Hanging by a Thread

The mechanical puppet's skeleton was cast from bronze, while its torso was an assemblage of steel and timber. Smooth iron spheres were set into its knee and elbow joints, an engraved bronze-iron plate covered the mechanism core in its chest, and its hand gripped a bloodstained steel broadsword. It looked like a butcher well-suited to slaughtering pigs—no, at first glance, it was clearly a formidable swordsman. A Fire Master was a melee class. Though lacking exaggerated defenses or abnormal regenerative powers, melee classes possessed robust physiques and abundant vitality. Even when mortally wounded, they could cling to life for quite a while rather than dying easily. Yet Brother Red Chicken's struggles were steadily subsiding. With his spine severed, he could not move even if he wanted to. His four limbs twitched faintly; half his life was already gone, and the remaining half was draining away at high speed. It was likely due to the cognitive shift. Once he truly believed he was a pig, he became nothing more than a pig. Pig squeals erupted everywhere. The timid Asano Ryo shrieked, "Brother Red Chicken is dead! Run!!" The herd of pigs scattered in a panic, scurrying wildly through the cavern. The scene was as absurd as it was comical. It was hard to imagine that the young geniuses of the orthodox faction would one day flee for their lives in such forms, huffing and snorting with breathless rasps as they ran. Yet Zhang Yuanqing could not muster even the faintest smile. A dire crisis had arrived. No matter how formidable a class or how powerful an item, none could withstand a single blade strike. Right now, they were pigs; a single slice would take their heads, ending them in an instant. Zhang Yuanqing lunged, pinning Sun Miaomiao to the ground as she bolted past, and bellowed: "Don't run! Come to me, everyone! This puppet's combat strength isn't that high, and I have a shield to block it!" If he let them run blindly, there would be no way to protect them all. "Let go of me, let go of me!" Sun Miaomiao let out shrill, frantic squeals, thrashing her four hooves in an attempt to kick Zhang Yuanqing away. She cried, "The human butcher's blade is here! If I don't run, am I supposed to wait to die?!" Zhang Yuanqing roared, "You pighead! If everyone runs blindly, no one survives! We have to unite to make it out alive—we need to cooperate!" "We ARE pigs!" Sun Miaomiao struggled violently. "Yuanshi Tianzun, are you out of your mind? Pigs don't cooperate!" Just then, broadsword in hand, the puppet scanned the cave. Its gaze swept past the pigs running aimlessly in every direction and locked onto the two pigs grappling on the ground. The sound of whirling gears and driving linkages echoed from its chest. Surging kinetic energy propelled the puppet swordsman into the air, raising its broadsword high in the posture of a hungry tiger pouncing on a sheep. Zhang Yuanqing's heart clenched. He hurriedly shifted his posture, propping himself up on his sturdy hind legs to stand like a human, and thrust his shield forward to block. *Clang!* Sparks flew in all directions. The steel blade cut a shallow notch into the surface of the Purple-Gold Shield. *Crack!* Violet-gold electric arcs snapped and leaped across the puppet swordsman, utterly failing to affect an inanimate object. Zhang Yuanqing tumbled backward, sent rolling across the stone floor until his head spun and his face was bruised and battered. Clicking and clattering rapidly at its joints, the puppet swordsman pivoted, raised its left arm, and aimed straight at the fleeing Sun Miaomiao. The plate on its palm slid open to reveal a dark circular hole, accompanied by the click of an internal mechanism. *Thwack! Thwack!* Two short bolts shot forth, striking Sun Miaomiao dead center in the belly and neck. The little white pig let out a mournful squeal and crashed heavily to the ground, warm crimson blood dyeing her plump white body. She struggled a few times before finally going limp and feeble, her breath faint and shallow. Seeing this, a terror born of shared sorrow exploded in the hearts of Guan Ya, Zhao Chenghuang, and the others. Stripped of any notion of resistance or combat, they obeyed their animal instincts and scrambled headlong toward the exit. Four white pigs—Zhao Chenghuang, World Returns to Fire, Guan Ya, and Xiao Yuan—bolted neck and neck at the head of the pack. Asano Ryo and Xiahou Aotian were a beat slower, trailing closely behind them. Commandery Princess Yinyao stood in the distance, tilting her head as she watched it all in silence, seemingly torn between fighting or fleeing. Her mental fortitude and spiritual cultivation were several tiers higher than those of Guan Ya and the rest, allowing her to barely resist the animal instinct. Yet she could not fully restore her cognition either. Caught in the clash between willpower and instinct, she looked completely bewildered, like a dazed roe deer. *Hum... Clatter, clatter!* The core inside the puppet fired at full capacity, building astounding, surging power through its mechanical workings. Like a sports car with the accelerator floored, it surged toward the herd fleeing toward the passage. *Thud, thud, thud!* Its sprinting footfalls were heavy and resonant. In the blink of an eye, it caught up to the herd, leaped high into the air over Xiahou Aotian and Asano Ryo, and brought its broadsword down toward Guan Ya in the lead. If this blow landed, her head would surely be severed from her body. At the critical moment, Zhang Yuanqing gripped the Purple-Gold Shield in his jaws, his four hooves flying in a rapid clatter like pouring rain. He sprang into the air, bringing all two hundred jin of his body weight behind the Purple-Gold Shield in a lateral strike, slamming heavily into the puppet swordsman. *Clatter, crash...