Chapter 240: Chapter 240

Zhang Minghan's clone stood at a distance but saw everything clearly—

The moment those figures appeared within this black ice domain,

Lin Ling would casually slap a talisman onto their foreheads.

Any follower player who got tagged with a forehead talisman would immediately lose consciousness, their body stiffening like wooden puppets.

Soon after, they'd shrink into miniature puppets about two inches tall.

In just the blink of an eye, over a dozen tiny puppets had been created,

Scattered across the black ice domain's surface like discarded toys.

Both Jiang Ye's Ge Ge clone and No.1 clone had suffered this puppet fate before.

And now, within moments, Wu Ying's clone—randomly released from Zhou Yuling's White Tower—also became a tiny puppet!

Neither did Jiang Ye.

Only Zhang Minghan's observing clone felt shock witnessing this scene.

Because when No.1 clone got sealed by that talisman earlier, he'd theorized—

Perhaps if a clone was stronger, say by merging more clones into No.1,

It could break free from the talisman's binding seal.

Watching follower after follower get released from the White Tower only to be sealed,

Not a single one could resist that talisman's power!

Only now did Jiang Ye realize—

Lin Ling's puppet-transforming talismans might look ordinary,

But they represented an utterly heaven-defying ability!

What the hell? Does this mean anyone tagged becomes her puppet?

Just how overpowered is this technique?

Even one such talisman would be ridiculously strong,

Yet Lin Ling seems to have an endless supply?!

Could these talismans...

Be some kind of authority-granted ability?

Jiang Ye watched nervously as the talisman-slapping woman suddenly grew impatient.

She abruptly went berserk, her entire aura turning maniacal.

A fierce icy wind erupted around her,

Lifting her three meters above ground.

Her clothes and hair whipped wildly,

Her entire demeanor now completely unhinged.

With one sudden motion, she telekinetically lifted the fake Zhou Yuling,

Suspending her twenty meters in the air.

"Zhou Yuling" panicked, crying out: "Left Alliance?!"

But Lin Ling kept her suspended midair while roaring:

"Releasing them one by one is boring!"

"Spit out another twenty-five hundred at once!"

The terrified "Zhou Yuling" didn't dare resist.

So from her twenty-meter perch, White Tower followers began raining down like dumplings!

Most hadn't even processed their situation before talismans slapped onto their foreheads,

Instantly transforming them into tiny puppets that clattered to the ground.

Though with so many, some reacted quicker—

Zhang Minghan's distant clone spotted

Xu Gou and Peng Gu—the loudest troublemakers from the White Tower—

Attempting to flee in opposite directions.

But escape proved impossible!

While Lin Ling's left hand kept fake Zhou Yuling suspended,

Her right kept slapping talismans on the "dumpling" players' foreheads.

Spotting the runners, she just shot them a sharp glare—*PIA!*—

Two phantom handprints materialized midair,

Slapping Xu Gou and Peng Gu simultaneously.

Of course, the slaps came with forehead talismans,

Quickly reducing them to two-inch tagged puppets...

Though these explosive scenes targeted Zhou Yuling's followers,

Nearby Defenders in the black ice domain also trembled with fear.

Watching from afar, Zhang Minghan's clone realized—

No wonder Zhou Yuling had slapped Xu Gou dead during follower recruitment...

She learned from Lin Ling.

Tch, truly like master like servant...

Honestly, he could retrieve his mask from the shop now.

But he hesitated, fearing sudden disappearance might anger Lin Ling.

So he remained frozen,

Not daring even to speak.

The entire black ice domain had become Lin Ling's personal madhouse.

Jiang Ye secretly messaged Yuan Qiu—

Zhang Minghan: [What happened to promised opportunities? Trying to get me killed?] Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel~fire~net

Yuan Qiu: [Chill! She's only attacking cannon fodder—has she touched any Defenders?]

Zhang Minghan: [She went after Zhou Yuling though?]

