Doomsday Wonderland

Ever since she became acquainted with Puppeteer, this was the first time Lin Sanjiu felt happy hearing his voice.

After being plagued by Puppeteer for several worlds, she had grown so accustomed to his snarky remarks that they felt like a breeze to her right now. The cable in her hand was pulled taut. It shook vigorously as the hulking mass of flesh struggled for all its worth to free itself from the hook that barbed deep into its flesh. A throbbing pain spread from Lin Sanjiu’s fractured palm whenever the monstrosity tried to make any movements.

“Finally! Come, help me!”

Puppeteer sneered coldly.

“Are you giving me an order right now?” There was still a cold attribute to Puppeteer’s voice even though his ability had evolved. Just as Lin Sanjiu wanted to say something, the cable in her hand stopped shaking.

Slowly, “Goliath” stopped struggling, and then it just stood there under the white luminance of [Light Moss] like a piece of blackened meat.

“How did I get here?” Puppeteer asked the white fatty, whom he failed to recognize. However, Polva was too overwhelmed by his fear that he couldn’t speak properly. He trembled in each joint, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably with fright.

‘Why did he still carry him around even though he’s so afraid of him?’ 

Lin Sanjiu sighed inwardly. Then, the eye-soring abomination trembled slightly, which caused her to give a start. Just when she raised her eyes to notify Puppeteer of their situation, she saw that “Goliath” shrinking with a speed noticeable to naked eyes. Its flesh and skin flowed towards the same direction, and even the wrinkles smoothed out. It looked as if there was a force pulling at its skin.

Lin Sanjiu stared, slack-jawed and bug-eyed, at the mass of flesh that melted away.

The mass of flesh constituting of several human body parts got smaller and smaller, gradually revealing the thin figure that stood behind it.

Puppeteer threw away the towel that was wrapped around his body the moment he woke up. He had pasty skin to begin with, so it surprised Lin Sanjiu that his complexion could go even paler. Standing silently in the dark, he looked like a black hole that could absorb every ray of light that passed through him.

As he slowly closed his palm, Lin Sanjiu realized that “Goliath” was wriggling under his palm. However, its movements were becoming slower and slower, as if the unseen power was sapping its life force away.

‘What kind of ability is this?’

Lin Sanjiu had mixed feelings when seeing Puppeteer make mincemeat of the thing that had given her so much trouble. She threw a quick glance at the “Goliath” on the ground and looked at the two people standing behind Puppeteer.

Maxin held her [Battle Item] in his hand. Apparently, it was he who imitated a certain Special Item and awakened Puppeteer. While Maxin was explaining the situation, Polva set his jaw tight. He pressed himself tightly against the [Light Moss], trying his very best to make himself as invisible as possible as he slowly edged away from Puppeteer.

“Lin Sanjiu.”

Puppeteer suddenly called out to Lin Sanjiu, his voice so soft it gave her goosebumps all over her skin. Before Lin Sanjiu could turn her head to face him, the mass of flesh exploded. For a moment, Lin Sanjiu could not hear anything but the sputter of flesh and blood. A maelstrom of broken human parts, body fluids, internal organs, and hair was sent skyward towards her, drenching her wet. An offensive stench filled her nostrils as hair and human tissue was deposited in the crook and angularity of her body. She shut her eyes tight and did not even dare to breathe, for she feared she would throw up.

“Please move away a little bit.”

It was only then that Puppeteer finished the second part of the sentence. Lin Sanjiu almost missed the sentence, as her brain was filled with Mrs. Manas’ screams.

It was a nightmare to clean herself, as nobody wanted to experience what it’s like to pull a dead man’s hair off of their teeth. Without even prying her eyes open, she took off her shirt in one swift motion and washed her body with several bottles of mineral water. When she was finally able to peel her eyes open, she realized that, as expected, the other three people were dry and clean.

Obviously, he was able to control the direction of the explosion.

“So it’s Pestilence that evolved.” Puppeteer sighed as he inspected his hand. It seemed that his injury still hadn’t recovered yet, as his voice sounded weak. “It has become Forensic Pathologist. Well, it is better than nothing.”

‘What kind of forensic pathologist would blow up a dead body?’

Lin Sanjiu did not open her lips, as she feared that she would not be able to control herself and would lash out at Puppeteer. After she put on a clean shirt, she buried her face in a towel and cursed Puppeteer inwardly. After “Goliath” was blown up, there was nothing stirring around in the darkness outside of the [Light Moss], but Puppeteer’s cold and harsh voice cut them like a blade of ice. “Let’s go and look for an exit.”

