Chapter 111: A Doll Factory or a Leveling Paradise?

The Puppet Factory is located in the industrial district of Krat. From afar, one can see its massive chimneys belching thick, dark smoke day and night. These chimneys, like colossal black beasts, constantly devour the surrounding air and release billows of smoke, shrouding the entire industrial zone in a gloomy haze.

The factory grounds, enclosed by endless metal fencing, contain rows of enormous workshops. Through the gaps in the fence, one can clearly see swarms of mechanical puppets roaming about: domestic puppets, service puppets, labor puppets, and even a few more formidable guard-type puppets.

"Boss, what should we do?" Pinocchio looked at the multitude of puppets, unable to suppress a shiver of fear.

The number of puppets wandering between the workshops was countless, and there were likely even more lurking inside the tightly sealed buildings. Any Tracker who dared to storm the factory would inevitably be swallowed by the sea of puppets, with no chance of survival. The sheer number of enemies was enough to overwhelm any intruder, even if they were mostly low-level, common puppets.

Li Nanke smiled faintly. "Don't forget why I had you visit the police station first. Your newly acquired ability is the ultimate weapon against low-level puppets!"

After absorbing the abilities of two special puppets, Pinocchio’s attributes had undergone corresponding changes.

[Puppet P — Pinocchio]
[Type: Summon/Growth-type]
[Quality: Common]
[Rating: 13 → 67]
[Details: ...]
[Special Ability 1 — Chain Hook: A heavy, sharp hook can inflict piercing and impact damage on enemies, or be used to drag them from a distance.]
[Special Ability 2 — Electromagnetic Arm: The electromagnetic arm can inflict melee electrical damage and release a massive, one-time 'Electrical Burst,' causing paralysis and stun effects on enemies within range. This ability is particularly effective against metal mechanical enemies.]

Li Nanke’s 'Magnetic Storm' was also effective against low-level puppets, but he did not specialize in spirituality; his total spiritual energy was pitifully low, and he would be drained after releasing it two or three times.

While Pinocchio’s 'Electrical Burst' also consumed a large amount of Ego, he could replenish it by absorbing the Ego from destroyed puppets. If managed correctly, he was essentially a perpetual motion machine.

As for Li Nanke’s large-scale combat skill, 'Killing Forest,' it could be restored not only through long-term natural recovery but also by slaying a large number of enemies.

With two perpetual motion machines working in tandem, the Puppet Factory was no longer a deadly hazard, but a treasure trove of energy—a sacred ground capable of rapidly elevating both of their combat strengths!

Li Nanke scanned his surroundings. Workshops were visible everywhere in the Krat industrial district. After a brief search, he quickly found a suitable target.

Inside a spacious, blood-stained workshop, aside from a few labor puppets, there was an old gantry crane. After clearing away the few obstructing puppets, Li Nanke had Pinocchio sit on the crane's massive hook and operated the controls to lift him nearly ten meters off the ground, almost touching the factory ceiling. Pinocchio was small and thin, and with the concealment of the giant hook, his presence was difficult to detect. Even if an enemy did catch a glimpse of him, there were no climbing points for them to reach and harm him in such a high position.

"Wait for me here, and don't expose yourself."

"Understood, Boss."

Pinocchio nodded, watching Li Nanke stride out of the workshop.

A moment later, he heard the angry roars of puppets echoing from afar, followed by the dense, rapid sound of countless footsteps. The noise grew closer and closer; the terrifying commotion was enough to make one’s hair stand on end. He couldn't help but swallow hard—it sounded as if hundreds of puppets were swarming at once!

A figure flashed at the open workshop gate: Li Nanke appeared, looking ragged. His 'Powered Protective Armor' was covered in scars, yet he did not pause for a second, bolting straight through the gate and sprinting toward the back of the workshop.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

Behind him surged a dense, terrifying ocean of monsters made of countless puppets! Butler puppets in tuxedos, waiter puppets in vests, labor puppets wielding giant wrenches, domestic puppets in black-and-white maid uniforms... these various puppets had long since lost the composure machines should have. Governed by primitive self-awareness, they knew only slaughter and destruction. Their crimson electronic eyes flashed with ruthless killing intent, and their stiff, hideous faces were filled with madness!

