Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  There was a sudden loud thud as he hit the "case" of a console. Lin Sanjiu was still writing her entry when that noise took her by surprise. She turned behind and saw Honeysuckle trying frantically to stand up. When she looked at Soulsqn, she saw the creature moving its lower jaw. She was slowly kneading her lower jaw so that it could return to its original position.

  "What are you two doing?" Lin Sanjiu asked with a frown.

  If it wasn't for the [Mask] he was wearing, Honeysuckle's expression would definitely be far worse. "My dear mother, what is that thing… Ah? Why didn't you tell me…. gosh…" As he said this, he squeezed into the same "case" as Lin Sanjiu. Apparently, he felt that it was safer to be by Lin Sanjiu's side.

  "Go away!"

  "I won't look," Honeysuckle closed his eyes and turned away from the screen. "I'll just wait here."

  Lin Sanjiu glared at him and then at Soulsqn. She didn't say anything in the end and just let him stay there.

  Turning back to her screen, a picture of a blue planet disappeared from the screen. She had already completed her entry for [Hyperthermal Hell]. Sadly, it was only a D-Level world so she received very little red crystals for that entry. The number on the top right corner of the screen only increased by 3.

  "In that case, Kisaragi Station is a B-level world, so I should get more money for it, right?" With this in mind, Lin Sanjiu opened [Kisaragi Station Thread]. When she reached the thread, she realized that she was too naive. Even though it was harder to survive in that world, it was quite famous in Twelve Worlds Centrum because of the unique spirits which occupied that world. The reward for information about a certain world was dependent on two things. First, it was dependent on the world's level. Second, it was dependent on the rarity of the information. After writing down every single detail she forced herself to remember, she only received five red crystals for the entry.

  When a person wrote an entry for a particular world, they could browse the corresponding thread for that world once for free. Using that opportunity, she noticed that the particular thread was filled with almost 100 entries about past experiences and information.

  Sighing, Lin Sanjiu searched for Garden of Eden without much hope.

  "[Garden of Eden]: Level C. Description: A shitty place that would make you uncomfortable each time you go there. Add entry?"

  "Confirm."

  After Lin Sanjiu typed listlessly about the world for a while. She decided just to write out her whole account of what had happened in Garden of Eden with every detail she could remember. She even added how she destroyed Garden of Eden City. Anyway, she was currently using a pseudonym, User 1112132225, so she wasn't worried.

  After she confirmed her entry, the number of red crystals indicated on the screen did not change even after some time.

  "What's wrong? Why isn't it responding?" she grumbled.

  Even though Honeysuckle couldn't see what she was doing, it did not hinder him from commenting, "Is it lagging? This is common. Sometimes the system requires some time to audit an entry. If a person adds a fake entry, it might kill someone inadvertently."

  "That makes sense…" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself. Seeing that the auditing process would take some time, she opened an announcement submenu called "Craglist".

  A user had to categorize the announcement they wanted to publish. Different categories had different prices. The postings which involved searching for teammates and getting information about Consular Officers were the most expensive. After every 14 months, a posthuman would have to leave a world. There were residents with established businesses, shops, pets, and children. Unfortunately, they can't bring them along. During this period, if a person has a working in a partnership with someone from another world within the Twelve Worlds Centrum, it would be much easier for both people.

  Lin Sanjiu scanned through the 324 categories very quickly. Originally, she thought that she could only put her announcement in the "Others" category. However, her eyes caught something. She was slightly startled when she noticed it. She opened the "Corpses".

  Unlike the other categories, the "Corpses" section was quite empty. There were only a few very suspiciously worded advertis.e.m.e.nts: "Offering high prices for corpses of young ladies below 20", "Accepting torsos and whole bodies. Supply must be stable", "Corpses transformation. Quick Job. 3 days"...

  "What is all this creepy stuff…" Lin Sanjiu opened the first announcement. She realized that the requestor had a very specific requirement for the corpse he was looking for: Mid-length long black hair, "Shanling" race, no livor mortis spots, and no visible wounds…

  Lin Sanjiu suddenly shuddered for no particular reason. She quickly closed the page. After she found the box to publish her announcement, she spent only six medium red crystal to post an advertis.e.m.e.nt.

