by N. Heller
"Your friend probably never expected this. While others couldn't wait to get away from him once they realized how powerful he was, I was the only one who was intentionally trying to get closer." Geran glanced over at the comatose Hei Zeji. Then, he continued, "After that, for some reason, a few shops suddenly stopped selling some of their popular desserts. I immediately saw my chance. I got one of my subordinates to bring me a few desserts from other places and sold them to the shop owner cheaply after he agreed to our condition. When your friend asked for one of those desserts, the shop owner told him that the last piece had been reserved by me. Naturally, I let him have the cake without any hesitation and took 30 Stamina Points from him.
When she heard this, Lin Sanjiu understood what had happened. She let out a heavy sigh. Who would have known that her market manipulation would create such an opportunity for Geran?
"Geran certainly knows how to control the 'distance' he kept from Hei Zeji. First, he started acting like an acquaintance who would just nod to acknowledge Hei Zeji. This is exactly how an average posthuman without any ulterior motives would act. Then, he even let Hei Zeji pay him for the dessert so that Hei Zeji wouldn't be indebted to him. And this was all to create a comfortable impression…"
"What happened next?" Lin Sanjiu couldn't help asking.
"Then, things worked out fine." Geran laughed bitterly. "This inn is three stories high. When he walked near the inn, I jumped off the ledge and acted like I was injured and someone had thrown me off the building. Based on my observations, I knew he wouldn't just ignore me."
When Hei Zeji reached out to save Geran, he probably didn't expect that the struggling, screaming normal-looking posthuman was actually holding a Special Item. A Special Item that would send him into a near-death comatose state.
In any case, no matter how powerful or intelligent a person is, it is difficult to guard against another's machination.
Lin Sanjiu turned to look at the small box in her hand without saying a word.
After some time, she suddenly spoke to Ji Shanqing, "Ji Shanqing, give him another bottle of water."
While Geran recounted what had happened, Ji Shanqing had already prepared his mermaid cultivation drink. When he heard Lin Sanjiu's command, he handed it over to Geran. Without suspecting anything, Geran took the bottle and gulped down half of it.
As she heard Geran drinking his mermaid cultivation drink, Lin Sanjiu observed Hei Zeji once again. She was getting a little worried. "It has been such a long time, his combat system had been returned… Why isn't he waking up?"
"I think he needs some time to recover," Ji Shanqing stepped closer to look at Hei Zeji with an inquisitive face. When they walked on Pumpkin Route, Ji Shanqing was interested in everything because it was all so new to him. He even found the unconscious man very fascinating and had been staring at him for a long time. "Didn't that merman mentioned something about reusing that box over and over again on the same victim? Even though he doesn't have the strength to carry this man around, many other posthumans are capable of that, right? Every item and ability has its limitations. If the original owner's combat system can be reused over and over again, there wouldn't be a three times restriction. I think the time taken for the original owner to get back his or her combat system is another limitation of this item."
Despite being only five months old, he was very perceptive and had a quick mind. Lin Sanjiu had to admit that she wasn't as clever as him. "That sounds plausible," Lin Sanjiu nodded reluctantly. If that was really the case, it would be impossible to tell when Hei Zeji would wake up. But every second Lin Sanjiu spent here meant that Reno and Rena were suffering one second longer. Lin Sanjiu waited another five minutes despite her impatient nature, but Hei Zeji did not show any sign of waking up. She finally couldn't wait any longer.
"His combat system had been returned to him, right?" Lin Sanjiu watched the box curiously and placed her finger in the left section of the box. Strangely, Lin Sanjiu could feel that it was empty.
"Considering the situation, we'll have to get the innkeeper to continue taking care of him for a few days," Lin Sanjiu sighed reluctantly. After giving it some thought, she took out a piece of paper and wrote a note for Hei Zeji. She stuffed the paper in his shirt sleeve before she left.
