Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  "It's precisely your fault!" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself. She really had the urge to whip him a few times with her [Tornado Whip] but she managed to hold herself back. "Enough of your bullshit, where did you leave Reno and Rena?" she questioned furiously.

  When Geran heard that, he turned and looked at her. Once he had his gaze on Lin Sanjiu, he immediately reverted back to his icy and controlled decorum of false courtesy. He gave her a faint smile and lowered his eyes without saying a word.

  If Meowie Hu didn't question that man personally, he probably wouldn't answer. Lin Sanjiu gave the cat a signaling gesture. Before they could say anything, they heard a sudden muffled "thump" as if something had been punched away. Next, Lin Sanjiu saw something flying off in an angle.

  If Lin Sanjiu didn't spot the two horn-like ponytails floating in the air, while that thing made a trajectory across the sky, she would not even know what had been punched into the air.

  "What sort of creatures do you rear?"

  Lin Sanjiu followed the trajectory to its origin and found Puppeteer sitting on the ground. He was so angry that even the corners of his eyes were twitching. As half of his face convulsed, he coughed and complained, "Why are there so many strange cats and dogs around you!"

  "Did you get a pet dog?" the cat doctor immediately swung his head to look at Lin Sanjiu.

  Lin Sanjiu did not even bother to answer. She quickly rushed over and checked Soulsqn's condition. Seeing that her eyes were still moving, Lin Sanjiu let out a sigh of relief and carried the creature.

  "What happened?" Lin Sanjiu looked at Puppeteer and then at Soulsqn who had lost almost any semblance of a human form.

  The attack Soulsqn received was definitely a little too much for her to handle. She couldn't speak even after some time. Once she could speak, Lin Sanjiu finally got the gist of the situation through her broken phrases. Soulsqn was unsatisfied with her current body for quite some time. When she noticed Puppeteer sitting on the ground looking weak and pallid, she was eager to push her luck so she released her pheromones…

  Lo and behold, the pheromones did not work on him. Instead, Soulsqn found herself flying across the sky the very next second. She couldn't even tell how the attack landed. However, after this attack, her skin could no longer support its host. Lin Sanjiu could see a thing crawling within the loose and deformed human skin.

  "Of all people, why would you try to offend Puppeteer." Lin Sanjiu tossed Soulsqn casually to AYU. She couldn't even bring herself to muster the slightest bit of pity. When she turned around again, her eyes grew wide.

  "Let me tell you, considering your wounds, some other doctor might not even be able to diagnose you…"

  Over these few months, the cat doctor had been pampered and many humans had taken good care of him. His fur was groomed and very shiny. He also looked well-fed with his tubby little round body accompanied by a tail. The cat doctor's ears moved as he spoke, "Don't worry. I only need to do a small operation. I will reconstruct part of your nervous s—"

  Puppeteer looked at him with a slightly crooked head. He had an earnest and perplexed expression. His previous moody and agitated expression had disappeared from his face without a trace. He looked like a simple young man who seemed a little bashful. "Doctor, would it take long?" he asked softly, "I want to rush to the final pitstop."

  "So, Puppeteer can't resist the cat doctor's charm? But he seemed pretty normal when he first saw Meowie…" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself, feeling flabbergasted.

  However, when her gaze shifted, her heart froze.

  Meowie Hu turned to eye her at the same time. Almost as if he had sensed her puzzled look, he quickly quipped, "Your friend's condition worsened after that attack, so he finally noticed my amazing presence. I was wondering about this too. One person who can resist my charm, like you, is more than enough…" The little cat had not finished his long-winding rant when he felt a sudden gust of wind. The fur on his back exploded.

  "What are you doing— I still have an operation to do—"

  "Enough, that person is gone!"

  Hearing the shocked and anxious female voice, the cat immediately shut his mouth. His large green eyes turned to look at the same spot that Lin Sanjiu was staring at.

  The spot where Geran had been kneeling obediently just a moment ago was now empty. There was nothing. Logically speaking, he should still be under the influence of the cat doctor…

  Feeling a gush of blood shooting straight to her head, Lin Sanjiu couldn't help roaring at the ten over Souls, "What are your goddamn pairs of eyes for? Where is that person? Where did he go?"

