Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  Then, as she surveyed down the town, a pair of massive, swollen feet, which did not go very well with their flip-flops, appeared in Lin Sanjiu's sight.

  "Oh my god, you look just like a stick!"

  'Woman?' It was only now that Lin Sanjiu realized the person was a lady. She angled her head towards the direction of the voice and met the lady in her eyes. Lin Sanjiu noticed that years had left some marks on the woman's face, and there were locks of prem.a.t.u.r.e grey hairs dangling in front of her forehead. Her eyes, which deeply sunk in her jowly face, were gleaming with suspicion. "Why are your hands empty?"

  "I've already finished them," Lin Sanjiu said as she measured the older woman up and down. She did not know why, but she felt as if she had seen the woman before.

  "You've finished all your food? Why didn't you stuff more food in your pockets if you knew you were going to finish it fast? You see, there is still a lot of space here, here, here and here. I don't understand why you are so stupid and careless," the fat lady chided as she licked her lips. "This is Peanut Town, and you are as thin as a rake. Mayor Orlean has prepared so many resources and made our lives blissful, yet here you are, behaving like a poor, malnourished girl with a pathetic body, who is willing to wear more clothes than bring more food. You are such a disappointment. I despise you."

  Lin Sanjiu frowned.

  Even though the fat lady criticized her, she kept her voice extremely low.

  "What do you have in mind?" Lin Sanjiu continued to stare at the fat lady's face as she inwardly tried to match her face with the list of people she previously met.

  The fat woman licked her lips again.

  The angry light on her face ebbed away like melting ice. She glanced at the police officers and then around her. After she found that nobody was looking at them, she giggled. "I didn't bring much either, but I can't bear to look at your heart-rending body anymore."

  Before she finished her sentence, she extended her hand and hurled a hefty bag into Lin Sanjiu's embrace. "Here, take this. If you don't like it, just throw it away." After that, without waiting for Lin Sanjiu to say something, she turned around and deftly squeezed herself into the crowd of people despite her large body size.

  For Lin Sanjiu, merely a few hours had passed, but for the high school girl, she had spent most of her life.

  Feeling that this might be her only chance to know more about this town, Lin Sanjiu took a few quick steps and followed after the girl. When she was within her reach, she stretched out her arm to reach for the high school girl and tapped on her shoulder. "Hey!"

  The girl jumped out of shock. She turned her head around, and when she saw Lin Sanjiu, her brows raised up. As the angry look on her face intensified, Lin Sanjiu hastily said, "I know you!"

  "So?" The high school girl sneered coldly.

  Lin Sanjiu took a glance at the few bags of food in her arms and talked to her in a hushed voice, "If you can talk to me and answer a few questions of mine, I will take all of these."

  Perhaps the townspeople of Peanut Town felt it was a burden for them as well to consume such large amounts of food daily. With that thought in mind, she thought her plan was going to work and the girl was definitely going to take up her offer. However, little did she expect that the high school girl's face suddenly went white as she snapped nervously, "What the hell are you talking about?"

  "Aren't you tired of eating the food?"

  "What? Do you hear yourself?" It seemed like the girl had gotten really mad this time. "Isn't it normal to be tired when eating? We just need to take a small break and then we can eat again! Don't think you can speak nonsense just because I showed you some kindness. Mayor Orlean has worked very hard for our town, and I am more than willing to eat as much as I can for him even if it will cost my life!"

  After she finished speaking, she stretched her arm forward and tried to snatch the bag away from Lin Sanjiu. It was at this moment that the police officers finally noticed them. They yelled at them, "Hey! What are you guys doing? Disperse! You can't walk together!"

  Standing still like a ramrod with a bag of food in her hand, Lin Sanjiu's eyes darted from one person to the next. The smell of the smoked ribs, fried chicken, and spices that lingered in the air assaulted her nostrils. However, instead of working up her appetite, it nauseated her.

