Chapter 89: How Laughable
Containment File Number: GY-20251112023
Containment Level: A
Containment Codename: White Witch
Containment Hazard: Unknown
Containment Description: White Witch appears to be a girl aged 10-12, height 148cm, weight unknown, with long silver-white hair, petite build, and a cold demeanor. Her facial features exhibit common East Asian characteristics and are considered exceptionally beautiful. The target is highly suspected to be an apostle of Puppet Ballad, the Sequence Forty-Nine Silent Demise Grotesquery. She possesses an anomalous healing ability, is completely immune to damage from Puppet Ballad creations, and is suspected of having the ability to absorb flesh and blood to enhance her own power, though there is currently no direct evidence to support this.
Containment Procedures: Containment not yet implemented.
“…”
Li Shaoheng carefully compiled all the gathered information and sent it to Company headquarters via encrypted channels.
He looked up at the two girls in his office.
An Yu and Elsa.
Their expressions were complex.
Finally, persuaded by their fellow exchange group members and a single sentence from Li Shaoheng, they had decided to reveal everything they knew about Bai.
“If she’s not a Grotesquery apostle, revealing her information will help clear your suspicions. If she is a Grotesquery apostle… then your past affections were merely a deception.”
However, most of the information An Yu and Elsa provided came from the Baiyan Village incident, and Luo Ling herself had already submitted a report about it, omitting only the information that she alone knew.
They had merely filled in some details.
Like the ability used to heal An Yu.
Luo Ling’s report only mentioned healing An Yu’s fatal injury, but it hadn’t specified that the injury was half her body being destroyed!
To miraculously survive such a certain death, the price being only some life force depletion, was completely beyond the common knowledge of Awakened Ones.
An Yu and Elsa might not have understood the implications, simply thinking Bai’s ability was exceptionally powerful, but the experienced Li Shaoheng knew how incredible this was.
Not just for Low-Order Awakened Ones, but even for High-Order Awakened Ones, even those who wielded Authorities, this was unheard of.
So, when An Yu recounted this, Li Shaoheng’s first thought was that she had become one of those white mycelial monsters, but after a thorough examination, he found no abnormalities in her regenerated half.
Li Shaoheng rubbed his temples. The only information they had about the Puppet Ballad was its white mycelial creations; everything else was unknown.
Whether it was infiltrating the incubation barrier or confronting the fully hatched Grotesquery, it would come at a great cost.
As time passed, the Grotesquery energy within the incubation barrier continued to rise, the amount of power the Puppet Ballad had accumulated during its dormancy unimaginable.
And how it had managed to do so silently, with only two known incubation barrier incidents…
“Stinky Uncle, after knowing all this, do you still think Big Sister Bai is a Grotesquery apostle?”
Just as Li Shaoheng was struggling with this, a shrill voice echoed.
Bella, hands on her hips, stood on Elsa’s lap and glared at Li Shaoheng, asking the question that weighed heavily on Elsa’s mind.
“Artist’s creation… tsk, truly exquisite.”
Li Shaoheng didn’t answer Bella’s question immediately, just glanced at the cute yet sassy teddy bear.
Every time he saw it, he couldn’t help but admire Artist’s skill, actually bestowing a “soul” upon an inanimate object.
Of course, it was because Artist was dead that he could appreciate it. If Artist were still alive, Bella would likely be captured by the Company for dissection and research, to find a weakness in his ability.
The same applied to Elsa, Scientist’s creation. It was only because Scientist was dead that her priority was lowered; otherwise, she would also be subjected to research.
As for whether the White Witch was a Grotesquery apostle, Li Shaoheng lowered his gaze, looking at the scattered information on his desk, and said softly,
“Seventy percent probability, yes.”
“Seventy percent…”
Elsa’s brow furrowed, and An Yu’s face paled.
The trauma resurfaced, the memories of her deceased grandparents and Bai flashing through her mind.
It was clear how important Bai was to her.
If Bai really was the culprit behind all this…
“Don’t worry, there’s still a thirty percent chance she’s not,” Bella said, patting Elsa’s head comfortingly. It was rare for her not to mock her owner, Elsa.
“Yes, yes, I believe in Little Bai.”
As if grasping at straws, An Yu nodded repeatedly. She couldn’t forget the moment Bai had saved her life with her ability.
It was because of that moment that she believed so strongly.
As if afraid Li Shaoheng would say something even more terrifying, Bella urged Elsa and An Yu to leave, and they quickly excused themselves, leaving the room.
Li Shaoheng watched them leave in silence.
He hadn’t said the second part of his thought…
“And a thirty percent chance… that she is the Puppet Ballad itself.”
This was his last shred of mercy.
Sixteen hours had passed since the incubation barrier appeared, its coverage area expanding by about a third, but its growth rate had slowed significantly.