  Unfortunately, the Souls reacted even slower than her. AYU, who was carrying Soulsqn, turned around abruptly and only realized then that Geran had escaped without anyone knowing.

  Just as she was about to get her answers, they let Geran escape at this crucial point!

  Lin Sanjiu didn't know if she was feeling remorseful or just angry and alarmed. Even the tips of her fingers were trembling. Just as she was about to go off searching for him, she heard a person speaking with an unhurried voice.

  "He mentioned that he was fully prepared, so he definitely had a way to regain control of his mind. Once his rationality returned, it is simply too easy for him to escape when you guys are not noticing." With Lin Sanjiu's interjection, Puppeteer's face returned to its usual sinister and effeminate appearance. It was as if that short glimpse of naive expression had never even existed in the first place. His wet black hair hung over his shoulders as he looked down at the cat doctor. His eyes were cold, as if they had never been charmed by that small animal, "I would advise you not to chase after him. There are 12 routes in this amus.e.m.e.nt park and you have no clue which route he would switch to."

  Puppeteer's words made Lin Sanjiu feel like a deflated basketball.

  "But what else can I do?" she replied with a bitter smile. "He is the only one that knows where my friends are… I need to look for him."

  "If you want to make your own life difficult, it is none of my business." Whenever Lin Sanjiu expressed such opinions, Puppeteer would give her a disgusted look. This was no exception. After pausing for a while, he added, "Give me back my items, I want to go to the final pitstop now."

  "Oh," Lin Sanjiu responded but froze when she had the cards in her hand.

  "Final pitstop... Wasn't Geran's ultimate goal the present at the pitstop? Even though Puppeteer did not die like in Geran's plan, he had sustained serious injuries. If Geran was even half as adamant as he looked regarding wanting that present, he wasn't going to give up… That's right, he would definitely head for the final pitstop!"

  Once Lin Sanjiu sorted out her thoughts, her heart raced and she found her motivation once again. She gave Puppeteer a strong pat on his shoulder as her voice quivered slightly, "I didn't even think of that! Let's go! We will follow you to the final pitstop. Don't worry about Geran getting to the present first. Leave him to us!"

  After Lin Sanjiu patted his shoulder twice, Puppeteer scrunched his face tightly. Even though he had promised Lin Sanjiu that he would not kill her, it took him all every bit of his effort to hold back his murderous intent toward her.

  Once Lin Sanjiu had decided on her next course of action, she felt very much at ease. However, even if she had already decided what she would do next, she faced a very tricky problem.

  Once the amus.e.m.e.nt park issued the Souls and Meowie Hu their player numbers, they couldn't use their "green worm" strategy and act like they were inconspicuous objects. Even if they were already on Pumpkin Route, they were still one station away from the final pitstop. How were the cat doctor and the group of Souls going to complete the next station? This became a troubling matter.

  "How about this? You should all go back to AYU's body. I will store your skins for all you." After discussing the problem for some time, and after Lin Sanjiu racked her brain over it for a long time, they could only come up with the following solution. "If it was only AYU and the cat doctor, it would be easier to protect yo
u guys."

  Ever since the cat doctor reunited with Lin Sanjiu, the Souls last hope of controlling Lin Sanjiu had been destroyed. Without any other choice and the lack of time as they needed to catch Geran before he reached the final pitstop, the group of Souls grumbled as they took off their human skins unwillingly.

  Puppeteer looked even whiter than before. Lin Sanjiu did not know if his injuries had worsened or if he turned pale after witnessing the Souls take off their human skins.

  "Are you sure you can go the final pitstop in your condition?" Lin Sanjiu asked with some concern. After all, they did go through quite an experience together. "Judging from your appearance, I think it will be difficult for you to even last through one station… And, why are you still here?"

  Puppeteer gave her a cold stare when he heard her words. The color of the glitter around his eyes had changed once again. They were now a bright red. It looked as if there was a patch of blood on his white face and somehow he seemed more ruthless, "Don't blame me if you continue wasting my time by not returning my items."