Considering her current circ.u.mstances, she really couldn't bring Hei Zeji along with her. Her grand prize and Geran didn't seem too reliable either. Before they left, Lin Sanjiu gave the innkeeper almost all her remaining Stamina Points so that he would take proper care of Hei Zeji. She only kept enough Stamina Point for a one time visit to go to the medicated spa. After Lin Sanjiu had recovered slightly, the three of them ran toward the exit. Soon, they were back on the rocky seashore outside the amus.e.m.e.nt park.
Wet sand filled the crevices between the rocks as patches of hardy wild grass dotted the landscape. It was just as she had remembered it. The breeze was filled with the smell of the salty sea. Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath and stared at the waves of the deep blue ocean in front of her. She couldn't help feeling a little lost.
How was she going to go back now?
Seeing the ocean for the first time in his life, Ji Shanqing ran toward the beach. He explored the rocks and each time he accidentally dipped his feet into the water, he would laugh in astonishment and excitement. Even though Ji Shanqing was very intelligent, Lin Sanjiu knew that she couldn't depend on him right now.
As for Geran...
Lin Sanjiu turned to look at him. The half merman was staring at the ocean as if he had forgotten everything else. He opened his mouth and his gills puffed open. The smile on his face was as if he had suddenly regained freedom.
"Miss Lin, I'm home. I'm home," he exclaimed emotionally with a dream-like longing.
"You want to leave?" Lin Sanjiu couldn't stop herself from showing him a cold smile.
"I know, Miss Lin. You are angry with me…" Geran finally looked away from the ocean and spoke to Lin Sanjiu thoughtfully. "Please believe me. I am very sorry for what I've done. I will do anything I can to make up for my mistakes. Look. We are in the middle of the ocean. You need some sort of transport to leave this island… Before we came, my organization had already pre-booked a few airsh.i.p.s. I can send out a signal now. They will come to get you very quickly. I will also tell you how to get to the Slaves Training Camp… I only have a small request…"
Geran couldn't see any response from the pair of amber eyes that were staring at him. At that moment, they were so emotionless that they almost seemed reptilian.
"Let me guess. You want to go back to the ocean?"
Geran shrunk back and trembled a little. He nodded and watched Lin Sanjiu with expecting eyes. If a person was truly remorseful and would not commit any crimes in the future, should they be forgiven? This was a debate that would never be resolved but Lin Sanjiu didn't plan to wreck her brain over this problem. She grabbed the merman's throat abruptly with lightning speed.
"Ji Shanqing, come over here." Lin Sanjiu stared at Geran's tearing eyes as she shouted for Ji Shanqing without turning around. When she heard Ji Shanqing's pattering footsteps as he ran toward her, she smirked at Geran.
"What-what do you plan to do with me?" the merman said laboriously.
"You deliberately put me and my friend in danger. You even sent two kids to a slave camp…" Lin Sanjiu emphasized every single word. "You should be thankful that no one died because of you. Anyway, I thought of the best way to deal with someone like you."
Geran blinked his eyes puzzledly. He watched as Lin Sanjiu got Ji Shanqing to get the remaining bottles of mermaid cultivation drink.
"Once you drink everything, you will become a true merman," Lin Sanjiu slowly let go of Geran. "I want you to drink everything now."
For the current Geran, this wasn't really even a punishment. He let out a gurgling voice. He did not waste any time and quickly opened a new bottle of mineral water and started drinking. There were about 30 bottles of mermaid cultivation drink left. Lin Sanjiu kept only o
ne bottle while Geran quickly finished all the other bottles of the drink.
Geran's hair-raising transformation happened very rapidly. The fish-like features quickly hid his original form. Lin Sanjiu finally witnessed what a true merman was like. He looked different from any of the fairytales she knew. His body frame remained somewhat intact. She could still tell where his shoulders were. However, all his hair had fallen out. Thick fish scales now covered his entire skin. His legs had transformed into two thick tails. His arms were now flat and they looked like two fish fins. He could no longer stand so he flopped around on the ground. He looked horrifying and disgusting.
Lin Sanjiu stepped on one of his tail expressionlessly. A sudden buzz came from her hand as she took out the Vibroblade she had retrieved back from the mirror maze.
