Irezumi closed the mini suitcase with a snap. He frowned and sat still for quite a while with a dazed look on his face. Meanwhile, Lin Sanjiu, hidden in her black cloak, was also threateningly silent. Even though no one could see the expression on her face, they could vaguely sense a brewing emotional thunderstorm.
"Well… what should we do next?"
Qing Jiuliu looked around. When he noticed that neither Irezumi nor Lin Sanjiu wanted to talk, he thought for a while and decided to approach Irezumi, "Are you going to tell us the details to the next trial?"
Irezumi seemed startled by his words. He looked at the two candidates beside him and suddenly scoffed before he stuffed the mini suitcase back into his bag.
"Wait here for me. Don't go anywhere," he said glumly and headed for the door. "I'll go find more candidates. When all of you are together, I'll tell you the details for the second trial."
In other words, Irezumi finally decided to listen to Number 46's decision and give up on Ji Shanqing completely.
Qing Jiuliu hesitated for a moment. He couldn't help tossing a glance at Lin Sanjiu subconsciously. Her expression was hidden in the shadow of her cloak. When Irezumi disappeared through the curtain door, she finally let out a soft sigh.
"I'm going to look for that woman, no matter where she is," Lin Sanjiu said quietly but her words were punctuated with determination.
Almost as if someone had pinched him, Qing Jiuliu inhaled sharply, "How are you going to find him?"
Lin Sanjiu froze for a moment, hoping that Mrs. Manas would say something, but there was only silence even after she waited for some time. Lin Sanjiu couldn't help feeling a little disappointed as she replied, "I don't really know. However, we know the direction that she was heading. If we go back to that area and search in that direction, I think there is still hope."
Even though she knew that the woman wouldn't stay in the same area for long. This was the only crude and stupid idea she had for now.
Qing Jiuliu contemplated for a moment before he slumped in a chair and waved his hands at her, "Okay, all the best."
"You aren't going?"
"To find that woman?" Even though Qing Jiuliu was usually drunk, he wasn't stupid, "Between the both of us, one doesn't plan to die today. Guess who?"
Lin Sanjiu sighed, "I got it." After that, she converted the liquor cabinet, bed and others back to their original forms and placed them neatly in a corner. "I'll leave all of these here for you. I'm leaving."
Qing Jiuliu was a little stunned as Lin Sanjiu accepted his decision so readily this time.
"Are you really going to leave him behind?" Mrs. Manas asked suddenly.
"It's useless to bring him along." Lin Sanjiu shook her head and did not reply. The woman that kidnapped Ji Shanqing was a person she probably couldn't defeat. If that woman turned hostile, the situation would be dangerous. Since Qing Jiuliu wasn't that great at combat, Lin Sanjiu found that it was unnecessary to bring him along and make him risk his life.
Since she had already made up her mind, she didn't waste any time. Lin Sanjiu nodded at Qing Jiuliu before she walked out of the curtain door. She heard Qing Jiuliu's distant voice calling her, but when she realized that, she was already many streets away. She thought for a moment but did not go back to the restaurant in the end.
"That kid is quite interesting. What a pity," Mrs. Manas sounded very disappointed.
"The important thing right now is to find my grand prize," Lin Sanjiu countered. "Besides, no matter how many new friends I get, we eventually have to part. It doesn't really make a difference whether we part ways earlier or later."
When she said that in her mind, she tried her best to sound unaffected. However, for some reasons, she felt like she was exposing her own weakness and helplessness.
"If that's the case, why are you so adamant about finding Ji Shanqing?" Mrs. Manas asked, intrigued. "If he dies, as his owner, it is natural for you to feel sad. But he isn't dead now so it is more like a breakup, isn't it?"
"It isn't the same," Lin Sanjiu frowned instinctively but she didn't explain further because she was already at the very street where they almost hit that stranger.
She could still see the skid marks on the floor. Lin Sanjiu returned to the same spot she was standing at previously and looked around. Meanwhile, as she walked through ruins, she tried to recall the direction the woman was heading.
Unfortunately, her fears came true. After spending almost half a day searching, Lin Sanjiu could not find a single clue about their whereabouts. After all, the woman didn't necessarily have to continue in the same direction. Who knew where she went after leaving them? Just like what Mrs. Manas said, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Lin Sanjiu sat in the middle of the road, dejected. She buried her face into her hands and didn't make a single sound for a long time. She was out of options.