Yuan Qiu: [Relax, probably acting. This woman fakes madness often—Zhou Yuling's likely playing along.]

Yuan Qiu: [Simple psychology—Zhou Yuling's 10,000 followers serve multiple purposes.]

[By pretending to target Zhou Yuling too, the followers won't resent her later when reused.]

[Later she can claim Lin Ling went crazy—she was just another victim...]

This girl's surprisingly insightful.

Seems she knows some inside information—

That talisman-tagged puppets aren't actually dead,

Just being used by Lin Ling pre-Court of Disorder,

Before Zhou Yuling reuses them there.

The "madness" act makes Zhou Yuling seem blameless,

When really they've been partners all along!

Zhang Minghan: [So what's Lin doing with all those captured followers?]

This time, the young miss answered cryptically: [I suspect... she's playing a grand game.]

Jiang Ye wanted to mock her childish pretentiousness,

Until he saw—Lin Ling literally was setting up a giant game board...

A massive chessboard materialized before her as she hovered three meters up.

With one gesture, all the tiny puppets flew onto its surface.

From his low angle, Zhang Minghan couldn't see the board's face,

But Lin Ling's posture clearly showed her arranging pieces—

Using talisman-tagged puppets instead of proper chessmen!

After a minute, she frowned at some complication,

Then told the "Zhou Yuling" back on the ice:

"This requires more time—take them to the Abyssal Depths first."

No longer acting scared, "Zhou Yuling" scanned the assembled Defenders.

Frankly, Zhou Yuling alone couldn't command these players,

But after witnessing Lin Ling's display...

As silence hung heavy,

"Zhou Yuling" addressed them warmly:

"Our shared mission here is eliminating that light-attribute player."

"So you've all surely planned to explore the Abyssal Depths."

"Going together ensures mutual support while preparing for the 'Abyss Restricted Zone.'"

Like Zhang Minghan, most Defenders had researched the Abyss Restricted Zone beforehand,

Making this suggestion perfectly timed.

"Zhou Yuling" continued more gently:

"The Depths are perilously dark—normal lights won't work."

"So I've prepared night vision devices for everyone."

Every Defender received what looked like contact lens cases.

Inside rested lens-like devices.

"[Owl's Eyes]—these grant perfect vision in absolute darkness."

"Additionally, the Depths are paradise for dark-attribute players."

"Non-dark Defenders lose certain advantages there."

"Most critically, any bleeding wounds inflicted there never heal."

"Blood exposed to that environment risks dark energy corruption affecting cognition..."

"Dark players avoid this with their Glyph Pattern Abilities, but we Defenders must prevent bleeding entirely."

"So I've prepared another item."

Another wave distributed syringe-like devices,

Each containing about 1cm of red-and-green swirled liquid—

A hideous mixture of deep crimson and emerald.

"This is Blood Poison Corpse Water—injection causes mild toxicity."

"Skin turns green; movements stiffen slightly."

"But you'll no longer bleed from cuts,"

"And gain dark-attribute camouflage for easier movement there."

To demonstrate, "Zhou Yuling" injected herself,

Showing her green-tinged, non-bleeding skin after a knife test.

"Of course, since the Restricted Zone differs from normal Depths,"

"We'll neutralize the serum before entering."

"Just take an antidote pill—effects vanish immediately."

Players could verify these claims with inspection skills,

And her personal demonstration built trust.

Some Defenders immediately injected the serum,

Whether plants or genuine believers.

But Jiang Ye distrusted this "Zhou Yuling"—

Likely the White-Robed Woman in disguise!

As a Reincarnation Ghost,

Her physiology differed completely from Defenders!

Her demonstration meant nothing!

Numerous suspicions flashed through Jiang Ye's mind.

Remembering Yuan Qiu's sharp intuition, he messaged:

Zhang Minghan: [Doesn't this Zhou Yuling feel... off to you?]