Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  "Well, this..." Qian Zhengguan started mumbling.

  "Speak!"

  "Uh. Alright... As I have two abilities, my Consular Officer ability isn't well-developed."

  Everyone' gaze was fixated on him.

  "What do you mean by 'isn't well-developed'?" Lin Sanjiu questioned him, holding back her anger.

  "I can only issue seven visas." Qian Zhengguan stuttered a bit before he quickly asked, "Would you still give this visa to me?"

  Chapter 177 - School of Higher Consciousness

  "Why do I feel that this is part of your plans..." Lin Sanjiu let out a long sigh. She felt a slight itch to hit and fight with someone. Qian Zhengguan, who was sitting beside her, seemed to sense something and laughed sheepishly, trying to prove that he meant no harm.

  Even though he was just... half... a Consular Officer, his ability was simply too crappy. It was basically a sh*tty ability.

  "I wouldn't care if you could only issue seven visas. At most, I wouldn't get one from you." Lin Sanjiu held her face in her hands. Her words came out a little muffled through her fingers, "But, why is the destination of EVERY single visa different?"

  Before that, when all of them found out that he could only issue seven visas, B.Rabbit and herself debated vehemently. For her, she felt that it was alright not to get a visa this time. She wanted to give up her chance of getting a visa. However, B.Rabbit remembered what had happened in the previous world. He was afraid that Lin Sanjiu would randomly get a visa in the next world and end up getting caught by Puppeteer. So, he wanted to accompany her no matter what. Once he became agitated, he started swearing.

  Who would have known that they would quickly find themselves speechless? Since all of them were heading to different destinations, there wasn't necessary for them to argue anymore.

  "Didn't I warn you that my ability isn't that well-developed?" Qian Zhengguan rubbed his own face sluggishly. There was a painful mark on his face, as B.Rabbit kicked his cheek after staring angrily at the young man. Qian Zhengguan simply accepted that abuse and wasn't angry at all, he continued speaking with a gentle tone, "Sister Lin, I want to thank you for giving me your 'Agriculture Farm' visa..."

  Lin Sanjiu answered him with a snort, "Well, I can survive no matter where I go. But, look at you. You look like that sort of unlucky bastard that never gets any lucky breaks."

  At first, she was still a little worried that Nüwa gave her that visa with some ill intentions. However, after using her [Consciousness Mimicry] once, she erased that worry from her mind. It was impossible for her [Consciousness Mimicry] to fully imitate her target's thought process and could only replicate some parts of it. Judging from this, a partial imitation of Nüwa's thought process already delivered such results, if Nüwa really wanted to kill her, would she still be alive today?

  With this, she decisively gave the visa to Qian Zhengguan. The small-faced young man who knew he got the better end of the stick continued mumbling in a long-winded manner. However, Lin Sanjiu's mind had drifted off and she started thinking about her [School of Higher Consciousness]. She had no patience to listen to him prattle on. She hit his back twice and hurriedly excused herself, "I'm leaving for a while." She jumped off one of the wooden stumps and walked away while he coughed.

  Right now, the quietest place she could find was at the tree roots. Lin Sanjiu sat cross-legged on one of the large roots and took a deep breath. This time, with a single thought, her consciousness quickly slipped into her mindscape, as if someone dragged her down violently.

  "You're finally here"

  It wasn't really that dark in her mindscape. Rather than true darkness, she found herself surrounded by layers and layers of colorful memories. Finally, she fell into a... classroom.

  The speakers, which represented Mrs. Manas, vibrated with emotions, "Lin Sanjiu, where did you go? Didn't I tell you to come back to school immediately after you used your [Consciousness Mimicry]?"

  Before answering her, Lin Sanjiu looked around. Even though there was now a blackboard, and the words 'Learn well and improve daily!' were painted in red above the teacher's desk, but it seemed as though this classroom was poorly converted from the previous kindergarten classroom. There were only some slight changes to the decorations, and it really looked like a shabby attempt. Even her 'classmates' didn't change.

  "I can't believe I even had some expectations..." Lin Sanjiu grumbled softly and sat down beside the Transformer figurine.

