Doomsday Wonderland

Everyone that fell into the sea would be transformed into a Zeus by the yellow shadows that came from the highest god, Zeus, whom they had never met before.

After a short bout of ruminating, Maxin came to the conclusion that death was a far better choice compared to being reformed into Zeus.

So, where were those lesser Zeus? And what would eventually be the fate of those people who had turned into Zeus?

Nothing happened while Maxin was staring blankly at the sea. Like him, Ji Shanqing was equally stunned. His brain was blank with no idea or clue. He could not utter a single syllable for a long time.

The sea breeze ruffled his hair, sending the strands sprawling over his face like thousands of threads. As if it were a broken jigsaw puzzle, the shocked expression on his face was shattered into pieces, each of which was magnified by dozens of times. Observing Ji Shanqing, the balding man could not help but release a half-suppressed laugh despite the fact that he was still under the grand prize’s mercy.

The man’s giggle snapped Ji Shanqing back to reality. He lowered his head and rubbed his eyes.

After a few seconds, without raising his head, he asked in a throaty voice, “Is that true?” That was a silly question.

“Nah, that’s not true.” Hegel grinned. When Ji Shanqing raised his head and looked at Hegel with glowing eyes, the latter threw his head back and guffawed uproariously. “Of course that’s true, you dumbass! Didn’t you see with your own eyes that that woman, your sister, was engulfed by the yellow shadows the moment she fell into the sea? And when the yellow shadows spat her out, she was no longer your sister anymore but Zeus? What more proof do you need? It isn’t rocket science. Is it that hard to understand?”

“Shut up!” Maxin could not help but yell at Hegel, startling even himself. Aside from knowing that Ji Shanqing did not require his help, Maxin knew nothing about him. Although he was not sure if Ji Shanqing would be grateful for his help, it did not stop him from barking out his frustration.

“How many abilities do you have? Two or three? Look around you. If you want to get out of here alive, we’re your only hope. However, it’s our choice to bring you along with us or not. So, do you think that’s the appropriate attitude you should have towards somebody that could possibly save you?” Maxin snarled. He turned and whistled at the figure far away. “Erm, Queen, can you come over here now? I have found a human pouch for you.”

“No, I don’t want him!” Soulsqn shouted, “He’s too ugly. Besides, I’m a queen. I should wear a girl as my pouch.”

Hegel had never been so humiliated in his whole life. His face was contorted into a grotesque sneer, and his eyes blazed with fervent rage. He wanted to say something, but just as he saw Ji Shanqing take a step forward, he choked on his words.

“Thank you.”

A soft and feeble sound like the chirp of a fledgling in the early morning of the forest rang out beside Maxin. It did not sound like the grand prize as it was too fragile. Thinking that his ears had failed him, Maxin turned his head around and looked over his shoulder. He saw that Ji Shanqing had lowered his head as his long hair cascaded down past his face, covering his red-rimmed eyes.

This should be the version of Ji Shanqing in Lin Sanjiu’s eyes.

Maxin was relieved, albeit slightly. On the surface, he was calm and collected. But, deep down, he was actually an impulsive man. He often took counsel of his heart and not his brain, and committed himself to something he would regret greatly afterward. He hated himself for that, so he always tried not to be controlled by his emotions when making any decisions.

‘I have to be more careful not to be overrun by my emotions again the next time,’ he told himself inwardly.

He did not expect that their relationship would improve by leaps and bounds just because of a few words. He nodded and took a step back, wanting to inform Ji Shanqing that they were running short of time since 15 minutes had passed, but he could not find the right time to say it.

“What else do you want to tell me?”

After a few seconds, the usually calm and calculative Ji Shanqing took the stage once more as the fragile version of himself retreated back to the depths of his psyche. He gazed calmly at Hegel, but the latter had a feeling that he was not looking at him but at the horizon far away.

“What else you want to know?” The balding man took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. As he battled against The Phoenix, he said through gritted teeth, “I lost the game the last time, so I didn’t get the chance to see Zeus, the highest god. There’s nothing else I can tell you.”

“You lost the game, but you’re still alive?” It seemed to Maxin that Ji Shanqing was merely stalling time.

