PSW - Chapter 169

Chapter 169

"Zero One, I remember you said… a higher-grade Stand-in Puppet can become a true substitute?"

[Ah… y-yes, that's right.] Zero One, who had been planning to sleep in its little black room, suddenly heard Zheng Yi's words in its mind. In the total darkness, it heard the slow, trickling sound of water. Was Zheng Yi taking a shower alone? Or perhaps this was just a cover for entering the shower room by herself. [Would you like to purchase one? The Stand-in Puppets are divided into five grades. The one you used initially was a defective product. After that are the low, medium, and high grades. The highest grade is the supreme Stand-in Puppet.]

"How many Saint Points for a supreme Stand-in Puppet?"

[…Could you tell me your requirements? Perhaps I can recommend the most suitable model for you.] Zero One hesitated for a moment, not answering the question immediately. It probed tentatively before continuing, [The best one costs one hundred thousand Saint Points.] But Zero One felt it was completely unnecessary! Zheng Yi had no use for a puppet, did she? If she wanted to leave a puppet in each base as a movable set of eyes, a medium-grade puppet would be more than enough. If the base leaders cooperated, even a low-grade one wasn't entirely out of the question.

But Zheng Yi completely ignored it, directly opening the store and searching for the puppets.

Both high-grade and supreme-grade puppets could move freely. The high-grade puppet required the host to set a routine, but it could also handle simple social interactions on its own. The supreme-grade puppet, on top of that, had a "learning" function. It could use data to determine how to deal with different people and could better impersonate the host. The key feature that made the supreme-grade puppet so expensive was that it could use the store with the host's permission and could inherit the host's strength. Without factoring in the host's mental energy consumption, it could exert up to 60% of the host's total power. Of course, this maximum had a hidden ceiling; if Zheng Yi officially became a god, the puppet couldn't possibly reach demigod strength. It would be calculated as 60% of the current world's peak power level.

"Will the puppet have emotions?"

[No, it has no system supporting it. It relies purely on data. After purchasing it, you can selectively implant memories to help it with its performance.] Zero One didn't continue its previous line of thought. After explaining, it paused and asked softly, [Are you… planning to leave?]

"This world?"

Zheng Yi hadn't undergone her tribulation yet, and the apocalypse hadn't fully incubated… Although Zero One felt the key lay in the meteor fragments, Zheng Yi still had many she hadn't obtained. Thus, Zero One hesitated for a moment before replying: [No, you probably won't be leaving this world for the time being. Are you going to… search for the fragments alone?] Ah, that was true. After gaining the teleportation ability, going alone to collect meteor fragments without Yu Yinan was clearly the most efficient method. Zero One didn't know what level Zheng Yi's mental energy had reached, or how much longer this body of hers could remain in this world… It was a pity that the physical enhancement potions had little effect on Zheng Yi; otherwise, they could have bought her more time.

As Zero One thought this, the entire system grew dejected. It hadn't expected that after Zheng Yi's slight change in attitude, the thing separating her and Yu Yinan would become an objective condition. No, it should have known all along. The distance between a god and a human… was not so simple. It just hadn't faced these problems directly.

Zero One didn't know what it was truly thinking. As a long-time observer… it was no more clear-headed than the two people involved. But it was suddenly overcome by an impulse, one that made it dare to press Zheng Yi: [Are you planning to leave without a word? Just leaving a puppet behind?]

[If the tribulation lightning descends after you've collected all the meteor fragments, then wouldn't that… Is this part of your plan?] Perhaps a short, sharp pain was better than a long one. If she were direct with Yu Yinan, maybe, just maybe, Yu Yinan could have a life of her own? What was the point of leaving a puppet? A substitute? Even if it was worth one hundred thousand Saint Points, even if it could inherit Zheng Yi's abilities and strength, even if it could use the store, it was still just a puppet!

"Didn't you say before that they could play the part perfectly, become a true substitute?"

[But it's still just a substitute!] Zero One instinctively felt this was wrong.

"Zero One, are you afraid Yu Yinan will see through it, or are you afraid she won't?" Zheng Yi seemed to be chuckling softly, the light sound quickly masked by the running water in the shower.

Zero One couldn't answer. It thought, it was indeed a little afraid. It feared the outcome, and it feared Zheng Yi's actions. [This is… too arrogant. Are you trying to find out if she loves this shell of yours, or the soul beneath it? You want to know if she can tell the difference when a puppet takes your place? This kind of… this kind of test is just…] Zero One stopped abruptly.

Perhaps a lofty god was, by nature, supremely arrogant. Its tests, its preferences, its everything was so inscrutable. Maybe it was the long-standing disguise, or Zheng Yi's recently prominent humanity, that had given Zero One a perception it shouldn't have had. Of course, it was also possible that, just like before, it had never truly seen through Zheng Yi at all.

