Chapter 23: The Bride of the King of Mysteries (23)

"Stop acting." Tang Mu kicked the coffin lid with unmistakable disdain.

"If you want me to save you, that's fine—but you must choose one to kill in exchange for your own life."

Jose was silent.

He immediately raised the rag doll in the coffin with him.

Since the teammate bond was broken, An Xiaoyue, who had persisted throughout as a doll, was no longer necessary.

"Her. Kill her."

Though he lacked strength and struggled to press the lighter, under Tang Mu's threatening gaze, Jose still made a move against An Xiaoyue.

But—

The instant the flames touched her, An Xiaoyue abruptly returned to human form.

A heavy body tumbled down, awkwardly brushing against a man's sensitive area.

Jose let out an involuntary cry, his handsome features twisting in agony.

An Xiaoyue even intentionally kneaded the spot twice.

"Sorry, sorry," she apologized sweetly as she regained her human form, but Jose was not swayed.

He snapped at her harshly, "Get out!"

Yet An Xiaoyue did not comply. Instead, she lingered around him, deliberately provoking his physical reaction.

Her face remained innocent, almost angelic.

"Brother Jose, you're so wicked. The last time you toyed with my feelings was the last time. Why are you so cold to me now?"

With that, An Xiaoyue shot a hostile look at Tang Mu.

Though she was attractive, she could not compare to Tang Mu's stunning beauty.

She felt a pang of inferiority, but masked it with bravado, pointing to the exquisite little doll—scaled to her likeness at 1:0.15—attached to her chest.

"Hello, I'm from the Ayu Association. A high-level puppeteer. Newcomers like you probably don't know what 'high-level' means, do you? It means that wherever I go, I become a coveted asset. What's more, I'm a puppeteer. I can control seven puppets at once, shielding against seven instances of monster harm in any game of this type."

"This time, I was asked by the association to bring the handsome newcomer Jose into a low-level scenario and earn some game items along the way."

"So, what about you, Miss Tang Mu?"

Tang Mu replied casually, "I'm here to make money."

"Is that so?"

An Xiaoyue covered her mouth, giggling softly. "Of course—a girl from the slums like Miss Tang Mu, money is a vital resource. Without money, you couldn't dress yourself so well, nor could you rely on your looks to win over handsome men. You make them fall hopelessly for you, send you endless money, help you through life's hardships. Isn't that right?"

She was implying Tang Mu traded her body and beauty for money.

Heh.

Tang Mu spared her further words.

She opened her mental power.

Directly severed the connection between An Xiaoyue and her puppet doll.

"Sorry, I'm a high-level psychic," Tang Mu's face was cold and proud. "Mental strength: SS."

An Xiaoyue was stunned.

Impossible!

Binding and cultivating any haunted object required mental strength. She had played over fifty games, amassed millions of coins, collected countless items, barely raising her mental strength from B to A.

She could now control seven puppets instead of five.

When bringing newcomers into scenarios, she could shield them several times from harm.

Because of this, she became the target of many associations.

If Tang Mu's mental strength was truly SS, she would undoubtedly be the center of attention!

No—Tang Mu must not leave alive!

An Xiaoyue bit her finger in fury, blood splattering onto the doll at her chest.

The doll's clear blue eyes instantly turned crimson.

Its once serene face twisted with malice and strangeness.

"SS is impressive, but it's your first game. To prevent you from competing for resources that should be mine, I can only apologize."

Seven haunted dolls attacked at once.

Tang Mu narrowed her eyes.

Her hand produced a long strand of red thread and bells from her sleeve. The bells were tied to the thread, which had been secretly coated with special essential oil.

She had specially drawn this item from the Metaverse Shop before entering the game—a tool for dealing with monsters.

Grade A. (Unlimited uses.)

Not a single coin spent.

Free drop.

Tang Mu still remembered vividly how, when she drew this Grade A item, the live broadcast was filled with people wailing, saying they had grinded dozens of games but their luck was worse than a newcomer, cursing her as some African luck demon.

Some petty players even contacted her privately, offering high prices for the [Red Thread Bell (A)]. They claimed that, given Tang Mu's abilities, she could not possibly control such a high-level item, and it would be better to sell it for more greenery, food, and water.

But after announcing her SS-level mental strength, Tang Mu simply logged off, ignoring those covetous players.

As for how shocked, jealous, angry, and conflicted those players were after discovering Tang Mu's true ability, it mattered not at all to her.

"Miss Tang, An Xiaoyue's puppets are dangerous! They can possess you—and shred and devour your soul!" Jose shouted in terror.

Tang Mu paid him no mind, but her calculations were clear.

The human body is the only passport between heaven and earth—a kind of identity card.

If possessed by a monster, one's soul loses control over their body, handing over their identity to another creature!

But—

So what if An Xiaoyue was formidable?

Someone with only A-level mental strength could never stand against SS. It was like a mantis trying to stop a cart!

"Red thread, shadow series. Draw out the puppet. By my will, go!"

The higher one's mental strength, the more adeptly one could use high-level items.

Thus, as the red thread bell flew from her hand, it immediately entwined the haunted dolls.

The moment the dolls touched the red thread bell, they emitted piercing shrieks.

Their features and mouths began oozing black blood, cracking inch by inch.

Terrifying and evil.

An Xiaoyue was furious, shouting at Jose for turning against her, "Jose! You're from the Ayu Association too! If I die, you won't be able to explain to the boss when you get out!"

A blatant threat.

Jose was torn.

"But I..."

He hadn't taken the antidote to the sedative—he lacked the strength to even lift his hand, let alone help An Xiaoyue against Tang Mu.

Tang Mu shouted, "The association doesn't care about An Xiaoyue herself, only her status as a high-level puppeteer. If you kill her and seize her skills, the association will discard her and pour resources into training you instead."

"Do you want to be a dragon or a worm? It's up to you now, Mr. Jose!"