Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  After Marlon's ambush, Lin Sanjiu was still wary of Soulsqn.

  If that thing was adamant about getting a new body, she could use her illusion ability on any of those Growth-type members. If that was the case, the threat they posed was going to be far greater than Marlon. With this in mind, Lin Sanjiu decided to just fulfill Soulsqn's wishes.

  "You chopped off my legs. I need to absorb a living person before I can generate the corresponding limbs," Soulsqn laughed, "Even though I can enter another empty skin, it wouldn't make a difference."

  "If that is the case, you can let AYU carry you forever." After Lin Sanjiu said that, she suddenly thought of something, "Oh, unless you meet my enemy."

  As continued as she walked, "He had converted many living humans into marionettes. If you see him, maybe you can wear one of those bodies. I really don't know which of you is more disgusting…"

  Soulsqn clicked her tongue behind Lin Sanjiu. Although Soulqn had recently shown more human-like behaviors, it did not improve the impression Lin Sanjiu had about her. "They are wearable but unconsumable. If that is the case, it is more convenient to just use an empty human skin."

  When Lin Sanjiu heard these words, she felt a warm night breeze on her face. She heard the sound of her hair rustling past her ears. Free District had a very comfortable climate at night, it was like an onsen.

  However, Lin Sanjiu froze when she felt the hair on her back standing on end.

  Progressor Alliance's short building was not far now. As she approached the building, she noticed that it was shoddily built. It was like someone had just stuck some wood and bricks together and made her wonder why it still had not collapsed. Muntjac Bai was just a few steps ahead of her. When he noticed that she had stopped, he was puzzled and turned behind to look at her.

  Ignoring him, Lin Sanjiu turned behind and slowly narrowed her eyes and looked at Soulsqn, "How do you know that you can't absorb those puppets?"

  The latter smiled again and gave her an unexpected answer, "I've seen them."

  Lin Sanjiu heard soft footsteps approaching them.

  Lin Sanjiu did not turn her head back, "Why didn't you tell me something like that earlier?"

  "You didn't ask."

  "Miss Lin, I forgot to ask you something. Who are your two friends?" Muntjac asked with a mild voice.

  Before Lin Sanjiu could answer, she had already raised her skeletal wings slowly. The sharp bones sprawled open and blocked something. The thing hit her wings with a thud. It rolled off her wings and when she lowered her head, she saw a round ball.

  The moment she saw it, her whole body reacted before she could even process her thoughts. Lin Sanjiu jumped upwards almost instinctively, thrusting her body upwards. It was only then that a thought flashed in her mind. She had seen that thing many times before in Kisaragi Station. It was a Ripple Sphere.

  A loud explosion rang out behind her, as a warm blast of air rushed toward her. It was only then that she remembered something. She quickly pulled her black rope toward her. AYU who had been running crazily behind her managed to rush forward a few more meters with the additional momentum from Lin Sanjiu pulling the rope. Unfortunately, they were too close to the blast. They were caught by the strong gust of air and they were flung some distance away before landing heavily on the ground.

  As Lin Sanjiu reacted quickly, her injuries weren't that bad. It was a different story for the other two Souls. They were only wearing humans suits. With that particular explosion, their human skins had become torn and tattered, revealing the red flesh underneath them. If the black rope didn't hold some of their skin together, they probably would even lose their human shapes.

  A skinny silhouette emerged from the thick smoke and became clearer and clearer. Muntjac slowly walked out from the dust and embers. He looked at Lin Sanjiu and the other and was slightly surprised. The Souls were different from the other puppets he had previously seen, as they were very much alive.

  "Huh?" he stared at the two Souls. "What are those?"

  Lin Sanjiu panted as her face darkened. She climbed up from the ground. Amidst the smoke, an emotionless white face peered out from a window in the residential building.

  Lin Sanjiu could feel the pit of her stomach churn a little as she asked with a hoarse voice, "Where are Reno and Rena?"

  Progressor Alliance's meeting point in Seagral Square had obviously been raided by Puppeteer. If a person could figure out that meeting spot and also identify her as a 'Brain', the children had either joined the Puppeteer or something bad had already happened to them.

