Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  On the very far end of the room, right opposite the door, the window had become a slim square of light. And standing in front of the window was a lean, slender figure that silhouetted against the bright sky. His hands rested firmly on the windowsill, and he stood as firm as a ramrod.

  Lin Sanjiu then closed the door and cleared her throat out of nervousness.

  "Are they all gone?" Silvan's euphonious voice rang out, tickling her ears.

  After a half-second of hesitation, she answered, "Yeah."

  Silvan suddenly turned around. He glanced at her and then walked across the room. Pulling out a chair, he nudged his chin at her. "Take a seat."

  Lin Sanjiu hesitantly walked over to the chair. Silvan remained standing still, with one of his hands holding the back of the chair while the other was placed on the table.

  'How am I going to get on the chair if he doesn't move away?'

  Just as she stopped next to the chair and was about to speak, Silvan suddenly pressed forward, his flawless face enlarging in Lin Sanjiu's eyes, and his hair and breath tickled her neck. As she felt a puff of cold air pet her face, she realized that he had removed her mask.

  "Better."

  Looking into his bright emerald eyes, Lin Sanjiu felt they resembled the lakes in a deep forest where the goddess resided. Silvan looked at her unblinkingly, his breath hot and humid. Suddenly, he chuckled, and Lin Sanjiu once again marveled at how charming he was. "You look really different. I almost couldn't recognize you."

  After that, he returned the mask to her. As he walked to the other end of the table to have a seat, Lin Sanjiu ran her fingers across her cheeks and felt the tinge of warmth he left on her face.

  "Are you sure that nothing really happened back then in Mid Mountsburg?" Mrs. Manas asked, skepticism thick in her voice. "It seems to me that something did happen."

  "Can you just be quiet for a minute?"

  Lin Sanjiu's face blushed in embarrassment, but it was also thanks to the question that her rationality returned a little. She then sat down on the chair as she petted her cheeks. She raised her head to hold his gaze. Her eyelashes fluttered underneath her palm as she asked, "So, what do you want? To arrest me as Levin requested?"

  Staring at her, Silvan did not reply.

  Lances of sunlight filtered through the window, casting a golden hue on Silvan's body and making him look even more dazzling than the sun. His glowing emerald gaze bore into her with an intensity that pricked her skin. After a few seconds, he chuckled, again, "What have you been up to after we got out of the library?"

  Taking a deep breath, Lin Sanjiu asked again, "What do you want?"

  "Why didn't you come for me?" Silvan sighed, and although he was sitting very far from her, she felt his warm breath tease her ears.

  "I was almost killed last night, and the killers were sent out by the Munitions Factory," Lin Sanjiu pulled a face and said in a cold tone. "It so happened to be right after you found out I was here, so do you think I would seek help from someone that might possibly want me dead?"

  "So now you know it wasn't me. It was Percival Levin who ordered your death."

  Silvan unbuttoned several buttons on his uniform as if he needed some fresh air. A shadow slid down his throat and merged with the nook in his collarbones. Strands of golden sunlight spilled onto his smooth and firm skin, making it glisten like a polished gem.

  He raised his head and laughed quietly. "Can I sit next to you?"

  Stunned, it was only then that Lin Sanjiu remembered that Silvan was always very gentle to women.

  She rubbed the space between her brows and pretended she hadn't heard him. She then asked through a low voice, "Percival Levin? Is that his name? Why did he want to kill me? I don't understand, I have never met him before."

  "As you know, he is from the combat department," Silvan replied. He walked closer to Lin Sanjiu, pulled a chair, and sat next to her. He rested his arms on his knees and leaned forward, his emerald eyes so enchanting they could absorb your soul. "Some girls used to tell me to stay as far away from them as possible, but considering that it took us so long and with so much trouble to meet, I just can't do that."

  "Did you not meet him just once in the library? What is he to you?" Mrs. Manas's voice was laced thick with suspicion. "Why didn't I know anything?"