“If you don’t get killed by your opponent, then yes. And there’ll be no punishment for losing the game.”

“Why you’re so hell-bent on meeting Zeus?”

Hegel fell silent, not replying to the question promptly. After a few seconds that seemed like ages, only then he began to speak again, “I happened to come across a message when I was traveling in the Twelve World Centrum. According to the message, the highest god, Zeus, has the ability to fulfill a man’s wish.”

Startled, Ji Shanqing’s eyes were dragged back to Hegel. He studied him through squinted eyes. Just when Maxin thought he would press the matter since, after all, a wish-granting ability was a mythical power that happened only in fairy tales, Ji Shanqing did not do as he expected and threw Hegel another question, “Those who have turned into Zeus… where are they now?”

Obviously, the balding man had misunderstood his intention.

“Are you trying to make Zeus bring your sister back? What a waste!” He raised his head, and when he met Ji Shanqing’s gaze, he responded, “I have no idea where they are. However, one or two return occasionally to patrol the area. Oh yeah, now that we’re talking about it, in my previous game, the winning team was escorted by three Zeus to meet the real Zeus.”

In other words, they could still bring Lin Sanjiu back!

Ji Shanqing did not reply. Instead, he stood there in a trance, and none of them knew what was he thinking about. He now looked like a child who had lost his way home.

Perhaps this might be the best time to remind him.

Maxin had to get moving now. Otherwise, he would not make it to a hundred platforms in time as they initially planned. Nevertheless, something in his mind was holding him back, telling him not to go and that he should stay. Perhaps his emotions had gotten the best of him again. However, after having a fierce grapple in his mind, his rationality appeared victorious and prevailed.

As Maxin opened his mouth, Ji Shanqing spoke again, “In short, I still have a chance to see my sister. Let me ask you, what kind of Special Items did my sister take from you?”

A bewildered expression instantly dawned on the balding man’s face. It occurred to them that he had never thought about this question.

“Why? Weren’t you the one who— Oh.” The moment he saw Maxin, he somewhat remembered that Lin Sanjiu had taken some of his Special Items and given them to this young man. “Why do you want to know?”

“I have to ascertain which Special Item my sister has taken so that I can counter them when she uses them against me,” Ji Shanqing answered simply. He moved the display board on his shoulder to face Hegel. Although they were now a hundred meters away, he still asked, “Look closely. Which Special Items are missing from the board?”

As he fought against the suction force of The Phoenix, Hegel slowly turned his head and stared at the display board. He did not speak for a long time as anger began to well in his heart once again. Every single Special Item on the board belonged to him, and only he knew how hard it was to collect all these Special Items.

“Okay, time’s up.”

Ji Shanqing kept the display board away, carrying it on his back. At the same time, he picked the birdcage up and clipped it to the board. The birdcage instantly shrank to the size of a refrigerator magnet.

“Hey!” Hegel called out to them, his eyes bulging. He appeared to have remembered what kind of Special Item Lin Sanjiu had taken away, but there was more to it. It seemed like he had realized something else as well, something more important.

Looking at him, Ji Shanqing tilted his head, his long hair flowing down his shoulder like a cape. He screwed up his eyes, but he did not say anything. He simply ordered, “Hold on a sec,” before turning to Maxin and insinuating, “You should get going now.”

“What?” Maxin was stunned by the sudden change. He stared at Ji Shanqing’s cherry lips as if he could not comprehend what he was saying.

“In another 13 minutes, the remaining 89 platforms will disappear.” There was no expression on Ji Shanqing’s face. It was as if he did not realize that it was an impossible feat for Maxin to cover 89 platforms in such a short time.

Before Maxin could say anything, he saw Ji Shanqing pluck something from the display board, and as Hegel gasped, it expanded in the air and covered Maxin’s head.

It looked like the hide of an animal, and Maxin soon understood why Hegel was so surprised when Ji Shanqing hurled the Special Item to him. Perhaps it was such a waste to use this item in such a manner.

“You should go now. This is a short-distance teleportation device. You can use it for another 100 times, and it should be sufficient. Good luck!”