Lin Sanjiu would have never guessed that "Bumper Karts" was just a normal game station with bumper karts. Even after having some difficulties fitting her wings behind her as she sat in a small, electrical bumper kart, she found it hard to believe that this was as innocent as it looked. Lin Sanjiu gripped the steering wheel of the bumper kart tightly while she braced herself for any announcements regarding the strange rules to this ride.
Undeniably, this was still a pocket dimension.
The rows of lights which hung from the ceiling lit the large bumper kart arena evenly. The size of the bumper kart rink was at least ten times larger than a normal one. The smooth gray floor was covered with multiple white scratches left behind by the bumper karts. A few dozen bumper karts were parked at the edges of the rinks as if they were also waiting for the ride to start. However, other than the bumper karts that Lin Sanjiu and Soulsqn were riding on respectively, the remaining bumper karts were empty.
"Do they want just both our bumper karts to collide?" As this thought surfaced in Lin Sanjiu's mind, she shot a quick glance at the "staff" standing at the entrance of the attraction. The staff was an old woman who was wearing a badly-manufactured F1 driver's uniform. Leaning lazily against the entrance's metal door, the old woman was just looking outside. It took quite a while before the woman turned her head and yelled toward the bumper kart rink with indifference, "There are no other players joining, we can start now."
Following which, the old woman pressed something near the door. Lin Sanjiu immediately heard the bumper kart whirring to life.
"The rules are simple. If you can survive the first round, you will win," the old woman seemed unconcerned about the shock factor of her own words. Without even announcing how long one round would last, the old woman planted her face into her arms and actually decided to take a nap on the spot.
"Survive—?" Before Lin Sanjiu could contemplate about what those words actually meant, the dozens of empty bumper karts around them started moving.
"Don't let them hit you!" Lin Sanjiu yelled out urgently just as a yellow bumper kart raced directly toward her. She spun the steering wheel and her small blue kart instantly swerved to one side against the smooth floor surface. The brakes screeched as Lin Sanjiu stepped on the brakes, but the bumper kart continued skidding with a swoosh at an alarming speed.
"You're just stating the obvious!" Soulsqn yelped and quickly drove in the opposite direction. The empty bumper karts spread themselves throughout the rink and surrounded Lin Sanjiu and Soulsqn from all directions. At that moment, both Soul and human wished that they had eyes behind their back so that could watch out for all the bumper karts.
Lin Sanjiu had actually activated her [Higher Consciousness Scan] the moment her bumper kart could move. With that slight advantage, she dodged three bumper karts which headed toward her at the same time. With a creaking sound, Lin Sanjiu barely dodged the fourth bumper kart which scrapped past her vehicle.
When her eyes swept past the pink bumper kart, Lin Sanjiu almost couldn't process what she saw.
"The words just now... they are…" she even called out to Mrs. Manas to get her confirmation, "Princess Bubbles?"
"Yes," Mrs. Manas replied impatiently, "Don't talk to me. Just maintain your [Higher Consciousness Scan] and [Defence Forcefield]!"
Lin Sanjiu immediately kept quiet. Mrs. Manas' advice wasn't the only reason. The two bumper karts which she had just escaped from were now turning back and chasing after her again. They were so fast that they were almost reaching the rear of her kart. Like sharks attracted to blood, karts of different color rushed out from all directions, surrounding Lin Sanjiu's kart. They accelerated toward her. Lin Sanjiu twisted her head and her blue bumper kart swerved in the same direction. Just when she was about to get caught between the karts in front and behind her, she slipped out from their formation just in time.
Crash.
Her kart hit a purple bumper kart that she did not notice previously.
The impact of the collision was much greater than she had expected. Just as her arm became numb, she heard a pleasant female voice coming from the opposite kart. It seemed pre-recorded, "Collision with a purple bumper kart. Delirium effect, 5 seconds."
At the same time, Lin Sanjiu finally read the words on that kart: "Detrimental to mental health".
"What happened?!" Soulsqn shouted from the other end of the rink.
