Chapter 62: The Puppet’s Head

Soon two Support Team members clad in heavy protective suits and wearing masks connected to three or four specialized plastic tubes carried over a transparent glass case. Inside the case lay an object shaped like a human head.

Lu Xin looked over and immediately recognized it as the man he had seen earlier.

His face was covered with a thick beard looking quite ordinary. An expression of shock was frozen on his features.

The severed neck showed uneven flesh looking almost like it had been ripped off.

In a way it resembled a snapped wooden stake.

…

…

Looking at the head Lu Xin suddenly felt a chill creep up his spine.

He wasn’t sure if he was just slow on the uptake or what. Earlier when he saw the headless corpse suddenly revive climb the wall and speed off on a motorcycle it hadn’t struck him as particularly odd. Even after Chen Jing arrived he was busy explaining the bizarre encounter and hadn’t really processed the shock. It wasn’t until now seeing the head in the glass case that the reality hit him.

“Running without a head… that’s terrifying…”

Chen Jing glanced at him. “Judging by the time it took you that reaction is definitely slow!”

“Well…”

Lu Xin could only continue staring at the head. “This doesn’t make any sense. I didn’t get top marks in school or anything but I know basic biology… Human consciousness and thought originate in the head. All the body’s actions and reactions rely on signals to and from the brain. He… he doesn’t even have a head anymore. How could he possibly keep running?”

Chen Jing glanced at his somewhat blank face seemingly searching for matching surprise and panic.

There was some but really not much.

So she turned her head back to the glass case and suddenly ordered “Perform the basic three-part assessment!”

The two Support Team members nodded. One held the case while the other took out a finger-length laser pen and shone it twice towards the head’s eyes. The laser hit the dull gray eyeballs but there was no response.

Then he put away the laser pen and took out a small metal percussion hammer tapping the outside of the case.

The echo of the metal striking spread through the case into the head’s ears. Still no reaction.

The two Support Team members exchanged a look then opened the glass lid and turned to face Chen Jing.

Chen Jing stared at the head and spoke softly “You should blink.”

Her voice sounded slightly different from usual carrying an unusual depth.

Her voice seemed much heavier yet possessed a greater piercing quality.

As if speaking to a person coaxing the head to blink.

And then a scene unfolded that made Lu Xin’s skin crawl.

The seemingly lifeless head suddenly twitched. Its eyelids fluttered as if trying to open.

However it ultimately lacked the strength managing only a slight flicker before becoming still again.

*Can she really talk to a severed head?*

Lu Xin now looked at Chen Jing with a rather strange expression.

…

…

“You should tell me who you are?”

Chen Jing ignored Lu Xin’s stare continuing her inquiry in the same tone.

Lu Xin subconsciously glanced at Chen Jing and saw that her pupils had turned red at some point.

Even Lu Xin listening to her felt a faint urge to spill everything—who he was who his sister was who his mom and dad were where he lived—but the thought vanished as quickly as it came.

Chen Jing naturally paid no mind to the bystander at this moment. After speaking she kept her eyes fixed on the contents of the case. It was just a head; it couldn’t make a sound so she hoped to decipher something from the movement of its lips.

Unfortunately the head’s movements were minuscule. After that single twitch it showed no further action.

“Failed!”

Chen Jing seemed unfazed. This reaction was within her expectations.

She pushed her sunglasses back up her nose and instructed the Support Team personnel “Cut it open!”

The two Support Team members accustomed to such sights immediately crouched down. One placed the glass case on the ground and set up a lighting system with four lamps designed to provide three-dimensional illumination within a certain range without casting shadows.

The other retrieved a complete set of surgical instruments from his personal bag.

There were saws knives pliers hooks spoons… even pregnancy test strips…

…

…

Lu Xin suddenly felt a sense of unease. *Why does it feel like this Support Team is prepared for absolutely anything?*

Amid his surprise a flurry of saws scalpels pliers and hooks went to work and a section of the skull was quickly opened.

Through the light source Lu Xin could see what lay beneath the skullcap.

It was gray somewhat shriveled and exuded an aura of death like moldy jelly.

One of the Support Team members even gently poked it with a finger clad in an iron-fiberglass glove.

Completely inelastic.

…

…

Lu Xin was suddenly taken aback. “Is this a pollution source?”

Although he hadn’t attended university in the main city he knew that a normal person’s brain would never look like this.

“This is a mentally modified person!”

Chen Jing calmly answered Lu Xin “I told you before there are many systems of ability users. The Spider-type ability is one of the easiest to understand because it primarily affects the user. But many other ability systems can influence others. A person losing their head definitely shouldn’t be able to move but under certain special circumstances it’s not impossible.”

She spoke while looking at Lu Xin. “Have you ever seen a string puppet?”

Faced with the question Lu Xin could only nod.

Chen Jing continued “If a person loses their head they can’t act anymore. But if a puppet loses its head does it make any difference?”

Hearing this Lu Xin’s expression turned to shock. “There’s an ability like that?”

Although he had started training his knowledge was currently limited to pollution sources; he hadn’t yet begun comprehensive learning about the various ability systems. Therefore the surprise he showed now was completely genuine.

“Of course there is!”

Regarding Lu Xin’s question Chen Jing stated coolly “My own ability shares certain similarities.”

“However this one is more extreme. He turned a person into a tool that can be controlled mentally. If I’m not mistaken this should be the work of a Puppet-type ability user and a rather powerful one at that!”

Puppet-type…

A strange feeling arose in Lu Xin’s heart.

A living person who seemed to laugh and talk was actually just a puppet…

…He suddenly felt this world was utterly insane.

…

…

“Ability systems are numerous varying according to the direction of mutation.”

Seemingly sensing Lu Xin’s thoughts Chen Jing frowned slightly. “As time passes new abilities are constantly being discovered. According to the latest report published by the Alliance Research Institute there are currently nine known ability systems and Puppet is one of them. Even regarding you a professor from the main city—the bald one—expressed doubts…”

“He suspects you don’t belong to the Spider-type but represent a newly discovered ability type.”

“He even suggested changing the ability classification in your file to Family Fun…”

…

Lu Xin didn’t know what to say. Besides all the professors were bald; he had no idea which one Chen Jing meant.

Seeing his expression Chen Jing stated flatly “Don’t worry it was rejected.”

Lu Xin breathed a sigh of relief.

“Alright send the evidence to the Research Institute for deeper analysis. See if we can find any more valuable clues.”

“You come with me!”

Chen Jing instructed the two Support Team members then led Lu Xin towards a nearby Jeep. It wasn’t clear who had driven it there but she slid directly into the driver’s seat. The keys were still in the ignition and she started the engine smoothly.

“Regardless this incident must be taken seriously.”

“The kind of disaster the Technology Church brought upon Satellite City No. 4 four years ago… cannot be allowed to happen again…”