Doomsday Wonderland

Chapter 1319: Taxi Driver

After that one text message, Lin Sanjiu waited until evening but did not receive a second message.

Hundreds of small advertisements had already been spread out. Wu Lun proposed paying people waiting for buses or subways twenty yuan each to post a few advertisements at their destination to broaden their reach. Some people might throw away the advertisements as soon as they got off the vehicle, but there would also be those who followed through. Even if only one out of ten people did it, the missing person flyer would still be higher.

Their division of labor was clear. While Lin Sanjiu continued posting the missing person flyers, Wu Lun conversed with people one by one. Dealing with ordinary people was not Lin Sanjiu’s forte but Wu Lun’s expertise.

However, every word in the missing person flyer Lin Sanjiu wrote could trigger a hundred doubts in an ordinary person’s mind. As soon as the passengers touched the advertisements, all sorts of questions flooded in endlessly. Just dealing with them was enough to make one dizzy. Moreover, some people were intimidated by the Puppeteer photo, stuttering and unable to look away. Wu Lun had to comfort them patiently. By the time the sun was setting, she was exhausted.

“This is more tiring than a day of work.” Wu Lun almost collapsed when she met Lin Sanjiu, supporting herself on Lin Sanjiu’s arm and groaning, “Saving the world is really hard… Let me tell you, half of my exhaustion is because of your uncle’s photo.”

The missing persons notice was just meant to convey a message—that a posthuman was looking for another posthuman. The Puppeteer photo was only meant to grab people’s attention immediately, so it had to be particularly impactful. Feeling apologetic, Lin Sanjiu suggested, “You should take the day off.”

“I can’t do that. There’s no salary for saving the world.”

“I’m trying to figure out how to make money, aren’t I?”

Wu Lun laughed, obviously not taking it seriously. “Then I will resign after you find a way.”

Lin Sanjiu sighed as they walked to the roadside to hail a taxi. With over a thousand one-hundred-yuan bills, even Wu Lun was willing to spend money on a taxi now.

“But this method is not a long-term solution,” she said quietly. “Relying on just the two of us, the area we can cover is too limited. We can’t even fully cover this city, let alone more. Moreover… who knows how long this number will be usable?”

According to Wu Lun, she couldn’t obtain a new phone number without valid identification. She needed to submit an application and identification documents to get a new number and then go to the service center to confirm her identity in person. The phone bill had to be paid from a bank account under the same name as the person registering for the new number. Additionally, for the first year after registering the new number, there would be monthly follow-up calls to ensure that the number was still being used by the same person.

“Why are they so strict about just a communication tool?” Lin Sanjiu asked irritably.

A little puzzled, Wu Lun thought momentarily, then replied, “Being strict… might be to our advantage. It makes things safer.”

To keep Wu Lun out of trouble, Lin Sanjiu didn’t use her phone number. Therefore, Han Jun’s number was the only one available. That text message was always lingering in her mind, ready to resurface at any moment.

Perhaps it wasn’t just because she sympathized with Han Jun’s wife.

Only three days had passed since the museum heist, but strangely, after that one breaking news headline, there had been no further media coverage or follow-up reports on the high-profile case involving many mysteries and significant sums of money. Not mentioning it in the news, people seemed to have forgotten about it, and even Wu Lun talked about it less—despite living under the same roof as the robber.

“The police must still be investigating,” Wu Lun said casually when asked about it. “There will be news when there’s progress. Besides, you should hope for no news.”

Could it be that the missing former head of security had finally become a suspect? Was this text message a covert probe?

But this idea didn’t make sense in some ways. If Han Jun had become a suspect and his phone was still in use, wouldn’t the most effective way be to locate him via his phone’s GPS? Lin Sanjiu vaguely remembered that a phone could be tracked by satellites or communication base stations, and it didn’t necessarily require internet access. Even if locating him wasn’t possible, wouldn’t it be more useful for his wife to call him than sending a vague text message? What effect could a single, cryptic message have?

“Ah, a car is coming,” Wu Lun softly exclaimed, snapping Lin Sanjiu back to reality.

A taxi with its empty light on was drawn over by Wu Lun’s outstretched arm, slowly approaching them. As Wu Lun was about to walk over to open the back door, the driver suddenly glanced at them from inside the vehicle, then abruptly stepped on the accelerator, making the taxi swerve back onto the road and merge into the traffic—this was the peak hour. The road was instantly filled with the sound of honking and braking.

