An overlooked detail exploded in Lin Huai's mind! Coulson! The reason he recovered back then wasn't because of the Rune Talisman, but because he had pelted him with a silver coin! That physical impact!
"It wasn't the power of the Rune Talisman!" Lin Huai suddenly realized. Looking at Tony, who was frozen in place, he shouted quickly, "The rules are affecting Jarvis, but they aren't affecting you! Tony! Find a way to struggle! As long as you can make the armor move even a bit, Jarvis will recover!"
While shouting, he rapidly recalled the emotions that had flashed across the Puppet's face—disbelief, disappointment, and now, anger... Why was it in disbelief? Because I shot at it? What was it disappointed about? And what was it angry about?
At this moment, the only ones on the field still able to move were him and that gun-wielding Female Agent. Lin Huai immediately raised his gun, only to find it impossible to aim. That Puppet was incredibly cunning, hiding behind Tony and using the armor as a shield, revealing only a pair of wooden eyes flashing with an eerie light.
Its expression changed; the anger vanished, replaced by a twisted, childlike happiness.
In the eyes of Coulson, who was tending to his foot injury at the edge of the stage, this scene gave off a bizarrely absurd illusion. It felt like a couple having a snowball fight in the snow, with one side hiding behind an obstacle while the other stood helpless with a snowball.
"What the hell am I thinking..." Coulson shook his head violently, forcing the thought down, and shouted at the remaining combatant, "Keep firing! Cover Mr. Stark!"
The Female Agent pulled the trigger without hesitation, and bullets whizzed out. The Puppet immediately circled around Tony's armor like King Qin around the pillar; most of the bullets missed, and the few that hit the Iron Man Suit were a waste of effort, kicking up useless sparks. Soon, a crisp "clack-clack" sounded as both their magazines ran dry.
Seizing the gap during the reload, the Puppet suddenly lunged from behind Tony, charging at Lin Huai once more like a bolt of lightning!
"Damn it!" The Female Agent threw away her empty gun and glanced at the stiff Tony, a look of resolve flashing in her eyes. "Pardon me, sir!"
She lunged forward with all her might, slamming her full weight into Tony's armor!
A dull "Clang!" rang out.
The Puppet seemed completely indifferent to the commotion behind it. A look of fanaticism was on its wooden face as it held the rose with both hands, rushing toward Lin Huai recklessly, as if Lin Huai were its only destination!
"Tony! Quick!" Seeing this, Lin Huai retreated while rapidly swapping magazines.
"I can fucking move!"
Tony's roar erupted! Under the external force of the Female Agent's impact, Jarvis's control was instantly restored! He glared at the Puppet lunging for Lin Huai, his eyes burning with rage!
"Jarvis! Give me more speed!!!"
"Lin! Run!"
He shouted, his arms snapping open like a hunting falcon. He abandoned all fancy attacks just to grab onto that damn Puppet!
At the very instant the Puppet's fingertips were about to touch the hem of Lin Huai's clothes, Tony finally arrived from behind, accurately tackling its legs! The massive momentum sent them both tumbling across the ground, stopping right in front of Lin Huai.
"Lin! Shoot, now!!!" Tony pinned the Puppet down and roared over his shoulder.
The fallen Puppet didn't struggle much. It was simply persistent—pious, even—lying on its back and continuing to offer the rose to Lin Huai with both hands.
Lin Huai had just finished reloading. He walked forward expressionlessly and pressed the dark muzzle of his gun against the Puppet's smooth forehead.
Yet, his finger hesitated to pull the trigger.
"Lin! What are you doing?! Shoot!!!" Tony felt like he was going crazy.
Lin Huai, however, smiled. He understood completely. He looked into the Puppet's eyes, which held nothing but "longing," and looked at the rose it was offering.
Lin Huai tossed his gun aside.
Under the bewildered gazes of Tony, Coulson, and the others, Lin Huai leaned down and solemnly took the rose from the Joker's hand.
The moment he touched the rose, an exaggerated Joker makeup—as if he were smiling forever—appeared out of thin air on his originally handsome face!
"Ha... Haha... Hahahaha!"
He began to laugh, a laughter filled with absurdity, freedom, and relief.
"Creak... Creak-creak... Creak-creak-creak!" The Puppet lying on the ground also let out a joyful laugh that sounded like wood rubbing together.
"Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—!!!"
A tidal wave of cheers and applause exploded from all directions! This time, there was no malice or coercion, only pure, heartfelt approval!
Amidst the cheers, Lin Huai felt the spirituality within him begin to boil frantically. That Sequence bottleneck—an insurmountable chasm that had been obstructing him—shattered instantly!
He could now advance to Sequence 8—[Joker] at any time!
Lin Huai stood up amidst the cheers, pulled the Puppet up from the ground, and then hauled Tony up as well, his movements as natural as lending a hand to a comrade backstage in a theater.
He looked at the dazed Tony and the complex expression in Coulson's eyes, saying with a smile:
"It seems I gambled correctly. I felt something was wrong from the very beginning. The Beyonder characteristic within me has been reminding me that I need you," he looked at the Puppet, "very, very much. However, that damn divination in Florida kept me from finding you. According to the 'law of beyonder characteristics convergence,' that was illogical—unless it was itself a form of guidance."
"Furthermore, before entering the maze, my divination for today's operation was 'very safe.' For a time, I thought I had been countered again. But whether it was in that passage, during the ball-tossing performance, or even in the battle just now, I haven't sustained a single bit of real damage... If the divination was correct, then this performance, from beginning to end, would never harm me, the 'protagonist'."
"So, following the logic of a stage play, I performed the final interaction with you." Lin Huai looked at the Puppet, the Joker makeup on his face making his smile incredibly brilliant. "I guessed right. And I understand now. You and I are the true protagonists of this performance."
"From the very beginning, you were teaching me how to be a proper actor, or rather... a true Joker."
"The anti-divination was to teach me not to blindly trust rigid divinations but to understand the development of the story itself. Entering the maze was to tell me that I was already an actor, a Joker. The ball-tossing performance was to familiarize me with an actor's basic skills. Tony and the others only became supporting characters because they happened to be here."
"Finally, you kept targeting me not to attack, but to interact with me, to complete the final climax of this two-person play."
Lin Huai looked at the Puppet, the smile on his face softening.
"Though I can't remember, I have... a strange sense of familiarity with you. Thank you, my partner."
"Creak! Creak-creak!" The Puppet let out a joyful laugh again. Lin Huai laughed along with it.
At this moment, the spirits acting as the audience also seemed to find liberation. They laughed along with them, then one by one, transformed into soft points of light, slowly dissipating and returning to where they originally belonged.
The Puppet extended its wooden palm and grasped Lin Huai's hand that was holding the rose. Its massive body suddenly transformed into a thick gray mist, surging frantically into the rose.
The blood-red petals withered quickly, then rapidly sprouted, grew, and bloomed again!
This time, there wasn't just one expression on the blooming rose petals. Instead, miniature human faces appeared—some weeping in sorrow, others laughing in joy—manifesting an eerie beauty that was breathtakingly haunting.
A piece of information appeared clearly in his mind.
"[Seer Sequence 8: Clown]"
"[Main Potion Ingredients: One adult Hornacis gray mountain goat single-horn crystal, one complete 'human-faced rose.']"
He looked down at the rose in his hand and whispered to himself.
"Tony, the performance is over. It's time to clock out."