Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  "So what are you going to—" Without waiting for Mrs. Manas to finish her sentence, Lin Sanjiu suddenly put her fingers into her mouth and whistled.

  "I'm glad that you guys decide to move," Lin Sanjiu smiled. She kicked the ceiling and darted down.

  All of the duoluozhong concentrated their attack on the figure in midair. Even the duoluozhong , which had been hiding in the shadow all this time, opened the mouthpart on its face, pointing its blood-filled hole towards the direction as well. The figure couldn't avoid it in time and was hit squarely. The green fire instantly grew larger and engulfed the whole shadow in its green flame. However, when the figure dropped to the ground with a loud thud, only then they realized that the shadow was a corroded, still-smiling idol of Deva.

  "She used Deva's idol as her decoy?!"

  As one of them screamed out loud, the duoluozhong with pixelate ability suddenly moved backward. It looked as though the duoluozhong was moving on its own free will, slowly walking itself into the hands of the woman that appeared from thin air behind it.

  "If you did not step out and attack me," grabbing the duoluozhong's sticky and smelly neck, she kept it from getting close to her. She smiled as she huffed heavily, "... I wouldn't be able to catch you."

  The duoluozhong gurgled as if it was trying to say something, but Lin Sanjiu was not going to give it the chance to speak its final words. Staring at the horde of terrifying monsters in front of her, she tightened her grip on the slimy neck and crushed it without any qualms when the [Empty Handed Kleptomaniac] vanished from her other hand.

  The air was filled with the stale smell of the duoluozhong's slime. Just before the head fell to the ground, Lin Sanjiu jumped up, landing a few yards away from the corpse while activating her [Defense Forcefield]. Coated in slime, she punched the duoluozhong with many tendrils.

  She knew it without turning her head that the other duoluozhong were coming for her. She crouched down as they threw their respective attacks at her. Green fire, the air vortex, and the chains flew over her head, landing altogether on the sea-anemone like duoluozhong .

  The green fire intensified as the duoluozhong wailed in pain. It twisted like a contorted shadow in the flame before getting incinerated and crumbling into a pile of ashes. Without wasting a single second, Lin Sanjiu flourished her whip, generating a tornado and hitting the duoluozhong that blew green fire. It flew back across the underground shrine, crashing into numerous idols along its path before connecting with a meaty smack on the wall like a mosquito. Its lifeless body slid down the wall, leaving a streak of black blood staining the concrete.

  "Six minutes has passed!" Mrs. Manas notified Lin Sanjiu of the time again.

  At this moment, the warden finally smelled the danger. It placed the idol on the ground and turned its head around to see that Lin Sanjiu had broken through the vortex of air and crushed a duoluozhong's head with a kick. It saw her boot, now drenched in blood, penetrating through the head of the dead duoluozhong .

  She did a handstand and flung the corpse from her feet at the last duoluozhong, but the last duoluozhong couldn't see what it was in the dimly lit underground space. As it sent out its chain to grab the incoming figure, Lin Sanjiu arrived above him. She thrust her foot straight down at the duoluozhong's crown, crushing its skull in the process and drenching Ji Shanqing in a bath of brain matter and slime.

  Three minutes.

  After Lin Sanjiu had gotten rid of the duoluozhong that caused her the most trouble, she needed no more than three minutes to settle the rest.

  She helped the exhausted grand prize up from the ground and turned to look at the warden.

  The sunken yellowish eyes of the warden were so loose that it seemed like they would fall out from the sockets. It did not dare to get closer to the duo. It eyed them vigilantly as it moved back.

  "That pregnant woman…" It stuttered, "She saved you guys…"

  There wasn't a single clean spot on Lin Sanjiu's body. She was soaked entirely in their body fluid that stank to high heaven. Her whole face was besmirched with grease and dirt, and nobody could see her facial features well. Only when she smiled did they see her glistening white teeth flashing brightly in the dim light.

  "Come over here," she said softly. She stood stock-still, c.a.r.e.s.sing the tattoo that ran across her jawline with fingers.

  The suction force of [All Birds Pay Homage To The Phoenix] pulled the scrawny warden stumbling ahead.

