thinking, giving him a name?! Does he really think he's raising a pet devil?!]
[This is insane — truly insane. Why does a monster like this exist in the ability world?]
[He's practically a ghost!]
The ability user couldn't follow what they were saying. He hadn't read the latest chapter yet, but just from the chat log alone, a chill was already creeping up his spine and into his skull.
Demon God? What was that?
What did they mean, "everywhere"?
Bi Xi — he could see them?
The messages kept rolling in:
[So what do we call him? YKW?]
[Just go with the forum — call him Green-eyed Kitty or Green-eyed Little Snake. Make him think we're just regular manga readers.]
[Will that even work? I have a feeling he noticed us a long time ago.]
[He definitely knows! We've said his name before!]
A chime sounded — a new member notification, swallowed instantly by the torrent of discussion.
【Phantom】 has joined the group chat.