Then all of the sudden the sharp crack of metal giving way rang in my ears. In the next heartbeat, the cuffs that bound us clattered to the ground.
Rover didn't hesitate. She lunged forward, her blade flashing as it cut through the stale air. The impact was thunderous when steel met steel her strike colliding with the Dollmaker's gauntlet. Sparks scattered across the floor, lighting her determined face in fleeting glimmers. Her jaw clenched, eyes burning with resolve.
I pulled free my pistol with one hand, the familiar hum of the Rectifier steady in my other. Both weapons leveled at the Dollmaker's chest, my breath syncing with the trembling trigger finger.
The Dollmaker's face twisted in outrage as he strained against Rover's blade. "Ugh… Yinlin! What are you doing?!"
Yinlin stepped into view, her gaze cold enough to freeze the air between them. Her puppets flickered with sparks of electricity, shadows and light dancing around her.
"It all ends here, Dollmaker. You're going nowhere."
His eyes widened, disbelief turning to fury.
Yinlin pointed out the obvious.
"You—of all people! You should know why the Fractsidus offered their help!"
Her lips pressed into a tight line, the tremor of grief hidden beneath her steel voice. "I have never forgotten who I am. My bloodline is one of Jinzhou's Patrollers. I will always uphold my duty, just like my parents before me."
The chamber fell silent for a moment. Even Rover spared a quick glance at Yinlin, her brow furrowed, as if the weight of those words tugged at her too.
"They fought," Yinlin continued, her voice quivering only for a second before hardening again, "until their very last breath… trying to save the innocent."
The Dollmaker's mask cracked. His voice shook, raw and desperate. "Everything I've done… I did it for them!"
Yinlin's eyes softened just for a moment before hardening again, tears caught in her lashes but refusing to fall. "No. Just like Jeff said you did it to relive the kindness you once felt. But my parents are gone. So are everyone else's loved ones. It's time we wake up from this dream you've been spinning everyone around."
"No!" His shout echoed, jagged with rage. "Don't you dare!"
He tore himself free, breaking past Rover with reckless strength. In a frantic motion, he slammed open the gate. The heavy creak was followed by the ground trembling then shadows poured in.
Figures stumbled forward. Exiles. Their bodies twitched unnaturally, eyes clouded and veins glowing faintly as if fire burned beneath their skin. Overclocked.
Rover's eyes widened, her grip tightening on her blade. "The Exiles… he just let them in?!"
Yinlin's puppets sparked alive, lightning crawling over her fingertips. Her voice was steady, but her lips pressed tight with worry. "Careful… those people don't look right. They've all Overclocked."
No more hesitation.
I raised my pistol, the blast echoing as the first bullet struck straight to their head. The recoil snapped through my arm, but I welcomed it—it reminded me I was still in control.
"I guess somethings never change"
Yinlin's electric puppets leapt into the fray, arcs of lightning ripping through the air as the Exiles convulsed, their screams excruciating and inhuman.
"Zapstring... the stage is yours."
Rover danced into their ranks, every slash of her blade cutting with precision, her Resonance flaring golden bright as her voice cut through the chaos with a sharp battle cry.
"Moment of resonance."
Together, we moved like a storm, clash of steel and gunfire tearing through the wave of enemies.
The air warped—one second the factory shimmered with sterile, well-kept walls, the next it peeled back like rotting paint. Rust bled through the beams, wires hung exposed, machinery cracked and leaking fluid that reeked of iron and rot. The hologram projectors fizzled and sparked until the illusion shattered completely.
My boots crunched against damp metal scraps. My gun hung loose at my side, smoke still trailing from the barrel.
"What the fuck…" I muttered, eyes darting around. "Where the hell are we?"
Yinlin's expression was unreadable, but her tone was bitter. "Lightning destroyed the control panel. The projectors are gone. This…" she swept her hand toward the corroded, grotesque machinery, "…this is what the factory really looks like."
Her voice cracked as she turned toward the Dollmaker, who had reappeared in the haze like a phantom clinging to scraps. "This thing… The Fractsidus—" her eyes narrowed, "you got this from them, didn't you? In exchange for being their pawn?"
The Dollmaker laughed, a jagged, hollow sound that echoed through the ruined walls. His mask gleamed in the dim light, his body trembling with rage and mania.
