Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  "Hello my friend, long time no see," the beetle wiggled its body. Its appendages and antennae rustled as it rubbed its face, "I never expected a girl like you would lie to me. I'm disappointed, truly. There is nothing such thing as nutrient boost serum!"

  "It can choose who it wants to talk to?"

  Lin Sanjiu was stunned at first but she was quick to reply, "Hey, how can you break your own words? How can you tell them the thing we told you?"

  "I did not," refuted the beetle as a smile formed on its humanoid face. When it smiled, its face resembled a crushed c.o.c.kroach, "...They discovered it themselves. If weren't for them, I would still think they have nutrient boost serum injected."

  " Without saying, it must be Number 46 who told this damn beetle," Lin Sanjiu thought inwardly.

  In order to prevent both Number 43 and herself from getting bitten, Lin Sanjiu had to begin from the content Number 46 had told the beetle. However, the beetle was evasive, much to her chagrin. No matter how hard Lin Sanjiu had tried to feel it out, she couldn't scoop out any fruitful intel from the beetle. And one minute had passed.

  As expected, Number 43 didn't surprise her with any smart move. By the time Number 43 had finished his talking with the beetle, both of them could see the not-so-good expression from each other faces.

  "Done, my turns then!"

  The beetle raised its body and its antennae oscillated in the air. As its loathsome laughter rang beside Lin Sanjiu's ear, she felt the similar pain spreading from her arm. Then, a sense of weariness shot up to her brain.

  "I'm pretty hungry today, so I took three bites… But your leaves aren't as crispy as last time. You have to put more effort into absorbing the nutrient," said the beetle, trying to courteous as much as it could after taking a bite at Lin Sanjiu. Even after it had flown away, Lin Sanjiu somewhat could still listen to its nightmarish voice echoing inside her ears.

  The beetle was smart. It understood that if it wanted to enjoy something for the long term, it had to control itself otherwise the thing would be exhausted very fast. Hence, it chose Number 43 for the fifth time. Since Lin Sanjiu was too weak, she couldn't think of any countermeasure. She rested until the sixth time the beetle appeared, only then her brain reconnected as an idea floated in her mind.

  "Wait," She yelled to the beetle feebly, "I've forgotten to ask you. Have you bitten the girl on that bridge?"

  "Yes, I have," The beetle swung its sensors joyously.

  "Then, how does she taste? Was it different from me?"

  "Hmmm," The beetle raised one of its appendages and placed it under its chin, appearing like a human locked in contemplation, "It tastes different. If I have to say, you taste much fresher, your leaves are crispier, while her shoot has a more robust flavor and more chewy… I wonder how."

  "There's nothing to feel strange about," Lin Sanjiu panted. She gave in to her fatigue and reclined on the ground. The four people on the other soil bridge all looked over her side, each having different expressions. "This is because both of us are different plant species. Right now, you have tasted four species types, but you left out the other two species on their group. They all taste different."

  The beetle eyes glowed as it looked at Number 46 and his gang which caused them subconsciously recoiled a few steps.

  "My friend and I are too weak now, and we can't hold any much longer. Let me do the math for you, and you'll know what is best for you. You go and bite the two remaining seedlings on that side and let us rest. With that, even if you don't like their taste, you still have other choices. But if this time, you choose to bite us, we'll be dead. And you will lose two plants that you can bite."

  Lin Sanjiu quickly finished her talking in one minute while making it as clear as possible. She had no idea what Number 46 had told the beetle, and she didn't know if the beetle would take the hook or not. However, when the beetle smiled at her while saying, "Your math is good, I'm impressed."

  It seemed to Lin Sanjiu that Number 46 had used the same tactic as her, maximized the utility of young shoots to lure the beetle over to their side.

  As Lin Sanjiu had expected, the beetle had bitten Number 46 and Number 47 during its sixth and seventh visits.

  If the two groups were trying to avoid each other when they found out they suddenly had become enemies in the beginning, right now, the gang of Number 46 had shed their disguise and they no longer tried to contain their anger and hostility.

