by N. Heller
The skinny security guard paused, turning his head to laugh. He walked over to Lin Sanjiu’s capsule and knocked on it. "I know one which you might like… Do you see this? She is the contestant who joined willingly. She is just like an ice queen… Why don’t you try her?"
The man without robes narrowed his eyes and smiled leeringly as he opened the door. Lin Sanjiu’s feeble body immediately fell out as the door opened.
Chapter 120 - A Dazzling Entrance
"Sob… sob..."
A female soft sobbing sounds could be heard from the small alley around the corner. Although she sounded like she was trying to control herself, the night was quiet, so her voice rang out clearly. The crying sounds went further and further until they were nothing more than a murmur which faded into the darkness.
Some distance away, under the orange glow of the lampposts which lit the street, two soundless shadows walked out.
"Brother Gong, she should be just up ahead," a slim man looked at the card in his hands and whispered softly to another man hidden in a long robe.
"Don’t tell me it’s that weepy woman?’
Even though that was a rhetorical question, the man sounded very certain. He quickened his pace and turned into the alley. Someone had covered the single lamppost in the alley with a coat, and light barely streamed through its fabric. In the dimly lit alley, a woman sat on the ground sobbing spasmodically with her back against a vending machine. When the robed man showed himself, she was shocked. She scrambled up, trying to run, but stopped as if she remembered something. She turned back and asked with a shaky voice, "Are you Mr. Gong Daoyi?"
The robed man nodded his head quietly and walked closer. He looked at the vending machine, then at the woman. The woman lowered her head in embarrassment, clenching her fists. There were many small shining balls on the ground, lying just by her feet. There were dozens of them and were indeed anti-radiation gummies.
Gong Daoyi lowered his eyelids as he looked at the petite woman in front of him. He laughed quietly before using his hand to wipe off the patches of sugary evidence on the woman’s face. Using a deep voice, he gently said, "Since it had already been set in stone, eating so many of these sweets won’t change a thing… Look, you’ve made quite a mess."
His sudden actions caused the woman to freeze but she quickly relaxed once he drew back his hand calmly. The moment she let down her guard, tears poured from her eyes. She covered her mouth while she sobbed, "I... I really don’t know what to do…"
Gong Daoyi pulled down his hood slowly, revealing a fair, handsome face. The reddish reflection off the sweets on the ground highlighted his beautiful jawline. His pair of star-dusted eyes were unusually clear and warm. The woman looked up at him and was momentarily a little stunned. She then wiped off the tears on her face, a little bashfully.
It was rare to see such a good-looking, handsome man in the Garden of Eden. Most importantly, his gaze was so warm and sincere that she just felt safe looking at him. He was nothing like the other men there. When those men stared at her, her goosebumps would appear immediately.
"What’s your name?" Gong Daoyi asked her amiably, probably with the intention to calm her down.
"I am Xueqin."
This woman called Xueqin was in her early twenties. Though she was in a sorry state, her features were exquisite. She composed herself before turning her attention to the slim man, looking at him with unease.
"This is my companion, Lei Ming. You don’t have to worry." Gong Daoyi smiled. The laugh lines at the side of his mouth were very beautiful.
Lei Ming nodded his head hurriedly as a sign of acknowledgment. As he stood quite far from them, the light from the anti-radiation gummies couldn’t even reach him—he felt rather relieved because of this, and quickly hid his left hand which was covered with blood.
"Mr. Gong, I secretly left my husband’s house, so I can’t stay long…" Xueqin didn’t know why, but she felt a little inferior standing in front of Gong Daoyi. She held her collar tightly, trying to hide the bruises on her c.h.e.s.t, "I heard that you have something that could help me. Is it true?"
Gong Daoyi nodded, "When did you find out about your condition? How did this happen?"