Of course, Lin Sanjiu did not have the time to reply. The bumper karts behind her stopped for a brief moment when the announcement was made. However, the moment the announcement ended, Lin Sanjiu heard the engine sounds of seven to eight bumper karts heading her way.
Before Lin Sanjiu could consider about that "delirium effect", she stared at the steering wheel in her hand and decided to dodge from the yellow bumper kart on her left first—
However, the yellow bumper kart did not move.
"Huh? Is it spoilt? " Lin Sanjiu was stunned. Even though she had turned the steering wheel all the way, the bumper kart did not move in the direction she wanted this time. Instead, it moved slowly backward. A few bumper karts quickly approached.
After the blue bumper kart spun around violent for a few times in the same spot and against the laws of physics bounced for a while, no matter how dense she was, Lin Sanjiu figured out what had happened.
"F*ck! Delirium means losing control of this kart?" Lin Sanjiu swore as her body shook violently with the bumper kart. "Damn it. Another kart!"
When the previous pink bumper kart charged directly toward her with a sharp screech, Lin Sanjiu's bumper kart was still "dancing" its jig. Seeing that she had no other options, she didn't care if was flouting the rules, she gritted her teeth and extended her wings downward. As her wings hit the floor, she lifted the blue bumper kart and barely pulled it away from the vicious claws of the pink bumper kart. Losing balance, Lin Sanjiu's bumper kart rolled sideways while she was in it.
Luckily, it had already been five seconds. Lin Sanjiu quickly propped herself, then pushed her blue bumper kart back to a normal position with a single hand and steadied herself again.
It was only then that she realized that her surroundings were a little too quiet.
At that moment, she was right in the middle of a circle of bumper karts. The bumper karts which surrounded her were all bright yellow. Meanwhile, the pink bumper kart was slowly reversing backward and out from the encirclement.
The five yellow bumper karts remained in the same position without any movements. A female voice suddenly rang out, it was impossible to tell which of the yellow bumper kart broadcasted that announcement.
"The yellow bumper karts have successfully surrounded the target. Onion Ring effect, 3 seconds."
An intense pain spread from the tips of Lin Sanjiu's toes to her entire body. It felt as though she had been thrown into a vat of boiling oil.
When Lin Sanjiu's beast-like cries of pain echoed through the arena, Soulsqn finally slipped up. Before she could react, Soulsqn's bumper kart had been assaulted by a gray and a red bumper kart. Her bumper kart was stuck in the middle. The bumper karts made their announcements at the same time, two messages spoken with a pleasant female voice rang out simultaneously, making them difficult to discern.
"Collision with a gray bumper kart. Soft pillow effect. 10 seconds."
"Collision with a red bumper kart, Vampire's First Embrace effect. 3 seconds."
"The two bumper karts of different colors had created a combo, Intense Rivalry effect. 5 seconds."
Soulsqn had been gripping her steering wheel very tightly. At that moment, both her hands suddenly shriveled as if they had been drained in an almost indescribable way. It was as if the substance or whatever that had been supporting that layer of skin had been drained away quickly. They quickly became wrinkled, dried piece of skin. The skin laid on the steering wheel in layers, they fluttered like pieces of leather. However, Souslqn's screams were stuck in her throat. A sort of safety airbag burst out from the steering wheel and wrapped her entire head. The white bumper kart she was on was rapidly being flattened. As the shape of her bumper kart changed, Soulsqn's body was also placed under the same extreme force. Parts of her skin started splitting.
"Ah, one minute is up." The old woman suddenly lifted her face from her arms. She looked at the arena listlessly. Then, she pressed a bell.
The bumper karts instantly stopped moving. Lin Sanjiu struggled to get out of her bumper kart. She felt as if her panting was so loud that anyone in the pocket dimension could hear. Drops of blood oozed out from the pores all over her body. Lin Sanjiu wiped her face and staggered as she walked over and pulled Soulsqn out from the wreckage.