  Under a tight circ.u.mstance like this, Lin Sanjiu could imagine how strong Number 46's counterattack would be. Ever since they were being bitten, Number 46 and Number 48 had been lowering their head and indulged in their own discussion. It was just that Lin Sanjiu didn't know the content of their conversation, but she knew that they had to be up to no good.

  Surrounded by Number 43's sighs and groans, another 12 hours whizzed past in the twinkling of an eye.

  Almost at the same time as Lin Sanjiu deactivated her [Consciousness Mimicry], the buzzing sound released by beetle's wings came from the dark and pierced into her ear. And then, its giant body once again fell on the soil bridge in front of them.

  With a sarcastic smile on his face, Number 46 went forward to the beetle. Just when he opened his mouth and before any words could come out from his lips, a female voice echoed loudly from the other bridge—

  "Hey! Where is your home, beetle?"

  Number 46 was stunned.

  As if she was performing a prank on him, when Number 46 turned his head to the beetle and tried to repeat something, Lin Sanjiu quickly yelled again, "Hey beetle, how many are there of you at your home?"

  The beetle jiggled.

  "Just right about the time I'm thinking who is going to abuse the rules," It rubbed itself contentedly as it said, "As of the moment, both Number 46 and Number 49 have lost their chance to talk."

  Chapter 436 - A Tide Turning Approach To Shatter The Impasse?

  Although the beetle had openly announced that those who spoke simultaneously would be stripped of their chance to talk, nobody seemed to care about the rule. Even Number 46 made light of the rules. As such, when the beetle prevented both of them from talking to it, Number 46 couldn't react to it in time.

  By the time he realized what was happening, his face was instantly awash with anger.

  After all, Ji Shanqing wasn't a human hence his way of thinking was much different from that of a human. Lin Sanjiu had to confess it was pretty hard to guard against.

  "Y-y-y-you… What are you doing?" Number 43 whispered into Lin Sanjiu's ear; his voice filled with disbelief. Lin Sanjiu didn't reply to him as she was too absorbed in the gamble she was taking, staring at the other soil bridge.

  As if he had sensed her gaze, Number 46 returned a vicious glare at Lin Sanjiu before turned to Number 48 and murmured something into his ear. He looked infuriated as he swooshed his arms violently in the air.

  Number 48 stepped forward. Then, with a face full of trepidation, he slowly opened his mouth.

  "Hey!" Lin Sanjiu repeated the same tactic as she yelled, "Mr. Beetle, how is the weather today?"

  Nevertheless, her attempt didn't work as she wished this time.

  The beetle turned its body halfway, flickering its antennae in the air, "Hehe, you have lost your chance to talk, so I have to ignore you even though it will harm my reputation as a chivalrous man (insect). Now is Number 48's turn to talk."

  Lin Sanjiu clicked her tongue while chided the beetle inwardly. Then, she nudged Number 43, "Quick! Say something to the beetle!"

  "W-w-why would I—" Number 43 stammered, "There's no point doing that! They can relay the message to Number 45 and have her talk with the beetle!"

  "Don't bother about it!" Lin Sanjiu pushed him hastily, "Quick! Number 48 is talking!"

  Thank goodness that she had earned some prestige through her tactic and strategy, Number 43 just hesitated for a moment before he mustered up some courage and yelled at the beetle, "Hey Mr. Beetle! Why are you n.a.k.e.d all the time?"

  Looking at Numb
er 48's expression, he should almost have bitten his tongue.

  As Lin Sanjiu wished, the beetle waved its appendages at Number 48 and stopped the latter from talking any further. Number 46's face which hidden under his silky bang was so wrenched with anger that it became dark. However, after the beetle announced that both Number 46 and Number 48 had lost their chance to talk, he didn't explode and just stood there. Even though his expression hideous, he didn't talk to Number 45 or Number 47.

  Clear enough, both Number 45 and Number 47 hadn't expected things would end up like this. When the beetle turned to them, both of them were stunned for a good while. As Number 45 and Number 47 darted a few glances at Number 46 and Number 48, hoping that the latter would give them some instruction, they realized both of them didn't even want to communicate with them. The atmosphere was awkward.

