by N. Heller
The crisp sound came from a dangling chain on the side of the window. When the breeze blew, it would hit the window frame.
"Phew, that's scary," Ji Shanqing commented as he patted his c.h.e.s.t. He then withdrew himself back from the corridor. The office was the same as before: empty and devastated.
... Except for the arm that stretched through the French windows.
Ji Shanqing bristled at the sight of the arm.
Frozen with fear, he saw a pair of yellow-colored snake eyes rising from below the window, followed by a man that climbed along the window frame into the office. He gave him a cruel smile as he said, "... Hey sweetheart, are you alone?"
She didn't open her eyes until she felt the blood rolling down her cheeks. She was stunned, staring at the person in front of her slack-jawed.
The head of Number 42 rolled along the ground, and the thick soil soon covered the fracture on his head and stopped the bleeding. On the other hand, the body that was still spraying blood like a fountain fell to the ground with a loud thud, throwing the soil into the air.
A calm and composed Number 46, with a face covered in blood, appeared behind Number 42's headless corpse after the latter fell to the ground.
"No, you can't," He lowered his head and muttered to Number 42, "You knew the rules."
A few seconds ago, when Number 46 suddenly went near Number 42, Lin Sanjiu seemingly heard the latter uttered, in horror, "Please give me a…"
However, he wasn't given a chance to finish his sentence. Number 46 had chopped his head off with a grey object.
"W-why did you do that?" After the initial shock ebbed away, a wave of intense anger welled up in Lin Sanjiu's heart as she growled at Number 46, "Weren't you two partners?"
"Partners? Of course not," Number 46 looked at Lin Sanjiu as if he found her way of describing his relationship with Number 42 amusing. As the head fell to the ground, the weapon he used to kill Number 42 vanished as well. Nobody could see the true face of his weapon, "He failed his trial, so he had to be eliminated."
"Trial?"
However, out of Lin Sanjiu's expectation, Number 46 didn't press on. He just remained there and smiled at her.
"Come back here," As he was talking, he bent down and pulled out something from the pocket of the lifeless body. Then, holding a big smile, he waved the thing in his hand, "Let's make a deal: the card in your hand for this stack of things. What do you think?"
Lin Sanjiu was stunned. The thing in Number 46's hand was a stack of photos. From a glimpse, she knew that it had to be the photo that Number 42 used to record the distribution of water droplets.
"Not only this," Number 46, who had stolen the limelight, seemingly knew what Lin Sanjiu was thinking. He then continued, firmly and full of confident, "As long as you agree to exchange with me, Number 48 and I will join you all in testing the water droplets. Besides, we'll follow whatever you told us to do, no questions asked."
A murmur spread behind Lin Sanjiu. Gripping tightly to the card, she had never been so eager to know the content of the card.
"But," Number 46's voice became low, and the next thing came out from his lips chilled everybody to the core, "This exchange is valid only before you see the content on the card. If you raise your hand, even if you just take a glimpse at the card for a mere second, this deal will no longer be in effect. At that time, even if Number 48 and I have to face some troubles, I will eliminate every one of you."
"What are you doing, Number 49?" Number 45's sharp voice rang out from behind. She sounded excited, "All of us will be saved if you agree to the deal! Just give him the card!"
Lin Sanjiu's jaw tightened. She didn't know what to do.
"What's on your mind? The choice is yours," Number 46 tilted his head. His silky hair cascaded down from his forehead and made contact with the blood on his face.
"Even if I wanted to cut the deal with you," Lin Sanjiu finally spoke her thoughts after half a minute. Although she was very intrigued by the identity of Number 42 and the two men in front of her, the only thing that mattered now was to escape from this tribulation. It was hard for her to make the decision, yet she still spoke it word by word, "I have my difficulties."
"Oh? What kind of difficulties?"
"This isn't a Special Item," Lin Sanjiu purposely lifted the card at Number 46. As expected, his attention was fully drawn by the card.
"Seems like the content on the card is very important to him."
