by N. Heller
Before Lin Sanjiu could fully comprehend what he meant, she felt a few icy cold fingers on her shoulders.
"Lin San." Lin Sanjiu recognized her own voice when one of the "beings" whispered in her ear. Lin Sanjiu was mind-blown. For a moment, she didn't know how to react.
"Huh, Lin San?"
Another hairy hand reached for her, "Lin San? Lin San?"
After some time of silence, the chamber was suddenly filled with Lin Sanjiu's explosive laughter. She couldn't control herself as she instinctively got back her [Ability Polishing Agent] via her Scrooge McDuck Power. Silver light flooded the room instantaneously. They fell on Ji Shanqing's stunned face.
"Ha ha ha! I needed to see your expression," Lin Sanjiu rocked back and fro as she laughed. She didn't even glance once at the hundred over "Lin Sanjiu" in the chamber. "I think there is another prerequisite for you to activate this 'replacement' ability of yours, no? Do you have to call my name? If you want to replace the original person, wouldn't it be ridiculous if you didn't even know their name?"
Ji Shanqing stared at her, flabbergasted. He simply couldn't react to the situation. He could only watch as the woman continued laughing and explaining, "But my goddamn name isn't Lin San."
Chapter 392 - Everyone’s Here
Lin Sanjiu sat crossed-legged on the floor. Ever since she entered this Mirror Maze, she had never felt this much at ease. Albeit with the gourd-shaped body she gained from one of the mirrors. While she urged Mrs. Manas to make full use of the opportunity to work on her wings, her eyes swept the confines of the mirror chamber lazily. After storing her [Ability Polishing Agent], the mirror chamber was once again consumed by complete darkness. As there wasn't any source of light, even a posthuman with enhanced eyesight would not be able to see anything.
Despite knowing that there were copies of her, of varying sizes and shapes, Lin Sanjiu was very relaxed.
"Alright, what else do you have up your sleeve?" While she said those words, she even casually placed her hand on the warm and furry "Lin Sanjiu" beside her. It reminded the leopard legs she had when she first saw Ji Shanqing. "You are definitely going to be unwrapped today unless you can hide in the mirrors forever."
Needless to say, as the grand prize in the amus.e.m.e.nt park, Ji Shanqing certainly couldn't hide in the mirrors forever.
The hundred over replicas of her were even easier to deal with. Even though their forms were all very strange, without the ability to "replace" Lin Sanjiu, their combat skills were basically negligible. In fact, with so many people in such a small space, they could barely turn their bodies, let alone fight. Lin Sanjiu could get rid of all of them any time she wanted. Lin Sanjiu might not be able to see the expression on Ji Shanqing's face but she could clearly sense his resentment and reluctance over the next few seconds of silence.
It took some time before he managed to somewhat control his emotion. With an articulate voice, he spoke to her once more:
"I actually didn't have any intention to do this," Ji Shanqing said coldly. "It is very easy for me to kill you but that would get me into a bit of trouble. Since you're determined to make trouble, I have no choice but to deal with you this way."
Lin Sanjiu did not say a word. She sat up straight and readied herself.
"It is completely dark now. Even if he has another sort of attack, what would it be?" A thought flashed through her mind. She heard him laughing softly the next second.
His laughter was devoid of any cheer. It was filled with a ruthless determination to burn all his bridges to bring down Lin Sanjiu, "Inform all players in the Mirror Maze of the grand prize's location! Light up all mirrors that would lead here!"
Once Lin Sanjiu heard what he said, she immediately stood up. After Ji Shanqing said those words, the female announcer's voice rang out once more. Her voice resonated through the mirror chambers over and over again, making its listeners anxious. When the "Lin Sanjius" in the chamber heard her voice, they started moving. Each of them returned to the mirrors around her as if they had received a command. Soon, there was no one beside Lin Sanjiu.
"You want to drag me into a battle royale?" After she recovered from her initial shock, Lin Sanjiu calmed down and laughed. "I think you'll be sorely disappointed. You're hoisted by your own petard."
"Really?" Ji Shanqing questioned back genially. The enigmatic tone of his voice immediately piqued her interest. "I'm sure someone will be disappointed."