During this time, Liu Songyi had evacuated the civilians of Jiangcheng County to an area about ten kilometers from the city center. Any further, and there wouldn’t be any place for them to stay.
Jiangcheng County wasn’t a large city, and it was located in one of the most peaceful Boundaries. This sudden disaster had caused widespread panic, and they were barely maintaining order.
“Unfortunately, there aren’t many official organizations in this Boundary, making it difficult to coordinate…”
Li Shaoheng sighed. The power to traverse Boundaries wasn’t something every organization possessed. Many, even those aware of the Boundary’s existence, couldn’t freely enter or exit.
It was during the Company’s golden age, in an earlier Boundary, that they had mastered this power, establishing branches in various Boundaries.
Now, they had to act quickly, containing the Puppet Ballad’s incubation before Jiangcheng County descended into complete chaos.
But it was easier said than done.
“But no matter what…”
The image of the mysterious girl’s indifferent eyes flashed through Li Shaoheng’s mind, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.
Even without Ji Shinian’s warning, he would have considered this apostle-like girl extremely dangerous.
Just then, he received a message from the Company branch. The first team to enter the incubation barrier was ready, seven P7 specialists, and another P8 specialist besides him.
This was all the manpower the nearby Company branch could muster. More were on their way, but they couldn’t wait any longer. The situation would only worsen with time.
“It’s time to infiltrate the incubation barrier.”
Li Shaoheng sighed and looked out the window at the bright blue sky, a slight distortion in the distance.
This distortion was caused by the Puppet Ballad’s incubation site.
“A High-Risk Grotesquery…”
Throughout the Company’s history, they had only participated in a handful of High-Risk Grotesquery battles.
And a sudden one like this… was a first.
“Hopefully… it will go smoothly.”
…
A short while later, in front of the incubation barrier in the city center.
Within the barrier, both vision and perception were distorted. Looking with the naked eye, the city center still looked normal.
But just a few meters away, buildings had collapsed, as if struck by a natural disaster.
So, the barrier’s location was easy to determine.
When Li Shaoheng arrived, the seven specialists from the Company branch were already waiting, their leader an elderly woman past sixty.
Besides them, there were also a few members from the local Awakened organization, watching nervously.
Seeing Li Shaoheng, the elderly woman walked forward and extended a hand.
“Mr. Li, I’ve heard so much about you. My name is Lu Fangling.”
Li Shaoheng was taken aback, shaking her hand.
“Hello, I don’t think… I’ve heard of you…?”
He hadn’t heard of her during his brief stay at the nearby Company branch.
“We operate in different Boundaries,” Lu Fangling smiled faintly.
She glanced towards the local Awakened organization, and a woman in Republican-era clothing, noticing her gaze, quickly hid.
Because the Company’s golden age had been in an earlier Boundary, they had the power to establish branches in various Boundaries. Even other organizations, if they wanted to traverse Boundaries, often had to rely on the Company.
It could be said that the Company had a presence in every Boundary, each branch unique.
It was their ability to traverse Boundaries that had allowed the Company to become the largest Awakened organization, over two-thirds of normal Awakened Ones registered with them, a true behemoth.
And with so many Awakened Ones under their banner, the Company sometimes had to shoulder certain responsibilities, like dealing with this High-Risk Grotesquery disaster.
Of course, it wasn’t without benefits. At least the Sacred Relics formed after killing Grotesqueries were the most valuable currency in the Awakened world.
“Every incubation barrier has its own rules, you should know this, right?” Li Shaoheng asked, his tone uncertain.
P7 specialists were High-Order Awakened Ones, P8 specialists were High-Order Awakened Ones who had encountered Authorities, and a few among them… like Li Shaoheng, possessed Sacred Tools that could utilize Authorities.
So, not all P8 specialists were equal, and Li Shaoheng wanted to confirm if this old woman possessed comparable strength.
“Heh, it seems this old woman has been underestimated,” Lu Fangling chuckled, her gaze constantly drifting towards the Patient Exchange Group.
“My apologies,” Li Shaoheng lowered his head.
“Don’t worry, this old woman has handled more troublesome matters than this,” Lu Fangling looked up at the distorted incubation barrier. “Did Old Ji not tell you… that I’m his ex-wife?”
“Huh?”
Li Shaoheng was stunned. He had never heard of this.
But if Ji Shinian had closer connections within the Company…
Wait, ex-wife?
Perhaps not so close after all.
However, having dealt with High-Risk Grotesquery disasters, her age, and her constant glances at the Republican-era woman in the exchange group…
“A Boundary in the Republican era? The capital?”
“Good that you know. I don’t want to say more.”
Lu Fangling glanced at Li Shaoheng, the single look filled with pressure.
