by N. Heller
No matter what that was, it would be clear once she opened the cabin. Lin Sanjiu placed one of her hands on the driver's cabin, and the other at the point where the AFV was still stuck in the soil and activated her ability. It created an explosion of dirt, stirring up a small sandstorm, sprinkled with fragments of the vehicle.
After waiting for the dust to settle, Lin Sanjiu spat out the few mouthfuls of soil vigorously. She squinted and looked toward the direction of the 'white radish'.
Even after looking at the white radish for a few seconds, she wasn’t sure what she was looking at.
"What... is this?"
She thought that she had seen much of the world, but no matter how she looked, the thing in front of her appeared to be incomprehensible.
Lin Sanjiu walked a few steps toward it and reached for the helmet cautiously with two fingers. She carefully took off its helmet.
It turned out that the 'white radish' wasn’t entirely white——
At least, there was still a nest of black hair where its 'head' was supposed to be...
Lin Sanjiu endured the churning feeling in her stomach, and finally understood what it was when she took a closer look.
It was definitely a human.
He was probably a driver and died in the vehicle during the war. The years of changing topography buried the vehicle, but at some point in time, his corpse had been encased in this hard layer of white 'skin'.
Under his hair, through the semi-translucent skin, Lin Sanjiu could still somehow make out the prominent facial features of the corpse, and two black hollow eye sockets. Looking down, his neck, torso and limbs were also wrapped tightly by the layer of white skin.
Lin Sanjiu endured the feeling of discomfort, as her eyes followed the white skin, and that was when she genuinely startled.
The white skin continued extending from the foot of the desiccated corpse; forming a thick, rhizome-like object, which certainly looked quite similar to a white radish. The other half of the vehicle was on top of another massive 'white radish'. The gigantic 'white radish' was as wide as a street which could hold at least a row of ten people. Ten people walking side by side on it. The 'white radish' which enveloped the corpse looked just like a small tassel hanging from the larger radish.
After decades, the enormous 'white radish' had already grown around the AFV. When Lin Sanjiu blasted open the ground, it only revealed a section of the large radish. Lin Sanjiu did not know how far the 'white radish' extended beyond the hole she created.
Her movements were quick. Using another board from the vehicle as a digging tool, she dug a long trench following the body of the 'white radish', exposing it to the sun. But, she didn't stop. It was as if this was all she wanted to do. She dug for about four hours before she threw down the board. Her face was pale as she quickly sprinted in the opposite direction.
The ridges behind her were much taller than the others. Lin Sanjiu didn't even dare to steal a breath as she climbed to higher ground and looked down from above.
In those four hours, she had already dug open a large surface of the land. She revealed a network of dense, intricately connected gigantic white rhizomes, which came together to form a larger rhizome. She couldn't even tell where the larger rhizome started or ended. The shallowest part of the rhizome network was a mere knuckle-depth from the surface.
The gigantic white rhizomes were covered with numerous smaller roots. Some of them were as long as a human's full body length, while others were only about an arm's length. There were a few desiccated corpses encased in some of them, while others encased some other unknown creatures.
The roots were definitely alive as they vibrated a bit when Lin Sanjiu accidentally touched them. But, that was the only reaction they displayed.
"Damn it! This isn't a Pocket Dimension!" Lin Sanjiu felt an eruption of goosebumps all over her body. She turned and ran, rushing toward where Snow and the others disappeared.
She knew then—every missing person was still in the same spot.
Chapter 163 - A Western Cowboy-Style Belt Pocket
Clumps of dirt were flung into the air. They fell like misty rain behind a sweaty woman forming a small mound behind her. She had been digging for almost an hour. Looking from a distance, there were already about five small mounds scattered around her. Based on her memory, this was certainly the spot where Snow disappeared. Unfortunately, though Lin Sanjiu had dug through a large surface area of soil, revealing the network of tightly packed giant white rhizomes underneath, she could not spot a single person even after much scrutiny.
