Doomsday Wonderland

Sometimes life just isn't fair: no matter how carefully you plan or how vigilant you are, things can still go wrong.

Lin Sanjiu and Ya Rong's guesses were perfectly reasonable, but no one could have predicted that the reason the latter half of the river had no pocket dimensions was because the entire stretch of the river itself was a pocket dimension—or rather, an illusion overlaying a pocket dimension.

By the time Lin Sanjiu realized this, it was too late. The words she had just said, inexplicable even to herself, had barely left her mouth when the river's current swept both her and Ya Rong's inflatable boats onto a stretch of solid ground. The river disappeared entirely, revealing what had been hidden all along: a massive pocket dimension swallowing up all the stragglers.

Ya Rong let out a startled yelp as her boat tipped precariously before spilling her onto the gray concrete. She scrambled to her feet, glancing around in alarm as Lin Sanjiu stepped out of her boat. Pale-faced, Ya Rong instinctively put some distance between herself and Lin Sanjiu before hesitating and stopping, her gaze flickering uneasily between Lin Sanjiu and the group of people ahead.

"What... what is this place..." she murmured, her eyes fixed on the pocket dimension ahead. The question wasn't directed at anyone in particular.

Naturally, no one answered her.

Everyone wore the identical gray robes issued by the factory, making it hard to tell who was male or female, let alone whether these people were from Lin Sanjiu's group. A few of them glanced at the newcomers but quickly turned away. If Lin Sanjiu wasn't mistaken, some even frowned and deliberately walked a few steps further away, as if afraid the newcomers were carrying some sort of contagion.

Not only were they avoiding her and Ya Rong, but they also kept their distance from each other.

Everyone seemed to be stealing furtive glances from the corners of their eyes, trying to size one another up without making direct contact. Their eyes darted nervously while their arms remained tightly folded across their chests, as if guarding themselves against invisible threats. They spied on one another, wary and defensive, yet pretended the others didn't exist.

Around ten people were scattered loosely in a circle, all keeping a cautious distance from one another as they centered around a single object: an old-fashioned television sitting on the bare concrete floor. Its boxy, slightly rounded screen was only about ten inches across, and there wasn't a single cord attached to it. Despite this, the screen glowed with text.

Thanks to her sharp vision, Lin Sanjiu was able to read the words: "Please approach within ten meters of the television."

Even without being able to see the text clearly, anyone would have noticed the screen displaying something. As Ya Rong hesitantly took a few small steps toward the television, Lin Sanjiu quickly followed her.

Seeing Lin Sanjiu approach, Ya Rong's face turned even paler. She seemed caught between her unease and her inability to directly confront Lin Sanjiu. Lin Sanjiu called out to her softly, "Ya Rong, wait a second, I want to explain something!"

"E-explain what?"

It wasn't easy to explain. Lin Sanjiu felt completely normal; her thoughts and state of mind were exactly the same as before. Even Mrs. Manas hadn't noticed anything amiss. Other than blaming the pocket dimension itself, Lin Sanjiu couldn't fathom why she had said such an inexplicable thing earlier.

But if the pocket dimension was the cause, why wasn't she affected now?

"That thing I said earlier... I don't want you to misunderstand," she began awkwardly, forcing herself to continue. "I don't know why it came out like that—it just slipped out. What I meant to say was that we seem to have been brought to a place where everyone else has disappeared. I must have worded it poorly..."

Ya Rong relaxed her expression and let out an "Oh."

"So that's what you meant! It's normal to slip up now and then, but it really gave me a fright," she said with a nervous laugh, patting her chest.

If her hand weren't trembling slightly from suppressed unease and fear, Lin Sanjiu might have believed she was genuinely reassured. To her credit, Ya Rong had reacted quickly, immediately attempting to mask her apprehension.

"I'm going to check what's written on the screen," Ya Rong said, flashing a smile that barely qualified as one; her facial muscles seemed to work against her effort. Before finishing her sentence, she had already started walking briskly toward the television.

Lin Sanjiu sighed inwardly and, keeping a cautious distance, followed her slowly.

When Ya Rong reached the television and began reading the information on the screen, nothing unusual happened. But as soon as Lin Sanjiu stepped within the ten-meter radius to join the group, the television let out a sudden "ding-dong," startling everyone.

"Congratulations, everyone! The group is complete! This Battle for Authority in Words game now has its full roster of twelve players and will officially begin!" The bright blue television screen displayed lines of text that appeared in sync with the loud, cheerful announcement. "The rules for this competition are numerous and intricate. Please listen carefully to the instructions. The introduction will only be given once, and the use of any recording method other than your own mind is strictly prohibited. Violators will..."

The voice paused for dramatic effect, then gleefully declared, "Have their heads explode on the spot!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Manas grew agitated. "What does it mean by 'your own mind'? Am I considered part of your mind? If you use Higher Consciousness to record this, will your head explode?"

It shouldn't count as a violation... right?

However, given the stakes, no one would dare take such a risk. Even though Lin Sanjiu's mind raced with anxiety and questions, she couldn't afford to gamble on this.

At the mention of the consequences, two ordinary people quickly tucked away whatever they were holding. After the factory's series of assembly line processes, it was impossible for anyone to still possess outside items, so Lin Sanjiu immediately deduced that what they had stowed away were likely evolved abilities that could be used for recording.

The television remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly to allow everyone to process the information. By this point, the earlier cautious distancing among the participants had vanished entirely.

Lin Sanjiu heard the hurried shuffle of footsteps as several people crowded around the screen. A gruff male voice barked, "Move over! Don't block my view!" One person, who had leaned in too close to read the subtitles and obscured part of the screen, was yanked back by the collar of their gray robe. Others standing further back, struggling to see, shoved and jostled their way forward. If the television hadn't resumed speaking just then, the group might have descended into a full-blown scuffle.

"The explanation of the content and rules will take approximately 35 minutes," the announcer stated in an unhurried tone. "The first step: each participant will, under conditions of absolute confidentiality, select a scene."

2

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