Doomsday Wonderland

The first 30 minutes ended right after all four members from the white camp arrived. The sea started churning, and waves, each greater and higher than the last, devoured all the platforms that were left unattended by Maxin. And when the waves receded, those platforms vanished from their sight.

There were now only 100 platforms left on the sea, forming into a square. The sea on both sides was colonized by the yellow shadows. The members from the white camp all stood at the first row in one line, blocking their way front and preventing Ji Shanqing from getting away.

Initially, Ji Shanqing intended to skirt around the hippie and escape through the last platform. However, little did he expect that before he could make his move, the other three members from the white camp arrived. They were in dire straits.

Running his eyes along the row of people, Ji Shanqing frowned, looking slightly disillusioned.

“There are ten platforms in a row and there are ten rows,” the hippie said, counting the number of platforms in the black camp. He withdrew his outstretched finger and turned to the comrade standing next to him with a giggle. “It seems like securing a hundred platforms is their maximum. They are so weak.”

On top of the sea about two to three hundred meters away stood a young girl wearing a panda sleeping suit. She was the woman they had first seen, who had leaped around the platforms. She hid her face under a hood, and they could see no more than a heart-shaped chin from their vantage point.

“It’s only a hundred platforms, and you guys need two people to get the job done? By the way, what’s that over there?” the young girl asked. Blowing the pink gum in her mouth into a huge balloon-like bubble, she nodded her chin at Maxin as if they were close friends. “It looks like a maggot. Is it your pet?”

However, before Maxin could reply, the person next to the panda girl spoke, “Oh my, look at this young lad here.” The person gave Maxin a wide-eyed gaze, licking the latter’s body with his eyes as he gasped in admiration. “Look at that perfectly sculpted face and those bright, clear eyes that can only be rivaled by the stars in the sky. I’ve never seen such a good-looking young man in my life!”

Generally, if the one who complimented him were not a wizened old man whose face was covered in a thick layer of make-up, Maxin would have felt rather pleased.

The old man had applied his make-up so thick that the powder on his cheeks made his face look like a biscuit that was about to crumble. He seemed to be more interested in Maxin. When his gaze fell on the grand prize, his brows furrowed and he berated, “You are… a boy, aren’t you? Please don’t dress up like a girl next time. It doesn’t look good on you.”

Ji Shanqing remained unflustered as he answered, “I’m not a boy.”

‘He isn’t a boy?’ Startled, Maxin turned and studied Ji Shanqing from head to toe. ‘He’s a girl?’

“Quiet!” The fourth person shouted commandingly. He was enveloped entirely in a large brown robe that concealed even his gender. He had a muffled and strange tone to his voice as if he were speaking through a voice changer. “We’re here to obliterate them.”

“Don’t be so cranky.” The hippie pointed at the sea, which was filled with yellow shadows, and said, “I still haven’t…”

“Watch out!” the old man shouted. He had been observing Maxin, so he was the first to notice his movement. Nonetheless, Maxin was too fast, and before they could do anything, he had already swiftly reached the platform Ji Shanqing was standing on, holding his mermaid’s tail.

“I’ll stall them as long as I can. Use the opportunity to retreat,” he whispered.

Ji Shanqing’s mind came to a momentary pause. He only replied after the words sank in, “There’s four people there! You’ll be outnumbered!”

“I won’t let them pass the pool of yellow shadows safely!”

Ji Shanqing knitted his brows in a tight frown as he set his jaw tight, biting his lower lip in frustration.

Before any ideas could take form in his mind, the hippie and the panda girl began rushing towards a vacant platform. Pushing all his frustration and anxiety to the back of his mind, Maxin retaliated by slamming the mermaid’s tail against the sea, whipping up massive water veil made of the yellow shadows before sending it straight at his adversaries.

“It’s too dangerous to cross the yellow shadows now since they are here,” Ji Shanqing said in a low voice, “I’ll help you to fight them first. When the time is right, I’ll give you a signal, then you can help me get out of here.”

They could leave the rear platforms in the hands of Soulsqn and Hegel, so they did not have to worry about them within these 30 minutes. Maxin looked at the two figures that were retreating back to the buffer zone. He knitted his brows in deep concern.

