Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  Lin Sanjiu felt a hint of anxiety as she waited without news until the late afternoon of the 7th day. Her numbered tag finally changed from "First in line" to "Current".

  When they arrived at the entrance of Harry's Farm, Farmer Harry was waiting for them in front of his cottage with a shovel in his hand.

  "Haha, I am sorry. The last seed was a little hard to plant so it took a little more time… This shovel? Don't worry, this is just a prop." His laughter seemed unnecessarily cheerful. He gestured to Lin Sanjiu to follow him and looked at Ji Shanqing, "I think...our friend here, doesn't need to be planted, right? Are you coming along?"

  Ji Shanqing thought for a moment and laughed, "If it doesn't hinder your work, may I watch when my sister is planted?"

  "Of course," Harry agreed unexpectedly, "But the planting process isn't that interesting, so some people may find it pretty boring."

  "Planting process?" Lin Sanjiu asked hurriedly, "What does it involve? Could you explain the process in detail?"

  Harry scratched his face, probably from the slight itch due to his new stubble. "No problem. When you enter the cottage, you will naturally understand… Ah, welcome. Come, enter."

  Even though they had tried many times to imagine what the interior of Harry's cottage would look like, the two of them were stunned when by what they were seeing.

  There was no wooden flooring. There was no fireplace. There was no sofa, rug or dining table. There was no furniture. It was completely empty except the one thing that caught their attention: a hole.

  The cottage consisted of four walls made of wood; the floor was just a plot of wet soil. When Lin Sanjiu first entered the cottage, she nearly fell into the deep hole in front of her as she was unprepared. She quickly regained her footing and cautiously pulled Ji Shanqing back from the edge of the hole.

  There was a mound of soil on the other side of the hole. From the color of the soil on the top portion of the mound, the hole seemed fresh. Lin Sanjiu bent over and looked into the tar-black hole but she couldn't see where it led even with her enhanced eyesight.

  "Do you still have your numbered tag?" Harry asked as he put down the shovel.

  "Here," Lin Sanjiu took out the numbered tag and wanted to pass it to Harry but he shook his hands. "You don't have to give it to me. Please remember that you have to hang it around your neck at all times. Keeping it in your pocket doesn't count. You are only a seed or a plant if you have that. Without that numbered tag, you will just be a normal human that has been buried alive."

  Lin Sanjiu shuddered at own imagination and immediately put on her numbered tag.

  However, Harry felt that he had not stressed enough about the importance of that matter. He continued with an even more serious tone, "The numbered tag is crucial for your survival. This deep hole is a passageway for seeds. After you go into the soil, you will be able to move and breath normally underground with that numbered tag around your neck. However, if that numbered tag leaves your neck for even half a second, you will feel the pressure of the soil on your body. You won't be able to move. Even if you were to immediately get your numbered tag back, it would be separated from you by layers and layers of soil. If that happens, you would wish that you are a normal person without abilities because you would die faster that way."

  "Can't you do anything about it as a farmer?" Ji Shanqing asked as his face turned a little pale.

  "I'm a farmer. I will only take care of my produce," Harry immediately replied, "If you want to dig a dead body out of the ground, you will need to find a grave robber."

  "Well… as a seed, I just have to jump down this hole, right?" Lin Sanjiu held her numbered tag tightly. While she said this, she couldn't help thinking, "Maybe, there are hospitals nearby which are still unraided… "

  Of course, if she wanted to go back to their glucose plan, it was a little too late.

  Harry crouched down and touched the edge of the deep hole as if to guide Lin Sanjiu to climb down the hole, "You are right more or less. After you go down this hole, you will see a passageway. Walk through that passageway and you will reach the spot I prepared for you on my farm. After you had settled down in that spot, I will add soil and water the soil bed. To prove that you are a good seed, please remember to absorb many nutrients so that you can successfully germinate."

  Lin Sanjiu frowned. She didn't know which part of his statement made her feel a little uneasy. When she looked up, she could only see Ji Shanqing and her hallucinations looked back at her silently. Shrugging away from that thought, she asked, "What next? Once my roots grow, I won't be able to move?"

