Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  She felt like the three of them had received a common secret mission. Nevertheless, nobody could understand what they were doing and they could not explain it either.

  It may not have been normal, but Silvan and Yu Yuan were in the same state as well. Even though they did not speak, through their occasional eye contact, Lin Sanjiu was very certain that like her, they had to carry out this secret mission no matter what.

  "You will understand when you see the Theater of Athens." Silvan smiled at them after he stashed the communication device away. "It is the most ideal place for us. Why don't you go ahead of me and wait for me there? I have to return to the Munitions Factory first and join my subordinates. I will meet up with you two at the theater later."

  "How many people will be going to the theater?" Yu Yuan asked, stopping beside a public transport information board. "Although I came to Heaven Underworld before, I have never been to the Theater of Athens."

  "Don't worry," answered Silvan. He patted the public transport information board, and a handful of coins rolled down the groove. "They are going big this time, and all the people invited are important personages in the Twelve Worlds."

  Even though the old human society had collapsed in the wake of the end of the world, some of the practices just wouldn't change. It seemed like the more capable you were or the higher the status you held, the more people would go around you.

  A smile crawled upon Lin Sanjiu's face. She did not know why, but she was happy when she heard a lot of people would be going there.

  The information board lit up and a burst of white light erupted on the top. The light slithered downward like a snake and soon vanished into the ground. The trio waited for a while, and then the ground began to shake. Accompanied by a rumbling noise, the ground began to split apart and a tunnel appeared.

  "After you come out of the black racer, you will find yourself at a corner behind the Theater of Athens. Remember, don't try to get into the theater alone before you see me, lest anything bad happens," Silvan instructed.

  After answering him with a "yes", Lin Sanjiu and Yu Yuan jumped into the tunnel and found themselves inside a rectangular space. It seemed like a subway station platform that was built as an afterthought. There was only a thin layer of cement underneath their feet, and the walls were still covered in soil.

  Since both of them were tall, they had to lower their heads so that they wouldn't bump into the lamps that were dangling on the ceiling. They walked to the edge of the platform and stopped in front of a deep black tunnel. They did not wait too long and a burst of squeals came from the other end of the tunnel and the lamps began to sway. As their surroundings were thrown into a limbo of light and dark, a long snake composed of a number of wooden cars slowly crawled out of the dark.

  It looked like some kind of handicrafts and they couldn't believe that they could actually ride it to their destination. With a little curiosity and hesitation, Lin Sanjiu hopped into the belly of the snake. As soon as the door closed, absolute darkness engulfed them. When a small lamp lit up above them, the snake suddenly accelerated.

  Even though it might not look like it, the wooden snake's speed was fast. Both of them sat quietly on the floor as they waited with bated breaths for the moment they arrived at their destination.

  "How many more chances do you have left?" Lin Sanjiu suddenly asked.

  "Two more. I spread it to one person when we were at Bliss," Yu Yuan sighed as he leaned against the wall of the wooden snake. "I'm different from your friend. I don't think there is anyone who could say no to him."

  "I have used up all my chances." Lin Sanjiu fell into her thoughts for a moment and consoled Yu Yuan even though she didn't know why she wanted to. "I will see how I can help you. Besides, you look decent."

  Yu Yuan c.a.r.e.s.sed the wolf head on his cheek. He smiled lightly but did not say anything.

  As they were talking, Mrs. Manas's distant voice once again appeared in her brain, prompting Lin Sanjiu to wonder what the secret mission was again. However, no matter how hard she tried to think, she could not remember anything.

  The wooden snake was fast. When they stepped out of the platform and into the night, both of them couldn't help but take a deep breath.

  The terrain that surrounded the Theater of Athens was breathtaking.

  It sat beautifully underneath the bluish night sky. It was cold but the mountains were amazing, their graceful undulating shadows stretching far into the distance. There was a lake at the heart of the mountain range, and in the center of the lake was a pure white building that reminded Lin Sanjiu of ancient Greek architecture, splendidly illuminated. Touched by the blowing wind, ripples formed and began spreading in an ever-widening circle. As the wavelets spread out, they shattered the reflection of the theater and caused the entire lake to seem like a pool of diamonds in the people's eyes.

