Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

Surrounded by the candlelight, Kong Yun smiled bashfully as tears welled up in her eyes. “My husband bought these candles for our wedding anniversary. When I came home that day, the apartment was filled with candles. He even cooked for me...“ her voice was caught in her throat. She gathered her hair and searched for a few photo frames as if nothing had happened.

  “After the anniversary, he wanted to throw away the candles. I vehemently disagreed. And look, now it came handy.” Kong Yun sniffled as she tearfully passed Lin Sanjiu a photo.

  The man in the photo was average-looking; his smile was very gentle, and his teeth were white. “Ah!” Lin Sanjiu exclaimed before she said, “I have the impression that I met your husband before, just once downstairs.”

  Lin Sanjiu explained that she remembered him because, at that time, there was an extremely furious woman over the line with him. The woman screamed about something continuously and was so loud that she could be heard even over the phone.

  Marcie tapped lightly on Kong Yun’s shoulder and sighed. Luther sat silently on a chair, just like any men, he did not know what to do when it comes to crying women. After saying a few comforting words to Kong Yun, Lin Sanjiu stood up, and her eyes swept the apartment aimlessly. Suddenly, she frowned feeling a little suspicious. Looking carefully, there was something weird about the apartment.

  The water dispenser in the living room was empty, but there was a full bottle of water right beside it. It was as if the owner did not find it necessary to refill the water dispenser. The owner might not be thirsty, yet the fish tank was empty. There were only a layer of ornamental rocks and a dry, tiny treasure c.h.e.s.t in it. When she walked over, there was still a strong fishy smell. The weirdest thing were the potted plants in the apartment, or rather, just pots filled with soil that should have plants in them. The plants were all missing, and there were holes in the soil where they once were, she could even see a few strands of roots… A sudden flash of thought ran through her mind.

  “I’ll get a drink for you. Do you have any drinks in your fridge?” Lin Sanjiu hurried to the fridge before she asked Kong Yun abruptly. Before she even received a reply, she pulled opened the fridge door.

  The fridge compartments were almost empty, there were only a few plastic wraps scattered about—those which were used in supermarkets to wrap vegetables, one even had the price tag on: Premium Organic carrots, $14.98. At the left compartment of the fridge, there was a neat row of drinks. Lin Sanjiu was certain from one look, the drinks have never been touched by anyone.

  Only at that moment did she hear Kong Yun’s slightly anxious voice coming from behind her, “No, it’s okay. I am not thirsty. Thank you.” Lin Sanjiu closed the fridge door and turned to look at the hand that Marcie had placed on Kong Yun. She felt like there was a heavy rock in the pit of her stomach.

  Chapter 16 - We Found Your Husband

  “Marcie,” Lin Sanjiu controlled her facial muscles and tried her best to sound amiable, “can you come over here? I want to ask if you have seen my little silver bottle.”

  Bringing up that little silver bottle, Marcie immediately thought of the Ability Polishing Agent. Marcie did not move from the spot, she was baffled and just replied, ”I placed it on the sofa, didn’t I?” As she said this, she was still patting Kong Yun’s back.

  As they left with Kong Yun, they had no choice but to leave the Ability Polishing Agent upstairs. Lin Sanjiu also knew about that.

  Lin Sanjiu suddenly knitted her brows, “Agh, I’ve forgotten!” She turned to face Kong Yun, saying, “Blame it all on my bad memory! Can I bring the both of them upstairs with me? Older Sister Kong, is it okay if you wait here for a moment?”

  Kong Yun was stunned for a moment.

  Lin Sanjiu knew that she, herself, was acting quite abnormally, so she did not give Kong Yun even the chance to reply. She pulled Luther to the entrance and gestured for Marcie to follow, “Come, we can also see if there are other useful supplies.”

  Marcie still had a doubtful look, but she stood up and complied.

  “Older Sister Kong, don’t be afraid. We will come back here soon…” Lin Sanjiu said with a smile and pulled open the front door.

  Through the little opening before the door closed, Lin Sanjiu saw Kong Yun sitting in the living room, looking back at her expressionlessly. When the front door closed with a bang, her face was enveloped by the darkness.

