by N. Heller
His jello body was unflattering but it had helped him survive twice.
The old man had been hiding some distance behind the jello-man. He suddenly leaped down from mid-air.
The old man did not attack her physically. He did not even activate any Special Items. Lin Sanjiu's eyes widened as she watched as a short, skinny, monkey-like old man stretched out his arms and jumped down, head-first toward her.
Lin Sanjiu did not dare to move her wings, she activated her [Mosaic Censorship] and hastily swung her palms toward the shadowy figure. However, all the small black orbs started to move at the same time. They swam toward both her hands with a whizzing sound. Before she could even touch the old man, she touched the black orbs first!
She cursed and swore inwardly as she shrunk back trying to pull her hands back. The shadowy black figure instantly blocked her sight.
Surprisingly, she didn't sense anyone touching her.
"Where's he?"
When her gaze swept through the confined mirror chamber, she couldn't spot the old man anywhere. The old man had vanished like a burst bubble. Lin Sanjiu didn't even know when he disappeared.
Before Lin Sanjiu could process her thoughts, her vision turned dark for a second. The petite figure suddenly appeared in midair as swiftly as he disappeared and landed back at the corner of the chamber with a thud. When he stood up straight, Lin Sanjiu recognized the old man with his saggy eyebags.
There was a hint of delight in his wrinkly triangular eyes as he stared at Lin Sanjiu and said, "You two, she is fully immobilized now."
Lin Sanjiu felt a chill through her body. Her face froze as she felt Geran's and jello-man's gaze.
"Another player had used an ability to restricted her movement. Even though the person is dead, apparently her ability is still active." For some reason, the old man spoke extremely confidently as if that wasn't just a conjecture on his part. "No matter what she does, if she moves, she'll be hurt by that ability."
"Amazing!" Geran looked away from Lin Sanjiu, turning his gaze to the old man in awe, "So, you figured that out after just a few second of analysis?"
The old man harrumphed and laughed, "That's not all. She has activated some sort of protection which is fueled by her by vigor. Furthermore, she even tried to counter my attack with an ability. Somehow, if she touches you with both hands, there will be serious repercussions."
Lin Sanjiu was astounded. Guessing a person's ability through observation wasn't uncommon, but that old man had figured out her current condition and details about her abilities in that short fraction of time!
This sort of ability to collect enemy intel was just too fearsome!
At that moment, the three people looked at her as if she was already dead.
"Do you think I can't move?" Lin Sanjiu forced herself to smile after she regained her composure. "Why don't you guys test it out yourselves?"
Unexpectedly, the first person to act wasn't Geran or the old man. The green jello suddenly shook violently. Over a dozen bolts of glaring miniature lightning suddenly appeared. For an instant, the mirror chamber suddenly became as bright as day. There was a chaotic interplay of light and darkness as the lightning bolts cackled. It was hard for any of them to even open their eyes. Utilizing every bristling follicle on her skin, Lin Sanjiu had to try very hard before she could sense the movement of the lightning bolts as they slithered through the air like living snakes.
The lightning bolts flashed rapidly. They disappeared into the darkness and instantly lit up again. The white light from lightning bolts was so bright that they covered everything in a white haze. At this point, Lin Sanjiu had to place aside her wariness toward the small black orbs and immediately crouched down. Lin Sanjiu felt a blast of hot air as a lightning bolt shot past her.
Her blood seemed to further stimulate the intensity of the lightning bolts. They whizzed toward Lin Sanjiu consecutively and concentrated their attacks on her.
Lin Sanjiu didn't have the time to even attend to her wounds; she did her best to dodge them and was successful. Unfortunately, the small black orbs blasted off other pieces of her flesh.
"Damn it!" Lin Sanjiu finally swore.
Even though the black orbs were not as powerful as those lightning bolts, she knew that she would die from these two ongoing ability-linked abilities if she didn't do something quick!