  "Oh, when I talk about germination, it is just an analogy for your state. It doesn't really mean that roots will sprout out from your body," Harry grinned, flashing his white teeth, "When you are still a seed, your body's condition would remain the same. Once you germinate, you will slowly grow stronger. Before you break through the surface of the soil, there is only one thing you need to do. You have to absorb as many nutrients as you can so that you can m.a.t.u.r.e."

  "How do I absorb—"

  "I will tell you the full process in detail when I make a public announcement to all the seeds to help all of you grow." Harry interrupted her with a wide smile. "If I spend too much time explaining these things to you… There are still quite a few seeds waiting for their turn."

  "I have a question," Ji Shanqing suddenly spoke while Lin Sanjiu hesitated. "I know this is a pocket dimension, but what do you gain from planting these seeds?"

  Harry paused for a moment and smile, "This is good for me because I can continue living— albeit in this way."

  "In other words, it is compulsory for him to do this because of the type of pocket dimension he is in?" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself when she suddenly heard Marcie's voice, "This type of pocket dimension is rare."

  "Sis," When she was still deep in her thoughts, Ji Shanqing called out to her softly. Lin Sanjiu looked up and found Ji Shanqing looking back at her with an exceptionally serious face.

  "Please be careful down there. This is the best option for us... If you don't need to eat any food over the next few months, you will be unable to acc.u.mulate potential growth value. I think you will completely recover soon," he said softly as if he didn't want Harry to hear, "I will wait for you at the building where we were hiding."

  Lin Sanjiu nodded. Since she had already made the decision, it was too much of a fuss to worry too much about things. She would just have to adapt to whatever God wanted to throw at her. Sounding a lot more light-hearted, Lin Sanjiu advised, "You have to be careful too. Find and wear more clothes. Take care of the things I gave you."

  After Lin Sanjiu said a simple farewell to Ji Shanqing, she climbed slowly into the hole.

  She had already sensed that the hole was alarmingly deep when she was looking from above. However, she only realized how steep it was after climbing into the hole. She had only climbed for a few minutes when the light above her suddenly dimmed. As her body was weak, she slipped after she missing a step. She fell noisily down the whole. As she rolled down the hole, she could faintly hear the shocked gasp that Ji Shanqing made.

  Thankfully, the soil was soft, and there weren't many stones. It was also funnel-shaped. When Lin Sanjiu finally steadied herself, she felt disoriented but unhurt. She touched the numbered tag on her c.h.e.s.t and shouted upward, "I'm fine!" She didn't hear Ji Shanqing's respond even after some time, so she figured out that was already too deep in the hole for him to hear her.

  After another 20 minutes, Lin Sanjiu finally reached the bottom. She took out her [Ability Polishing Agent]

  She found herself in a subterranean chamber. It was connected to the steep slope she came through. When she looked up, the light from the hole above was smaller than her fist. She raised her [Ability Polishing Agent] and illuminated her surroundings. Lin Sanjiu quickly found a narrow passageway. Entering her hypersensory state, she held up the silver light and headed into the passageway.

  Thinking back about what Harry said
, she realized that his directions were vague. As Lin Sanjiu walked through the passageway, she ruminated.

  "What will happen once I reach my designated spot? Will I suddenly be covered with soil and water? I can get nutrition this way?"

  Lin Sanjiu had experienced all sorts of strange pocket dimensions, but this place was the most incomprehensible. After holding the silver beacon in her hand for some time, she suddenly slowed down. Even without her hypersensory state, she knew that she was nearing the end of the passageway. She could vaguely hear the sounds of human conversation and see a dim light from the exit at the end of the passageway.

  Her footsteps were almost inaudible but the noise from the exit suddenly stopped.

  "There is a newcomer!"

  A bright female voice rang out. Following which, someone peeked into the passageway before Lin Sanjiu could even reach the end. Under the silver light, Lin Sanjiu found herself staring at a girl with an oval face. The girl gave her a hasty smile and quickly pulled her head back.

  "The eighth person is also a female! Are you happy now?" Lin Sanjiu heard the girl announcing blatantly.

