After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 343: Chapter 342: Dong Rui’s Demon Puppet and Second Madam Zhu’s Army

”We’re coming.” Dong Rui and Hee Lingchuan exchanged a glance and had no choice but to head back.

”Hey?” Huang Mao was taken aback. ’What business could those two possibly have?’ A moment ago, everyone was drinking and eating fish together. The two of them had seemed to blend in, but in reality, they hadn’t said a word.

’What on earth are they doing here?’

In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished into the jungle.

Huang Mao could only trudge back dejectedly to report.

Tuu Zhongli glanced at the sky. The moon was starting to set. ”Forget about them!” he said decisively, then shot Huang Mao a look.

Huang Mao understood. Under the pretext of adding wood to the fire, he tossed a few packets of Medicinal Powder into the bonfire.

The firewood crackled, occasionally spitting out a few sparks. Nothing seemed amiss.

But imperceptibly, a faint, herbal fragrance began to drift through the jungle.

The scent blended exceptionally well with the swamp’s natural odor; even the Spider Guards stationed nearby didn’t notice anything amiss.

About a quarter of an hour later, the nearby spiders had mostly stopped moving, as if they had fallen into a stupor.

Huang Mao reached out and waved his hand in front of a Spider Guard.

’These things keep their eyes open whether they’re asleep or not. It’s really hard to be sure.’

He even prodded the Spider Guard with a branch. When it didn’t react at all, he gave Tuu Zhongli a thumbs-up.

Tuu Zhongli ordered one of his men to swim to the opposite bank, find a good position, and then tear open a Wind Summoning Talisman.

Immediately, a gentle breeze began to blow, gusting from west to east and carrying the bonfire’s medicinal smoke toward the Demon Nest.

After another quarter of an hour or so, even the spiders around the caravan began to slow down. They seemed drowsy, yet they were completely unaware of their own condition.

Tuu Zhongli produced another packet of Medicinal Powder. This time, he made no attempt to hide it, tossing it into the fire in plain sight.

With a WHOOSH, the bonfire flared four feet high, belching thick, rolling smoke like the scene of a disaster. And the smoke was a strange, bright yellow.

In the dead of night, the thick yellow smoke churning toward the sky was extraordinarily conspicuous.

...

Back in the Demon Nest workshop, Hee Lingchuan saw there were no Spider Guards on duty outside. He said to Dong Rui, ”They’re making their move tonight. Time to bring it out.”

Dong Rui feigned surprise. ”Bring what out?”

”Cut the act.” Hee Lingchuan was scornful. ”You’ve been tinkering in here for over half a month. You’ve already scrapped forty or fifty spiders. Don’t tell me you haven’t built a new monster?”

”What monster?” Dong Rui’s eyes widened. ”It’s called a Demon Puppet!” With that, he walked to the deepest part of the grotto.

The area was piled high with assorted materials, but in Dong Rui’s words, it was all arranged ”perfectly in order.” It had its own bizarre internal logic, which was why he’d curse out anyone who touched his things. After more than half a month, the Spider Guards had learned to give the area a wide berth, not even daring to lift the black cloth that concealed his work.

Dong Rui now whipped off the black cloth, revealing what was underneath. Hee Lingchuan glanced down. ”It doesn’t look any different. Are you sure this is a Demon Puppet?”

Beneath the cloth was a single, intact spider. It was huge and pure black, standing four feet tall even with its legs drawn in.

But it looked no different from any other Earth Cave Spider, with the same twelve eyes, eight legs, and stiff bristles covering its limbs.

Compared to the Ghost Ape and the Werewolf, it was remarkably plain.

”Use your brain! If I made it look like some bizarre creature, how could it possibly sneak us out?” Dong Rui was exasperated. ”Besides, I managed to build a Demon Puppet in just a dozen days. You should be grateful! Normally, creating, calibrating, and training a single Demon Puppet takes at least two years. Two years!”

”So, does this thing even listen to you?” Hee Lingchuan had a new worry. ”It’s not going to just buck us off halfway there, is it?”

”It understands basic commands, but it can’t handle complex combat.” Expecting this spider to fight with the unrestrained power of the Ghost Ape was out of the question; that would require years of painstaking calibration. Dong Rui patted the spider. ”Stand up. Walk a bit.”

The spider stood up as commanded and scurried around the room, its movements appearing even more agile than those of an ordinary Spider Guard.

In fact, among the specimens Second Madam Zhu had provided for his experiments, this one had the highest Combat Power and was also the largest. Dong Rui had officially reported it as ”expended” during testing, while secretly rebuilding it into its current form.

He was the one in charge of lab supplies, after all. How much was consumed, and how, was whatever he said it was.

It was a classic case of taking advantage of a layman.

After finishing this contraption, they were just waiting for the right moment.

Hee Lingchuan circled the spider Demon Puppet, a hint of envy in his voice. ”Can it take my orders? You know, just in case an opportunity comes up.”

”Place your hand on its head so it can get used to your scent.”

Hee Lingchuan did as he was told. Dong Rui leaned in and whispered a few words into the Demon Puppet’s ear. Hee Lingchuan could hear the sounds but couldn’t understand them; it was likely Dong Rui’s unique way of communicating with his puppets.

The spider Demon Puppet actually sniffed at Hee Lingchuan’s hand, then nuzzled against it.

Dong Rui sighed in relief. ”There, it recognizes you now.” He added to Hee Lingchuan, ”Normally, the Demon Puppets I create serve only me as their master.”

Hee Lingchuan rolled his eyes. ”What, you think I’m going to convince it to betray you? By the way, you said ’normally.’ What about the abnormal cases?”