If the substances which made up Soulsqn's body had not been drained by that "Vampire's First Embrace", Soulsqn's face would also have been ruined. Despite that, when Lin Sanjiu pulled Soulsqn out from her deformed bumper kart, the gruesome state of her body was simply hair-raising. Half of her face was flaccid, as her lower face under her nose was just a floppy piece of skin. Instead of her normal-looking limbs, her body was just a loose empty skin which clung on the Soul's original smaller body like an oversized suit.
"Alright. You have gotten your 5 Stamina Points," the old woman apathetically, "Do you want to join the next round?"
"What next round?" Lin Sanjiu struggled to reach the door of the arena. She froze when she heard what that old woman said and tossed Soulsqn to the ground.
"That was just the first round of 'Bumper Karts', there is a total of three rounds," the old woman looked at Soulsqn with her heavy-laden eyes. "The next round is three times harder than the first round. You don't have to pay for the entrance fee. Do you want to start the round now?"
"No! Don't!" Soulsqn squirmed and raised her head. Shockingly, she could still speak. She screeched and suddenly attacked Lin Sanjiu with her "reality".
Lin Sanjiu was physically and mentally exhausted after that first round of Bumper Karts so she was totally unprepared for Soulsqn's sudden attack. It struck her directly. A flash of lightning appeared near her feet, she tumbled away artlessly and dodged the attack. Next, she immediately summoned her [Nostradamus's Card]. When the battery on her card showed a charge of 5%, Lin Sanjiu looked up and realized that Soulsqn was already stumbling toward the exit.
"Stop!" she roared. The humanoid shape made of layers of skin finally stopped. "If you stay, I will help you. If you don't, I might as well kill you!"
Soulsqn turned her head around slowly. Somehow, despite her half-melted face, she could still show a hint of disbelief.
"Are you going to continue to the second round?" Soulsqn asked sneeringly. "If you want to die, what you said about helping me is just bullsh*t."
Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with defeat:
"No. I really don't want to just give up, but I'm not stupid… It is not 2 pm yet, we can still get out of the amusement park. Once we are prepared, we can try again."
Lin Sanjiu would have never guessed that "Bumper Karts" was just a normal game station with bumper karts. Even after having some difficulties fitting her wings behind her as she sat in a small, electrical bumper kart, she found it hard to believe that this was as innocent as it looked. Lin Sanjiu gripped the steering wheel of the bumper kart tightly while she braced herself for any announcements regarding the strange rules to this ride.
Undeniably, this was still a pocket dimension.
The rows of lights which hung from the ceiling lit the large bumper kart arena evenly. The size of the bumper kart rink was at least ten times larger than a normal one. The smooth gray floor was covered with multiple white scratches left behind by the bumper karts. A few dozen bumper karts were parked at the edges of the rinks as if they were also waiting for the ride to start. However, other than the bumper karts that Lin Sanjiu and Soulsqn were riding on respectively, the remaining bumper karts were empty.
"Do they want just both our bumper karts to collide?" As this thought surfaced in Lin Sanjiu's mind, she shot a quick glance at the "staff" standing at the entrance of the attraction. The staff was an old woman who was wearing a badly-manufactured F1 driver's uniform. Leaning lazily against the entrance's metal door, the old woman was just looking outside. It took quite a while before the woman turned her head and yelled toward the bumper kart rink with indifference, "There are no other players joining, we can start now."
Following which, the old woman pressed something near the door. Lin Sanjiu immediately heard the bumper kart whirring to life.
"The rules are simple. If you can survive the first round, you will win," the old woman seemed unconcerned about the shock factor of her own words. Without even announcing how long one round would last, the old woman planted her face into her arms and actually decided to take a nap on the spot.
"Survive—?" Before Lin Sanjiu could contemplate about what those words actually meant, the dozens of empty bumper karts around them started moving.
"Don't let them hit you!" Lin Sanjiu yelled out urgently just as a yellow bumper kart raced directly toward her. She spun the steering wheel and her small blue kart instantly swerved to one side against the smooth floor surface. The brakes screeched as Lin Sanjiu stepped on the brakes, but the bumper kart continued skidding with a swoosh at an alarming speed.