  “I hope… I hope that I over analyzed it!” her words came out in bits as she vigorously climbed up the stairs with wide strides. “I must go upstairs to confirm something first…”

  Within a few minutes, the three of them used their full stamina to reached the top floor. Lin Sanjiu’s heart pounded hard, without taking any time to steady her breathing, she pushed opened the door and rushed into the 38th floor apartment.

  The room was pitch dark. “Give me the lighter!” Lin Sanjiu shouted. Hearing her, Luther threw over the lighter and with a “click”, she lit it in her hand. The orange light from the flame lit half the dining area dimly. There were four bowls on the dining table.

  Luther and Marcie looked at each other and could not help looking at the area that Lin Sanjiu had illuminated.

  “Huh?” Marcie spotted the oddity quicker than Luther, “Why didn’t she…”

  Previously, they ate in the dark and left immediately, so no one realized anything strange. Now that they looked carefully, they discovered that there was something wrong. There were messy piles of chicken bones and skins beside three of the bowls. But beside Kong Yun’s bowl, there was nothing.

  [Well this is nothing new, maybe she likes to eat chicken bones…] Just as Luther was about to say this, he saw Lin Sanjiu serious expression as she brought Kong Yun’s bowl closer to them. He scanned it and immediately swallowed his words.

  In this scathingly hot Hyperthermal Hell, even Posthumans like themselves were constantly in a state of mild dehydration. This was the reason that they had to appropriately drink water every now and then. Even though they had decided to settle down at the supermarket, each drop of water was extremely precious to them. Naturally, they drank up all the porridge soup before.

  However, there was still half a bowl of shimmering white broth in Kong Yun’s bowl. When she checked with a spoon, Lin Sanjiu found that there wasn’t a single grain of rice left and all the chicken had also been eaten. Only the most precious thing in this New World, water, was left totally untouched by Kong Yun.

  Thanks to her [Keen Senses], she managed to piece the random fragments of clues together. But if her intuition was right, Kong Yun was a thornier problem than any duoluozhong.

  Lin Sanjiu said each word quietly, “She lied. She definitely already developed one Active Skill… and the way things are, I roughly know what her ability is.”

  [The chicken meat, the rice, the plants, the goldfishes and the vegetables in the fridge...]

  After she had placed the bowl down, her gaze fell on both Luther’s and Marcie’s faces. She said with some seriousness, “It is very likely that Kong Yun’s ability is that she can convert all forms of biological material into the nutrients that she needs for survival. I guess that she only has to touch her target and she can rapidly absorb it entirely without a single trace. How much time did we spend eating? Yet, it now seems as if the chicken and rice never even existed in the first place!”

  With a “Sss” sound, Marcie gasped. “All forms of biological material? Absorption by contact? This… this isn’t just an ability for survival. If it is used in combat…”

  One would die if they were touched.

  “But that doesn’t explain why she doesn't have to drink water.” Luther’s face turned white as he recalled how they bumped into each other when they were going downstairs.

  “Could it be that her ability altered her body, so she is unable to intake water like us? Maybe, for her, she can only obtain the required nutrients and fluids from the absorption of biological materials. “ Marcie suggested. “We had spent almost half a day with her… If she had any ill
will, we wouldn’t be alive now.”

  Lin Sanjiu nodded her head. This was what she thought of and hope for as well. But she feared...

  The three of them froze. [Did they take that long?] Lin Sanjiu could not help looking at the time on her digital watch.

  They spent only ten minutes from the time they came upstairs. She could not tell what Kong Yun’s purpose was for following them so closely.

  Noticing that the two others were silent and just standing blankly, Marcie quickly raised her voice and called over, “Wait for us at the door. We will come out soon.”

  Kong Yun replied with an “Oh.” but she continued walking toward them as if she did not hear Marcie. She slowly dragged her feet and stepped into the apartment. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

  Pausing for two seconds, Marcie laughed, “Hey, we are leaving now, you didn’t have to come in…”

  Kong Yun said softly, “I am scared to be on my own. I just want to be with you guys, will you mind?” While she said this, she walked closer to the three of them and revealed a smile. She stretched out her hand and held onto Marcie’s arm.