Mrs. Manas waited for some time. Noticing that Lin Sanjiu remained silent with her face in her hands, Mrs. Manas finally spoke, "You know what? Maybe, you could use your newly developed ability, now that you're in the secondary school level…"
Lin Sanjiu looked up immediately, she was still a little dazed.
"Even though I can't guarantee anything, this might be the best option for you," Mrs. Manas introduced the ability to Lin Sanjiu briefly. After she finished her explanation, she did not get any response from her single audience. After she waited quietly for a moment, she suddenly asked, "Did you hear what I say?"
"Ah?" Lin Sanjiu answered as if she had suddenly woken up from a dream. Apparently, she did not listen carefully to what Mrs. Manas had just said. "I have another idea!" She exclaimed hurriedly.
"What do you plan to do?"
Lin Sanjiu did not reply. She leaped up and looked around before she rushed to the opposite side of the road. A large digital billboard was buried in the concrete floor. It had fallen from the roof of a skyscraper and was blocking the entrances of several shops behind it. Lin Sanjiu tightened her shoelaces and executed a roundhouse kick. The screen of the digital billboard shattered instantly. She created a large hole in the digital billboard with her kick. Wires and the broken bits of electronics fell noisily on to the ground.
"What are you doing?" Mrs. Manas seemed a little baffled.
Lin Sanjiu stooped down and walked through the screen. Just as she had expected, the shop behind the billboard was in perfect condition. Lin Sanjiu pushed open the door and walked directly to the rows of refrigerators which were hidden in the dark since the electric power went out forever ago. Lin Sanjiu took out her [Ability Polishing Agent] and started looking at the drinks in the refrigerators.
"Cool, they have it in this world too," Lin Sanjiu felt her heart race a little when she saw a few bottles of black liquid. Even though the packaging design wasn't exactly the same, she could see the silver words on the bottle: "Coca-cola Zero".
At that moment, Mrs. Manas suddenly stopped with her questions.
Just to be on the safe side, Lin Sanjiu brought her light close to the bottle and examined the nutrition facts table. After she was sure that the content of the Coca-cola Zero in this world matched her own world's, she took a deep breath and twisted the bottle cap.
Psst. Even after two years, the bottle made a distinctive sound as the pressurized carbon dioxide escaped through the opening when Lin Sanjiu opened it. Once the bottle was unsealed, a layer of foam quickly floated to the surface.
Meanwhile, the crypt particles in the air immediately came in contact with the liquid in the bottle.
Lin Sanjiu could feel her blood pressure rising with her uneasiness. She placed the bottle opening near her mouth and immediately smelled the unique scent. Praying quietly that her conjecture was right, she closed her eyes and tilted her head as she gulped down half a bottle of soda.
"With the exception of pure water, all drinks will induce psychosis," Mrs. Manas said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I know," Lin Sanjiu held back a burp. Undeniably, she was nervous about her own actions. After she hesitated for a second, she steeled her will and finished the whole bottle of soda.
"My aim is to become schizophrenic again," Lin Sanjiu threw the empty bottle casually and leaned against the refrigerator, hiccuping. "However, I need to control my psychosis to the mildest level… so I still have a chance to recover."
"Oh, that is why you chose to drink a coca-cola zero," Mrs. Manas seemed to have already guessed her intention, "I understand now… When did you think of that?"
"Not long after I met Qing Jiuliu and got more information from it, I had my suspicions." After she said this, Lin Sanjiu felt a bit dizzy. She closed her eyes quickly. After resting for a while, she opened her eyes again. "Alcohol can't be considered food. But, why would it drive a person mad? Yet, water, air, and cigarettes don't work that way? If I could find the similarity between them, I would figure out the reason why the people here became crazy…"
"Calories." Mrs. Manas added quietly. She seemed to find it both funny and pitiable.
"So, you already figured it out…" Lin Sanjiu replied hazily. "But, somehow, human flesh is an exception…"
Even though the label on coca-cola zero stated that there were no calories, it still contained a bit of it. However, the amount was so small that it could be rounded down to 0. Once the drink was exposed to the crypt particles in the atmosphere, it completely fitted Lin Sanjiu's strict requirements: it had to make her crazy, but only a little.
Of course, this was still Lin Sanjiu's conjecture. When she walked out of the store and saw the person in front of her, she couldn't help heaving a sigh of relief.
With a slightly exhausted smile, she spoke quietly to her, "So, we meet again."
"Go look for a map," Silvan lowered his head and looked at her. His eyes were a beautiful emerald green. "Find a hotel with 'Plaza' in its name."
"Plaza?" Lin Sanjiu was a little confused.