Lin Sanjiu suddenly remembered something. She threw the towel away and peered into the darkness. She knocked her choker a few times, but Puppeteer paid her no mind.

“Are you the one who woke me up?” He signalled with his hand for the two people behind him to follow him. His jacket creaked as he walked on a path that was bereft of meat mush. Even though he bathed under the glow of the [Light Moss], it did not lessen the gloominess about him by the slightest.

‘Wait… Did I not make myself clear enough?’

With that thought, Lin Sanjiu tapped on the choker again. She even mouthed at him to make herself clearer.

But it still had no effect.

“I don’t like owing people favors,” Puppeteer said as he sauntered forward. “What do you guys want in return?”

“Th—that is not necessary,” said Polva falteringly, his voice as brittle as the first snow of autumn. He had climbed onto Maxin’s shoulder. “I—I—”

“Either I return the favor,” Puppeteer said calmly as he continued to ignore the rapping noise, “Or I kill you. I’ve made myself clear enough—I don’t want to owe anybody a favor.”

Polva blurped as he swallowed the word on the tip of his tongue back into the pit of his stomach. He cast a furtive glance at Lin Sanjiu, but like Maxin, neither of them could help her activate the choker. Lin Sanjiu’s stomach was in knots. Just as she opened her mouth, she caught sight of a flitting figure charging straight at her from the corner of her eyes. Even though she could see her opponent’s movements clearly, she failed to steer herself out of the ambush. Puppeteer’s cold fingers pressed tightly on her neck just below the choker. He pulled her closer, and a strange aroma tainted the air between them.

“You keep tapping on your choker, and it’s annoying! Do you think you are calling your dog?” Half of his face scrunched up, and Lin Sanjiu could read the heavy murderous intent in his narrowed eyes. Maxin and Polva’s expressions changed. Although she knew he would not kill her, she still couldn’t help but activate [Defense Forcefield]. However, the moment the [Defense Forcefield] flared up, Puppeteer released his grip and pushed her away. As she staggered back, a cold voice wafted into her ears.

“You now have the Veda’s ability to analyze and code everything.” The man clad in a black jacket flicked his finger at her as if flicking a bug off his shirt. “Are you satisfied now?”

Lin Sanjiu let out a sigh as the choker warmed up. For this sentence, she had suffered and endured too many humiliations. She had no idea what kind of ability it would be, so she closed her eyes after gazing at them.

After roughly half a second, she peeled her eyes open.

‘So… This is how the Veda see the world?’

How should she describe the feeling?

The moment her eyes peeled and saw her surroundings, Lin Sanjiu was a little afraid that she might not be able to decline the Veda’s offer to become one of them if they asked again.

After all, becoming one of them meant she would be able to see the world in this way for the rest of her life.

She had never seen the world in such a simple and thorough way in her life before.

[Light Moss] was made up from the combination of 64 different basic substances. They were arranged in such a fascinating and precise manner that they gave great mathematical aesthetic pleasure. With a simple glance, Lin Sanjiu would know about their data repertoire. She touched the glowing wall, and by the time she took her fingers down, it was as if she had breathed life into the [Light Moss]. It spread across the wall, chased away the darkness, and illuminated the entire passageway.

Within a few seconds, she’d rewritten the code for [Light Moss] so that it could light up the entire passageway.

The internal space of the furniture was more complicated than the [Light Moss] while the data constitution of posthumans was even more complex than the furniture cemetery. Pressing down the urge to analyze the few people around her, Lin Sanjiu crouched down and touched the floor in an almost greedy way.

‘This is so… awesome.’

With a single touch, all the details, substances, arrangement, and data that constituted the furniture cemetery flashed across her eyes. She was certain she would never find this kind of wonderful sensation anywhere; not even a drug could bring her such a euphoric moment. By having this ability, she had gained absolute control over everything in the world.

Mankind had never grabbed ahold of anything. The more pathetic they were, the harder for them to refuse such temptation.

It took 30 seconds more than the [Light Moss] to analyze the furniture cemetery. Lin Sanjiu tapped the wall, and a door appeared. She stepped into the gloomy outside world, and the several people behind her followed her example.

“This is a special item,” said Lin Sanjiu. She had no idea why but she felt that her voice sounded distant. Lin Sanjiu reluctantly caressed the door that she went through just now. It was originally a sofa with a storage space, but she had rewritten its code to alter it into a large closet.

“This is a Special Item that could record and recreate a Pocket Dimension.”