Xueqin shuddered when she heard his questions. Facing someone like Gong Daoyi, she did not want to lie—Xueqin turned away her head as though the action could suppress the memories flooding to her head, "Once... I was unconscious for half a month. When I woke up, I couldn’t move. I could only lie on the bed to recover, so I didn’t eat any gummies for a long time... but after my wounds recovered, there was nothing wrong with my body. I became much stronger, so I didn’t think of it…" Her tone suddenly changed, "until I realized—"
Gong Daoyi showed an expression which seemed to convey his pity and he quickly patted her shoulder gently and comforted her, "This isn’t something serious. You don’t need to be scared." When he noticed that she was calming down, he casually took out something black. He swept the item around her temples.
"Beep". A neon number appeared on the device. Xueqin wiped her tears as her eyes were filled with confusion.
Gong Daoyi sighed when he saw the number. "Your Potential Growth Value is 177, you’ve really evolved," he said apologetically.
Xueqin let out a loud sob when she heard the numerical value only associated with Posthumans and quickly forced herself to stop. Being a woman in the Garden of Eden was unlucky enough—the only thing worse than that was probably becoming a Posthuman.
Gong Daoyi sighed again as he took out a yellow sponge from his pocket. He placed it in her hand and explained how she should use it, "Remember, as long as you have this with you, your evolved abilities won’t flare up and you won’t continue evolving. However, when it becomes heavy, you have to squeeze the liquid out…"
Grabbing the piece of [Lu Xun Exclusive Similar Styled Sponge], Xueqin nodded her head to thank him profusely. She placed it carefully into her pocket. Noticing that she had been outside for quite some time, she gave Gong Daoyi a deep bow before she whispered her farewell, "Goodbye. If I don’t go now, my in-laws might discover that I left. Thank you, Mr. Gong."
Even though it was essentially a deal, Gong Daoyi’s gentle demeanor had been a great comfort to her. It was to the extent that she felt that she could continue no matter the hardsh.i.p.s ahead if she just thinks back on what happened that night.
After he watched her wiping her tears and disappearing down the dark alley, Gong Daoyi took out a wristwatch that all residents of Garden of Eden owned and activated its screen. Lei Ming looked at him blankly, "Brother Gong, when did you…"
Gong Daoyi ignored him and pulled up his hood to hide his handsome face.
"You have reached the National Police Bureau, we are now connecting you to…" the mechanical sound from the wristwatch reverberated through the walls of the alley.
[Huh?] Lei Ming was so shocked that he couldn’t even feel the sticky consistency of blood on his hand.
"Hello Resident 49384, how may I help you?" a middle-aged man with an unconcerned face appeared on the projected screen.
"Um, I would like to provide a tip-off." Gong Daoyi’s voice had changed and lost its previous gentle, pleasing timbre. "I think that the woman on the same street as us is a mutate. Maybe, she had already infiltrated the city ages ago…"
The middle-aged man suddenly became interested, his face appeared larger on the screen, "Please provide me her name and more information!"
"Her name is Xueqin, 21. She is wearing a black jacket. I saw her eating a few handfuls of anti-radiation gummies on Sadema Street, and walking to the west…"
"Okay, she's headed west, right? How long was it since you last saw her? Ok, understood. Resident 49384, you have been a great help to our national security. Thank you for your contribution to the Garden of Eden. We will send men out to get her now!"
Lei Ming stood in a daze. He was unable to react even after Gong Daoyi switched off the screen, crushed the wristwatch and threw it into a flowerpot nearb
y.
"But... why?"
A smile appeared on Gong Daoyi’s handsome lips as he looked at Lei Ming with his crystal clear eyes, "Even though it is regretful, I need her to be caught."
Before Lei Ming could ask why again, Gong Daoyi had already started walking while explaining, "I don’t know how they deal with these things normally, but if they find a female mutate during this period with the Lunar New Year Tournament. Logically speaking, they would present her to the Tournament Committee… I don’t know where the Tournament Committee works, so I need someone to lead the way."
"But... But, she might die!"