  The scene when the tattooed man made up the poem once again surfaced in her brain.

  'Do not go gentle into that good night,

  'Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

  'Do not go gentle into that good night,

  'Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'

  As the correct version flitted across her mind, she raised her wrist and looked. The royal blue tattoo ink reflected the sunlight and emitted a strange light. It seeped into the lines of her skin as if she had been born with it.

  Freedom.

  This was her true phrase.

  Chapter 758 - Soon-to-be Newlyweds

  The phrase felt heavy on her wrist as if it weighed a ton. Lin Sanjiu pulled her sleeve lower and hid her wrist. When she raised her head, she realized the police officers had been looking at her.

  The commotion had attracted several more police officers in the surroundings. Holding their guns tight, they put their heads together while riveting their eyes on her.

  Lin Sanjiu tried to make herself look as calm as possible. She followed behind a man and casually walked away.

  As she walked, she dug her hand deep into the bag and took out a thick piece of roasted pork rind. She then stuffed the pork rind into her mouth, and after barely chewing, she swallowed as the police officers continued to look on.

  She kept gobbling down the pork rind until the police officers withdrew their gazes. She let out a breath and slowed down her chewing speed. As she thought over the happenings of the day, her gaze met and locked with a man's eyes. He was wearing a sapphire shirt, and the second he noticed she had discovered his presence, he hastily lowered his head and shoved his hand into the bag in his embrace.

  He rummaged in the bag but came out empty-handed. He then moved his hand close to his mouth and took a bite; his cheeks puffed up like a hamster, looking as if he was actually eating something. When Lin Sanjiu looked at him with a confused gaze, the man peeked at her through the corner of his eyes and smiled.

  Lin Sanjiu glanced at the group of police officers in the distance, and when she shifted her gaze back to the man, she saw him walking towards her. Just when she was in a dilemma of what to do, the man brushed past her and said in a low voice, "Be careful. They will check your bag at the end of the stroll session."

  After that, he continued walking and headed out of her sight.

  Lin Sanjiu lowered her head and checked her bag. Looking at the bag full of food, she was certain that she could not finish it all in time.

  She wanted to leave this hogpen, but the entire area was fully surrounded by groups of police officers and there was nowhere to go. Besides, everything in Peanut Town looked broken and dilapidated. Around the townsfolk's stroll garden, there were plenty of cameras installed on top of the recently fitted electric fence, descrying every movement of the townspeople.

  A banner with a line that read "We care for your safety" could be seen fluttering next to a camera.

  Why would the man remind her?

  Lin Sanjiu frowned as she gazed at the sapphire-colored figure. She knew the man must be up to something, but the only way to find out was go after him. Just as she made up her mind, a speaker above her crackled and a police officer's voice blared out. "Attention! A witness report has been made to us that a terrorist has infiltrated into Peanut Town. Hence, starting from this second, everyone must keep at least one meter away from each other. Failure to comply with this rule may result in instant disciplinary action. We hope everyone will abide by the rule and work together with us to find the terrorist so that we can return Peanut Town to peace as soon as possible. Thank you."

  Lin Sanjiu tilted her head up and caught sight
of a figure behind the window of the town hall. Apparently, Mayor Orlean had noticed them when the man was whispering to her.

  Realizing the gravity of the situation, she gritted her teeth and asked inwardly, "Mrs. Manas, I can't use any of my abilities right now. Can't you do something about it?"

  She waited for a few seconds but heard no reply. Just when she wondered where Mrs. Manas had gone, she finally heard the manifestation of her Higher Consciousness's voice say, "Hmm? What did you say?" Her voice slurred a little and it sounded as if she had just awoken from a nap. "Oh, you mean your Evolving Abilities? All your evolving abilities are within your body, and when you are in a dream, your connection to your body is the weakest…"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Let me put it in this way. Your ability is a material thing, while your dream is a spiritual thing," Mrs. Manas said, her voice unstable. "Even if you could use [Planar World] here, what could you put into a card? Nothing is corporeal here. It's just a dream that exists in your brain."