"How can he be so confident?" Lin Sanjiu did not respond, though she was perplexed. She started feeling a little worried.
"Look, a new guest came so quickly," Ji Shanqing suddenly chuckled, "The lights have been destroyed so I can't light up this place for now. How unlucky."
Lin Sanjiu did not make a sound, she quickly drew out her [Ability Polishing Agent] and held it tightly. A silvery, liquid-like light seeped through the gaps between her fingers. With half its light blocked, the completely dark mirror chamber was now dimly lit but not bright enough for Ji Shanqing to sneak an attack.
Startled, Lin Sanjiu immediately took a few steps backward. She tucked her wings tightly to her back. She was already holding her [Vibroblade] in her left hand.
Using "humanoid" to describe that person was really quite a far-stretch.
The person standing by the mirror straightened his body. He looked like a large green jello— wobbly, slippery and all. There was a slight glow on his "skin". He didn't look human at all. Even his organs seemed like bits of ingredients within his jello-like body. If it weren't for the turf of black hair on the giant jello, Lin Sanjiu would have mistaken it for some sort of jello monster that resided in the Mirror Maze.
"Gloop." The jello steadied his body. It seemed to look down at itself and suddenly let out an incomprehensible voice. his body quivered a few times.
Naturally, the guided pathway that Ji Shanqing provided didn't take into account how a player's body would change. As the players who were all very keen on getting the grand prize, they couldn't care less. Just as Lin Sanjiu thought of this, a few more people stepped out of the mirrors around her. The people probably didn't expect to enter a dimly lit mirror chamber. They stood cautiously without moving once they got their bearings while they observed each other suspiciously.
In just a short time, there were already five people in the chamber, including Lin Sanjiu. Apart from the most conspicuous jello-man, the remaining people were not too deformed. One of them had a stapler-shaped head and was wearing heavy armor so it was impossible to tell his or her gender.
"Where is the grand prize?"
An old man with a hooked nose was the first to speak. His voice was like a creaky old wooden door which had not been oiled for years. He quickly scanned the people in the chamber with his old, baggy eyes. Then, he asked a question in a low domineering voice, "Who was the first to reach it?"
For a moment, no one answered him. A very slim young woman was already openly showing her hostility. It was impossible to tell if her body figure was originally hers, but she appeared to be ready to fight any time.
Lin Sanjiu pursed her lips with an unchanging expression. When the people entered the chamber, she already noticed that Ji Shanqing's reflections had already disappeared. When the others came, they naturally assumed that she was the only one in the chamber.
As no one answered him, the old man laughed dryly. He stared at everyone with his dagger-like eyes. As his gaze swept past the people in the same chamber, he did nothing to hide his malice. The young woman immediately frowned. However, every single person in that mirror chamber had their own agenda. Despite the old man's brazen behavior, no one reacted. None of them spoke a word.
After Lin Sanjiu counted silently till five once again, Puppeteer did not appear. Just when Lin Sanjiu grew impatient, the old man spoke again. This time, the old man directed his question to a specific person—that wobbling jello man. "Answer me. When you came here, was this woman already here?"
Lin Sanjiu sighed inwardly.
The old man was very
perceptive so he quickly eliminated the two other people who came in with him. This meant that the first person in the room was either that green jello-like person that no one could tell how he was even standing or the tall determined-looking woman who was covered with wounds.
Choosing the person to question was a no-brainer for the old man.
"Gulp. Gulp. Yes." The jello man shook the top of his head with some effort. A strange wet, gurgly voice answered, "When I came, she was already here."
Everyone immediately turned their focus to Lin Sanjiu.
"The grand prize isn't here. There is nothing here," the staple-head said with a buzzing voice.
"We aren't blind," the seemingly hot-tempered young woman immediately retorted rudely.
"Tut-tut," the old man clicked his tongue and smiled. He was not even 160cm so he needed to tilt his head upward to speak to Lin Sanjiu, "Is the grand prize with you?"
"No," Lin Sanjiu said coldly.
