by N. Heller
She froze, dead in her pace. She held her breath as she waited.
Those attacks were deadly enough to kill her if she did not take them seriously. However, it was really a nuisance to deflect every one of them. Lin Sanjiu felt a tremble beneath her fingers and realized that something was crawling up the bar. Judging from the intensity, it would not take long before it reached her fingers.
The [Defense Forcefield] flashed weakly around the tips of her fingers. Though it was not bright enough to light up her surroundings, it was sufficient for her to make a retaliation. Lin Sanjiu turned around and grasped the disk-like thing in a swift motion. She tightened her grip, crushing the slimy thing in her hand and causing it to explode with a loud plop.
Lin Sanjiu shut her eyes tight as she fought back the urge to lift her hand and wipe her face. She then hurled the meat mush in her hand behind her, accurately hitting another thing that pounced on her.
Lin Sanjiu could not tell what those things really were, but she felt it was impossible for veterans like Puppeteer and Polva to fall victim to their pesky attacks.
"Polva! Where are you?" Lin Sanjiu shouted again, her voice echoing through the darkness. It occurred to her that the space in the darkness was restricted by the exterior shape of the furniture. After she shouted several times, she found that she had walked into another closet. The space suddenly became smaller, and she had no choice but to crab-walk to continue to advance forward.
Then, she heard a faint sound as her bar poked something soft.
Lin Sanjiu stopped in her tracks. She felt her surroundings with her Hypersensory then poked with her bar again.
Even though her Higher Consciousness did not recover yet, she did not have any other options left.
Lin Sanjiu made her decision after a short bout of rumination. A gush of Higher Consciousness flooded through her arm and amassed at her fingertips. Unlike a barrier that spread her Higher Consciousness evenly across her entire body to form a uniform dome shape, when she concentrated her [Defense Forcefield] at one point, it would give off a harshly bright white light around that point, albeit for just a flitting second.
Polva's soulless eyes were caught in the flitting light before they were drowned out by the darkness again.
Lin Sanjiu was stunned, her head held high.
Since she had to raise her head to see the face, it must be the outermost layer of the [Matryoshka Doll]. It occurred to her that Polva had put back all the shells. However, in that brief moment, she saw that his pupils had dilated. His eyes were greyed out and showed no sign of life.
With a trembling arm, she tapped around Polva with her bar, but every hit fell on the cabinet on the wall or the hard cement floor. Puppeteer was not there.
'This should be another layer of his body, right?'
Lin Sanjiu prayed inside her heart. She stretched her arm forward and tried to push Polva's body. Her fingers stopped mid-air and her heart sank.
She was not able to push it.
Lin Sanjiu remembered that the Matryoshka Doll's shells were very light, as they could float on the sea. However, this body was heavy. In other words, Polva had…
There is a limit to how much one can bear.
Lin Sanjiu threw the hollow bar away as her body slid down the cabinet, despite knowing that there were many unknown creatures staring at her from the dark. She covered her face with her hands, and for a moment, she could not hear anything aside from the sloshing of her own blood.
Her entire body shivered uncontrollably. She was so overwhelmed by the death of Polva that it took her nearly a minute before she realized there was a hand stretching out from the cabinet behind her. The hand spread its fingers open as if it wanted to give Lin Sanjiu a pat on her shoulder.
Lin Sanjiu suddenly jerked her head up. Her eyes went bloodshot. She leaped from the floor like a panther and picked up the hollow bar she threw away earlier. She could not see the "hand", nor could she use her Hypersensory to pinpoint its location.
She rained down a frenzy of attacks on the cabinet in the blink of an eye. She was so filled with rage and grief that she flourished the hollow bar with all her might. There were times where she felt her attack connected with something, but she did not stop at all. The hollow bar rose and fell in quick succession for a full minute before Lin Sanjiu finally ceased her frenzied attacks.
The thing had been reduced to nothing but a pile of meat pulp. It slid down the cabinet and dropped to the floor with a plop. A kind of liquid pooled over Lin Sanjiu's feet as a metallic scent filled her nose. The "hand" was apparently not the only thing that received her smite, as the persistent murmurs had ceased away and her surroundings fell silent.
