Chapter 82 The Soul of the Doll
Wait... there's actually a studio here?
The lights in the studio were on, and through the window one could see a bright and tidy corner of the room. As the puppet outside knocked on the door, the door opened from the inside out, and warm yellow light instantly poured into the dim and cold night.
It's like a beautiful, fragile fairy tale that is as fragile as a bubble and you can't bear to burst it.
The girl with long brown curly hair glanced around outside and said to them, "Are you here? Come in."
The puppets walked in excitedly while whispering their thanks.
Arnold hid around the corner before her eyes caught his.
He knew this girl. Dolls usually have excellent memories. As long as the information is kept in the chip memory storage area and not deleted, they can remember everything they see through facial recognition, thus gaining sharp insight.
He had seen her before. In a previous battle with Bionic Man No. 1, the girl on the opposite side showed amazing destructive power.
That was an armed concept that was almost identical to Arnold's, and it was the second most advanced armed puppet after him.
For a long time, this female doll has been a thorny figure in the operation, her whereabouts are mysterious, and she is a dangerous character who ranks at the top of the wanted list in terms of both bounty and danger.
Only Arnold caught a glimpse of half of her face during a fight with her, but he did not report it and instead concealed this only information.
But for some reason, Nika disappeared and he hadn't seen her for a long time.
He was sure he hadn't made a mistake.
But why is the armed puppet of Bionic Man No. 1 here? Is this their gathering place?
Arnold frowned. Based on the principle of not being exposed, he did not act rashly. He first checked whether there were any sentries or camera probes around, and then gradually approached the studio.
"Thank you, doctor. Fortunately, you are willing to help us."
Arnold silently approached the window at the rear side of the studio and heard these words.
The window was not closed. He thought for a moment, turned on the optical camouflage technology on his body, and almost blended into the darkness, looking into the house cautiously.
Soon, the scene inside came into view.
A young man with black hair and green eyes came into his sight. He was wearing a shirt inside and a white coat outside. He looked a little casual, as if he was an office worker working overtime late at night, but his hands were treating the wound with precise and powerful movements.
It turns out that these puppets were injured.
Arnold realized that his guess seemed to be wrong.
The puppets' recent situation is indeed very bad. The young man nodded slightly, without saying much, but he had a few more prescriptions for wounds in his hand.
Drug resources are now becoming scarce.
One of the dolls was seriously injured. After checking, the young man called Nika over and arranged for him to go into the workshop for repair surgery.
Arnold watched the young man disappear into the workshop and slowly withdrew his gaze.
He seems to be a kind-hearted mechanic who is willing to treat the wounded and even opened his workshop here. But does this mechanic know that his assistant is an armed puppet with amazing destructive power?
Why is Nika here? What could be her purpose here?
…
The door of the studio was knocked again. Nika, who had completed her assistant duties and handed the workroom to Rong Le, heard the knock and walked towards the door with a frown.
Although it was only spread privately among puppets, as the situation in the city became tense, more and more puppets came to seek free treatment.
Rong Le's get off work hours are getting later and later, and recently he has been working until midnight.
If this continues, when will it end?
After Nika opened the door and saw who was coming, she was a little slow to react.
After coming to his senses, his body tensed uncontrollably, adjusting to a state ready to attack at any time.
The atmosphere in the studio relaxed Nika's vigilance. Even when danger came, she didn't quickly adjust to combat mode. After realizing her recent changes, she couldn't help but regret it in her heart.
The black-haired officer at the door seemed not to notice her alert state. He was dressed in casual clothes, his brows lowered, and his expression gentle: "Excuse me, may I come in?"
...Didn’t you recognize me?
Nika remained alert, following his gaze downwards to his naturally hanging right hand.
Although the long sleeves covered his wrists, one could still see that his entire arm from shoulder to palm was in an unnatural twisted state, hanging limply. It seemed that someone had crippled one of his arms.
Nika's pupils trembled, but she remained calm on the surface: "Come in."
——Has the studio’s reputation actually reached the security forces?
She directed Arnold to sit on the sofa in the living room, turned around and walked inside, first called 1018 to keep an eye on him, and then went to the workshop to report the news.
Nika opened the door to the workshop and whispered, "Boss, a guest has arrived. He's quite important."
Rong Le kept moving her hands: "It will be done soon."
The puppet's injuries were not too serious and were dealt with in less than ten minutes.
Several puppets kept expressing their gratitude and were sent away by Nika. The studio suddenly became quiet.
Rong Le didn't take off her white coat. She walked directly to Arnold on the sofa and said to the last patient, "Take off your coat."