  "I am not responsible for this half-assed decoration," the teacher who had a strong connection to Lin Sanjiu's subconsciousness spoke quickly. "Everything here is created through your higher consciousness, since you only have such a low level of higher consciousness—way lesser than your classmates—I have no choice but to make do with this little classroom."

  Lin Sanjiu looked at the Transformer figurine sitting beside her, but she didn't feel that his higher consciousness could be much higher than hers.

  "When you were in kindergarten, we briefly touched on the topic of perception using your higher consciousness. Then, the school had to close due to various reasons..." Mrs. Manas said regretfully, "So, you missed the chance to learn quite a lot."

  "Why don't you give the lecture from the start?" Anyway, Lin Sanjiu had many questions she wanted to ask. "What did you do when I was at Oasis? How did you help me maintain my ability to that extent?"

  Mrs. Manas muttered to herself for a few seconds, as though she was considering how she could answer Lin Sanjiu. Just then, Lin Sanjiu heard a scratching sound from the blackboard. A few strokes of white chalk gradually appeared on the blackboard. This scene was simply like a scene of a haunting.

  "This involves the essence of what one's higher consciousness entails. If we look at one's higher consciousness as the maximum potential of a person's ability, we can view a person's higher consciousness like a cheat machine. It allows a posthuman to develop his or her ability in various ways and open up many possibilities. For example, enhanced perception, consciousness mimicry, etc. They are not truly evolved abilities but skills that you gained because [School of Higher Consciousness] opened a new pathway for you."

  [Do you think I am really an elementary school student?] Lin Sanjiu thought to herself as she nodded to show that she understood what the teacher said.

  "In the future, we will learn about the vast uses of your higher consciousness. Even when your body has not reached the right conditions to activate certain abilities, you can use your higher consciousness as a fuel... Of course, this is a drastic measure and I won't recommend it."

  So, that was the reason why she couldn't enter her [School of Higher Consciousness] after the incident at Oasis. She must have used up too much of her higher consciousness. When she recalled how she slept for more than a week after imitating Nüwa's thought process, she felt a slight headache, "So, I would fall into a deep sleep when I used up too much of my higher consciousness?"

  When Mrs. Manas heard Lin Sanjiu, she sighed, as though she felt that this was a difficult question and her following explanation would be very confusing.

  "Right now, your higher consciousness is neither high nor low. Normally, you wouldn't get so tired after only using your [Consciousness Mimicry] once. That situation was created by two main reasons. Firstly, I borrowed a little of your higher consciousness, but that isn't important, so we will go to the next point."

  [Hey, I am more interested in the first reason.] Lin Sanjiu thought silently to herself.

  "The intellect, mental capacity, and psyche of the target you chose to imitate... Putting it gently, her capabilities far exceed yours. You can understand this, right? Your target is stronger, so you have to use up more of your higher consciousness. On the other hand, if they're weaker, imitating them would be so easy you wouldn't even drop a sweat.

  "That is to say, though I can imitate anyone, I am bounded by the upper limits of my higher consciousness?" Lin Sanjiu couldn't help confirming what she heard.

  The speakers paused, giving the impre
ssion that Mrs. Manas didn't prepare for her lessons. "Theoretically, you are right. But, you made a mistake. You can't just imitate anybody you know."

  "Huh?" Lin Sanjiu was a little surprised, "There are even conditions to imitate someone?"

  "The person has to be someone you understand to some extent. If you tried to imitate Gong Daoyi now, you would find that you would not be able to successfully activate your Consciousness Mimicry. This is because you have zero understanding of the way he thinks, even though both of you fought together before. He is a person who had sealed away his thought process from the outside world."

  When Mrs. Manas mentioned that, Lin Sanjiu remembered that dawn when she was together with Nüwa. Even though they only spent a short time together, Nuwa had an open attitude toward her and hid nothing—Lin Sanjiu still had a strong lasting impression of the woman's personality, tone, and her tranquil yet extreme views.

  On the other hand, when she thought of Gong Daoyi, she could only remember the faint smile on his beautiful face. Just when Lin Sanjiu was deep in her thoughts, the classroom started to shake violently. She was just about to jump up when she remembered that she was in her own mindscape. She couldn't help blurting out a question, "What's going on?"

