by N. Heller
Lin Sanjiu slowly got up to her feet. She dared not look at Yun, so she glued her gaze to Yunqian. She stared viciously at his Adam's apple that slid up and down as he talked, fantasizing the bloody scene when she plunged a blade into it.
She had never had such an intense urge to kill somebody. Her entire body was screaming at her to kill the man standing in front of her and shut his mouth for good.
Alas, she was now merely a spectator like a theatergoer who could not interact with the characters in the movie. The Veda had prevented her from meddling with the world. She could not do anything, and nobody could see her.
Yunqian turned and left with a satisfied smile on his lips. His voice, dripping with venom, drifted from the corridor into the room, "I'll give you time to consider. Think about the folks in the city, and think about your friends. Do you want them to live, or do you want them to die? Think carefully and thoroughly, Yun. I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer when I return."
This was the first of the darkest days in Puppeteer's memory.
Right after Yunqian's ability had worn off, Yun got up from the bed and tottered his way out of his room. He wanted to look for his friends. Dragging his body across the corridor, he went to Yanjoe and Steven's room respectively, but he was too late. Yanjoe and Steven were gone, as Yunqian had already carted both of them away.
The governor's mansion went from a lively mansion to an abandoned statehouse in a single night. The servants and nurses who tended to their wounds and managed their demands had vanished. Instead, the entire mansion was heavily guarded with the cold and expressionless Vindice.
The closer to the attic, the more Vindice were strolling around, as it was where the AI command station was harbored. Every move Yun made was monitored and recorded. There were Vindice at every nook and cranny of the mansion, staring aloof at the wounded teenager.
The sun rose and fell. Lin Sanjiu had lost count of how many days she had been in Puppeteer's memory.
Aside from Brother Gong, all other posthumans had lost their lives in the quest to retrieve the AI from Sector 1. Yunqian held a martyr's memorial ceremony in the city. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he recounted the heroic deeds of his fallen brethren. He distributed compensation to the spouses and dependents of the fallen posthumans and officially threw the droids into the production of staple merchandise, liberating the people of Sector 9 from the domestic drudgery. He also restarted the operation of five hospitals around the city. Bathing in the prayers and cheers of the masses, Yunqian returned to the governor's mansion. The first thing he did after stepping into the mansion was to talk to Yun. His voice was laced with excitement. "With the medical AI, I can finally perform minor surgery on you."
Yunqian had also mentioned that he loved kids with gorgeous features. Thus, he dabbed bright red lipstick on Yun's lips and smeared shining glitter around his eyes. Every time he left, the teenager would frantically grab something in the room to rub his face. However, he could only ever wipe the lipstick off. The glitter seemed to have seeped into his skin, and no matter if he washed it with water or scratched it with his finger, the glitter just would not fall off.
As the young hero of Sector 9, there were times that Yun was required to go out of the governor's mansion and greet the crowd. However, every time he went out, Yunqian demanded he wear lipstick and glitter powder. The questioning and the interrogative gaze of the masses bore through him, burning him from the inside. It was too much for him to bear, and he became increasingly reluctant to go outside and meet people. In the end, he even contracted heliophobia. He kept the curtains drawn at all times even during the day. As he only took in a small number of calories, just to sustain his body system, he was thin to the bone, and his bright and fair skin gradually lost its brilliance and vitality.
He had recovered from his injuries, but he never moved out of the governor's mansion. It was weird. Even a blind man could see that something was wrong. Nonetheless, the people in Sector 9, those folks who cared for him like he was their own kid, those people who fought and worked alongside him, none of them seemed to have noticed anything.
The menial work had been taken over by AI, and with Vindice patrolling around the perimeter, they no longer had to worry about the invasion of Vindice from the outside. Sector 9 had never been so prosperous ever since it was established.
