The ex-guard's figure gradually faded away on the mountain road. Eventually, Lin Sanjiu could no longer see him with her current eyesight. The cool breeze blew past silently, leaving the green trees swaying in the wind. Lin Sanjiu shuddered and snapped out of her trance. It was as if a spell had been lifted.
During the few minutes she had been staring at the "elevator man", he had been staring at the pendant in his hand as if he was fascinated.
Actually, there wasn't much to see. After all, this was real life, not a TV series. No one would cut out any boring or unnecessary scenes. For a few minutes, the haggard woman just leaned against the elevator door without moving. Only the numbers on the elevator screen continued to rise: 24690, 24691 … The former security guard watched with great interest. He could not help but introduce the rules of the elevator dungeon, just like a commentator introducing the history of a player in a match.
When they were about to part ways, Lin Sanjiu studied the man's face. She considered for a few seconds whether she should kill him or not.
At that moment, the ex-guard looked into her eyes and suddenly said, "Even though it's not as scary as that pocket dimension, it was still dangerous in the hospital elevator, right?" Then, he threw the pendant back into his collar. His expression was neither relaxed nor solemn. It was as if he was just chatting about the weather.
"Alright, I have to go. Thank you for sending me," he added.
Lin Sanjiu's thoughts were interrupted. She couldn't say a single word in response, nor could she nod her head. She could only stay where she was and watch as he waved his hand and bowed to bid farewell. Then, he turned around and walked away. Soon, he disappeared from her sight.
Even if he didn't look at the pocket dimension, it would still happen. Those people who died in the elevator had nothing to do with the ex-guard. Not only did he not harm anyone, he even saved their lives once in the hospital elevator.
However, this was the first time Lin Sanjiu felt the urge to kill someone who had done her no harm but had saved her life.
This was one of the benefits of living in an apocalyptic world. In a place where restraint, empathy, and humanity were gradually vanishing, the crudest way to solve a potential problem was to kill the person who caused it. Power allowed for the greatest degree of arrogance.
The only thing holding her back and not letting her do it was the tiny voice in her head that was trying to reason with her. Did this person really do something damned? That was a human life … What right did she have to decide whether or not to take a human life?
When she turned around and walked back, Lin Sanjiu couldn't help smiling bitterly.
No matter who it was, after hearing what Ji Shanqing said, they would have killed him immediately. Hei Zeji was no exception. Gong Daoyi probably had no interest in people who were already 'broken', and the grand prize would never let him live from the very beginning.
It was only with her, and only with her, that the former guard at last showed some of his true colours, spoke a few words of truth, and went boldly and confidently away.
"Why do you have such a face?"
Bohemia ran up to her, but as soon as she stopped, she sensed that something was wrong. Her senses might not be as good as the former guard's, but they were sharp enough. She turned her head to look at the empty road in the distance and said coldly, "If you don't like people like that, just kill them. What's there to be depressed about?"
"It's nothing … Just stay like this. Don't change."
Lin Sanjiu squeezed Bohemia's hand and walked toward the black figure in front of her as Bohemia grumbled, "Are you mocking me?"
The highway was about ten miles west of Big Bear City, and it sunk into the mountains. Walking on the quiet road, no matter where Lin Sanjiu looked, she could only see a vast expanse of lush green mountains under the light gray sky. Oddly enough, the places with fewer traces of human activity actually made her feel more at ease. Lin Sanjiu picked a good spot by the side of the highway where she could overlook the deep green valley and took out her tent.
"Why do you have so many things?" Bohemia crawled on all fours into an orange tent and then came out again. "I want this! Ah, of course, if you don't mind … "
Of course, Puppeteer didn't mind. He waited for the two of them to set up the tent and set up a campfire before he slowly took out his camping equipment. Countless planks, racks, ropes, and cloth were piled on the ground. Like a giant spider, they all came to life and quickly set up a "second floor" not far away. Peering through the black curtain, Lin Sanjiu could vaguely see a spacious and soft bed.
"Do you have more?"
Lin Sanjiu poked her head out of the tent. She could feel the ground beneath her was so hard that it made her panic.
Puppeteer sneered at Lin Sanjiu's delusion and disappeared behind the curtain.
After everything was settled and she memorized the location of the campsite, Lin Sanjiu set off for Big Bear City again. Initially, she hoped that Bohemia would accompany her, but she didn't expect that Bohemia would still side with Puppeteer after weighing the options between lava and Puppeteer. She only gave her two words, "No."
Lin Sanjiu was not used to traveling alone again. She looked back a few times until the shadow of the campsite became smaller and smaller. Finally, she stopped looking back.
Lin Sanjiu spent two whole days on the road outside Big Bear City. She circled the road outside Big Bear City a few times and tried to send out many signals. She also shouted at some lava players from afar. However, no one seemed to have seen a cat.
"The rules that work on humans shouldn't work on animals, right?" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself, a little worried. Otherwise, the hospital would have been full of sparrows, crickets, and stray dogs injured by lava. It was very likely that the cat doctor had already left this place safely.