  She barely uttered those words when the walls of the classroom shifted two meters inward. The room wasn't even that large at the start. The room was now half its size and she felt that the walls were closing in on her.

  "This is bad," Mrs. Manas said and made a soft sound that Lin Sanjiu couldn't understand. "Lin Sanjiu, we will end the lesson here today. Remember, in the end, you might not be able to keep this pathway open... so you definitely have to keep practicing."

  "What hap—"

  Before she could finish her sentence, Lin Sanjiu opened her eyes unwittingly. She had returned to reality. In the distance, she could still see her companions were still chatting away. She checked her own body condition and found that there was nothing wrong at all.

  Chapter 178 - Goodbye Forever, Garden of Eden!

  "Did you memorize everything? According to Sayo, each of the worlds in the Twelve World Centrum has its own famous meeting point. There are many hostels near those meeting points which provide their customers a place to stay for some time while they wait for their companions... Don't lose your way then," B.Rabbit said with a serious expression. Lin Sanjiu already heard the same instructions from him yesterday.

  She smiled and rubbed B.Rabbit's head, "Do you think I am stupid? Don't worry. I will definitely find a way to get to the Twelve Worlds Centrum."

  B.Rabbit unhappily groomed his fur, which had been messed up by Lin Sanjiu. After the sap from the apple tree corroded his fur, it grew out again. Now, he was like a mop head. "And, you must stay vigilant! I think Puppeteer already listed you in the Consular Officer database... Once you reach the Twelve Worlds Centrum, you must hide immediately!"

  "I know. Don't worry."

  Two to three months after the gang of four and Bai Xiaoke were randomly sent off to other worlds, it was finally B.Rabbit's turn to go. As he evolved around the same time as Lin Sanjiu in Hyperthermal Hell, their sent-off period was almost around the same time. Lin Sanjiu watched as B.Rabbit disappeared before her eyes, like bubbles. She stood on the same spot, staring vacantly for some time. Knowing that he was heading to a world called "Carnival", she let out a long sigh and felt uneasy.

  She was left with Xueqin and Qian Zhengguan. Xueqin would leave about two months after her, but Qian Zhengguan had to endure another ten months. Right now, he was looking a little bitter.

  "I don't know when I will leave, so I need to tell you what I want to say as soon as possible." Lin Sanjiu said while she looked at Xueqin. The latter was trying to maintain her poker face, but she would look lost occasionally. After two months, it would be the first time she would be sent off to another world. But before that, Xueqin would only have an unreliable Qian Zhengguan beside her. Lin Sanjiu was a little worried so she spoke with Xueqin and gave her detailed pointers on things she should take note of.

  On top of that, Lin Sanjiu kept only two days worth of food with her. She left the rest of the food supplies behind and even gave Qian Zhengguan all the dried fish she had collected from Hyperthermal Hell. "Just sit on the tree stumps and no one can steal this food from you... You have to ration your supplies, okay?"

  Qian Zhengguan blinked his large eyes and spoke in the usual sluggish way, "Sister Lin, if there is any way I can help you in the future..."

  In her heart, Lin Sanjiu was rolling her eyes. She still couldn't tolerate his slow manner of speaking.

  After she made all the necessary arrangements, there wasn't any sign that she was going to be sent away. In the end, she decided to find a place to sit and take stock of her items.

  She rarely had time to do this, so she decided to check her whole card inventory. She had almost used up the daily necessities she collected from Hyperthermal Hell. She already threw away her mouthpart weapon in the black tower. In retrospect, she felt that it was quite a waste throwing away such a convenient weapon. Now, she was only left with a few items from Hyperthermal Hell that reminded her of her hometown... Lin Sanjiu sighed faintly as she looked at the lavender-scented candle in her hand and thought of those days she spent at the supermarket.

  Luckily, she replenished many supplies when she was in the Garden of Eden city. Recently, the item she used most frequently was the Vibroblade that she took from the Garden of Eden Laboratories. Though it looked like an ordinary long knife, it was far sharper than any ordinary knife since it cut using micro-vibration. There wasn't anything particular that the vibroblade couldn't cut through, at most, it was only a matter of speed.

