Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

Ji Shanqing frowned.

  Those who were still around here were probably there because they were too weak to move.

  Looking back at the trio who were still chatting, Ji Shanqing didn't say anything and returned to the cage silently. When he emerged from the cage again, he had a bowl of warm honey in his hand. Although the posthuman was brutal, when a bowl of warm honey presented in front of him, he still couldn't resist the temptation and gulped it down. After that, he threw himself on top of a corpse beside him.

  Looking at the bowl covered with bloody finger marks, Ji Shanqing decided to return to the cage without the bowl.

  "Wait," the posthuman called again, but his tone was much softer this time.

  As expected, the grand prize turned his head.

  "Seems like I have misunderstood you. You're a nice guy," huffed the posthuman. He gasped for air as if every word that came out sapped away his life force, "Return to your friends and tell them: leave this place as soon as possible. The CEO your friend killed is merely a manager here."

  "Manager? Wasn't he the CEO?"

  "CEO is that dumbass' name!" The posthuman bellowed. "He probably is the kind of person that have gone nuts about becoming a CEO in his career pre-apocalypse. I heard the real owner of the Slave Training Camp is somebody you don't want to mess around with. Not many people know about this, so leave now while you still have the chance."

  "What about you?"

  The posthuman let out a breath, but he didn't say anything. A kind of indescribable emotion masked his face which Ji Shanqing couldn't see through. Then, as if he was laughing at Ji Shanqing's expression, he said, "Don't worry about me. I won't be able to make it through tonight."

  The grand prize remained silent. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, he nodded to the posthuman and before he returned to the cage, he saluted him from the deepest of his heart, "Thank you."

  He didn't doubt the truth of what the posthuman told him.

  When Ji Shanqing relayed the message he got from the posthuman to the trio, Reno confirmed his conjecture.

  "That might be true," Reno commented. "After all, there's not more than 23% of all the posthumans in the twelve worlds could be categorized as the elite. Most of the organizations are managed and run by those middle-ranked posthumans. Be that as it may, we really should take that posthuman's advice and leave this place as soon as possible."

  "There is a supply ship that transports rations to the camp every other week," Rena chimed in, "The next delivery schedule would be two days after, so we can rest and conserve our energy here for the time being. When the ship is here, we'll hijack it and have them send us back to Free District."

  Ji Shanqing frowned again. He seemed to have noticed something which he couldn't explain well. However, he couldn't find any flaw in the plan proposed by Rena and Reno.

  There were plenty of resources left in the camp such as foods and water as well as clothes, medicine, heaps of red crystal, and on top of that all, they even found the drug the camp staffs administered to the slaves and a few Special Items in CEO's room.

  According to what Rena had said, every slave that had been brought there had their belongings taken away; thus, it followed that the CEO's room would be piled with tons of special items. However, there were only three Special Items in CEO's abode which could only point to one thing: there was a prime mover behind the Slave Training Camp who had hauled way all the Special Items.

  After they had cleaned up his room, they moved Lin Sanjiu to recover inside the room.

  Since the cat doctor wasn't with them and she had used up all her [Bone Growth Ointment], she could only depend on some primary medicine and her immune system to heal. After spending a night on the highly humid island, Lin Sanjiu had a high fever. She endured it for another two days, and finally, on the third day, they heard the whirring sound of the engine coming from the sea.

  Everything was going smoothly as planned—no, it was even better than what they had devised. Hijacking the airship was no longer necessary. Once the captain saw their red crystals, he instantly and pleasantly offered them a ride.

  Looking at Rena and Reno as they helped Lin Sanjiu into the crew lounge, Ji Shanqing sighed deeply. He found himself a place and took a seat.

  He peered through the window, and looked into the boundless sea.

  Chapter 403 - The Truth Behind The Siblings

  After taking some antipyretic, Lin Sanjiu fell asleep for another few hours. When she woke up groggily, she could feel that her high fever had already abated. She had stopped shivering and her muscles no longer ached with a burning pain. She made a raspy sound with her hoarse throat before looking at her surroundings with her vision that slowly became clearer.

  She was in a small airship crew cabin. Other than the single-sized bed she was in, there was only a foldable table and a chair. Sunlight from the setting sun seeped through the tiny window in the cabin, basking the room in a tinge of orange.