  "Well," Lin Sanjiu snorted through her nose. Tilting her head, she lifted the warden single-handedly.

  "Hah! Do you know why I choose not to use my ability?" The warden suddenly spoke. A cynical and cruel arc appeared across its wrinkled face, "This is because my ability is—"

  Lin Sanjiu raised her other hand.

  In the midst of exploding brain matter and shredded skin, she drawled nonchalantly, "I'm sorry, but I have no intention of letting you speak."

  Chapter 514 - New Equipment

  Stepping over the warden's mutilated corpse, Lin Sanjiu swaggered to the underground shrine's entrance. Ji Shanqing quickly followed after; his body ached. When they almost reached the stairways, the woman walking in front of him suddenly stopped.

  Lin Sanjiu's clothing was soaked, sticking to her body. She smelled like rotten meat. She lowered her head and took a sniff. Then, she took her tank top off, wiped her face with it, crumpled it up and tossed it aside.

  After that, she raised her head, taking in Deva's idols in the surrounding.

  The idols looked as though they had blended into the dark. Their smiling faces that were painted white created a stark contrast on the black. She had no idea how, but one thing was for sure, the Inhuman had done a great job carving those idols. The depictions of Deva were lifelike.

  Pouting, Lin Sanjiu turned away from the idols. She threw a tank top over her body. A thought suddenly came to mind when she stepped on the first step of the staircase. She tilted her head and fell into thought.

  "What's wrong, sis?" Her grand prize asked.

  "There will be more than six duoluozhong to deal with once we get out of here," she muttered, "... but the choker is still cooling down."

  Understanding instantly dawned upon the grand prize. He spoke, "The [Battle Item]! We can use that!"

  "But what kind of Special Item should I imitate?" Lin Sanjiu lowered her head and called out the [Battle Item] on her palm. She studied it in the dim light, "It must be a Special Item that can nullify or guard against Evolving Ability. Especially those nasty ones."

  Her grand prize introspected for a moment and jumped and said jubilantly, "[Notebook]! We can use the [Notebook]! Let me go through the book, sis. I'm fast at reading."

  Even at a time like this, even they were in a dire strait, a smile still found its way to Lin Sanjiu's lips. Although she had memorized the details of some Special Items, none of them were useable right now. She took the [Notebook] out from her card and carelessly tossed it to her grand prize, shocking the latter. He extended his arms, and the book, which had become at least double of its original size, hopped twice in the air before finally dropped securely in his embrace.

  "Hurry up. Let's read while walking," Lin Sanjiu gave him some light, urging, "I don't want to lose track of the woman that saved us."

  "Okay, okay," Ji Shanqing replied before burying his head into the book. As he flipped through the pages, he followed Lin Sanjiu.

  The stairway was narrow and claustrophobic. She didn't feel it when she was carried down, but once she moved up the flight of stairs step by step by herself, only then she realized how long the stairway was. She wondered how deep the underground shrine was.

  It was tough to flip through a book while moving; hence, they had to slow down a bit so that the grand prize could read more comfortably. After a short time that seemed like an eternity, she heard her grand prize sigh behind her, and she pondered what had he read.

  "See anything suitable?" Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but turn around and ask.

  Ji Shanqin
g did tell the truth when he claimed that he was fast at reading. In only a few minutes, he had already devoured at least 20 pages and filtered out those Special Items that he felt unusable. When he heard Lin Sanjiu's question, he answered her without tearing his eyes away from the handbook, "Right now, I have my eyes on two. Both are pretty solid options, but each of them has their own flaws… Ah, I found another one! But this one is kind of—"

  "We're running short of time," Lin Sanjiu said quickly, "Tell me what those three you found are."

  "The first one is [Transformer]."

  [Transformer]

  This is not a real transformer. It's just a metaphor. A transformer is an apparatus for reducing or increasing the voltage according to the requirement of an electrical appliance. Usually, it could raise 110v to 200v and lower it by the same volts. Similarly, once the item is equipped, any damage received by the owner will be halved. Concurrently, all attacks released forth by the owner will be doubled. As long as the target is the owner, this item can be activated autonomously no matter what type of ability it is.

