The Clockwork trick: this spell could only be successfully cast twice per day, and was only guaranteed to work on targets whose strength was lower than the caster's. The target's emotions would temporarily be thrown into one of four states—joy, rage, grief, or calm—as chosen by the caster.
In other words, the Clockwork trick was not mind control. It only altered the target's current state of mind and attitude, which in turn influenced their subsequent reactions and communication, rather than making them spill all their secrets like beans from a jar.
Take Zongzheng, for instance.
"A bunch of kids who haven't even grown hair yet! Go on, hit me if you've got the guts! I'd like to see if you dare lay a hand on a high-ranking official on active duty without any formal paperwork! If you blow this up, none of you will walk away from this clean!" This was joy, tinged with a crazed, triumphant glee.
"Fuck me to death! Do you have any idea how many years of my life and savings I poured into building this underground fortress?! You insects who've disturbed my peaceful life all deserve to die! All of you, just die, die, DIE!" This was rage, as he savagely pounded a priceless wine cabinet.
"Stop wasting your breath. You think the people up top don't know what's going on in Jigui City? No! They know, but they don't give a damn! All they care about are their shiny political achievements, the ever-climbing GDP, and all that hollow prestige! A rat-race? Overtime? Isn't it even worse in Canghai City, the economic dragon head of Shenzhou? When have you ever seen those people genuinely care about the lives of us working stiffs? The big shots up high don't give a damn! The safest city in the world? Haha! Of course the crime rate is the lowest with a 007 work schedule—people don't even have time to commit crimes!" This was grief, his tone steeped in despair and biting sarcasm.
"I get it. In the eyes of you young people, we old folks see a young man's courage as rebellion and an adult's cowardice as 'seeing the bigger picture.' But the reality is that raw passion rarely solves fundamental problems... How about this: I have some savings stashed in a warehouse in the west of the city. If you want it, take it all. Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost. Why wade into these muddy waters?" This was calm, as if he had seen through the ways of the world, his attitude becoming preternaturally serene.
"This guy really can run his mouth," Yunli said, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes in annoyance. It was one thing to be long-winded, but the key issue was that he kept talking in circles, never touching upon the core issue. It was like everyone was passionately discussing the grand scale and brilliant tactics of the Battle of Red Cliffs, and suddenly someone jumps up and asks if your nose would bump into your clitoris during the battle. It was just completely out of line.
"Also, the phrase 'every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost' is a common misinterpretation." Anna corrected him softly, her pink eyes filled with earnestness. "The original meaning is that a person who does not cultivate their own virtue will be condemned by heaven and earth. It's not about pure self-interest."
Being lectured by such a delicate-featured, gentle-tempered beautiful girl should have been a pleasant experience, much like how many men would happily learn a foreign language from a beautiful teacher in an OL outfit with a white blouse and black stockings.
However, Zongzheng had just personally witnessed this seemingly fragile girl instantly neutralize the retired Royal Dragoon Guards he had hired for a hefty sum—men who boasted they could take on a B-Rank Valkyrie as a team of six. In his eyes, Anna was nothing short of a demoness cloaked in an angel's skin.
Just then, the demoness's suspected master, Satan himself—Fuli—spoke up. "Setting aside your other ramblings for now, you're right about at least one thing. Without conclusive evidence, using torture on a high-ranking official would indeed have extremely severe repercussions."
The bureaucracy was often a tangled web; pulling one thread could unravel the whole thing. Especially in a world with Honkai energy, ordinary officials were even more terrified of being assassinated by superpowered individuals in the middle of the night. If Fuli and the others followed proper procedures, no one would openly obstruct them. But the moment they resorted to violence, everyone understood the principle of mutual defense; those guys would definitely start jumping up and down like startled hamsters, stirring up trouble.
"That's right!" Zongzheng continued to bluster. "If you know what's good for you, let me go now! And prepare a fine meal with good wine to apologize—Puh!"
"But how should I put this?" Fuli retracted his fist, not even glancing at the man now curled up like a shrimp on the floor, clutching his stomach and wailing. Instead, he first glanced at Anna.
The little angel blinked, returning a slightly shy yet incredibly firm and gentle smile to Teacher Fuli, indicating that she was no hothouse flower. You can't judge a book by its cover. Fuli thought with some emotion. He then placed his foot on Zongzheng's thigh. The pressure wasn't light, nor was it heavy, but it was enough to make the man grimace in pain.
"You said earlier that the higher-ups only care about GDP and political achievements, and couldn't care less about the real situation in Jigui City," the boy said from above. "I won't entirely deny your perspective, but unfortunately for you, things are different this time—because we are here."