Arnold paused, said nothing, took off his coat, revealing a pure black short-sleeved shirt underneath.
Rong Le reached out and pinched his shoulder. The puppet's muscles tensed immediately. He patted it gently and said, "Relax."
Arnold secretly adjusted his body and relaxed himself.
Nika stood by with her arms crossed, watching him being pinched and kneaded by the repairman as if he were an ordinary patient. The notorious villain in the eyes of others was now being toyed with like a cat or dog, and he seemed inexplicably obedient.
After touching it, Rong Le sighed: "What a perfect body."
Arnold thought for a moment and spoke cautiously, "Doctor, can the arm be reattached?"
"Of course, it would be a shame to replace such a perfect arm."
Rong Le slowly kneaded the injured arm. "The muscles are very strong and substantial. The person who twisted your arm must have been very strong. What do you do?"
Arnold: "Fitness trainer."
Rong Le commented: "He's the type that rich women like."
Arnold: "..."
He began to reflect on why he had to suffer this.
Perhaps this is just a normal, kind mechanic willing to lend a hand to the injured puppet in this tense situation.
The puppets of the hostile organization were only accidentally discovered by him because their identities were hidden.
...In any case, he could do nothing without orders from his superiors.
Arnold was about to say goodbye, but before he could finish his words, he heard the sound of stairs coming down.
The boy, who was obviously a puppet, was stunned when he saw the situation downstairs: "Isn't it over yet?"
"It's almost time. This is the last one for today."
As Rong Le spoke, she took advantage of Arnold's inattention and quickly reached out to twist his arm. With a crisp click, his arm returned to its original position.
Arnold felt the pain at that moment, but then returned to normal, which shows that the mechanic is very skilled.
Because more and more people were staying in the studio, the already limited number of rooms became even worse. Rong Le had another place to stay in the Mechanical City and would go back to rest every day.
However, as the studio's opening hours became later and later, the studio's puppets were worried about him going back alone, so basically one person would escort Rong Le home.
Nika suggested, "Why don't we let Zero and 1018 squeeze in? It's too inconvenient to go back so late."
Rong Le: "I remember that their room was converted from a storage room. It wasn't very good to begin with and it's already inconvenient enough. Just bear with it for a while, it will be over soon."
"Besides, I can actually go back by myself..."
As soon as he said that, he received disapproving looks from the puppets.
For some reason, the studio staff all had an inexplicable desire to protect him, as if he were some kind of weak little animal.
Rong Le silently kept the second half of the sentence in her stomach, and glanced at Arnold who was not in the right state next to her. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she had a better idea.
"I can go back with this customer. You're heading towards the city center, right? We'll have to pass by the station anyway, so it's okay for us to say goodbye there, right?"
Arnold was stunned for a moment. Looking at the mechanic's expectant eyes, he pointed at himself hesitantly: "...Me?"
Rong Le had always been dissatisfied with the fact that the puppets took turns to send him home. After ruthlessly rejecting Tina who had also joined in the fun, Nika touched her chin and looked Arnold up and down with scrutiny.
If it was him, it wouldn't be impossible. Who knows, who is more dangerous?
Nika trusts Rong Le's ability to play with people's hearts.
She relented and said, "It's not impossible."
"But," she changed her tone, her tone sharp, "you must send a text message to say you're safe when you get home, got it?"
Rong Le sighed: "I see, Nika is really becoming more and more majestic as a housekeeper."
Nika: “Who is this all for?”
In short, the final result was that Arnold took on the task of escorting the mechanic back.
Although it only needs to be sent to the station, the Mechanical City has developed transportation, the central city area is extremely convenient, and the public security is the best. As long as you pass the distance from the studio to the station, you can be considered safe.
Arnold: "It seems your puppets are very concerned about your safety, doctor. I never thought such an important mission would be entrusted to me."
Rong Le laughed easily twice: "Sorry, it's too late after all. If I ask them to accompany me out, I will also worry about their safety."
"You repaired and treated our puppets for free. I certainly wouldn't turn down the chance to repay you."
Arnold meant it.
He saw how much the puppets loved the black-haired young man, which showed that he had a strong personal charm, and such a knowledgeable and kind repairman was very attractive to the puppets.
He inevitably had a good impression of Rong Le: "Just go home earlier in the future, don't let the puppets worry."
Because the atmosphere between the two was too relaxed, and because the quiet night had let him down his guard, Arnold actually said something he would never have said before.
