There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

Looking at the old man, Nemo’s mind raced, rapidly pulling up all the information he had on the Clockmaker.

He had read Little Drilling Wind’s posts, and even some internal ones, so he was no stranger to the intelligence on the Clockmaker, one of the four leaders of the Pseudo-men.

According to Little Drilling Wind, the Clockmaker was the most resourceful of the Pseudo-man leaders, and also the most powerful of the four.

It was precisely because of this power that he was targeted by the administrators more than anyone else. Every administrator was eager to kill him and make an example of him, but unfortunately, none had succeeded to this day.

He was even a target for elimination in the current version. Nemo never expected to run into him here.

After realizing this was someone even the administrators couldn’t handle, Nemo silently readied his hammer and nails. But then he suddenly discovered that he didn’t feel a shred of fear.

"Have you noticed that you’re not afraid of me at all?" the Clockmaker said with a smile.

To Nemo, the smile seemed unusually kind, so much so that he couldn’t muster even the slightest hint of resistance.

"That’s perfectly normal, because I am not your enemy. I am your friend. You have many misunderstandings about us Pseudo-men, misunderstandings so great that they cloud your judgment and cause you to misinterpret our position."

Seeing that the man wasn’t attacking him, Nemo sat up in confusion and asked, "Then what’s this about you feeding on humans?"

"A complete misunderstanding. Pseudo-men have Levels, too. I don’t deny that some low-Level Pseudo-men live off human will, but high-Level Pseudo-men have already become self-sufficient. We have our own intelligence and our own will. What we should be doing is seeking a way to coexist, not trying to wipe one side out completely."

Nemo frowned in thought.

He wasn’t interested in the Pseudo-men’s position; after all, it was just part of the game’s setting.

But he was very interested in the Clockmaker.

The man was a Pseudo-man leader who had been active for a long time. He must have a lot of exploitable resources on hand.

’If I had those resources, I could thrash Duan Someone and make him regret ever crossing me.’

As for what Pseudo-men really were, he couldn’t care less.

Thus, he put on his most sincere expression. "I deeply regret the persecution you have suffered at the hands of others. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"A great many things. As you can see, your so-called game events are shrinking our living space. To protect myself, I need to create some Pseudo-men to guard me."

In that instant, it dawned on Nemo. He finally understood why the Clockmaker had saved him.

Because he was a Puppet Master.

This Profession allowed one to create puppets, which was a perfect match for the Clockmaker, who could create Pseudo-men.

Moreover, he could add Curses and other negative byproducts to the puppets, a trait that was perfect for mass-producing Pseudo-men.

’In other words, he saved me for his own purposes. So it’s only fair that I use him in return.’

Having understood, Nemo looked at the Clockmaker with a meaningful smile. "I see. I understand now. Well, Clockmaker, as it happens, I’m a Puppet Master. I can help you create some puppets for your self-protection. But creating puppets requires a great deal of Heart Power, so..."

The Clockmaker nodded as well. "Rest assured, I understand the principle of equivalent exchange. I will provide the materials for the puppets, and for each one, I will provide additional Abyss Coins as payment. Furthermore, I will allow you to leave backdoors in the puppets, so if you encounter them in future dungeons, you can make use of them."

The generous terms made Nemo ecstatic.

Nodding, Nemo said with a smile, "Alright, I understand. A pleasure doing business with you, Clockmaker."

"A pleasure."

Before long, a large quantity of materials was delivered.

Nirvana Company specialized in biotechnology. The cursed biological tissues Nemo carried were taken away for cloning, and a massive amount of material was cultured in less than half an hour.

Although these materials weren’t filled with the same aura of death and resentment as the original, they were more than enough to create some mass-produced puppets.

The created puppets were handed over to the Clockmaker. He injected a large amount of contamination into them, and before long, a puppet was transformed into a Pseudo-man.

Watching the Clockmaker command the Nirvana Company employees with practiced ease, Nemo realized how familiar he was with this place and couldn’t help but ask, "Clockmaker, what is your relationship with Nirvana Company?"

"I’m the president here."

"A Pseudo-man can be a president?"

"It’s nothing new. The companies in the dungeons are just a channel for us to acquire resources. If the administrators can control companies to get resources, why can’t we Pseudo-men?"

The Clockmaker’s words made Nemo feel that this boss was no ordinary one.

His scope of activity wasn’t limited to a single dungeon. He clearly knew his own nature and had even started trying to cooperate with players.

Marveling at how unfathomably deep the AI of *Abyss* was, Nemo asked another question. "I have one more question. Did the recommendation I received from the Level 9 Citizen come from you?"

The Clockmaker gave a cryptic smile. "That’s right, it was me. The Level 9 Citizen has already been contaminated; I was just acting in his name. Alright, get back to work. I have many more tricks up my sleeve."

Taking the hint, Nemo said no more. He just continued to create puppets, leaving backdoors in each one.

As for what would happen to these puppets or what they would be used for, he couldn’t care less.

While Nemo was continuously creating puppets, Duan Fei’s preparations were also complete.

The president of Luminous Heavy Industry, looking exhausted, returned the modified Spider Suit and drone to Duan Fei, saying, "Anna’s and the Bartender’s modifications were fine. One was to increase muscle mass, the other to boost ranged firepower. But your Spider Suit and drone were tricky."

"Why?" Duan Fei asked.

"The principles behind the Spider Suit are unknown to us. We could only replace the silk threads inside, increasing their length while raising the carrying capacity to one ton. The drone was even more troublesome. Its technological focus is different from ours; it’s mainly for Reconnaissance, not firepower. We could only add some weapon systems to it."

"What about the Lone Ranger?"

At the mention of him, the president’s eyes lit up. "Excellent. That Energy possesses a certain versatility. We’ve already found some special uses for it and have equipped him with some new items. Also, can you really come up with five hundred million? I put up five hundred million for you on my own credit. If you can’t pay it back, I’ll be in trouble too."

Patting the pitiful president’s shoulder, Duan Fei said, "Don’t worry, it’s not a problem. Go buy some of your company’s stock. You’ll see it skyrocket soon enough."

"Huh? What are you going to do?"

"Wage corporate warfare. The target: Sinful Corporation!"

At that moment, the president felt that one of them, either himself or Duan Fei, had to be a madman.

’How could you even think of starting a corporate war with that monster!’