Doomsday Wonderland

Lin Sanjiu sat atop a high rooftop, gazing into the distance at the spacecraft, which rested at an awkward angle between two energy pylons.

She had taken a seat at dusk when the pylons cast long, slanted shadows on the ground, as if even their shadows longed to escape home and see the world. Now, those shadows had long since melted into the darkness, vanishing entirely. In the night, only the small green lights on the pylons flickered occasionally, drawing in the occasional passerby seeking their services.

Some chose to extract solar energy, others opted for micro-particle flux, and some—perhaps indifferent to food or simply unable to afford it—purchased pure calories. Among all the energy types offered by the pylons, raw caloric energy, which sustained the human body, was among the cheapest options.

A man who had just bought some calories hunched his back, hugging his arms as he walked away. His tattered clothing hung loosely from his frame, and as he left, he kicked an empty can across the pavement.

He must have never experienced or even heard of Meat Elysium, Lin Sanjiu thought.

If the cheapest survival method in the Twelve Worlds Centrum had existed back in Meat Elysium, she might have suffered far less. But then, she wouldn't have entered Harry's Farm and met Cyrus.

The high-altitude world of the late night was cold and damp with dew, its chill seeping into her bones. She pulled her coat tighter around herself and continued to silently observe the still spacecraft.

She had been waiting here for at least four or five hours.

Shortly after nightfall, Lin Sanjiu had stood up and walked to the other side of the rooftop, glancing at the peculiar lights that belonged solely to the Twelve Worlds Centrum. When she returned to her original spot, she had just caught sight of a figure approaching the spacecraft.

Everyone has had a moment like that, when you long so desperately to see someone that, even when logic tells you it's not them, your heart still leaps in hope.

At that moment, she had almost called out, "Cyrus!"

But it was just a stranger. He circled the spacecraft, clicking his tongue in curiosity, before walking away.

Her fingers tapped lightly against the Beacon-Wolf Signal communicator, nails making soft, rhythmic clicks against the device. Lost in thought, she could almost hear Xie Feng's voice again.

"Stop overthinking," Xie Feng had finally relented, after enduring Lin Sanjiu's repeated questions while they left the rental office. "I didn't travel all this way just to kill myself. Take that as a hint."

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It seemed that she had no intention of discussing the matter further. Her gaze swept over the small white box in Lin Sanjiu's hand before she cut her off, asking, "You still haven't thrown that away? I already told you, Beacon-Wolf Signal might be a Shark Nexus-funded project."

If that were true, then Eight-Heads De's communications had likely been under the Shark Nexus's surveillance this entire time.

Lin Sanjiu didn't understand why the Shark Nexus, despite knowing Eight-Heads De's location, had never acted against him. But one thing was clear; at this point, throwing away the communicator would do little to help.

Besides, with the signal device under her skin malfunctioning and the last communicator the grand prize had given her destroyed, Beacon-Wolf Signal—no matter how unsafe—was the only means left to reach Eight-Heads De and Yu Yuan.

As for Cyrus, if they had already been under silent observation all this time, secrecy no longer mattered. The priority now was ensuring that everyone remained safe.

As soon as Xie Feng left, Lin Sanjiu immediately opened the small white box.

Yet no matter who she tried to contact, all she received in return was silence, as if her reunion with Cyrus, her acquaintance with Eight-Heads De, and her conversations with Yu Yuan had all been nothing more than an illusion.

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Even the paper crane, the least secure communication method, was pulled out. It fluttered its wings, circled twice in midair as if searching for the direction of Cyrus, and then gently landed back in her hand.

No, that can't be right, Lin Sanjiu thought. It's possible he's trapped in a subspace or a pocket dimension.

It was only after putting away the paper crane that she suddenly felt the night air in Cloudwalk Heights turn unbearably cold. Even with her coat on, she couldn't stop the shivering that seeped into her skin, as if the chill was burrowing into her flesh. She returned to where Cyrus had parked his aircraft. If he couldn't reach her, this was the one place they both knew. He would return here.

The longer she waited, the colder she became. The fewer people she saw, the more certain she was that Cyrus wasn't coming.

Someone so cautious and alert, with such skill and so many items—who could possibly harm him?

Burying her face in her hands, she exhaled a long, warm breath into her palms before slowly standing up on the rooftop.

"You've made up your mind?" Mrs. Manas immediately sensed her resolve.

Yes. She had.

Lin Sanjiu leaped from the rooftop as if stepping onto the night wind. She stretched out her long legs, gliding forward like she was skating on air. In the blink of an eye, the spacecraft was left far behind, fading from sight. She had seen the commercial district of this residential area on her way here. Fixing her direction, she sprinted toward it at full speed.

Perhaps even Xie Feng hadn't realized what consequences her warning would bring.

The Shark Nexus had been monitoring their communications with Eight-Heads De all along. Perhaps they had been waiting for the right moment, avoiding any premature action to keep their target unaware. But once Xie Feng's casual reminder at the rental office alerted Lin Sanjiu, the Shark Nexus must have realized Beacon-Wolf Signal was compromised and immediately severed all three connections.

Was this part of a divide-and-conquer strategy? Or had someone already been taken out?

"The Shark Nexus has made a grave mistake."

After nearly ten minutes of searching the commercial district, Lin Sanjiu finally found a rounded pod-like spacecraft with the word TAXI flashing on top. As she jumped into the rental transport, she almost wished it had been sent by the Shark Nexus.

She murmured to Mrs. Manas in her mind, "Before this, I was careful, hiding and disguising myself, trying to gather as much information as possible from the shadows, avoiding direct confrontation because I had concerns. I feared making too much noise, worried it might put those around me in danger.

"But who do I have left to worry about now? Who's even left?

"Without Eight-Heads De, I can't even reach Yu Yuan. The time for cautious probing is over. I will break through the fog, bring Exodus above Chimeric City, and announce my presence to all of Cloudwalk Heights.

"I will do everything in my power to sever, crush, and destroy every single tendril of the Shark Nexus I come across. No matter what lies behind them, it's time for them to come out and face me."

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