by N. Heller
The questions sank into her befuddled mind. She spun her head around and met Woyu's large, beady eyes. He was now grasped by Lollipop by the collar as the latter dragged him forward. When no one was looking, he winked several times at her, his previous trepidation melting away from his face. It seemed that the success of Lin Sanjiu's plan had given him a large boost in confidence.
However, what he did not know was that another crisis was soon to befall her.
Even though Tunnel said they were returning to the "munitions factory", after they'd walked a certain distance, Lin Sanjiu found that they were heading back to the forest. She thought for a moment and soon saw the light. Both Flame Arm and Lollipop had activated the check-in pocket dimension, so Tunnel was setting out to retrieve the [Cornetto, Freeze The Fun Time] that she left in the forest.
Filled with anxiety, Lin Sanjiu deliberately slowed down her pace and fell behind the group.
"Flame Arm," Tunnel suddenly said, "Retrieve all the sensors."
"Okay," the strapping man replied sternly. However, instead of crouching down to pull the sensors out of the ground, he unfurled the bag carrying the "chopsticks" and pressed a button. All of the blinking cadmium yellow lights on the plain went out. The sensors then unplucked from the ground, flew across the grassy plain and homed in towards Flame Arm's feet.
All of them were seemingly used to this, as they all looked unperturbed. As a messy jangling noise erupted in the air, Lin Sanjiu heard Woyu mumble, "Using the Queen Bee in this circ.u.mstance is really wasting..."
"Shut your gob!" berated Lollipop as she knocked Woyu on the head. "Nobody asked you!"
She seemed very much annoyed by the fact that Lin Sanjiu had successfully escaped from their clutches. Sneering, she continued to say, "If I wasn't too lazy to carry you on my back, you would have passed out a long time ago."
Her words suddenly gave Lin Sanjiu an idea. Before she could voice up, Tunnel turned to look at her.
The lenses of his rectangular spectacles glinted under the sunlight. Lin Sanjiu could not see through his expression right now.
"Lollipop," Tunnel tore his gaze away and frowned at the girl, "Mind your language. That wasn't something your model should say."
Lollipop bowed her head submissively, but her pointy and moving chin suggested another attitude.
After a few seconds, she suddenly said, "There is no one else here."
It seemed to Woyu that he was not a human being in the girl's eyes. The realization hit Woyu, and his face turned ugly. His lips quivered a little, trying to verbalize the thought in his mind, but he forwent the attempt in the end.
"Yeah, you are right, there is no one else here. But how about next time? And the time after the next time?" Tunnel's voice became louder and his tone harsher. "Rules are rules. Do you know how serious it could be if you developed the habit of speaking carelessly?"
"I've always been like this. What more do you want from…" Lollipop suddenly raised her voice and shouted back. However, she stopped mid-sentence and stole a glance at Lin Sanjiu. After that, she swallowed the second half of her sentence back into the pit of her stomach and apologized reluctantly. "Okay, I got it. I will be more careful next time."
Tunnel nodded in approval and turned his head back to Lin Sanjiu. "Ikkaku," he said, causing Lin Sanjiu, who was counting down the time in her heart, to jump and jerk her head up.
"Mind your own business," the bespectacled man sounded a little dissatisfied, "Otherwise, I don't have to cross the line and teach her a lesson."
'Cross the line? What does he mean by that? And what is the job Ikkaku is tasked for?"
Lin Sanjiu knew she could not show any confusion at this point. Hence, she just nodded without saying anything.
Another long silence ensued.
After several minutes, Lin Sanjiu looked at the two men in front. She went close to Lollipop, pitched her voice low, and whispered to her, "You can give him to me."
The girl was slightly stunned. "What?"
As the sky cleared up, Lin Sanjiu found that the girl had put on heavy makeup. Her chin was protruded, but it was not as pointy as the first time she saw her. Right now, it looked like the misplaced nose of a witch. The reason why the girl's chin looked strangely sharp and long in an ill-lit condition was that she had patted a thick layer of dark-colored contour powder on both sides of her chin.