"Come out now!" Lin Sanjiu wheeled her head and growled, "Who killed Polva? Come out now!"
A scuffing noise came from the dark.
"Erm…"
"Are you really Xiao Jiu?" A faltering voice rang out beside her. "Erm, I know this is a little awkward, but actually, I'm not dead yet."
Slowly, Lin Sanjiu turned her head to Polva's body.
Even though she was not stupid, she could not understand the situation. She squinted her eyes, and she saw that there were some movements underneath the body's skin.
Without wasting a second, she gestured her hand and the [Defense Forcefield] glowed up again. Although the light from the [Defense Forcefield] only granted her a brief second of sight, she would never forget the scene she saw. There was a round, pasty face poking out of the midriff of the corpse.
"Polva?"
"I didn't know what to do." His voice was filled with real distress. "There was nothing I could do. I had to carry him on my back, and those things in the dark just wouldn't leave me alone. I kept having to take off my shells, so do you see what I have become? I couldn't walk anymore in this size, so I came back to my first layer of the Matryoshka Doll and hid inside. I just got in then heard somebody calling out for me."
Lin Sanjiu's mouth was left ajar.
"But why is the shell so heavy?"
"Because I brought Puppeteer in as well," Polva said. There was a slight rustle coming from his direction. It sounded as if he was scratching his head. "Though he looks skinny, he is pretty heavy."
After a momentary pause, he spoke again. "Erm, are you really Xiao Jiu?"
Chapter 682 - Rise And Shine, Puppeteer!
If there was a monster standing before you, would you expect it to give you an answer?
Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath.
The reason she did not answer Polva's question was that she did not want the creature in the dark to realize that her hearing had recovered. Be that as it may, she knew she could not remain silent forever. She pried her mouth open a little and answered in a whisper, "Yes, I am."
The darkness remained silent. Perhaps her meltdown earlier on had cleared out quite a lot of the things in the dark, thus most of them did not dare to come near her right now.
"So, you really are Xiao Jiu. T-that's good then," Polva stuttered. There was an edginess in him. He felt he should say something but had no idea what was said on occasions like this. After a short pause, he continued, "Long time no see."
Lin Sanjiu knew what was Polva's expression right now even without having to look at his face. Even though she had told him that she was the real Lin Sanjiu, he was worried and did not believe her entirely. However, he was too shy and afraid to speak out.
'What a conflicted guy.'
All of a sudden, there was a noise from the dark. A faint, rustle or creak just teetered on the very edge of her hearing.
"Hurry up. We don't have much time left," Lin Sanjiu pitched her voice low and said urgently as she fumbled about the midriff of the corpse, "Those things are coming. They are going to describe an ability to me."
"Huh?"
Just as Polva was pondering what Lin Sanjiu was trying to say, he felt a gentle touch on his body. He started. Sensing his apprehension, Lin Sanjiu let out a sigh. "Relax, Polva." She patted his head like a child who needed c
omforting. Then, she continued to grope about in the dark until she felt a piece of leather that was slightly cold and slippery.
The c.h.e.s.t clad under the leather continued to rise and fall without any hiccup or flinching.
Lin Sanjiu was so overwhelmed by her joy that she wanted to grab Polva and plant a few kisses on his cheeks. She fought back the overflowing giddiness of happiness and urged him with great affection, "Quick, come out now!"
With those words, she peeled the opening on the corpse's midriff wider. Beyond, the noise grew clearer, and it sounded different from those pesky little things earlier on. The footfalls were heavier and the grating sound was harsher and longer. Whatever it was, it must be huge.
Apparently, Polva heard it as well.
In the darkness, a large doll-like human leaped out from the body and landed on the floor. The white fatty asked in a faltering voice, "What…what is that? What should we do with Puppeteer, then?"
What replied to him was a burst of excited laughter that came from the distance.