"You... are here?" Zongzheng looked up through the pain, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
"That's right, we are here," Yunli stepped forward, her hair swaying gently with the movement. "A mission directly assigned by the Matrix of Prescience. Why don't you take a guess as to why?"
Zongzheng froze. The moment the realization dawned on him, cold sweat poured down his face. His voice came out hoarse. "You're really... sent by the Council..."
"You can call us Imperial Envoys or the Brocade-Clad Guards, whatever you like," Fuli said flatly. "The intelligence in the Matrix of Prescience indicates a hidden connection between Jigui City's upper echelons and World Serpent. That's why this investigation was handed directly to us."
"But... but even so, you can't treat an official who has served for over a decade like this without a formal arrest warrant!" Zongzheng attempted a final struggle.
"You want a warrant?" Fuli raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with mockery. "Sure, whose do you want? I can write you one right now. Is the Grand Marshal of Taixu's seal weighty enough? If not, how about a joint signature from Generals Miaojian and Tianji? Or maybe the personal signature of Staff Officer Situ Qinghong from the Shenzhou Honkai Council?"
"???" The man's eyes widened. He then watched in disbelief as the boy actually pulled out a stack of documents from his personal dimensional storage, stamped with several seals and names he had only ever heard of in rumors.
"Act first, report later. Special permission from the Grand Marshal. Never seen it before? Today, you'll get an education." Fuli never went into a battle unprepared. Since he had already investigated Jigui City's unique situation and the potential resistance he might face, he had naturally prepared all the necessary "door-knockers."
"It's not just him. I don't mind asking my grandfather—General Zhuyuan—to add his name to that warrant as well," Yunli added with a cold smile. "And you should think carefully. The three of us will definitely not harm your family. But once this blows up completely, who knows what kind of depraved things your backer will do to the people you hold dear in order to protect themselves."
The girl's threat was the last straw. Zongzheng let out a nearly insane roar and then collapsed, as if his spine had been ripped out. After a long moment, he calmed down and stumbled over to a luxurious armchair. Seeing this, the trio walked over and sat down across from him.
"First, I need to clarify something," the man said wearily, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. "The reason you found me so easily tonight wasn't because I'm full of holes, nor was it because you were incredibly lucky... The truth is, it's not just me. Tonight, every big shot in Jigui City is probably hiding in some unknown corner."
"Oh?" Fuli casually offered him a finely prepared cigar. "Are you saying that this so-called mastermind has already bought all of you?"
Zongzheng accepted it without ceremony, taking a deep, almost greedy drag. Amidst the swirling smoke, his cloudy eyes lit up. "This tastes good. Where'd you get it?"
"A Hyperion specialty. If you don't get the death penalty, I'll mail a few boxes to you in prison."
"...Well, thank you for that." The man gave Fuli a complicated look and continued to puff away. "Tell me the specific details of your mission."
Anna repeated them verbatim.
"I knew it..." Zongzheng's expression was a mix of laughter and tears, as if he had long foreseen this day. "You might not believe this, but I wasn't always the corrupt, ugly person I am now."
Yunli frowned, but thankfully, she had outgrown her childhood hot-headedness and didn't interrupt his reminiscence.
Zongzheng continued to mumble, "I used to be a typical tech geek. I hated corrupt officials, despised business dinners. My personality was, to put it nicely, straightforward. To put it bluntly, stubborn. I had no hobbies besides working out and reading, preferred solitude, and had no close friends."
"I was in charge of some large-scale infrastructure projects. A lot of business owners found out about my preferences and came offering money and gifts, but I turned them all away."
"Perhaps it was precisely because I was so 'unworldly' that the higher-ups went to great lengths to transfer me to the then-burgeoning Jigui City, hoping I could curb the increasingly extravagant and decadent atmosphere here."
"Upon arriving, I naturally continued my old ways and launched various rectification campaigns. But it wasn't long before I was targeted."
"A young boss figured me out completely. He knew I liked to work out, so every week he'd drive over two hundred kilometers just to lift weights and run with me at the gym. He knew I hated banquets, so he'd often just walk the streets with me, eat at roadside stalls, and talk about life, history, and ambitions. He knew I was obsessed with technology, so he would always humbly ask for my professional opinion, always hitting my sweet spot and getting me to open up and talk non-stop."
"Over time, I came to see him as a soulmate sent by the heavens, treating him as a bosom buddy with whom I could share anything."
"Then, when I learned that this 'soulmate's' business was in trouble, I took the initiative to help him strategize, and even... leaked the base prices for certain bidding projects."