The fuzzy feeling of hope was dashed abruptly. Lin Sanjiu could feel her blood vessels pulsating. She massaged her throbbing temples, unaware of what went wrong.
[Should I try another area?] She tried her best to encourage herself. She walked back to the camping ground nervously. She didn’t even dare to take a break to catch her breath. She continued digging for another two hours straight before she finally collapsed and sat down on one of the mounds. She looked at the sweat and dirt all over her and tasted the bitterness in her mouth.
At that moment, a strange sight was before her. The plants which once spotted the landscape had been uprooted and dumped into a pile, along with soil and rocks. White rhizomes with the size of locomotives were revealed beneath the surface. The intricate network of roots covered a large area. It was just as if someone’s skin had been pried open and instead of blood and flesh, there were only countless white maggots...
However, this was only the upper layer of the ‘white radishes’. A large part of their main body was hidden underground, and who knows how deep they extended.
"Is it possible that the missing people and animals weren't s.u.c.k.e.d into this network of radishes?" Lin Sanjiu mumbled to herself. "If it wasn’t their doing, why are there dead people encased within them…"
The alternative was that people coincidentally died in this area. As the ‘white radish’ grew, they gradually wrapped around the corpses. Thinking, Lin Sanjiu felt that this hypothesis was also plausible. After all, she had touched those things many times when she was digging. If the ‘white radishes’ did attack people, there was no reason she was still perfectly fine here.
Actually, the simplest solution was to find a rat or a worm to test her hypothesis. But, Lin Sanjiu noticed that though she had stirred up the ground quite a bit while digging, not a single bug appeared from the soil or the plants.
She remembered that when she first came to Garden of Eden, she saw many hideous, helmet-sized beetles. Their heads were covered with red compound eyes and there was always a couple around, whether she was sleeping, eating or walking. They appeared out of nowhere and occasionally Hui Chuyan would shriek out when she was caught off guard. Xueqin even taunted the girl for that.
The beetles’ nests were equally disgusting. The nests comprised of a few shallow round holes. Typically, each nest held four beetles, which also fitted precisely four human heads. Lin Sanjiu was so familiar with this detail because she had already destroyed quite a number of empty nests when she was digging. She wondered when those beetles disappeared from their nests, just like her companions.
While she sat, she stretched her legs out and gazed vacantly at the network of white roots in front of her. She started to count the hours subconsciously. Snow, Bai Xiaoke and Error 517 were the earliest to disappear. It had already been 24 hours. Even though she didn’t know the exact time the others disappeared, it had already been almost 15 hours since she first discovered their disappearance.
"I don’t care how long they’ve been gone!" She clenched her teeth as she furrowed her brows in resolution. "If they are alive, I want to see them. Even if they’re dead, I need to see their corpses!"
As Lin Sanjiu did not know what those ‘white radishes’ were, she was still quite wary about them. She was cautious when she was digging and avoided even scraping the surface of their skin. However, now enraged, she didn’t care anymore. She took out Er Dao’s saber and swiftly struck a ‘white
radish’ with it.
The white epidermises of the radishes weren't as hard as they appeared to be. Just as the blade of the saber touched the epidermis of that radish, the epidermis suddenly split open by itself even without the saber cutting through its surface. Perhaps, split open was the proper term here. It was more like it opened up, like how a person opens his mouth to eat. The epidermis of the white radish opened up and Lin Sanjiu could see long strands of slime dangling across the opening.
Her saber sunk into the soft, slimy, gelatinous mess without any resistance. Then, the ‘white radish’ instantly sealed its epidermis, swallowing half the saber in its ‘mouth’. Lin Sanjiu was stunned for a few seconds as she held the hilt of the saber in her hand. She wanted to smash the radish to bits, but now that things deviated so much from her expectations, she didn’t know what to do momentarily.
[Should I pull the knife out? Or should I just slash through?]
Before she could make a decision, the ‘white radish’ reacted again. "Slurp." The saber was ‘spat out’ from the surface of the epidermis and was now covered with a large amount of slime. The sealed epidermis looked the same as before as if it had never opened up in the first place.