When Lin Sanjiu thought about it, the probability of meeting Meowie Hu again was much higher than meeting a certain person again. No normal person could refuse his request. In other words, most of the resources in the apocalyptic worlds were open to Meowie Hu. If he wanted to, he could stay in the Twelve Worlds Centrum forever and wait for Lin Sanjiu to find him.
Lin Sanjiu sighed softly when she thought of this.
"The cat doctor must be living in a corner of this world …" When Lin Sanjiu thought of this possibility, she felt "herself" calming down a little. Just like many other human societies, she had already disintegrated into countless pieces when the apocalypse arrived. Every time she had a connection with another human, another piece would be stuck in place and continue to form her shape.
Standing on the hill where the abandoned building was, Lin Sanjiu gazed into the distance. She looked down at Big Bear City and was lost in her own thoughts. When she saw a figure rushing toward her from afar and pouncing on the hill, she shuddered and took two steps back. Before the lava players completed their mission, they couldn't leave the lava's area of effect. Even if the other party had bad intentions, they couldn't chase them to the road.
"Help! Help!"
A man's voice rang out from afar. When the wind blew, the man's voice dissipated into the wind. Lin Sanjiu leaned forward and looked in the direction of the man. She saw that the small figure was getting bigger and clearer. He ran toward her while waving his hand, "Please, someone is chasing me!"
Lin Sanjiu straightened her back and watched as the man stopped beside the abandoned building. Obviously, he didn't know that the exit of the game was right beside him. Of course, it was pointless even if he knew. However, when he was about to reach the road, his face suddenly turned pale.
"This … this is the boundary?" He rubbed his face and looked around in disbelief. "I don't have anywhere else to go?"
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help thinking of her grand prize when his long hair fell from his cheek. It was rare for a man to have such long hair, and it was rare for a man to have facial features as delicate as a girl's. However, compared to Ji Shanqing, his face was a little too pale and blurry. Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but wonder why the gust of wind didn't blow him away.
"Are you no longer a player in the lava?" Even though he was being chased, he was distracted by Lin Sanjiu. His face was blank. "Ah, or do you not know that this is the lava? If that's the case, don't cross the road," the man panicked. He waved his hand at Lin Sanjiu, "This is another apocalyptic world. We don't know where the lava is, and there are people chasing players everywhere … Ah!"
Only then did he remember.
"No, I can't talk to you," he didn't realize that he was the only one talking. He looked around, "She will catch up to us soon …"
"Is the person chasing you Bonnie Bunny?" Lin Sanjiu asked.
The long-haired man was stunned. He raised his hand and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. His eyes were glistening, and his demeanor reminded people of a small animal that didn't understand the dangers of humans. He was a little confused and a little reckless. He immediately replied, "Huh? How did you know? "
There was no one else other than Bonnie Bunny, who was determined to complete her mission, who would chase people around and send them to the hospital?
When Lin Sanjiu looked into the distance, she saw a figure charging toward her like a cannonball. Even from such a distance, Lin Sanjiu could feel the terrifying power of the figure. With Bonnie Bunny's abilities, even Lin Sanjiu wouldn't be able to save the long-haired man in time if she rushed over. Lin Sanjiu quickly stretched out a hand and whispered to him, "Hold my hand. I'll pull you over."
"Ah?" He was startled again, as if he had just been woken up from a deep sleep. At this critical juncture, he tried to explain to Lin Sanjiu, "I can't. You don't know that as a player, I can't get out …"
"Hold me!" Seeing that Bonnie Bunny was getting closer, Lin Sanjiu grew impatient. She shouted, "Quick!"
Startled, the long-haired man stretched out his hand. The moment her skin touched his, Lin Sanjiu couldn't help shivering from the cold. Lin Sanjiu immediately grabbed the ice-cold hand and pulled him up the road. On the hillside, Bonnie Bunny's figure stopped abruptly as if she couldn't believe what she had just seen.
"What … What's going on?"
The long-haired man looked at his hand. Then, he poked his head out and looked at the hillside below the road. There was no smell on him. He didn't smell like sweat or body odor, and his long hair was smooth and clean. Lin Sanjiu even had a feeling that if she walked toward him, she might just pass through his body like a gust of wind.
"Why did I come out?" He tilted his head and waved at Bonnie Bunny hesitantly, "Is this also lava?"
"Your name is Yuan Xiangxi, right?" Lin Sanjiu looked at him from behind and asked softly.
"How do you know everything?" Yuan Xiangxi turned his head and widened his eyes.
"Do you know a woman named Wei Xing?"
Yuan Xiangxi was stunned for a moment. Then, a smile bloomed on his face, like a white flower petal that was blown away by the wind, "I know her!"
"She has a few words for you." Lin Sanjiu lowered her head and took a deep breath. Then, she looked up and said, "You are already dead. You have been dead for a long time. "
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