Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  A mocking smile appeared on Puppeteer's lips. "Oh? So, what did you wish for?"

  'Does he still think the rumor spread by Geran is true?' Lin Sanjiu's heart jumped even faster as she put on a shocked expression on her face. However, deep inside, she cursed herself for not taking up Qing Jiuliu's acting class. She hoped that her acting was unimpeachable. "What are you talking about? Do you still not know that?"

  Puppeteer raised one of his brows in suspicion.

  "There is only an ability within the grand prize. The grand prize cannot make your wish come true." Lin Sanjiu waved her hand. "Don't you think it's too absurd for such an omnipotent object like that to exist? If it does, whoever gets the grand prize should make a wish to end this doomsday and free us all from this hell."

  "Of course, some wishes can come true while others can't."

  "Anyway, I didn't make any wishes. There is only an ability called Scrooge McDuck's power in it. I can show you if you don't believe it."

  "Are you trying to tell me that," said Puppeteer said as he lowered down his body and looked into Lin Sanjiu eyes, "When you see a living person against whom you have no grudges, you still choose to kill him for your own benefit even though he begs for your mercy?"

  Lin Sanjiu's mouth was wide agape. She had no idea how much Puppeteer knew. Therefore, she was not sure if she should refute the statement or not. She made up her mind at last and decided to go along with it. "What did you say? Kill people? All I did was just open a grand prize."

  The moment she finished speaking, the hair on her back bristled as she sensed something coming at her. She hurriedly released a vortex to intercept the attack but to no avail. Her vortex did nothing to the attack, and she was flung away.

  Lin Sanjiu landed on the ground with a loud thud. She immediately got up and was stunned when she raised her head.

  Puppeteer was standing right in front of her with his arms crossed in front of his c.h.e.s.t. His hair cascaded in waves over his collarbone.

  "One thing you'd better remember is that I'm a man who can't stand nonsense," he spoke in the same soft and polite fashion, but there was a twist of sadistic and cold intent in his voice. "After being sent into another Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park, I came across the grand prize, so I'm very sure that in every Amus.e.m.e.nt Park, the grand prize is a humanoid present that looks no different from a living human."

  'So, he doesn't know what happens when a grand prize is opened?'

  Lin Sanjiu became curious. She wanted to ask Puppeteer what happened in the other Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park, but she feared that would trigger him. Right now, she had no other choice but to continue with her lies. "No matter what, I have opened the grand prize. There's only an ability inside of it. Take it if you can."

  Puppeteer straightened his back. The final bit of expression was gone from his face. Lin Sanjiu could not tell if he really believed in her. If she was a sadist who had no qualms in taking other people's lives, then perhaps it would add more credit to her words. However, Puppeteer knew she was not that cruel.

  'I hope he would at least believe half of it.'

  Bracing herself against his cold stare, Lin Sanjiu waited for him to say something, but he said nothing in the end. She could not stand the anxiety that kept scratching her heart, so she asked, "Everything I said is the truth. Believe it or not. You may think I am a liar, but the cat doctor saved your life. Don't you think you're going too rough on him? Where is he now? Can you release the cat doctor—"

  "Are you telling the truth?" Puppeteer intercepted her, giving her a smileless grin. "If you really do care about that cat, you should've thought twice before opening your mouth. Do you honestly think I don't have a way to deal with your bullshit?"

  Lin Sanjiu's heart skipped a beat, and she stopped talking.

  "After realizing it was you who got the grand prize, I began a search on you. I've deployed many stool pigeons across the Twelve World Centrum. I've gone for the Consular Officer and released a warrant. eBay is just one of my ways of tracking you. Initially, I didn't place much hope in it, but I never thought that, in the end, it'd be the one that would lead me to you."

  Lin Sanjiu did not know why he suddenly brought this topic up. She swallowed hard, getting more nervous with every ticking second. However, the wan-looking man clad in black leather was calm and patient. He took his time to finish talking.

  "It's funny that you're not the reason I got this Special Item." Staring fixedly at her, Puppeteer turned his body halfway and snapped his fingers before turning back to Lin Sanjiu with a grin. "I purposely made a detour to the Endless Tunnel because I had to retrieve a product I purchased from eBay. The product is now with me."