[Huh?]
Lin Sanjiu looked at her damp saber and then at the white radish. "Why? Does it taste bad?" That was indeed her first reaction.
She held the saber closer and examined it. The saber was not only covered by slime, but there were also a few strands of roots on its blade, which had probably been cut off from the main body of the radish. As if fish out of water, those white strands of roots wiggled around for some time before drooping and becoming motionless.
Contemplating, Lin Sanjiu wiped her saber with a few leaves. Next, she slowly placed her arm close to the ‘white radish’. This time, Lin Sanjiu fixed her eyes on it, not wanting to miss seeing anything unusual. When she touched those ‘radishes’ while she was digging, they merely vibrated twice. Lin Sanjiu didn’t take much notice as she thought that it was just a natural biological reaction to an external stimulus. But now that she carefully observed the reaction, she witnessed the full process of that ‘vibration’.
When her arm was about to touch the epidermis of the radish, a slit appeared. Lin Sanjiu could see the strands of thin roots coiled up in its slime; it looked like the exposed nerves of a dissected brain. A long thin root probed out from the slit, but somehow it swiftly withdrew before the slime hanging from it even fell to the ground. The epidermis was sealed once more, and the white radish vibrated once. Then, it appeared just as before, as though nothing ever happened.
Lin Sanjiu was dumbstruck when she saw the whole process. She used her arm and baited the radishes in a few more areas. The radishes at every spot almost reacted in the same manner. For areas where she had already tested once, the radish gave no response no matter how close she got. They did not move even when she touched them with her hand.
"What the hell is this?" Lin Sanjiu smashed her fist on one of the radishes. The impact caused the radish to open up a small slit. Lin Sanjiu looked around her, feeling at a loss for some time. Although there weren’t any bugs for her to test her hypothesis, she was very sure that these radishes had snatched the humans and animals from the surface. However, she did not know why they did not attack her.
It would be great if there was someone who could test her hypothesis. If she was around, accidents weren’t quite likely to happen…
Lin Sanjiu knew that wasn’t really possible. The invisible boundary line she could detect through the geographic marker of her [Dog’s Frisbee] had extended far beyond their campgrounds. Lin Sanjiu was certain that if she ran to the new boundary and started digging. She would find the same ‘white radishes’ underground.
Those things seemed to be growing steadily and rapidly.
"Should I call Gong Daoyi over?" Lin Sanjiu thought of the only person she could contact now. "He is quite formidable, so he should at least be able to defend himself…" She faced the patch of white radish and took out the paper crane. She rubbed it in her palms a few times, not knowing why she was feeling hesitant.
The radioactive clouds weren’t that thick today. The sun hung high in the sky, basking the strange landscape below with its warm sun rays, and even the ‘white radishes’ looked ‘fresh and juicy’.
Under this sunlight, it was relatively obvious if a few long shadows suddenly appeared beside her. Lin Sanjiu immediately leaped up. When she turned to look around, she was already armed with her saber. No matter who they were, with the capabilities to approach her silently, she knew that they wouldn't be dealt with easily. Yet, the instant she saw the uninvited visitors, she let out a sigh of relief. Lin Sanjiu did not expect that she would actually recognize them. It was no wonder they made no sound nor greeting when they approached her.
"Why are you guys here?" Lin Sanjiu had no ill will against them, but she had no choice but to keep her guard up. "Did Nüwa sent you guys to attack me again?"
The two figures, two-meters tall, had two additional pairs of arms sticking from their torsos and almond-shaped heads. They were two of the Neuhumes that Nüwa had created, Montesquieu and Aristotle.
Montesquieu seemed to understand what she meant, so he shook his head lightly but clearly delivered his meaning. Under the sun, his grayish-green skin shone with a l.u.s.ter, which reminded Lin Sanjiu of a dolphin. Perhaps, she had endured too much stress alone. When she first saw the sages, it was surprising for her that she felt some sense of closeness to them. "Then, why are you here? If other posthumans see you, they will think that you are duoluozhongs and attack you."