  She did not know which answer was scarier.

  However, Muntjac gave her a very vague answer, "They had been taken away by Father."

  "Was he referring to Puppeteer? But, at least the two kids are still alive when they were brought away —" Just as that thought emerged, Muntjac made a gesture and suddenly expressionless faces appeared from all four corners of the alley they were on. Just like a nightmare, they walked toward them slowly and quietly. Their eyes were all on her.

  If there were only two or three of them, Lin Sanjiu would have tried to fight them even if they still have their ability. However, one thing Puppeteer did not lack was puppets.

  After she made a quick survey of her surroundings, she knew that there was at least a few dozen humanoid puppets. If each of them threw one Ripple Sphere, Lin Sanjiu would be blasted to bits. She made a quick decision and before they could surround her, she pulled the Souls behind her and started to run.

  The sound of footsteps rang out behind her immediately. Unlike the footsteps of normal people, those puppets' footsteps were extremely uniformed. Their feet would always fall on the same beat. Yet, it did not hinder them from moving quickly. They immediately chased up behind Lin Sanjiu.

  "What are you waiting for? Use your illusion!"

  Lin Sanjiu's voice was marred with a furious annoyance. She wanted to just stop and tear each of those puppets to shreds but her rationality told her that she must not even slow down for a moment. Lin Sanjiu was angry at herself because of her own incompetence. Her eyes became red, "I don't care if you use your reality or illusions. Just be quick!"

  "Do you think I haven't tried!" Soulsqn screamed back at Lin Sanjiu as she wobbled in AYU's arms. "Look behind. Among those puppets, that Muntjac guy is the only one with a conscious mind. Illusions don't work on things that don't have their own minds!"

  "Your illusions don't work! And, you can't even absorb those puppets!" Lin Sanjiu snapped as she sprinted. There was a murderous malice in her voice, "What is the point of keeping you guys alive?!"

  It was only then that Soulsqn remembered that she could do nothing much to the woman in front of her.

  "Wait. Wait. Wait!" When she yelled those words, Lin Sanjiu had already grabbed AYU's collar. The skeletal wings on her back loomed dangerously above them. If those sharp bones swooped down, the two Souls would be riddled with holes. "There is another method. AYU can emit her pheromones—"

  Lin Sanjiu glared at them with a pair of menacing eyes without any sign of clemency, "They are puppets!"

  "Yes. But, their bodies are organic. They are not made of plastic. If they are still organic—"

  Before she could finish her sentence, Lin Sanjiu yelled, "Do it!"

  AYU stopped immediately and twisted her body sharply to look behind her. As she moved too violently, the black rope tore a huge piece of skin from her body. Her lower jaw fell from her face down to the level around her collarbone. Lin Sanjiu spotted a faint, fleeting pink in AYU's mouth.

  No visible gas was emitted. With Lin Sanjiu's n.a.k.e.d eyes, nothing in the air around them had changed. However, when Lin Sanjiu slowed down and looked back, she spotted the few puppets who were about to touch AYU starting to fall down noisily like bowling pins.

  It was as if they had been caught by an invisible net. The puppets were running so quickly before. Yet, they fell one after the other. As the puppets running at the front of the pack fell so suddenly, those behind could not
stop in time. They were tripped by their fallen companions and all of them fell into a chaotic pile.

  "Run! Our pheromones are precious. We only have a very limited amount. We are not going to be able to stop those puppets behind!" Soulsqn said. This time, AYU ran faster and pulled Lin Sanjiu behind her.

  With that short distraction, Lin Sanjiu didn't feel as anxious. She looked around and her eyes suddenly lit up. "Here!" She immediately changed her direction. When one of the puppets manage to chase up to them, it could only watch blankly as the three targets disappeared behind a rhombus door belonging to Seagral Square.

  Chapter 320 - Wandering Around Seagral Square

  The walls, pipes, and ceiling in Seagral Square were illuminated by blue light 24/7. Even though most of this place was lit, there were many spots which could not be illuminated. The weak blue light disappeared a few steps ahead from them. Lin Sanjiu stopped to catch her breath in the blind spot of this particular passageway. When she untied the two Souls, their ruined human suits lost all support and crumbled to the floor. Clearly, these lifeforms didn't have much stamina. After running behind Lin Sanjiu for just ten minutes, the grub-like creatures lay on the ground as if they were almost dying. They couldn't even say a word after a long time.