  Standing by the lake, both of them s.u.c.k.e.d deep cold air into their lungs.

  Just as Silvan had said, the exit of "black racer" was at the base of a cliff not far away from the Theater of Athens. Groups of posthumans were walking towards the theater, looking like a string of black dots in Lin Sanjiu's eyes. Everyone stepped onto the bridge one by one and vanished into the ball of dazzling light.

  "I didn't expect the theater to be on a lake," Yu Yuan said. "Look, there is only one bridge that links to the theater."

  "Yeah." Lin Sanjiu scanned her surroundings and said, "Once the bridge is broken, nobody can get out of there." When she said that, she turned around and looked at Yu Yuan, "Hey, do you think we should…"

  'Should what?'

  Before she could finish her sentence, she fell into a trance.

  However, Yu Yuan apparently understood what she wanted to say. He lowered his head and frowned as he fell into his thoughts.

  "No… Destroying the bridge wouldn't do anything." He shook his head. "Didn't Silvan say that everyone who was invited tonight is those big wigs in the Twelve Worlds? I don't think a lake can hold them for long."

  "That is true."

  Lin Sanjiu sighed. She leaned against the cliff and said, "I guess we'll have to wait for him then."

  Fortunately, Silvan did not make them wait for too long. Soon enough, they heard the dull roars of several choppers from the sky. Several choppers spread and landed around the lake, giving rise to a strong gust in the canyon. According to Silvan, those hopping down from the choppers were the last group of the security department's members in the Munitions Factory. The figures wearing the Munitions Factory's uniforms quickly dispersed and stood guard at several entrances to the canyon. Both of them craned their necks and watched for a moment, and then they soon saw a tall familiar figure.

  Silvan strode towards them as his subordinates looked on, his golden hair fluttering in the night breeze. He seemed to be particularly suited to the night. His deep blue uniform seemed to have merged with the night sky, and his emerald eyes were especially shiny in the night.

  "So? Did you spread it?" Lin Sanjiu hastily asked.

  "No," Silvan replied with a toothy grin. "There is no use in me spreading it in the Munitions Factory, so I decided to save all my chances for the Theater of Athens."

  Sighing dejectedly, Lin Sanjiu followed after him along with Yu Yuan towards the Theater of Athens. "I can't believe that I wasted my chance just like that. How come Jezebel was not affected by it?"

  Nobody could answer that question. The three of them walked past the security department's members and stepped onto the bridge. The water was rippling. The wind was comfortable. The stars peppered the sky above the mountain in the distance, but their brilliance was nothing compared to the resplendent white building in front of them.

  As a very densely populated area, there was without a doubt a sterilization room behind the door of the theater.

  As the posthumans in front of them filed into the sterilization room, Silvan gestured at a guard and led them onto the second floor. The theater seemed to be the product of the modern age, and even though
the Twelve Worlds had done some renovations, it still retained much of its original appearance. There was a row of boxes in the second floor. The three of them walked into one of the boxes and looked at the people below as they slowly filled the theater.

  "Do you see the woman over there?"

  Silvan settled his palm on the bal.u.s.ter and nudged his chin. Yu Yuan followed his gaze and looked ahead. Then he said, "The woman wearing a picture hat?"

  "Yes. She has a very special ability. She can exchange information with people by kissing. Go and approach her. Tell her that I am your friend. There is a good chance you can spread it to her."

  Yu Yuan's eyes lit up. After he thanked Silvan, he turned around and left. However, before he exited the box, he stopped and asked, "Are you not going down?"

  Smiling, Silvan leaned on the bal.u.s.ter.

  Beams of light shot out of the theater behind him, casting a halo of light around his body. He gazed at Lin Sanjiu and smiled. "Don't worry. I can get it done here."

  Chapter 775 - Peaceful Theater

  It was never in Lin Sanjiu's wildest dream that she would get a chance to see humans' art from the past again after so many years had passed since the doomsday arrived.