As the thought came into Lin Sanjiu's mind, she stored the card away. Then, she looked straight into Number 46's eyes and said, "This is my active skill. I'm sorry, but I can't give it to you just like that."
Number 46 replied with an "uhm" while Number 45 screamed, "What?"
Then, Number 46 held his chin with one of his hand and seemed to be thinking about something.
Lin Sanjiu was nervous. Her muscles were all tensed up, all-prepared to make her move should Number 46 suddenly commence his assault. However, after some time had passed, Number 46 put down his hand and commented, "That's an interesting ability, I have to say."
Biting her lips, Lin Sanjiu did not comment.
"All abilities have their flaws, however strong; nobody knows it better than me," Number 46 had an ordinary face, nevertheless, when he smiled, he exuded an odd mixture of a cold and a gentle aura that induced a sense of fear, "What is the flaw of your ability. Can you tell me?"
"Would you believe me if I told you?"
"I'll take that as a no, then." Number 46 shrugged, "Anyway, I suppose your ability can record any event or conversation that took place within a certain distance around it. Judging from how you especially came near us to bury it, I guess its scope must be pretty limited… I would say not more than ten meters, am I right?"
Lin Sanjiu's expression turned ugly. Diary Card would not level up in tandem with the [Planar World], so the recording range to this day was still five meters.
Her silence was considered a yes for Number 46. He chuckled, "If its recording capacity is large enough, you wouldn't have had to trouble yourself to come and retrieve it so fast. If you let it stay a little longer, let's say a few more days and nights, you might have gotten more information from us… So I would say the second flaws must be the time."
"He has guessed two out of three."
"Things will get easier, for me at least, if there's a time limitation on your little card. As long as there is a limit on time, I can tell that your card is 'one of a kind.' In other words, you can't replace the card with another one; otherwise, the time limitation would be for naught. Since the card in your hand is one and only, I have two conjectures about the features of your card.
"First, after the card has recorded a certain event, the card has to undergo a cooldown period before you can use it again. New recordings will not overwrite the old recording, and at the same time, the old recording is still available, though I don't think this is possible," Number 46 said as his grin grew wider, "So I bet all my money on the second possibility: once the recording capacity of the card is reached, you have to delete all the contents before you can use it again."
Even though Number 46's voice was flat like he was talking some sort of nonsense, Lin Sanjiu could sense the sharp gaze behind his bangs that never left her face for even a second. No matter how hard Lin Sanjiu tried to maintain her cold expression to prevent any emotion from leaking onto her face, she knew very well from the smile of Number 46 that the upper hand in this confrontation belonged him.
Number 46 knew he had hit all the right notes, and he knew Lin Sanjiu was well aware of this.
"Now, let's get this straight—I'll put these photo in your hand, and you raise your card in front of me and erase all the content," Mayhap Number 46 had seen her sudden reluctance, he quickly changed, "If you're not comfortable with me, that's fine. I'll let Number 48 to pass you the photos. I'll stand behind and watch."
Number 48 was probably the weakest among the trio. Lin Sanjiu knew it from how he reacted to her ambush earlier.
This was because nobody, not even a single human in the world could fake their instinctive reaction when facing an environmental contingency.
Lin Sanjiu knew she had no other alternative left. Hence...
"Okay," She replied reluctantly, "Let Number 48 do it."
After seeing that Number 46 had passed the photos to Number 48 and retreated, Lin Sanjiu activated her [Defence Forcefield] and went forward vigilantly. According to what they'd agreed on earlier, Number 48 handed her the photo. Lin Sanjiu placed her left hand hovering on top of the stack. Then, she raised the Diary Card, back facing her, with her other hand.
"I'll delete now."
Lin Sanjiu did not divert her gaze to the Diary Card. She just stared fixedly at Number 48.
Everything went smoothly; no accident or any unfavorable event happened during the trade. The air in the hall became stagnant; everything seemed so quiet. Once the photo was in her palm, Lin Sanjiu checked through it again. She felt relieved when she saw the crease on the stack of photos—evidence that showed that this stack of photos really belonged to Number 42.
