Chapter 260: The Puppetry Rune
Jiang Chen withdrew his envious gaze from Zhao Ying’s window and pushed the Giant Leaf to full speed, streaking toward his own farm.
Soon, the familiar silhouette of his home appeared: the two-story stone house, the earthen shed, and the towering poplar tree.
By day, the tree was merely impressive—lush and tall. But at night, viewed from a distance, it took on an eerie quality. Faint fluorescent light seeped from between its ink-black leaves, and the wind didn’t just rustle the branches; it elicited a low, dragging hum that vibrated in the chest.
It radiated a bone-chilling coldness.
As he drew closer, he saw Fortress standing beneath the canopy, motionless as a statue.
The Golem was unrecognizable. It was covered from head to toe in tender, emerald sprouts, glowing with a bizarre vitality. It looked less like a machine and more like a creature undergoing a metamorphosis.
Sensing an approach, Fortress’s optical sensors flared with ghostly green light. Identifying Jiang Chen, it powered down its defensive protocols. Had it been a stranger, it would have followed its last standing order to interrogate and expel.
Jiang Chen landed, his expression dark. He didn’t like coming home to surprises.
His visit to the core archives had opened his eyes. The description of Spirit Plant Puppetry had been too specific to ignore. He had always suspected Fortress was odd, but he lacked the context to frame his suspicion. Now, the evidence was mounting. There was no precedent for a standard mechanical Golem mutating because it stood under a tree.