  Chapter 368 - A Series To Ruin Your Childhood

  It had already been a few hours since Pumpkin Route had been completely devastated by Puppeteer's and Santa Claus' battle. Granite outcrops and mounds of upturned soil littered the landscape. There were several fissures on the ground. The shops and buildings surrounding them had all slid into these holes following the movements of the ground.

  There were still a few damaged shops that were not s.u.c.k.e.d into these holes. However, none of the pocket dimension beings were around. The products in the shops had also all disappeared much to Lin Sanjiu's disappointment. Her clothes were in a bad shape after the battle so she thought she could sieve through the rubble to get a new outfit. However, this was apparently impossible so she gave up on it.

  "Hey, if you were wearing a hoodie, things wouldn't be this hard for me," Lin Sanjiu heard a quiet complaint from atop her piping hot head.

  As the cat doctor's feet were too short, it was too difficult for him to navigate through the ruined landscape. Consequently, he had settled on Lin Sanjiu's head. While she leaped across the open fissures in the ground and scaled the various granite outcrop, he shifted precariously while he perched on her head. Sometimes, he even had to grab on to her hair with his claws to maintain his balance.

  Meanwhile, AYU, who was visibly larger now, followed behind Lin Sanjiu laboriously. AYU was comparatively untalkative compared to Soulsqn. Other than AYU's occasional vindictive glances, Lin Sanjiu found AYU a companion she didn't have to worry much about.

  As the road had been destroyed beyond recognition, Lin Sanjiu and her companions took about 30 minutes to cover a distance that would usually spend only 10 to 20 minutes. They finally saw the vague outline of the roof of the next arena in a distance.

  "I wonder what sort of amus.e.m.e.nt attraction awaits us?"

  Lin Sanjiu sighed. She withdrew her eyes from the distance as she stood on the top of a granite outcrop. She jumped to another outcrop some distance away and held on to the rock with her hands. Following the crevices, she quickly climbed down the granite outcrop and landed on the ground with a soft thud.

  As they were already some distance away from the epicenter of the battleground, the path ahead seemed more leveled. There were only several granite pieces strewn messily on the ground which had been blasted away from the epicenter. Lin Sanjiu quickened her pace and headed straight for the arena but just as they were about to reach the next station, they suddenly stopped.

  It was late at night. The sky was a deep dark blue. The moon had hidden behind the thick layers of clouds. The only light they could see came from the stars above and the glowing signboard of the arena in a distance.

  Under the bright "Cartoon World Experience" font on the signboard of the arena, there was a blurry figure of a human lying motionless on the ground, right in the middle of the entrance.

  The cat doctor's night vision was better than any posthumans'. Meowie Hu stood up straight on Lin Sanjiu's head and stretched his neck out to look farther ahead. After that, he hammered his paw on her forehead with urgency, "I think that person on the floor looks familiar. I think he is that guy who has been urging you to return his items just now."

  "Puppeteer?"

  Lin Sanjiu was stunned. She quickly explained things to AYU before rushing toward the man.

  After Lin Sanjiu returned the four items to Puppeteer, she requested for the cat doctor to look at his wounds. However, once Puppeteer was no longer affected by Meowie Hu's charm, he didn't want a cat to treat his wounds. After scoffing at Lin Sanjiu's suggestion, he left without saying a word.

  Before Puppeteer confronted Lin Sanjiu previously, he had already exited "Cartoon World Experience" once, so it should be easy for him. With that in mind, Lin Sanjiu thought she did not need to worry for him. However, she would never imagine that she would find Puppeteer lying unconscious outside the arena's entrance.

  If she didn't notice his c.h.e.s.t rising ever so slightly, Lin Sanjiu would have assumed that the pale white Puppeteer was dead.

  "Oh… I think his injuries must be very serious." Lin Sanjiu crouched down beside Puppeteer, feeling slightly cautious but also a little curious. The cat and the Soul with her also came up to look at him. "He's lucky that we found him. If it was anyone else, that person would immediately kill him."