  The theater was immersed in darkness, leaving only the center of the stage brightly lit by several beams of light. It looked like an island floating in the dark. There was a curvaceous woman wearing a floor-length gown standing amidst the pool of dazzling light, her eyelashes white. She held her head high and kept her eyes shut as she sent the last note spiraling up into the air. The melody rushed out of the sea of light and reverberated off the dome as if sea waves were crashing onto the cliff.

  Putting on performances such as musicals, solos, or other forms of art before the auction's start seemed to have become a norm in the Twelve Worlds. If one were to see this scene now, he or she might mistake this for a world that hadn't been destroyed by the doomsday yet. However, when the singer's powerful voice flushed through her soul like a sea tide, only then did Lin Sanjiu snap out of her reverie and accept the fact that the singer was indeed a posthuman.

  After all, there was no way a normal person's voice could be this impactful.

  Like a spear, the singing from the other realm pierced through their bodies and into the depth of their psyches, stirring at their nerves again and again and again with each high note she reached. It caused them to tremble uncontrollably, and some of them even cried.

  The singing was the singer's evolving ability. It would amplify the power of her voice by a thousandfold. After she'd finished singing, a great round of applause erupted from the silent theater.

  Humans. No matter how well they evolved, some things just couldn't change. As long as they still stayed as human beings, they would react violently towards something that touched their souls.

  Even Lin Sanjiu, who wasn't in a very good condition right now, was infected by the atmosphere. She followed their example and clapped her hands. All the boxes on her left and right were flickering nonstop, casting light on their faces again and again. Pressing forward, Silvan whispered into her ear, "That's how they acknowledge the singer and performers. I think we should do the same. After all, it was quite a show, don't you think?"

  His breath tickled Lin Sanjiu's ears. Just as she turned her head, she saw him push a button on the bal.u.s.ter. A beam of light shot out and illuminated the entire box. Nevertheless, unlike the other boxes, their light stayed on even after a long time. A murmur ensued and began to spread across the crowd of audiences below. Piqued by curiosity, the singer spun around, and when she saw Silvan, a startled expression, though swift, dawned upon her face. She soon nodded slightly as a sign to express her gratitude.

  Once the singer left the stage, only then did Lin Sanjiu return to her seat. She asked, "The performance was awesome, but… you still have three chances left, right? Have you found your target?"

  "Don't worry. I have it all planned out."

  Silvan snuggled down in an armchair and stretched his legs straight. The faint light from the outside illuminated half of his face, drawing a silvery line across his hair, nose, lips, and neck.

  Lin Sanjiu nodded. She seemed rather unconvinced. Before she could voice her doubt, Silvan spoke up first, his face calm like a placid lake and his eyes shining bright like two emeralds. "But I don't like other people kissing me."

  "Huh?" Lin Sanjiu became dazed for a moment. Then her brows scrunched up. "But how are you going to spread it if you don't like people touching your lips? No, you have to… No, you must let people kiss you. Otherwise, we will…"

  "Hey, hey, hey, calm down. Listen to me first," Silvan chimed in, his voice warm and soft as if he was murmuring beside her ear. "You don't necessarily need to kiss somebody to spread it."

  Then, it was at this moment that Mrs. Manas's voice came again, vague and weak. Mrs. Manas had switched tactics. She gave up screaming and just kept repeating the same sentence again and again, "...Think carefully… What… are you… spreading..."

  It was a good question, but unfortunately, just like how the wind did not leave any signs when it blew across the water's surface, her words did not leave any impression on Lin Sanjiu's mind. She soon forgot about them. She gave Silvan a disapproving stare and said, "So what are you going to…"

  Her sentence was interrupted by a series of approaching footsteps. She knew it wasn't Yu Yuan because the sound the person was making when walking suggested that she was wearing stilettos. Lin Sanjiu raised her head, and then the singer appeared at the door to their box.