Ultimately, the hallucinations she saw due to her schizophrenia were created from her consciousness. The information that 'Silvan' was telling her was definitely something she knew subconsciously but wasn't mindful of...
Silvan stood straight again. The outline of his muscular body, like that of a Greek statue, was highlighted by the sun. The hallucination looked no different from the man himself. "The sack she was carrying around was a laundry sack from a hotel. When she left, the sack hit the side of the road and showed part of the hotel's name. Inferring from part of the words, the name of the hotel should be The Plaza…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Sanjiu returned to the shop. Her luck was working on her side for once. She managed to find a tourist map at the side of the shop counter. The hotel called The Plaza was about 10 km from where she was.
Without even taking a breath, Lin Sanjiu raced directly to The Plaza. Raising her guard, she stepped cautiously through the patch of grassy field in front of the hotel. As her schizophrenia returned, her abilities like her [Planar World] stopped working temporarily. Holding her [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac] tightly, Lin Sanjiu consecutively leaped over a few overturned cars which belonged to a messy car crash. Finally, she reached the front door of the hotel.
The glass doors were covered with spider webs. A cool breeze was coming out from a jagged hole in the door which had been made at some unknown time. Without any electricity supply, the new ventilation system and lighting had stopped working. At this moment, looking through that hole, the luxury hotel was more like a black hole waiting silently for any passerby to enter.
Lin Sanjiu walked over a stained-covered carpet and stopped in front of the door.
"Why aren't you going in?" Mrs. Manas asked suddenly.
Amidst the silence, Lin Sanjiu was startled by Mrs. Manas' voice. "Why are you still around? My [School of Higher Consciousness] is still usable?"
"I mentioned this before. You're already in the secondary school level," Mrs. Manas answered nonchalantly, "Your [School of Higher Consciousness] is different now.
Lin Sanjiu froze for a moment. It took a while before she heard that answer through her ears.
"What is different about my [School of Higher Consciousness] now?" she mumbled. "I will need to face that woman soon. I'm feeling a little uncertain. Can I use my [School of Higher Consciousness] as a hidden ace, now that it is in the secondary school level?"
"Of course, I will tell you whatever you need to know," Mrs. Manas answered quietly. "Are you ready to activate it?"
Lin Sanjiu hesitated for a moment. "I'm ready," she answered softly.
Irezumi closed the mini suitcase with a snap. He frowned and sat still for quite a while with a dazed look on his face. Meanwhile, Lin Sanjiu, hidden in her black cloak, was also threateningly silent. Even though no one could see the expression on her face, they could vaguely sense a brewing emotional thunderstorm.
"Well… what should we do next?"
Qing Jiuliu looked around. When he noticed that neither Irezumi nor Lin Sanjiu wanted to talk, he thought for a while and decided to approach Irezumi, "Are you going to tell us the details to the next trial?"
Irezumi seemed startled by his words. He looked at the two candidates beside him and suddenly scoffed before he stuffed the mini suitcase back into his bag.
"Wait here for me. Don't go anywhere," he said glumly and headed for the door. "I'll go find more candidates. When all of you are together, I'll tell you the details for the second trial."
In other words, Irezumi finally decided to listen to Number 46's decision and give up on Ji Shanqing completely.
Qing Jiuliu hesitated for a moment. He couldn't help tossing a glance at Lin Sanjiu subconsciously. Her expression was hidden in the shadow of her cloak. When Irezumi disappeared through the curtain door, she finally let out a soft sigh.
"I'm going to look for that woman, no matter where she is," Lin Sanjiu said quietly but her words were punctuated with determination.
Almost as if someone had pinched him, Qing Jiuliu inhaled sharply, "How are you going to find him?"
Lin Sanjiu froze for a moment, hoping that Mrs. Manas would say something, but there was only silence even after she waited for some time. Lin Sanjiu couldn't help feeling a little disappointed as she replied, "I don't really know. However, we know the direction that she was heading. If we go back to that area and search in that direction, I think there is still hope."
Even though she knew that the woman wouldn't stay in the same area for long. This was the only crude and stupid idea she had for now.
Qing Jiuliu contemplated for a moment before he slumped in a chair and waved his hands at her, "Okay, all the best."
"You aren't going?"
"To find that woman?" Even though Qing Jiuliu was usually drunk, he wasn't stupid, "Between the both of us, one doesn't plan to die today. Guess who?"
Lin Sanjiu sighed, "I got it." After that, she converted the liquor cabinet, bed and others back to their original forms and placed them neatly in a corner. "I'll leave all of these here for you. I'm leaving."