"You're just stating the obvious!" Soulsqn yelped and quickly drove in the opposite direction. The empty bumper karts spread themselves throughout the rink and surrounded Lin Sanjiu and Soulsqn from all directions. At that moment, both Soul and human wished that they had eyes behind their back so that could watch out for all the bumper karts.
Lin Sanjiu had actually activated her [Higher Consciousness Scan] the moment her bumper kart could move. With that slight advantage, she dodged three bumper karts which headed toward her at the same time. With a creaking sound, Lin Sanjiu barely dodged the fourth bumper kart which scrapped past her vehicle.
When her eyes swept past the pink bumper kart, Lin Sanjiu almost couldn't process what she saw.
"The words just now... they are…" she even called out to Mrs. Manas to get her confirmation, "Princess Bubbles?"
"Yes," Mrs. Manas replied impatiently, "Don't talk to me. Just maintain your [Higher Consciousness Scan] and [Defence Forcefield]!"
Lin Sanjiu immediately kept quiet. Mrs. Manas' advice wasn't the only reason. The two bumper karts which she had just escaped from were now turning back and chasing after her again. They were so fast that they were almost reaching the rear of her kart. Like sharks attracted to blood, karts of different color rushed out from all directions, surrounding Lin Sanjiu's kart. They accelerated toward her. Lin Sanjiu twisted her head and her blue bumper kart swerved in the same direction. Just when she was about to get caught between the karts in front and behind her, she slipped out from their formation just in time.
Crash.
Her kart hit a purple bumper kart that she did not notice previously.
The impact of the collision was much greater than she had expected. Just as her arm became numb, she heard a pleasant female voice coming from the opposite kart. It seemed pre-recorded, "Collision with a purple bumper kart. Delirium effect, 5 seconds."
At the same time, Lin Sanjiu finally read the words on that kart: "Detrimental to mental health".
"What happened?!" Soulsqn shouted from the other end of the rink.
Of course, Lin Sanjiu did not have the time to reply. The bumper karts behind her stopped for a brief moment when the announcement was made. However, the moment the announcement ended, Lin Sanjiu heard the engine sounds of seven to eight bumper karts heading her way.
Before Lin Sanjiu could consider about that "delirium effect", she stared at the steering wheel in her hand and decided to dodge from the yellow bumper kart on her left first—
However, the yellow bumper kart did not move.
"Huh? Is it spoilt? " Lin Sanjiu was stunned. Even though she had turned the steering wheel all the way, the bumper kart did not move in the direction she wanted this time. Instead, it moved slowly backward. A few bumper karts quickly approached.
After the blue bumper kart spun around violent for a few times in the same spot and against the laws of physics bounced for a while, no matter how dense she was, Lin Sanjiu figured out what had happened.
"F*ck! Delirium means losing control of this kart?" Lin Sanjiu swore as her body shook violently with the bumper kart. "Damn it. Another kart!"
When the previous pink bumper kart charged directly toward her with a sharp screech, Lin Sanjiu's bumper kart was still "dancing" its jig. Seeing that she had no other options, she didn't care if was flouting the rules, she gritted her teeth and extended her wings downward. As her wings hit the floor, she lifted the blue bumper kart and barely pulled it away from the vicious claws of the pink bumper kart. Losing balance, Lin Sanjiu's bumper kart rolled sideways while she was in it.
Luckily, it had already been five seconds. Lin Sanjiu quickly propped herself, then pushed her blue bumper kart back to a normal position with a single hand and steadied herself again.
It was only then that she realized that her surroundings were a little too quiet.
At that moment, she was right in the middle of a circle of bumper karts. The bumper karts which surrounded her were all bright yellow. Meanwhile, the pink bumper kart was slowly reversing backward and out from the encirclement.
The five yellow bumper karts remained in the same position without any movements. A female voice suddenly rang out, it was impossible to tell which of the yellow bumper kart broadcasted that announcement.