"I know you understand my words," she said softly. "I will tell you your punishment now."
"I will cut one of your tails and one of your fins off. I am also going to burst one of your swim bladders to prevent you from diving too deeply and from swimming too fast. Then, I will take this," Lin Sanjiu shook the bottle of mineral water, "and I will place a message on Mokugyo Encyclopedic Forum. I will reveal to the world the effects of eating mermaid meat and also your location. The rest depends on you… Have you called the airship for me?"
The merman, who could no longer feel any negative emotion, nodded eagerly after he heard what she said.
"Alright, good luck then."
Chapter 398 - Unstoppable
The sounds of heels belonging to a pair of fine-looking black leather shoes echoed through the corridor. The person entered a cabin and stood behind another person. She bent over slightly and called out softly to the person in the room filled with noisy game music, "Ji, your sister is calling for you."
Ji Shanqing had bundled himself in a thick blanket and was playing video games. He pressed the pause button and the game music stopped immediately. He put down the game controller and smiled at the female airship crew member he had gotten familiar with over time. "Okay, I will go over now. This is a Wii? It's pretty fun."
"This is a keepsake from before the apocalypse. There aren't many left in Red Nautilus. Our captain spent quite an effort to get a few game discs for it," the female crew member explained with a smile. She took the controller from him and stored it properly. "Come, I will go together with you."
Even though the airship crew wasn't quite sure if Ji Shanqing was a boy or a girl, they quickly became fond of him. After all, he looked kind and gentle and always gave people the impression that he was pure and innocent. He was also very nice and polite when he spoke and interacted with them, completely different from his elder sister.
When the captain of Flaneur—the name of the airship—found out that the people who wanted to boarded his airship were not Geran and associates and were requesting him to bring them to a place he had never heard before, he wasn't keen on letting the two strangers board his airship. Even after Ji Shanqing spent quite some time explaining, he refused to change his mind. That was when Lin Sanjiu walked over with a fishtail in her hand.
At that time, Lin Sanjiu was in a slightly violent mood. As she listened quietly to their conversation, she suddenly slammed her fist into the wall of the airship, creating a dent that was 20 cm deep. When the captain noticed that, he retreated and drew some distance between himself and the duo. However, Lin Sanjiu reached him with just a few steps and placed her hand on the captain's trembling shoulders.
"Set sail. I will make this trip worthwhile," she said calmly.
Just as the blood-soaked demonic woman promised, the airship crew of the Flaneur did earn quite a lot from her. She rewarded them with 35 medium crystals after they prepared a bed for her and provided her with some food. When they took out their first aid box and tended to some of her wounds, she rewarded them with 30 or 40 medium crystals.
After receiving many payments of shining red crystals from her, the initial tension and dreariness in the airship had long disappeared.
"Miss Lin, your brother is here," the female airship crew member knocked on her door and called out to her.
"Come in."
Ji Shanqing entered the room when he heard her words. After they walked past a small saloon, they entered a bedroom. There was a down mattress topper on the large bed. As the room was originally reserved for VIP guests, it was furnished with various pre-apocalypse furniture that the crew had tried their best to gather. They even managed to keep the color of the different sets of furniture quite consistent. Lin Sanjiu lay lazily on the bed. Her body was covered with bandages and she even kept her dirty boots on.
It had been some time since they had left Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park. Lin Sanjiu was finally looking like her usual self again after recovering for some time.
"How's your recovery?" Ji Shanqing walked to her side. He took a biscuit from the plate of snack by her bedside and placed it in his mouth casually. "Oh, are you actually rich? I noticed that you have already spent more than 200 medium crystals in less than two days.
Lin Sanjiu sank into the mattress. Ji Shanqing couldn't tell from her expression how she was feeling.
"I haven't fully recovered but it's good enough," Lin Sanjiu threw a glance at Ji Shanqing without answering his question. "I have something I need to ask you."
"What's do you need to know?"
"How powerful are you without the mirror maze?" Lin Sanjiu sat up and went straight to the topic. "Do you have any abilities like posthumans?"