"It's for our own goods as well. There's no need for us to lie," Number 46 said, "After all, we have to work together to clear the round."
It was merely a small trade, yet Lin Sanjiu could feel the cold sweat on her back. After she had forced herself to calm down, she replied to him, "Yeah, you're right."
"Come along. Number 42 is dead; we don't have to fight with each other anymore. Let's come nearer so we can discuss our next move," Number 46 hailed.
The rest of the people slowly get closer but not Lin Sanjiu. She stayed until very last and looked around for the illusion.
All the pain-staking efforts she had done just now was for this moment—
"I'm here," When Xueqin whispered into her ear, Lin Sanjiu heaved a sigh.
When the Diary Card was placed in front of Number 48, he carefully and attentively read through the content on Diary Card with the help of the light source from the people in the hall. Then, his expression changed.
The content of the card had been reflected on his irises.
It was an impossible feat, an Arabian Night story, to distinguish the words reflected on his irises with n.a.k.e.d eyes within a few seconds, but luckily, she still had her consciousness.
Chapter 431 - Finally, We've Germinated…? 1
The process of absorbing water droplets was so smooth it was ridiculous.
Lin Sanjiu didn't need to mimic Ji Shanqing, nor did they require an explanation from Number 46. After Number 43 absorbed a few rows of water droplets by comparing to the photos, they had somewhat discovered the distribution pattern. If they couldn't get the number of water droplets in the next cubicle via the mathematical method from the number of water droplets in the previous cubicle, they could conclude that all the water droplets in the last cubicle were contaminated water droplets. After they had found the pattern, they realized how easy it was to clear this round.
Clearly, Harry was not going to go rough on the seeds in the first round. After all, as a farmer, the more seeds that germinated, the better it was for him. There was no reason for him to ride roughshod over their growth as that would do him no good.
This could also imply that without the interference of Number 42, they wouldn't have ended up in such a bad situation. One of them was killed while the other had gone missing. As such, the motive behind Number 42's action remained an unresolved mystery.
Even though all of them were keen on finding out Number 42's motive, they decided to put that matter aside and focus on the main thing first. Everybody threw Number 42 to the back of their mind like he was a person that had never existed before and went ahead with absorbing their 40 clean water droplets.
The reason Number 42 met his end by decapitation was that he had almost revealed a secret which he was forbidden to disclose. Number 46 had openly displayed his ruthlessness and his resolution in keeping the secret; it would be just as fair for the rest of them not to try to find out the secret.
... Except for Lin Sanjiu.
"The total time Number 48 used to read the whole contents is 4.2 seconds," A whisper like a soft purr came from Silvan. She didn't know why but the speaker who spoke to her changed after every few sentences, "... After he read the first and second lines, he jumped straight to the center of Diary Card and stayed there for roughly 2.6 seconds."
It was hard to believe that all of that information came from her consciousness. The memory when she was watching Number 48 was still vivid in her mind.
Even though Lin Sanjiu had her full attention on Number 48's eyes such that she could even count his eyelashes, all she could see was his quickly moving irises and a white rectangular shadow that reflected on his eyeballs.
"Then?" She mouthed.
"We missed a lot of content since his eye color is on the deeper side. Moreover, he just skimmed through the content, so the information we could discern is incomplete," Hui Chuyan said, giving Lin Sanjiu a rough picture.
"Go ahead," Lin Sanjiu was so accustomed to the sudden change of the speaker that her expression didn't change. The people that kept walking beside her didn't realize that she was in fact engaged in a conversation. Only Number 46 occasionally glanced at her.
"From the second line, the words are PM, 4, speak, and plan."
Lin Sanjiu had psyched herself up, but she still couldn't help overwhelmed by an uncontrollable disappointment.
The line about "PM" should have been the time the Daily Card started recording, "4" should have been somebody's number, and the words "speak" and "plan" meant nothing to her.