"With my help, that boss probably made several tens of millions."
"After that, I slowly started accepting the gifts he sent me. About four million in total, I think." Zongzheng took another harsh drag from his cigar, his eyes losing focus. "In my mind, he couldn't have earned that money without my guidance. It was only natural for me to take a cut."
"And that's when he got leverage on you," Yunli stated bluntly.
"Yeah, but that was just the beginning," the man said with a bitter smile. "After moving to Jigui City, about three years ago, I noticed my wife and son were acting stranger and stranger. Their minds were filled with this so-called 'positivity,' and they grew incredibly indifferent even to familial affection."
"And just when I finally realized the severity of the problem and was about to do something, my 'soulmate' appeared at the perfect moment and introduced me to someone."
"Who?"
"A man named Gray Serpent."
Of course. Fuli remained impassive, but internally, it was just as he had expected. He knew that once World Serpent was involved, that omnipresent, shadow-lurking shit-stirrer was bound to show up.
"That man told me there was something wrong with Jigui City's water supply," Zongzheng continued his broken recollection, unaware of the reincarnator's thoughts. "As a surfaced bubble-world, Jigui City is an island, connected to the mainland by a bridge built in the 1980s. The city's water has always been in short supply."
"Fortunately, there's a natural lake to the northwest. Twenty years ago, the city built a reservoir there. So if someone tampered with the water source, it would quickly affect the entire city."
Fuli had heard of similar cases. A person had once drowned in a reservoir, and the intense resentment they produced before death was drunk by hundreds of thousands of locals through the water supply. Thankfully, it had been diluted enough that it only caused about a thousand people to have upset stomachs.
"I don't know what exactly that Gray Serpent put in the water, but the city's mutation is definitely related to it," Zongzheng sighed. "As for why I'm fine... The food and water for key personnel like us are specially supplied. Even if we occasionally come into contact with the regular water source, as long as it's not long-term, like for people on business trips, the small amount ingested is negligible."
No wonder these guys rushed to greet us the moment we got off the plane, arranging a banquet and accommodations with such meticulous care. They were worried we'd notice the problem by coming into contact with the local food and water. Yunli realized.
"When I first learned about this, I nearly went insane—no, I was insane. I charged at Gray Serpent, hitting and cursing him, even threatening to report it to the Shenzhou Honkai Council."
"And now, it seems you failed," Anna sighed softly. "He had leverage on you, you couldn't let go of your power, and you were afraid of being killed, right?"
Was it hard to understand? Not at all. He was just an ordinary person, and not everyone gets to be the protagonist.
Zongzheng gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "On top of that, Gray Serpent also promised that my wife and child would receive the same special treatment."
Yunli scratched her head. "So while everyone else was getting mind-controlled, your wife still had the free time to fool around with a young stud—Mmph! Mmph!"
Fuli and Anna reacted instantly, clamping their hands over Yunli's mouth from both sides and flashing Zongzheng an awkward yet polite smile.
"Oh, that. I actually know about it," Zongzheng said, waving it off dismissively, his expression a numb sort of calm. "You might find it hard to understand, but when I saw my wife return from that unnaturally vacant state—which was worse than death—even if she... hooks up with someone every now and then... I feel a bit relieved."
The three of them looked at each other, speechless. What kind of profound despair must one experience to be able to say such a thing so calmly?
Anna asked tentatively, "Do you know where Mr. Gray Serpent is now?"
"That I don't know. He's a real big shot, always elusive," Zongzheng shook his head, taking the final drag of his cigar. "Anyway, that's all I know. In my opinion, this city is undoubtedly sick. Most of the important figures are like me, bribed and controlled. Power and money have woven an impenetrable net. Perhaps the Matrix of Prescience detected this and sent you three young people here for that very reason."
"Full of passion, charging forward bravely... Good, truly good..." He slumped sideways in his luxurious armchair, his eyes slowly closing.
Anna went over to check him. "Exhaustion. He's passed out."
Yunli crossed her arms. "What now? Just leave him here?"
"That would be a bit ungrateful," Fuli shook his head. "I did promise to mail him a few boxes of cigars when he's in prison." He expertly bound Zongzheng's hands and feet with a rope and stuffed something in his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue. With a thought, he summoned his heavily modified Type 59 medium tank. The rear hatch slid open silently. He tossed the unconscious Zongzheng into the spacious trunk, which also served as storage, and set the tank to autopilot with a counter-attack function.
"Alright," Fuli clapped his hands after he was done. "This way, unless a top-tier A-Rank master makes a move, basically no one can threaten his safety."
