Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  Lin Sanjiu nodded.

  "That's right. It's an original pocket dimension that works specifically for Growth type Posthumans. How can anyone resist the temptation of the reward given out by this kind of pocket dimension? Even though Puppeteer himself is a Growth type, but the Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park is too large for him since he only has himself. Also, not to forget that there are other groups of forces that harbor the same interest as him in this pocket dimension. Given these circ.u.mstances, he knew that it was impossible for him to get ahead of everyone to finish all the attractions in the Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt and claim the reward. Hence, he targeted us, the Progressor Alliance which is made up of only Growth type Posthumans."

  "Our branch at Red Nautilus had only a few members to begin with. When Puppeteer began to make a ruckus at the Progressor Alliance by throwing our people into this pocket dimension, many of our members escaped the Twelve Worlds Centrum. Combining those that unwittingly came to Red Nautilus and the rest of us, the Progressor Alliance now has not more than twenty members."

  Lin Sanjiu began to believe in Aker. She straightened her body and slowly resettled her bony wings, "How did he force you all to enter here?"

  Upon hearing Lin Sanjiu's question, Aker flashed her another bitter smile. Then, he nodded to his companion, and a black bob-haired young lady stepped forward. She undid a few buttons on the bottom half of her shirt, lifted it, and revealed a patch of what should be human skin, but the patch that covered her lower abdomen was not something people called skin. It was instead a piece of cold, harsh, inanimate plastic-like material. This kind of material reminded Lin Sanjiu of the mannequin she bumped into during her time at Hyperthermal Hell.

  "As you can see," the bob-haired girl looked at her abdomen and made a self-deprecating comment, "Puppeteer can not only turn a doll into a human, but he can do it the other way round as well."

  Perhaps she felt awkward being stared by somebody not acquainted with her, so the girl quickly put down her shirt. She shook her head and the self-mocking expression left her face, reverting her face to her usual deadpan expression.

  "This is only the beginning," Aker said, and all at once he sounded bitter, "If we do not make it quick work and get the final reward for him, this plastic will slowly spread from the infected area to the rest of our bodies. It won't stop until we eventually become lifeless dolls."

  "How is that possible?" Lin Sanjiu face went pale from the shocking news. She quickly asked, "Where are Rena and Reno? Were they infected?"

  "Rena and Reno?" Aker frowned as he searched his memory. Suddenly, he lifted his head and said, "You means Rena and Reno, the twins?"

  Lin Sanjiu's heart, at this moment, raced so fast that it almost jumped out from her throat.

  "Before this, I didn't understand why Puppeteer is so obsessed with them. Now, I finally understand. It's probably because of the relationship between you and those two kids. When they returned to our base at Red Nautilus, they kept bugging me that they wanted to go to Seagral Square to welcome a guest. Since it was not a big deal, and I was pretty occupied dealing with the ambush of Puppeteer, I just let them go. I never thought my permission would be the one-way-ticket to send them directly to Puppeteer. From what I heard from my subordinates, Puppeteer personally went to kidnap them."

  Lin Sanjiu let out a heavy breath as her expression turned severe.

  She had lost the only lead to Rena and Reno. It seemed to her that she had no other choice but to get them back directly from Puppeteer.

  She was not afraid of confronting Puppeteer. What made her fear the most was that Rena and Reno had been off the radar for such a long time, what if Puppeteer had lost his patience and turned both of them into dolls?

  As Lin Sanjiu was immersed in her thoughts, Aker measured her meticulously.

  After a short while, he cleared his throat. As Lin Sanjiu lifted her head, he quickly flashed her a smile, "Miss Lin, I think you should shift some of your attention away from those two kids to yourself. The kids pose no threat to Puppeteer, and I'm sure they are still safe for the time being. While for you, your case is kind of complicated."

  "Oh?" Lin Sanjiu raised her brows, "What makes you say so?"

  "Because tomorrow is the 26th," Aker spoke as soft as he could, "Miss Livia has told me everything about Santa Claus… Have you forgotten?"

