“Pulcinella!
You son of a bitch!
With so many children missing in the Winter Capital, how do you still have the face to be mayor?!” “If we hadn’t read *The Steambird*, we’d still be kept in the dark!” “My neighbor’s little daughter went missing a few years ago, and there’s still been no word of her!” “It’s all your fault, you bastard!” “…” In front of the doors of City Hall, hundreds of citizens, incited by certain agitators, protested fiercely, hurling every foul insult imaginable at Mayor Pulcinella, who was responsible for the Winter Capital’s public security.
The fuse behind it all was none other than the novel published in *The Steambird*—*She Who Vanished*.
Many citizens feared that their own children might suddenly vanish and become raw material for human experimentation.
It was precisely this anxiety that allowed the protest to take shape within a few short hours, snowballing continuously.
By afternoon, City Hall was blocked so tightly by the crowd that not even water could trickle through.
Inside the Mayor’s Office at that moment, Pulcinella sat behind his massive desk, brows tightly furrowed, his expression gloomy and vexed.
Without a doubt, *She Who Vanished* was definitely Ye Xun’s handiwork.
He intended to use the social pressure of public opinion to abolish those cruel human experiments.
The method was remarkably clever.
Unfortunately, it was far too naive.
The dissatisfaction and rage of ordinary citizens were nowhere near enough to make the Fatui abandon human experimentation.
After a brief thought, he dialed the landline communicator on his desk and respectfully reported the matter to Director Pierro.
Naturally, he did not sell out Ye Xun.
That kid possessed his personal seal; rashly betraying him would only invite trouble onto himself.
On the other end of the communicator, Pierro listened silently for a long time before asking calmly, “Over the past year, have more than fifteen hundred children truly gone missing?” “The exact figure…
is known only to Lord Dottore,” Pulcinella answered cautiously.
Silence fell once more after those words.
Pulcinella waited patiently.
Finally, Pierro issued an order: “The number is somewhat high.
Do not let the Tsaritsa learn of this.
As for the rest, deal with it as you see fit.” Pulcinella was not at all surprised by this outcome.
This “Jester” who walked resolutely in the dark was never one to be shaken by the lives and deaths of ordinary mortals.
His sole concern was that the Tsaritsa’s noble ideal might be tarnished.
After hanging up the communicator, Pulcinella thought for a moment, then stood up and walked toward the door.
Crossing a corridor, he stepped out to the front entrance.
The moment he appeared, the crowd ahead erupted, a barrage of sharp, piercing insults ringing out immediately.
Yet Pulcinella offered no defense.
A look of deep sorrow washed over his face, his eyes reddening slightly, even glistening with tears.
“I am sorry…
to have let you all down.
But please trust City Hall; we will certainly give everyone an answer.” Before the sentence was finished, he bowed deeply, his back bending into a humble arc.
Instantly, the square fell silent.
No one could bring themselves to hurl another accusation at this “grieving” old man.
Before long, the crowd began to disperse piece by piece.
A massive crisis was temporarily quelled just like that.
As long as time was bought, the heat of public opinion would cool down, and anger would ultimately fade into silence.
…….
Fatui Headquarters, Director’s Office.
Dim light sloped into the room, casting a somber shadow across the grim, oppressive space.
Pierro sat behind the desk, eyes sharp as knives, coldly sweeping over Dottore standing before him.
“Are the figures reported in the newspaper accurate?” “Of course not,” Dottore said, a cold smile touching his lips.
“Though if you offer your support, there could easily be that many.” Pierro frowned slightly and pressed, “What is the actual count?” Recalling briefly, Dottore cited a precise number: “Five hundred and thirty-one.” Hearing this, Pierro’s frown deepened further.
Though two-thirds lower than what the paper claimed, it was still appalling.
“So many test subjects consumed, yet your results remain unsatisfactory,” Pierro said, his cold voice carrying obvious displeasure.
“Director Pierro,” Dottore said composedly, “so long as you continue to support my research, a day will come when it satisfies you.” Pierro merely gave him a cool glance, his tone flat.
“I demand results, not promises.” Hearing this, Dottore offered no further excuses.
Pierro backed him because his findings strengthened the Fatui.
If no results were forthcoming, that backing would swiftly vanish.
But the problem was—results never came without vast numbers of “trials,” using living human lives as fuel.
After a moment of silence, Pierro spoke calmly, “Starting today, transactions with Northland Bank are suspended temporarily.” A thin smile forced its way onto Dottore’s face.
“Understood, Director.” With that, he excused himself and left.
The instant he stepped through the headquarters’ main entrance, Dottore clenched his fists, his face dark as thunder.
Halting transactions with Northland Bank meant a drastic reduction in test subjects.
For him, this was entirely unacceptable.
Ye Xun…
Dottore repeated the name silently in his heart.
Yet after taking only a few steps, he suddenly unclenched his hands, his expression returning to normal—a faint, almost imperceptible smirk touching the corners of his mouth.
Give it some time, and human experimentation would run just as it had before.
The expression on that young man’s face after fighting so desperately…
would surely be marvelous to behold.
……….
Night deepened, immersing the entire Winter Capital in silence.
Warm orange light spilled over the desk where Ye Xun sat quietly, brows slightly knitted as he mentally rehearsed every single detail of his plan.
Going up against that insidious Harbinger meant walking on thin ice with every step; there was zero room for error.
Right then— *BANG!* A loud crash exploded as the door—repaired just yesterday—was kicked into splinters once again by a long, fair leg.
“Lady Rosalyne.” Ye Xun unhurriedly stood from his chair and turned to face the familiar figure at the doorway.
“You don’t need to be so violent.
You can do whatever you want to me.
I won’t run, and I won’t resist.” Before he even finished, Rosalyne’s gaze turned sharp, anger flaring in her eyes.
She strode forward in a few quick steps and unceremoniously kicked him to the floor.
This kid…
actually dared to flirt with her to her face!