"The grand prize has a human form. It can talk and it can even move." Even if Lin Sanjiu answered honestly, no one would believe her, so she decided to save her effort.
"Oh? But the announcer said that the grand prize is here, so it must be here…" the tone of the old man's voice suddenly became threatening. He took a step forward. If Lin Sanjiu was surrounded by a pack of wolves now, the old man was definitely playing the role of the alpha wolf. "The announcer will never lie. However, I can't say the same of you."
Irritated, Lin Sanjiu sneered. She wasn't even conscious that her sneering expression resembled Hei Zeji a little. "Can't you see that this was set-up so that we will fight with each other? No means no. I won't waste my words on you. If you want to fight, we can fight."
"Alright, I'll acquiesce!" A sharp voice rang out from the corner of the mirror chamber. Before she even finished her sentence, the slim woman had changed into a shadowy form and lunged directly at Lin Sanjiu. When Lin Sanjiu was just about to defend herself from that attack with her wings, the woman burst like a bubble. With a "pop", she disappeared from the mid-air.
"Shit, it's an ability..." Lin Sanjiu thought to herself. She immediately activated her [Defense Forcefield] and her whole body glowed a little. Once Lin Sanjiu activated her protection, she felt a sudden warmth. It was as if something had touched her and the sensation shot straight to her brain.
"You activated some sort of protection?" the woman laughed. "It's useless. You will find out soon enough!"
Even without her opponent's warning, Lin Sanjiu could see small black orbs floating around her. Each of the orbs were no larger than a child's fist. They were so black that they were darker than the night sky. There was so little light in the chamber that it was actually very hard for Lin Sanjiu to spot them. Yet, when she observed the others, it was clear that they couldn't see those orbs.
"Everyone, you can do whatever you need to do," the young woman with long narrow eyes yelled out, "I have already restricted her movements!"
Lin Sanjiu was already feeling very frustrated after Puppeteer and the others did not appear. When she noticed that the staple-head had answered to that woman's call-to-action, Lin Sanjiu immediately felt a bout of anger. She waved her left hand and her Vibroblade disappeared. Following which, she generated a tornado several times the intensity of her previous tornados. The tornado spun straight toward the four people surrounding her.
As the four people weren't just mirrors, they reacted with shocked expressions. They did not expect that Lin Sanjiu would own such a powerful item. As they were in a small and confined space, her tornado reached almost every corner of the chamber. Even if each of the four other players had their own abilities, they were s.u.c.k.e.d into the tornado.
Lin Sanjiu had already disregard any thoughts about them being living people. Her wrist moved quickly past a few of the orbs. When she did this, the black orbs swam toward her wrist like hungry sharks. She quickly stopped moving her hand but that tornado she generated was already enough.
With sonorous cracking sounds, the young woman and staple-head hit the mirrors violently at the same time. Before they could even scream, their bodies were decimated by the cracked mirrors. All that remained of them was a rain of blood and flesh.
The jello-man probably didn't expect that his current gloopy form was precisely the thing which saved his life. He wobbled as he stuck his body to the ground as the wind dissipated. Meanwhile, the old man had somehow managed to stop his body before he touched the mirror. His face was covered by the blood that rained from the casualties but he seemed unaffected. He even stuck out his tongue to lick the minced flesh at the side of his mouth.
Unfortunately, the small black orbs remained. Every single one of them. They were still floating around Lin Sanjiu.
"What's wrong?"
When Lin Sanjiu stored her whip, a familiar voice came from where the jello-man was standing. She was stunned. She looked over and saw a person standing behind that green jello-man.
"There is so much blood… Why can't we just talk it out? We are Growth-types. It is such a pity."
Geran's gold-rimmed spectacles were missing. He took one look at the entire mirror chamber before he slowly turned to Lin Sanjiu. A faint smile appeared on his average-looking, slightly jutting face. He appeared to be unafraid of Lin Sanjiu.
"He's alone? " Lin Sanjiu frowned slightly.