Yun had grown so accustomed to the never-ending torture and his mutilated body that he embraced it as part of himself in the end. He would sometimes sit by the window and peek out through the slit of the curtains at the pedestrians that strolled along the street. Each of them had a serene and satisfied look of surviving the darkest days of their lives on their faces.
After a while, the teenager would close the curtains after he had enough watching them and sit alone in the darkness that once again befell the room.
"If the lives of the people in the city aren't enough to help you make your decision, then think about your friends. Do you want them to die, or do you want them to live?" The words Yunqian had said to him replayed in his mind.
He had no idea where Yunqian had detained Yanjoe and Steven. Yun had been asking around whenever he got the chance, but they were fruitless attempts. Even the people in the city had not seen them.
Since Lin Sanjiu could not do anything, she remained by Yun's side to accompany him. Sometimes, she would sit together with him for an entire afternoon, hoping that although he could not see her, he would feel better. However, she would be awashed with a pang of despair whenever she had to go away when night arrived.
"Oh, my silly boy. Of course, they are still alive," Yunqian answered in a sickly sweet manner when the teenager could not contain his anxiety and asked about the safety of his friends.
"Not only are they still alive, but I also didn't conceal anything about you from them. I made it very clear that they are still alive because of you."
The teenager's face quivered. "Even Yanjoe?"
"She was the first one to know about your status." Yunqian looked at him contentedly. He stretched his arm out to pinch his chin. "They are grateful! If it weren't for you, I'd never keep those two pieces of rubbish. After all, the so-called posthumans are a bunch of troublesome rubbish."
Looking at the teenager that refused to look into his eyes, the president squeezed his cheek even harder. "Since you've behaved so well recently, I can grant you the chance to see your friends. If I'm happy, maybe I can help you video call them."
Yun's body quivered as the skin on his back burst into gooseflesh. Forcing down the urge to retch, the teenager said in a trembling tone, "I… I'll try my best to serve you well and make you happy, Mr. President."
This was another rule set by Yunqian: He had to call him Mr. President whenever he was talking to him.
To Yun's utter depression, Yunqian had thrown the promise he made to the back of his mind after that night. Six days later, he broke into Yun's room followed by a Vindice. Startled, the teenager stared warily at the two intruders. Yunqian was greatly satisfied when he saw the fear in Yun's eyes. He watched with p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e for a long while before gesturing the Vindice behind him to take out a camera.
The tape he played was the recording from Yanjoe's and Steven's rooms. Although both of them looked weary and listless, they were still alive.
"See, this is a tape from yesterday." Yunqian sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. "I kept my promise."
Yun raised his head and looked at the Vindice. The tall and lanky AI seemed to be indifferent about the surroundings. After he finished playing the tape, he pushed the camera away.
The teenager looked at the Vindice for a long while before shifting his gaze to Yunqian.
Chapter 588 - Revenge And An Old Friend
"I can finally see why you refuse to take this thing down… Oh, this feels good…"
Yunqian let out a long contented sigh as he whispered. His eyes were closed, his head leaning over the handle of the sofa. There were a few metal sheets on top of his forehead, flickeri
ng in the ill-lit room filled with soft white light.
At the very far end of the room, the teenager sat on the bed, allowing the shadow of the curtain to hide his presence. He silently stared at the man on the couch.
Yunqian opened his mouth slightly and let out a low m.o.a.n of contentment. Starting from his fingertips, his body quivered as if a flux of electricity had shot up his spine and coursed up and down every cell in his body. He curled himself up like a frozen shrimp reaching the climax of his euphoria. He remained in such a position for a long while before gradually loosening up again.
The teenager lowered his feet down on the floor and stood up silently.
Suddenly, Yunqian peeled back his eyelids, prompting Yun to lower his head. Yunqian's eyes were bloodshot. Gone was the solemn and severe president. He stared at the teenager, giggling with a husky voice, "You finished, too?"