  "Seagral Square, RECYCLE-FL3-T120, is a corpse disposal collection point. There are fresh dead bodies there all year round. Some have wounds, but most of them are intact. Suitable for medical research."

  With a soft 'ding', her advertis.e.m.e.nt was published. She exhaled and hoped silently that the message would reach its intended target. Her current situation was too dangerous. Luck was really the only thing she could rely on now.

  Out of the three matters, she had only completed her first priority.

  "Hey, I have another question," Lin Sanjiu turned to look at Honeysuckle. "If I want to get information about a few worlds, do I have just to stand here and read each of the message threads?"

  If that was the case, the effect of the [Mask] she was wearing wasn't going to last. However, she definitely wasn't the first person to face this problem. Honeysuckle pointed to a white ball beside the console, "Of course not. If you spend another red crystal, you can print out whatever you need from that thread and bring it along with you. But you don't have enough red crystals. I guess you can only print out the information about two worlds—"

  Before he could finish his sentence, an urgent, piercing sound rang twice in the center of the hall. The sound rippled through the hall from above. After that alarm stopped, Lin Sanjiu realized that it was the sound of the Mokugyo she had heard before.

  When she turned to Honeysuckle, she noticed that his face had changed.

  "What… what's the matter?"

  A large screen not far from her answered her question.

  As the rapping sound rang out, a message popped up on all the few hundred white screens. Bright red words rolled down from the top of the screen and caught the attention of the crowd, "Announcement: A new AA-level world [Garden of Eden] has emerged. All Consular Officers and people heading to this world, please take note. Announcement: A new AA-level world…"

  Lin Sanjiu stared blankly at the words in front of her. For a moment, she couldn't process what was happening. She heard someone screaming something from the far corner of the hall. Then, a series of "dings" rang out behind her. That snapped out her of her trance.

  Honeysuckle had a stunned expression as the number on the right corner of Lin Sanjiu's screen jumped to "389". However, that wasn't the main reason why Lin Sanjiu was shocked. Pages after pages of text requesting for more information popped up on her screen. Then, the console continued ringing.

  "What... what's happening?" Even though Lin Sanjiu said that, she had a vague answer in her mind. This was certainly related to the information she had entered. However, there were other questions in her mind: "How could it be an AA-level world? Isn't A-level the highest tier? What do this people want? Why are they trying to contact me?"

  Honeysuckle turned to look at Lin Sanjiu. He suddenly felt a sense of admiration for her that he did not have before. "Did you input information about that AA-level world?"

  He didn't need Lin Sanjiu to answer him. He quickly looked around them and hit the screen of her console. "We have to leave! There are only four known AA-level worlds even after all these years. The moment you arrived, you added another one… It's no surprise that all sorts of people come knocking! We don't have time now. If you don't wa
nt to be discovered—"

  Lin Sanjiu moved faster than Honeysuckle's speech. The moment the console started slowly spitting out red crystals, Lin Sanjiu immediately stuffed them into her cloth pouch. When she stood up, she had already hidden her astonishment from her face. She walked out of her 'cubicle' calmly.

  Honeysuckle and Soulsqn followed behind her in a hurry. One of them tried to act as if nothing had happened; the other was totally unaware of the seriousness of the situation. Consequently, they did not draw any unwanted attention. With every intention, Lin Sanjiu and the others walked in a controlled pace and subtly blended in with the crowd.

  However, as they headed for the exit, they had to stop because of the human traffic jam in front of them.

  "What happened?" There was a noisy commotion and it was difficult to hear what the others were saying. The announcement of the AA-level world probably did not cause this chaotic situation. Without any other options, Lin Sanjiu grabbed a random person to get more information, "Why are you guys jamming up the exit?"

  "Someone sealed the entrance! They are trying to catch somebody..."

