Chapter 112: The King's Flame

As Li Nanke cleared wave after wave of puppets, his "Flame Waterfall" trait improved rapidly, and Pinocchio’s strength grew steadily alongside it. With the unsolicited assistance of numerous puppets, his Flame Waterfall trait had already reached level 8. Although there were many varieties of low-level puppets, the yield of source energy dropped off sharply after large-scale culling; after destroying countless units, the energy output from similar low-level puppets had become almost negligible. Pinocchio’s quality had also promoted from its initial Common grade to Excellent+, a three-tier jump that significantly bolstered his power. The potency of the young boy’s electromagnetic arm had also become increasingly formidable, evolving from a broad-range paralysis control into a terrifying ability that left low-level puppets completely paralyzed and rigid.

However, compared to the initial waves, the number of puppets Li Nanke could lure in gradually dwindled, until eventually, there were hardly any left wandering between the factory areas. The puppets had not been completely wiped out; rather, it seemed they had received orders from a higher-level entity and had begun to consciously assemble and converge at various factory buildings. The duo’s pace in clearing the puppets was swift, but the supervisor puppet, "King of Flames," must have sensed their presence. Knowing time was limited, Li Nanke took the opportunity to lead Pinocchio straight toward the central factory.

Entering the facility, a wave of scorching heat rushed to meet them. The air was thick with the heavy scent of machine oil, and the surroundings were filled with the clamor of various mechanical operations. Countless precision instruments were lined up in neat rows, resembling massive steel dragons. On the conveyor belts, mechanical arms operated with agility, assembling parts into puppet bodies. The sound of metal clashing and the hum of electric motors intertwined in a noisy symphony. Li Nanke strode through the workshop, moving deep into the factory. Beside him, cold, tightly packed human figures hung from the conveyor belts, a sight that made the skin crawl. These were fully assembled metal puppets, though they remained mere lifeless objects for now; only after being injected with "Ego Essence" would they truly gain life.

As he ventured deeper, a growing sense of crisis surged within him. It felt like drifting on a small boat across an endless, deep sea, while beneath the vessel, a massive, terrifying shadow slowly glided by. That shadow was dozens, perhaps hundreds of times larger than the boat, capable of swallowing the entire craft in an instant and dragging it down into the bottomless abyss.

The two arrived at the heart of the factory, where a massive furnace radiated intense light, with scorching flames dancing within. Beside the furnace, several giant casting machines continuously poured molten metal into molds, forming various precision mechanical parts upon cooling. These parts were then transported by conveyor belts to various workshops for delicate assembly by robotic arms. Yet, the supervisor puppet, "King of Flames," was nowhere to be seen.

Li Nanke looked toward a small, heavy metal door in the corner. It featured a peephole, and the door plate was labeled "Factory Manager's Office." Just as he was about to approach the metal door, a voice emanated from an old-fashioned loudspeaker in the corner.

"Mr. Tracker, I am very grateful that you came to save me."

"But the commotion you made outside was too great. The supervisor puppet has discovered you and has summoned an army of puppets just waiting for you to walk into the trap."

"They are coming immediately; you cannot escape."

"Please do not attempt to knock on the door. I will not open it, and I ask that you stay away from the door so as not to arouse the puppets' suspicion and implicate me."

As the voice echoed from the speaker, Li Nanke stopped in his tracks, the sense of crisis in his heart reaching its peak. He had long known that reaching this place would necessitate a fierce battle. Being able to wipe out a portion of the puppet army to maximize their strength had already fulfilled his plan. As for whether it was a trap or not, the low-level puppets no longer posed a threat to them. He spoke sincerely to the person behind the metal door:

"Mr. Venigni, you should maintain a heart of gratitude toward those who risked their lives to save you. If you still possess even a shred of conscience, please open the door immediately and let us hide inside as well."

The voice of Venigni came back through the loudspeaker, filled with anger:

"Are you incapable of understanding human speech? I don't have much food or water left. If you come in, that will be three people waiting to die together."

"I will not open the door!"

Li Nanke smiled faintly. "Since Mr. Venigni does not understand gratitude, I can teach you."

With that, he swung his hammer with a violent force. With a thunderous crash, the metal door, along with its frame, flew inward, overturning the office desk and chairs and leaving the room in shambles.

Venigni was a man dressed in a bright red suit, wearing a top hat, with a small mustache. His appearance was quite disheveled; the vibrant red suit was stained with filth, and his hair, peeking out from under the top hat, was greasy and matted—it was unclear how long it had been since he last bathed. Not only was he foul-smelling, but the office itself was filled with the stench of excrement. Venigni stared at him in utter shock, clearly not expecting him to force his way in.

At the same moment, heavy footsteps that shook the ground approached from the distance. A gigantic puppet, leading a dense swarm of low-level puppets, arrived in the depths of the factory. The giant puppet resembled a steel beast, exuding a suffocating pressure. Its body was constructed from heavy metal, its surface covered with complex pipes and circuits that crisscrossed like veins. Two thick mechanical legs supported its entire frame, steady as a rock, and its arms were powerful—one tipped with a massive steel fist, the other equipped with a flame thrower featuring a savage, oversized muzzle.

The chest of the "King of Flames" was a massive furnace, where roaring flames burned; the heat was enough to melt any obstacle in its path. A pair of crimson mechanical eyes flickered with a fierce light, locked onto the two intruders who had breached the factory area. It turned its head slightly, catching sight of the human hiding in the corner office. That familiar figure was none other than Venigni, the factory manager who had long enslaved it and the many low-level puppets.

The "King of Flames" let out an roar of extreme excitement. The flames in its chest furnace intensified, and thick smoke billowed from the two chimneys on its head. Venigni collapsed to the ground, his face pale with terror, muttering in a daze:

"It's over, it's all over. Why did you have to drag me into this if you wanted to die?"

Following the roar of the "King of Flames," a massive number of low-level puppets blocked all exits from the factory, completely surrounding the building. Li Nanke turned to the boy beside him, who stood ready for battle:

"You take the small ones, I'll take the big one. No problem, right?"

Pinocchio nodded and asked, "What about this Venigni? Should I protect him?"

Li Nanke chuckled, "No need. You just focus on the low-level puppets... Let’s go!"