  "So there is nothing we can do?"

  Lin Sanjiu let out a disappointed sigh. Before she could continue with anything, a sharp whistle blasted from the speakers on the street, shattering the silence.

  "The stroll session has ended. All townspeople, please return to your respective homes as soon as possible and start the work of the day." The one who spoke was no longer the broadcaster but another female voice with a rough tone.

  After that, the people then began to stagger towards a single direction like a huddle of walruses that were returning to the sea. Lin Sanjiu looked at the bag in her hand, not knowing what to do with it. As she followed the crowd towards the entrance of the street, she realized that she wasn't the only one who couldn't finish her food. After the police officers checked through their bags, almost half of them had to leave the crowd and stand beside the street. Meanwhile, for those who finished their food, all of them quickly left the street as if they were afraid of something.

  "Get down and put your hands on your head!" a police officer roared. "Do not raise your head until you are told to do so!"

  Crestfallen, all of those who didn't manage to finish their food squatted by the roadside. Their faces were drawn and looked dejected. They were breathing hard as their knees poked at their big bellies. Lin Sanjiu saw the high school girl again. Her face had reddened and her cheeks were swollen to a shocking degree. However, she got past the checkpoint eventually and hurried away triumphantly.

  The police officers were not the only ones who stared at their bags. As if they had just woken up from a slumber, the people in Peanut Town all cracked open their heavy eyelids and swiveled their eyes, scanning their surroundings warily. She couldn't find a place to throw her food away, as there were eyes everywhere.

  Suddenly, a series of footfalls slid into her ears and prompted her to raise her head. Once again, the face of the man wearing the sapphire shirt appeared in her sight. There were too many people cramped there, so it was impossible to keep one meter away from each other. Craning his neck, the man stood about half a meter away from Lin Sanjiu and whispered, "If you see anyone throwing their food away, report them to the police. You can make up for the points that will be deducted for your unfinished food."

  Lin Sanjiu looked around. She felt strange about the man's attitude and asked, "Why do you keep helping me?"

  "You're new here, correct?" The man measured Lin Sanjiu up and down from the corner of his eyes as a smile appeared on his face. "I suppose you aren't married yet, are you?"

  Lin Sanjiu's face turned ugly at his words.

  "I can take over your bag. I am not afraid of getting demerits. In exchange, you have to tell me your home address," he giggled. "My rating is higher, so I can ask for it. You have to get married eventually, so rather than marrying somebody you've never met before, why not settle down with somebody you know, like me?"

  "...Where is your wife?" The man looked like he was in his mid-forties, so it was hard to believe that he had not married yet.

  "She broke the law last month, so they took her away," the man shrugged. "She'd given birth to two children, so although she ended up going astray, she still made a considerable amount of contributions to Peanut Town."

  After that, he sighed. "But it's also good that she was taken away. After all, she'd gotten so old that she could no longer give back to society anymore."

  Lin Sanjiu stared at him and moved her eyes to his left c.h.e.s.t.

  "Alright." She nodded and then told the man the address that the town hall distributed to her last time. "Give me your address as well. I will go look for you afterward."

  The man was clearly delighted to receive such a positive response from Lin Sanjiu. A happy expression flashed across his face as he said, "I have never heard of your address before, but anyway, forget about it. My house is very easy to find. At the center of the town, there is a two-stories red-brick apartment. I live there. There is a ten-minute outdoor activity after lunch; we should meet at that time."

  He blocked both of them with his massive body and took Lin Sanjiu's bag from her. Once the man took her bag, Lin Sanjiu did not go away instantly but instead remained there and asked, "By the way, why were you so sure that I would take up your offer? Did it never cross your mind that I might go back on my words?"