His expression changed slightly, and he immediately apologized seriously: "I'm sorry, I'm not against your decision. Please don't mind what I said just now."
The black-haired, green-eyed maintenance engineer blinked in confusion, as if he didn't understand why he was apologizing. "...It's okay, you can say whatever you want. I'm not angry."
“Don’t care too much about other people’s emotions. Even if I’m really angry, as long as you think it’s right, you can stick to your point of view.”
He said in a tone of imparting experience: "Even rich women don't just like the same style."
“…”
Arnold once again reflected on how the situation had turned out this way.
However, my body, which had tensed up for a moment, did relax again thanks to the mechanic's comfort.
Apart from directing the team's actions, he rarely speaks his mind. The more strict the rules are, the more sensitive people are to the issue of the puppet's right to speak. After accidentally saying things he shouldn't have said a few times, he learned to keep his mouth shut.
Arnold was rarely allowed to walk around. Apart from his superiors, subordinates, and colleagues, the only people he came into contact with were enemies and mission targets.
This was the first time he had met such a nonsensical and undisciplined person.
But, it's not annoying.
Arnold suddenly asked, "Doctor, what do you think of the doll?"
Rong Le discovered that the puppet in this module really needed psychological counseling.
No matter what kind of puppet it is, powerful, beautiful, or cunning, after shedding its excellent and hard outer shell, it will always be a gray and pitiful little thing. If its soft inner part is exposed, it will allow others to hurt it at will.
Just like this exquisite and beautiful monster in front of us, it is also seriously looking for the meaning of existence.
The black-haired, green-eyed mechanic said, whether jokingly or seriously, "It's probably a miracle, a special miracle that only happens at a specific time point, born into the world."
"I'm sure many puppets have asked you similar questions, right?"
After realizing this, Arnold smiled somewhat self-deprecatingly.
He was already late. The person in front of him was so good that naturally other puppets discovered him before him.
He's not special at all.
The mechanic answered his question seriously: "Indeed, I have seen many puppets. Like you, they ponder the meaning of their existence and explore the souls of puppets."
"In my opinion, every doll is different. Like humans, they are all unique."
Although they are creations created by humans, the origins of the puppets come from the Book of the Dead.
Their bodies are a feast of mechanical craftsmanship in the Mechanical City, and the energy that drives their consciousness is a privilege bestowed upon this creation by a more mysterious existence.
This is a unique miracle.
This was the first time Arnold had heard someone say such words to him.
There are people who recognize and acknowledge him, even if he doesn't know who he is, what ideals he holds, and may not even understand himself.
Arnold still feels happy about it.
The man with long black hair lowered his eyes slightly, with his hand on his chest, as if he could feel the mechanical heartbeat in his body, beating accurately and powerfully, without the slightest error in the frequency, as if it was not affected by its owner's chaotic and high emotions.
"It seems that you have something on your mind and are distressed and have no one to talk to."
Rong Le leaned closer to him, her relaxed and good mood seeming to be visible through her upturned green cat eyes: "It's okay, I'm a doctor, you can tell me anything."
"I will help you." He said firmly.
...Arnold was actually mesmerized by those deep eyes.
He murmured, "Save me."
“I feel like I’m going to die.”
Rong Le reached out and stroked the side of his face.
The beautiful, powerful weapon was whimpering on the verge of breaking under his hands.
He didn't speak.
There was no smile on Rong Le's face, which was calm, as if the casual and easygoing mask had been peeled off, revealing the deep and indifferent inner self.
The deep eyes stared at him silently, without any emotion, as if they were about to drown him in the water and gradually sink him.
Arnold was cold and unable to move.
He lured the puppets to approach him and judged them at the critical moment.
This is the cruel and indifferent tenderness that belongs only to Rong Le.
"Okay." He said calmly, "I will help you, I will save you. Your ideals, your beliefs, everything will be mine."
"In contrast, you need to devote everything you have to me."
Rong Le heard the system prompt sound in her ears:
[Character Mission: 3, rescue the puppets from their plight and make them serve you. (Zero, Nika, Arnold) Completed.]
Task 4 was subsequently released.
[Role Mission: 4, Participate in the fireworks show and fight according to the camp division.]
Fireworks show.
Rong Le dug up this incident from her memory. Soon, the Mechanical City would usher in its annual traditional festival, when magnificent fireworks would fill the entire night sky.
People go out to enjoy the fireworks, hang out with others, and celebrate a wonderful night together.
However, in the context of the module, this time point is like a curse. The entire city will inevitably face an unprecedented disaster on this day.
"Oops, I had PTSD on Christmas Eve."