Qing Jiuliu was a little stunned as Lin Sanjiu accepted his decision so readily this time.
"Are you really going to leave him behind?" Mrs. Manas asked suddenly.
"It's useless to bring him along." Lin Sanjiu shook her head and did not reply. The woman that kidnapped Ji Shanqing was a person she probably couldn't defeat. If that woman turned hostile, the situation would be dangerous. Since Qing Jiuliu wasn't that great at combat, Lin Sanjiu found that it was unnecessary to bring him along and make him risk his life.
Since she had already made up her mind, she didn't waste any time. Lin Sanjiu nodded at Qing Jiuliu before she walked out of the curtain door. She heard Qing Jiuliu's distant voice calling her, but when she realized that, she was already many streets away. She thought for a moment but did not go back to the restaurant in the end.
"That kid is quite interesting. What a pity," Mrs. Manas sounded very disappointed.
"The important thing right now is to find my grand prize," Lin Sanjiu countered. "Besides, no matter how many new friends I get, we eventually have to part. It doesn't really make a difference whether we part ways earlier or later."
When she said that in her mind, she tried her best to sound unaffected. However, for some reasons, she felt like she was exposing her own weakness and helplessness.
"If that's the case, why are you so adamant about finding Ji Shanqing?" Mrs. Manas asked, intrigued. "If he dies, as his owner, it is natural for you to feel sad. But he isn't dead now so it is more like a breakup, isn't it?"
"It isn't the same," Lin Sanjiu frowned instinctively but she didn't explain further because she was already at the very street where they almost hit that stranger.
She could still see the skid marks on the floor. Lin Sanjiu returned to the same spot she was standing at previously and looked around. Meanwhile, as she walked through ruins, she tried to recall the direction the woman was heading.
Unfortunately, her fears came true. After spending almost half a day searching, Lin Sanjiu could not find a single clue about their whereabouts. After all, the woman didn't necessarily have to continue in the same direction. Who knew where she went after leaving them? Just like what Mrs. Manas said, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Lin Sanjiu sat in the middle of the road, dejected. She buried her face into her hands and didn't make a single sound for a long time. She was out of options.
Mrs. Manas waited for some time. Noticing that Lin Sanjiu remained silent with her face in her hands, Mrs. Manas finally spoke, "You know what? Maybe, you could use your newly developed ability, now that you're in the secondary school level…"
Lin Sanjiu looked up immediately, she was still a little dazed.
"Even though I can't guarantee anything, this might be the best option for you," Mrs. Manas introduced the ability to Lin Sanjiu briefly. After she finished her explanation, she did not get any response from her single audience. After she waited quietly for a moment, she suddenly asked, "Did you hear what I say?"
"Ah?" Lin Sanjiu answered as if she had suddenly woken up from a dream. Apparently, she did not listen carefully to what Mrs. Manas had just said. "I have another idea!" She exclaimed hurriedly.
"What do you plan to do?"
Lin Sanjiu did not reply. She leaped up and looked around before she rushed to the opposite side of the road. A large digital billboard was buried in the concrete floor. It had fallen from the roof of a skyscraper and was blocking the entrances of several shops behind it. Lin Sanjiu tightened her shoelaces and executed a roundhouse kick. The screen of the digital billboard shattered instantly. She created a large hole in the digital billboard with her kick. Wires and the broken bits of electronics fell noisily on to the ground.
"What are you doing?" Mrs. Manas seemed a little baffled.
Lin Sanjiu stooped down and walked through the screen. Just as she had expected, the shop behind the billboard was in perfect condition. Lin Sanjiu pushed open the door and walked directly to the rows of refrigerators which were hidden in the dark since the electric power went out forever ago. Lin Sanjiu took out her [Ability Polishing Agent] and started looking at the drinks in the refrigerators.
"Cool, they have it in this world too," Lin Sanjiu felt her heart race a little when she saw a few bottles of black liquid. Even though the packaging design wasn't exactly the same, she could see the silver words on the bottle: "Coca-cola Zero".
At that moment, Mrs. Manas suddenly stopped with her questions.
Just to be on the safe side, Lin Sanjiu brought her light close to the bottle and examined the nutrition facts table. After she was sure that the content of the Coca-cola Zero in this world matched her own world's, she took a deep breath and twisted the bottle cap.
Psst. Even after two years, the bottle made a distinctive sound as the pressurized carbon dioxide escaped through the opening when Lin Sanjiu opened it. Once the bottle was unsealed, a layer of foam quickly floated to the surface.
Meanwhile, the crypt particles in the air immediately came in contact with the liquid in the bottle.
