The man, who was covered in feathers and dressed like a big turkey, looked at the card Lin Sanjiu passed to him while he chewed on his bubble gum.
"I couldn't tell," he spat out a pink bubble. In the folds of his eyelids, there was a faint line of golden glitter. "So, you are a Consular Officer. Mr. Lo … Lo Bu? "
Lin Sanjiu nodded expressionlessly.
"Are you going to our Rare Animal Sanctuary or the Munitions Factory? Are you on official business? "
The big turkey held the Consular Officer Association membership card in his hand and a smile appeared on his face. From the looks of it, the bus seemed to be a special bus for the Rare Animals Conservation Park. There were even lockers at the back to store the metal boxes. Fortunately, consular officers were popular everywhere, so she was able to hitch a ride with them.
"Yes, I have some official business at the Munitions Factory," Lin Sanjiu answered briefly. She was glad that Carrot Lo's photo wasn't attached to the membership card.
The big turkey nodded and sat down beside her. He took out a colorful cartoon map and spread it on the bench. He placed a toy bus on the map and pushed it forward with his index finger. Suddenly, Lin Sanjiu felt her body sway. She realized that the bus had started to slide forward without a sound. It was moving very fast. The moment it started, the scenery outside the window was stretched into a blurry, colorful strip. Lin Sanjiu couldn't see anything clearly.
The big turkey did not leave. He smiled at her, "Is there any news about Puppeteer from the Consular Officer Association?"
Lin Sanjiu shuddered, and the hair on her body stood on end. For a moment, she had the worst-case scenario. She thought that the turkey had seen through her identity. Just then, the turkey scratched her head and said shyly, "I … I am his admirer."
"Worshiper?"
Perhaps Lin Sanjiu was too shocked, the skinny man cleared his throat and explained, "Don't you think so? He is quite a handsome person. I don't think he has joined any organization other than the Munitions Factory. However, I haven't heard any news about him for a while. I don't know when he will return to the Twelve Worlds Centrum. "
Lin Sanjiu stared at him blankly. She glanced at the feathers on his body and the glitter on his eyelids.
"No? There's no news? "The big turkey was a bit disappointed." If there's no news then forget it. Anyway, I'm just a good dragon. Even if he really came back, I wouldn't dare to apply for a job related to him … "
Sighing, he released his finger from the toy car, wobbled away with the membership card, and opened the cabinet at the front of the bus. The toy car was still moving steadily on the map, and from time to time, it would make a turn.
Lin Sanjiu stared at it blankly, her heart in her throat.
It seemed like Puppeteer had not returned to the Twelve Worlds Centrum. Otherwise, the people in the Heaven District would have heard the news. Could it be that his injuries were so severe that an accident happened in the end?
While she was lost in thought, Big Turkey's voice called her attention back. "Yes, it's a Consular Officer named Luo Bu. He's going to the Arsenal. I have a certificate of membership here … "
Subconsciously, Lin Sanjiu wanted to touch the mask on her face, but she resisted the urge. She glanced at it from the corner of her eye and was shocked. Behind the open cabinet door, there was a round eyeball the size of a human head. The black pupil looked at Lin Sanjiu for a moment before it lowered its head and stared at the certificate of membership in Big Turkey's hand.
A few minutes later, she took the certificate back. It seemed that the news of Carrot Bu's death had not reached the Twelve Worlds Centrum yet. Perhaps, it would never reach the Twelve Worlds Centrum.
"We'll arrive in 15 minutes," Big Turkey reminded her before he left, "Don't get too close to our caretakers."
'Caretakers … Is he referring to the group of people in gray uniforms?'
Lin Sanjiu glanced at the group of silent workers and heaved a sigh of relief in her heart. She still had about half an hour left on her mask, and it seemed like she could sneak into the Arsenal with this appearance.
Just as Big Turkey said, the bus slowly came to a stop after 15 minutes. When the caretakers stood up and opened the cabinet door, Lin Sanjiu was the first to get off the bus. The moment she got off the bus, she was stunned.
In front of her was a wasteland the size of a stadium. It was surrounded by tattered barbed wire fences. The wires were twisted into sharp knots, and some of the knots were even stained with black stains. Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was a sunny morning in Jadefall District. An overturned sofa, a broken table, and a rusty first-aid kit were scattered all over the wasteland, disappearing into the wild grass.
It looked like a miniature apocalyptic world.
"Don't go that way!" Big Turkey stopped Lin Sanjiu. "Why are you here? Is this your first time here? Follow the path in between the barbed wire fences and walk past the preservation area. Then, you will see the sign of the Arsenal. "
'What's a preservation area?'
Lin Sanjiu wanted to ask about the preservation area, but the group of caretakers came down from the bus with boxes in their hands. Big Turkey returned to the bus in a flash. Under the heavy gaze of the bodyguards, Lin Sanjiu had no choice but to follow Big Turkey's instructions. She pushed open a metal door and walked onto the path that divided the wasteland into two.