With such a chasm between them, their relationship had been unfair and unequal from the very beginning. Even when Zheng Yi hadn't remembered everything, Yu Yinan had always placed herself in a lower position, wanting to give, to provide, to devote her entire being…

[Hidden Achievement Triggered: 【Spendthrift】. Reward: Saint Points_2000]

Zheng Yi's expression hadn't flickered when she bought the puppet in one go, but when this hidden achievement popped up, she was rendered speechless.

Spending one hundred thousand at once triggered a hidden achievement that only rewarded two thousand Saint Points? That was really… She reached out to turn off the water, took out the puppet, and placed a hand on its back. Her mental energy probed inside as she began to share most of her memories since the start of the apocalypse.

Zero One remained silent in the system space, its thoughts a tangled mess, but it didn't speak again.

Outside the window, the night deepened. All was still and silent, with only the bright moon hanging high, looking down upon the world.

---

The next day, Yu Yinan groggily reached a hand to her side, and as expected, felt nothing. She yawned, sat up in bed, and paused for two or three seconds before picking up the clean, folded clothes on the nightstand and changing. Then, out of habit, she went into the shower room to wash up.

By the time she had tidied herself up and pushed the door open, Zheng Yi was just walking out of the kitchen with two bowls of clear noodle soup. Only then did she realize Zheng Yi hadn't gone to the research institute to visit the Xia siblings this morning.

"Good morning?" Yu Yinan walked over quickly and took a bowl from Zheng Yi's hands. It was a simple noodle soup with two or three green vegetables and a whole fried egg floating on top, looking utterly enticing. "I thought you went to the institute."

"I can't help with the research," Zheng Yi said with her familiar, gentle smile. She spoke softly, "Jiejie, eat your noodles."

"Okay." Yu Yinan was stunned for a second before quickly agreeing. She picked up some noodles and took a bite. The taste was exactly the same as the noodles Zheng Yi had made before. Yu Yinan quickly began to eat heartily, taking a few sips of the hot broth, feeling completely satisfied.

When she was full and about to take her empty bowl to the kitchen, Zheng Yi stopped her, took her bowl and chopsticks, and cleaned them instantly with her ability, storing them all in her personal space.

"What does Jiejie plan to do next?"

"Me?" Yu Yinan blinked, an indescribable sense of strangeness washing over her. Was it because she was too tired last night? Last night… Yu Yinan accidentally glanced at a small red mark peeking out from Zheng Yi's collar. The heated memories flooded her mind, forcing her to look away and take a deep breath. "I… I don't have much to do. Maybe… maybe write a letter to Feng Shuxian? Or to Ling Xunyun in Changping, to let her know The Director is safe."

"I see." Zheng Yi nodded and cleaned the table with her ability. "Then, I'll stay with you today, Jiejie."

Zheng Yi seemed a little strange today. Not in a clingy or cute kind of way… Yu Yinan reflected on her own performance last night. She should have… she shouldn't have done anything wrong or… or made Zheng Yi uncomfortable… right?

"Is Jiejie unhappy?" Zheng Yi tilted her head, seeming genuinely puzzled. "Or do you not like me this way?"

"No, I'm very happy. I like you no matter how you are," Yu Yinan answered in a flash, without needing to think. But after saying this, she didn't see the usual teasing, half-smiling look on Zheng Yi's face, only that same, extremely gentle smile.

…This version of Zheng Yi was very much like… very much like how she was at the very beginning. Did she suddenly want to play this game of pretend? Was she using this sweet-girl persona to tease her again? Yu Yinan tried to guess Zheng Yi's thoughts, forcibly ignoring the faint, unknown unease. She put on a smile, took out a pen and paper, and began to write at the table, with Zheng Yi accompanying her and watching her.

It wasn't until the magical carrier pigeon had sent the letters off that Yu Yinan let out a long sigh of relief. She stretched her slightly stiff body. Zheng Yi, who had been focused and serious, accompanying her without moving for a single moment, spoke again:

"By the way, does Jiejie want to watch a movie together?"

Ah, the portable home theater. Yu Yinan remembered. "Sure, what do you want to watch?"

"I'm fine with anything~ Jiejie's decision is the most important~" Zheng Yi smiled sweetly.

"…" Yu Yinan was silent for a moment. She tried, but she couldn't find any hint of a teasing glint in Zheng Yi's eyes. She secretly pinched herself and found she wasn't dreaming. Instead of answering the question immediately, she suddenly asked, "When are we leaving Pujie? The next meteor fragment… which city are we going to next?"

"After the heatwave passes, and when there's some progress on the antidote, maybe?" Zheng Yi said. "Does Jiejie not want to stay here? If you want to leave right away, that's fine too. We can leave anytime. As for the destination… which city does Jiejie want to explore next?"

"Qiding?"

"Isn't that where we met? There are no meteor fragments there, but if Jiejie wants to revisit old places, I'm willing to accompany you." Zheng Yi smiled, the curve of her lips so familiar, almost identical to her previous state, without the slightest change, not even in the smallest detail… "I have teleportation now, so we can go right away if you want. We might just need a little rest on the way~ If the distance is too far, my mental energy might not be enough."

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