Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  A person's body could be used in two ways.

  As a Growth-Type, Lin Sanjiu could sense the gradual improvements in her physical attributes over the years. With every passing day, her endurance grew steadily. Her physical strength was also growing every day. Her memory was also improving. Though the daily improvements were so minute that it was hard to notice, the c.u.mulative improvements over the months and years meant that Lin Sanjiu's body constitution had already far surpassed posthumans who evolved around the same time as she did. Due to her potential growth value, she was probably more powerful than other Growth-type posthumans. This created the foundation of combat capabilities.

  "Your natural body constitution is not bad," Hei Zeji gave Lin Sanjiu a rare compliment even though he looked as if it was hard for him to say that, "That was why I said you had ten tons of steel. But, you're totally tactless at handling what you have… As you had utilized what you have in a stupid manner, it negatively affected the natural growth of your body constitution. Otherwise, you would definitely be much stronger now."

  Following what Hei Zeji taught her, Lin Sanjiu deactivated her [Higher consciousness scan], closed her eyes, and calmed herself.

  Lin Sanjiu felt very uncomfortable for the first few seconds. Voluntarily closing her eyes while she was feeling suffocated and with the noise from multiple karts whizzing past, she felt more and more anxious. She did not feel the so-called "connection" with her body but instead found it torturous. She really wanted to open her eyes.

  If it weren't for the crescent moon floating in front of her and its sharp edges targeting her eyes, Lin Sanjiu might have really opened her eyes. However, she knew that if her eyelids even moved, the crescent moon would definitely pierce her mercilessly and Hei Zeji would just leave nonchalantly.

  Since she knew that her 'coach' wouldn't suddenly become softhearted, Lin Sanjiu could only try to listen to the movements around her as her body was covered with cold sweat.

  When she first closed her eyes, she immediately noticed the swooshing sounds as the karts scrapped across the floor. Even if she couldn't see what was happening, she knew that the other bumper karts were surrounding her from all directions. But, there were too many bumper karts moving at the same time, so the noise they made was just a mixed mess, Lin Sanjiu couldn't tell which kart was coming toward her.

  Just as a thought came to her, a bumper kart collided with her kart.

  If the "punishment" from the female announcer wasn't enough, Lin Sanjiu was knocked from behind as her reaction time dropped without her sight. In the blink of an eye, she heard the thud and her bumper kart shifted forward.

  She simply couldn't judge where the karts were coming from with only her ears!

  After enduring two punishments which lasted for a total of ten seconds, Lin Sanjiu's face was so red that it was as if she was about to just explode. Without oxygen and without her sight, she took on the punishments straight on. She felt that she was really at the end of her stick. If she received another punishment, she did not know if she could survive this round.

  Under such circ.u.mstances, Lin Sanjiu tried her best to continue driving while she attempted to shut her "hearing". In other words, she was controlling her focus and consciousness such that her brain stopped processing the sounds she received from her ears. This was equivalent to her voluntarily making herself deaf.

  "Sight, hearing, smell… Oh, it is unnecessary. Anyway, you need to shut down all of your five senses slowly until you only have your sense of touch." Hei Zeji's words echoed in Lin Sanjiu's mind once again. "Without these disturbances, you should try to fully appreciate what you can sense with your body."

  After she had isolated her sense of touch and lost her other sense, Lin Sanjiu felt that her kart had been hit a couple of times in the darkness.

  Without her hearing, she did not know what punishment she got. The moment an intense pain spread through her body, Lin Sanjiu felt that she might just sink into the pain that she was feeling. Despite the scalding pain that made her whole body tremble and the feeling that her organs were about to burst, she felt a little different. Something had changed.

  Amidst the pain, she felt a layer of something. It was cold and resolute…

  She felt her skin. She felt her muscles. She felt her pores. She felt every cell that formed her body. They were like immovable boulders in the wind. She could clearly feel every sensation they were transmitting to her.