  PS: All transformers have their own operational limit. Some of the transformers work on a 60v electrical appliance while some can be used on a 1,200v machine. Likewise, this item has a narrow limit range in the first year of activation. In other words, any attacks that exceed the tolerance range would render this item useless.

  "Cross this out," Lin Sanjiu immediately vetoed, "We might be facing tens or hundreds of duoluozhong outside. I'm pretty damn sure once they focus their attack on me, it would outstrip its tolerance range."

  The grand prize nodded and flipped to the next page.

  [Weather Forecaster]

  A rare humanoid Special Item that's popular amongst singles. The appearance of the forecaster is randomized. There is a dashing middle-aged man, and also a Brazilian female host with a curvaceous figure. However, when a tall, golden-haired woman with a fiery temper appears, the accuracy of the forecast is 100% while the precision of the rest depends entirely on your luck.

  Effect: Three seconds before your opponent unleash his attack, the forecaster will broadcast the effects, weaknesses, and the way to guard against the ability in owner's mind. However, just like the weather forecast, it won't be 100% accurate, so be sure to prepare yourself with extra layers of protection.

  Lin Sanjiu hesitated for a few seconds after she heard the description.

  "What about the next one?"

  The next one was [We Will Never Go Into A Long Night Submissively].

  This is a Special Item in the form of 50 battlesh.i.p.s, all of which are about the size of a baby's nail. Once released, the battlesh.i.p.s will form a circuit around the user to escort him or her. Whenever they sense that there's an unfriendly ability being cast against the user, they will go up and self-destruct to intercept the attack and protect their owner.

  It is vital to take note that every interception, whether successful or not, will blow up a battleship. Once all 50 battlesh.i.p.s have been used up, this Special Item will disappear forever. The success rate of interception is 65%.

  Lin Sanjiu couldn't help s.u.c.k.i.n.g her teeth.

  What her grand prize had said was true. Each of these Special Items had its pros and cons, and their merits and demerits were kind of obvious. None of them knew what kind of situation they would be dealing once they got out of the underground shrine. There's a high chance that they would encounter an encirclement; hence, they had to be extra careful in selecting their first Special Item.

  "Sis, how about I look for more?" Ji Shanqing asked when he saw the tight frown on Lin Sanjiu's face.

  Lifting her head and looked ahead, the stairway was coming to an end. A pair of metal doors fastened with a brass appeared in her vision.

  "That's not necessary. We don't have much time left, and we have to get out from here as soon as possible."

  Taking a deep breath, she finally had made up her mind. With a flick of her thought, the [Battle Item] took on the shape of the Special Item in her mind. The item laid quietly in her palm; everything remained perfectly still in the darkness.

  As they pulled the two pieces of heavy metal off, the door struck a jarring note. The creaking noise grated their brains and caused their hairs to bristle in disgust. When the light pierced through the slit in between the doors, Lin Sanjiu was the first one to charge outside.

  Suddenly, she yelled to her grand prize when she registered a figure with the corner of her eyes, "Watch out," before hunkering down. She raised her head and looked above; only then she realized that the figure wasn't their enemy.

  It was a pair of legs suspending in midair. Blood dripped off from her feet to the ground. The woman that had just saved their life had been hung on top of the entrance of the underground shrine. Her countenance was bloodless, and her eyes were tightly shut. She looked dead, and Lin Sanjiu might think so as well if it wasn't for the almost imperceptible rise and fall of her c.h.e.s.t.

  Lin Sanjiu looked around, and she understood why the duoluozhong decided to leave her over here.

  Chapter 515 - A Desperate Escape

  As a quick succession of explosions burst out in the air, Lin Sanjiu grabbed the hand of her grand prize and retreated to the back of the door. She had just stayed outside for merely ten seconds, and she had lost about five battlesh.i.p.s. Nevertheless, she was still relieved that those exploded battlesh.i.p.s had successfully intercepted the attacks thrown at her.

  Peering through the slit of the door, Lin Sanjiu saw a horde of duoluozhong rushing toward them. Their cries were both loud and shrill, cutting through the air and causing a vibration stentorian enough to give them a headache.

  It seemed that they were initially ordered to scatter around to search for them. The reason they returned so early was that the warden had planted a few duoluozhongs outside the entrance as alarms. Those duoluozhongs were tasked to inform their comrades should their hostages escape.

