Hearing what the girl called Zane, Dollmaker snapped back to his senses a little. He then quietly took two steps back while no one was paying attention, a trace of killing intent flashing through the eyes beneath his strange mask.
"Yinlin, take down Zane. Knock the Rover out. We leave together."
Yinlin, 'Me, fight Zane and the Rover? Seriously?'
But Dollmaker didn't notice Yinlin's slightly odd expression. His mind was still filled with his plans and experiments.
Dollmaker knew very clearly that if this boy really was Zane, the junior of the Magistrate of Jinzhou, then after three days, the location of the Mutual Aid Association was probably already sitting on a desk at the Public Security Bureau.
Even worse, the location of the puppet factory might have already been exposed.
At this very moment, the other members of the association might already have been taken back to the bureau by patrol officers who received Zane's report.
But he absolutely could not be captured like this.
With that thought, Dollmaker looked at Yinlin, signaling her to act quickly and deal with the two of them.
But before he could say anything, the girl's figure vanished instantly. In the next second, that black silhouette appeared beside Dollmaker, raising her blade and slashing straight at his neck.
But Dollmaker was no ordinary person. He raised both arms and directly clashed with the sharp blade.
A piercing roar exploded through the empty factory. The shockwave from the impact shattered the hanging puppets all around.
Meanwhile, under Yinlin's astonished gaze, Zane quietly moved in front of her, shielding her from the fierce wind caused by the collision.
Yinlin looked at the figure standing in front of her, and for a moment, it seemed to overlap with a figure from her memories.
"Yinlin, what are you doing!", Dollmaker's angry shout snapped her out of it.
The once-arrogant Dollmaker was being forced back step by step under the girl's relentless attacks, and had no choice but to leap backward to escape the battle.
Hearing his shout, Yinlin suppressed her surprise, her beautiful face once again covered in cold indifference.
"Dollmaker… stop. You can't escape anymore."
The crisp sound of high heels striking the ground passed by Zane. A flash of pale skin flickered before his eyes, along with a faint fragrance.
Only now did Zane finally have the chance to take a proper look at this cold girl.
On her head, her fiery red hair burned like blazing flames, bright and intense, like a warrior defying fate, unruly and unyielding.
Beneath the high ponytail, her snow-white neck appeared faintly, elegant like a swan, pure like fresh snow.
Her outfit was a fitted black qipao, perfectly tailored to outline her slender figure, graceful yet carrying a cold, striking aura.
The golden chains decorating her body were covered in sharp barbs, like thorns, adding a sense of cold danger that didn't match her young age.
Yinlin's voice was calm and cold, but Zane could vaguely sense the determination hidden beneath her icy words, the resolve to sever ties with the past.
"That's right. Stop, Dollmaker. The patrol officers are already outside."
Zane put his hands on his hips and walked to Yinlin's side, standing together with her.
He wanted to tell her she wasn't alone.
Seeing Zane take the initiative to stand beside her, a hint of surprise flashed across Yinlin's face, though she quickly hid it.
Meanwhile, Dollmaker glared at Yinlin, furious curses squeezing out from beneath his mask, "Yinlin… you betrayed me… you traitor!"
Facing his accusations, Yinlin's expression didn't change. Her pink-purple eyes sharpened as she met his narrow crimson gaze without backing down.
"Like my parents, I have always been a patrol officer of the Jinzhou Public Security Bureau… I have never forgotten my identity or my duty."
"I did all of this for my master and mistress!", As Dollmaker spoke, he stepped toward Yinlin. As if emphasizing his point, his voice grew sharper with each step.
"You only did it for yourself!" Yinlin stared at him as he closed to within ten meters, her muscles tensing instantly.
Everything she knew, including how to use her Resonance ability, came from the man in front of her. She knew exactly what he was capable of.
In fact, Dollmaker was also a Resonator. His ability was to create puppets indistinguishable from real humans.
And just as Yinlin expected, he turned into a streak of light and lunged at her.
In that instant, a small black figure wrapped in endless lightning appeared in his path.
It was Yinlin's mechanical puppet, "String."
In the next second, threads formed from condensed lightning burst outward with Dollmaker at the center, forming a prison of electricity.
Even so, Yinlin still underestimated Dollmaker's combat ability.
"String, huh… looks like you didn't forget the puppet techniques I taught you." Dollmaker sneered softly as countless puppets rushed toward the lightning prison.
The threads struck the puppets, sparking violently. Using their desperate assault, Dollmaker easily leapt out of the prison.
"But that's as far as you go."
Before he could finish mocking her, the girl who had been waiting for her chance rushed forward, her sharp blade aimed straight at him.
Dollmaker's ability was useful, but it didn't enhance his own body. So against her, he could only take hits passively.
Even if he could strengthen his body, he probably still wouldn't be her match.
After all, at this point, she was only in the first stage of "Diffraction."
"Stop doing those experiments. You should know, even if you revive them, they won't be happy."
"Shut up!", Dollmaker roared at Yinlin.
By now, under the girl's relentless attacks, Dollmaker was already at the end of his strength.
Seeing that the situation could not be reversed, Dollmaker waved his hand again. Immediately, dozens of Exiles emerged from the shadows of the factory, rushing toward her with killing intent.
At the same time, because they were in an overclocked state, their attacks lacked technique but their destructive power was greatly increased.
Facing many opponents alone, even she had to temporarily avoid their edge.
Of course, it wasn't that she couldn't defeat them.
It was like the difference between humans and beasts fighting desperately.
For animals, even if their face is torn apart, eyes gouged out, legs broken, as long as the opponent dies first, they win.
But for humans, even a tiny injury, or even torn clothing, counts as a loss.
"Hey, don't just stand there watching. Are you really going to let me fight for my life alone? If this keeps up, I might actually get hurt."
The girl lightly jumped to Zane's side, freeing her left hand to jab his waist with her elbow, provoking him.
And Zane just happened to fall for that kind of provocation.
He immediately crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Dollmaker and the Exiles behind him, like a seasoned hunter observing his prey.
A playful smile appeared on his handsome face. "Stop, Dollmaker. The patrol officers are all outside."
But at that moment, a puppet suddenly rushed out from the shadows behind them, its sharp arms aimed straight at Yinlin's unguarded back.
Clang!
A piercing ringing exploded behind Yinlin. The girl quickly turned around, and a small figure appeared behind Yinlin. With a graceful flick of her sword, she looked just like a wandering swordsman from a story.
"I need to correct that." Zane grinned at Dollmaker, showing his white teeth. "Stop. There are doctors everywhere outside."
"And… this girl is under my protection. Don't even think about touching her."
At that moment, hearing those familiar words, Yinlin's eyes widened as she stared blankly at the figure standing at the front.
'This girl is under my protection. As long as I'm here, don't even think about touching her.'
The boy's voice seemed to echo in her ears once more, cutting through that cold, piercing night, completely overlapping with the figure before her.