  Chapter 325 - Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell

  When Honeysuckle's body hit the wall with a muffled thud, it shook a few times due to the impact of the force. Lin Sanjiu could feel his blood and muscles shifting under her palm. Lin Sanjiu tightened the grip on the man's throat. Fire was almost spewing from her amber eyes. "Was it you? Did you contact Puppeteer's dogs?!"

  Honeysuckle was pinned to the wall. His legs were dangling above the floor and he was making gasping sounds as he struggled to breathe. His face quickly turned red.

  Even though they had moved to a secluded corner, Lin Sanjiu was still worried that others would take notice. She looked around and finally loosened her grip.

  Oxygen rushed into Honeysuckle's lungs. He took a noisy deep breath and spluttered as he proclaimed his innocence, "No. It wasn't me. Don't you know me? I don't have anything with me. You mentioned Pu… Puppeteer…"

  "Many of your things fell out, but that might not be everything you have." Lin Sanjiu narrowed her eyes. She ignored his argument, "You must have hidden the Special Item for contacting the other members of your team."

  "I really didn't. My dear mother!" Honeysuckle was on the verge of tears, "We just accepted the mission together. Who would be so corny? There is no way we're going to share our contacting methods! Tell me! What do I have to do to make you believe me?"

  His anxious and breathy voice did not draw anybody's attention. It simply faded into the noise around them. Noise reverberated through the empty space between the hall and its ceiling. Lin Sanjiu frowned as she thought about his question, finally, she pulled her fingers away from his throat.

  "You had better be telling me the truth," her eyes shifted to the person beside him, "otherwise, I will hand you over to her."

  Honeysuckle did not even dare to look at Soulsqn. He held his neck and nodded profusely.

  "If this guy didn't sell me out, those people blocking the entrance might not be after me. But…"

  "How much longer will the effect of our [Masks] last?" Lin Sanjiu asked quietly.

  "We still have about 20 minutes…" Honeysuckle replied while massaging his neck.

  20 minutes sounded long but if those people outside were going to filter through this crowd, it would take way longer. 20 minutes would be over in the blink of an eye. She knew she must not show her true appearance because the "Searching for a woman with skeletal wings" announcement message scrolled past the display screens just a minute ago.

  "I need to leave this place immediately," Lin Sanjiu held her black rope tightly. "I don't care what you use—"

  Before she could finish her sentence, she was so shocked that she just stopped speaking.

  Looking up, Lin Sanjiu was stunned when the hall suddenly became dead silent. The hundreds of people in the same hall seemed to have heard a command that she had missed out. The crowd suddenly moved to two sides of the main hall, soundlessly. They created an empty space in the center which was slowly broadening. Even though so many people were moving simultaneously, there was only the soft shuffling sound of people's clothes rubbing against each other.

  The black rope in Lin Sanjiu's hand became taut. She looked behind her and realized that Honeysuckle had already taken many steps backward. Seeing that she wasn't moving, he urgently mouthed for her to move backward.

  "Is Puppeteer here?"

  This was the first thought that surfaced in Lin Sanjiu's mind. When she was in Hyperthermal Hell, Puppeteer had caught a few hundred people and placed them all together. At that time, Shen Lianqi, another resident from Twelve Worlds Centrum, acted in the same manner. He didn't dare to even breathe a word...

  As she thought to herself, she picked up her pace and followed the crowd. The noisy and active crowd gathered to two sides of the main hall, like Moses parting the sea. After she watched the situation, for some reason, Lin Sanjiu suddenly realized that the person that had just arrived wasn't Puppeteer.

  She could still remember Shen Lianqi's reaction. She had a slightly strange way of interpreting both situations. At that time, even though Shen Lianqi was very scared of Puppeteer, it was understandable. His reaction of fear was similar to a person threatened by a knife to his neck.

  Lin Sanjiu passed by a row of Twelve Worlds Centrum residents and stood quietly by their side. They did not seem to notice her. Just moments ago, this group of posthumans was grumbling loudly about how they couldn't get out. Now, they were just staring at their own toes. They stood so stiffly that they could compete with Puppeteer's plastic mannequins. However, there wasn't fear on their faces. Instead, their faces were just pale and vacuous.