  Normally, no matter how she moved, she never had a "consciousness" of her limbs. Her limbs moved only when her brain commanded them to move. They were like strings on a puppet. However, Lin Sanjiu could feel her entire body now. They were so very tangible to her. It was as if her mind had melted and she could consciously control every inch of her being, and her whole body was only fully connected with her mind.

  After half a second, Lin Sanjiu finally understood what Hei Zeji meant about the "warning signs".

  When the folding space opened up once again and as the karts exited from the space, Lin Sanjiu realized that there were so many warning signs and clues. She could feel that the surrounding air currents suddenly changing directions. They "gushed" into the folding space as it opened. She could also feel the slight vibration as the bumper karts touched the ground with their weight.

  Lin Sanjiu could feel the rhythmic vibrations coming from the bumper karts engines, no matter how faint they were, they were like dissonances chords in a music piece, she quickly picked them up with the feeling from her legs.

  At the same time, the floor space diagonal from her was vibrating quicker. Lin Sanjiu could feel the breeze coming from that direction as it brushed against her left shoulder.

  Lin Sanjiu couldn't see and couldn't hear. She couldn't even breathe. However, she turned her steering wheel deftly and slipped between two bumper karts that were surrounding her. The two karts hit each other with a thud the next second. As they couldn't move away in time, they collided.

  "How should I describe this feeling?"

  It was as if dirt which had clogged all her pores had been washed out. Her sense of touch had never been so sharp.

  "This is strange. How could I stand feelings so muddled before? How could I fight with that sort of body—"

  Lin Sanjiu couldn't really remember where the forest was. As these thoughts surfaced in her mind, she twisted her steering wheel. Her bumper kart suddenly spun a semi-circle and she dodged another few bumper karts skillfully.

  Several bumper karts of different colors collided with each other head-on just inches behind Lin Sanjiu. For a moment, they couldn't move as their engines buzzed on the spot.

  Despite her sweat and bleeding wounds, a slight smile appeared at the corner of Lin Sanjiu's lips. As if to affirm the changes she felt, Lin Sanjiu knew that Hei Zeji had already withdrawn his crescent moon some time back. When the sharp edges from that crescent moon were in front of her eyes, her pores were about to explode as she felt the chill on her skin. The moment she evaded that first kart, that feeling was already gone.

  Once the vibration from her vehicle suddenly stopped, the noise in the arena suddenly disappeared. It was silent once more.

  Lin Sanjiu slowly opened her eyes. She regained her sight and then her hearing. Her five senses slowly returned to her as she woke up from the darkness. Everything suddenly looked more vibrant, yet when she remembered the darkness before, she felt a sense of familiarity.

  "You didn't take too long to grasp that concept," Hei Zeji commented. He was standing at the entrance. He was leaning against a pole with his arms behind him and his body outstretched. He was like a black panther that was resting after a hunt. His crescent moon was now a full moon. It was taller than a human and was floating quietly behind him. In contrast to Lin Sanjiu's wounded body, he looked way too clean.

  "It's all thanks to you," Lin Sanjiu said frankly as she smiled at him without hiding her gratitude. She held the side of her c.h.e.s.t with her shattered ribs and struggled to climb out of her kart. Hei Zeji raised a brow
but did not appear to be willing to offer her any help.

  "Congratulations. You received 11 Stamina points," the old woman in the F1 uniform opened her eyes. As Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath and walked over to her, the woman continued, "You get 5 points for completing the round and 6 points as an added bonus."

  "Added bonus?" Lin Sanjiu was surprised. She wiped the blood and sweat on her face, "What's that about?"

  "You created a trap and caused the enemy bumper karts to collide. They couldn't move for up to 4 seconds," the old woman said drearily, dragging her voice. "On the other hand, if the karts in your team collided with each other, stamina points would be deducted."

  In any case, this was a rather unexpected piece of good news. At least, she had enough stamina points to survive today so she didn't need need to go through another round with her wounded body.

  She could finally rest. She knew she could always take on the second round tomorrow. Hei Zeji's shadow loomed over her before he moved away and sat down at a spot not far from her.

  "That's for you," he suddenly threw a small item over. "Eat it. Otherwise, you might die tomorrow."