"The yellow bumper karts have successfully surrounded the target. Onion Ring effect, 3 seconds."
An intense pain spread from the tips of Lin Sanjiu's toes to her entire body. It felt as though she had been thrown into a vat of boiling oil.
When Lin Sanjiu's beast-like cries of pain echoed through the arena, Soulsqn finally slipped up. Before she could react, Soulsqn's bumper kart had been assaulted by a gray and a red bumper kart. Her bumper kart was stuck in the middle. The bumper karts made their announcements at the same time, two messages spoken with a pleasant female voice rang out simultaneously, making them difficult to discern.
"Collision with a gray bumper kart. Soft pillow effect. 10 seconds."
"Collision with a red bumper kart, Vampire's First Embrace effect. 3 seconds."
"The two bumper karts of different colors had created a combo, Intense Rivalry effect. 5 seconds."
Soulsqn had been gripping her steering wheel very tightly. At that moment, both her hands suddenly shriveled as if they had been drained in an almost indescribable way. It was as if the substance or whatever that had been supporting that layer of skin had been drained away quickly. They quickly became wrinkled, dried piece of skin. The skin laid on the steering wheel in layers, they fluttered like pieces of leather. However, Souslqn's screams were stuck in her throat. A sort of safety airbag burst out from the steering wheel and wrapped her entire head. The white bumper kart she was on was rapidly being flattened. As the shape of her bumper kart changed, Soulsqn's body was also placed under the same extreme force. Parts of her skin started splitting.
"Ah, one minute is up." The old woman suddenly lifted her face from her arms. She looked at the arena listlessly. Then, she pressed a bell.
The bumper karts instantly stopped moving. Lin Sanjiu struggled to get out of her bumper kart. She felt as if her panting was so loud that anyone in the pocket dimension could hear. Drops of blood oozed out from the pores all over her body. Lin Sanjiu wiped her face and staggered as she walked over and pulled Soulsqn out from the wreckage.
If the substances which made up Soulsqn's body had not been drained by that "Vampire's First Embrace", Soulsqn's face would also have been ruined. Despite that, when Lin Sanjiu pulled Soulsqn out from her deformed bumper kart, the gruesome state of her body was simply hair-raising. Half of her face was flaccid, as her lower face under her nose was just a floppy piece of skin. Instead of her normal-looking limbs, her body was just a loose empty skin which clung on the Soul's original smaller body like an oversized suit.
"Alright. You have gotten your 5 Stamina Points," the old woman apathetically, "Do you want to join the next round?"
"What next round?" Lin Sanjiu struggled to reach the door of the arena. She froze when she heard what that old woman said and tossed Soulsqn to the ground.
"That was just the first round of 'Bumper Karts', there is a total of three rounds," the old woman looked at Soulsqn with her heavy-laden eyes. "The next round is three times harder than the first round. You don't have to pay for the entrance fee. Do you want to start the round now?"
"No! Don't!" Soulsqn squirmed and raised her head. Shockingly, she could still speak. She screeched and suddenly attacked Lin Sanjiu with her "reality".
Lin Sanjiu was physically and mentally exhausted after that first round of Bumper Karts so she was totally unprepared for Soulsqn's sudden attack. It struck her directly. A flash of lightning appeared near her feet, she tumbled away artlessly and dodged the attack. Next, she immediately summoned her [Nostradamus's Card]. When the battery on her card showed a charge of 5%, Lin Sanjiu looked up and realized that Soulsqn was already stumbling toward the exit.
"Stop!" she roared. The humanoid shape made of layers of skin finally stopped. "If you stay, I will help you. If you don't, I might as well kill you!"
Soulsqn turned her head around slowly. Somehow, despite her half-melted face, she could still show a hint of disbelief.
"Are you going to continue to the second round?" Soulsqn asked sneeringly. "If you want to die, what you said about helping me is just bullsh*t."
Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with defeat:
"No. I really don't want to just give up, but I'm not stupid… It is not 2 pm yet, we can still get out of the amusement park. Once we are prepared, we can try again."
