Chapter 148 135: Night Before the Hearth

There's no mistake. Even though the coupling marks on the joints of these two puppets are obvious, their facial expressions as stiff as puppets, and their limbs jerky, she can still determine that these two puppets are the 'wife' and 'daughter' from the photo.After losing the control of the strings, their bodies lost all luster and vitality, becoming like lifeless dolls.

"It's the Puppet Master Yorick," Xu Xiaoyou concluded immediately. "There's no mistake, he was here a few days ago!"

Her previous suspicions were correct. Whether it was the woman or the daughter, they had nothing to do with the man. It was very likely that they were just victims manipulated by the strings to satisfy his perverse desires. They all had their own families and lives until one day when the man suddenly appeared and shattered everything.

The more she thought about it, the more chills raced through her. What kind of person, with such distorted character, would have the leisure, in the midst of fleeing, to act out such a vile play like children's dress-up games, even going so far as to arrange a mock marriage with a woman, selecting and setting up the scene...

The motive behind every action and crime has traces to follow. In criminal psychology, the more one lacks something in childhood, the more they yearn to acquire it as they grow up.

In her mind, an initial impression of that Puppet Master began to form. He must have been someone who lacked familial love in his childhood, and grew up in a rather harsh environment. Perhaps the happiness and perfection of other families around him planted a malformed seed in his young heart.

"Should we go back and tell them about this?" Tang Xin whispered. "It's getting late."

"There's no rush," Xu Xiaoyou replied.

She looked out the window; the sky had already turned completely dark, so much so that one couldn't see their own hand extended in front of them.

The two returned to the first floor, and Xu Xiaoyou added wood to the fireplace. After lighting it with a flame, they sat by the fire.

The wood burned quietly in the fireplace, crackling softly, the sparks dancing quietly enhancing the tranquil atmosphere.

Tang Xin sat in front of the sofa, exhaling gently, wrapped like a dumpling in a thick wool blanket. She extended her hand to warm it by the fire, the blue pupils of her eyes reflecting the dancing flames.

The light and shadows from the fireplace also shone on Xu Xiaoyou's face. She held a piece of wood and tossed it into the fireplace with a calm gaze. The cold wind howled outside, but inside, it was warm and cozy, the burning flames transmitting warmth, gradually warming their previously cold-stiffened bodies.

"How long are we going to stay here?" Tang Xin asked.

Xu Xiaoyou smiled softly, "You can sleep for a while, I have a plan."

Tang Xin held her teacup, her delicate thoughts seemingly merging into the light green tea inside, creating ripples that gradually spread out.

As the steam from the tea rose, the mist enveloped her, and Tang Xin turned her head, her eyes as if quietly pondering something. After a long time, she spoke:

"By the way, did I tell you that sometimes you shouldn't hide things from me too much?"

Xu Xiaoyou was taken aback; the girl's words didn't feel like an interrogation, just a simple question.

She recalled two days ago, in the moments before her memory was to be wiped, it seemed the other had said something similar. At that time, the girl's demeanor was calm, showing no resistance, or fear of the unknown, just a calmness like water, with a faint sadness spreading across the surface of her heart.

Xu Xiaoyou shook her head, "No."

"Really? I feel like I have a faint impression."

"But you once told me that it's normal for friends to have a few secrets between them," Xu Xiaoyou replied casually.

"It's different. A secret kept by one is a secret; secrets kept from each other by friends, if held by just one, that's selfish," Tang Xin said.

Listening to the girl, Xu Xiaoyou stayed silent. She didn't say anything, just tossed another piece of wood into the fire.

She knew that with the girl's delicate mind, she must have already pieced together some hints through various details of memory, but hadn't directly exposed it.

"Why think so much, get some sleep, we have to get up later," Xu Xiaoyou chuckled.

Tang Xin stared at Xu Xiaoyou for a while, the latter blinked at her, looking as nonchalant as if she had done nothing wrong.

In the end, Tang Xin didn't voice her doubts; she sighed softly, rested her head on the girl's shoulder, and gradually fell asleep.

The night grew deep, and someone had to keep watch.

Xu Xiaoyou leaned lightly against the girl's messy-haired head, twiddling with the stick in her hand, her eyelids drooping slightly, her eyes flickering with firelight, until her thoughts slowly drifted away.

The two girls leaned against each other through the long, long night, in the small wooden house of winter, the light and shadow of the fire fluctuating ambiently.

By the time Tang Xin woke up, the sky was already dimly lit. The fire had gone out at some unknown time, and cold drafts blew through the room, causing her to shiver reflexively. She looked up to find Xu Xiaoyou already wearing her tactical vest, sitting on the sofa inspecting a sniper rifle, her rare somber expression visible.

As she saw the girl awakening, Xu Xiaoyou spoke, "It's about five in the morning, time to head back."

"When they ask later, just insist that you got lost with me and only just managed to find the way back."

Tang Xin nodded in agreement.

As they neared the campfire site, they found the three others hadn't slept, each bearing a visibly heavy expression. Upon seeing the girls return, Chen San exchanged glances with Xu Xiaoyou, gave an almost imperceptible nod, then immediately stood to question aloud:

"Where have you two been?"

"We just got lost outside, why are you making such a fuss?" Xu Xiaoyou said nonchalantly.

"Lost? Are you joking with me?" Chen San seemed furious, "Just disappearing like that without a word, coming back only in the dead of night—this is a time-sensitive mission. If you two drag down the entire team's operation, causing the mission to fail, who would bear the responsibility!?"

Lin Xing and Lin Sheng, caught off guard by this sudden atmosphere of confrontation, looked unsure of what to do. Tang Xin, standing behind Xu Xiaoyou, had her expression change several times before she fell silent.

"Yelling so loudly, aren't you afraid of attracting wild animals from the snowfields? Don't forget, only you might face danger from those beasts, First Tier Commander," Xu Xiaoyou deliberately drew out her words.

"You!" Chen San was left speechless.

From the start, it seemed the two were extremely incompatible, at least in others' eyes.

Lin Xing stood up as usual to mediate the team's atmosphere. Lin Sheng seemed to have noticed something, his gaze falling directly on the familiar figure before him, the one who was his brother. He suppressed his thoughts, his eyes growing steady.

The sky brightened, and three stars streaked across the distant mountains.

After a brief clash, everyone climbed into the off-road vehicle and continued their journey across the vast snowfield.