"In one minute, you can finish ten thousand of—"
Before the sentence could slide into Lin Sanjiu's ears, Mrs. Manas shut off her hearing with Higher Consciousness. Her choker warmed up for a moment, then cooled down again. Fortunately, it was not activated in the end. The footsteps of the behemoth in the distance hastened as if it decided to go all out and no longer dragged its feet. The ground vibrated slightly, and each step the creature took sent a tremor through Lin Sanjiu's feet up to her brain.
It was impossible for Lin Sanjiu to make any effective retaliation while carrying two burdens with her, not to mention that her surroundings were too dark for her to see. In a split second, she made the quick decision to run. She withdrew her focus on the creature in the distance and dug her arms deeper into Polva's body. There was nothing inside aside from Puppeteer who reclined against his hip bone. She peered into the body and found that it was even darker inside.
She yanked Puppeteer closer to her by gripping the collar of his jacket tightly. The ground quaked even faster, and the footfalls grew even louder. She was confident that Polva must be screaming at her, but she could not hear anything. Her world was silent.
As Polva said, the unconscious Puppeteer was ten times heavier than he was awake. Despite having squeezed every ounce of strength from her body, Lin Sanjiu only managed to pull his head out from the opening. Suddenly, a loud thump erupted, and the floor shook violently. She froze for a brief second, then the second thump came. The intensity was even stronger than the last. It was only at this moment when she realized that the creature in the dark was hopping at full tilt towards them.
However, Puppeteer was stuck.
'I bet he's the only one who would put on these fancy ornaments and stroll around the doomsday as if he's walking on the catwalk in a fashion show! Urgh, they are so annoying!' Lin Sanjiu chided inwardly. She planted her feet on Polva's lower body and pulled Puppeteer out with a swift motion. She felt like she was a midwife to a baby. At the same time, Mrs. Manas released the control over her hearing and Polva's voice slid into her ears. "That looks painful."
'Painful, my *ss!' Lin Sanjiu growled in her heart. Her forehead was filled with a thick layer of perspiration. Then, another thump came just next to her. She picked up the hollow bar and connected a mighty swing at the creature. As she expected, she caught something in her motion that released a muffled sound into the air.
"Oh," the creature m.o.a.n.e.d gleefully, "You should've hit harder."
'F*ck!'
Lin Sanjiu's hair was standing on their ends. She sensed something split the air and come straight for her. She ducked down and several drops of liquid dripped on her shoulders. Shoving the disgust that welled from the pit of her stomach aside, she threw Puppeteer onto her back and recoiled hastily, hollering out, "Polva, come here!"
The white fatty had become very accustomed to hitching a ride. He attached himself onto Lin Sanjiu's shin and climbed up her leg with both his hands and feet, eventually clambering onto her shoulders. Just as Lin Sanjiu was about to retreat another step backward, she hit the cabinet behind her. She did not feel much pain as Puppeteer had cushioned the impact. Then, she felt warm liquid seeping out from his jacket onto her back.
"Why did you hit the cabinet?"
Since she feared that the monster would try to activate the choker again, Mrs. Manas had blocked her hearing with her Higher Consciousness, and that sentence from Polva was the last sentence she heard before her world became silent once again.
'Here it comes!'
Lin Sanjiu was trapped in the corner of the cabinet. She felt a blast of air coming headlong for her. Because the corner did not provide her any room to evade the attack, she raised her hollow bar up to intercept it. However, little did she expect the thing to overwhelm her countermove. Her hand went numb from the impact and the hollow bar tumbled away from her grip. The second the bar left her palm, Lin Sanjiu turned around and kicked. This was a cabinet, so its door should be just behind her. However, after several attempts, she found that the door did not even budge.
'Could it be that only those things can open the furniture from inside?'
Unfortunately, she did not have enough time to ruminate over it.
She could not hear anything, so she had no idea whether she hit her target or not. As she was catching her breath, Lin Sanjiu suddenly had a brainwave and she scolded herself inwardly. She quickly undid the barriers that were wrapped around her ears and listened.
There was no sound from the dark beyond.
"Can you see it?" she shouted at the white fatty on her shoulder.
"I-I can only see a rough shape…" he stammered, "Can't you see it? You should take more Vitamin A."