Geran's evolved abilities and combat capabilities were only average. To Lin Sanjiu, it was quite unusual that he did not bring any companions to help him. Before she could think deeper about it, Ji Shanqing's gentle voice suddenly filled the entire chamber
"Welcome. All the players in this building have arrived. You may now enter the grand prize battle royale. The only condition for the grand prize to appear is simple. There are currently four people here. The final person alive would be the only person qualified to own the grand prize. As a reward, the first person to reach this room has been given a slight advantage. Please be careful."
"All the players have arrived?"
"Where are Puppeteer and the cat doctor?"
Lin Sanjiu was so taken aback that she missed what Ji Shanqing's last sentence. However, his words were instantly effective as a black shadow suddenly lunged toward her.
Chapter 393 - You’ll Never Get A Peace Of Mind!
Ji Shanqing was apparently well aware of his own value. After spending so much time walking through this Mirror Maze, the grand prize wasn't merely an attractive reward. More importantly, it was the key to getting out. None of the players would reject an opportunity for them to "see the sky again". Once Ji Shanqing trapped all his targets in a chamber and told that the winner would get to see the grand prize, he was pressuring them to fight.
After that first skirmish, there was bloodl.u.s.t in everyone's eyes.
As Ji Shanqing had hinted in his last sentence that Lin Sanjiu had a slight advantage, she became the primary target. Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath. She could feel her blood coursing through the arteries and veins in her body. Using the extraordinary control she had over her entire body, she kept her fingers in the same stiff position.
No one in the chamber dared to move hastily even seconds after Ji Shanqing had finished his announcement. The surrounding air around them seemed almost as heavy as soaked cotton. The tension around them was so thick that it almost made breathing difficult.
With every passing second, Lin Sanjiu grew more anxious. Even though no one else could see the black orbs around her, she knew she had to be very careful around the dozen over small black orbs.
If she didn't move, the black orbs would just float in mid-air without doing anything. It was almost as they were Lin Sanjiu's accessories. However, even if she moved her head ever so slightly, those black orbs would whir back to life and rush ravenously to the part of her body she moved. Despite not knowing the effects of these small black orbs, Lin Sanjiu detected a faint scent of explosive in her hypersensory state.
With the inevitable fight ahead of her, how could she remain motionless?
A few drops of sweat rolled down her back and touched the base joint of her wings before they seeped into her clothes.
"Miss Lin," Geran was standing between the old man and the green jello. His face was pale when he let out a chuckle. "Some things can't be forced."
"Where are your friends? Puppeteer? And that strange cat? Why don't I see them?" Geran rubbed his hands together and sighed, "I think even if they're here, they must be dead. After all, it's all too easy to die in this amus.e.m.e.nt park, right?"
Hearing this, Lin Sanjiu's heart sank. This was exactly what she feared. If Puppeteer managed to find the cat doctor and Souls using his puppeteering abilities and then decided to backtrack his way through the mirrors, they would all turn into that same bloody pulp that Lin Sanjiu was all too familiar with.
"Hey," the short old man stared at Lin Sanjiu as if he suddenly had an idea. He smirked, there was still blood stains around his lips. "I think everyone would agree with me. We should get rid of that woman with the slight advantage first. After that, whoever gets the grand prize, it's all fair game."
"Sounds fair," Geran replied. At the same time, the green jello-man quivered a few times.
"That's great," the old man let out a hoarse chortle. "Let's go!" he said plainly.
Startled, Lin Sanjiu almost didn't catch what had happened. "Damn it," she muttered inwardly. Her [Tornado whip] was clearly not good enough for her to deal with her three opponents. She immediately held her [Vibroblade] card in her hand. As a current of air rushed toward her, she threw out her card.
When the card was a few meters away from her hand, it changed back into a blade. It sliced through her attacker's body without any hindrance and cut through the air until someone caught it in his hand. Geran looked at Lin Sanjiu and smiled.
Lin Sanjiu cursed quietly. She didn't expect that the green jello man would be the first person to attack her. As the jello-man's gelatinous body was at least 1.5 times wider than a normal human's girth, Lin Sanjiu's Vibroblade sliced through the 'jelly' part of his body which did not contain his organs. The green jelly made a gurgling sound and his body merged back together as he wobbled. He stepped back as if nothing had happened to him.