  "I… I have lived so many years. I have taken over the bodies of many different... organisms," Soulsqn lifted her "head" and continued speaking through her multilayered mouth cavity, "This is the first time I feel so pathetic."

  Soulsqn probably felt pathetic that she could not defeat Lin Sanjiu. When she wanted to run away, she could bear losing the opportunity that Lin Sanjiu offered. Yet, if she followed Lin Sanjiu, she had to endure these endless hardsh.i.p.s.

  Meanwhile, Lin Sanjiu wasn't even thinking about Soulsqn so she ignored that comment.

  Ever since the first day of the apocalypse, Lin Sanjiu had already slowly acclimatized herself to this sort of unpredictable and chaotic lifestyle. As she was lost in thoughts, she unconsciously converted Walter's body into a card. Then, she took out a few of the skins she had previously kept.

  The least she could do was to give Walter a proper burial.

  When Soulsqn lay on the ground motionlessly, she looked a little better than when she was squirming around. She seemed to "eye" Lin Sanjiu once before entering the replacement human suit. As the Souls travelled through different worlds, they realized the value of genetic engineering technology. Unlike evolved abilities, Lin Sanjiu certainly gained her wings through genetic modification. Considering many perspectives, what Lin Sanjiu could offer might really the Souls' best hope.

  No matter how many times Lin Sanjiu had witnessed that scene, she couldn't bear watching how the Souls filled up their human suits.

  Lin Sanjiu sighed after seeing that AYU had finished filling her suit. AYU carried Soulsqn again.

  Even though it was common knowledge that Seagral Square was a pursuer's nightmare, quite a few persistent Puppets entered the tower. However, as Lin Sanjiu ran through the multiple complicated routes, she escaped the puppets after numerous turns. Lin Sanjiu had been listening for movements around them for quite some time, however, this section supported by steel frames remained silent.

  To be on the safe side, Lin Sanjiu activated her [Higher Consciousness Scan].

  "Huh?" she was stunned when she looked at the place through the lens of her ability.

  This particular blind spot they were at was much larger than she expected. They were at the outer portion of the section behind a wall. There was still quite a lot of space past the wall. Lin Sanjiu wasn't startled by this, the reason she was hesitant was actually because of those rows and rows of large containers nearby.

  They were like those large garbage collection bins. Each of the green containers had wheels and a cover. Some of the covers weren't shut properly so she could see the black shadows of the things that were in them. When she walked over to take a closer look, she was dumbfounded.

  She could make out the words "Corpse Disposal Point" in the dimly lit area. She almost wondered if she had misread those words. When she looked down, she realized that the thing that was sticking out from the bin was actually a human's foot.

  "Seagral Square… sure provides some great customer service."

  Lin Sanjiu did not know how to react. She crossed her arms and stood in the same spot, thinking. She could barely detect the stench of rotting flesh. This would mean that people would periodically remove these bodies...

  Meanwhile, the two Souls who followed behind her sauntered over.

  "Ah? There are so many bodies here. They just throw them away like this?" Soulsqn, who now had a different face, commented as she sat in AYU's arms. "It is such a waste."

  "Why? Can you absorb dead bodies?" Lin Sanjiu shot a sidelong glance at Soulsqn. She didn't mind letting Soulsqn consume dead bodies.

  Much to her disgust, the creature was very picky. "If it is a fresh corpse, I don't mind… But, these people have already died for some time. Alright, why don't you open the bin and let me see if there is any suitable corpse? The situation is different after all. You won't want me to be a burden, right?"

  Lin Sanjiu had chopped off Soulsqn's legs partially out of revenge and also to better control that creature. However, considering the situation they were in, it didn't make much difference whether Soulsqn had her legs. Even though Lin Sanjiu did not want to admit that the creature was right, she opened a few of the bins.