Lin Sanjiu was confident that the girl didn't do that out of beauty aesthetic. Just like Ikkaku did not paint his face white because he thought he looked good that way.
"Give him to me," Lin Sanjiu said simply. She did not want to speak too much, for she did not welcome any chances of blowing her guise. "I am taller, so it is easier for me to carry him."
"You're crossing your line, too?" Lollipop gave Lin Sanjiu a glance as a faint smile flitted across her face. She looked at Tunnel in front and shoved Woyu into Lin Sanjiu's arm without any hesitation. "Well, if you insist, then here, take him."
Even though Woyu wasn't good at combat, he was smart and he was a good actor. The second Lin Sanjiu's hand connected with the nape of his neck, his body went limp as he fainted onto her body.
After that, Lin Sanjiu continued to walk at the rear of the team.
"Don't be so happy yet," she spoke in a muted tone when the grass rattled with the wind. "Here is where the challenge begins."
Woyu slightly turned his neck, but he still kept his head low, dangling along with the tempo of Lin Sanjiu's steps.
"I can only keep up my disguise for five minutes." Lin Sanjiu had pitched her voice so low that even she could not hear herself well. "I think… I only have a minute left…"
After half a second, her words finally sank into Woyu's mind, causing his body to stiffen and his fingers to begin to tremble again, which slowly spread to the rest of his body.
He was very clear that once Lin Sanjiu returned to her usual appearance, both of them would once again fall into the same situation as just now. No, perhaps it might be even more perilous than the previous situation.
"Don't fret!"
"I have an idea that can buy us some time," Lin Sanjiu continued. Despite her confident tone, she shot an anxious glance at the three figures in front, craning her neck to observe them better.
'Am I really going to have to do this?'
Nevertheless, this was not the right timing to be indecisive. Before she could make up her mind, [Pygmalion Choker] began cooling down. She jumped when she felt the cold seep into her skin, snapping her out of her thoughts. She angled her head down, only to see her own hair sliding down her face.
The transformation had dispelled.
The trio was within a stone's reach away from her. It took only one of them turning their heads to get her into huge trouble.
Lin Sanjiu's muscles were all wound up. She did not dare to utter the slightest noise. She even tried to match the pace of their steps. Woyu noticed her changes, and it took all the strength in him to prevent himself from getting up and running away. The trembling of his fingers grew stronger.
"When I say run, you run. You hear me?" She placed Woyu down from her shoulder onto the ground and whispered into his ear.
The young man nodded nonstop, his cheeks quivering madly. He stared fixedly at the three people in front and took a deep breath.
Lin Sanjiu swallowed hard and called out a card.
Their eyes bulged, and a bewildered expression crawled upon their faces when their gazes connected with Lin Sanjiu and the artist's. No matter who they were, be it posthuman or ordinary folk, anybody who came across an unexpected event, their brain would shut down and they would be stunned for a brief moment.
Seizing her golden opportunity, Lin Sanjiu lunged forward and striked Lollipop, who was standing closest to her, with a palm. When [A Twinkle In The Sky] activated, the young girl was hurled towards the horizon and disappeared like a star. Lin Sanjiu could even hear the "ting" sound ring out in her ears.
The girl did not have the chance to use her skirt even af
ter she was defeated.
"Run!"
Right after she landed the successful hit, Lin Sanjiu caught sight of a huge shadow charging straight at her through the corner of her eyes. She did not fight back but instead let out a shout, grabbed Woyu by his arm, and bolted towards the forest on the slope.
"Who are you?"
Tunnel's voice erupted behind them. A humanoid Special Item was extremely rare for even the staff of The Munitions Factory. Tunnel thought the artist was a posthuman at first glance.
It would be much better if the identity of the artist could distract Tunnel even longer. That way, the tide of the battle would turn even more in Lin Sanjiu's favor.
Flame Arm's footfalls were within earshot. It was apparent that he had come up with a plan with Tunnel in the blink of an eye. She picked up her speed and brandished her whip, creating a small-scale tornado before sending it towards the man behind her.