  Having no idea what he was talking about, Lin Sanjiu looked past Puppeteer on the grassy plain behind.

  There was nothing in the grassy plain beside the tall and yellowing weeds that occasionally swayed along with the wind. Lin Sanjiu continued to look, and then it was at this moment that she realized the air was warping. A few figures were materializing in the air.

  "With this product, I'll know which words you said is the truth and which ones are lies, and to what extent you've lied."

  Puppeteer waited for a moment until the few figures walked closer to them. The puppets' movements were rigid, but their speed was breakneck. They reached their location in the blink of an eye.

  Similar to the tanned skin man, these puppets had hollow eyes and their necks were separated into half by a strong and sturdy thread. When Lin Sanjiu ran her gaze across them, she jumped.

  Amongst the trio, one of them was not a puppet.

  Standing in a daze, Lin Sanjiu looked straight at the familiar face. She even began to suspect that Puppeteer had put an illusion in her mind.

  Hu Changzai opened his mouth, and the word "Xiao Jiu" lingered on the tip of his tongue. When he realized the consequences of doing so, he snapped his lips closed and stared vacantly at her.

  Two puppets were now holding him. His countenance was pale while his hair had become longer. He looked a little bit jittery but otherwise healthy. He seemed to have put on some weight as he was a lot skinnier in Lin Sanjiu's memories.

  "Did you hear everything?" Puppeteer turned to Hu Changzai. The glitter around his eyes changing from silvery gray to crimson red. "What were lies?"

  Lin Sanjiu's heart was beating fast.

  Chapter 562 - Gotten One Back

  Hu Changzai let out a guttural sob.

  He did not wear his glasses, and his eyes seemed to bulge due to his myopia. He darted his gaze between Puppeteer and Lin Sanjiu for some time until the former snapped and roared at him, "Speak!"

  "Ah!" Hu Changzai was startled. He coughed, stammering and squeezing the word through his throat as a myriad of colors—scarlet red, pale white, fear green—flitted across his face. "She… She doesn't seem to… to be lying."

  It was hard for Hu Changzai to twist the truth.

  Puppeteer narrowed his eyes. The glitter changed back from crimson red to silvery white.

  "She did not tell any lies? Not even a word?" Puppeteer asked softly.

  Lin Sanjiu's heart skipped so hard that it was now in her throat. Taking advantage when Puppeteer was not looking at her, she kept sending a signal to Hu Changzai. Nonetheless, since two puppets were guarding her, all she could do was quirk her lips and hope that Hu Changzai would get what she mean.

  "T-that is not what I mean," Hu Changzai continued to stammer. Then, something clicked in his mind as he finally found the excuse for him to speak fluently, "I didn't hear what she said just now. All I can say is that from what I heard, she didn't lie."

  Rage instantly dawned upon Puppeteer's face.

  "Didn't you hear what she said? You could've said that earlier!" Puppeteer gestured angrily with his hand, and the two puppets carried Hu Changzai nearer to them. He then shot Lin Sanjiu a cold glare and snarled, "Repeat what you just said. Now!"

  As the saying went, it would be difficult the first time and easy t
he second. After Lin Sanjiu repeated her words, Hu Changzai had become much more comfortable when he said she did not lie. Not only was he covering up for Lin Sanjiu, but he had also self-mastered the hardest form of lies, which was telling 30% of truth while the remainder were all lies.

  "Most of her statements are true. She did tell some lies, but it's just some very tiny things. For instance, when she said she doesn't know the grand prize is humanoid, and also …"

  "Okay, enough." Puppeteer waved his hand impatiently and stopped him from talking. He had obviously run out of patience. He strode nearer to Lin Sanjiu and stared straight into her eyes. They remained silent for a few full seconds.

  Lin Sanjiu had to put on a tough facade though she was extremely nervous. "You see, I'm not lying. I have already opened the grand prize—"

  Before she could finish speaking, the countenance of the man standing in front of her was getting grimmer and grimmer. It was as if a storm was brewing inside him. Lin Sanjiu took a half step back as she realized that something was not right about him. To protect herself, she activated her Defense Forcefield. No matter what, she could not allow Puppeteer to touch her skin, not even a slight graze, as the part of the cat doctor and AYU that had been turned into a puppet was still vividly clear in her mind.