  "The two posthumans are still in the underground shrine!" A duoluozhong, who was about the size of a human, except for its long neck, hollered to its comrades. It sounded like an alarm that went mad, and all of the human residents rushed into the holes like a bunch of terrified ants. Going against the crowd of people was horde after horde of duoluozhong. They were pushing through the dense crowd of people, laughing and screaming and galloping at full throttle towards the underground shrine.

  Looking at the quantity—no, it was impossible to quantify the amount of the duoluozhong that came from different directions right now—there were too many of them, and all she could see was only a sea of deep green color.

  Lin Sanjiu's palms were wet with sweat. Peering through the slit of the door at the pregnant woman that hung on top of the entrance, realization dawned upon her. She knew she had to save her before the labor claimed her life.

  "Where is the warden?" A few voices rang out, "Where is it?"

  The duoluozhong with a long neck did not reply instantly. Its ear-numbing shrill that sounded like an air-raid alarm was getting smaller and smaller until it completely ceased away.

  "The warden has been fighting those two posthumans inside the shrine." Its voice was even sharper and clearer when it talked, filling every corner of the square with its sonorous tone, "...Since they're here, I believe the warden has been already slain."

  Following that, all of the duoluozhong in the square yelled collectively, a booming shout that rocked their eardrums and the ground. However, when Lin Sanjiu listened carefully, she found out that those duoluozhongs were not mourning for the death of the warden; instead, they sounded excited and thrilled. Lin Sanjiu exchanged glances with her grand prize, and both of them could see the bewildered expressions on each other faces.

  "Praise the Lord, Deva! It seems like today is my lucky day!"

  "Get the hell out of my way! Show me where those two posthumans are!"

  The noises outside surged like a tidal wave from afar until one particular voice drifted clearly into their ears:

  "I
f I kill them, I will be the next warden!"

  "Damn it!" Lin Sanjiu cursed aloud.

  Initially, it was already a difficult job to break free from the blockade of a thousand duoluozhongs . Right now, with the duoluozhong's morale boosted as they became even more electrified, it was not hard to imagine how perilous the situation had become for both of them.

  Furthermore, her Higher Consciousness was not enough to put the pregnant woman down from her place...

  Seeing that the nearest duoluozhong had begun to charge in, Lin Sanjiu knew it wasn't the right time to be indecisive. As she gritted her teeth, she pulled the door open.

  "Sis!" Shocked by Lin Sanjiu's action, Ji Shanqing yelled out.

  "I'll hold them off. Try to get that woman down as soon as possible!" Lin Sanjiu continued to dart forward without turning her head, "...Don't worry. I promise they won't be able to lay even a single finger on you."

  Without waiting for Ji Shanqing to respond, she stepped outside, clenching her whip tightly in her palm. She looked determined. The pale sunlight had cast a silhouette of her onto the door. Almost at the same time as she went outside, the battlesh.i.p.s had exploded.

  "Now!" After she roared to her back, she kicked on the ground and charged into the sea of duoluozhong like an arrow released from its bowstrings. The reason she stood still for so long was that she was creating an opportunity for her grand prize. She had only a couple of battlesh.i.p.s left, and without further delay, Lin Sanjiu enacted a [Defense Forcefield] around her and went straight for the few duoluozhongs that were nearest to her.

  Using the [Tornado Whip], she unleashed a cyclone powerful enough to decimate anything, catching the few duoluozhongs on the hop and sending them flying away. Having no d.e.s.i.r.e to finish them off, Lin Sanjiu switched her target to another group of duoluozhong that pounced at her back without any apprehension and swung her whip again.

  Adrenaline had exploded throughout her body; her nerve was as stiff as a ramrod, and her heart was racing like a racing car revving for takeoff. She did not dare to slow down, even by a little bit, as she found some of the duoluozhongs stopped charging in amongst the surge the moment they saw her. She knew very well that they were the trickiest group to deal with, and once they managed to lock target on her, both Ji Shanqing and her would be death locked. As such, she continued to move at high speed, shuttling in and out like a phantom and knocking out as many duoluozhong as she could.