"Why are you running this way too?" the young man yelled out. He was being dragged along by Lin Sanjiu and having a difficult time catching up with her speed. "This—this is where they are heading—"
His question fell on deaf ears, and the tornado failed to perform its duty and stall Flame Arm. He was merely delayed for a brief second. Soon, he continued to sprint towards Lin Sanjiu. He raised his arm, and a similar bright light flooded out of the slit of the mechanical device around his arm.
Just as Flame Arm was about to shoot out the beam of light, Tunnel's angered scream came again. He seemed to finally realize what the artist was, but it was already too late. The artist had already finished depicting the surroundings with two blank spots reserved specifically for both of them.
Even a powerfully built man like Flame Arm could not resist against the suction force of the drawing. His feet were lifted off the ground as he flew backward. His face blanched white, and the mechanical device around his arm suddenly stretched out into a hook, to which he then used to stab into the ground. Even though Tunnel did not get s.u.c.k.e.d into the drawing, he was in no good shape either. Lying on the ground, he was getting dragged towards the artist.
"Oh yeah!" Woyu shouted happily. "We did it!"
"Not yet," Lin Sanjiu chimed in and stopped her pace. Ikkaku was presently still lying unconscious on the ground, oblivious to the situation his comrades were currently in.
"Wake him up!" Lin Sanjiu ordered. As she stared in the artist's direction, she slapped the [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac] on Ikkaku's c.h.e.s.t.
"Why?"
"Because we need him to lead us to The Munitions Factory."
Chapter 741 - Jail
It only took Lin Sanjiu no more than ten seconds to acquire Ikkaku's "combat system" and return it to him. While he was unconscious, Lin Sanjiu touched his body and turned all his clothes and items into cards, leaving only his u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r to cover his nether regions. After fainting twice, Ikkaku finally regained his consciousness. The moment he flipped his eyes opened and lowered his head, he instantly recognized what kind of situation he was in right now.
Even if he did not wear a heavy layer of white powder on his face, Lin Sanjiu was certain that his face would look just as pale.
"Now, talk. How did you guys get here?" asked Lin Sanjiu as she pressed the [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac] to his b.a.r.e c.h.e.s.t.
Ikkaku glanced at the tiny box in the hand of the woman in front of him. The memory of getting his combat system f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y pulled out of his body was still vividly clear in his mind. Fear flickered in his eyes, but there was no expression on his face. Behind Lin Sanjiu, Flame Arm and Tunnel were screaming and yelling as they tried their best to fight off the suction force of the drawing.
"Either you speak now," Lin Sanjiu urged Ikkaku as she pressed the box even harder on his skin, "Or I take away all your operating systems and let you die in your dream. What do you say?"
It stood to reason that she was on the tenterhook. There were only several minutes left before the effect of the [Oh My God! My Wallet Is Missing] was gone, and once they got access to their Special Items, the drawing wouldn't be able to hold them off anymore. Lin Sanjiu compressed her lips as she thought.
"Wait!" Perhaps he was scared by the expression on her face, for Ikkaku hastily said, "It's the squad that sent us here!"
The muscles on his face looked stiff, but when he began to speak, the first impression she had of him, which was of a cold and expressionless man, shattered. It seemed like an actor stepping out of his role.
"Squad from The Munitions Factory?" Lin Sanjiu pressed on.
'Is it the same squad as Silvan's from when I first met him?'
"Yes, and we are the combatants," Ikkaku continued to say, as he thought Lin Sanjiu was very familiar with The Munitions Factory. "After we finish our given mission, we just need to send them our location and the squad will come to pick us up."
Lin Sanjiu cursed inwardly. 'How am I going to hijack a vehicle from them if that is the case?'.
"What is your mission? To kill me?"
Ikkaku was slightly stunned, and although there was no expression on his face, the aura about him changed. "W—Well, we were hired by someone, so you shouldn't be lashing out at us…"
"I will decide that. Who is the one that hired you?"
"I don't know—"
The second the words slid off his lips, Lin Sanjiu activated the [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac].
When Ikkaku woke up the third time, he breathed like a man struggling in a marathon as his forehead beaded with hot sweat.