"Pawn?" His voice broke, veering between mockery and delusion. "Me? Their pawn? Hah!" He spread his arms, reveling in his own madness. "I'm the one pulling their strings, sweetheart!"
Before we could react, the ground trembled. Plates of rusted metal shifted, screeching as something massive stirred. From beneath the floor, a monstrous silhouette clawed its way out bolts hissing, steel plates groaning, eyes glowing with sickly red light.
A mech abomination.
I cursed under my breath, instinctively raising my pistol. "You gotta be shitting me…"
Rover stepped beside me, blade already humming with Resonance, her stance steady. She glanced my way, voice low but firm. "Keep it together."
Her eyes lingered on me for a heartbeat too long, protective, before snapping back to the monster.
Yinlin didn't wait. Her arms shot outward, strings of crackling electricity leaping to life. "Zapstring… the stage is yours." Her puppets whirred forward, arcs of lightning snapping through the air.
I joined in, squeezing the trigger of my pistol, the recoil biting at my wrist. My Rectifier materialized on my back glowed hot as I slammed bursts of energy into the mech's shielding. Sparks flew, its armor cracking.
"We can do this all day!" I shouted, adrenaline spiking.
It was almost like the mecha heard me.
The mech's massive arm swung with terrifying speed. I barely saw it before the impact hit my world went black and white, the air punched from my lungs as I flew across the room. My back hit a wall with a bone-snapping crack that echoed through me like thunder. Agony shot down my spine.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe. Couldn't even scream.
"JEFFFFF!" Rover's voice shattered into the chaos, distressed and panicked. She sprinted toward me, blade still drawn, as Yinlin's puppets lashed at the mech to buy her time.
Yinlin's voice was a whipcrack of fury. "Tsk… such nerves. I'll pay it back tenfold." Electricity blazed brighter, her strikes sharper, her anger fueling every movement.
But me I was broken. I could feel it. My spine was shattered. This should've been it. My vision blurred, my hands trembling against the floor as I tried to push myself up. This should've killed me. Back then… wounds like this would've killed me instantly.
And yet my body was knitting itself back together. Bones realigning, snapping back into place with sickening pops. My breath returned in jagged gasps. My fingers dug into the floor, sweat dripping down my face as I tried to comprehend it. What the fuck is happening to me…? Am I like Deadpool or something?
Rover skidded to my side, her hand hovering like she wanted to touch me but didn't dare. Her golden eyes searched mine, desperate, furious, afraid all at once.
I grunted, forcing myself upright, every word heavy. "...I can keep going."
"No. Just stay down. Let me deal with this."
I stared at her for a moment at the way her shoulders shook though her stance never faltered, She wasn't just protecting me. She was begging me to trust her.
"…Fuck it," I exhaled, letting my body drop back against the wall. "You're right. Tear that piece of scrap to pieces for me will you."
Something in her softened. Relief. Maybe even a small smile tugged at her lips happy that he trusted her. "My pleasure."
She rose, blade gleaming, calling forth her echoes with a single commanding sweep.
"Obey me."
The echoes answered instantly, their forms swirling into being, resonating with her will. Together with Yinlin's puppets, they surged toward the mech.
Rover's figure was a blur her blade cut through steel with the precision of a seasoned warrior, every movement fluid, sharp, and efficient. Yinlin's lightning tore into weak points, leaving the abomination twitching and staggering.
Their synergy was undeniable. Grace and fury intertwined as they carved the monster apart, piece by piece, until the mech collapsed in a heap of sparking ruin.
From the sidelines, I watched, my breath still ragged, my body still emitting steam from the unnatural healing. I clenched my fists, frustration tightening in my chest.
Damn… they make it look easy. And here I am, breaking apart while they're tearing down monsters like that like it's second nature.
I exhaled, closing my eyes for a moment. I've got to train harder with Danjin. If I'm going to stand beside them, I need to keep up.
By the time I stood again, my spine whole, the battle was already over. Rover and Yinlin stood amidst the wreckage, blades and strings still sparking, their chests heaving from exhaustion.
And me I was still playing catch-up.
The Dollmaker, injured from the debris from the fight, staggered back, clutching his side, blood seeping between his fingers. Sparks from shattered machinery rained around him, illuminating the desperate rage in his eyes. Yinlin stood firm, her breathing ragged, but her posture steady Zapstring puppets crackling faintly at her side like loyal sentinels.
Her voice was calm but cutting. "It's over, Dollmaker. Surrender now."