It occurred to her that either the white fatty had great eyesight or he had something that could aid his sight in the dark. Suddenly, the creature in the dark giggled. "You can finish ten thousand buns in a minute!"
Lin Sanjiu rained a barrage of bullets towards the source of the sound. Unfortunately, the gun in her hand was merely a tranquilizer and did not even ignite a spark.
"Oh, sh*t!" Lin Sanjiu shouted, slurring her words, "My choker is warming up!"
The white fatty was stunned. "What did you say?"
"That thing in the dark activated my choker! That's the only thing I can rely on to defeat it!" As the trigger of the tranquilizer gun continued to strike a jarring note, Lin Sanjiu shouted at the top of her lungs. Her voice sounded a little off. "Hurry! Show me the direction!"
The white fatty quickly followed up with a reply, "2 o'clock!"
However, Lin Sanjiu did not move.
From the darkness came the weird giggling again. It occurred to Lin Sanjiu that she had missed all her shots.
"It's coming!" Polva shouted in a nasal voice, "What are you still waiting for? Run!"
"Shh! Keep quiet!" Lin Sanjiu turned her head and hissed at the white fatty, "Which way should I go?" While she did not stop shooting with the tranquilizer gun, her enunciation became clear again.
"2 o'clock!" the white fatty shouted piercingly, "That thing is to your 11 o'clock!"
Lin Sanjiu let out a breath and turned sideways, sliding into the direction he called out as deftly as a snake. She laughed noiselessly and strode out in the direction that Polva mentioned. The Pygmalion Choker remained cold against her skin as if it could not be affected by her body temperature at all.
Mrs. Manas's reaction was fast. Before the choker warmed up fully, she sealed her hearing again. Since she could not even hear her own voice, she was talking incoherently. She did not expect to succeed in tricking the creature in the dark.
However, this way, she could not explain the ability of her choker to Polva and get him to help her activate it. She was certain that the moment she opened her mouth, the thing that was hot on her heels would find out what she wanted to do.
Right now, Puppeteer was her only hope. He was the only candidate that could help her activate the choker.
/> Chapter 683 - A Deconstructivist's Monstrosity and a Lin Sanjiu With Zero Artistic Sense
Unfortunately, it was not realistic for them to pin their hopes on Puppeteer to suddenly wake up given such circ.u.mstances.
He was now tied to Lin Sanjiu's back with a rope. To prevent him from sliding off, she could only afford to free a hand to grab one of his arms. As a result, his arm was basically supporting almost his whole body weight. Half-carrying and half-dragging his body in this manner, Lin Sanjiu ran frantically in the darkness. Soon, she noticed that the back of her clothing was soaked.
If this continued, who knew if her only hope would die on her back?
"Polva?"
"Continue in this direction," the white fatty answered her immediately.
"I'm not asking about that!"
After Lin Sanjiu shouted at him, he scurried anxiously on her shoulder like a large rat before he retorted while sobbing, "I've been slapping his face, but he just won't wake up!"
"Use more strength! It has to hurt!" Lin Sanjiu bellowed back. When she heard the rustling behind her, she picked up her running speed once more. "If he doesn't wake up, we're going to die here!"
After running for just over ten seconds, Lin Sanjiu gained some insight into the dark passageway among the furniture.
Apart from those things lurking in the dark, she could not open any furniture doors from within this passageway. In fact, she could not even destroy them. The furniture with "interior space" were all connected together. They created an endless, dark and unpredictable passageway which sometimes dipped drastically, became very narrow, or suddenly turned into a winding passage. It was no surprise that Maxim was not able to escape after entering.
Considering all that, Lin Sanjiu counted herself lucky when she fought with 'Soulsqn'. Although the closet doors were swinging on their hinges, they did not close. Additionally, Lin Sanjiu was certain about one thing: this interior space was definitely larger than the actual combined area of the furniture linked.
Lin Sanjiu could only catch a glimpse of the outside world when she saw an opening like a ventilation fan or a glass window. Much to her disappointment, she could only see heaps and heaps of furniture under the night sky during those quick glances.