  Chapter 421 - The Seeds Must Be Well-Watered During The Seed Stage 1

  Lin Sanjiu did not expect that the seven people that were 'planted' before her would actually be in the same subterranean chamber as her. This semi-circular subterranean chamber was much larger than the previous chamber she was in. The height and area of the place were about the size of a hotel lobby. There were three small doors at the other end of the chamber. The was a paper on the first door to the left. The words on the paper read "No. 42 to No. 49".

  "This… So, you guys came here before me," Lin Sanjiu remarked as her eyes swept over the people before her. She took note of all the numbered tags they were wearing. In the dark, subterranean chamber, their numbered tags were the only thing that glowed faintly so they seemed more conspicuous than their owners. "Why are you gathered here?"

  When she entered this large hall, puzzled, she saw the young, oval-faced girl as well as other people. They were sitting or standing haphazardly in the chamber. One person was even lying flat in the corner of the room. The atmosphere seemed rather casual.

  "We're waiting for you," a fair-faced young man with the number 44 tag looked at her and chuckled. "It's quite boring to look at these few men, thankfully we have another lady."

  Lin Sanjiu frowned and an authoritative voice rang out from the other side of the chamber, "Number 44, stop your nonsense,"

  Lin Sanjiu looked over and saw a well-built, stern-looking, middle-aged man sitting cross-legged. The numbered tag on his c.h.e.s.t was 42. He turned to Lin Sanjiu and asked, "You're 49, right? My apologies. These youngsters are bored after being underground for such a long time so they tend to say too much meaningless crap… But, we were certainly waiting for you. Now that you are here, we can enter— You see that, right? The door furthest to the left? We can enter the designated spots that Harry had prepared for us. However, we need to enter as a batch of eight."

  "We're all going in?" Lin Sanjiu was a little startled. "But, Harry told me to wait for seven days. He mentioned that it would take one day to plant each seed…" Back then, she assumed that all the other seeds had been properly planted.

  "I waited for three days before Harry told me to come down here," the oval-faced girl interjected, she was Number 45. She naturally spoke to Lin Sanjiu more casually and with a friendly tone, probably because they were the only two females in the group, "I think only one person can climb down the hole each day. Elder brother Number 42 had already been in this chamber for a few days when I arrived."

  Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but noticed that they only called each other by their numbers. Although she preferred this arrangement, she couldn't help asking the others out of curiosity, "Why hasn't everyone exchanged names?"

  "Number 47 felt that this was better," the oval-faced girl explained with a smile. She pointed to the young man sitting furthest from the group. Number 47 was wearing a green robe with a design that Lin Sanjiu had never seen before. It reminded her of Ji Shanqing's trench coat.

  "Since everyone is here, let's enter," a man with a bandana stood up. When he did stand, his numbered tag slipped to his c.h.e.s.t, there was a number 43 on it.

  Other than the few 'seeds' before her, there were quite a few people standing among them. Some of their faces were familiar, they were her friends. She couldn't quite recognize the other faces. As her hallucinations came and go, she took a few minutes before she found a problem, "Huh? Where is Number 46 and Number 48?"

  "They are already waiting inside," the middle-aged man spoke. As he was the first to arrive, he seemed to have a little more authority.

  "Don't we have to enter together?"

  "No, we can go in first but nothing will happen until we're all here." Number 42 answered Lin Sanjiu patiently. It was quite admirable since he had probably given the explanation seven times, "Apparently, everyone has to go through the door before Harry will proceed to the next stage."

  "The next stage… You mean watering?' Lin Sanjiu asked hesitantly.

  "Who knows? Are you very worried?" Before Number 42 could answer, the seemingly frivolous fair-faced young lad stuck his head out from behind her. "If you are worried, why don't you stand beside me? I will protect you."

  To be honest, ever since the apocalypse in her world, this was the first time Lin Sanjiu had met a posthuman like him. To most people, the gender divide was already inconsequential. Lin Sanjiu didn't quite know to react, so she shook her head and quickly distanced herself from Number 44.

  "How cold…" Number 44 grumbled and glided away from her.

