Doomsday Wonderland

Lin Sanjiu ate the last sweet scone slowly and deliberately.

Even with her abilities, it was rare to taste such carefully crafted, high-quality pastries. The crisp edge of the scone crumbled between her teeth, and the butter, eggs, dough, and thick cream melded into a moist, delicate texture. It was as if the flavors were flirting with her tongue, releasing the gentle sweetness of jam and sugar. Her taste buds, so used to blandness, were nearly overwhelmed by the sensation.

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Coincidentally, just as she finished the pastry and tea, the waitress walked toward the man in the opposite corner with a tray. The moment his eyes lit up at the sight of the tray, Lin Sanjiu swiftly pushed the table away, leaped onto the sofa, and back-flipped over it. Her movements were so smooth and quiet that not a sound escaped. She landed lightly on the floor, spun around, and bolted out of the café.

"Hey!" she heard a half-shouted exclamation behind her, followed by the sound of chairs being clumsily knocked aside. Other than that, no one paid her any attention. After all, she had already paid the bill.

She was certain that the man wouldn't pursue her until he hurriedly stashed away the pastries. He had reported a minimum expense of two hundred bucks to his organization but had only ordered for a hundred and thirty. Not only did he ask the waitress for a discount, but he also requested a receipt for two hundred and fifty. Judging by his behavior, he was likely a doomsday-born. What a waste of natural talent for swindling.

Thanks to this tracker's pastry-related distraction, those few precious seconds were all Lin Sanjiu needed to disappear completely. She jumped down from the sky highway, landing on the canopy of another passageway below. After a few more agile leaps through the air, she looked back and confirmed the man was nowhere in sight.

The sky had darkened.

The gray-blue expanse seemed to bow under the weight of the deepening night, gradually releasing the last of its light, ready to close its eyes. But in Cloudwalk Heights, windows, highways, and vehicles all blinked open bright yellow, white, and pale blue eyes. Their gazes crisscrossed through the heavy night. Just like pre-doomsday human society, this place was stubbornly unwilling to rest with the fading daylight.

After the Shark Nexus had sent Wu Yiliu, she found it hard to believe that the third person chasing her was someone foolish enough to blow their cover for the sake of a free meal. Calling him a weirdo was generous.

What if the man intentionally revealed his identity? She had to consider the possibility.

While she focused on the greedy genius, thinking she was safe once she'd shaken him off, could another silent pursuer be tailing her, waiting for her to return to Exodus?

Lin Sanjiu scanned the nightscape around her.

If someone was following her, there wasn't much she could do about it. No matter how carefully she looked, she couldn't detect any sign of being tracked. She had crossed a vast section of sky using the twisting, looping sky highways, leaving behind a trail of honking horns and shouted curses. Each time she glanced back, not even a bird followed her.

Could there be a tracking device on her?

She considered this possibility and dismissed it. No one had gotten close enough to plant anything on her. Once her Higher Consciousness recovered a bit, she could scan her body. Her clothes could easily be changed. Unless someone could lock onto her with a single glance from afar, tracking her seemed unlikely.

Upon reflection, the place she was most likely to be tracked again was the parking lot.

As Lin Sanjiu headed for the parking lot, relaxing after shaking off the corrupt genius, she realized her opponent might already be waiting for her there. Wu Yiliu knew she needed to use a craft to return to Exodus. He might believe it, or he might not. She couldn't afford to take any risks.

For the same reason, the place where she planned to send her message was also compromised. The waitress might have told the man about her message when he asked. The Shark Nexus certainly had enough manpower to stake out both locations.

To be cautious, she couldn't head to the parking lot right away. But wandering around indefinitely wasn't an option either. The night was getting darker, and there would be fewer people on the streets. She needed a place to go.

Lin Sanjiu jumped off the railing and scanned the area. In the deep blue night, the silhouettes of towering buildings faded behind scattered lights, forming a silent backdrop. Not far away, a rectangular window of pale yellow light suddenly blinked out. What time was it?

Just as she pondered where to go, part of the wall on a nearby building slid open. Light spilled out from the opening, revealing two black silhouettes.

The first silhouette waved a hand, and the second disappeared. A few seconds later, the first silhouette also faded away. Lin Sanjiu squinted and realized a giant, glowing, egg-shaped object was being pushed out from inside the building, obscuring the figure.

The figure gave the egg a gentle push, sending it drifting into the night sky.

The egg-shaped capsule floated up, as if awakening, spinning gently in midair. With a faint hum, it slowly drifted away from the building. Another glowing egg was pushed out next.

One by one, the luminous egg-shaped pods were launched into the night. They glided through the liquid darkness, each seemingly following its own route. Some circled the building, others drifted toward the highways in the distance. When one floated near Lin Sanjiu, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

It was like a pillow dropping into her lap just when she needed one. Printed faintly on the pod's surface were the words: Sky Night Travel Pod / Single Occupancy / Available / 25 Fog Orbs.

Getting into a night travel pod turned out to be simpler than she expected. An available pod would float over and open its door with just a wave. Inside, there was barely enough room for anything beyond a full-sized bed. At the head of the bed, a rectangular control panel allowed for adjusting the lighting and listening to the Twelve Worlds Centrum broadcasts.

Lin Sanjiu skimmed the brief instructions, curled up her legs, and collapsed onto the soft bed with a long, satisfied sigh.

There seemed to be plenty of night travel pods, drifting through the night sky like taxis. Even with passengers, they continued their routes as long as enough currency was deposited. As she lay on the bed, all external noise faded away. She floated through the endless night, the promise of a long, peaceful rest ahead.

She reached out to turn on the broadcast. The low voice of the host, punctuated by music and news, filled the cabin. Her eyelids grew heavier. The past two days had exhausted her so completely that her body felt like it was melting into the bed.

Tomorrow, she'd find an item to change her appearance...

That was her last hazy thought before she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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