  Lin Sanjiu was stunned. She had forgotten the thing Santa Claus had said!

  "Thanks for reminding me, I—"

  Before Lin Sanjiu could finish her words, Aker, with downcast eyes and shaking head, chipped in, "Please calm down, Miss Lin. I brought it up because I want to tell you something."

  From the way Aker talked, he seemed to be a heavyweight in the Progressor Alliance. When he talked, aside from Livia, the other three Growth type Posthumans just remained silent beside him, "This is the first time you and Miss Livia have been to the Twelve World Centrum, so you two might be clueless of the things that happen here. Even though Santa Claus has gone off the radar for quite a long time, I've heard about his ability. Anyway, no matter what happens, I suggest you don't go to see him tomorrow.

  "The order that you all must return to him by the 26th to claim your lives is all a ruse, a smokescreen to cover up the Achilles heel of his ability. From what I know, his ability, [Make a Wish] can only last for a few days. I guess that on the 26th, his ability will lose its effect. He has to recast his ability on you all; so he told you all to return to him on the 26th to claim your prize so that he could reapply his ability. Hence, Miss Lin, if you don't go meet him tomorrow, and you'll be free from his control."

  Aker had pale skin, but his lips were bright red. After he finished talking in one go, a few freckles on his cheekbones became slightly red.

  Every evolved ability had flaws in a way. Even a powerful entity like Santa Claus could not escape getting restricted by this commandment. There was indeed some truthness in Aker's words, but...

  After a long while, Lin Sanjiu's voice that was bereft of any temperature reverberated in the group's ears, "Are you asking me to risk my life for somebody that I first time meet?"

  "Yes, I understand it is hard for you to trust me…" The long-faced young man that clad in long cloak sighed, "It's fine if you don't believe me. The worst case is that Santa Claus casts his ability on you again, and you only have to endure it for a few more days. However, please bear in your mind that everytime Santa Claus casts his ability, he can request you to do one thing for him. Hence, if you get controlled by him again, I'm not sure what he will ask you to do this time. This is why I said your case is complicated."

  Lin Sanjiu bit her lower lip because she lost her direction. She had no idea who she should believe: Aker of the Progressor Alliance who looked quite dependable or that weird-acting Santa Claus who was the very epitome of fear. Suddenly, a question came out from her mind.

  She took a deep breath, chased away all the problems in her mind and stared at Aker, "Tell me your intent. What do you want from me?"

  She wasn't dumb.

  If what Aker said was true, he could have ignored Lin Sanjiu when he got her coordinates because Puppeteer only wanted them to clear the Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park as fast as they could and get the reward for him. Besides, Puppeteer did not know she was in this pocket dimension as well, so what Aker was doing now was pointless. Since he came all the way for her and gave her such valuable intel, Lin Sanjiu knew very well that he had his own motive.

  Aker was unsurprised. He seemed to foresee Lin Sanjiu would throw at him this question.

  "It's not that I want something from you… Actually, I have a plan that could kill two birds with one stone. Both of us would benefit if we succeed; however, I need your cooperation, Miss Lin."

  "Go on."

  "From what I heard from Santa Claus, he is trying to cause some trouble for Puppeteer, so why don't we go with the flow and offer him an opportunity to meet Puppeteer?" Aker had done his homework well before he came to Lin Sanjiu. Lin Sanjiu
was amazed by how well he understood the whole story, "If Santa Claus does not see you all tomorrow, he will become very edgy. This is because, after the 26th, he won't be able to control you all anymore. Miss Lin, may I ask if Santa Claus has given you a small item?"

  Lin Sanjiu took out the green Santa hat magnet in her pocket and nodded hesitantly.

  " Seems like that woman trusted Progressor Alliance a lot. She told them everything that happened outside… "

  Aker took the green Santa hat magnet and examined it meticulously.