Harry's voice came from above them and Lin Sanjiu was stunned for a moment, "Congratulations for those who successfully absorbed 40 water droplets! So now, moving on to the next stage, all seeds are required to find a chamber and climb to the cubicle on the top row. Any chamber will work, and there's no number restriction on each chamber; two seeds can choose the same chamber, so pick at your own will. All seeds will only be given 15 seconds to reach your position. After 15 seconds, the germination process will start and for those who failed to reach their position on time, say goodbye to them."
"Fifteen seconds?!" It was only enough time for them to walk through the passageway, not to mention they still had to climb all the way up to the highest level.
Immediately, an uproar ensued. As they cursed on Harry's harshness, they all quickly rushed toward the three doors in the hall.
Lin Sanjiu instantly put aside her thoughts and dashed toward the first chamber. Trailing behind her was the figure wearing a bandana: Number 43. However, since he was the first one to absorb the water droplets, he had absorbed a lot of contaminated water droplets before they found the correct distribution pattern. His countenance was unwholesome and his breath was heavy. He was overwhelmed by his fatigue after he had run a few meters in the passageway and almost fell to the ground.
"Quick!" Lin Sanjiu yelled at him. She snatched him by the back of his neck, lifted him, crouched down, and placed him on her shoulder, "I'll bring you into the chamber. The rest is up to you!"
Number 43 replied "okay" as he huffed and puffed. She didn't get it since they were running against the time. For a while, her ears were filled with the wind that blew past her.
After they arrived at the chamber, Lin Sanjiu placed Number 43 in a cubicle on the second row and quickly climbed up toward the top. As she was climbing, she looked around to see that only Number 43 followed her. She wondered how the others had picked their chambers.
Perhaps he'd gained enough rest from the short break, Number 43 did regain some of his energy. Lin Sanjiu didn't forget to check on Number 43's condition while she was climbing. Turning her head, when she saw the figure with bandana was following closely behind her, she heaved a sighed of relief.
"Last five seconds. Five," Harry announced suddenly. His resonant and loud voice gave both of them a fright. Lin Sanjiu was very near to the top, only a cubicle away while Number 43 still had a long way to go.
She could hear his heavy wheezing as he struggled to climb upward.
When Harry counted down to four, Lin Sanjiu's fingers gripped the edge of the cubicle at the top row.
"Please, help me," Number 43 pleaded weakly below her, "I can't move anymore—"
Lin Sanjiu's heart quivered for a bit, but she emboldened herself and paid no heed to his plea. She propped herself up using her arms and jumped into the tunnel on the top row.
"Four!"
"Please help me. I really can't move anymore..."
It seemed that Number 43 had again exhausted all of his energy. He was clinging to the cubicle one row below Lin Sanjiu, unable to move an inch forward. Seeing that Lin Sanjiu had successfully reached the top row, he continued to beg for help, though his eyes were filled with despair as he wailed, "I beg you!"
Rather than saying he was calling for help, it was better to say he was venting his fear.
Lin Sanjiu's lips blanched as she bit her lower lip hard.
As the "three" and a clear "Grab it!" sounded concurrently above him, he was stunned. Raising his head, he saw a long black figure dropping from the top.
"I'll try to pull you up, quick!" Lin Sanjiu roared.
Then, she felt a weight tugging at her [Female Slave Bondage Rope] and she almost got pulled down instead. Clenching her teeth and as veins bulged in her forehead, she pulled the [Female Slave Bondage Rope] upward.
The countdown went quicker than both Number 43 and Lin Sanjiu could've imagined. As the number "one" escaped Harry's lips, Number 43's head had already appeared in Lin Sanjiu's vision. However, she knew that she wouldn't have enough time to pull him up.
Lin Sanjiu didn't know nor she wanted to know the content of Number 43's mumbles about as his panic-stricken voice wafted below her. She yelled, "Don't let go!" and focused all her strength on her arms.