"Whoa!!!" He turned around to see the treasured Yunli's eyes shining, staring at the tank like a child who had just seen their favorite toy.
He couldn't help but smile. "Alright, alright. After this whole incident is over, I'll let you take it apart and study it to your heart's content. But you have to put it back together perfectly!"
"Mhm! Definitely!" Yunli's face was glowing with excitement as she nodded vigorously.
Anna, on the other hand, had a peculiar expression. Even she knew that a person's vehicle was like their woman or their weapon—something they were usually extremely reluctant to let others touch. To so generously display, let alone allow someone else to dismantle, one's own ride was a sign of absolute, bone-deep trust.
But as far as Anna knew, Fuli and Yunli had only just met. The reason for this made her uncontrollably curious, and she couldn't help but feel a tiny pang of envy.
I met Teacher Fuli first...
---||---
After finishing the interrogation, the trio stepped out of the bar. Jigui City was still brightly lit in the dead of night. Traffic flowed like a river on the elevated highways, and the lights from office buildings outshone the moon, painting a picture of a bustling, sleepless city.
Reactivating Lan's Form, Fuli wrapped his arms around the girls' slender waists. With a few flickers, they were far from the city center, heading towards the city's lifeline—the Changming Reservoir.
"Changming Reservoir, Jigui City, Suxing International Airport..." Repeating these names, Yunli's delicate eyebrows gradually knitted together, a look of disgust on her face.
Changming meant "eternal light," implying the city was always working and active.
Suxing came from a line in the Book of Odes: "Waking early and sleeping late," describing a state of diligent labor.
Jigui came from the idiom "Burning oil to continue the day," meaning working day and night.
She complained, "I don't know who came up with these garbage names, but it's like they just tattooed 'OVERTIME' directly onto their foreheads!"
"They say the names were chosen by representatives of the bubble-world's original inhabitants," Fuli said, looking at the shimmering surface of the distant water under the moonlight. He shook his head. "The historical records on this part are quite vague; I couldn't find a definitive source before we came."
He then turned his gaze to Anna, who was lost in thought. "What are you thinking about?"
"Ah!" The girl snapped back to reality and waved her hands frantically. "Nothing, nothing!" But after a moment, she couldn't help but say in a low voice, "I just feel sorry for Mr. Zongzheng. He used to be such a good person, but now..."
"This is a true honey trap." Fuli sighed as well.
"Beauty" wasn't just about women. The "beauty" in a honey trap actually referred to the desires in a person's heart.
For the lustful, offer a body.
For the greedy, provide an opportunity.
For the artistic, flaunt literary talent.
For the righteous, praise their reputation.
The essence of a honey trap was to cater to one's desires. An idol you worship, a childhood regret, an idealistic vision, a beloved friend or family member... even a favorite dish could become a target for exploitation. That's what made the honey trap such a venomous scheme. It used humanity's yearning for beauty and its weaknesses to set a trap, making it impossible to guard against.
And Zongzheng had undoubtedly fallen for a meticulously laid plot by the mastermind. From the initial subtle infiltration by catering to his hobbies, to being so deep in the mire by the time he realized something was wrong that he couldn't escape.
Besides, realistically, even Fuli himself wouldn't dare guarantee he could remain absolutely clear-headed in the face of a stratagem that struck directly at his deepest vulnerabilities.
Imagine this: a brother who grew up with you, who went through thick and thin with you. One day, he dies saving your life. Ten years pass. One evening, you suddenly see him walking toward you under the setting sun, hugging you tightly and saying, "Brother, long time no see." In that moment, do you believe him, or not?
Or another scenario: a girl who looks and acts exactly like the Kiana Kaslana in Fuli's memories, with sky-blue eyes and silvery-white hair like flowing moonlight. After many years of separation, she suddenly appears before Fuli in a snow-white wedding dress, smiling brightly and shouting, "Little Li, Little Li, long time no see! I'm here to fulfill our promise! Let's go get married!"
Faced with his white moonlight descending from the heavens, how many seconds could our Little Li hold out?
The answer is not even one second. Otherwise, he wouldn't have followed K-423 to the Far East.
The Changming Reservoir was dead silent in the deep of night. A pale moonlight filtered through the thin clouds, casting a sickly shimmer on the dark green water. At first glance, the reservoir looked normal.
Standing by the shore, the three of them exchanged a look and simultaneously expanded their sensory abilities. Before long, Yunli was the first to detect a problem. She swung her greatsword and threw it. The blade spun through the air, precisely shattering an aerial node hundreds of meters away and ten meters off the ground.
With a sound like shattering jewels, a dense surge of Honkai energy erupted from the node.