Ji Shanqing was right. It was too dangerous for him to go past them alone.

“You shouldn’t be worried about that since all of them are here,” Maxin said hurriedly, “As long as we can stall them for 30 minutes, their platforms will disappear…”

“No, you’re wrong.” Ji Shanqing shook his head. “It’s for an hour.”

“An hour?” Maxin was perplexed, but he soon understood everything after he gave it a thought for a few seconds. ‘He’s right. We have to stall them for another hour.’

Every time somebody set foot on a platform, the countdown would be reset. If the first minute was counted based on the time they departed, then the platform that was stepped on in the first minute would disappear on the 31st minute, but the platform that was stepped on on the 31st minute would not disappear until the 61st minute.

The black camp did not have the luxury to wait for another hour. Within 30 minutes, Maxin had to return to Soulsqn and take the baton from her.

“So, it’s essential for me to get into the white camp as soon as possible,” Ji Shanqing said firmly, “Once I’m gone, I’m going to leave everything here in your hands.”

Gritting his teeth, Maxin nodded in response. In the distance, the waves crashed back into the sea. Countless yellow shadows wriggled in the air, eager to catch something as they fell. Like a shower of locusts falling from the sky, all of the yellow shadows eventually dropped into the sea and onto the platforms with loud splashes. Seeing that there was no way for them to go through the rain of yellow shadows, all four members of the white camp ceased their attack and watched from the buffer zone.

Just when Maxin was about to leave, Ji Shanqing tugged at his wrist. He turned his head and met Ji Shanqing’s watery eyes.

“Hegel,” he said in a low voice, “He’s fit enough to handle these platforms. You can ask him to replace you when the situation calls for it, and…” Ji Shanqing paused. When he began speaking again, his voice was teetering on the edge of crying. “He knows something about my sister, and no matter how much I pressured him, he wouldn’t tell me. Perhaps he’ll tell you, so… I’ll leave it to you, too.”

When Maxin returned to his previous platform, he could somewhat still feel a warm sensation spreading from his wrist.

The moment he landed on the platform, the white camp launched its attack once more. The panda girl put her fingers into her mouth, and let out a shrill whistle. It did not take long for Maxin to realize what was she doing. On her command, the thick rolling fog in the sky began to descend. Soon, the fog filled the entire area, and they could see nothing more than a blanket of gray whiteness.

Maxin stretched out his arm, and to his surprise, the fog was so dense that he could not even see his nails. It was as if somebody had pushed him into a giant bucket of spoiled milk.

He would not be able to see them even if they were standing right in front of him now, but how about them? The panda girl should not have any trouble since this was her ability or Special Item, but would her comrades not be afraid of falling into the yellow shadows?

Occasionally, the wind would disperse the fog. However, every time, more fog would fill in, crowding into the hole that was left by the departing fog.

Pricking up his ears, Maxin listened attentively, trying his very best to pick up any sound that might be from his comrade. Sadly, it was wasted effort because aside from the thumping as the waves hit the side of the platform, his labored breathing and his racing heartbeat drowned out all other sounds.

It was too quiet.

It was as if all of them, be it the four members from the white camp or Ji Shanqing and Soulsqn, were wiped from existence by the fog, leaving him alone in this planet.

Maxin then crouched down as he felt about the edge of the platform. He chided himself inwardly for turning around like a headless fly because he now had no idea which direction he was facing. What would happen if he attacked with his mermaid’s tail? Would he hit Ji Shanqing or his adversaries?

The second Ji Shanqing came into Maxin’s mind, his voice rang out from the fog in the distance. “Sis!”

Maxin was stunned. He almost thought his mind or ears were playing a trick on him. Then, before Maxin could come to his senses, Ji Shanqing’s voice erupted from that direction once again. This time, his voice was mingled with anguish as if he were being attacked. “Sis!”

Maxin quickly darted out toward that direction. Using the mermaid’s tail, he smashed the surface of the sea and predicted the location and distance of the next platform from the roar of the sea waves. He tried to push the thought of falling into the sea to the back of his head as he leaped into the fog in front of him.

When he was falling, he heard the sea calling beneath him.