  "Although I don't know what this magnet does, I presume that this is a kind of tracking device that can bring Santa Claus to you as long as you carry this item everywhere you go," Aker then returned the magnet to Lin Sanjiu and slowly told Lin Sanjiu his plan, "With this, he can enter this park whenever he wants, so what we have to do now is find a location and hide the magnet there. Then, we will lure Puppeteer to that location by giving him some false news… When Santa Claus comes for you, then they will bump into each other."

  Offering Lin Sanjiu a confident smile, Aker extended his hand under his cloak and made a gesture to her, "No matter who wins the fight, we will be the ones there to pick up the pieces. What is your opinion of this plan, Miss Lin?"

  Chapter 347 - You Can't See Me

  The cat doctor turned back and asked Soulsqn, "I wonder: were all Souls naturally born without brains?"

  Despite his smooth action, and calm and polite tone, Soulsqn still felt that his question was far more lethal than Lin Sanjiu's swearing.

  Even though she was the queen of a species, she did not feel offended. It was just that her brain went offline the moment the cat doctor asked her the question. Her mind stayed blank for a considerable amount of time, and when her brain finally reconnected, she stammered, "T-this item is too hard to use…"

  "Is hiding under a costume difficult for you guys?" The cat doctor asked again with his gentle voice. Although he spoke in a respectful manner, he could not hide the derision in his tone, "If you guys cannot fit into the costume with your human suits on, can't you guys just take them off?"

  If somebody walked on "Grizzly's Route," they would bump into a giant, wriggly, lumpy, green worm with human legs somewhere along the route. The green worm couldn't move very well. As it struggled to push itself forward, its eyes that were stitched above its head met a pole.

  "We failed again!"

  Meowie Hu shot up from the green worm costume. His snow-white eyebrows and whiskers stood on their ends, and his two emerald eyes blew fire. He disregarded the notice board beside him and yelled at the Souls, "Useless! You guys can't even wear a costume properly! If you guys can't do it, I will leave you all behind and continue this route on my own!"

  Exchanging glances, the Souls looked at each other and wanted to say something, but none of them could think of words to defend themselves. Ever since Meowie Hu took out the Special Item known as [I'm Not A Target], this was the third time they ran into the notice board.

  As bad as the Soulsqn wanted to say something, nothing came out when she opened her mouth. She darted a glance at the notice board and when she found herself again looking at the same welcoming quote, "Welcome player No.58, No.62, No.63, No.64…" and their pictures, the words that stuck in her throat finally escaped her mouth, "Doctor, this costume is too small for ten of us to fit in."

  Meowie Hu sneered. He moved forward and slapped the large green worm. Then, the costume instantly shrunk to the size of a handkerchief. Stepping on it, he said, "See? This was its original size. I have already enlarged it large enough for you guys. Now, think. Use the pathetically tiny brains of yours to think of a way to squeeze inside."

  [I'm Not A Target]

  No matter if you were a sadist or a high-tiered Posthuman that could topple a mountain with ease, nobody would attack a rock, a tree, or an ant. A dingo had once thought about this, "If I became a non-eye-catching object, then nobody will notice me, and I'll be safe!" Then, this special costume was born.

  Effect: It could transform the appearance, body stature of any lifeform into an inconspicuous object such that people would think they were an ant, a heap of dust, or something else.

  However, it should be noted that once a person successfully squeezed into the costume, your speed would drop drastically because there was no way a stone could walk thousands of miles a day, right? You lost all your attacking ability, and you would not be able to protect yourself from any incoming attack. At the same time, all Special Items would be temporarily unavailable when the costume was in use. Getting out of the costume was an onerous and time-consuming task, and there was a mandatory five minutes separation time applied, so you had to make sure that you stayed as invisible as possible to avoid being noticed by others!

  Given the circ.u.mstance, once the cat doctor and his troop got noticed, a new notice board—the one Lin Sanjiu and Soulsqn had bumped into when they first entered the Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park— appeared right in front of them.

  After the Souls mulled over the pros and cons of Meowie Hu's suggestion, all of them finally compelled and faced the reality. If they wanted to proceed, they had to remove their human suits; otherwise, they could not fit into the costume.