”There have been.” Dong Rui said offhandedly. ”Back when I was a wanted man in the Beiga Kingdom, before I’d made Number Thirty-Four, I was in a real bind with no way out. I had to custom-build a Demon Puppet for someone in exchange for help escaping Beiga.”

After that painful lesson, he came to understand that no matter how fast four legs are, they’re no match for a pair of wings. That’s what led him to create the Strange Bird Demon Puppet, Number Thirty-Four.

”Oh? So that wasn’t the first time you’ve done something like that? Who did you custom-build that Demon Puppet for?” Hee Lingchuan was curious. ”You take commissions? In that case, could I...?”

”No!” Dong Rui looked like he wanted to spit. ”Do you think I can just whip these up on a whim? I’ve told you countless times, creating a Demon Puppet is incredibly difficult, and the final result is largely a matter of luck!”

He rarely shared the secrets of Demon Puppets with anyone. ’Does this guy just let everything I say go in one ear and out the other?’

”But you still managed to make one for that other person, didn’t you?”

”That was a fluke. I happened to have a pre-made Demon Puppet chassis that fit their requirements, so I could just modify it. But things made in a hurry always have flaws. That Demon Puppet has to consume large amounts of Prunella every few days, or it can’t maintain its form.”

”What was its number?”

”Thirty-one.”

”It’s still alive?”

”Of course it is, as long as it’s properly maintained!” Afraid of further questions, Dong Rui quickly changed the subject. ”Alright, alright, back to the matter at hand! How do you think they’ll make their move?”

He paused for a moment. ”Second Madam Zhu has mistaken thieves for guests. This is our opportunity.”

It had been a long time since Second Madam Zhu had dealt with humans. If living people occasionally wandered into the Demon Nest Swamp, she and her children would simply eat them. The only exception in all these years had likely been this very caravan.

Hee Lingchuan and Dong Rui could see through their fellow humans’ disguise, but the spiders could not.

For now, this was their one small advantage.

”That depends on their objective. It can’t possibly be Second Madam Zhu. With their numbers and skills, they’re no match for a Prehistoric Great Demon.” Bandits were only ever after one thing: treasure. ”If they’re after something in the Demon Nest, they’ll have to find a way to lure Second Madam Zhu away.”

As he spoke, he suddenly twitched his nose and sniffed the air. ”Do you smell that?”

The Demon Nest, home to the Fungal Mat and Aphid Bulls, was naturally damp, its air thick with the smell of rotting wood. But now, there was a faint scent of fresh grass, flowers, and fruit. Connecting this to the strange situation outside, Hee Lingchuan grew wary. He took two Pills from his robes, swallowed one, and offered the other to Dong Rui.

”It’s an Antitoxic Pill. Specifically for neutralizing knockout incense.”

Dong Rui glanced at him and shook his head. ”I don’t need it. Poisons don’t work on me.” He practically lived among his vials and concoctions; unless it was a potent toxin on the level of Poisonous Dragon Saliva, common poisons couldn’t affect him.

He brought up the million-dollar question again: ”Which side are we helping?”

”Whichever side has the better odds, of course.” Picking the losing side would be disastrous. Second Madam Zhu was no saint, to be sure, but these bandits were even worse—not to mention the mastermind likely pulling their strings.

”Which side...”

Before he could finish, a sharp, piercing shriek tore through the air outside.

What could make a sound like that? It wasn’t a tiger, wolf, or bear. It was an ear-splitting, heart-rending screech—

—but it was deafeningly loud.

Even the two of them, deep within the complex labyrinth, heard it clearly.

Dong Rui thought for a moment. ”It almost sounds like...”

”A squealing pig?”

It sounded just like a pig being slaughtered. Nothing else made a noise like that.

”Exactly!” Just as Dong Rui was about to speak, the spider Demon Puppet suddenly stirred, taking a step toward the exit. He issued two quick commands. The Demon Puppet staggered a couple of steps, as if undergoing a fierce internal struggle, before finally forcing itself to a halt, its claws tapping restlessly on the ground.

”Sigh. Still just a prototype.” Dong Rui was clearly dissatisfied. ”It received a command from the Spider Queen, ordering all Middle-High Tier offspring to head to the Jiana Ruins and provide support immediately.”

The commands of its original matriarch and its new master were battling in the Demon Puppet’s mind. In the end, of course, Dong Rui’s methods won out.

Sure enough, just a few moments later, a rustling sound arose from outside.

Leaning against the doorway, Hee Lingchuan watched as spiders streamed past the workshop. They were countless and packed so densely that the passage itself was obscured, a roiling sea of round heads, round bodies, and scuttling legs that blurred into afterimages.

The scene was utterly terrifying. Who would have thought a single Demon Nest could house so many spiders!

Hee Lingchuan waited patiently for a good while until the spider army had mostly passed.

A moment later, a massive silhouette appeared in the passage, radiating a heavy, oppressive presence.

Second Madam Zhu had arrived.

This passage was the only way to the surface.

In this moment of crisis, she didn’t even glance at the two humans as she passed them by.

Thanks to the bright illumination from the fluorescent spores in the tunnel and Hee Lingchuan’s sharp eyesight, he noticed something was off about Second Madam Zhu’s eyes.

She had twelve eyes ringing the sides of her head. But from Hee Lingchuan’s angle, it looked like... a few were missing?

Where had Second Madam Zhu’s eyes gone?

A few more Spider Guards followed, spewing layer upon layer of webbing until the workshop door was sealed shut.

For all her crudeness, Second Madam Zhu was meticulous. She hadn’t forgotten about the two small fry.