  "Don't ask me. I don't know either," Lin Sanjiu replied simply. She kind of understood why those girls wanted Silvan to stay away from them. She tried to calm herself down and asked, "What is wrong with the combat department?"

  "I was a member of the combat department when we first met," Silvan explained. "The combat department of the Munitions Factory is equivalent to half of the mercenary department. Aside from the tasks given by the factory, people from outside would often hire us to help them with a plethora of missions. For example, the assassination of a posthuman."

  In other words, Percival Levin was hired by somebody to kill her.

  "So how can I find out who hired them?"

  "You may try your luck with the captain of the combat department, but I can't guarantee you anything. Sometimes even those higher-ups are not clear about the identity of the hirer," Silvan said with a bitter smile. "When I was the captain for the combat department, I was ambushed several times. All of the ambushes were because they wanted to know who hired us to take their life. However, little did they know, I was as clueless as them."

  'It appears that he's survived pretty well in the Munitions Factory. He used to be the captain of the combat department and now he is the leader of the security department.'

  Hiding her shock by clearing her throat, Lin Sanjiu continued. "Then?"

  "Then our mission would be accomplished," the golden-haired man tittered. "However, I believe that this time, Percival won't be able to complete his mission, as I won't allow him to accomplish it."

  'He is willing to help me?'

  "But do you know that he has set a trap for you?" she frowned. "The description he gave doesn't tally with my features in any way. And if you searched for me according to the description, there would be no way you could get the correct person for him."

  "I know," Silvan said. The smile on his face suggested that he was rather unperturbed by Levin's petty trick. "I knew he set me up, but I couldn't question him about that. Besides, amongst so many targets of the combat department, I am pretty certain that there must be someone that fits the specifics he gave."

  "Why?" Lin Sanjiu asked. "The world has already ended. Why do you still want to plot against each other like this? What can you possibly gain by doing that?"

  However, as soon as the words slipped out of her tongue, she already had the answer.

  Specifically speaking, Heaven Underworld was not an orthodox apocalyptic world. In a way, this member of the Twelve Worlds was far more prosperous and advanced than her own hometown; there was so much to compete for here.

  As if he had heard the most hilarious joke in the world, Silvan laughed. His eyes lit up like two emeralds. "Isn't that just human nature? Please, if you would just take a look outside." He stretched his arm and pointed at the bright sky outside of the window. "Don't you find the Munitions Factory attractive? Don't you think it's worth the shot if that is what you'll be getting at the end of the day?"

  "Both of you are aiming to seize this Munitions Factory?"

  "Well, I don't know about him, but I am. To be more precise, my final goal is not "this" Munitions Factory." He combed his hair back with his hand. When he raised his head and looked Lin Sanjiu in the eye, she found that there was a fervent fire brewing behind his gaze. It burned her; it seemed as if she could see the entire world through his eyes. "There is only one Munitions Factory, and it will be mine."

  Even though she did not know much about the Twelve Worlds, Lin Sanjiu was able to deduce the weight of the Munitions Factory through the flimsy amount of information she attained.

  She nodded, lost for words. After a few seconds, she began to speak again but this time, her voice was laced with deje
ction. "So… is there really no other way to know who is after me? I just can't stand idly without doing anything and wait for him to kill me."

  "The Munitions Factory has a very sophisticated system. If a customer doesn't wish to disclose his or her identity, then no one in the Munitions Factory would know anything about him or her. However, at the same time, we can carry out his or her mission without any difficulty," Silvan said. Then, he shook his head, "As you said, if there is really somebody outside who is after you, then I am sorry. I don't know."

  Crestfallen, Lin Sanjiu rubbed her face.

  "Cheer up, it is not quite hopeless yet. Even though I don't know who's after you, I won't let them get what they want," Silvan said as he looked unblinkingly at her. His gaze seemed to be able to pierce through your skin and drill into your soul. If she hadn't already met him personally in the library, she would never believe that a flawless and gorgeous man like him, who looked like a prince that walked out of a fantasy story, could exist.