The words struck him harder than any blade. His mask tilted as though the weight of betrayal had finally sunk in.
"Ugh… Gah… Yinlin!!" His voice cracked, hoarse. "How could you do this to me!? I created this home for them! For my followers! They found salvation through my puppets. I am their savior!" His chest heaved with each word, madness and pain intertwining.
He took a stumbling step toward her, trembling hand reaching out. "You too, Yinlin! You had the chance to reunite with your family! Why… Why are you doing this to me?!"
My jaw clenched, anger boiling in my chest. The bastard was still trying to twist her heart. I raised my pistol slightly, voice sharp, unflinching.
"Puppets can never replace real families. Anyone who believes that…" I spat on the ground, "…is nothing more than a delusional idiot."
Yinlin's eyes flickered toward me, gratitude softening her features, before she returned her gaze to the Dollmaker. Her expression was no longer hesitant just resolute.
"I never met my parents," she said, her voice steady, though her hand trembled slightly at her side. "But my actions are guided by their beliefs. As a child, I cursed my misfortune. I wanted to scream at the world. But I knew better than to harm others just to fill that void that their absence left me." Her lips pressed into a thin line. "The dead deserve peace. My parents are gone. Nothing can change that. I can't believe that Jeff's word is enough for me to realize that."
Her voice rose, her hand curling into a fist. "But the present—" her eyes burned, "—the present is mine to control. I can still bring justice to those who caused their untimely end."
Beside me, Rover stilled, her golden eyes wide, shimmering faintly in the dim light. I couldn't help but stare too, my throat tight. Yinlin's words weren't just defiance, they were a vow. She wasn't just fighting for herself anymore.
The Dollmaker wheezed, his mask tilting downward, his body trembling. "What's wrong with doing what I can for our happiness?" His voice broke into a bitter laugh. "Laws, principles, they're nothing but tools for those in charge! Why should we play by their rules?"
Yinlin's gaze hardened. "Is that why you must deprive others of their happiness? Using them as your pawns?"
He laughed again, manic, his teeth flashing under the cracked mask. "Ha! And suddenly justice matters to you? Don't tell me you still think you're a Patroller. I already erased you, Yinlin. Wiped your data from their records. No one knows who you were." His words dripped with venom. "You can't prove it. You're nothing."
"Yinlin…" I muttered, stepping forward, my grip tightening on my gun.
Her answer was immediate, unwavering. "Yes, they may never allow me back. That doesn't matter anymore. It's a small price to pay to stop you… and the greater evil you serve." Her gaze softened slightly, as though the words were for herself as much as us. "I don't need a recognized identity to do what's right. I can do it my way."
The Dollmaker let out a strangled cough, crimson staining his gloves. He fell to his knees, staring up at her as though he couldn't recognize her anymore.
Yinlin exhaled, shoulders relaxing, though her eyes glistened faintly. She turned away from him. "I should get going. I'll leave the rest to you, Rover."
Then her gaze shifted, landing on me. For a moment, the battlefield disappeared, the haze, the wreckage—all of it faded into the background. Her eyes softened, a rare warmth glimmering there.
"And Jeff…" Her lips curved into the faintest, fragile smile. "You did good. For a civilian investigator, you've been more than I ever expected. I'm… happy I met you."
Something tugged at my chest, something I wasn't prepared for. Her tone carried a fondness I didn't think she was capable of.
"Please," she continued, stepping back slightly, "keep it secret from the Patrollers. Until it's all over. One day, I'll tell them everything myself."
She hesitated, almost as if she didn't want to turn away. "Next time we meet… I'll explain everything. And… properly thank you, I guess."
"Yinlin! Wait!" My voice cracked louder than I intended, reaching for her hand, but she'd already moved out of reach.
"Quick, over there!" A Patroller's voice boomed from the chamber entrance. I snapped around and slammed my palm against the switch, the mechanism groaning as the gate creaked open. Chixia and the others stormed in, their weapons raised, eyes scanning the chamber.
But I barely noticed them.
Because when I turned back, Rover was standing apart, her blade still at her side but her eyes locked on where Yinlin had been and me.
She wasn't saying a word. She didn't need to.
Her clenched jaw, the slight twitch of her brow, and the way her lips pressed flat told me everything.
Jealousy clearly written on her face, written so clearly that it hurt to look at.
Chat, am I cooked?