  Lin Sanjiu’s heart leaped. Just when she was about to intervene, Luther, who was standing behind her, had already pulled Marcie away from Kong Yun with one quick movement. He was so fast that she could only see a dark shadow.

  Marcie only managed to steady herself when Luther growled out, “What do you want!” His anger made his voice tremble a little. This was the first time Lin Sanjiu witnessed that fair, handsome young man getting angry. “You already developed your abilities long before, right? We already know this! Tell us! Why are you following us?”

  “Ah…” Kong Yun seemed slightly startled. She could not react for a moment. After a while, she said, sounding troubled, “There is really something wrong with my body… I did not dare to tell all of you because I was afraid that you will be scared of me. So all of you actually knew…”

  Lin Sanjiu instantly shot her a look. Marcie was nice and everything, but she could be too trusting sometimes. If Kong Yun really planned something, would she honestly say that out?

  “Harm all of you?” Kong Yun paused, the words she said next was beyond Lin Sanjiu’s expectation: “No, no, no. I just need one of you. It will be too cruel to absorb all three of you.”

  The sentence was like a “stop’’ button, and everything froze.

  Seeing their shocked face seemed to have hardened Kong Yun’s heart. She sighed and continued, “Actually, I really don’t want to absorb any living being. But I feel weak. I have absorbed everything in my house and even those security guards downstairs… but I still feel weak, so weak that it is uncomfortable…”

  Lin Sanjiu could not decide if she should be angry or she should laugh.

  Probably because she saw Lin Sanjiu’s expression, Kong Yun wiped her own tears, “When I first saw all of you, I did not have that intention. But as time went on, I couldn’t resist… Ask yourselves truthfully, if taking another person’s life mean that you can survive, would you do it?” She did not actually plan to listen to their answers and instead lifted one finger. She said, almost as if pleading, “I will just absorb one of you… Really! Just one!

  “Marcie, Luther, didn’t both of you just met her yesterday? She is just a passing acquaintance…” There was an almost deranged smile on her face. “Without this girl, both of you can go on living your lives the way you wanted to, it wouldn’t be a loss.”

  “You really did plan this out well for us.” Lin Sanjiu smiled coldly without looking at Luther’s and Marcie’s expressions. She only felt a brewing fire of anger in her heart.

  Hearing this, Kong Yun turned to look at her, “Lady, I don’t see your boyfriend beside you. I figured both of you were just playing around, you won’t understand the feelings between my husband and me… I must not die. Even if everyone dies, I must not die. I will wait for my husband at home…”

  Lin Sanjiu felt a sense of relief, and she quickly smiled at the two of them.

  When she was about to face Kong Yun again, her eyes stopped at her own bedroom door. In the dark, the door seemed so black as if it was a part of the entire universe; behind the door, was a double bed.

  Instantaneously, a flash of thought pierced through her mind. Before Lin Sanjiu was aware, she already asked the question: “Kong Yun, you mentioned that when you woke up last night, only his pajamas was left on the bed?”

  “Yes, why did…” Kong Yun did not finish her sentence, and her face immediately turned as white as a sheet when she saw Lin Sanjiu’s expression.

  Lin Sanjiu smiled vengefully showing her white teeth, she stared at Kong Yun’s face, “Bingo! We found your husband!”

  Chapter 17 - Hot on the Heels

  Just as if someone had added water to her memories and made some porridge with them, her memories were like a cloudy broth. She could only remember herself lying asleep in her own bed as it gradually became warmer and warmer. She became more and more thirsty… Suddenly, she felt a gentle concern from the man beside her. She grabbed his hand and whispered, “I’m thirsty...”

  “Just about then, you unconsciously activated your ability, in that daze you unwittingly absorbed your husband. When you became clear-headed, obviously only his pajamas was left behind…” Lin Sanjiu’s cold voice reverberated in the dark room.

  Toward the woman who was now sitting on the floor, Lin Sanjiu dreaded and feared her ability. [How powerful is her ability? In that short time that she was in a daze, she actually managed to absorb an entire full-grown man? She did not even leave a strand of hair!]