  Removing their human suits meant that they had to expose their vulnerable core until they found themselves suitable human suits. It was also not an easy task to find a suitable human suit. As such, the Souls couldn't be blamed for not being willing to remove their human suits.

  The Souls had attained corporal bodies, so even after they removed their human suits, they needed time to return to their normal size. Under the cat doctor's curious gaze, the Souls waited in the wind for quite some time before they finally shrunk to their normal size and kept by AYU into her body.

  "Hoho, what a bunch of interesting creatures," the cat doctor laughed as he was no longer angry. After he rubbed his paw—the one he used to touch one of the Souls—on the ground until it was clean, he then said with a satisfied tone, " There are only you two left, guess it should be easier now?"

  Looking at the pile of human suits, a kind of emotion known as heartache flashed across Soulsqn and AYU's faces. Nevertheless, they did not say anything.

  Both of them then obediently crawled into the costume. This time, two people and one cat successfully fit into the green worm costume. After they adjusted themselves to look more like a worm, they then prowled into the bushes.

  When the "green worm" raised its head, the notice board that had been blocking the road was no longer there.

  They were at the entrance of "Grizzly's Route" which was not far from the main entrance. When they looked back, they could easily see the tall, castle-shaped entrance arch right behind them. As the green worm slithered into the inner part of the amus.e.m.e.nt park, another group of people ran all the way from another route and stopped at the castle-shaped entrance arch.

  "Let's hide there," the Livia, who was skinny with a head of blonde hair, suggested nonchalantly to Lin Sanjiu.

  Whenever she opened her mouth, there were two deep nasol.a.b.i.al folds on either side of her lips and made her look much older than her actual age. In this apocalyptical word, those who struggled usually looked much older than their actual age. Somebody like Lin Sanjiu, who was lucky enough to have her genes reformed, was one in a million.

  "There?"

  Lin Sanjiu raised her head and peered at the tall castle-shaped entrance arch. She found that the arch looked very realistic. It gave off the impression of being a real wall when you stood by it, and a patch of green, flourishing ivy could be seen hanging all the way from the top of the wall to the ground, covering half of the wall.

  "There. I don't know what it is called, but the place where the archer is should be a great hiding spot," Livia pointed to the spot she mentioned to Lin Sanjiu and nodded to the Growth type that followed them.

  She grabbed the ivy, and after confirming that it could withstand the weight of three a.d.u.l.ts, she climbed up to the wall. Lin Sanjiu and
another Growth type known as Zagger followed suit.

  The meeting between Aker and her was yesterday's thing.

  Even though Lin Sanjiu had reviewed Aker's plan for a night, she still could not bring herself to trust him. She decided to come over here and see how things go before making a decision.

  According to Aker, Santa Claus had cheated them. The sole reason Santa Claus asked them out was to reapply his [Make a Wish] ability. She couldn't tell whether Aker was lying or not. Fortunately, apart from the deceased Yidong and her, she remembered that there was still another male Growth type that had entered the amus.e.m.e.nt park at the same time with them. Despite the fact that she had lost track of him after they entered the amus.e.m.e.nt park, she was confident that the youngster would show himself today at the rocky shore. If nothing unexpected happened, he would go outside the amus.e.m.e.nt park to meet Santa Claus.

  As such, following that Growth type was the best way to find out the veracity of Aker's words. After making up her mind, she gave Aker an excuse which she could not remember about why she wanted to come over here. Seeing how firm she was, Aker had no other choice but ordered a Growth type to follow Livia and her.

  After three of them waited under the sun for almost an hour, a figure finally showed himself on "Grizzly's Route."

  The person walked with a heavy gait. Under Lin Sanjiu's anxious gaze, he trudged along the route and took a considerable amount of time approaching the entrance. Even though she did not know his name, judging from his visage, hairstyle, and cloth, Lin Sanjiu could confirm that he was the fourth Growth type that was thrown by Santa Claus with her into the amus.e.m.e.nt park.