  "Heh!" The man chuckled as if he had heard a joke. "That's because I'm very certain that you don't have a rating and that my rating is higher than yours. The party with a lower rating cannot reject any requests made by the party with a higher rating. Besides, I can see that you are not the type of person who would go back on your words."

  Lin Sanjiu nodded simply. They stopped chatting and then separated. She followed the crowd and got past the checkpoint easily. After a few minutes, she looked back and saw that the man was blocked by the police officers. Like his other folks, he went to the side and squatted down, placing his massive arms on top of his head.

  "Everyone please return to your houses as soon as possible," the female voice rang out once again from the speakers. "For the safety of our town, please log in to your check-in devices respectively. I repeat…"

  The black mountain cast half of the town under its shadow and the shade provided a cover for Lin Sanjiu. She walked along the street as she studied the cameras. She scanned her surroundings and then ducked into the shadows behind the wall. There was a dumpster in front of her, emitting an offensive stench that made the gastric juice in her stomach bubble.

  Although she could not use her abilities, she was still a posthuman after wall. She picked up a brick beside the dumpster and walked to the entrance of the street. She poked her head out and then hurled the brick straight at the camera, shattering it. After that, she weaved her way through the street to avoid the other cameras. Very soon, she arrived at the red-brick apartment by following the road signs.

  The population of Peanut Town had exploded to the degree that the people were no longer able to stay in single floor houses. As such, the two-stories building in front of her had become the most common type of building in Peanut Town.

  Lin Sanjiu did not walk into the apartment immediately, as the door was locked and she did not want to raise any alarms. She hid by the roadside and when a resident opened the door, she followed behind him and slipped into the building.

  The man's name was Smith. He stayed on the second floor, room 209, which was the last unit at the end of the corridor. As expected, Smith did not lock the door. However, it was not because he was living in a secluded community and it seemed unnecessary to lock the door, but that there weren't any locks on each of the doors.

  At the spot where there should be a lock, there was a round hole as large as a human head. Every door had the same hole, and anyone could peek into the room through it.

  Lin Sanjiu stepped into the room and then closed the door. She walked towards the kitchen, and to her surprise, aside from the pile of food, she could not find a knife or scissors. The apartment was seemingly designed to house a patient w
ith mental problems. She could not find any sharp objects or utilities. Smith did not even own a belt. Perhaps he was so fat that he no longer had to worry about his pants sliding down?

  In the end, she had no other choices but to collect all of Smith's shoelaces and tie them into a large rope. Just when Lin Sanjiu finished all the preparations, the door opened.

  Chapter 759 - The Neighbours Listened Attentively To Their Conversation

  Lin Sanjiu had underestimated a fatty's power and overestimated the strength of shoelaces.

  She pounced on Smith when he stepped into the apartment and coiled the shoelaces tightly around his neck, like a snake strangling its prey. The shoelaces sank into the layers of fat around his neck. Startled, Smith struggled as he bludgeoned her in the head and shoulders with all his might.

  Braving against Smith's salvo of attacks, Lin Sanjiu daren't let go of the shoelaces and grasped the two ends as tight as possible. It was just that with Smith's massive body and his rampaging, it was difficult for a person of her size to fully restrain him. Suddenly, the shoelaces snapped. Her hands lost their grip and she fell back.

  Huffing and puffing like a freight train, Smith fell to the floor, his face a purplish-red.

  His eyes bulged as if they might pop out of their sockets as he wheezed, disbelief accentuating his tone, "It's… it's you…"

  However, before he could finish his sentence, something in his eyes glowed. He turned around, scrambling towards the door, and shouted, "Somebody…"

  There was no way Lin Sanjiu was going to give him the chance to call for help. She picked up a shoe from the floor, slapped him in the face, and then shoved it into his mouth. Unwilling to admit himself outdone, Smith fought back. He swung his arms and threw about his legs furiously. It was never in Lin Sanjiu's dream that Smith's reaction would be so violent, and the funniest thing was that he was by far the toughest target for her to subdue.