"Who can avoid death?" Gong Daoyi’s gentle voice was like a welcoming spring breeze, "Considering her current way of life, death might be a relief."
Lei Ming stopped talking but huffed while he walked expressing his complicated emotions. Both men were Posthumans with high levels of Physical Enhancement, so they moved very quickly. They reached the entrance of the National Police Bureau in a short time. They hid and waited for a few minutes. Gong Daoyi listened carefully and suddenly smiled with delight, "Give me the eyeball."
Lei Ming handed over the eyeball that he had been holding.
After two teams of fully armed soldiers entered and exited the building a few times. The National Police Bureau team finally carried an unconscious woman out and set off. Her body hung limply over one of the soldier's shoulder while the wind tousled her hair. Her skin was covered with purple bruises and she was hardly recognizable.
Lei Ming couldn’t help closing his eyes when he saw her. But Gong Daoyi seemed totally unaffected as he tapped Lei Ming and followed the men. The fact that they could smuggle items from the Garden of Eden was enough proof that these men were quite capable—they followed the soldiers without anyone detecting them, and found themselves in front of the tournament arena.
"Oh, so the committee works upstairs?" Gong Daoyi mumbled to himself quietly noticing that the light from a small building beside the tournament arena had been switched on. After the soldiers left, he brought Lei Ming to the side entrance of the arena. He placed the eyeball in front of a biometric sensor. A green light swept across the eye and a 3D projection of a man’s head appeared and greeted them, "Welcome. Have a great day at work…" The door opened without a sound.
Gong Daoyi walked into the room before him with a tranquil expression. Just then, a woman’s scream pierced through the silent darkness within the arena.
Chapter 121 - Lin Sanjiu and the Chief of Police
The capsule containment area of the arena was usually the quietest place at night. Dozens of immobilized women laid at the bottom of their capsules like corpses. It was like a frozen frame in a movie. But, tonight was different— the air was filled with the rough panting sounds from men and the unique pungent stench of bodily fluids. This was accompanied with grunts and the sound of colliding bodies, creating an aura of sick decadence and excitement.
After the scrawny security enjoyed himself for one whole minute, he finished his business. He grabbed the clothes of the woman in front of him and wiped his body. While she stared at him motionlessly, he stood up and put on his pants. There were still sounds of heavy breathing coming from a few directions. The scrawny security guard placed his hands on his hip and surveyed the capsules around him and felt like a king. He strode over the woman beneath him and suddenly paused, "Huh? Why is it so quiet over at Laoliu?
If he treated that ice queen too nicely, what would be the fun in that? The scrawny security guard chuckled and walked toward Contestant 97’s capsule. In the darkness, some distance away, there was a figure lying on the ground. Though the silhouette was as motionless as the various women in their capsules, it belonged to a person who was much fatter. The scrawny security guard felt a shiver down his spine and hurried over. When he arrived and saw the scene, his vision suddenly turned black.
At first glance, he almost couldn’t recognize Laoliu. Blood was pouring from every pore in that man’s body and the strong smell of blood nearly made him light-headed. He shuddered while he squatted down to touch the body. The body was still warm. He immediately jumped backward and shouted, "All of you, be caref—"
The second he reached for his tranquilizer gun, he felt a warmth in his throat. The scrawny security guard slowly looked downward, confused by his inability to speak. Without warning, the skin around his neck was split opened. Warm blood spurted out from his severed arteries and immediately dyed the floor red.
"What are you shouting for? Don’t you think we know that we have to be careful? You nearly scared us to death," the other men shouted angrily in response only when the security guard’s body was about to fall to the ground.
A hand held on to the corpse’s collar from behind. Lin Sanjiu placed the security guard gently on the ground without making a noise. She crouched down and took the tranquilizer gun by the man’s waist. She converted it into a card [Tranquilizer gun for the Foot Soldier] and stored it into her body. Next, she looked at the two red cards in her hand.