* The two tumbled together in a tangle, every roll of the puppet swordsman producing a heavy metallic collision. With the power core in its chest whirring at high speed, the puppet instantly adjusted its center of gravity. Bracing its elbows and knees against the ground, it forcibly stabilized its frame and raised its arm to fire a bolt. The short bolt drove into World Returns to Fire's hind leg, the arrowhead punching through flesh and protruding from the inner side. World Returns to Fire let out a shrill squeal and took a hard spill, tumbling several times from momentum. Dragging his wounded leg, he crawled forward while shrieking in agony. Meanwhile, Guan Ya, Xiao Yuan, and the other pigs scattered in all directions the moment Zhang Yuanqing and the puppet swordsman crashed into their midst. "Don't go to the exit! Come back! Come back..." Zhang Yuanqing was nearly frantic with anxiety. The puppet swordsman's operational pattern was unmistakable: pigs attempting to escape the cavern became its priority targets. In just two minutes, Brother Red Chicken and Sun Miaomiao were on the brink of death, and World Returns to Fire was severely injured. Had Zhang Yuanqing not risked his life to block the onslaught with the Purple-Gold Shield, those three would likely have been decapitated already. Even so, the three of them would probably not last until the curse expired, and everyone else could die at any moment. He had to find a way to eliminate the puppet swordsman. The Thunderstorm Cannon? No, pig trotters couldn't fire a gun. The Purple-Gold Hammer? Pig trotters couldn't wield a hammer either, and a five-chi-long pig body was far too clumsy and sluggish. He could scrape by relying on the shield, but if he engaged the puppet in melee with a hammer, his pig head would likely be lopped off with a single slash. As his thoughts spun, the puppet swordsman fired two more bolts from a distance—one striking the abdomen, the other piercing the back of the neck. World Returns to Fire immediately slumped, breathing far more air out than in, his life hanging by a thread. *Clang! Clang! Clang!* Ignoring him now, the puppet swordsman swung around and brought its steel blade down in rapid succession, forcing Zhang Yuanqing back step after step. Fortunately, the puppet swordsman was not an intelligent model. Brutal though its strikes were, it possessed no technique, relying solely on brute force. Thus, Zhang Yuanqing was barely able to hold his ground. Seeing Zhang Yuanqing subjected to a relentless flurry of blade strikes, three pigs crept forward tremblingly. They seemed to want to help, yet hung back in fear, not daring to advance. They were Guan Ya, Xiao Yuan, and Commandery Princess Yinyao. Just then, the shrill wail of a suona broke out, notes piercing and soaring. The entire cavern was flooded with the suona's call. The sound originated from the waist pouch of Commandery Princess Yinyao—the Cat King Speaker had taken action of its own accord. Amidst the shrill suona tune, a scarlet glow slowly kindled in the eyes of Commandery Princess Yinyao. Fury and battle intent ignited in the gazes of Guan Ya and Xiao Yuan. From timid, fearful domestic pigs, they transformed into ferocious, enraged wild boars. Cowering in the distance, Zhao Chenghuang, Xiahou Aotian, and Asano Ryo stiffened. They slowly turned their heads, their eyes likewise blazing with restless fury and combat lust. At the same time, their plump white bodies swelled, knots of muscle bulging outward as though injected with a genetic mutator, turning them into demonically ripped muscle pigs. The very same transformation swept over Zhang Yuanqing. *Clang!* Another strike landed with crushing weight, sparks flying from the shield. But this time, Zhang Yuanqing did not retreat. His hooves gripped the ground firmly, and his burly limbs snapped forward with immense force. He slammed heavily into the puppet's chest. *Clatter, clatter!* The puppet staggered backward. Before it could regain its footing, Guan Ya charged in from the flank, knocking it to the ground. The core inside the puppet spun at high speed as it adjusted its balance, preparing to spring back to its feet. But Guan Ya's heavily muscled trotter lifted high and stomped down hard upon its chest. Commandery Princess Yinyao and Xiao Yuan raised their trotters at the same time and slammed them onto its torso, using their weight to pin the puppet down. A sharp click came from the puppet swordsman's elbow joint as its forearm swung upward, aiming the blade directly at Guan Ya's belly. At that exact instant, Xiahou Aotian clamped down on its elbow with his jaws, while Zhao Chenghuang stomped his front trotter onto the blade, forcing the steel sword back down. From the other side, Asano Ryo pinned the puppet swordsman's left hand to prevent it from firing hidden bolts. With the suona blaring and the herd of pigs combining their might, they pinned the puppet swordsman firmly in place. Seeing his chance, the Purple-Gold Shield on Zhang Yuanqing's right hand—or rather, his right trotter—melted down and reshaped itself into the form of a small pumpkin. Clamping the hammer's handle in his teeth, he charged frantically toward the puppet swordsman, reared his head high, and brought it slamming down. *Clang!* The bronze plate across the puppet's chest caved in instantly. Under the terrifying reverberation, components in its elbow, knee, and other joints buzzed and rattled violently. Its limbs immediately lost all power, going slack and limp. The pigs pinning it down felt their internal organs and brains vibrating in unison, their eardrums itching from the force. Zhang Yuanqing reared his head once more and brought down another crushing blow. *Clang!* This strike completely destroyed the puppet swordsman. Joint components burst apart with sharp pops, while the sound of shattering gears and snapping connecting rods erupted from the mechanical core in its chest. Zhang Yuanqing loosened his jaws, and the pumpkin hammer hit the stone floor with a dull thud. He slumped weakly to the ground, murmuring in utter exhaustion, "Finally done." Even as he spoke, he saw the shapes of the pigs beside him begin to shift: hair sprouted across bare heads, clothes materialized, trotters elongated into five fingers... Human traits were swiftly returning.