Chapter 45: O Time, stand still!

“Master, shouldn’t it follow us?”

Bai Xue asked.

“It’ll stay here and stand guard, just in case any monsters show up,” Ye Lian replied as she walked.

“Can’t we close the gate?” Bai Xue asked, puzzled.

“Not right now. And there’s no need to close it either.”

As she said this, Ye Lian paused and looked back at the stone bridge.

“If we shut it, it’d be difficult for other players to get in.”

Upon hearing that, Bai Xue was suddenly moved.

‘As expected of Master… even now, she’s still thinking about those other players. She’s so compassionate and kind!’

Worship!

Noticing the strange look in Bai Xue’s eyes, Ye Lian felt a chill down her spine.

‘Wait a minute. I remember Bai Xue likes boys… So why is she looking at me like that?!’

‘Could she be… into both?’

Ye Lian tilted her head and glanced suspiciously at Bai Xue.

“Master, is there something on my face?” Bai Xue asked.

“No, just… it’s really fair,” Ye Lian replied.

“Hehe, well, my name suits me then!” Bai Xue said cheerfully.

The two chatted as they entered the city, as if they didn’t take this place seriously at all.

At least, that’s how it looked on the surface.

In reality, that wasn’t the case.

Ye Lian was paying close attention to her surroundings the entire time.

Inside Mo City, the roads were just as wide.

Buildings on both sides stood two to three stories tall, all in an old-fashioned style.

The place was deserted, eerily quiet and empty.

Sensing the unsettling stillness, Bai Xue immediately tensed up.

After going through many dangers, her instincts had become sharp.

“I wonder what might show up here,” Ye Lian said with a trace of anticipation.

From what she could sense, there wasn’t a single trace of life nearby.

No monsters, no intelligent beings—absolutely nothing.

Still, she did catch a few faint sounds.

Something was awakening.

Or perhaps… being activated.

The two of them gradually ventured deeper into the city.

Everything remained eerily silent, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing around them.

“Something’s coming.”

Suddenly, Ye Lian spoke.

Bai Xue froze for a moment.

She hadn’t sensed anything approaching.

But since her master said so, then something was definitely about to appear.

Sure enough, within five seconds, she heard the sound of wheels sliding across the ground.

And not just one set—there were several!

The next moment, gray-black figures emerged from the streets and alleys, surrounding them from all sides.

Bai Xue looked closely and realized these people all looked nearly identical.

Each was about two meters tall, with a thin, gray-black frame.

Instead of a face, they had a single large red eye on their heads.

Their feet were equipped with bright red wheels.

In their hands, they held various weapons.

Some carried hammers, others had swords, knives, spears, spiked clubs… there was even something that looked like a magical girl wand.

The only difference was that all of them were made in the same simplistic, gray-black style.

Aside from their weapons, they were practically indistinguishable from one another.

Even if she captured two for close comparison, Bai Xue doubted she’d be able to find any real differences.

These people were clearly puppets—mechanical constructs, just like the giant one they had encountered outside.

“Master, there are too many of them!” Bai Xue said anxiously.

There were at least a hundred puppets surrounding them now.

Their strength was unknown, but judging from the giant outside, it was safe to assume these wouldn’t be weak either.

“Stay close to me,” Ye Lian said calmly.

Compared to the bulky giant outside, these mechanical puppets were much smaller and thinner.

But their tall, lean frames and wheeled feet gave them incredible mobility.

They were likely very fast.

Even more concerning—they were all armed.

The level of danger had increased drastically.

Bai Xue quickly moved closer, feeling a little more reassured.

‘As long as Master is here, there’s nothing to fear!’

***

At that moment, the first wave of puppets charged.

Just as Ye Lian had predicted, their mobility was astonishing.

They were fast—lightning fast.

In an instant, they had closed in from all directions.

Weapons flashed dangerously as they launched their attack!

Bai Xue gripped her sword tightly and blocked an incoming strike from a sword-wielding puppet.

The sheer force of the blow made her whole body go numb.

‘So strong!’ she thought in shock.

This puppet was far more powerful than the monsters they had faced outside.

If not for the equipment Ye Lian had crafted for her, she would have been killed in a single blow.

The sword-wielding puppet raised its weapon high with both hands, preparing to slice Bai Xue clean in half.

But then—

Everything stopped.

Not just that puppet—but all of them—froze in place, as if time itself had halted.

Bai Xue found herself unable to move as well.

It felt as though the entire space around her had been paused, like a video suddenly put on hold.