  Lin Sanjiu caught it immediately but she did not eat it. She looked at the small jellybean and suddenly smiled. "Hey, why is it so hard for you to just communicate properly?"

  Chapter 339 - Onward!

  The lights in the Bumper Karts arena were on 24/7. They were never dimmed throughout the entire day. The light was so bright that Lin Sanjiu could see white even when she closed her eyes. Obviously, it wasn't comfortable sleeping in these conditions. Despite that, Lin Sanjiu quickly slipped into her dreams, taking in every bit of rest she could, like a sponge in water, trying to recover her strength and energy.

  Hei Zeji turned his body and sat up from a flight of stairs. He threw a glance at Lin Sanjiu. Seeing that she was fast asleep, he stood up soundlessly and walked toward her.

  Lin Sanjiu frowned as she continued sleeping.

  He curled his left hand into a fist and suddenly hurled it rapidly. Based on the speed of his attack, if that fist landed properly, Lin Sanjiu might even vomit out her organs. The sleeping woman's breathing suddenly quickened. Before that punch reached her, Lin Sanjiu turned over and her breathing slowed down again.

  Hei Zeji narrowed his eyes.

  The moment he raised his hand, something in the surroundings changed. The sudden change was hard to describe. Even though they had fought previously, if Lin Sanjiu was awake, she would have realized that she had not seen such movements before. Hei Zeji placed his hands in the air. Next, as if he was following a rhythm, he slowly drew a few small but strange arcs in the air as his fingers shot toward Lin Sanjiu's neck.

  Even though it seemed strange, that was exactly what happened.

  The woman who was fast asleep lay in ignorance. When his fingers were just about to reach Lin Sanjiu's carotid artery, she opened her eyes immediately. Her wings rose slightly. Hei Zeji's hand was just a few millimeters away from Lin Sanjiu's skin. He frowned at her.

  Lin Sanjiu, who had just been abruptly woken up from her sleep, was still feeling a little groggy. From his expression, she couldn't tell if he was praising her or if he was unsatisfied.

  "If I didn't stop, you'd be dead now." Hei Zeji lifted the corner of his lips, flashing his white canine. "How did you noticed? Why did it take you so long?"

  Lin Sanjiu didn't want to talk to Hei Zeji lying down. She pushed herself up and felt a stinging pain from her c.h.e.s.t. The corner of her eyes twitched a little. She looked up before answering him with some confusion, "It was what you taught me yesterday, right?"

  "Explain yourself."

  It happened in just a few seconds so Lin Sanjiu found it a little hard to describe. She crooked her head and tried to remember what she felt while she was dreaming. When the first punch approached her, she had already noticed.

  Without the usual thoughts she had during the day, Lin Sanjiu entered a sort of basic meditative state while she was asleep. It was just like the "somatosensory training" she had yesterday, she could activate control over each part of her body down to her pores. She no longer felt the segregation between mind and body. Her control was absolute. It was clear and nimble.

  Under such a state, the movement of air current caused by Hei Zeji's fist as it broke through the air was like a loud drum. Naturally, she had noticed it very quickly.

  "Your reaction… was to just turn to one side?" Hei Zeji raised one of his brows slightly.

  Lin Sanjiu exercised her mouth and replied, "Well… Yeah, I knew you were the one throwing that fist at me. It wasn't just anyone I didn't know. Oh, but I nearly didn't sense you the second time? Why? If I didn't feel the slight warmth when you were about to touch me, I might have just continued sleeping."

  The reply she got from Hei Zeji was a slight nod. The man who resembled a black pather gave her a very reserved acknowledgment. "I think you are more familiar with that state now."

  "What do you mean?"

  "You can only feel movement. That is just the basics."

  As Hei Zeji said that, he gestured for Lin Sanjiu to follow him. The two of them walked toward the rink of the bumper kart arena once more.