  While Number 47 was talking with the beetle, Number 45 seized the opportunity and turned to ask a few pieces of advice from the duo. This time, Number 46 replied to her, albeit with a stony face.

  Even though Lin Sanjiu couldn't hear what did he said, judging from Number 45's expression, she seemed to be not satisfied with the man's answer.

  "What is happening?" Number 43 was at lost. "Why wouldn't they tell them their tactic… Oh!"

  Lin Sanjiu smiled at him.

  "We're not their only target! They want to eliminate both Number 45 and Number 47 too!" He finally came around regarding the duo's machination, "It seems viable when you think about it. We won't last until the final day if the beetle keeps biting us. All four of us are their sacrificial pawns!"

  "That's right. However, Number 45 and Number 47 aren't stupid. As long as they think about it, they will certainly figure it all out. It's just the matter of time," Lin Sanjiu's curled her lips and continued, "Right now, what we have to do is shatter the trust between them and split them into two groups… Without help from Number 46, and while the beetle still believes in the statement we told it earlier on, I'm sure the beetle will bite them this time."

  Number 43 looked stunned, and he suddenly sighed.

  "If we reach a consensus and each of us takes a turn to get bitten by the beetle, I'm pretty confident that we can last until the last day without losing anybody… Why do we have to fight like there's no tomorrow?"

  Lin Sanjiu looked at him with a hint of appreciation in her gaze.

  "This, of course, is very much the ideal situation, but Number 46 had killed that route from the beginning, right?" Lin Sanjiu mumbled.

  Number 43 nodded as he fell into silence.

  The eighth round ended with Number 47 getting bitten. To be honest, Lin Sanjiu didn't expect the beetle would choose to bite him as the beetle had stated before that it favors the texture of the duoluozhong more than a normal posthuman. It had been quite some time since it last bit Number 45, Lin Sanjiu couldn't understand why it wouldn't bite the girl but instead choose to bite Number 47 twice in a row.

  Lin Sanjiu could see Number 47 no more even when she stood by the edge. Number 47 had lost a total of six months of vitality, and he couldn't even stand up straight right now. As such, he had to sit down and rest.

  Much to Lin Sanjiu chagrin, the strategy she had come up by mimicking the grand prize was starting to lose its effect during the ninth round.

  Even though friction had developed between Number 46 and his gang, it was clear that they had somehow reached a temporary consensus to treat Lin Sanjiu and Number 43 as their common enemy. When the beetle once again appeared, all four of them had ducked down behind the wall, obscuring Lin Sanjiu's vision, so that she couldn't meddle with them.

  As such, Number 43 became the ninth person to get bitten.

  When Lin Sanjiu saw the face of Number 43 had suddenly turned pale and slumped to the ground, she became anxious. Right now, both of them had been bitten twice and the vitality recovered through absorbing nutrient from the soil did not reach their expectation. The vitality that they had lost to the beetle was far more than they were regaining. And the germination stage was only halfway through.

  "Harry!" When Lin Sanjiu yelled, she realized her strength wasn't as strong as before, and her voice was harsh and wheezy, "Didn't you say that we can recover our vitality by absorbing nutrients from the soil? But this is so slow! Even without the beetle, we haven't regained much!"

  "Oh my," Very soon, Harry's reply boomed from above the shoes that were as large as a mountain. "You guys are just stumped like a bump on a log, do nothing and allow the beetle to bite you all as it wishes and you still wish to grow healthy? How is that possible? No matter how fertile my land is, a heavily infested seedling will never thrive. How can you blame me like for something like that?"

  "Could it be there are other ways than getting bitten?"

  "...When is he going to spray the pesticide?" Number 43 muttered the question while laying on the ground. His complexion looked even paler when contrasted with the land, "In the ordinary course, if we are dead, he will earn nothing."

  Even though his voice was very faint, Harry still caught it precisely.

  "I will not apply any pesticide," Harry restated with an even more firm demeanor, "However, if you guys express a strong d.e.s.i.r.e to use the pesticide, I can make an exception and spray you a little bit… But be prepared; the consequence of the pesticide is far worse than getting bitten by the beetle."

  Regarding the consequences, Harry refused to tell Lin Sanjiu no matter how many times she asked him.

