"Catch this."

He casually wiped the bloodstains off the white coat and then gently tossed it to Feng Yuhuai.

"This is the last gift I can give you, and the extent of my help—a new eye to see the world clearly again."

For this work, his proudest creation, Ge Qingming’s heart held a slight trace of personal emotion.

Feng Yuhuai caught it reflexively, feeling a sticky touch in her palm as she looked down at the unfamiliar eyeball reflecting her face like glass.

"Child, don’t hold a grudge."

Ge Qingming’s voice suddenly turned gentle, like a loving father tenderly advising his young daughter.

"Humans are inherently selfish and ugly creatures. There has never been true trust and assistance between people." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"The beautiful lies woven in the name of love hide nothing but the ugly face of one person relentlessly taking from another."

"Fundamentally, humans are lonely. On this long yet short journey through life, the only one we can trust and rely on is ourselves."

The puppets hanging from the ceiling began to sway eerily in unison, the clinking chains creating a bizarre melody.

At that moment, all the puppets unexpectedly showed the same morbid fanaticism as Ge Qingming.

"But the great Puppet Mother is different... She grants us an eternal bond!"

"A family connected by flesh and blood!"

The puppets roared, the sound of bursting seams like firecrackers exploding in the silent space.

"Friends whose souls are intertwined!"

Ge Qingming spread his arms, the white coat unfolding like a bat’s wings.

The voices of dozens of puppets gradually merged with Ge Qingming’s, echoing in Feng Yuhuai’s mind:

"Only the Puppet Mother, the great Puppet Mother, can let us have a family and friends who truly love each other and support each other to the end!"

Feng Yuhuai stared blankly at Ge Qingming, receiving yet another thorough lesson.

Every visit to this ominous clinic seemed like turning a new page in a dark revelation, learning profound insights about life.

If the last time was about reshaping the body, then this time it’s the rebirth of the soul!

She looked down at the slippery eyeball in her hand, suddenly chuckled softly, and inserted it into her hollow eye socket.

The viscous tissue fluid slid down her cheek, and the newborn optic nerves spread like a spider web.

"Fits perfectly."

Feng Yuhuai blinked her asymmetrical eyes, her smile becoming increasingly sweet and lovely:

"I really like this gift."

The mania on Ge Qingming’s face gradually faded, replaced by a twisted sense of relief.

He reached out his bloodstained fingers to caress Feng Yuhuai’s cheek, just like the caress that one night:

"Go now, child, leave here and break through. You don’t need to seek help from anyone; go and find and create your true family and friends."

Feng Yuhuai didn’t flinch; instead, she leaned slightly closer, letting the bloodstained hand slide across her beautiful face, leaving a tainted bloodstain.

Ge Qingming continued in a soft tone, the bodies suspended from the ceiling swaying gently with his words:

"Remember..."

"The family you create yourself..."

"Will be closer than any by blood..."

A strange light flickered in Feng Yuhuai’s eyes, and she solemnly nodded before turning to leave.

After three steps, Feng Yuhuai suddenly stopped and slowly turned back.

She gazed affectionately at Ge Qingming, waving a fond farewell:

"Thank you. Besides my father, you have taught me the most important things. I will always remember your kindness."

Ge Qingming instinctively raised his hand, also waving goodbye.

At that moment—

"Bang!"

Feng Yuhuai’s right hand suddenly exploded, thousands of red threads bursting forth like a scarlet firework!

Crimson threads swiftly covered half of the basement, spreading towards Ge Qingming like a massive net.

Along with it came Feng Yuhuai’s reluctant voice:

"I think you are the perfect candidate to be the first member of my created family. Also, I’m willing to accept the family and friends you created together. What do you think?"

"After all, just like them, I was reborn on the iron bed in this basement. We have already formed a bond that transcends life and death."

Ge Qingming’s pupils shrank to the size of a needlepoint.

Panicking, he stepped back sharply, his back slamming against the cold metal cabinet, sending tool racks tumbling, scalpels and forceps clattering to the ground.

"How dare you!"

Ge Qingming roared, tearing open his shirt to reveal the twisted, writhing mark of the Puppet Mother on his chest,

"You can’t harm me, I am the gardener chosen by the Puppet Mother!"

His hands shook, and dozens of nearly transparent fishing lines shot out from his sleeves.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The bodies hanging from the ceiling suddenly convulsed, their stitched mouths tearing to their ears, emitting a chilling scream.

With the crisp sound of hooks snapping, the "puppets" dropped from the ceiling like dumplings, thudding heavily to the floor, then lunged at Feng Yuhuai with a chilling gust.

Feng Yuhuai merely lifted her eyelids slightly.

Her pupils abruptly transformed into scarlet whirlpools, and her slender arms gracefully stretched out.

Instantly, the sky was filled with surging red threads, some entangling the attacking fishing lines, others piercing directly into the puppet’s necks.

"Creak—"

Amidst the tooth-grinding sound of friction, all the puppets suddenly froze on the ground.

They mechanically turned their necks, revealing the same spiral eyes as Feng Yuhuai in their dead-white gaze.

"How can this be considered harming?"

Feng Yuhuai effortlessly seized control of the puppets, her face showing an extremely pleased smile:

"I just want you to become my family. Is that wrong? You see, the Puppet Mother must agree with me; otherwise, why would they so easily listen to me?"

Ge Qingming frantically tugged at the fishing lines, but it felt like pulling on a thousand-pound boulder, impossible to budge even slightly.

For the first time, genuine fear appeared on his face. He staggered, forcing open the cabinet door behind him, retrieving a bizarrely shaped bronze scissors.

The scissor blades were covered in twisted runes, glowing with a faint green light in the dark.

"Snap! Snap!"

No one knew what material the scissors were made of, but they easily cut through the red threads, sending pieces bursting apart, yet the threads seemed endless, surging towards him from all directions.

Feng Yuhuai walked elegantly, slowly closing in, while the treacherous puppets circled into an arc, stepping forward in unison.

The scene looked unusually warm, like a group of obedient children, gathering around the father in the center.