"I need to think of a way out of this—huh?" Lin Sanjiu suddenly turned her full attention to something she noticed. Each of the small black orbs was like miniature bombs which could cause serious blast injuries to a human despite their stronger and durable cellular constitution. Some of the wounds that Lin Sanjiu had were so deep that she could see her bone. However, Lin Sanjiu discovered something very interesting when she looked down at herself subconsciously. Her wounds had stopped bleeding the moment they were created.
She froze for a few seconds before she suddenly realized that her wounds were wrapped by her higher consciousness.
"Thank you," Lin Sanjiu thanked Mrs. Manas softly in her mind, "You gave me an idea."
When a few white blinding lightning bolts shot toward her, Lin Sanjiu scrambled to one side unglamorous. "My grand prize!" she yelled.
At that moment, the indistinct figure on the other side of the mirror immediately reacted. He couldn't wait any longer.
The others in the mirror chamber had been curious about the 'slight advantage' that Ji Shanqing mention. What if that 'slight advantage' was the grand prize itself? After all, Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park was a pocket dimension which referred to a place full of literal killer rides as a happy, family-friendly attraction.
When Geran saw the two other people rushing toward Lin Sanjiu, he finally had no choice but to follow their lead despite his doubts. When the bolts of lightning hit the surface of a mirror, they immediately created smoke. Lin Sanjiu stood amidst the smoke. She was in a pathetic state and was covered with wounds. When she saw the bloodshot eyes of the other posthumans, she finally flashed an earnest smile.
"Come," she shouted. She ran up to them as fast as a cheetah, disregarding the black orbs. At that moment, it was as if Lin Sanjiu wasn't afraid of the black orbs. When she was just about to start fighting, she leaped up in the air and tuck her legs while she opened her wings wide in one smooth motion. The small black orbs crowded around Lin Sanjiu's torso but her wings quickly blocked them. They instantly changed their target to her wings. This all happened in a split second. The small black orbs exploded the next second, blasting off fragments of her white skeletal wings. Lin Sanjiu felt an excruciating pain. In just a second, Lin Sanjiu was already drenched in cold sweat. "Now!" Mrs. Manas shouted. Lin Sanjiu clenched her teeth and released her higher consciousness outward.
It was impossible to guess the total bone mass of Lin Sanjiu wings when they were now broken into countless fragments. For a moment, the bone fragments were like falling snow. However, unlike snow, each of these fragments was hard as steel and as sharp as a knife's edge. Using her higher consciousness, she sent a storm of razor shapes toward her opponents.
For a second, everyone could only see a death-signifying white shroud.
In the end, Lin Sanjiu knew that her plan had succeeded because the bolts of lightning suddenly disappeared. Notwithstanding his jello-like body, the jello-man had turned into a puddle of slush being hit by such an intense and unrelenting attack. Once his gelatinous shell had been pared, his internal organs were riddled with holes like a hornet nest.
The green jello-man was dead.
The old man was no better than the jello. His saggy skin had been tore to pieces while the muscles on his face hung onto the skull in strips. White bone shards had pierced through both his eyes. His condition was so bad that no one would know that he was alive if he wasn't making those dying throes.
Due to his cautious nature, Geran managed to defend himself in time. Although he seemed to have many cuts all over his body, they were only superficial wounds.
Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath. Ignorin
g Geran's pale face, she turned her gaze toward the small black orbs around her. As her skeletal wings were large and very hard, the explosions could not damage it as effectively. Consequently, half the small black orbs had already been expended. However, there were still six—much smaller— black orbs floating around her.
"This is f*cking annoying," Lin Sanjiu swore as she stood in the same position. However, when she noticed someone moving, she immediately looked in that direction.
Even though Lin Sanjiu's previous attack had scared Geran so badly that his face was pallid, he had managed to compose himself. He moved to the old man's side and touched him with his hand.
Lin Sanjiu was slightly stunned for a moment. Geran took a deep breath. Looking almost satisfied, he started to laugh.