  Crestfallen, Lin Sanjiu slowly lowered her gaze to see the cl.u.s.ter of teeth marks that lined almost her entire arm. She became silent.

  The competition intensified. For the next tenth and eleventh visit, both groups had given them all, finding all kind of excuses to wheedle the beetle to go to the other group but in the end, they ended up a tie. Number 45 was the tenth victim while Lin Sanjiu was the eleventh.

  They did not have much time left as the final day of the germination stage was drawing near and the atmosphere at Number 46's side was obviously laxer. They could easily survive the remaining germination period with their superiority in numbers, but this wasn't the case for Lin Sanjiu's team. Should they get bitten for one more time, they would be dead.

  Lying supine on the ground, the sky was merely a medley of dark and blue as if something had clouded her vision. Her hallucination became more severe, but there were no more clear figures. It was as if her brain had gone on strike, refuse to work as she didn't provide sufficient energy for her brain.

  "We'll be dead. We are so dead," Number 43 mumbled. His feeble voice drifted like a phantom into Lin Sanjiu's ears, "Let's let Harry spray the pesticide."

  Harry would never give any baseless warning. If he said the consequences were more severe than a bug bite, then it ought to be more severe than a bug bite. However, even they had been pressing their feet on the ground firmly as if their feet were the roots of a plant, the nutrient that diffused through their skin into their body was so utterly inadequate that it didn't bring any effect to their already battered bodies. With death just around the corner, nobody cared about anything right now.

  Number 46 and his gang became even more boisterous. They no longer shilly-shallied behind the wall, and they were talking at normal volume right now as if Lin Sanjiu and Number 43 were a pair of dead bodies. Number 48's murmured voice came along with the wind, "If the beetle bites each of them once again, then we'll have three days left. To be fair, each of us will have to take a turn to get bitten by the beetle…"

  "We have to make the beetle bite them, then."

  "Don't worry," Number 46 smiled. Lin Sanjiu could catch the hint of coldness in his voice, and his sound was clear, unlike the others, "I'll give them a taste of their own medicine."

  "What...the?"

  Lin Sanjiu needed extra time to think about what does Number 46's statement meant.

  Number 43 was in a much better situation than her. He mustered up some strength and propped his limped body, "Oh my, did you hear what I heard? They have more people… T
hey are going to do what we did to them last time!"

  Before Lin Sanjiu could make any comment, Number 43 had already hollered, his face became ashen white, "Harry! Harry!"

  "Anything?" Harry's voice thundered above them.

  "Give us the pesticide, please," Even though Number 43 felt Lin Sanjiu was tugging him at his sleeve, he paid no heed to her and continued, "If you don't give us the pesticide, we'll be dead!"

  "Are you sure you want me to spray the pesticide?" They could hear Harry gasped as if it was a tough decision for him to make, "...You might end up pretty badly, are you sure of that?"

  It wouldn't be more severe than death.

  Though Number 43 didn't speak, his inner thoughts had already expressed on his face.

  If one of the bridges had the pesticide while the other didn't have it, most of them could reckon where the beetle would select to bite next time. Just when Lin Sanjiu focused her mind and thought her next move, Harry's voice appeared again, "I'll make it clear this time so that nobody would repeat the same question—I will only spray the pesticide once and the pesticide is valid for only 12 hours."

  Number 43 was stunned, and an immediate uproar ensued from the other bridge. Even the dumb would be able to notice the joyfulness in their relief.

  This could also mean that even if they had risked themselves to spray the pesticide, they could only save themselves from getting bitten by the beetle once. Looking from a grander scale, this wouldn't change the situation at all.

  "Spray it. We want the pesticide."

  Just when Number 43 was hesitating and thinking could he say no to Harry at this time, Lin Sanjiu's voice, as if she was speaking in short bursts of breath, came from beside him.

  "Why? Did you not hear that…"

  "I have a plan," Each word she said seemingly was sapping away her life force. The moment Lin Sanjiu finished her words, she threw herself to the ground facing the sky and went on, sotto voce, "We want you to spray the pesticide on us. But can we choose the location we want the pesticide to apply?"