What malicious intent could NPCs possibly have? C28.1

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Chp28. part1

As the mission description had ominously warned, finding Little Husky’s head proved to be a real challenge.

Ning Ge and the others thoroughly searched every unopened box, but found nothing.

While fighting, Pei Han and the others also kept an eye out for the head. They ended up grabbing every flying wooden head they could catch and carefully examined each one from top to bottom.

Unfortunately, these heads were all from the Wooden Puppet Guards, and none of them bore Little Husky’s name.

With only seven hours left on the countdown, they needed to find the head and complete the assembly before dawn.

The head didn’t seem to be in the warehouse, and the assembly work was difficult to estimate. Wasting time was not an option, so Ning Ge decided, “Let’s go upstairs first and assemble whatever parts we can.”

If they could assemble Little Husky’s body, at least the other players could complete their tasks.

Ning Ge put her bracelet back on and left the warehouse with the group.

Little Husky’s parts were all readily available, and the damaged areas were clearly visible and carefully repaired. However, assembling the wooden puppet proved more troublesome than they had imagined.

The main problem was that they wouldn’t stay put.

Each part had to be tightly bound with ropes to the workbench. When they needed to use a part, they had to keep it tethered like a dog, lest it sneak off the table the moment their attention wavered.

And then there were those restless little hands, which had to be watched constantly to prevent them from secretly undoing the knots.

The internal structure of the parts was complex, but there was no need to worry about that. Following Viscountess’s notes, the main task of assembly was connecting the threads.

Inside the puppet were countless fine threads of various colors, like cow hair. Before assembling the parts, they had to be connected first.

Everyone followed the method in the notes, slowly connecting the threads one by one like performing surgery, until their heads spun and their eyes blurred.

It was meticulous work, but not difficult.

Pei Han asked Ning Ge, “This doesn’t seem too hard. Let them take their time connecting the threads while we continue searching for the head?”

The head was their responsibility. Without it, both their heads would be on the line—one would have to be halved.

Ning Ge sat still, staring at the dismembered Little Husky on the table and pondering.

After a long pause, she said, “Based on my limited experience with the dungeon, to complete a task, the System always provides guidance and clues. There must be a logical basis for everything, a traceable path. It wouldn’t just send us to the Royal Palace to get lucky and stumble around blindly.”

Ning Ge frowned. “But I can’t think of any clues about the head.”

“Based on my extensive experience with dungeons,” Pei Han smiled slightly, “I think you’re absolutely right.”

He leaned against the countertop next to Ning Ge. “I can’t think of any clues it gave about the head either.”

Owen, busy wiring, chimed in, “Why even bother thinking about it? If even you two can’t find any clues, then there definitely aren’t any.”

How are we supposed to find it without any clues?

Owen and Little Husky had forged a deep bond of revolutionary camaraderie during their recent baseball game, and they were taking their task seriously.

Owen lowered his head and pulled out another wire, muttering, “Poor little guy. So cute and lovable, but no head.”

Pei Han and Ning Ge exchanged glances.

Pei Han chuckled. “No way?”

The System had reached a new level of trolling.

Ning Ge sighed, stood up, and walked to the cabinet where the parts were stored. She pulled open the door.

Inside, rows upon rows of puppet heads of all shapes and sizes were lined up.

“Which one should we pick?” Ning Ge asked Pei Han.

Pei Han glanced at them. “Let’s go with the scale. Pick a smaller one.”

Teacher Su looked surprised. “Aren’t you two going to look for the head? Are you just going to settle for one and put it on? You’re responsible for the head. If you fail, you’ll die.”

“There’s no need to look for it at all.”

Ning Ge rummaged through the heads.

“If they didn’t give us any clues about how to find Little Husky’s head, it means there’s no such thing as finding the head. Look again at the first sentence of the task description.”

Teacher Su flipped open the task prompt on her bracelet.

The first sentence read: [Mount my hands, assemble my feet, twist my waist. Dear Master, do you see my head? Little Husky wants a head.]

Ning Ge said, “The task uses ‘mount,’ ‘assemble,’ and ‘twist’ for the hands, feet, and torso, but it only says ‘Little Husky wants a head.’ That must be because Little Husky never had a head to begin with.”

Teacher Su grew excited.

“That makes sense! That’s why the diagrams of the components in the notes only show Little Husky’s body and limbs, not its head! Because it was never supposed to have one!”

For some twisted reason, the Viscountess had never given Little Husky a head from the start.

Anyway, each part of the Wooden Puppet could sense its surroundings, so a head wasn’t strictly necessary.

Ning Ge continued searching the cabinets. “The task says it wants a head, so let’s find one for it.”

“Nothing too fancy,” Pei Han said.

The puppet body on the workbench, mid-wiring, immediately began thrashing wildly, nearly snapping the wires. Owen and the others struggled to hold it down.

Little Husky seemed to understand Pei Han’s words and was protesting.

Pei Han turned to explain to it, “A head that’s too delicate wouldn’t suit this body. It would look awkward, even strange.”

“We’re planning to pick a particularly cute one,” Ning Ge added.

This time, Little Husky’s body settled down.

It seemed it really wanted a proper head.

After searching for a long time, Ning Ge finally pulled a satisfactory one from the back row and placed it on the table.

“The notes say Little Husky was quite mischievous. Someone in the Royal Palace must know it. I still want to go out and ask if it really didn’t have a head before.”

