Chapter 101: The Killing Jungle

The Black Cat, who had been busy drawing the attention of the giant puppet, suddenly felt an inexplicable palpitation.

He whipped his head around, only to be met with a sight that made his eyes burst with rage.

Before the station entrance, a massive hammer had collapsed the Red Fox’s chest, the agonizing pain eliciting a shrill, piercing scream. Then, two rapiers descended from the sky, instantly piercing through the Red Fox’s body.

The couple, wearing rabbit masks and headgear, snatched the small lantern from the Red Fox’s corpse, gestured mockingly at him, and vanished into the station.

"Red Fox!"

Watching the Red Fox fall, the Black Cat’s eyes turned bloodshot. With a feral roar, he disregarded the giant puppet pursuing him and lunged toward the station.

But as he turned, a gargantuan, heavy-duty coupler crashed down with earth-shattering force!

Even though the Black Cat raised his sword to parry, the impact sent him flying, coughing up blood.

The overwhelming strength of the giant puppet hit him like a bucket of ice water. Clenching his fists, the Black Cat scrambled to his feet, threw a venomous glare at the station, and fled.

Inside the station, Li Nanke looked at the small lantern, where a blue butterfly fluttered within.

【Sophia’s Lantern】
【Type: Item / Node Object】
【Quality: Inferior】
【Rating: 50/100】
【Details: The Red Fox and the Black Cat were commissioned by Sophia, manager of Hotel Krat, to bring this lantern to the station, hoping to use the Ergo butterfly inside to awaken the dormant "Puppet P" and escort it to Hotel Krat. Whoever completes this task will receive a generous reward from Sophia.】
【Note: Please note, the lantern is for awakening the puppet, not for assessing damage.】

Li Nanke pondered the description. Since his own employer also required "Puppet P" to be brought to Hotel Krat, he might just be able to kill two birds with one stone.

He led the Cunning Rabbit through the waiting hall and out to the open-air platform.

Most of the worker puppets here had already been destroyed, though a few remained. Two trains, each with over twenty carriages, were docked on the tracks.

The Black Cat wouldn't be able to stall the giant puppet for long; the monster would soon return. Even if they found "Puppet P" quickly, they would still have to face it.

Li Nanke turned to the Cunning Rabbit beside him. "I’ll handle these puppets and the big one behind us. You stay hidden and keep watch; don't let anyone try to double-cross us."

The Cunning Rabbit froze, wondering if he had suffered a head injury from the giant puppet earlier.

The Black Rabbit had come to the station alone to execute the mission and had been nearly crushed by the giant puppet; had she not secretly followed him to intervene, his fate would have been no different from the Black Cat’s.

And now, the Black Rabbit was claiming he would handle the giant puppet alone.

"Boss," the Cunning Rabbit stammered, "I'll help you lure the giant puppet away, you go find—"

"Shut up. You do as I say, or get out of here right now!"

The Cunning Rabbit had no choice but to hop onto a carriage to hide, silently resolving to intervene if things turned critical.

Before the giant puppet returned, the dozen or so remaining mechanical puppets began to close in.

Li Nanke focused, pushing his trait "Magnetic Storm" to its limit.

A static sensation that made skin crawl and hairs stand on end radiated from him.

A powerful electromagnetic pulse swept the platform, causing sparks to shower from the dozen puppets. While they didn't collapse immediately, their already clumsy movements became stiff, and their speed slowed significantly.

Only one puppet, wearing a black guard uniform and carrying an antique gunpowder rifle, recovered after a two-second stutter and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

In an instant, fire bloomed from the muzzle, and the bullet flew toward him.

With Li Nanke's current neural reflex speed, he could have dodged the moment the enemy aimed.

But he didn't. He stood his ground and took the shot.

Just as the bullet was about to strike, the "Ring of the Eternal Pain Lady" materialized on his finger.

The bullet hit an invisible, thick wall of water; its speed plummeted, becoming easily visible to the naked eye.

He reached out and pinched it, catching the bullet as it lost all kinetic energy.

With a metallic *clink*, the golden casing dropped to the ground.

Enraged, the guard puppet dropped its rifle, drew a baton, and lunged, only to be sent flying by a hammer blow. It scrambled up, limping toward him.

The remaining puppets, hampered by the "Magnetic Storm," shuffled closer like sitting ducks.

"Magnetic Storm is effective against low-level puppets, but the trait itself is of low rank, limiting its potential, and the spiritual energy consumption is too high."

Li Nanke only possessed one spirit-subordinate trait, severely limiting his total energy pool; a few full-power bursts would drain him dry.

The commotion on the platform drew the giant puppet’s attention, its heavy, thundering footsteps approaching rapidly.

Li Nanke glanced at the puppets surrounding him, then at the waiting hall exit, where the giant puppet was smashing through benches as it charged.

He held his bloody warhammer upside down, the head pointed toward the ground.

Taking a deep breath, he slammed the hammer into the floor.

*Thud!*

The impact echoed; the sharp, thorny barbs on the hammer head seemed to come alive, writhing and spreading with frantic speed!

"Divine Grace Thorn" special skill—Killing Jungle!

The hammer transformed into the root system of blood-red vines, from which countless thick, sharp thorns erupted.

As the stone floor shattered and sprayed, the vines plunged into the ground like blood-colored pythons, creating an interwoven web of death beneath the surface in an instant.

Then, the Killing Jungle erupted!

Countless thick thorns burst from the ground, as if the gates of hell had opened, with blood-red spikes surging from every direction.

*Boom!*

In a heartbeat, the spikes pierced through the rigid metal bodies. The tangled thorns formed a killing jungle, skewering the puppets and pinning them into the dense, thorny thicket.

The moment the dozen puppets were destroyed, the giant puppet stepped onto the platform, only to be caught in the indiscriminate attack of the Killing Jungle!

The interlocking thorns quickly pierced its metal shell, wrapping around its limbs and torso. While they couldn't deal a fatal blow, they pinned the giant puppet firmly in place.

The red glow in the giant puppet’s eyes intensified. A roar of its power core working at maximum capacity echoed from within its frame. It strained its limbs, the sheer force pulling at the thick, blood-red vines, desperate to break free.

Li Nanke released the hammer handle, leaving it to serve as the anchor for the roots.

A linear laser cannon emerged on his shoulder, and he fired a devastating blast at the immobilized puppet!