  "As you get a better understanding, you would be able to detect more and more. A person's breathing, the speed of flowing blood, the trajectory of an attack… It would all become clear to you as if you could see them with your own eyes. Once you reach the purest state, even if you lose all your five senses, you can sense the subtle changes in your surroundings even when someone stands motionless near you. When a mass exists in space, you would sense the feeling that space has been 'occupied'. The change in the surrounding is caused by the gravitational field that comes with anything that has mass. Just like a planet's gravitational force in outer space."

  Lin Sanjiu was tongue-tied as she heard what Hei Zeji said. Compared to the gazillion ton that a planet weighed, a human's weight was almost negligible. If a person could feel even the almost non-existent gravitational pull that another human possesses, how powerful could that be?

  Even if Hei Zeji was already very powerful, it was apparent that he had not reached that stage.

  "I told you yesterday that a person's body can be used in two ways. Sensing with your entire body is just a foundational step, the other way is how you should fight under an hypersensory state."

  Lin Sanjiu froze for a second after she leaped into one of the bumper karts, "Aren't you joining?"

  "No matter how difficult this game gets, it will not help you learn how to battle using that state," Hei Zeji replied impatiently, he was a little fierce. "Just complete the next two round quickly with your level of difficulty."

  Without Hei Zeji, the difficulty of the game was evidently much lower than what Lin Sanjiu expected, even though it was the second round. If the difficulty of the game with Hei Zeji was 30, the second round, after the difficulty increases by three times, would be 90. Lin Sanjiu was only half as good as Hei Zeji, so her second round was a difficulty of 45. Even though it wasn't easy, Lin Sanjiu managed to successfully complete the next two rounds.

  Just as Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park had been designed, she improved as the game got harder. After Lin Sanjiu found out about the bonuses, she logically made good use of it. When she walked out from the Bumper Karts arena, she already had 27 Stamina points.

  The old woman in the F1 uniform looked as apathetic toward life as before. She opened the walls of the back half of the arena. As the walls shifted with a loud rumble, sunlight poured from the skies. The next section of the Frog Route was revealed.

  "You have completed the first station, would you like to change your route?" she asked dryly.

  "Change my route?" Lin Sanjiu asked, puzzled. "I thought that in this amus.e.m.e.nt park you could only move on the route that you have chosen from the start?"

  "Unless you complete a station. Once you complete a station, you can choose any route you would like to continue on. When you complete the next station, you c
an change your route again."

  When Lin Sanjiu recalled the layout of the amus.e.m.e.nt park from the map, she felt that it was totally unnecessary to take a different route. Since Hei Zeji did not seem to object, she nodded to the old woman, "I will just continue with the Frog Route. I don't want to change."

  After they left the Bumper Karts arena, Lin Sanjiu took out two paper cranes reluctantly as she was still affected by Santa Claus' ability. After she recorded her next destination, she released the paper cranes. The cranes fluttered away.

  She originally suspected that Santa Claus had planted some sort of remote control explosive device in her body. However, after she felt her body in her hypersensory state a few times, Lin Sanjiu did not find anything. Clearly, the effect of Santa Claus's ability was formless.

  Hei Zeji was uninterested in these things that did not concern him so it was no surprise that he didn't ask Lin Sanjiu anything. In fact, when Lin Sanjiu released the paper cranes and turned around, she realized that Hei Zeji had fallen asleep on a pole. The sound of the paper cranes' wings finally woke him up. He rubbed his eyes. After that, he followed behind Lin Sanjiu without saying a word and walked out of the arena.

  When Lin Sanjiu took a closer look, she discovered that the shops were selling all sorts of items. There were balloons, drawing, souvenirs. They were things which seemed useless. There were also shops selling hotdogs, chili noodles, freshly squeezed juice, clothes, sleeping bags and things that were more useful.

  After walking for some time, Lin Sanjiu even found a building with a door that had a cartoon. There was a "B&B HOTEL" sign on the door and it was 20 Stamina Points per night.

  "If you walk further on Swan Route, and go to the next station, you can even buy guns and bullets," Hei Zeji suddenly said after they walked past a mushroom-shaped store. Suddenly, he added, "I wonder if there are any stores selling Special Items."