  "Do you have any ideas?"

  "Yes, there is a way." Silvan frowned. "But I have to be straight with you. It is a little far from here, and I don't know how likely it will succeed."

  "Never mind that. Do you think it's worth a try?" Lin Sanjiu's eyes glowed. Unbeknownst to her, she had already begun to trust him.

  "If I were you, I would give it a shot," Silvan commented, his rows of pearly white teeth sparkling like diamonds. "I think you're the same type of person like me, aren't you?"

  Lin Sanjiu smiled for the first time since coming into the room. "What is it?"

  "It is a pocket dimension." Silvan stood up. Bathing under the sun, she felt that he was glowing. She stared in awe as he reached for her and pinned her hair behind her ears.

  "It is called the Reverie Libretto."

  Chapter 750 - Put On My Uniform

  Just as Lin Sanjiu wanted to put her mask back on, Silvan interrupted. "This mask is one of the products of the Munitions Factory."

  It seemed that he still hadn't realized the mask was imitated using the [Battle Item]. He gently pushed Lin Sanjiu's arm down as he took the mask away. "It's a miracle that you managed to slip into the factory with it. Now that Percival Levin has tightened his guard, this mask won't get you anywhere."

  "This mask was produced by the Munitions Factory?" Lin Sanjiu asked, as she hadn't known this at all. At a glance, the mask looked just like a piece of human skin. The only thing special about it was that no matter how meticulous she was, she would not be able to find the edge of the mask. It seemed like its edge had merged with the air, and when she had a second look, she felt dizzy, a phenomenon that occurred when there was a slight cognitive disorder in the human brain.

  'Just what kind of technology did they use to create such an item?'

  "Pretty sick, right?" Looking at her expression, Silvan chuckled. "About 80% of the products manufactured in the Munitions Factory can be summed up in one sentence—know what is done, but not why it is done."

  She glanced at him questioningly and said, "What does that mean?"

  "We know how to make them and we know what they can do, but we don't know why they have this kind of effect."

  The golden-haired man rolled the mask up and nudged his chin toward the door. "Our products are mass-produced based on the characteristics we stumble upon after analyzing and dismantling countless Special Items. You know what? You've come to the right place. Here, follow me. I am going to show you around."

  "What? Hey, just hold on for a second." Lin Sanjiu pitched her voice low and said as she followed after him. "Look, I would really love to follow you around and have a look at this place, but now is not the right timing. I need to get out of here fast!"

  "I know. Don't worry about that."

  Silvan turned his head around and offered her a grin. Several strands of golden hair glissaded down his face, looking like ribbons of sunlight that were shattered by the wind. He did not slacken his pace, leaving Lin Sanjiu no other choice but to quicken her steps too. He did not go through the door they entered from but instead led Lin Sanjiu down the corridor next to the door into the depth of the hall.

  When Lin Sanjiu reached a column, she took cover behind it and peeked outside. There were shadows flitting about and muffled noises coming from the entrance. It occurred to her that all the evacuated people were queuing there.

  "Come, this way."

  Just as she was about to open her mouth, she turned around and realized Silvan had disappeared into another door.

  Even though she was very certain that Silvan did not have any reason to be prejudicial to her, she also found that there was no reason for him to make an all-out effort to help her.

  'Is it because I am a woman?'

  Troubled by her messy thoughts, she stepped into the room.

  All the skepticism and doubts she had did not come true in the end. Bathing under the spray of spotlights, Silvan stood facing away from her with his head tilted up. Lin Sanjiu followed his gaze and looked skyward. Then, she was stunned.

  By the time she came around to her senses, she realized there weren't any concrete thoughts in her mind.

  "What… what the hell is this?"

  She found herself unable to peel her eyes away from the thing in front of her. As she stared fixedly at it, she walked forward and stopped next to Silvan.

  There was a huge circular hole in the ceiling of this room that was about a hundred square meters wide. An intricately fashioned, multilayered metallic frame stood tall in the center of this massive room; its surface was highly burnished. A bouquet of multicolored tubes jutted out from its body into the hole above, and the most conspicuous part of this machine was none other than an inverted cone-shaped metal barrel that hung midair.