Engineer Zheng rubbed his temples and looked up. “The Royal Palace is full of silent Wooden Puppets—there are hardly any living people. Besides, it’s the middle of the night; everyone’s asleep. Who do you plan to ask?”

Ning Ge pondered. “…Wake up the Queen?”

Everyone: “…”

Pei Han twirled the Rose Bracelet on his wrist. “I know you have an irresistible charm with NPCs. You might actually get something out of it. But I think you’re right—it probably didn’t have a head. Have some confidence in yourself.”

You have a lot of confidence in me, Ning Ge thought. Aren’t you afraid we’ll both lose half our heads if this goes wrong?

Pei Han was genuinely confident. He sat down calmly and began connecting the wires to the head.

Ning Ge glanced at her bracelet.

There was still time. She could try connecting the head first.

Ning Ge sat down beside Pei Han, and they huddled together to pull the thin threads around Little Husky’s neck.

The little guy squirmed as if ticklish.

“Don’t move,” Ning Ge threatened. “If you keep squirming, I’ll replace you with the head of a Wooden Puppet Guard—a really snarling one.”

Owen protested, “That’s going too far! You’re scaring the kid.”

But the threat worked. Little Husky instantly settled down and cooperated so well that they didn’t even need to tie the ropes.

This meticulous work took a long time.

Only after all the colored threads were connected could their arms and legs be fitted into the slots and assembled onto the body.

Finally, Ning Ge cupped Little Husky’s head, now covered in threads, and snapped it into place at the neck. Little Husky was complete.

As soon as its head was attached, Little Husky twisted its neck, as if unaccustomed to having a head. It blinked its eyes and opened its mouth.

Though she felt confident they had done it correctly, Ning Ge still felt a knot of anxiety.

The Bracelet finally responded:

[Regrettable.]

It said, After a few seconds, it sent another message:

[You actually passed.]

The group sitting around the table let out a collective sigh of relief.

The Bracelet continued: [Reward: Draw Sprint Time]

Below it was the familiar draw button.

This time, no one dared to press it casually. They exchanged glances.

The Delivery man spoke first: “As a non-African like me, I’ll pass. You guys go ahead.”¹

He glanced at Engineer Zheng, assuming she was too old to understand. He added, “I mean my luck isn’t very good.”

Engineer Zheng gave him a cool look. “Let me try. I’ll show you what a true European Emperor looks like.”

He pressed the button.

[Sprint Time obtained: Nine minutes.]

He was indeed a European Emperor—far better than the previous three minutes.

As they were busy drawing time, Little Husky sat up on the table, twisted his little neck, and suddenly spoke.

“Mommy, can you get me a mirror? I want to see my new head.”

Ning Ge: “?”

Ning Ge: “Clarify—who exactly is your mother?”

“Address her as Viscountess,” Pei Han corrected, his face sour. “She’s your owner, not your mother.”

Little Husky rolled his big, round eyes dramatically. “I’m talking to my mother. Who are you?”

Pei Han choked.

Before he could answer, Little Husky cut in, “Oh, I get it. The one who wants to be my grandpa.”

The family tree was getting messy.

They didn’t go for the mirror, but someone else did. Owen, hearing Little Husky ask for one, immediately stood up and found a small mirror, handing it to him.

Little Husky took the mirror and glanced into it, then let out a piercing scream.

“Mommy! Is this the cutest head you picked out for me?”

Ning Ge looked puzzled. “What’s wrong? Isn’t it cute? It looks so adorable!”

Little Husky was indignant. “I can overlook everything else, but why is my nose so long? It looks like a stick!”

Little Husky’s new head was a standard wooden puppet boy’s head, perfectly proportioned to his small boy’s body.

His eyes were large and round like black gemstones, his hair was thick and dark as pitch, and he wore a pointy red velvet hat with a pom-pom, just like a Christmas hat. But his nose was long and sharp, sticking out horizontally like a carrot.

“My nose must be three or four times longer than yours! And it sticks out sideways!”

Little Husky measured his nose with his finger. “When I’m not moving, I can even stand in the corner and hang clothes on it. Mom, you’re so resourceful—such a multi-purpose item!”

Ning Ge said innocently, “You don’t know, there’s a very famous puppet named Pinocchio who has a nose just like this.”

Little Husky touched his nose and thought for a moment. “A celebrity?”

“Absolutely! He’s the most famous puppet in the world. When you think of puppets, you think of him. Everyone knows him. Ask them yourself if you don’t believe me.”

Everyone immediately nodded vigorously.

“Oh.” Little Husky looked in the mirror again, no longer bothered by his nose. “Mom, I’ve finally come back to life. Can you grant me one wish?”

Finally, it’s here.

Ning Ge had been chatting with it for so long, just waiting for it to assign a task.

After one task ended, the bracelet remained silent. Someone had to assign the next one.

The bracelet finally vibrated:

[A little head, big ideas. A good owner will surely help Little Husky fulfill his wish.]

Footnote :

1. “As a non-African, I’ll pass”: This part usually appears when someone posts a video of something extremely dangerous, intense, or requiring high energy (often associated with high-energy African dances or daring stunts). The commenter is jokingly saying, “I’m not built for that, I’ll sit this one out.”
   “I’ll show you what a true European Emperor looks like”: This is the “clapping back” response. It’s a comedic way of saying, “Stand aside, let me show you how it’s done.” The user adopts the persona of a grand historical figure (an “Emperor”) to jokingly imply they have the “ancestral strength” or “imperial boldness” to take on the challenge the first person passed on. ↩︎