"It's down to both of us again, Miss Lin," he said amiably. He shook a rectangular box in his hand, "Sorry, but it looks like the grand prize is going to me."
When Lin Sanjiu stared at him without saying a word, Geran laughed again.
"This is my ace," he explained. "It doesn't matter whether you know what it is, so I'll just be direct."
"As you know, my combat capabilities are limited, but I came here alone only because I have this [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac]. With this, I can steal and use anyone's fighting ability no matter who they are or how powerful they are, I just have to touch them with my [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac]." Geran stood up slowly. At that moment, Lin Sanjiu found the expression on his face more and more familiar. "No matter how powerful you are, it is all for naught if one's too naive… You will soon find out how fearsome that person's fighting ability is. Regardless, I managed to steal it from him with a bit of trickery…"
"Hei—Hei Zeji?" Lin Sanjiu couldn't help saying soundlessly when she finally recognized Geran's expression.
Chapter 394 - Let’s Count The Number of Times Lin Sanjiu Has Died
The tall woman in the mirror chamber lowered her head. A shadow hid her face, making it impossible to tell what her current expression was. The two people in the chamber stood still without saying a word as tension filled the air. Geran heard a mumbling voice from his opponent. He had to focus very hard before he could hear her quiet mutter.
"That owner…" the bloodied woman slowly lifted up her head to look at him. As she spoke, her cold amber eyes were surprisingly calm. "What did you do to him?"
After Geran heard Lin Sanjiu's question, he showed an expression which could only belong to Hei Zeji. Geran had a bland characterless face so when he made that expression it created a strong juxtaposition.
"Don't worry about others, you only need to die," Geran said with a smirk. As his demeanor, movements, and aura slowly became more and more like Hei Zeji, he always grew tired of saying too much despite being seemingly eager to talk just moments ago.
Lin Sanjiu remained silent as she watched Geran. Right now, she needed more information about his [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac]. If she fought "Hei Zeji" head-on without any information, her chance of winning—even in her best condition—was slim. To make things worse, she was already exhausted and had wounds all over her body.
"Really?" Lin Sanjiu sneered intentionally after thinking for a while. She decided to delay him with words. "I know the owner. Unfortunately, he told me that his active skill still can't be used for fighting. How are you going to kill me?"
Almost all Growth-types faced the same problem, their main active skills were usually not suitable for battle.
Geran wasn't surprised when he heard what she said. His expression barely changed and he even seemed a little pleased. At the same time, his intimidating and dangerous aura grew stronger.
Lin Sanjiu's heart sank. She originally thought that her opponent's Special Item could steal a person's ability like that [Rob the Poor to feed the Rich box]. With infinite apocalyptic worlds, it wasn't strange if there were different Special Items with the same effects.
However, based on her observation, Hei Zeji's evolved abilities probably weren't the only things that Geran stole from that man. When Lin Sanjiu gave it more thought, she remembered that Geran used the term "fighting ability" rather than "evolved ability". When she considered this with the change in his temperament, her expression changed as she bit her lower lip.
Geran lifted the corner of his lips when he saw her expression change. A humorless smile appeared on his face.
[Empty-handed Kleptomaniac]
After this item appeared, there were no longer any more stories about legendary thefts. You can steal a person's cash, items, and skills. However, how could this compete with the ability to steal a person's entire "operating system"? Well, this item allows you to do so.
If every human is a computer, it can be said that our souls, capabilities, personalities, and memories... etc are part of our operating system. Without an "operating system", a human is merely an unthinking, breathing lump of flesh.
Instructions: The user has to activate [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac] beforehand and hide it in his hand. Once the user touches the target's body with the box, the target's personality, combat capabilities, skills, etc. (elements of their self) would be transferred and kept until the user required it.
Note: There are only three empty slots in [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac]. At any point in time, the user can only keep a maximum of three combat systems. After a combat system had been collected, it can only be used thrice. After that, it will disappear from the box.