  "I… don't believe you," Puppeteer said softly, causing an upheaval in the duo's heart. His expression was bland, giving away nothing, so Lin Sanjiu could not be sure what was he thinking about. Throwing Hu Changzai a sidelong glance, Puppeteer said, "No matter who you are, humans are less trustworthy than puppets. Since I'm unable to turn you into one of my puppets, I'll make you stick with me a while longer. Take him away."

  He gestured with a finger, and two puppets dragged Hu Changzai away.

  'He didn't get any stronger after so many months, didn't he?' said Lin Sanjiu inwardly as Hu Changzai was towed away into the space behind them and disappeared. Apparently, Puppeteer had placed a space pocket over there.

  'Is the cat doctor in there as well?' Lin Sanjiu tightened her jaw. Her mind was blank, and she had no idea what to say.

  "So, what you want me to do?" She sighed. "The only thing I have that looks like a human is this man with half a body. Take him if you want. Just give me back the cat doctor."

  Puppeteer had probably already seen the elder brother that was strapped to Lin Sanjiu's back. He was not interested in him as he knew the grand prize would not survive after being cut into half.

  "Never mind," Puppeteer said fondly, "I can see there isn't anybody besides you, so I've decided to give you another chance. You go and get the grand prize for me. Until then, I won't give you the cat doctor back."

  Lin Sanjiu's face turned pale. She tried to persuade him, "I have already opened the grand prize. The man just now has—"

  "I'll wait for you here."

  This sentence added another strain on Lin Sanjiu's checklist. Her heart was sinking into the bottom of her stomach.

  'Puppeteer cannot stay here!'

  There was a towel tied to the branch of a tree in a woodland not far away. The grand prize did not have many towels, and given that fact alone, Lin Sanjiu was confident that he was going to go back there. After all, what was the use of leaving a mark if you were not coming back? She had no idea whether all the grand prizes in the Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park looked the same, but she could not afford the risk to have Puppeteer meet the grand prize.

  She had to think of a way to chase him away.

  When Puppeteer was walking away, Lin Sanjiu got nervous and yelled, "Wait!"

  Puppeteer stopped but did not say anything.

  "Erm… You are alone with only a few puppets. Don't you feel it's a little bit risky to stroll around here?" After a short contemplation, Lin Sanjiu decided to bite the bullet and said, "I fear you can't protect Dr. Hu."

  Puppeteer turned around, the white glitter around his eyes turning into dark red once more. Even though Lin Sanjiu could see the bulging vein on his forehead, she continued, "You need someone experienced to guide you around. There are a few Titans here. And I'm afraid you can't—"

  With a snap of his fingers, a large shadow loomed over the white mist above which soon turned into the shape of a foot as it rammed itself into the ground behind Puppeteer. Looking up from the gigantic ankle, Lin Sanjiu saw Sanduria's red blouse.

  "I'm sorry, what did you just say?" asked the man donning black leather.

  Lin Sanjiu looked at Sanduria, tongue-tied. She stammered for a few seconds before she finally found her voice back. "How? How can you control a god?"

  "Simple." There was still some rage lingering on Puppeteer's face. His smirk now looked crooked to Lin Sanjiu. "Find a Lesser God, turn some part of her into puppet material and help her kill some gods. Then, you will have it. A powerful Titan. It's actually pretty simple after you've tried it."

  Lin Sanjiu shivered as a chill crept down her spine.

  "Oh yeah." Puppeteer lowered his head, his black hair shrouding half of his face. "I believe you must be missing your friend a lot. Well, good graces that I'm a benevolent person."

  Lin Sanjiu's opened her eyes wide as understanding dawned upon her.

  AYU, who had dozens of souls inside of her body, soon appeared in front of Lin Sanjiu. She was holding a little girl. The puppets pushed them forward, and they both fell beside her. Soulsqn looked different from the last time Lin Sanjiu saw her. She seemed to have a particular liking for little girls with twin ponytails. The skin she wore this time was a young girl's too. The body had been wearing ponytails all the time. Since it was dead and was no longer growing hair, there was an unhealthy green patch on top of Soulsqn's head.