“What’s going on?” Wu Lun was puzzled. “Why did it stop and then go?”

Lin Sanjiu turned to look in the direction the taxi had disappeared, furrowing her brows slightly. If she remembered correctly, something identical had happened not long ago—a taxi had fled from her.

Was it the same taxi?

“Oh, another one is coming!” Wu Lun exclaimed hastily, extending her hand.

“You go back first,” Lin Sanjiu said, patting her shoulder. “I’ll catch a ride.”

“Alright—what, what?” Wu Lun was surprised and quickly turned her head. “Huh? Where did she go?”

Before she could finish her sentence, Lin Sanjiu had already rushed toward the disappearing taxi. The streets were bustling with people and traffic at this time of evening. When she accelerated, it was as if someone had fired a cannonball from the street. Cries of surprise, footsteps dodging, people falling… It was as if the waves were splashing, scattering in all directions. Because of her speed, most people couldn’t see what had flashed past them until the gust of wind blew them off their feet.

With such speed, chasing after the slowly moving taxi trapped in traffic was effortless.

Lin Sanjiu scanned the surroundings and found her target. Like a bird leaping over the beach, she crossed half the road in a few strides, and even the cars behind her didn’t have time to honk their horns. With a thud, she landed beside the taxi door, tapped on the window, and demanded, “Open the door!”

The taxi’s engine roared as if trying to accelerate away from her. But with cars surrounding it from all sides, it had nowhere to escape. Slowly, it moved forward step by step, unable to flee.

“I said, open the door again.” Lin Sanjiu’s gaze pierced through the glass, lifted her fist, and aimed at the car window.

Click—the door lock was released.

She pulled open the door and sat in the passenger seat, then turned to look at the driver. “Where do you want to go?” The driver didn’t look at her, still staring at the road ahead. He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with skin tanned to a light brown and sagging cheeks. A small sign hung on the rearview mirror, reading ‘Safe travels all the way.’

“Your abilities have degraded too,” Lin Sanjiu sighed, looking at him. She asked softly, “How long have you been in this world?”

“What?” The traffic light ahead turned red, and the driver finally turned his head. His gentle features, without much variation, gave him a soft and approachable appearance. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ve seen posthumans whose abilities have degraded, and they give off the same feeling as you. Ordinary people who have never evolved wouldn’t have this sense of looseness after losing their powers.” Lin Sanjiu frowned, searching for words, then continued, “When I lifted my fist, you knew to unlock the car door. You’re well aware that your car door can’t withstand my fist. But ordinary people wouldn’t think like that, right?”

“What do you want?” The driver sighed, “I have no strength left. I’m no different from an ordinary person now. Why are you looking for me?”

“Do a lot of former posthumans come to this place?” Lin Sanjiu remembered Han Jun saying she was the first posthuman he had encountered. “You’re the second one I’ve met in the past few days.”

“I’m not sure.” The driver kept his eyes on the road, saying, “I can recognize posthumans with their powers intact, but not those whose powers have weakened. Besides, it’s been seven or eight years since then, and I rarely think about those things from the past.”

Lin Sanjiu raised an eyebrow slightly. She gave him Wu Lun’s address and said, “Just treat me as an ordinary passenger. I’ll pay the fare. I’m here for a simple reason—I’m new here and want you to tell me everything you know.”

“I’m afraid I can’t help you much.” The driver still had a stern expression, making a U-turn at the intersection, saying, “I’ve been given a chance at rebirth by the heavens to come to this world… Since I learned I wouldn’t be teleported away anymore, I’ve been working hard to live my life. I even threw away all my Special Items. As for you posthumans or anything related to teleportation or abilities, I’m not interested at all, and I don’t know anything about them.”

“Don’t you miss your powers at all?”

“I didn’t have much power before. That thing was just a curse. It’s good that it’s gone so I can live normally.” The driver chuckled self-deprecatingly. “My biggest wish is to go home safely every day, and now my wish has come true.”

Lin Sanjiu was about to speak when she saw the taxi stop by the roadside.

“You can get off here, and I won’t take your money.” The driver didn’t look at her, and his face looked unpleasant—rather than angry, he seemed scared. “I have nothing to tell you, so don’t come looking for me again. I just want to live a normal life and avoid any trouble.”