Doomsday Wonderland

Lin Sanjiu originally thought that in the Battle for Authority in Words, people would be particularly cautious about not picking up any items from within the pocket dimension. However, as the first scene was nearing its end, she realized she was wrong.

Since everyone was dressed in the gray robes provided by the factory, without so much as a pocket to carry things, any item someone picked up would be immediately noticeable. At some point, Lin Sanjiu began to notice that more and more people were carrying hotel-branded tote bags slung over their shoulders.

The twelve participants, scattered across the hotel's first floor like a thrown net, were too spread out to monitor everyone's movements at all times. As a result, Lin Sanjiu had no idea who had been the first to grab one of the bags.

By the time she noticed, several people were already filling their bags with supplies. In the kitchen, Hina was stuffing slices of ham into her bag, one after another. In the lobby, Dr. Chen had gathered pens, paper, magazines, books, and even a calculator. The man who resembled a caveman had emptied the liquor cabinet and found several lighters. Even Jiang Tian hesitated slightly when their eyes met, as if uncertain whether to join the growing crowd taking supplies.

1

"Why?" Mrs. Manas was the first to voice Lin Sanjiu's confusion. "Isn't this just giving others a chance to slip their media into your hands?"

But wouldn't this also give everyone an opportunity to spread their own media to others? Still, this alone didn't seem sufficient to explain the sudden frenzy for supplies.

As Ya Rong walked by, Lin Sanjiu quickly caught up to her and asked, "Do you know what's going on? Who started grabbing items first?"

Even if Ya Rong didn't trust her, it was unlikely she would risk lying about something that could later be exposed. If Lin Sanjiu cross-checked the answer with someone else, Ya Rong would lose at least 0.1 points of credibility.

Clearly, Ya Rong understood this too, because she replied without hesitation, "I was in the kitchen and overheard a group of people teasing Tenny Voltz. They said things like, 'Isn't this your scene? If you're really safe here, why don't you grab more supplies? You must be lying.'"

She nodded toward Tenny Voltz, who sat not far away, and added, "He probably couldn't take the pressure and said, 'Fine, I'll grab some,' and then it snowballed into this."

Lin Sanjiu turned to look at Tenny Voltz. With two bulging tote bags slung over his shoulders, he sat alone on a couch, arms crossed, watching the others loot the hotel. His expression was blank, revealing nothing about his thoughts.

When Lin Sanjiu turned back, Ya Rong had already slipped away.

After a moment of thought, Lin Sanjiu decided to approach Tenny Voltz and ask the same question. Even though it was unlikely Ya Rong had lied, she wanted to be cautious.

Tenny Voltz's account matched Ya Rong's, but he also provided additional information.

"They don't trust me; they're just using me as a guinea pig," he scoffed. "When they saw I really did take a bunch of stuff, they got jealous. Then Dr. Chen came up with a system to minimize the risk of media and message overlapping."

"Minimize overlap?" Lin Sanjiu blinked. "What does that mean?"

"It means ensuring that the people who pick up the media can identify the scene's owner and the message, so the two don't match. That way, they can avoid becoming mouthpieces."

There was a method for that? If it worked, it proved Dr. Chen really was sharp.

Lin Sanjiu thanked Tenny Voltz and left, reflecting on his low spirits.

It was unlikely that someone as cautious as Tenny Voltz would accidentally reveal that the hotel was his scene. Few people truly believed him. His initial strategy had probably been to let everyone assume the hotel was his scene, so they would let their guard down around him in other locations. It wasn't a bad plan, really.

What he hadn't expected was that in a scene where no one knew who the real owner was, he'd be pressured into grabbing a pile of items that might even contain media, thereby increasing his risk. Worse yet, he'd inadvertently inspired Dr. Chen to come up with a system to separate media from message.

It was the perfect example of shooting yourself in the foot, losing both the advantage and the battle.

As Lin Sanjiu approached Dr. Chen, she found Jiang Tian, Wen Ya, and Rob nearby, loosely gathered around the hotel front desk. Wen Ya was chewing gum he must have found somewhere, while Dr. Chen stood behind the desk, calmly explaining as he sorted through office supplies and hotel-branded tote bags from beneath the counter.

"Yes, this logging system can be a bit tedious; we need to record everything meticulously," Dr. Chen said patiently. "But in principle, as long as we follow the rules, the risk is minimal. You see, I've taken a bag myself, and it's not just Tenny Voltz who has items now."

Lin Sanjiu glanced at the nearly full bag on the counter. Stacks of paper, packets of cookies, and hotel-branded bottled water were poking out of the bag's top.

She had spoken with three people so far, and their answers corroborated one another, indicating they were all truthful. This realization also meant that Lin Sanjiu had unwittingly granted each of them credibility of at least 0.1 divided by 12.

It was ironic; despite the game being built around a premise of distrust, everyone seemed to be striving to tell the truth as much as possible, except when lying was absolutely necessary. After all, truths, even when altered or selectively shared, are more convincing when wrapped in authenticity.

"What kind of system is it?" Rob asked, tilting his head slightly to look up at Dr. Chen, his naturally drooping eyelids giving him a perpetually sleepy appearance.

"It takes time to explain, and this scene will end in a few minutes," Dr. Chen replied, glancing at several clocks on the wall. Though labeled with London and New York time zones, they were accurate. "I suggest everyone take what they need now. I'll explain in detail when the next scene begins. That's what I told the others. Besides, having items will make it easier for me to demonstrate."

"Fair enough. I trust Dr. Chen's judgment," Jiang Tian said with a slight smile at him, then turned to address the group. "If anyone's still unsure, just take the items but avoid listening to anyone until the system is clarified."

Lin Sanjiu wasn't sure if Jiang Tian's comment increased her credibility in the eyes of others, but it certainly didn't for Lin Sanjiu—not because she distrusted Jiang Tian but because her statement had a flaw. Lin Sanjiu couldn't tell whether the oversight was intentional or accidental.

Without exchanging another glance, Lin Sanjiu and Jiang Tian both took hotel tote bags from the front desk and went their separate ways.

"Good thing this scene is limited to the lobby and doesn't include the guest rooms," Mrs. Manas suddenly remarked. "Otherwise, if someone asked why you didn't take one of those free hotel razors to trim your eyebrows, I'd have no idea what to say."

Lin Sanjiu had to hold herself back from laughing out loud.

"That'd be so rude," she replied, putting a few bottles of water into her bag. "If anyone makes a comment about my appearance, I'll punch them. After all, punching someone isn't lying, so it shouldn't affect my trustworthiness... right?"

"It'll definitely affect it," Mrs. Manas said.

It seemed this question could only be answered by punching someone to see the outcome. From Lin Sanjiu's observations, Hina might be the first to find out.

Despite being an older woman, Hina charged through situations like a bulldozer, leaving no one daring to confront her. At that moment, she had grabbed Caveman by the arm and was shouting loudly, "You took all the beer! What's everyone else supposed to drink?" The man immediately opened his bag and let her take several bottles.

Soon, the thirty minutes were up.

The hotel began to fade from everyone's view, its solid and tangible materials dissolving like bubbles under sunlight.

The blue sky lazily stretched out under the golden sun, flecked with shimmering points of light. The sound of heavy, distant waves filled the air. A few seagulls skimmed over white surf before settling on the wet, smooth sand, bobbing their heads as they searched for food.

"I remember this scene!" the round-faced man suddenly exclaimed, his face lighting up with excitement. "I wanted to pick this one, but the pocket dimension told me someone else had already chosen it... So, this is what the ocean looks like?"

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