The midnight wind, carrying the stench of decay, swept through the alleys. Feng Yuhuai stood before the door of the underground clinic, the neon light from the shampoo house across the street casting colorful reflections in her eye socket where an eyeball used to be.

Memories from over a month ago surged like a tide:

How she limped into the clinic, how she fearfully descended into the basement, and how on that blood-stained operating table... she was reborn!

"Like a different lifetime, hehe!" Feng Yuhuai’s lips curled into a sinister, slightly manic smile.

She looked at the tightly shut rolling door in front of her and gently smoothed her hair.

At the same time, a strand of red thread seeped from her fingertip, slithering into the gap of the rolling door like a living thing. Her finger gave a gentle tug—

"Clatter!"

The entire rolling door was violently lifted, revealing the murky glass door behind it.

The red cloth doll hanging above the door had an empty, hollow eye, with the other eye unraveling to expose the threads. Its gaping mouth protruded a bright red cloth tongue, swaying gently with the air current.

Feng Yuhuai’s breath halted for a moment, staring blankly at the cloth doll above.

"Heh—"

She slowly pushed open the glass door, walking in guided by that night’s vague yet profound memory.

She fumbled to open a hidden door, uncovering stairs spiraling downward.

Feng Yuhuai’s heels tapped on the wooden steps, echoing hollowly.

With each step downward, the stench of rot mixed with disinfectant grew more intense in the air.

Feng Yuhuai reached the basement door, took a deep breath, and gently pushed it open.

The scene in the basement remained as it was that day:

Dozens of "puppets" hung from the ceiling.

The hooks deeply embedded in their collarbones, their eyes half-opened, veiled with a grayish film, clouded and empty, lips trembling slightly yet unable to produce any sound. Their gaze solidified with eternal fear.

Some of these "creations" had their abdomens cruelly cut open, exposing mechanical parts or alien organs within.

Feng Yuhuai walked inside, her expression a stark contrast to the initial panic she had upon her first visit. At this moment, her inner self was as calm as water.

She coldly scrutinized those hanging puppet-like figures, merely covering her nose, her eyes showing a tinge of contempt:

"These crude works lack any artistic beauty."

Under the shadowless lamp on the operating table, a young man’s body lay disassembled like a dismantled toy.

His chest cavity was opened, his organs placed in an iron tray, forming a small mound, with dripping blood creating a sinister rhythm on the floor.

The man suddenly opened his eyes wide, his pupils reflecting Feng Yuhuai’s figure.

His mouth couldn’t produce sound, yet it persistently moved, blood trailing down his chin, silently conveying his despair and plea:

"Help—help me—"

"Who?!"

Ge Qingming swiftly turned, the scalpel in his hand drawing a scarlet arc in the air, with droplets of blood splattering onto the wall.

When he saw who it was, his tense shoulders relaxed, a near-paternal look emerging in his clouded eyes.

In a way, Feng Yuhuai was considered Ge Qingming’s most perfect creation, as it was he who granted her an alternative rebirth.

Ge Qingming’s mouth twitched, a strange smile forming at the corners, as he asked, "Is it you? Why have you returned?"

Feng Yuhuai did not immediately answer, but first glanced at the man on the iron bed, a hint of reminiscence in her eyes.

"Is this another vessel prepared for the Puppet Mother?" she coldly asked.

Ge Qingming waved his hand, laughing:

"This inferior product could never match the Puppet Mother; it’s merely a little toy to pass the time."

The last glimmer of hope in the man’s eyes extinguished. He understood that this female college student and that devilish doctor were accomplices.

After a bit of idle chat, Feng Yuhuai finally responded to Ge Qingming’s question.

A sweet smile graced Feng Yuhuai’s face, a smile that appeared exceptionally eerie in this terrifying space.

She said:

"I’ve been exposed. The Executive Government will soon send someone to capture me. I must leave Zone 9. But I’m just an ordinary college student, so I need your help..."

Needless to say, Feng Yuhuai was indeed a daughter taught and raised by Feng Ju.

In times of danger, they would first seek the most trustworthy person for help.

At this moment, the person Feng Ju trusted the most was Feng Mu, and for Feng Yuhuai, the only person she could trust now was... Ge Qingming, who was akin to a reborn parent to her.

Ge Qingming’s scalpel clattered into the iron tray, his relaxed facial skin twitching violently, a trace of panic flashing in his cloudy eyes:

"Are you crazy? How dare you come here while being hunted?"

Feng Yuhuai’s lips curved into a sweet arc, her head tilted like a child asking for candy, answering naturally:

"If not here, then where? I’m already homeless, the only person I can trust now is you."

Well, thank you so much for your trust!

Ge Qingming ground his teeth, the fatherly smile on his face vanishing, speaking gloomily:

"I can’t help you; you’ll have to figure out how to escape on your own." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Feng Yuhuai’s brows furrowed slightly, an expression that made her appear especially innocent:

"We are both part of the Puppet Mother; it was you who personally offered me to Her..."

Her voice took on a trembling note of grievance:

"In my heart, I’ve already considered you my second father... Would you bear to see me captured by the Executive Government?"

Ge Qingming suddenly laughed, a sound like rusty blades scraping against bones:

"Oh, poor child, you misunderstood the Puppet Mother’s rules."

He said while stitching up the man on the iron bed,

"The Puppet Mother values fairness the most. I saved your life, you offered your body, we’re even."

The man on the iron bed issued silent screams, his limbs feebly flapping, while Ge Qingming continued stitching, unfazed, continuing:

"As for mutual aid? That word isn’t in the Puppet Mother’s doctrine; we don’t need comrades, nor family..."

The ceiling suddenly shook violently, and those hanging "jerkies" all turned toward Feng Yuhuai in unison. Their dry lips trembling simultaneously, murmuring in sync with Ge Qingming’s mutterings:

"Companionship with puppets is enough for us!"

Feng Yuhuai’s smile stiffened slightly, still unwilling to give up, saying:

"But you said I was special, chosen by the Puppet Mother, you..."

Ge Qingming interrupted cruelly before Feng Yuhuai could finish:

"Indeed, you’re the seed chosen by the Puppet Mother, so, that’s why I can’t help you."

Feng Yuhuai frowned: "Why?"

Ge Qingming’s skeletal fingers brushed lightly over the newly stitched "creation" on the iron bed, grinning:

"You’re a seed, and I’m the gardener. The gardener’s task is to plant the seed, while the seed must break through the soil alone, survive in competition, until becoming the last, sole seed."

Ge Qingming paused for a moment, then like a benevolent father advising his daughter, he said:

"So, dear, you either break through the soil on your own;

or you rot in the ground as fertilizer;

This is the Destiny chosen for you by the Puppet Mother..."