There were several similar metal sheets on top of Yun's forehead. He kept his head low as he nodded silently, not wanting to exchange glances with the president. Unlike Yunqian, whose eyes were red with blood, the teenager's eyes were black and white.
Towards the end of the "Golden Era", this gadget had become a trend amongst the folks in Mistral. According to the manufacturer, the effect was divided into five or six different "flavors", which could induce different levels, varying intensity, and various types of autonomous sensory meridian responses (ASMR) and ecstasy by stimulating one's nervous system. Due to its unique attribute of having almost no toxic side effects, it was pretty addictive. In a sense, it was a perfect substitution for drugs.
The only side effect was that after each "wave", the user's eyes would turn red for some time.
Yunqian did not use the metal sheet often. Perhaps he was intrigued by Yun since he kept this gadget on his forehead all the time, so Yunqian gave in to his curiosity at last and decided to try it out today, which in turn gave the teenager a chance to take a breather from the never-ending torment he received every night.
Bathing in the yellow light that hovered over the gloomy room, the president once again closed his eyes. His usually well-pressed suit was now a disheveled mess.
Tick, tick, tick, tick. The electronic clock on the wall wouldn't stop ticking, a monotonous pace that went on forever, which would get on the listener's nerves. Since the teenager refused to open the window or the curtain, the air in the room was permeated with a musty smell. Everything in the dark seemed to have frozen in time. The man huffing on the sofa and this foul-smelling room—it seemed like it would exist for eternity.
A second later, the door slid open quietly. Lin Sanjiu was standing outside the door. After a moment of suspense, she moved aside, revealing a tall and lanky human-esque figure behind her.
A Vindice clad in black leather pushed the door very slowly and slipped into the room.
Yun's face was growing pale. He gestured with his chin towards the man sitting on the sofa.
The Vindice turned his body mechanically and began to move towards the sofa. His movement was slow-gaited. He would land on his heel first before pressing his entire foot firmly on the ground. The teenager followed behind the Vindice, his lower jaw tight. It looked like the toll of controlling a Vindice was visibly tiring him out. With each step the Vindice took, cold sweat oozed out of his forehead.
Even though the Vindice was very careful not to make any noise, his leather still uttered a slight squeal when he moved. Yunqian spun his head around half-way and cracked open his eyes a little as he muttered, "Hmm?"
The Vindice stopped moving in an instant. Yun quickly feigned a deep voice, "I… I'm just getting some water."
Hearing his voice seemed to please the man very much. Yunqian licked his lips and murmured in a husky, nasal voice, "Come closer, sweetheart." After that, he closed his eyes and again wallowed in the sensual p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e induced by the metal sheet. The teenager's heart hammered a fearful cadence as all color escaped from his face. He kept his mouth shut tightly to press down the bile that rose in his throat and the sickening nausea that churned his stomach acids. After that, he resumed walking forward, followed by the Vindice.
When they were a few steps away from the president, Yun stopped, but he commanded the Vindice to continue to move closer to the couch.
The glitter around the teenager's eyes dimmed down and became two halos of dark circles. His eyes seemed like two dark tunnels; there wasn't any light in them.
He stared at Yunqian for a considerable amount of time. After the clock ticked four more times, he whispered, "Kill him."
Yunqian opened his eyes abruptly, and at the same time, countless black tubes appeared from beneath the Vindice's skin.
Yunqian never expected to be welcomed by a Vindice the moment he opened his eyes. The Vindice pointed all the black tubes at him. However, Yunqian's reflexes as a posthuman were something to be reckoned with. He kicked the floor and fell to the back of the couch, using the couch as his shield from the blast of white powder that was discharged by the Vindice.
The Vindice charged in. He grabbed the couch and moved it out of his way while showering the back of the couch with a blast of white powder, filling half of the room with a sea of whiteness. Yunqian closed his mouth and nose with his hand as he stumbled his way to the door, but the Vindice and Yun were not going to give him a chance. The moment he moved, the ruthless AI blitzed him down with a salvo of white powder, turning him into a snowman. Yunqian fell to the floor, and his body could not help shaking. It was just that this time when his body shivered, it did not come from p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e anymore...
