Case 1.6 of the Puppet Master

The situation reversed instantly.

Dozens of dolls, identical in appearance to Fan Jinci, emerged stiffly from the dark corners like ghosts imbued with life. The cold weapons in their hands reflected a chilling glint under the emergency lights, forming a terrifying encirclement. Being stared at by countless "selves" with empty eyes was a scene enough to drive anyone to a mental breakdown.

In the command center, Li Weimian suddenly stood up: "Group suggestion! He's using this visual impact to interfere with Fan Jinci's self-perception!"

Jiang Zhaoyan growled into the microphone, "Yu Yan! Prioritize protecting Fan Jinci! These puppets are a decoy!"

However, on stage, M-10's smile grew increasingly joyful; he reveled in this distorted stage, one that he dominated.

After an initial contraction, Fan Jinci's pupils quickly regained their icy composure. He didn't even look at the dolls; his gaze remained fixed on M-10's hand holding the controller.

"A low-level trick," he commented, his voice completely flat.

These words thoroughly enraged M-10. "Low-grade?!" he shrieked, waving his hand sharply, "Tear that defective product to shreds!"

Upon receiving the command, the puppets instantly activated, like tightly wound killing machines, rushing towards Yu Yan in unison! Their movements were swift and unpredictable, completely different from how humans exert force.

"Damn it!" Yu Yan cursed, but didn't flinch. His gun spat fire, accurately striking the joints of the first few puppets. The bullets struck the bionic material with dull thuds, the puppets momentarily paused, but more surged forward. He couldn't use weapons of mass destruction, because Fan Jinci was nearby!

Wen Lin led his team out of their ambush point and engaged in fierce combat with the group of puppets, trying to relieve the pressure on Yu Yan. For a moment, the laboratory was filled with the sounds of gunfire, the clanging of metal, and the shattering of puppet parts.

M-10 watched the chaotic battle with a calm and collected demeanor. His objective was clear: to take advantage of the chaos to capture Fan Jinci, or at least eliminate Yu Yan.

Just as his attention was drawn to the chaotic battle, Fan Jinci, who had been standing still, moved.

He didn't try to break through, nor did he help Yu Yan. Instead, he moved silently to the side like a ghost, precisely avoiding the attacks of the two puppets. He then slammed the metal detection box in his hand into an old interface of a control panel on the side.

"Sizzle—!"

A burst of intense electric current and sparks erupted, briefly activating the backup power supply for the entire laboratory. Several remaining ultraviolet disinfection lamps overhead suddenly lit up, emitting a faint purple glow!

At the very instant the purple light appeared, an astonishing scene unfolded—

The surface of the "skin" of all the moving puppets instantly revealed a dense array of fluorescent codes visible only under ultraviolet light! Next to each code was the same word written in cursive script:

“M-0”

M-10 had marked each of the dolls with Fan Jinci's code name. This obsessive possessiveness was now blatantly obvious. "Now!" Fan Jinci shouted sharply.

Hidden higher up, almost blending into the darkness, Situ Jin held not a weapon, but a modified spectral interference emitter designed to target specific fluorescent polymer components. He abruptly pressed the switch!

An invisible ripple spread out instantly.

The frenzied dolls suddenly froze, as if a pause button had been pressed. The fluorescent codes on their surfaces flickered violently, and the tiny receivers inside them instantly overloaded under specific spectral interference!

“Bang bang bang bang—!”

A series of soft cracking sounds came from inside the dolls. The red light in their eyes went out, and they collapsed to the ground like puppets with broken strings, turning into a pile of expensive waste.

The smile on M-10's face vanished completely, replaced by a look of shock and anger at his plans being utterly shattered. "How could you..." He looked at Fan Jinci in disbelief.

Fan Jinci stood amidst the slumped dolls, his white lab coat spotless, his eyes icy: "Your 'work' relies on specific chemical markers and signal reception. From the moment you sent your first 'gift,' you were exposing your technological path."

His calm analysis is more damaging than any sarcasm.

"Ah—!!!" M-10 let out a beastly howl, his reason completely shattered. He no longer thought of "collecting," only the desire to destroy remained. He pulled out a specially made pistol hidden under his coat, not aiming at Yu Yan, but directly at Fan Jinci. Since he couldn't perfectly collect it, he would destroy it completely.

"Fan Jinci!" Yu Yan's eyes were bloodshot as she rushed forward, trying to shield him.

But Fan Jinci was even faster! The instant M-10 pulled the trigger, he flicked his wrist, and the silver butterfly ornament he always wore was flung out! The ornament flashed through the air, striking M-10's wrist with perfect accuracy!

"Ugh!" M-10 felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and the muzzle of his gun veered to the side.

"Bang!" The bullet grazed Fan Jinci's ear and struck the equipment behind him, sending sparks flying.

In that split second, Yu Yan's bullet arrived.

"Bang!"

The shot was both ruthless and accurate, piercing M-10's right scapula and shattering his shooting ability. M-10 screamed, the pistol slipped from his hand, and he staggered backward, crashing into the cold wall.

Wen Lin and his team rushed forward and quickly subdued M-10, who was completely unable to resist, and handcuffed him with specially made handcuffs.

Yu Yan rushed to Fan Jinci in a few steps, pulled him into a tight embrace, his arms trembling violently from the lingering fear, his voice hoarse and barely audible: "You fucking scared me to death! Who told you to use yourself as bait! Who told you to block my way!"

Fan Jinci was struggling to breathe from the pressure of the choking, yet he could clearly feel the frantic pounding of the man's heart in his chest. He didn't push him away, but merely tilted his head slightly to avoid the burning sensation of the bullet grazing his ear, and whispered:

"It's so noisy."

As M-10 was being escorted away, he struggled to turn back, staring intently at Fan Jinci, who was being held tightly in Yu Yan's arms. His eyes were filled with madness, resentment, and a twisted despair.

“M-0…you are perfect…you should be mine…” he murmured.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yan looked up, his eyes like icicles, carrying undisguised possessiveness and warning, and declared, word by word:

"He is mine."

The dust has settled.