Doomsday Wonderland

Though they hadn't known each other for long, when Bee Sting reappeared in her line of sight, Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but feel a small warmth blooming within her. It was as though she had reunited with a lost fragment of herself, making her feel lighter and more at ease.

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After all, having survived for so many years in doomsday, Lin Sanjiu had long learned to treat every farewell with friends as if it might be the last. Once out of sight, amidst the vast and endless universes and apocalyptic worlds, the chance of reconnecting was slim to none. If they managed to meet again, how could she not feel delighted?

Despite Bee Sting's perpetual sour expression when they'd faced danger together, her eyes shone brightly when she saw Lin Sanjiu again. Her unique-colored pupils sparkled like they held tiny golden stars.

"I can't believe I'm seeing you again," Bee Sting said, clearly sharing Lin Sanjiu's sentiment. She sighed before even sitting down. "I know you aren't at your next teleportation deadline yet, but for some reason, I just knew you couldn't keep out of trouble. If you go more than a few days without rolling into a mess, you'd probably go into withdrawal like an addict."

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Lin Sanjiu cleared her throat awkwardly. Cyrus's earlier theory about people speaking bluntly to her out of a sense of trust and familiarity... maybe wasn't so far-fetched.

"Well," she said, scratching her face, thinking that if all her friends developed this speaking style, her face might soon be raw. "Keep your voice down, and pretend you don't know me."

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"You've gotten yourself into trouble again, haven't you? No wonder you showed up in such a weird way." Her reaction was swift, and she was already standing up. "I just remembered, I've got something urgent at home—"

Lin Sanjiu grabbed the edge of her coat, pulling her back into her seat. She quickly scanned their surroundings.

The public airship had long, unobstructed windows on both sides, and the pale blue, bright daylight flooded the cabin. Some passengers were reading, others napping, while a few were noisily munching on snacks. No one seemed to have noticed that the female posthuman who had just boarded from Grandcrest Collective recognized someone already on board.

"The airship's already moving. Are you planning to jump off?" Lin Sanjiu said with a mix of exasperation and amusement. "Relax, I just need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Bee Sting replied without moving her lips, staring blankly at the bald head in front of her as though feigning indifference.

Once Lin Sanjiu realized that the paper Pete had seen was likely a tourism brochure for the CBD district, she knew exactly who to ask.

It was almost laughable. The Shark Nexus, with all its wealth, could have easily used its own fleet of ships or aircraft to make the pitch untraceable. If they had, Lin Sanjiu and Cyrus might have spent years searching for a lead. But instead, in their attempt to sever ties with their pitch locations, they had rented a public airborne bus, giving Lin Sanjiu a valuable clue to pursue.

"How do you even know a tour guide?" Cyrus couldn't hide his surprise when she mentioned her plan to ask around. "Do you realize how niche the tourism industry is in the Twelve Worlds Centrum? The market's so small, there might not even be fifty tour guides across all of Cloudwalk Heights."

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Having severed his own Shadow Hall information network for the time being, Cyrus seemed surprised but also a little reassured to hear that Lin Sanjiu had an "occasional guide friend" who might help.

Recalling Cyrus's remark, Lin Sanjiu looked at Bee Sting with the kind of satisfaction one might have when observing a rare creature.

"Which tour groups offer high-altitude bungee jumping?" Bee Sting repeated Lin Sanjiu's question, her tone carrying a tinge of confusion. Even from her profile, her puzzlement was palpable. "Why are you asking that? Are you planning to organize a trip? You're an outsider, so you might not realize this, but the tourism business is fiercely competitive."

Before Lin Sanjiu could clarify, Bee Sting continued, "There aren't many people willing to spend money on a tour. Across the apocalyptic world system, posthumans spend their lives venturing through one world after another. When they finally make it to the Twelve Worlds Centrum, most of them just want to rest and catch their breath. What people typically look for in tourism are experiences posthumans have already had too much of during their journeys. Forget convincing them to pay for a tour; some wouldn't come even if you paid them."

"How do you even run your business, then?" Lin Sanjiu asked, caught off guard. She had never considered that the tourism industry, which seemed no different from the pre-doomsday world, operated under such unique circumstances.

"That's exactly why we rack our brains trying to make tourism appealing enough for people to pay for it," Bee Sting explained. "The most important thing is to ensure the route is unique and rare. If people can't independently experience something on their own, they'll come to us. For example, one of our CBD routes' main selling points is the intermediary service for hiring workers. Most people can't safely and reliably hire the right workers on their own. But one selling point isn't enough. High-altitude bungee jumping is another exclusive feature. As far as I know, no other tour groups offer it."

Lin Sanjiu felt a shiver run down her spine.

Could Bee Sting and the Shark Nexus's investors have been on the same airborne bus?

"Where do you rent your buses for passenger transport?" she asked urgently.

Bee Sting, looking puzzled, listened as Lin Sanjiu explained the situation, including the timeframe of Pete's second pitch. With that timeframe, identifying the rental company could allow them to trace who rented an airborne bus during that period. Even if multiple buses were rented, the condition of the next renter being a tour group could narrow it down to the actual target.

Bee Sting hesitated. "Is knowing which rental company it is that important to you?"

Lin Sanjiu nodded. "Among the clients who rented an airborne bus from them, one of them is my target. I must find out who it is."

Bee Sting let out a soft sigh. "Just knowing the rental company name won't do you much good. What are you going to do, break in and force them to hand over their client list?" She paused, seeming to make up her mind. "How about this? I'll take you there. I'm part of a tour group and have dealt with them before. If I use the excuse of renting a bus for a tour, I can probably get access to their rental records."

Perfect; this solved a major problem. So far, everything was going surprisingly smoothly. Most importantly, Pete hadn't been released yet, and the old lady still believed Lin Sanjiu had died from the fall. This meant that the Shark Nexus remained completely unaware of her actions.

As Lin Sanjiu and Bee Sting approached the rental company, Lin Sanjiu received a message from Eight-Heads De.

She stopped in her tracks and signaled for Bee Sting to wait. Amid the bustling noise of vehicles and people, she heard Eight-Heads De say, "Yu Yuan has contacted me. Where are you? Can you talk to him?"

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