On both sides of her, there were a few thick layers of barbed wire fences that were twisted together. The cold wind carried a faint metallic smell. There were spikes on the top of the barbed wire fences. Occasionally, there were some pieces of clothing hanging on the spikes. The color of the clothing had faded due to the passage of time.
There was nothing on such a large wasteland. The only thing Lin Sanjiu could see was a steel-gray, cold and desolate wasteland. Her monotonous footsteps covered half of the path. Only the rustling of the grass accompanied her. Occasionally, there was a rustling sound of something crawling.
'Crawling sound?' Lin Sanjiu stopped abruptly. She turned her head toward the back of the barbed wire fences.
Under the half-truncated neon sign that was covered in dust, she came face to face with a human face.
The flat face was ashen. Before Lin Sanjiu could get a good look at the face, it suddenly shrank back. She took two steps back and looked around. Before she could see anything through the tall grass, she heard a soft cry.
"Please, let me out," the female voice was sharp and thin. She could not articulate her words clearly. Her intonation made Lin Sanjiu uncomfortable. "I swear, I won't tell anyone what you did to me …"
'What did you do?'
Lin Sanjiu knew that she did not have much time left. She had to get to the Arsenal as soon as possible. However, she could not move her feet.
"I don't want the children I gave birth to. I just want you to let me go …" The voice was hidden under the neon sign. It was fluttering anxiously. "My lower body is already rotten. What's the point of keeping me around …"
At that moment, Lin Sanjiu suddenly thought of Nagasaki.
She could hear her blood pumping in her ears. Just as she was about to open her mouth, she felt the hair on her back stand on end. She spun around and retreated from the barbed wire fences behind her. Just then, she heard the faint sound of an electric current in the distance. Then, a sigh came from the speaker hanging on the barbed wire fences.
Lin Sanjiu stood in the middle of the path and stared fixedly at the side of the barbed wire fences that she had almost fallen into. A person with a flat, ashen face — or rather, a humanoid creature — was slowly pulling its face out of the barbed wire fences at the height of its calves. Amidst tiny popping sounds, its grayish-white skin slid off from the knots made of twisted iron wires, leaving black and red stains and tiny holes on its face. As soon as his eyes met hers, he immediately turned his head and disappeared into the bushes.
"Is this your first time here?" A gruff voice came from the speaker. "These are all duoluozhong. Don't you know?"
'Duoluozhong?'
Lin Sanjiu was taken aback. She lowered her head and looked at the neon sign. The voice from the speaker shouted again, "What are you looking at? Let's go!"
"Then … is that a duoluozhong?"
"Nonsense," the gruff voice sounded unhappy, "Aren't you from the Consular Officer Association? Why don't you know anything about our situation? Even in our garden, they will say the most unbearable things to the person they see. They want to soften your heart and distract you. Then, they will catch you by surprise. This type of duoluozhong is quite rare. Don't scare them. Let's go. "
Lin Sanjiu calmed herself down. When she took another step, she realized that the neon sign was already empty. The grass in the distance swayed as if some creature was hiding in it. As Lin Sanjiu walked, she turned her head to look at the ruins. It was only then that she realized that what she thought were broken planks and pieces of cloth were actually gray human faces in various disguises.
These duoluozhong seemed to be very good at hiding their bodies. Lin Sanjiu looked at them a few times, but she couldn't see where their bodies were. When Lin Sanjiu remembered that she was being watched, she didn't want to look any longer. She quickened her pace and hurried to the end of the path.
When she opened the metal gate, she saw a figure in a navy blue combat suit walking toward her. Lin Sanjiu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head. From the corner of her eye, she saw that the tall man with shoulder-length hair had already walked past her. He pushed the door open and walked down the path.
Seeing the navy blue combat suit meant that the Munitions Factory was not far away.
The metal door slammed shut with a bang, separating Lin Sanjiu, who was striding away, and the tall man, who was slowly coming to a stop.
"Levon." When he raised his head, a greeting came from the speaker. "Why are you here today?"
"Li Wen is just my surname." The tall man smiled a little helplessly. He reached out and tucked his hair that was messed up by the wind behind his ear, revealing his stiff and handsome jaw. "Haven't I told you several times?"
"Your full name is too long. I'm too lazy to call you," the coarse voice replied. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for someone." The man surnamed Li Wen looked left and right, "Besides that man just now, is there anyone else here?"
"Someone else? No. Isn't there another entrance to your arsenal? Why don't you go there and have a look? "
"I've already sealed that one."
"Why is it sealed? Never mind, I won't ask so many questions. There's only one Consular Officer here. "
"Consular officer?" The man surnamed Li Wen frowned and lowered his voice. "Did I guess wrong?"
"What did you say?" The speaker buzzed, as if he hadn't heard it clearly. "No one but that guy anyway. It seemed to be his first time here, and he was almost fooled by the duoluozhong. “
The tall man nodded and continued to walk in the opposite direction. However, after a few steps, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Did you just say that the consular officer was almost tricked by the duoluozhong?"
"Yes."
"What did that duoluozhong say to him?"
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