She smiled slightly when she read the first few words. The previous symptoms she had just moments ago, the chronic fatigue and her high fever, had disappeared without a trace.
[Congratulations on leveling up! 2]
Introduction: It has almost been a year since the last level up. Considering the pace, Lin Sanjiu might finally break free from the curse of her low combat ability before she dies, right?
Active ability: Planar World
Level-up Count: 2
Forecast date of Next Level-up: Until the end of time
Level-up benefits: You can now convert up to 16 items, how wonderful! So now you know that when you level up, the number of items you can convert doubles, what a relief! There is finally an improvement in the artistic level of the card, it is now at the "High-schooler with bad results who just started art class in hopes of entering a good university by taking the art entrance exam" level! And you finally have a card that has real combat value!
Her smile faded after reading the card, as it was always difficult to keep a smile after reading her own cards. Lin Sanjiu brought up the other red card with a mysterious glow. A line of words surfaced.
[Nostradamus’s Card]
This seer’s most notorious prophecy was the doomsday prediction that "the great and terrifying leader will come down from the sky in year 1999". Surprisingly, his prophecy did not come true, thus Nostradamus’s grudge about this was utilized to create this card which specifically releases mini doomsday scenarios.
Instructions: Using the owner’s, Lin Sanjiu, body as a medium, the card can store the "doomsday elements" that Lin Sanjiu’s body is exposed to. After Lin Sanjiu has acc.u.mulated a certain level of that element in her body, she can extract and convert it into a Nostradamus's Card. For example, if her skin is exposed to a temperature above 85°C in Hyperthermal Hell, she can ‘store’ the high temperature into the card. When she uses the card, it would create a mini doomsday environment of 85°C.
In the same manner, radiation can be extracted from her body and once she has acc.u.mulated a high level of condensed radiation in her card, she can release all of it in an instance.
Range of doomsday environment: It’s so small. If you want to envelop just one person within the environment, you better wait for the next level up.
Restrictions: After energy is released from a Nostradamus’s Card, it requires a cooldown period of 24 hours before it can be used again even if the total acc.u.mulated energy is not released.
If she didn’t have [Versu Poison] to buy her a little time, and if her Planar World didn’t level up in time, something serious could have happened. Lin Sanjiu emptied the 10 sieverts of radiation in her body right into her [Nostradamus's Card] and the battery symbol on the card now showed 10%.
"So this means that the card can store up to 100 sieverts of radiation? I can’t help feeling that these numbers are getting easier to deal with…" Lin Sanjiu mumbled to herself as she hid it at the back of her capsule.
Following which, an oily bald human head flew across the room and landed with a "thud". That was the last man.
After she kicked the headless body off the girl, the arena returned to its usual dark silence. She could only hear the disorderly breathing sounds from the other women and her own thumping heart. She wiped her face before she crouched down and dressed the girl a little clumsily. The girl was very young. Tears fell from her raven eyes as she looked at Lin Sanjiu.
Ever since the security guard was killed, a red light in the arena lit up. However, Lin Sanjiu did not notice it as it was hidden from her view. Controlling her complicated emotions, she helped dress all the women who had been pulled out from their capsules. Noticing that they were still unable to move, she starting feeling a little worried as she leaned against one of the capsules.
Six capsules have been opened, so there were five women on the ground. Even so, they were still unable to recover from the effects of the chemical they had inhaled. On top of that, no matter what method she tried, she was unable to open the other capsules. As there was a living person in each capsule, it was not possible for her to convert the capsules into cards.
When she searched the security guard’s body, she couldn’t find a key or something similar. The technology here in Garden of Eden was far more advanced than that in her own world, and momentarily Lin Sanjiu felt rather helpless. The most exasperating thing was finding out that there was an electric net surrounding the capsule containment area too. She had initially thought that her view of the battle area was not very clear just because she was in her capsule but it was actually due to the net.