Chapter 107: Panacea

Sly Rabbit took off her gray trench coat and hung it on the rack, her form-fitting inner layer accentuating her alluring curves.

She removed her rabbit mask, revealing a fair and delicate face, though her expression was grave.

"Darling, you're going to the Puppet Factory? You must be joking, right?"

Li Nanke leaned against the bed, eyes lifting as he replied:

"You don't need to go. You and Crazy Rabbit take Strange Rabbit to the hotel. Pinocchio and I will go to the Puppet Factory."

Strange Rabbit, the brother-in-law of Black Rabbit, was suffering from petrification disease and was currently being cared for by another member, Crazy Rabbit, at the Black Rabbit Gang's stronghold.

At these words, Sly Rabbit’s willow-leaf brows knitted together, her chest heaving with indignation. "What are you thinking? The factory is a den of puppets; going there is suicide."

Since waking from his severe injuries, Black Rabbit’s strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, to the point where he could even defeat the giant puppets at the station one-on-one. However, no matter how strong a Stalker might be, surviving against thousands of puppets was impossible. Going to the Puppet Factory voluntarily was no different from seeking death.

Li Nanke sat up, patted the edge of the bed, and said expressionlessly, "Come here."

No sooner had Sly Rabbit reached the bedside than he pressed her down and gave her two firm smacks on the buttocks, causing her to let out a startled cry.

"You do exactly what I say. I don't need questioning; I only need obedience. Do you understand?"

He softened his tone slightly. "I have my reasons for going to the Puppet Factory. Just follow my instructions and you'll be fine. Remember, you are forbidden from following me this time."

For a Stalker, the sheer number of puppets in the factory represented an endless ocean of monsters. Any Stalker, regardless of their power, would eventually be submerged if they fell into such a sea. But Li Nanke was no ordinary Stalker, and the fact that Pinocchio could absorb the abilities of special puppets was a crucial key to turning the tide.

According to Black Rabbit’s memories, if Pinocchio could absorb the abilities of certain unique puppets, then by coordinating their efforts, it was not impossible for them to fight their way through the factory and take down the supervisor puppet, the "King of Flames."

Having been spanked, Sly Rabbit was far from angry; instead, she gazed at him with sultry eyes and burrowed into his arms.

"Are you going to the Puppet Factory for that puppet? Do you really think of him as your son? And what about the employer?"

"The employer’s contract was for us to bring the target to the grand hotel; it didn't say we had to take the boy away. We’ve fulfilled the contract, so we deserve our payment."

Black Rabbit’s employer was an aristocratic alchemist of great mystery who refused to reveal even his name, referring to himself only as Mr. X.

The petrification disease afflicting Strange Rabbit could not be cured by ordinary doctors; only the panacea developed by alchemists could treat it. Black Rabbit had completed several tasks for Mr. X in the past, and when he requested the panacea this time, the employer had issued the contract for Puppet P.

Faced with Sly Rabbit’s persistent questioning, Li Nanke gave her another firm spanking, only letting her go once she pleaded and promised not to secretly follow him to the factory the next day.

Late that night, Li Nanke went to the suite's balcony. Under the cold moonlight, he took out a small flute and played it softly toward the garden square in front of the hotel.

Strangely, the flute produced no sound, yet an invisible ripple spread outward into the distance.

After waiting for a long time, Li Nanke suddenly felt the hair on his arms stand on end. An intense sense of danger caused him to turn his head instantly.

On the balcony of the adjacent suite, two figures had appeared out of nowhere.

Dressed in a crisp gentleman’s suit, wearing a silk top hat, and holding an elegant metal cane, the employer, the alchemist Mr. X, had arrived.

However, the overwhelming sense of danger did not come from Mr. X, but from the knight standing behind him.

The knight carried a large shield and a greatsword. Not a single inch of skin was exposed, only cold, pale armor; a spiked helmet obscured his face, making it impossible to tell if he was human or a puppet.

Black Rabbit had seen this knight before, but lacking the ability to sense danger, he had assumed the knight was just a silent, ordinary guard, never realizing how incredibly powerful he actually was.

This knight was a terrifying and formidable existence!

"Black Rabbit, you’ve done well."

Mr. X, who sported a thick beard and a scar over his left eye, spoke. He reached into his pocket and tossed a vial of emerald-green liquid across the balcony.

[Ordinary Panacea Injection]
[Type: Prop/Consumable]
[Quality: Ordinary+]
[Rating: 68/100]
[Details: Faced with the uncontrollable, plague-like spread of petrification disease, the Alchemists’ Guild developed the panacea using "Self-Element" and Gold Coin Fruit. Due to the scarcity of the fruit, the ordinary panacea contains only a tiny amount of the material, offering no guarantee of a full cure and a very low success rate. If the cure fails, it causes massive, uncontrollable side effects. Only those favored by luck can return to normal.]
[Note: Life is not cheap; treatment is expensive.]

"Mr. X, the success rate for this panacea seems quite low, doesn't it?"

Li Nanke looked at the glass syringe in his hand, the emerald liquid shimmering with faint light.

Mr. X raised an eyebrow, surprised that he knew such secrets.

"If you want the potent panacea, you must accept a long-term contract: continue to carry Puppet P and facilitate his rapid growth."

"Furthermore, you must go to the Cathedral and find the last remaining Gold Coin Fruit tree in Krat. Bring me a large quantity of the fruit so I can refine the potent version. The more you bring, the stronger the medicine will be."

The Cathedral... According to Black Rabbit’s memories, as an early quarantine zone for the disease, it was filled with patients turned into living corpses by the petrification.

The strange power granted by the disease gave these corpses strength rivaling that of the puppets, though they were far more frenzied and terrifying, attacking any living thing they encountered, save for others of their kind.

After a moment of thought, Li Nanke decisively agreed:

"Very well, I accept the contract."

"But Mr. X, can you tell me why you need Puppet P to grow so quickly? What level of strength must I raise him to for you to be satisfied?"

Mr. X chuckled. "You don't need to know that much. When Puppet P has the strength to kill the Puppet King, your contract will be fulfilled."

With that, he tossed over another vial, this one filled with yellow liquid.

"This agent can temporarily suppress the side effects of the panacea. Even if the cure fails, it will allow Strange Rabbit to hold on for a long time."

After finishing his instructions, the Pale Knight knelt on one knee and extended an arm; Mr. X placed his hand upon it.

Glimmering azure light emerged from the knight, enveloping them both. When the light of the "Self-Element" faded, their figures vanished.

Li Nanke let out a long breath, cold sweat soaking his back.

The mere presence of the Pale Knight had been suffocatingly oppressive; he knew well that the current version of himself was no match for such a foe.

Li Nanke fell into deep thought. To obtain the special qualities and primary essences in this "Forbidden Dream," one had to uncover hidden nodes.

The dream was titled "Puppets and Angels." Puppets, the primary enemies, had appeared in massive numbers, yet there was no sign of any "Angels."

Could the hidden nodes be related to these "Angels"?

Sly Rabbit, wearing a silk robe, walked up quietly, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and pressing her cheek against his broad back.

"Darling, did you get the panacea?"

"Don't rush. Bring Strange Rabbit to the hotel tomorrow. I'll inject him when I return."

"Do you think there’s something wrong with the panacea?"

Li Nanke turned his head and scolded, "Still asking?"

Sly Rabbit, as if having forgotten how she had begged for mercy earlier, lifted her chin defiantly. "I'm still asking! Go on, hit me again!"