  "Is he really that bad with other people?" the cat doctor asked with sparkling eyes. Among them, he was certainly the happiest when they found Puppeteer. Without the others noticing, the cat had already taken off his little backpack. He laid numerous small equipment on the ground. According to the size of the equipment, they were apparently specifically created to the cat's size. Lin Sanjiu could tell what some of them were but she had no idea what was the uses of most of the other equipment.

  Being prudent, Lin Sanjiu quickly stopped the eager cat doctor from immediately testing his tools on Puppeteer. Worried that Puppeteer might be equipped with some sort of defensive item, Lin Sanjiu found a branch nearby and cautiously prodded his body twice. Puppeteer's white and bloodless skin got prodded by the sharp branch but nothing happened. That action did not activate any sort of defensive mechanism. Instead, Puppeteer's breathing got weaker.

  "That's great," Lin Sanjiu narrowed her eyes as she observed his face. She realized that the glitter around his eyes had already faded. If she didn't pay specific attention to them, they would look like part of his skin. After thinking for a moment, she patted the cat doctor's head and muttered, "Go ahead."

  The cat coughed once and his claws flashed. He stuck a single claw toward Puppeteer. After seeing the cat sterilizing his claws with some alcohol swabs, Lin Sanjiu still felt a little uneasy so she added, "I don't have any grudge with him now, so you better not kill him with malpractice."

  Feeling insulted, Meowie Hu glared at Lin Sanjiu very unhappily.

  "I want you to guard Dr. Hu," Lin Sanjiu stood up and ordered AYU. "If you see any weird strangers, don't hold back. You can find a new human skin for your queen. When I come back, you two better stay this way. I don't want to witness anything that shouldn't happen when I come back."

  AYU rolled her eyes, showing too much of the whites of her eyes, " Where are you going?"

  Lin Sanjiu stretched her limbs before turning to look at Cartoon World Experience. "At best, you and Dr. Hu can only survive the first round. If you guys can earn some stamina points from that, I would consider that lucky." Lin Sanjiu had already decided her strategy on their way here. It would probably be impossible for her to protect two other people while she had to complete the rounds. "I have no choice here. In case things go awry, I need to earn a little more stamina points."

  If it came to their last resort and they needed to escape from the attraction to save their lives, she knew that both Meowie Hu and AYU needed sufficient stamina point. Each player required 60 stamina point to quit a round. For two players, it would take 120 stamina points.

  "But even if we exit t
he game, we can only return to the entrance. We can't move forward," AYU couldn't help pointing out.

  "In any case, that's better than dying," Lin Sanjiu replied without turning her head. "Besides, if that happens, that would only mean that both of you should get out of the amus.e.m.e.nt park as soon as possible.

  When she noticed that AYU had immediately fallen silent, Lin Sanjiu turned to look at Meowie Hu once before she headed toward Cartoon World Experience.

  The two rooms that seemed like public washrooms seemed exactly the same. Lin Sanjiu did not know which side she should enter the attraction from. After she looked around, she didn't see any sort of ticket seller-like staff. This was only the same reason why Lin Sanjiu was tricked by Puppeteer when he left that puppet with a red hat in front of the attraction.

  "Is there anyone there?" Lin Sanjiu shouted into the left room.

  The door was ajar so there was a gap. Lin Sanjiu could see that it was dark inside. She waited for a few seconds but no one answered her from inside the room. Lin Sanjiu was cautious. She didn't step into the room immediately. She walked to the other room instead. On closer inspection, Lin Sanjiu realized that the door to the room on the right was tightly shut. She tried to push the door but it didn't budge.

  Judging this situation, she could only enter through the left door. When Lin Sanjiu pushed the door lightly, it swung open soundlessly. The door disappeared into the darkness. The room was like a dark abyss that absorbed any light that reached its interior. Lin Sanjiu did not know whether this was because it was dark outside or because the arena was naturally designed that way. After she squinted and tried to look into it a few times, she couldn't make out the outline of the room's interior.