Friendly hint: After a person loses their combat system, the original owner would show signs of catatonia, dementia or loss of consciousness. Please check the local laws before using this item. The user is solely responsible for the proper and legal use of this item.
"Well, I can get the core essence of a person." As Geran spoke, he stepped forward. The effect from his [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac] was very obvious. With a single step, Hei Zeji's intimidating and overbearing aura filled the entire room. Even Lin Sanjiu couldn't stop herself from shuddering.
"Just treat this as if you're going to be killed by your friend," Geran smiled, showing his white teeth.
Lin Sanjiu was pale as she stood motionlessly. Her body was covered with blast wounds. She could feel herself trembling but she didn't know if it was because she was weak or because she was too taken aback.
If she had to fight Hei Zeji, there was no way she could win.
After all, her current fighting techniques and observational skills were all taught by him.
"Goodbye," Geran smirked. Then, he suddenly disappeared.
Evidently, Hei Zeji had never used the full extent of his strength whenever he fought with Lin Sanjiu. Geran did not use any Special Items. When he jumped, his movement was so fast that Lin Sanjiu couldn't even see him. When he reappeared within her vision, he was already high above her head.
A black vortex several times the size of the one Queen Margaret threw at her whirred loudly as it appeared out of nowhere. The gigantic vortex spun rapidly above Lin Sanjiu's head. It generated such a strong air current that the pieces of flesh and dead bodies on the floor started spinning with it. Lin Sanjiu could barely open her eyes and could hardly keep her balance.
When Lin Sanjiu received a similar blow from Queen Margaret, albeit at a small scale, she was already badly injured. If she was hit directly by this...
Before Lin Sanjiu could complete her though, Geran suddenly pulled back his arms. The moment he suddenly pulled back that black-hole-like vortex, it was as if he had drawn away a few million tonnes of normal atmospheric air as if a person was inhaling and then quickly exhaling all that air. The unraveling vortex hit Lin Sanjiu directly.
Lin Sanjiu seemed so weak and pathetic amidst the strong currents of the horrifying vortex.
Unexpectedly, the possibility of breaking any mirrors was the least of Lin Sanjiu's concerns. Considering the torrential airflow that was released by the vortex, none of the mirrors in the chamber were intact. The mirrors were instantly pulverized into silver dust. It was as if everything in the chamber had been placed into a h
igh-speed blender and someone had switched it on.
Lin Sanjiu only manage to curl her body. After she struggled for a moment, she was swallowed by the chaos.
Geran stood alone in the middle of the mirror chamber. He closed his eyes as he sensed the flow of every cubic air around him. After some time, when all the silvery powder reverted back to their original form, he spotted a body lying motionlessly on the floor near one of the mirror walls. It was Lin Sanjiu.
The [Ability Polishing Agent] that Lin Sanjiu used to illuminate the chamber rolled out from her limp fingers. The bottle rocked a little as silver light filled half the room. Geran gave Lin Sanjiu a cursory glance before he let out a dry laugh with a mix of irritation and relief.
"Getting rid of these people was easier than I thought," he said to himself softly. He had no interest whatsoever in Lin Sanjiu's "torchlight". As he spoke, he tapped his watch, and a black square-shaped shadow fell from the face of his watch and into his palm. That was his [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac]. He placed Hei Zeji's combat system back into the box very carefully. After that, Geran let out a long sigh and he returned to its usual collected, mild-mannered self. He tried to adjust his spectacles out of habit but he wasn't wearing them. Geran shook his head and laughed. He looked up and surveyed his surroundings.
"I'm the only survivor now. I am the victor," he shouted. He was trying to summon the announcer. "Shouldn't I get the grand prize?"
There was complete silence. Suddenly, he heard someone clapping loudly. He looked up and saw a dignified-looking person with a simple smile. That person clapped his hands as he slowly walked out from one of the mirrors.