  That sort of numbed look was clearly an expression of a kind of internalized fear.

  From what Lin Sanjiu had observed, in Twelve Worlds Centrum, Puppeteer probably wasn't as powerful as she thought. The huge crowd had opened a path in just half a minute. They moved so fluidly that it was as if they had practiced it many times.

  "Ho ho ho!"

  A high-spirited voice suddenly pierced through the air. It exploded abrupted from the center of the hall. "There isn't anyone there, " Lin Sanjiu thought to herself, puzzled. Just then, a silhouette of a person suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

  "Merry—"

  When she had a clear view of the person, her eyes were fixated. She couldn't help opening her mouth ever so slightly.

  "Christmas—"

  "That... that.." she couldn't resist looking at Honeysuckle hoping to get some answers, "That person…"

  Just like other people in the crowd, the latter's head was lowered. He was staring hard at the tip of his shoes. He did not even look at Lin Sanjiu once. He only tugged her black rope a few time as if to signal for her to lower her eyes.

  Even though her rationality told her that it was safer to follow the crowd, Lin Sanjiu was unable to tear her eyes away from that person. In her impression, Christmas was just around the corner but...

  "EVERYONE!"

  After that final loud exclamation, the man suddenly burst into a bout of loud laughter. Perhaps, his huge belly helped his voice resonate. His laughter was ear-splittingly loud. It was so loud that even the walls seemed to vibrate.

  "After such a long time, I am extremely delighted to see all of you alive and well. Ho ho!"

  Santa Claus—that's right, it was Santa Claus—stroked his huge and thick beard. His healthy pink skin was flushed. He narrowed his pair of smiling curved eyes in a creepy manner. His voice boomed, "It has been a long time since I've taken a walk outside… All of you probably didn't expect me. I guess everyone still remembers my rules, right?"

  The man was wearing an emerald green Christmas costume. "Santa Claus" stood at the top of a large monitor screen. His gaze swept across each and every single head below him. There was an intensity in his eyes. When he opened his mouth to flash a huge grin, a deep black hole appeared amidst his white, fluffy beard full of curls.

&n
bsp; "Only obedient kids can get a Christmas present… Ho ho ho." Even though he had a very deep, rich voice, each word he spat from his mouth assaulted his audience like a sharp, piercing knife.

  "But, I left home in a hurry today. I didn't bring my presents. What should I do?" Santa Claus said those words as if he was really very anxious. Following which, some super skinny black figures squeezed out from behind him, one after the other. "Why don't I package your lives as presents, my good, obedient kids? Ho ho."

  When the skinny figures walked into the light, Lin Sanjiu realized that they were stick-thin women. Their limbs were so skinny that they almost seemed like the size of a finger. They were all tall and slender. They looked like thin crickets in their Christmas mini skirts. The leading woman chuckled and jumped down from the large monitor screen. She skipped daintily toward Lin Sanjiu and the other posthumans. Her waist looked like it would snap any second.

  "Santa Claus' little helpers would help me ascertain if you're a good or naughty kid…" Santa Claus added another "Ho ho." He laughed. "To be a good kid..."

  Lin Sanjiu held her breath.

  She had never seen posthumans that were so strange. Not only were their outfits very weird, but they each had a strange, dangerous vibe that everyone could clearly sense.

  "There are two criteria." Santa Claus raised two fat stubby fingers. "First, Growth Types do not have to die."

  Lin Sanjiu immediately let out a sigh of relief. She suddenly felt the goosebumps on her back. It was as if she suddenly regained her sense of touch. Just as she was feeling relieved, it dawned on her that there were very few Growth-Types posthumans.

  Finally, there was a small commotion from the crowd. However, when those "crickets" jumped forward from their positions, the commotion died down instantly.

  "Ho ho. Many kids are disappointed. Ho ho. Don't worry," Santa Claus waved his hands. "The second criteria is that all good kids do not have Puppeteer's smelly stench. These kids can also keep their lives as a present."