  Lin Sanjiu could see that the person who had taken care of her had just left. There was still a cup of warm water and a first-aid box full of precious medicines on the table. From the color and the packaging of the medicines, they seemed to all be from a pre-apocalypse time. They were from different countries and there was a big difference in their respective manufacturing date. Lin Sanjiu propped herself with her arm and slowly sat up. However, once she sat up, she suddenly felt very dizzy and her vision momentarily turned black. She blinked a few times and after her dizziness subsided, she touched her back with some effort.

  After her skeletal wings had been blasted into bits in the Mirror Maze, the bone stumps on her back had fallen off unbeknownst to her. Skin had regrown over the area where her wings once were and her back was just as smooth as before.

  "Did Mrs. Manas manage to hide the wings? " Lin Sanjiu sat in a daze for a while. She tried to question Mrs. Manas a few times in her mind, but it seemed in vain. She received no response at all. As Mrs. Manas was a "proxy" for Lin Sanjiu's higher consciousness, there was always somewhat a connection between Lin Sanjiu's conscious mind. Even if Mrs. Manas did not show herself or speak, she would still exist within Lin Sanjiu's subconsciousness so Lin Sanjiu always had a vague sense of her presence. However, it was different this time. When she called out for Mrs. Manas in her mind, her voice seemed to be swallowed by her dark, murky mindscape. She couldn't sense Mrs. Manas presence anywhere.

  Lin Sanjiu gripped her bed sheet instinctively and suddenly felt a little afraid.

  "Where is Mrs. Manas?"

  Lin Sanjiu continued to call out to Mrs. Manas repetitively. When a bead of sweat slowly rolled down her back, she finally heard Mrs. Manas voice in her mind once again.

  "You-you're awake…"

  Lin Sanjiu had barely felt some relief, but then she became worried again. Mrs. Manas's voice sounded soft and intermittent. Like a poor radio signal, it was almost as if her voice would disappear anytime. Thankfully, her voice became stable and clear after a few seconds.

  "What's wrong with you?" Lin Sanjiu had never seen Mrs. Manas acting this way so she couldn't help feeling worried, "Why couldn't I sense you just now?"

  "Student Lin," Mrs. Manas seemed exceptionally serious as she even addressed Lin Sanjiu with a title she had not used for a long time. "Did you know there was something wrong with your mental condition over the past two days?"

  Lin Sanjiu had certainly noticed. When she recalled what had happened, she felt as if that strange, blood-thirsting and chaotic emotion would overwhelm her once more.

  "What happened?" she asked urgently.

  "I need to keep it short. I would only have a few opportunities to show myself," Mrs. Manas spoke rapidly. "Ever since your body was invaded by Nüwa's higher consciousness due to those external cells, I have been controlling and suppressing them with your own higher consciousness. Nüwa's higher consciousness is very invasive and I can't find a way to get rid of it. The only thing I can do is to restrict it and defend against its attacks non-stop… This is a
lso the reason why you only developed a pair of skeletal wings and did not feel any other effects."

  "This is why Mrs. Manas is rarely around…" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself as she listened.

  "I do not know what provoked that combination of those genes and her higher consciousness. Perhaps, it was because we tried to reconfigure your cellular makeup. Or maybe, it was a sort of immune response when those skeletal wings were destroyed. Anyway, Nüwa's higher consciousness became more and more active when we were in the Mirror Maze. It became harder and harder to control those cells. When the burden was too much on your body, your mood and psyche became chaotic. Nüwa's higher consciousness immediately exploited this opportunity and directly influenced your thoughts."

  "However, thanks to the siblings, your mood finally stabilized. Nüwa's higher consciousness did not manage to erode your psyche much… But, there are complications that do not end there," Mrs. Manas sighed as if she was at a loss as to how she should continue. "Nüwa had already accessed your mind once. Although she had been forced to retreat, she already left a backdoor to our mind. If she wants to access your mind again, it would be at least ten times easier. The disappearance of your skeletal wings had nothing to do with us. It was decided by Nüwa's higher consciousness."

  Realizing that an external consciousness managed to decide her appearance, Lin Sanjiu was shocked. "Can't we do anything?" Lin Sanjiu asked quickly.