Apparently, Ji Shanqing had never considered this question before. He froze for a moment after he heard her question. He c.o.c.ked his head to one side and thought for quite a long time before he answered hesitantly, "I've never tried to use any ability."
"You don't know?" Lin Sanjiu stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed as she waited for Ji Shanqing to continue.
"Well… ever since I was born, I only know how to fight based on instinct. You know the techniques I can use. I can't activate them outside the mirror maze." Ji Shanqing was still wearing his trench coat which only showed his face. "Logically speaking, I probably don't have other abilities, other than my b.a.r.e arms and legs, once I get out of the mirror maze.
"But… I mentioned this to you before. All the people that I kill in the mirror maze would become part of the grand prize. This means that the abilities that those people possess would combine together to form a new ability that is within me."
Ji Shanqing couldn't help l.i.c.k.i.n.g his lip after he said that. Then, he threw a quick cautious glance at Lin Sanjiu. Whenever he had that expression, Lin Sanjiu knew that he was only worried about one thing...
Lin Sanjiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I already told you that I won't unwrap you. You can just say what you want."
"If I get unwrapped," Ji Shanqing said nervously, "the combined ability would be part of the prize for the winner—that is you. If you don't unwrap me, I can 'borrow' this ability."
No matter how many times Lin Sanjiu repeated to Ji Shanqing that she wouldn't unwrap him, he still seemed to have trouble trusting her.
"So, what ability do you have now?"
"As it is a combination of a few people's abilities, I need to use it to find out," Ji Shanqing replied honestly.
Lin Sanjiu did not respond. She sighed for some time and walked over the window. She bent over and looked under the bed. Then, she took out two backpacks. Before Ji Shanqing could ask her what it was, she already threw one of them to him.
"Come with me," she ordered before she walked out of the room without saying where she was going.
Ji Shanqing held the bag worriedly and stood in the same spot for a few seconds and only followed her after she left the room. When he opened the door, a strong gust of wind nearly knocked him down.
The quiet corridor he had walked through previously was now sealed with two steel plates and had already been converted into a small independent section. One of the corresponding walls was now open and wind was gushi
ng in noisily.
While the wind raged, Ji Shanqing struggled to hold on to the handle of the bedroom door before he could stand on his feet again. After that, he squinted his eyes and looked outside. He shouted but his words were quickly swallowed by the wind so he thought no one heard him. However, Lin Sanjiu turned to him and replied, "We are getting off here!"
"What?" Ji Shanqing blinked in his eyes as he held on to both the door handle and the backpack. For a moment, he couldn't react.
"The Slaves Training Camp isn't at the Free District. It is on a deserted volcano island that already existed before the apocalypse took place here," Lin Sanjiu explained coolly. From the tone of her voice, she didn't sound like she was sitting a few thousands of meters up in the air and preparing to jump out of the airship and into the insane wind. Instead, she spoke as she was just sharing a piece of news she found out, "The airship can't fly too near that volcano island due to its topography. We have to jump into the sea and swim there. Come over here! Stop moving backward!"
As Ji Shenqing was Lin Sanjiu's "property", he had to follow her. No matter how unwilling he was, he eventually listened to her obediently and walked over to the edge of the opening. He took a quick look below him and finally found out after five months of living—he was afraid of height. "Can't we jump off when the airship is lower?"
"The airship is too large," as Lin Sanjiu said this, she prepared both her own parachute and Ji Shanqing's. "If we need to go lower..."
Ji Shanqing didn't know what they needed to do if they wanted to go lower. While he waited for Lin Sanjiu to say the second half of her sentence, someone suddenly pushed him from behind.
"Ahhhh! You lied!" He screamed as he fell out of the airship.
"Remember to open your parachute!" Lin Sanjiu yelled after him and jumped off quickly behind him.
Lin Sanjiu felt as if her heart was in her throat when she suddenly felt a feeling of weightlessness. She opened her arms and legs as she heard the wind gushing past her. Lin Sanjiu stretched her hands and legs out and quickly approached another small figure in the sky.