"This core controller is terrifying," Guan Ling said, clutching his chest with a lingering fear. "We're so far away, yet our thinking is still frozen. Even using basic skills is so difficult. If we were right next to the controller, we'd probably be doomed."
Xing Ye didn't say anything. He leaned against the stone wall to rest, easing the stiffness of consciousness caused by the core control just now.
Cao Qian's tolerance is stronger than the two men, but it doesn't mean she is not uncomfortable. The rags on the match head have fallen off, which means she would be completely bald if it were a human body.
"Isn't this true ending too difficult to defeat?" Guan Ling asked. "The City Lord is about to attack Benedict. When the Master presses the core controller, this team will be completely destroyed."
Xing Ye said, "That's right. That's why we can't let things get to this point. We need to stop the city lord from bringing his troops here. In front of him, our QR codes and skills can still be used."
Although Pinocchio didn't have a heart yet, he had a core and was affected by the controller. Benedict, despite having such a powerful attack device, never attacked Puppet City. This must be because the core controller had a large coverage area, and he was worried about causing irreversible damage to Pinocchio.
Pinocchio is the talisman of Puppet City. If he leaves, the consequences will be disastrous."
"Isn't it enough to just stop the city lord?" Cao Qian asked. "As long as Benedict doesn't give up this idea, Puppet City will always be threatened by the core controller."
Xing Ye: "I remember Kirk once said that she believed Benedict must install a heart for Pinocchio in Puppet City, so what we need to do is to capture Benedict from the mine and bring him to Puppet City."
Guan Ling looked at Xing Ye eagerly: "Boss, do you think this is possible? We are not afraid of those robots, but the core controller... Why is the **Boss in every world so difficult to defeat? So difficult that even with our special abilities, we can't defeat it?"
The same thing happened to Bai Xu in the previous campus world. Guan Ling was facing the Brain Eater head-on, and Xing Ye hadn't used Requiem yet. Bai Xu's power was so strong that he ignored Guan Ling's QR code and nearly tore him apart. Guan Ling was forced to repair his body twice and throw away all his QR codes before using "Bankruptcy" to escape.
"I think it's because within the rules of this world, the final boss is the strongest, and players like us are also subject to the constraints of this world's rules," Xing Ye speculated. "If we weren't puppets, we wouldn't have to fear the Core Controller. But the prerequisite for entering this world is to become a puppet. The Core Controller has an innate suppression on us, and therefore we are also affected by the rules of this world."
"Why does the system do this?" Guan Ling, who has a wig, scratched his head and said, "Wouldn't it be better to just carry max-level equipment and cheat your way through the bosses? Why does every world force us to struggle on the line between life and death?"
Xing Ye said, "The table ending means you can cheat and kill bosses all the way, but you only get 100 points. If you win all 500 table endings, you can become a high-level player. This takes ten years, and you can't be killed by other players in the middle of the game. Each kill will cost you half your points. If you don't play the true ending and don't hunt other players, then you will stay in the game world for the rest of your life."
Guan Ling: "…"
Cao Qian was a bit stronger than Guan Ling, still trying to wrap her head around the plot. She asked, "It's not that hopeless, actually. While the true ending is difficult, the game still gives us the key QR code. If Puppet Show wasn't used in advance, how can we use it to defeat the Core Controller?"
Xing Ye said, "If I'm not mistaken, 'Puppet Show' is used on the player himself. 'Puppet Show' is a QR code that can control the player's speech and behavior, but protect their thoughts. We will first use 'Puppet Show' on our bodies. The core controller should be unable to control our core. Only in this way can we defeat Benedict."
Guan Ling said, "What should we do now? It's all Randy's fault. That guy is so disgusting. If it weren't for dealing with him, we wouldn't be facing such a desperate situation."
Cao Qian: "We are not the ones who are in despair. Failure will only mean a loss of a few thousand points for us, but Linda will be controlled by the system and become a tool in another world."
Xing Ye comforted them: "Don't worry, things are not that bad. I found that in this game, we must always remember one thing, that is, there must be hope hidden in despair. It's just that hope is hidden very deep, and we need to find it ourselves.
This time, we'll split into two groups. The two of you will stop the City Lord's army. With your strength, you should be able to do it. Especially with Guan Ling's identity, you can pretend to be Old Nick, who discovered Benedict has a secret weapon to destroy the puppets, and persuade the City Lord to make a strategic retreat. Mirror and I will destroy the core controller and bring Benedict and the Heart to Puppet City.