"You, you are crazy…"
Yunqian wiggled and squirmed like a worm on its death throes. His hand had fallen away from his mouth, and his eyes rolled back till they showed white. White foam bubbled at the corner of his lips. He mustered up all the remaining strength in his body and shouted his loudest shout, "You are gonna die, too!"
Yun calmly wiped off the white powder from his face. He inspected the white powder that lingered on his fingertip and said in a low voice, "I'm willing to take the risk."
The Vindice only ceased attacking after the white powder completely covered his target and seeped into his skin. For a moment, no one in the room talked or moved. Yunqian squirmed and g.r.o.a.n.e.d as he continued to crawl his way to the door. Goo oozed out of the pores in his face as his throat gurgled. He could not speak any words with meaning.
It was as if somebody was clutching his neck. The rattling from his windpipe and the ticking of the clock created a symphony that resonated throughout the room. Not long after, the ticking of the clock was the only sound that remained in the room.
But Yun knew that he wasn't dead yet.
He wanted to see him waste away and die in agony.
Yun crouched beside the contorted human figure, offering him a gentle smile. "Do you like it, Mr. President?"
The exposed skin beneath the white powder had turned black like burned charcoal, and Yunqian's face with his strong jawline was disfigured as if licked by a flame. At a glance, nobody would realize that this was actually a man. Not only had he lost all human features, but there was also yellow pus percolating through the pores on his face.
"I know you can still hear me, Mr. President." Yun took down the metal sheets from his forehead and threw them into the room, striking a jangle note as they dropped on the floor. Then, with an ever-soothing voice, he said, "Although I wear them every day, I have never once used them. It saved me a goddamn lot of work when you said you wanted to try them out to let off some steam. Do you still remember the day before yesterday? When you saw me shivering so much and asked me if the sensation was that pleasant, and I answered yes?"
The teenager lowered his head to get closer to the man at the gates of death. Wearing a malefic mask on his face, he hissed into Yunqian's ear, "That day is the day my ability evolved."
The human body on the floor quivered a little bit. It was so light that it was almost imperceptible to the n.a.k.e.d human eye.
Feeling
contented, Yun smiled. "Since the AI is capable of self-decision making to a certain degree, I could not control them in the past. You knew about this, so you did not worry about me at all, didn't you? Do you feel surprised now, Mr. President? What? What are you saying? I can't hear you quite clearly. Can you please speak louder, Mr. President? What? Die? Are you saying you don't want to die? Oh, you silly old man. I won't let you die so easily. Don't you know how much I love you?"
After that, he got up to his feet and turned to the Vindice, commanding him with an expressionless face, "Give him a bath and treat him."
The Vindice strode up towards the man on the floor. He grabbed him by his ankle, attempting to lift him, but little did he expect that the powder had corroded so deep into his body; his ankle fell off as if it were made of maize syrup. Yun came to a sudden halt for a moment before chuckling. "Just treat him here."
The teenager glanced at the AI, seeming unsurprised. His face was ashen white and his body wet with sweat. He stumbled a few steps back and collapsed on the floor.
Yunqian had been controlling Yun with his power. Since his ability had just evolved and the Vindice was not technically a "doll", after commanding the Vindice to do so much of his bidding, he had finally exhausted his energy.
Sitting on the floor, Yun looked at the distorted human body and burst into a loud and continuous laughter. His smile grew bigger and his laughter louder until it turned into a whimper and finally became a wail like the howl of a lonely wolf that lost its pack in the middle of the night.
Yunqian was still alive, but he was not far away from death.
Yun had gotten his revenge, but he felt so empty. The teenager curled up in a fetus position on the floor and bawled his eyes out. His face turned red as he muttered the word "why" again and again and again.