Judging from Nüwa’s past actions, she was evidently hiding them at the top of the black tower. It wasn’t clear why the sages could walk openly outside now.
Aristotle nodded his head as he listened, Lin Sanjiu was not sure if he was agreeing with her or showing appreciation for her concern. After that, Montesquieu drew out a folded piece of paper from his belt pocket and handed it to Lin Sanjiu.
Chapter 164 - Let’s Talk About the Next Destination Later
The size of the paper was slightly different from the standard size of papers from Lin Sanjiu’s world. Other than that, there wasn’t anything extraordinary about the blue piece of paper that Montesquieu was holding.
Lin Sanjiu was puzzled as she took the letter from Montesquieu. She kept her saber and unfolded the paper. The good thing about dealing with these sages was that she wouldn't have to worry that they would launch a sneak attack even if her relationship with them was ambiguous.
While she unfolded the paper and read the words, Montesquieu and Aristotle crossed their two pairs of arms and waited for her silently. Their temperaments were as calm as a pool of deep water.
After some time, Lin Sanjiu suddenly gripped the paper in her hands tightly and steadied her breathing. It took some effort to calm herself down before she storing the letter. Then, she looked at the sages.
"I... I don’t quite understand." Lin Sanjiu sounded hesitant when she uttered those words. She wasn’t so much directing the words to the sages but muttering to herself. "What does Nüwa mean by ‘it’s time’?"
The letter was written by Nüwa.
Under the scorching rays of the midday sun, Nüwa’s unruly, illegible handwriting looked rather faint. After scanning through the letter quickly, Lin Sanjiu realized she didn’t understand the content. She had no choice but to re-read the letter.
"Hello, Lin Sanjiu. Let my words represent me. Recently, the weather has been good. If you had a Geiger counter with you, you would have discovered that the background radiation levels had dropped by quite a few sieverts. This is a good sign. This time, I sent Montesquieu and Aristotle to deliver my letter because I know that you didn’t interact much with them. I hope you can be friends with them.
"How is everything recently? I must mention this. It appears that you have left quite a few companions in the vicinity of the former Garden of Eden. They have caused quite a disturbance and it somewhat r
eminds me of the Lunar New Year Tournament. But, of course, my friend, this isn’t your fault. Time will resolve all these little issues.
"It’s a great day today. I am overjoyed. St. Peter and the others are also very happy. This is the first time since their creation that they are able to walk on this earth. Even though they don’t have complete freedom now, there will be more of such days in the future, because… it is time.
"Although I don’t want to make myself out as a savior, my friend, the reason you can read this letter is all thanks to me.
"I wrote this letter as a farewell. I am leaving this place now. In the future, this place will be the home to St. Peter and the others. If you still remember the conversation we had at the top of the tower, you should know where I am heading. I hope to see you there one day."
Nothing in the world could be as incomprehensible and unintelligible as the letter she had just read.
However, it was useless asking Montesquieu and Aristotle anything. The letter already stated everything clearly. Both Neuhumes were just waiting for Lin Sanjiu to say a word...
"Did you bring that thing with you?" Lin Sanjiu’s throat felt dry.
Montesquieu nodded, looking calm and gentle. He carefully opened his cowboy-style belt pocket, took out a small piece of paper, and handed it to Lin Sanjiu.
In the last portion of Nüwa’s letter, she had concluded with the following sentence: "I’m leaving soon and we might not meet in the foreseeable future. As a sign of goodwill, I’m giving you a visa as a gift. Even though I’m not a Consular Officer, I have obtained their ability through my research in the past ten years. Please don’t stand on ceremony and kindly accept it."
When Lin Sanjiu received that feather-light piece of paper, her fingers trembled slightly. She stared blankly at the visa for a long time before she finally stored it. At that moment, both Montesquieu and Aristotle took a step forward, as if chivalrous knights who finally spotted the right opportunity.