  Dead people of all assortment were piled on top of each other. Their dead bodies showed no sign of life. The bodies at the very bottom of the bins had started to stink. Some of the bodies were intact so they looked as though they were sleeping. Others had fatal wounds on their bodies. There were even some that were just dismembered body parts.

  Lin Sanjiu walked around aimlessly looking at the dead bodies of many strangers before she suddenly heard a slurping sound. She instantly felt goosebumps all over her body. When she heard that sound, she immediately recognized what it was. At that time, she didn't know what it meant but now Lin Sanjiu was very clear what it was. When she turned around, the human skin that Soulsqn was previously wearing was now slumped on the ground. A pretty and slim girl with two ponytails was now standing beside AYU. She was arranging her face. The original owner of the body looked no older than fifteen. Her two slender legs under her purple dress were serving Soulsqn well.

  "This was the freshest." When Soulsqn saw Lin Sanjiu frowning, she thought the woman was unhappy with something else. She blinked her deep black eyes and said, "Don'tworry. What we wear doesn't affect our ability."

  Soulsqn's ability to adapt was clearly far superior to the other Souls. After a short while, she already looked more and more like a normal human. Just for assurance, Lin Sanjiu bound both Souls' necks with her black leather rope and continue leashing them around. She wouldn't say it would stop them from doing anything funny but at least she could keep them within sight.

  At least, they solved one problem. Lin Sanjiu found it quite a stroke of luck too. After thinking for some time, she converted all the skins she had collected, except Walter's, back to their original form. Then, she placed them in an empty bin.

  She actually still had two bodies which she had not buried. One was Ren Nan's and the other was Er Dao's. When things settled, she planned to find a place to bury all of them.

  After they got out of that small area, Lin Sanjiu made an effort to remember the serial number of that sector.

  RECYCLE-FL3-T120.

  "From the looks of it, your kinspeople have high regards for Soulsqn." After they ditched the puppets, the three people slowed down. Lin Sanjiu looked around as she continued walking. After she brought this up, she had a sudden thought, "Since you are caught by me, why do they still treat you as their leader?"

  She pointed to AYU, "Take her for example. Why didn't she just abandon you and leave? Wouldn't that be easier?"

  The teenage girl showed a very disconcerting expression. Lin Sanjiu couldn't pinpoint what was exactly wrong
with it. "I am biologically determined as their Queen. It isn't political. I can't believe you didn't figure that out."

  Lin Sanjiu certainly figured that out long ago. After she got the answer she expected, she couldn't help smiling at Soulsqn. While Soulsqn was distracted, Lin Sanjiu quickly added, "Since you have confirmed that… I thought of an idea to deal with them."

  Soulsqn quickly kept quiet and narrowed her eyes as she waited to listen to Lin Sanjiu's idea.

  "Should I call you bold or stupid?" After Lin Sanjiu concluded that sentence, Soulsqn's eyes darted all over Lin Sanjiu's body. She had many thoughts and wanted to say more but Soulsqn finally said, "I'll have you know. If I decide to do something, you might not maintain your dominance over us."

  "I know."

  "You trust us?"

  "Of course I don't." Lin Sanjiu replied. No matter how much time had passed, Lin Sanjiu would always be wary of Soulsqn. However, she didn't say anything more than that.

  "You're honest," Soulsqn winced her face which lacked the authenticity of youth. Lin Sanjiu wasn't sure if that was a compliment. "Actually, you don't need to threaten me with my life. As long as you provide a little deposit, I will be very cooperative."

  "What deposit?"

  "I need to know that your so-called friend exist," Soulsqn said slowly. "I also need to know that you can convince her to help us."

  This matter wasn't that simple. Even though Lin Sanjiu knew that Nüwa would certainly be very interested to meet such a species of sentinel beings, how was she going to prove that Nüwa's existed? Lin Sanjiu didn't even know where that woman was now.

  After contemplating for some time, she suddenly had an idea.

  "There is a certain shortcut I can take to prove to you that she is real," Lin Sanjiu's furrowed her brows. "But, I need to reveal something about one of my abilities before I can do that… I can't show you while we are walking. When we find a place to rest, I will show you."