"W—what was that?" As rivulets of sweat trickled down his face, they dampened the white powder and clogged the pores on his face. He swiveled his eyes around maniacally before staring fixedly at the [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac]. He seemed very much afraid of the tiny box in Lin Sanjiu's hand.
"That is none of your business," Lin Sanjiu said through gritted teeth. She pricked her ears up to listen to the movement behind her and continued. "I will ask you again. Who is the guy that hired you?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please, please don't do that again. I really don't know who he is!" Ikkaku pleaded. "We don't interact directly with the clients. It is the factory's commissioning department that accepts the job, and we only carry out the mission based on their order!"
Lin Sanjiu squinted her eyes, feeling skeptical about Ikkaku's statement. As she pondered about the truth of his words, Woyu suddenly spoke up, his eyes red and bloodshot. "What about my committee members? What have you guys done to them?"
Ikkaku threw him a glance and closed his mouth. After a few seconds, he looked at his comrades, who were playing a tug-of-war game with the drawing, and said, "Did Lollipop not tell you already? They are gone."
Woyu froze at the answer. When he began speaking again, his words were broken and his voice quivered. "Gone? What do you mean by 'they are gone'?"
"We received a clear order that we could adopt any necessary measure so long as we accomplish the mission and subdue our target, including killing anybody who has any sort of relationship with her," said Ikkaku. Then, he lowered his head, and there was dead silence in the air for a moment. He continued, "We didn't want to do that, but this woman, she is too good at hiding. And it was such a coincidence that your committee managed to successfully track her down, so we decided to head towards your committee first."
Woyu raised his head and looked at Lin Sanjiu, his face blank. There was water swirling in his eyes, and his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish gasping for air, but no words came out.
"Pull yourself together!" Lin Sanjiu shouted and gave a slap to his face. "Now is not the time to mourn for your friends!"
It was only when a red weal appeared on his cheek that Woyu snapped back to reality, blinking his eyes. Lin Sanjiu turned the [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac] back into a card. Then, without giving Ikkaku a chance to get back on his feet, Lin Sanjiu slapped her hand on his shoulder.
Ikkaku did not even have the chance to do anything before he was hurled upward, drawing a perfect arc in the air and eventual
ly disappearing into the sky like Lollipop.
Coincidentally, as Ikkaku was thrown into the sky, Flame Arm yelled behind her. He brandished his arm and threw something into the ground. After that, a humanoid figure clad in an iron suit appeared out of thin air on the grassy plain.
"What the hell was that?" Lin Sanjiu whispered.
"It's an iron golem," Woyu answered.
The iron golem dragged itself towards Flame Arm and Tunnel, its pace sluggish and heavy. When it was near enough, Flame Arm grabbed tightly at its arm and yelled out to Tunnel, "Tunnel, use your Special Item! We can use them now!"
Just when Tunnel was struggling to grab onto the golem's shin, the burly man twisted his body and hurled something small that looked like a green bean towards Lin Sanjiu. It rotated under the dawn-laden sky and plopped into the grass.
"Artist!"
On Lin Sanjiu's command, the poorly-dressed artist took his brushes and paint bucket, and began running towards Lin Sanjiu. Just as he was about to reach her, a metallic jingle came from the grass and an iron golem rose up. It stretched its arm forward to reach for the artist.
Lin Sanjiu rushed a few steps forward and delivered a flying kick to the iron golem's knee. Her legs went numb for a few seconds, but it was more than enough. Seizing the opportunity as the iron golem staggered back, she slapped at the artist and turned him back into a card.
After that, she turned to Woyu and yelled, "Come with me!"
Without the artist, the suction force of the drawing would decrease dramatically. Taking advantage of the few seconds, she pulled Woyu, and together, both of them threw themselves into the forest.
"Why are we coming back? It is a dead-end here! There is a big river across the slope, and there is no way we can cross that!" The young man's face was pale as a sheen. "We should run towards the outside of the forest and wait for the airplane…"
"Who said I'm running away from them?"
"If we are not running away—" Woyu suddenly stopped midway through his sentence, as he almost bit his tongue. He took a deep breath to calm down his jumping heart and continued. "Then what are we doing here?"