Like piranhas catching the scent of blood, they surged into the workshop in a frenzied, overwhelming tide, hunting Li Nanke. None of the puppets noticed Pinocchio, hidden ten meters above on the giant hook.

Li Nanke reached the corner at the end of the workshop, swinging his Bloody Warhammer to hold off the puppet army. The fierce sound of the hammer striking echoed incessantly, but he was facing an ocean of puppets. No matter how strong his prowess or his physical body, he would eventually be mercilessly drowned by the horde. Attacks coming from all directions caused the energy of his powered armor to drain like a sluice gate, leaving the alloy surface cracked and severely damaged.

"Pinocchio!" Li Nanke suddenly shouted.

At this moment, the puppets had all swarmed into the workshop, filling the vast space almost completely. Looking down, Pinocchio saw nothing but a sea of crazed heads.

Hearing his boss's command, the boy braced himself. He thrust his left arm forward; the metal arm, composed of magnetic coils, crackled with flowing electricity. The fully charged 'Electrical Burst' was released in an instant!

Blinding light erupted, sweeping through the entire workshop! Pinocchio’s thin left arm seemed to transform into a massive electric dragon, releasing a torrent of endless current. In an instant, the puppet army was peppered with bursts of electric sparks, and the sound of crackling filled the air!

The heads that had been surging in a frenzy seemed as if they had been hit with a pause button. Every low-level puppet froze in place, their limbs locked and stagnant, with only occasional arcs of electricity dancing across their bodies.

It was at this moment that Li Nanke leaped up, stepping on the heads of the frozen puppets, sprinting toward the center of the workshop. His physical strength was incredible; his neural reflexes, coordination, and flexibility had reached the level of a monster. Even while running across countless heads, he maintained perfect balance and high speed.

Suddenly, Li Nanke stomped down hard, crushing the metal skull of a puppet. Using the force, he vaulted high into the air, gripping his Bloody Warhammer, which was wrapped in thick, thorny vines, upside down.

"BOOM!"

The warhammer smashed into the ground. As several nearby puppets were sent flying, countless thick thorns erupted from the point of impact, growing and spreading madly beneath the floor before violently piercing through the surface!

In an instant, sharp spikes impaled one hard metal body after another, the interwoven thorns transforming into a naked Killing Forest!

The Killing Forest spread across most of the workshop, and hundreds of low-level puppets died instantly, leaving only a few in the corners who were lucky enough to be outside the range of the thorns.

With the death of hundreds of low-level puppets, a massive amount of Source Energy surged into his body, absorbed by his 'Ego.' He funneled all the Source Energy gained from killing the warden and the numerous low-level puppets into 'Flamefall.'

[Trait: Flamefall]
[Level: 0 → 3 (17%)]

His Tier 2 Human trait had skyrocketed to Level 3. It was important to note that the Source Energy cost of a Tier 2 trait was several times higher than that of a Tier 1; the energy gained from slaughtering this many puppets would have been enough to max out any Tier 1 trait.

Specks of azure Ego also converged on Pinocchio with the death of the puppets. The boy, previously exhausted from releasing the 'Electrical Burst,' now looked as vibrant as if he had consumed a potent tonic. The electricity on his metal left arm, which had dimmed, suddenly became abundant and violent.

[Puppet P — Pinocchio]
[Type: Summon/Growth-type]
[Quality: Common → Common+]
[Rating: 67 → 92]

Li Nanke pulled his Bloody Warhammer from the ground, and the Killing Forest turned to ash and vanished in the wind. He casually finished off the remaining few puppets and nodded at Pinocchio with satisfaction. "Let's clean up the remains. We'll have a few more waves in a while."

Pinocchio, who had never seen 'Killing Forest' before, was completely stunned. He felt even more powerful after absorbing the large influx of Ego. He finally understood what his boss meant when he said, "You will become strong very quickly."

This was truly a rocket-like rate of improvement. The Puppet Factory, a deadly, feared abyss, had, under his boss's guidance, truly become a treasure trove for his rapid growth.