Lin Sanjiu could feel her blood pressure rising with her uneasiness. She placed the bottle opening near her mouth and immediately smelled the unique scent. Praying quietly that her conjecture was right, she closed her eyes and tilted her head as she gulped down half a bottle of soda.
"With the exception of pure water, all drinks will induce psychosis," Mrs. Manas said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I know," Lin Sanjiu held back a burp. Undeniably, she was nervous about her own actions. After she hesitated for a second, she steeled her will and finished the whole bottle of soda.
"My aim is to become schizophrenic again," Lin Sanjiu threw the empty bottle casually and leaned against the refrigerator, hiccuping. "However, I need to control my psychosis to the mildest level… so I still have a chance to recover."
"Oh, that is why you chose to drink a coca-cola zero," Mrs. Manas seemed to have already guessed her intention, "I understand now… When did you think of that?"
"Not long after I met Qing Jiuliu and got more information from it, I had my suspicions." After she said this, Lin Sanjiu felt a bit dizzy. She closed her eyes quickly. After resting for a while, she opened her eyes again. "Alcohol can't be considered food. But, why would it drive a person mad? Yet, water, air, and cigarettes don't work that way? If I could find the similarity between them, I would figure out the reason why the people here became crazy…"
"Calories." Mrs. Manas added quietly. She seemed to find it both funny and pitiable.
"So, you already figured it out…" Lin Sanjiu replied hazily. "But, somehow, human flesh is an exception…"
Even though the label on coca-cola zero stated that there were no calories, it still contained a bit of it. However, the amount was so small that it could be rounded down to 0. Once the drink was exposed to the crypt particles in the atmosphere, it completely fitted Lin Sanjiu's strict requirements: it had to make her crazy, but only a little.
Of course, this was still Lin Sanjiu's conjecture. When she walked out of the store and saw the person in front of her, she couldn't help heaving a sigh of relief.
With a slightly exhausted smile, she spoke quietly to her, "So, we meet again."
"Go look for a map," Silvan lowered his head and looked at her. His eyes were a beautiful emerald green. "Find a hotel with 'Plaza' in its name."
"Plaza?" Lin Sanjiu was a little confused.
Ultimately, the hallucinations she saw due to her schizophrenia were created from her consciousness. The information that 'Silvan' was telling her was definitely something she knew subconsciously but wasn't mindful of...
Silvan stood straight again. The outline of his muscular body, like that of a Greek statue, was highlighted by the sun. The hallucination looked no different from the man himself. "The sack she was carrying around was a laundry sack from a hotel. When she left, the sack hit the side of the road and showed part of the hotel's name. Inferring from part of the words, the name of the hotel should be The Plaza…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Sanjiu returned to the shop. Her luck was working on her side for once. She managed to find a tourist map at the side of the shop counter. The hotel called The Plaza was about 10 km from where she was.
Without even taking a breath, Lin Sanjiu raced directly to The Plaza. Raising her guard, she stepped cautiously through the patch of grassy field in front of the hotel. As her schizophrenia returned, her abilities like her [Planar World] stopped working temporarily. Holding her [Empty-handed Kleptomaniac] tightly, Lin Sanjiu consecutively leaped over a few overturned cars which belonged to a messy car crash. Finally, she reached the front door of the hotel.
The glass doors were covered with spider webs. A cool breeze was coming out from a jagged hole in the door which had been made at some unknown time. Without any electricity supply, the new ventilation system and lighting had stopped working. At this moment, looking through that hole, the luxury hotel was more like a black hole waiting silently for any passerby to enter.
Lin Sanjiu walked over a stained-covered carpet and stopped in front of the door.
"Why aren't you going in?" Mrs. Manas asked suddenly.
Amidst the silence, Lin Sanjiu was startled by Mrs. Manas' voice. "Why are you still around? My [School of Higher Consciousness] is still usable?"
"I mentioned this before. You're already in the secondary school level," Mrs. Manas answered nonchalantly, "Your [School of Higher Consciousness] is different now.
Lin Sanjiu froze for a moment. It took a while before she heard that answer through her ears.
"What is different about my [School of Higher Consciousness] now?" she mumbled. "I will need to face that woman soon. I'm feeling a little uncertain. Can I use my [School of Higher Consciousness] as a hidden ace, now that it is in the secondary school level?"
"Of course, I will tell you whatever you need to know," Mrs. Manas answered quietly. "Are you ready to activate it?"
Lin Sanjiu hesitated for a moment. "I'm ready," she answered softly.