Guan Ling: "...Boss, aren't you going to die?"
Cao Qian picked up Guan Ling and said to Xing Ye, "I know you are not a man of courage but strategy. Since you have made this choice, there must be a way. I believe in you."
After saying that, the thin stickman carried the tall iron man and ran quickly towards the army of the city lord and others, leaving only Xing Ye and Jingzi behind.
Xing Ye said to the mirror, "You weren't controlled just now, were you?"
"Yeah, I don't feel bad at all. I'm actually wondering what happened to you guys?" Mirror asked, "Could it be that I'm the key to breaking the deadlock this time?"
Xing Ye said, "Guan Ling's mention of Randy just now reminded me of this. Do you think we could get the true ending if he were still alive?"
Mirror thought for a moment and said, "Should be possible? He could have pressed the time stop button before Benedict used the controller. That item is very powerful. I wonder which poor, submissive player turned it into that."
"You can do it too," Xing Ye held the mirror's hand. "You are different from us. The system defines you as a prop. Props don't need to become humans in this world, so they are not affected by the core controller. Only you can destroy the core controller."
"Huh? Me?" the mirror exclaimed in shock. "But I can't share your points, and the only item I have is this tiny pistol. I'll probably be killed by Benedict's robot soldiers before I even get into the mine."
"It's definitely not possible for us right now," Xing Ye opened the bracelet, which showed that their intimacy was only 70. "But when it reaches 80, you can share my points. Intimacy is calculated based on the lowest favorability between the two people. I don't know who has a higher favorability between us, but as long as we like each other more, it's fine. You like me, and I will try to like you too, even if it's just for a few minutes, to raise our mutual favorability to 80."
The mirror was stunned: "What do you think of feelings? Favorability can't be controlled by hard work!"
As they were talking, the intimacy between them dropped to 65.
Mirror's mood really goes up and down, and his favorability comes and goes quickly.
Xing Ye said, "That's fine for me, because you're incredibly beautiful, both in appearance and soul. As long as I let go of my guard against the system, my favorability rating will reach 100 in a matter of minutes."
The mirror covered its face with its fingers and said sheepishly, "You have good taste."
The favorability instantly reached 75, not far from 80.
Mirror said with some concern, "Even if I could use the Beauty World, I wouldn't be able to defeat robots. The Beauty World must be effective on intelligent life. It might work on puppets and players, but it definitely won't work on robots. They don't have normal aesthetics."
Xing Ye said, "I hope the favorability reaches 80. It's not that I need you to share my points to use the initial skills, but I have a guess. I've always been curious about one thing. In order to erase consciousness, the intimacy must reach 80. Intimacy is not the average favorability, but the minimum favorability. In other words, the player who erases consciousness and defies fate also likes the one who obeys fate. Why is he so cruel and wants to kill? I guess there must be another problem. Randy has never experienced intimacy at 80, so he doesn't know what will happen after that.
Do you feel that this game is very unbalanced? In the process of the person who defies fate and the prop that obeys fate, although it seems that the person who obeys fate is the prop, all the QR codes obtained by the person who defies fate are for the prop. It seems that the person who defies fate is taking advantage, but in fact he is constantly breaking levels to serve the person who obeys fate.
The points and the QR codes I drew were all props, but I didn't grow at all. It was like a prop that followed fate parasitized on someone who defied fate, sucking their nutrients away.
"I'm not a parasite!" the mirror said angrily. "I'm not that kind of person at all!"
As they were talking, the intimacy level dropped again and returned to 65.
Xing Ye's favorability towards Shang Shang Xia has calmed down. At least it is not lower than 60, which means that Jingzi still likes him. It's just that his personality is more emotional. He is angry and happy at the same time, which is very cute.
He soothed her, "I didn't say you were parasitic, but other players might have that thought. I guess this is the system's conspiracy. It uses this extreme imbalance to create an illusion among those who are willing to help those who obey their fate, that this item will one day replace me. I don't trust him, I must kill him."
And what kind of things make people feel replaced? I guess it's this."
Xing Ye pointed at his bracelet and said, "I suspect that after the intimacy level exceeds 80, it will not only be points that will be shared, but also the QR code. At that time, you should be able to use my QR code."