  Bzzt. Lin Sanjiu heard a noise as if there was a short circuit. Mrs. Manas' voice became fuzzy again. This time, Lin Sanjiu felt a sharp pain in her head along with the abnormality with Mrs. Manas.

  "The only thing we can do right now is to defend passively," Mrs. Manas said hurriedly once her voice stabilized again. "I am the only barrier between your higher consciousness and Nüwa's so I am taking the full brunt of her attacks."

  Lin Sanjiu clenched her hands together. Mrs. Manas suddenly spoke solemnly, "Before I leave, you need to remember something very important. Your [School of Higher Consciousness] is only at an elementary level right now. When you hear my voice again, if I—"

  Her voice was cut off.

  As if someone had pressed a mute button, Mrs. Manas's voice disappeared without a trace, leaving only a dark silence in Lin Sanjiu's mindscape.

  "What will happen the next time I see Mrs. Manas? What will I become if Mrs. Manas fail to defend me?" Lin Sanjiu lowered her head and looked blankly at her own hands. Her heart sank.

  The veins under Lin Sanjiu's skin was slightly visible as her skin was now very pale due to her blood loss. This description might be weird, but as her body lay quietly and peacefully in the single-sized bed, Lin Sanjiu found it hard to imagine the sort of battle that was raging within her body. Unfortunately, she could do nothing to help.

  After she sat in the same spot for some time, she snapped out of her thoughts after she felt her hunger pangs and a slight thirst. She got out of bed and walked out of the cabin.

  As evening fell, the airship grew cooler as it bathed in the orange light of the waning sun. The airship was small and could only carry a few passengers. Naturally, Lin Sanjiu easily found the siblings and Ji Shanqing eating with the crew in the galley after she walked for a short while through the corridor.

  The bright fluorescent light and the delicious smell of food accompanied by the sound of clinking cutlery immediately welcomed Lin Sanjiu.

  "You're awake! You have already been asleep for more than a day!" Rena's eyes brightened as she walked over to Lin Sanjiu. She tiptoed and touched Lin Sanjiu's forehead. When she realized that Lin Sanjiu's fever had already subsided, it was as if she had a sudden morale boost. Rena laughed and quickly invited Lin Sanjiu to sit, "Come here! Sit here! I know you don't have much of an appetite but you do need to eat something…"

  Unable to reject Rena's enthusiasm, Lin Sanjiu sat down in an empty seat. Once she sat down, Ji Shanqing immediately approached her.

  "What's wrong?" Ji Shanqing was not only quick-witted but also very observant, "Why do you seem a little distracted?"

  "It's nothing. I'm just unwell," Lin Sanjiu answered ambiguously as she took the can of juice that Reno handed to her.

  The siblings seemed a lot livelier after only leaving the island for slightly more than a day, even their complexions already improved significantly. They finally looked like the pair of young teenagers that Lin Sanjiu knew. Despite her worries, Lin Sanjiu felt comforted when she saw the smiles on the children' faces.

  Quite fortunately, the captain of this airship was blissfully unaware of the situation at the Slaves Training Camp. Lin Sanjiu and her group were treated quite well once they offered him some red crystals. At the moment, the dishes on their dinner table include hot pumpkin soup, steamed sausages, fried instant noodles, and even beef with scrambled eggs—a dish that was rare even in the Twelve Worlds.

  "These fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, and medicine…" When Lin Sanjiu bit into a piece of beef, she felt as if her tongue would just melt. "Why are these things still readily available? Are many of posthumans in the Twelve Worlds working in agriculture? "Lin Sanjiu exclaimed.

  The apocalypse had befallen on Red Nautilus many years ago. Based on its population, there shouldn't be so much pre-apocalypse resources left.

  "Miss Lin, this must be your first time here," the captain, with his sparse beard, was sitting at the end of the table. He laughed and answered, "There are people who are working on production but the demand far outweighs what they can supply. Besides, it takes a longer time and there are too many unpredictable factors. There had always been a disequilibrium between the supply and demand in Red Nautilus… Most of the posthumans operate their business by traveling through different worlds."