  Kong Yun stared blankly into the air, she had a weird expression, she looked as though she was about to cry or laugh. Just as her expression turned malevolent as she managed a “Ha.” but her tears fell anyway, “Nonsense! What do you know! You only said that because you don’t want me to absorb you! So you’re spouting nonsense!”

  “Really? Then, let me ask you a question. When you woke up, did you still feel thirsty?” Lin Sanjiu challenged softly.

  This sentence was the last straw which broke the camel’s back. It totally devastated Kong Yun. Suddenly, Kong Yun let out a shrill cry. The others were so shocked that they could not help retreating backward. Thereafter, she buried her face in her arms and curled up on the ground. She rocked her body gently as if she was comforting herself as she started crying loudly.

  “I… I don’t know!” Kong Yun screamed and cried at the same time. Her face was covered in tears, and her words were muffled and unclear. “Everyone said that I was too good for him. But in fact, he was too good for me... too good! He was such a nice person… such a nice…” Her cries sounded like fabric being torn, it was filled with deep wrath and pain, so much so that one could not help feeling fearful and uneasy when they heard it.

  “Why are you still just standing there?”

  Suddenly, she felt her arm being pulled. She turned her head to find that it was Marcie. Marcie whispered, “Let’s take this chance to get away! Do you want to wait for her to regain her composure and absorb you?”

  Lin Sanjiu only regain her senses then. It turned out that Luther, with a tensed look on his face, had pressed his body against the soft and already crept step by step out of the living room. When he saw that the two of them were still standing at the same stop, he was seriously mad at them, he hurried mouthed, “Are you two stupid?”

  The two of them hastened their steps and slipped past Kong Yun. The latter seemed to have forgotten where she was, while she wailed heedless to the things around her, her ten fingers dug deep into the sofa. She made several deep holes in the sofa’s soft material and was absolutely ignorant to the movements of the people near her.

  The scurry of footsteps woke up the dying people who were in their cars. When their group walked past the cars, quite a few people in the cars managed to sit up, pounding powerlessly on their car windows in despair. Even though they were alive, their expressions were not different from the dead, without a single spark o
f life.

  Lin Sanjiu looked at them with sympathy. Within the ten over arms behind those car windows, she wondered how many of them could survive until they successfully evolved...

  “Wait!” Luther who had been leading them suddenly stopped. He turned to instruct Marcie, “Keep a lookout on the road, make sure that Kong Yun is not following us. Xiao Jiu, hand me your knife.”

  With a white flash, Lin Sanjiu handed him her chef’s knife and asked puzzledly, “What’s wrong?”

  Luther tilted his head to the white Volkswagen Bora, his face stiffened, “Look at that, that person is going to change into a duoluozhong soon.”

  Following where Luther gestured to, Lin Sanjiu felt a layer of goosebumps rising. A dark brown face was pressing tightly against the windscreen of the Volkswagen Bora; it was impossible to tell its gender. Most of its moisture had already evaporated, leaving only a layer of wrinkly skin which piled at the two sides of its cheek. Its mouth area was protruding out as if a mouthpart would burst through its skin any moment. One of its eyelids had already fallen off, and the other eyelid swayed as it hanged down precariously over one of its eyeballs

  The pair of white eyeballs were staring motionlessly at the three of them.

  Holding his breath, Luther cautiously walked toward the side of the car. The eyeballs within the car also swirled to look at his side.

  “Crash!” with a shattering sound, the car window by the driver’s seat was smashed in. Following shortly, even before the person in the car could react, Luther struck and thrust the knife into the brain of that half-man half-duoluozhong. The process was as quick as lightning, and before Lin Sanjiu even had the time to respond, she heard a rasping, guttural sound and the body in the car slipped back wearily into the seat.

  Lin Sanjiu nodded her head and kept the knife.

  Even though that person still had the visage of a human figure, it was obvious that the person could not be saved. Apparently, she had better try to get used to such a scene in the future. While Lin Sanjiu continued forward with her wide strides again, she tried to stomach the waves of disgust that she felt—it was quite different from killing in self-defense after all.