  Even though Lin Sanjiu was very clear that it was not a Special Item, she could not dismiss the possibility of it being the result of the wisdom of human beings after going through a good deal of blood, sweat, and tears of melding together numerous Special Items.

  "I have an idea on how to get you out of here, but we need its help."

  Keeping his head held up, his Adam's apple slid up and down as he spoke. "What you are seeing right now is one of the greatest inventions of the Munitions Factory. We call it the "Erudite". This one in front of us is Erudite No. 4, and its other eleven brothers and sisters are distributed across the remaining eleven worlds."

  "What… what is its use?"

  Lin Sanjiu ran her eyes across the elephantine machine over and over again as she marveled at the intricacy and ingenuity of its architectural design. She was snapped back to reality after a long while of staring at the machine, as an inner voice was shouting at her that there was a more serious problem awaiting her right now. "Oh yeah, what did you come up with?"

  Hearing her question, Silvan lowered his head. His golden hair slid down his face and covered his cheeks as he kissed the mask in his hand. After that, he raised his head and returned the [Battle Item] to Lin Sanjiu. Smiling, he said, "I need you to put on my uniform."

  Lin Sanjiu stared at the mask for several seconds before she reached out for it. She cleared her throat as surreptitiously as she could and said, "I don't understand. Can you repeat that again?"

  "Percival Levin must have deployed all his men throughout the entire Munitions Factory, and I am pretty sure they will be taking extra care to note those Special Items that could change a person's appearance. But you know what?" Silvan paused. He lifted his hand and began unbuttoning one button at a time. Then, he took off his uniform. Lin Sanjiu attempted to take a peek, but unfortunately, since he wore a white shirt underneath, all she could see was his muscular c.h.e.s.t that vaguely phased through the flimsy layer of fabric.

  "Generally speaking, only the mission holder knows what the target looks like. If you are clothed in my uniform and put on some makeup, with me by your side, you can walk out of here publicly without any troubles."

  After that, he hurled his uniform into the metallic frame in front of him. There wer
en't any bits of sluggishness in his movements. The air moved aside on its own so as not to obstruct his moving range and the uniform traveled in a perfect arc. It seemed as if he was the darling of the universe as everything would act according to his preferences.

  Lin Sanjiu's eyes followed the uniform as it fell perfectly into the inverted cone-shaped metal barrel. Before she could ask anything, Silvan chimed in. "Do you have an extra change of clothes?"

  "Yes, I do."

  The grand prize had prepared a ton of living articles for her and that included clothing. After she handed several sets of clothing to him, she asked, "What do you want them for?"

  "I'll show you with the shirt first," Silvan took over the shirts and put them all into the metal barrel. His emerald green eyes lit up like a child who had gotten some candies. "You might want to take a step back."

  'What?'

  While Lin Sanjiu was assailed by the question, a rumbling noise rang out from the metallic frame. She turned her head around to see that the shirts Silvan threw in just now were moving in a circular motion as the metal barrel began to devour them. As the metal barrel rotated faster and faster, it bleched out more steam into the air from its joints and shrouded half of the room in a blanket of white.

  "Erudite is quite efficient. It's just that it will create a lot of noise." Silvan sighed. "Oh, look, it's done."

  Beams of light illuminated through the hazy steam. Gyrating and intertwining, they eventually formed into a light screen in midair.

  At every convergence point, texts, diagrams, and molecular structures took shape. There was even a stretch of a staggered pattern in midair. Lin Sanjiu felt it was familiar, and it took her several seconds before she found that it was actually the woven design of a fabric.

  "It is an overkill to use Erudite to analyze a uniform, so the results are fewer," Silvan explained as he paced towards Erudite, seemingly operating something. "...In the general run of things, if we were analyzing Special Items, it would yield more "perspectives". Sometimes, it reaches a thousand."