  When she walked, her gown swirled and flickered like a river of stars. On closer inspection, Lin Sanjiu found out that the singer had a sweet face, which did not go very well with her powerful voice. She knocked on the door and smiled at them.

  "I am here to express my deepest gratitude for your kindness. It is rare to meet someone as generous as you. Please accept my deepest thanks." Surprisingly, her voice was smooth and calm, unlike when she was singing on the stage.

  Lin Sanjiu did not know why the girl would say Silvan was being very generous. 'Didn't he only switch on some light?' Lin Sanjiu thought inwardly. Apparently, the singer knew from a single glance that Lin Sanjiu was just fooling around, though she still retained her courtesy and manner. She looked over to Silvan, and then suddenly, her face flushed pink. "Are… are you really a captain from the Munition Factory?"

  "Yes, I am, and no sweat, it was the least I could do for you since you gave us such a remarkable performance." Silvan looked straight into the singer's eyes as he offered her a perfect smile. "Actually, you didn't have to come up here yourself."

  "No, it's okay. I've heard a lot about you." The singer, who was very comfortable facing a thousand people, now looked fl.u.s.tered as she kept her head low. "To be honest, I… actually… erm, anyway, I am very happy to hear that you liked my performance."

  It seemed that her disconcertment had gotten in her way, as she was having a hard time articulating her thoughts into words.

  "Come, take a seat." Silvan stood up and gestured her over to a seat. The singer fidgeted nervously as she took the seat. Picking up a glass of wine in front of him, Silvan shook it as he grinned. "Do you want some wine?"

  The singer nodded. When Silvan handed her the glass of wine, both Lin Sanjiu and the singer were stunned. However, the singer soon came around and took it. Throughout the entire process, she did not even raise her head. She held the glass of wine in her hand but did not take a sip. She kept her eyes focused on a spot on the ground, her body pulled tautly.

  Since her head was lowered, she did not see it. The two people next to her were staring at the glass in her hand. They only averted their gaze after a long time.

  After exchanging glances with Lin Sanjiu, Silvan leaned forward and said something to the singer.

  While they were talking, Lin Sanjiu just sat beside idly and did nothing. Like a shadow, she melted into the darkness. After a short while, Silvan suddenly raised his head up and glanced a
t her.

  Lin Sanjiu's eyes glowed.

  'Is he finally ready to get to the real business?'

  "I hurt my finger just now," Silvan muttered softly, an affectionate smile playing across his lips as he put his finger into his mouth. "It's so painful. Do you want to see it?"

  The singer looked at him, fully petrified. It was only when he placed his finger next to her lips that she realized what he wanted her to do. Her face flushed red with embarrassment. After a short burst of hesitation, she opened her mouth and held his finger in between her lips.

  "That's better," Silvan laughed. "How do you feel right now?"

  Sitting in a trance, the singer's face began to return back to normal. Her embarrassment evaporated as she understood everything. She darted a glance between Lin Sanjiu and Silvan and then nodded calmly. "I understand."

  Lin Sanjiu let out a sigh. It seemed that Silvan still managed to spread it to the singer even though she did not touch his lips.

  "I know you have a lot of fans and admirers in the Twelve Worlds," Silvan continued gently. "That's the reason I came for you."

  "I have three chances, right?" The singer smiled at them after a short pause. "Alright, I can finish all three chances in less than one hour."

  "I believe you can do it," Silvan said softly. "Oh yeah, can you help me find two more girls here…"

  "Lin Sanjiu!"

  While they were talking, Mrs. Manas suddenly shouted. This time her voice was clear and Lin Sanjiu obviously heard it. However, her voice soon turned weak again and Lin Sanjiu could not hear it anymore. "Think… Spread… Not good…"

  'What the hell is she trying to say? Can't she wait until I finish my stuff?'

  Lin Sanjiu sighed frustratedly. She tilted her head up and realized the singer was gone. Silvan returned to his armchair and nestled himself comfortably into the soft fabric. He took a sip of his wine, and when he noticed her gaze, he returned it with a smile. "Maybe the next girl will drink from my wine glass. That will save me a lot of trouble."