  While they spoke, Number 47, who had the head start, opened the door. Lin Sanjiu expected that there would be a room behind that door but it was another passageway. All of them entered the passageway in succession. She looked at the piece of notice paper.

  "No. 42 to No. 49". Those were the only words.

  As her gaze moved away from the paper, she suddenly heard a voice ahead.

  "Who? " Lin Sanjiu thought.

  As the passageway was dark and narrow, Lin Sanjiu could only see eight people and her hallucinations squeezing into that small space. She couldn't tell who Number 43 was speaking to.

  "We tried but we can't enter. I guess we need everyone here first. Is Number 49 here?" an unfamiliar voice spoke.

  "Didn't you figure that out before? 49 is here. She's over there," Number 43 turned back to look and Lin Sanjiu and pointed to her absent-mindedly, "Where is Number 48? Oh, over there… Okay, let's continue walking."

  "Let me tell you a secret," Number 45 suddenly walked close to Lin Sanjiu and giggled, "I think 46 and 48 are an item."

  "Ah?" Lin Sanjiu froze for a few seconds before she understood what 45 meant. She barely met any heteros.e.x.u.a.l couples in Hyperthermal Hell, so she didn't expect to meet a homos.e.x.u.a.l couple here.

  As the people in front of here were men who were about her height, Lin Sanjiu couldn't see 46 and 48's faces. After squeezing through the passageway for several minutes, following the people in front, Lin Sanjiu and the group finally reached the end of the path.

  A strange room awaited the group at the end of the passageway. It was like a hive but it wasn't as organized and compact. Lin Sanjiu already had her [Ability Polishing Agent] in hand. Someone in their group was holding something that was generating a very faint light. With that light, Lin Sanjiu could see a sloppy soil lattice which reached all the way to the ceiling. If they curled their bodies, each of the cubicles could probably fit one person. The cubicles were on top of each other so it seemed probable that a person could climb to the top using them.

  "What does this mean?" one of them in the group questioned.

  "For seeds to germinate, the soil bed must be fertilized and watered. Furthermore, the soil must not be too tight. It should be loose and porous. This pocket dimension is pretty realistic," that calm voice was undeniably Number 42.

  "Elder Brother 42 i
s quite knowledgeable!" a girl's voice rang out. It was definitely Number 45.

  "It's nothing. I enjoyed gardening before the apocalypse. It irritated my wife. She doesn't like that it attracted bugs."

  The group laughed nervously at this point.

  After a few seconds, everyone started growing impatient because nothing had happened. None of them knew what the cubicles were for so they squeezed in the small space by the entrance. It was very uncomfortable for them to stand in that tight space.

  Number 47, who seemed reticent, was surprisingly the first person to speak, "What's this? Where's Harry?"

  Farmer Harry's voice suddenly rang out in the subterranean chamber they were in as if he had heard his name being called.

  "Ah, you are all here… Good. I will explain the rules regarding the watering and soil filling." Farmer Harry sounded astonished when he spoke but Lin Sanjiu did not know what astonished him. "Alright, can everyone see the chamber in front of us? There are many cubicles within this soil chamber, right? There are exactly 100 cubicles to be exact. Nothing more, nothing less."

  Farmer Harry seemed a little long-winded.

  "The period before your germination phase is called the seed stage. I will fill each cubicle with the nutrients that you need. During this stage, you need water droplets. There are eight of you here. Each of you needs to collect 40 water droplets before you can enter the germination phase."

  "I am not sure if any of you have tried planting anything before. Usually, a gardener wouldn't put only one seed in each hole… He would usually put a few seeds to ensure that at least one of them will germinate. It is the same here." Farmer Harry said ambiguously.

  When they heard this, all eight of them became silent.

  Lin Sanjiu could sense the changing atmosphere even without looking at the others. All of them seemed to interact well just moments ago. Right now, there was a subtle change. The situation started to become tense. Even though Farmer Harry wasn't explicit, everyone understood the underlying meaning of his words. There probably wasn't going to be 320 droplets. Among the eight of them, some seeds would probably be eliminated. At the end of the day, this was a pocket dimension so things weren't going to be that simple!