  "They aren't my friends!" Lin Sanjiu growled.

  "I know." Puppeteer smiled. Then, he turned and left.

  Chapter 563 - A Nudist And A Free Spirit

  The grass swayed along with the gentle breeze that blew across the land. It looked serene, yet at the same time, it felt solitude.

  Both Puppeteer and Sanduria were gone. No matter how hard Lin Sanjiu pierced them with her searing stare, they both disappeared into the white mist in the blink of an eye. The grassy plain was empty and boundless. She could even see the vague undulating shapes of mountain ranges far in the horizon.

  Sitting on the grass, Lin Sanjiu extended one of her legs, putting it on the face of the "little girl" to stop her from getting any closer to her. The moment Puppeteer was gone, Soulsqn charged at Lin Sanjiu like a wild galloping horse, startling the latter.

  "What do you want?" asked Lin Sanjiu. She felt a sense of enervation welling from her heart, coursing through every nerve ending from her brain to her toe. "He has released you, so leave now. I'm not going to take you along."

  She recalled the Souls had an ability called "hormones" that could knock people out cold. According to Mrs. Manas's suggestion, Lin Sanjiu threw on the Defense Forcefield, concentrating most of it around her mouth and nose.

  After receiving a kick from Lin Sanjiu, half of Soulsqn's face caved in.

  "Cheater! How can you make such a vain promise that you cannot keep?" The little girl's face was livid with rage. Her two tongues twisted in anger as she lashed out her resentment at Lin Sanjiu. "We cannot defeat that guy or escape from him. Do you have any idea how tough our life has been for the past few years? We got through it somehow, and now we finally get to see you. Yet, now you ask us to leave?!"

  Time passed, and the situation changed. Initially, Lin Sanjiu cooperated with the Souls because she wanted them to deal with Puppeteer. Unfortunately for her, things did not go as planned. The Souls were out of Puppeteer's league as well. Since they had no use for her, Lin Sanjiu did not wish to stick her nose into their lineage problem anymore. She countered sarcastically. "Duh!"

  The mounting anger almost caused Soulsqn to burst out from her human suit.

  However, as the queen of a species, she kept her anger at bay. She took a deep breath, then said in a grave tone, "Don't you want to know where the cat doctor is?"
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  Lin Sanjiu quickly took her feet off her face. She straightened her body and inquired dubiously, "Do you know where he is?"

  Undeterred by the footprint on her face, Soulsqn gave Lin Sanjiu a cold smile, "Of course I know where the cat doctor is. I also know that you got something Puppeteer sought for. And he wanted to use the cat doctor as an exchange for the thing. You don't want to give him the thing, but you want the cat doctor back… Did I left out anything else?"

  Lin Sanjiu did not answer. Her face was non-committal, giving nothing away.

  "Bring your friend that can alter the human body over here. When I see her, I'll tell you where the cat doctor is." Lin Sanjiu sneered as she stood up from the ground.

  "Hey, where are you going?" Soulsqn cried out loud.

  "If you really know where Puppeteer keeps the cat doctor, do you think he will let you come back? Even if you do know where the cat doctor is, I believe that Puppeteer has already shifted locations while we're talking here," said Lin Sanjiu. Be that as it may, she still hoped that Soulsqn would know something. "However, if you can lead me to the cat doctor, I'll take you to my friend. Otherwise, you're useless to me. There's no way you can talk me down."

  With that, Lin Sanjiu turned around and left.

  She walked for a few steps, and at the tail end of her eye, she saw a small figure pouncing at her. Lin Sanjiu had been prepared since she knew Soulsqn would be pissed off. She swerved to the side and took out the Nostradamus Card.

  The card did not get to absorb anything, but the words Soulsqn said left Lin Sanjiu stunned.

  "Where did you find this Soul from?" The pallid-looking little girl opened her eyes wide, causing her eyes to appear nightmarishly large. "But why I don't recognize this Soul?"

  "Soul?" Lin Sanjiu parroted. Then, she quickly untied the elder brother from her back and dropped him. Unable to move, the elder brother fell into the grass like a rock. A blade of grass was stuck in his eyes, but it did not hinder him from rolling them around and fixing his gaze on the Soulsqn.