“I’ll be in charge of guarding the perimeter, no problem, right?” Lu Fangling raised an eyebrow. “Take good care of my people. Missing limbs are fine, even a few deaths are acceptable, but don’t come back empty-handed.”
The P7 specialists around her smiled wryly, clearly knowing that this mission was a do-or-die situation.
“…Of course.”
What else could Li Shaoheng say? He had intended to lead the operation, but this woman clearly had more seniority, he could only obey.
Just as they were about to leave, someone unexpected approached him.
“I remember, your name is… Xu Qian?” Li Shaoheng frowned and asked.
Elsa nodded slightly, her small fists clenched.
She wanted to join the team entering the incubation barrier.
An Yu had also wanted to come, but she couldn’t overcome her trauma.
“But you can’t, you’re too weak,” Li Shaoheng shook his head. Even with her Grotesquery abilities, a Mid-Order Awakened One wasn’t strong enough.
He had even sent Cen Xiangyun back to the Company branch, let alone this little girl named Xu Qian.
“If you’re truly worried about the White Witch, just wait here for news,” Li Shaoheng sighed, then turned and walked towards the incubation barrier with his team.
“Perhaps… ignorance is bliss,” he murmured.
…
“Xiao Ling? Class dismissed so early today?”
In the kitchen, Su Wan looked up in surprise as the white-haired girl entered.
Her joyful expression froze as a cold flash of steel sliced through the air.
Instantly cut in half.
Blood splattered, her body falling limply to the ground.
Luo Ling stood silently before her sister’s corpse, staring at the flowing blood, counting in her mind.
“Three… two… one…”
The blood turned into pus, the severed body into broken fungi, collapsing onto the floor.
The emerging mycelia threads gently wrapped around Luo Ling’s ankles, like her sister’s gentle touch.
But Luo Ling knew it was all fake.
It was the Puppet Ballad.
“Thirty-two.”
Luo Ling had personally killed thirty-two versions of her sister, each one as real as her memories, kind and gentle.
But they were all fake.
All of them… fake.
She had entered the game alone, competing with the Puppet Ballad’s most powerful “egg” for nourishment within the incubation barrier, inevitably being influenced by it, just like in the subterranean cavern of Baiyan Village.
The “egg” wanted to consume her, so she had to consume the “egg.”
Bite, tear, swallow.
The end.
And like a recurring dream, Luo Ling found herself shopping with her sister again.
Her sister’s arm around hers, the familiar scent comforting, they walked past a beautiful dress, their steps slowing.
Luo Ling recognized the dress. It was the one her sister had admired at the mall last time.
Too expensive for them.
She had only glanced at it before hurrying away, as if afraid of being tempted.
“Thirty-three.”
A flash of steel.
Another sister’s corpse fell, the surrounding crowd scattering in terror, staring at the blood-soaked Luo Ling.
This time, even after chanting dozens of times, the body didn’t turn into fungi.
Luo Ling stood there for a long time, police sirens echoing in the distance.
The panicked cries of the crowd mixed with the faint fear in Luo Ling’s heart, pulling her away from her cold, detached state.
She crouched down and picked up her sister’s remains.
Continuing her grim task.
The sounds faded, the colors dimmed, and silence returned.
Another end.
…Her sister was dead.
All these sisters were fake, no matter how real they seemed, all puppets of the Puppet Ballad.
She had to consume them all, swallow them whole, to truly save everything, to fulfill Ji Ying’s final wish.
Luo Ling told herself this.
The Puppet Ballad was trying to use her memories of her sister to kill her. It really thought it could defeat her this way.
How laughable.
“Thirty-four.”
“Thirty-five.”
“…”
Unknowingly, the black ice dagger was stained with blood, its sharp tip a crimson point.
Luo Ling looked up and saw only ruins around her, the fungus-covered buildings collapsed, the streets littered with corpses.
The enormous fungus that had once reached the sky was now withered and decaying, the “egg” containing Ji Ying’s hatred and despair reaching its end.
But the battle wasn’t over.
Not until it was completely devoured.
Luo Ling, her sword reversed, walked towards the fungus, stepping over twisted rebar and broken concrete.
Just then, she heard a noise behind her.
Turning around, she saw flickering figures.
In her hazy vision, the buildings seemed to rise again, crowds of people and cars moving orderly on the repaired roads.
At the traffic lights, people stared at her with vacant, grotesque eyes.
“Another illusion from my memories?”
“It’s learned. No more Sister…”
“But… the result is the same.”
Luo Ling raised her dagger, pointing it at the approaching figures, and whispered,
“No matter how many times, I’ll see this through to the end.”
The silver-haired girl stood alone amidst the ruins, her pure white, terrifying eyes looking down at those who had entered the incubation barrier.
“Target sighted! All personnel, be alert, the target is highly aggressive!”
Leave a Reply