Doomsday Wonderland

When random noises and scattered conversations started filling the quiet chamber, it was a clear sign that the ‘seeds’ short and uneasy naptime had ended. Feeling a mixture of nervousness and optimism, the group did not interact with each other much but started to look for signs of new water droplets with their light sources in their hands.

There weren’t any water droplets in the cubicle that Number 45 was in. Neither did she find any on the left and right of her cubicle…

While everyone scurried, Number 45 suddenly let out an “Ah!”

Everyone thought that she found a new water droplet. It brought up the atmosphere for a second. Before anyone could question her, she flashed her light out from the cubicle she was in and toward the entrance of the chamber.

“Everyone, look!”

Her flashlight was very weak and the surrounding darkness almost seemed to swallow most of it. Yet, everyone noticed the unforeseen issue.

“Where’s the door?” Someone exclaimed.

No matter how many times Number 45 shifted the halo of light from her flashlight, the hole connecting the passageway to the chamber had disappeared. The ‘seeds’ panicked voices rang out one after the other. Subsequently, all of them leaped out from their cubicle and rushed to the entrance.

“Calm down!” Number 42 shouted, stopping the others in their track. “Look closer!”

Everyone stopped and blinked. They quickly realized their mistake. The entrance did not disappear, it had actually been sealed. The material that was used obviously came from the walls and the ground in the chamber as they were now riddled large dents. Someone had sealed the entire hole with soil and packed it so tightly there weren’t even any visible gaps. At first glance, it was as if the hole had assimilated into walls. It was no wonder why everyone assumed that the door had disappeared.

The soil seemed freshly dug so this was clearly done by one of them.

“Who did this?” Number 42 roared, “What sort of joke is this?”

“This isn’t a joke,” Lin Sanjiu answered blandly. As she spoke, she picked the dirt under her fingernails. It took quite an amount of work to seal the entrance even with her [Vibroblade]. She was covered with soil from head to toe that she seemed almost like a mud man, “I did it. You’re welcome.”

“What?” Everyone was stunned. “Why did you do that?”

“All of you fell asleep forgetting something.” Lin Sanjiu looked up with a smile. “What should we do if someone sneaks into the main hall? To prevent that from happening, I decided to seal the entrance.”

“Yes, I forgot about that,” Number 42 frowned and stared disapprovingly at her. “But if you bring it up, we can take turns to stand guard. Why do you have to resort to this? You’ll be wasting your energy to dig it open again!”

Lin Sanjiu answered him with a shrug.

“I didn’t forget, but who would even go out?” Number 46 smiled condemningly, feeling that Lin Sanjiu’s was stupid. “Even though there aren’t enough water droplets now, how can anyhow be sure if the water droplet that they will be absorbing is pure? If a person absorbs a contaminated water droplet, their vitality will drop rapidly and everyone would know about the betrayal. Wouldn’t that person end up being worse off?”

This statement was very true. Number 44 couldn’t help but nod in agreement. However, Lin Sanjiu was concentrating wholeheartedly on dusting the soil off her body. She seemed apathetic to his remarks.

In any case, they definitely need to create an opening in the seal entrance. Number 42 assigned the task to Number 43, 44 and 46. Even though they were resentful, they started digging with their hands. As they worked, they made conversation and soon one of them brought up the topic about the water droplets.

“Speaking of which, we rested for a few hours but we can’t find a single water droplet…” Number 43 looked at everyone with a suspicious gaze. “You guys aren’t intentionally keeping it a secret even though you found a water droplet, right?”

“Of course not!” Number 44 stood up immediately.

“I don’t know about him. I didn’t find any,” Number 46 replied.

“Logically speaking, no one would do that,” Number 42 muttered thoughtfully and even the people in the cubicles behind him immediately grew silent. “If we found any new water droplets, it would prove that our conjecture is right. If that is the case, there is no reason to hide any water droplets. Time probably isn’t required for the water droplets to generate.”

“What then?” Number 45 asked from one of the cubicles.

“Maybe, we have to absorb all the pure water droplets we found before the new water droplets appear?” Number 46 asked hesitantly after the group discussed for some time.

“I don’t think so!” Number 44 howled, “Do we really have to test the poison ourselves—”

Lin Sanjiu smiled as she sat in the darkness listening to the increasingly heated discussion. After thinking for a while, she decided that it was almost time.

Whenever there were too many people in a group, it was difficult for decisions to be made. No matter what a person says, there would always be objections. After the group discussed for some time, everyone checked the cubicles once more, and they realized that they were out of options, just like they were out of water droplets.

“Alright, let’s not waste time. We should all go to the main hall now,” Lin Sanjiu clapped her hands and caught everyone’s attention. “If you can’t make a decision, I won’t waste my time here with you guys. I’m leaving now— Isn’t anyone going to come and monitor me?”

“Wait—” Surprisingly, Number 47, who had been silent all this time, was the first to follow her. “I’ll go with you.”

Once a person stepped up and made a decision, the other followed like sheep. Though they might not be prepared to absorb the water droplets now, all of them thought it wasn’t a bad idea to just take a look. All the people the group walked into the passageway once more.

“Don’t tell me, you found a way to differentiate the water droplets?” someone in the group asked doubtfully.

Lin Sanjiu chuckled. Her gaze swept past the notice with the words “No. 42 to No. 49”. Without saying a word, and ignoring the ruckus behind her which grew louder and louder, she walked into the main hall directly.

The 24 water droplets laid neatly in a row on the ground waiting for their owner. They were placed behind a 49 scribbled on the ground.

“Hey, can you actually tell which of these water droplets are pure?” Number 43 couldn’t help asking, “If you can’t, you shouldn’t take any risks. You might not have enough energy to look for another water droplet…”

“I certainly can’t tell which of these droplets are pure,” Lin Sanjiu grinned at that man. A noisy commotion rang out behind her. She bent down and convert the first water droplet in her row into a card, “I came out to verify a thought I had.”

“What thought?” Everyone questioned her noisily as they gathered around her. Lin Sanjiu looked up and saw the confused, doubtful, apprehensive eyes around her.

There were seven pairs of eyes staring back at her.

She did not speak. Her gaze fell on the card in her hand, and she took a deep breath.

The card’s name was [Harry’s Farmer Pocket Dimension Water Droplet 25].

“Harry, can I ask you a question,” She raised her voice. Her pleasant female voice resonated in the spacious upper section of the main hall, “Where is the dead seed from the previous group? Where did he go?”