"I suddenly thought of Fairlight. This man is simply a shadow in my life."
"It seems that the fireworks show is a very important time node, and it is very likely to be the eve of the war. Because of Rong Le's choice, the role mission has also become dangerous, and it is blatantly asking him to leave."
"Don't fight head-on. After all, the character card's stats are fragile. If you overdo it, everything will have to be rewound and restarted..."
"Pfft! Stop cursing upstairs!"
"I feel like Arnold is also an important character. After all, even Nika is so afraid of him. Speaking of which, the way the black-haired beauty submits to being touched really looks like a well-behaved big dog."
"Actually, I have a bad feeling. I always feel that Rongrong is acting very cautiously in this module and has never contacted the top management of the Mechanical City."
"Both the Central Building and Han Shangyan have many secrets worth exploring. With the timing so tight, can he really get through it all in one go?"
The lively discussions in the barrage have now reached the third module, and the audience has formed a very orderly tacit understanding.
Just like Wang Qi, Chen Sisi and others returned to the real world, they were able to quickly understand what happened in the module at the first time, and they didn’t even need to stare at the live broadcast screen.
However, the average number of online users in the live broadcast room has always remained at a terrifying number.
Rong Le left the way to contact Arnold, and agreed with him that he could come to the studio at any time, and then returned to her residence alone.
The room was not big, only a few dozen square meters suitable for a single person to live in. In order to prevent being targeted by interested people, he had many similar bases in the Mechanical City.
Rong Le was not completely ignorant of Arnold. As the strongest combat force in the Mechanical City and the supreme masterpiece of armed puppets, the Collection Hall had also collected relevant information about him.
Not to mention the opening of the intelligence database after cooperating with Bionic Man No. 1. Compared to the Archives, Arnold is Bionic Man No. 1's old rival.
Through intelligence analysis from all sides and combat footage, Rong Le had already analyzed Arnold's personality and behavior patterns in detail, and determined that he was worth winning over.
The brief conversation tonight did not disappoint his previous preparations.
While Rong Le was thinking about the details of the next plan, she did not forget to send a text message to the puppet in the studio to let him know that he had arrived home safely.
Then I simply washed up and prepared to rest to maintain my energy for tomorrow's actions.
On the other side, someone has not yet fallen asleep.
Or perhaps he simply couldn't sleep now.
After learning that his other self was actually the leader of Bionic Man No. 1, Tang Qiu seemed to be very worried.
He never tried to communicate with "him" again after that incident, and his life remained peaceful. But when he watched the news on the Internet, which reported on the various actions and speeches organized by Bionic Man No. 1, Tang Qiu always felt a sense of unreality.
This is the action performed by another him who controls this body. What was this other self thinking when he decided to do this?
The owner of this body is still Tang Qiu. As long as he doesn't want to, another him will rarely appear to replace him.
Tang Qiu sat alone in the study, reading silently.
He likes to think about problems in a quiet environment, which makes his thoughts particularly clear.
Tang Qiu began to recall the memories from before the laboratory explosion, as well as the sudden appearance of "him" in his life and the subsequent interactions between them.
He was thinking quietly, and suddenly something he had said to Rong Le during a conversation flashed through his mind.
“After eliminating all improbable conjectures, whatever remains, no matter how implausible, must be the truth.”*
The young man with black hair and green eyes seemed to be a real detective when he said this.
Tang Qiu suddenly stood up, knocking the table against his head with a dull thud. The book on his knees suddenly fell to the ground. He ignored it, but walked around the room aimlessly for two steps, and his whole body began to tremble slightly.
A crazy idea suddenly appeared in his mind, and he was eager to verify it immediately.
Tang Qiu didn't know how he got to the Science and Technology Museum at night and used his authority to open the laboratory.
Once the surveillance is turned off, everything that happens here will become a secret.
Tang Qiu disinfected the skin on the back of his neck accurately and carefully. Facing the screen monitored by the instrument, his fingers did not tremble at all. He calmly scraped open the skin tissue and began to carefully look for anything that might be there.
As layers of human tissue were peeled back, his eyes were fixed on the screen, not missing a single detail.
Because he was too nervous and focused, there were even a few bloodshot eyes.
Finally, he saw the truth.
At the back of his neck, a familiar, blue-green chip that was even more precise and tiny than usual was buried in his flesh and blood. Blood threads climbed on the chip board, as if it was about to merge with him.
The terrifying scene shocked Tang Qiu's spirit, and he couldn't help but let out a shrill scream:
"No--!!!"
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