  "How do they operate their businesses?" Lin Sanjiu looked at the dishes on the table. The topic piqued her curiosity and helped lessen the anxiety she felt due to Mrs. Manas. When the siblings heard her question, they suddenly coughed and exchanged glances. Reno finally spoke with some embarrassment. "It's like this… When you were unconscious, we didn't have a chance to tell you something…" The teenage boy scratched his head and continued, "As you know, we will need to leave this world soon—The Progressor Alliance branch in Red Nautilus exists only in name now. Plus, we don't plan to go back. Instead, Rena and I have decided that we will start trading items for a living.

  "Trading is very simple," Reno quickly explained, "A person only needs to go to a world six months before the apocalyptic event in that world and start collecting resources. When it is time to change worlds, you can go back to one of the Twelves Worlds via a Consular Officer… If you get information about the Consular Officers beforehand, the risk isn't that high. Many people in the Twelves Worlds actually do this."

  Lin Sanjiu froze for a second before she realized that the siblings were going to leave very soon. However, unlike B.Rabbit, Puppeteer and the others, Reno and Rena made the best choice as their plan was safer and allowed them to have a more stable life. Since they were born here in Red Nautilus, originally, their lives should already be more stable. She couldn't expect them to follow her around and risk their lives.

  She suppressed her sad emotions and was about to say something when she heard a sudden thud beside her. She turned to look at Ji Shanqing and saw that he had placed his glass cup down on the table. He stared at her expressionlessly with his bright eyes.

  Lin Sanjiu ignored his reaction and continued with her conversation. "Will you have enough time if you started looking for your visas now?"

  "Oh, don't worry," Rena patted Lin Sanjiu's hand comfortingly, "We have gotten our visas before all that happened."

  Lin Sanjiu nodded. Even though she hated to part with the two children, she felt relieved. Perhaps it was that hot and warm meal made of fresh food or her interaction with the siblings, but her uneasy heart finally settled down. Despite her foreboding thoughts regarding the issue Mrs. Manas had brought up, Lin Sanjiu manage to fall into a deep, restful sleep. When the sky turned bright, they had already landed in Free Dist
rict.

  The cargo airship landed quite some distance away from the center of the city, most probably because it usually traveled between the Slaves Training Camp and the Free District. Lin Sanjiu wanted to look for B.Rabbit and the others through the message that Sayo had left for her. Meanwhile, the siblings needed to acquire various tools to transport their goods before they went to a new world. Thus, they parted ways even before the date that the siblings had to leave.

  "Please be careful," Lin Sanjiu hugged the two children tightly despite the bandages all over her body. "Once I find my friends, let's meet again at Red Nautilus."

  The two children's eyes simultaneously turned red. Both of them bit their lips and stood beside Lin Sanjiu for a long time without moving.

  "Go on. Go on," Lin Sanjiu pushed them forward like a mother hen chasing her chicks. "We will still have many chances to meet each other."

  She sighed and turned around to find Ji Shanqing staring at her with his pair of bright eyes.

  "What's the matter?" Lin Sanjiu asked a little dispiritedly, "Why are you looking at me?"

  "Don't you find it a little strange?"

  "What's strange?"

  "Oh," Ji Shanqing remarked and followed behind Lin Sanjiu. "If I tell you what I think honestly, please don't unwrap me."

  "I won't unwrap you. Go ahead," Lin Sanjiu answered casually. As her grand prize was very young, he had not seen much, and so many things were new to him. This was also the reason why Lin Sanjiu did not question him even though she could tell that Ji Shanqing wanted to tell her something over the past few days.

  Ji Shanqing thought for a moment as if he was still a little worried. However, he finally decided to trust Lin Sanjiu this time and phrased his words carefully when he spoke. "I'm not sure if you noticed. Even though there were quite a lot of supplies left at the Slaves Training Camp, Reno and Rena were the only ones who willing went back to the iron cage."

  Lin Sanjiu stopped.

  "The full-fledged slaves probably wouldn't even return to the iron cage willingly. But, it is obvious that those kids have not completed their 'training'. Unlike the other slaves who showed their hatred and fear toward the iron cage, they seemed nonchalant toward it…" Ji Shanqing watched Lin Sanjiu's expression as he told her what he observed.