  In comparison, the gun that she snatched from the soldiers in the city was large, c.u.mbersome and difficult to control. Lin Sanjiu pondered for a moment and decided to keep the gun together with her knife, just in case she needed it in the future.

  Apart from her [Bubbles Blowing Girl] which could send out explosive bubbles and the useless storage device for that [Microorganism Cloud] she already used, she had three other high-tech items she took from the Garden of Eden Laboratories. Each of this items shared the unique blood-thirsting qualities that Garden of Eden possessed. She gave the remaining items to B.Rabbit and the rest. She had to admit that her haul from the Garden of Eden was pretty good.

  [Flesh-melting Hairdryer]: Do not use this to dry your hair. Do not use this to dry your hair. Do not use this to dry your hair! As per its name, the Flesh-melting Hairdryer would melt a person's body once you use it on that person... This item can only be used with a fuel pellet. You can use this once with each fuel pellet.

  "I only took four pellets that time because I was in a rush. That should be enough, right? This item is way too dangerous for humanity," Lin Sanjiu commented, temporarily forgetting the number of people she had killed. Then, she stored both the item together with the fuel pellets.

  [Tornado Whip]: There isn't any other weapon with such a straight-forward name, it doesn't even need a description. The tornado created from the whip is not that strong, with a diameter of two meters. An interesting point to note is that the creator actually invented this item to watch rose petals dance in the air.

  [Mewing Alarm Clock]: Isn't it annoying to wake up to that same mewing early in the morning, every single day? But, this alarm clock is designed for researchers who like historical cat sculptures, so the sound from the clock is quite cute.

  "What is its function? Is it really just an alarm clock?" Lin Sanjiu was dumbfounded. She didn't know why she took this weird item with her. "So, you can only use this like a normal alarm clock? Wasn't this supposed to be some sort of dangerous item?"

  Lin Sanjiu stared blankly at the clock which had the shape of a cat's head. Finally, she decided to store it back. Anyway, it did look nice and it didn't take up any space after she converted it into a card.

  Her [Dog Frisbee] card was kept together with that clock. This item had lured them to the tree roo
ts, which then lead to the troublesome series of events. In the end, she couldn't find its geographical target, so Lin Sanjiu did not know what to do with it.

  "Did Er Dao discover some of the tree roots. So, he placed the geographical marker on them?" After thinking for some time, Lin Sanjiu could only come to this conclusion. If it works by broadcasting some sort of wave, perhaps the area that its signal covers would expand with the tree roots?" Without its geographical marker, this item seemed pretty useless. [Forget it, I will just keep it. Anyway, it weighs nothing.]

  When Lin Sanjiu thought of Er Dao, she felt some complex emotions as she took out the card with his corpse. Honestly speaking, after he died because of her, his corpse really helped her out... Without his blood, Lin Sanjiu would've died from radiation.

  "There are tree roots everywhere... When I go to the next world, I will find a good spot to bury you," she said softly and stored the card properly. The rest of the cards were some anti-radiation suits, some clothes she took from Guang Zhu's house, and some daily necessities. She searched through the items and only kept a portion of them.

  In addition, she had some items from Hyperthermal Hell.

  She was still wearing her [Pygmalion Choker], and she had half a bag of [Cat Litter]. She realized that she didn't even use her [That spring, when the cherry blossoms fell, your sweet laughter melted my world]. Her opponents in the Garden of Eden made it unnecessary for her to use her [Oh My God! My wallet is missing!]. She kept this card together with her [Teru Teru Bozu Defense System] and [Another/Way - A Mermaid Cultivation Drink] cards.

  Preparing beforehand, Lin Sanjiu managed to get her companions to record their description of an ability using her [Tape recorder]. She collected 14 recordings in this world, on top of the descriptions she collected in the previous world, she definitely had sufficient recording for her next world.

  Lin Sanjiu's [Ability Polishing Agent] had been reduced to her official flashlight, whereas [Rob the Poor to feed the Rich box] was so valuable that she didn't even take it out often.