Doomsday Wonderland

“Under…under the water?” Lin Sanjiu blurted absentmindedly.

The gentle wavelets splashed against the wall of the swimming pool, releasing a soothing tone into Lin Sanjiu’s ears. Peering through the floor-to-ceiling window, the sky was dawning, and the night began to roll in. Speckles of light were glowing up one after another from the ground. The air was cool and there were splatters of water here and there on the sparkling marble tiles.

Leaning on the other side of the pool, the woman dressed in the bright red robe offered Lin Sanjiu a grin, giving her a chance to glimpse at her glowing white teeth.

“Take off your boots.” Her voice was melodious and sounded like the brassy tune of a saxophone that rapped at the ceiling. It was such a pleasure just to listen to her voice.

Slowly, Lin Sanjiu crouched down and took off her boots. Her naked feet stepped on the chilly marble tiles, making her skin break out into gooseflesh.

“Your coat.”

The thick and warm greatcoat fell to the floor, emitting a rustling noise. The woman chortled, then fell silent.

Lin Sanjiu did not know what she was waiting for. She stood there obediently, staring at the woman’s crossed legs that were contorted by the soft undulation of the waves. She had a pair of long and slender legs, and her calves formed slim lines as they glistened under the light.

“Where…where is the checkpoint?”

After a short while, she lowered her head. Her irises were checkered with the reflected light from the shimmering pool. The crystal clear water was inviting even though there was a faint antiseptic smell lingering in the air. As she asked the question, she unknowingly entered the pool.

The water was cold at first, but then the more she descended into the pool, the more her body got used to the freezing temperature. In the end, the water became a warm blanket that enveloped her whole.

The pool water reached her chest despite her tall stature. She tried to move forward after she had gotten used to the temperature in the swimming pool. Even though she did not raise her head, she could still feel the gaze from the woman boring into her skull.

Mrs. Manas had fallen silent as well.

Lin Sanjiu moved through the pool. She felt a tightness in her chest due to the water pressure. Every blue tile looked the same, so she did not know which one was the checkpoint. Besides, the woman had not once shifted her gaze away from her. Lin Sanjiu looked like she was looking for something, but she could not concentrate.

“Where’s the—”

Lin Sanjiu’s sentence was interrupted by a splash of water. Dumbfounded, she turned around to see that a blanket of bright red robes was floating on top of the water, looking like a blossomed crimson lotus.

Suddenly, the woman popped out of the water and took a deep breath. Her long hair draped over her body, accentuating her sassy rump and slim waist. On closer inspection, Lin Sanjiu found that she was almost as tall as her.

“Let me help you.” She grinned at Lin Sanjiu, and the indifferent expression on her face melted away, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I don’t step on it.”

Lin Sanjiu’s face blushed and she felt her breathing increase rapidly. She lowered her head and mumbled, “It is okay. You only need to tell me where it is.”

“You came in behind a bearded man,” As if she did not hear what Lin Sanjiu said, she continued to swim nearer to her. Her breathing was a little unsteady and her voice sounded slightly muffled. “Today is your first time coming here, isn’t it?”

“How did you know?”

“The camera, of course, you silly little girl.” She threw her head back and laughed brazenly. “What makes you think that a place like this wouldn’t have cameras installed?”

Lin Sanjiu’s face flushed even deeper. ‘Has she been observing me when I was strolling around down there? So does that mean she also saw the scene where I got rejected by that dwarf woman? Oh my goodness, this is so embarrassing!”

The woman reached in front of Lin Sanjiu, and the sloshing of the water gradually died away. A wisp of cool fragrance wafted into her nose, just like the fragrance she smelt the moment she stepped into this building. Lin Sanjiu darted a glance at the woman and quickly averted her gaze away. However, the woman’s long hair, her moist rosy lips, and her azure eyes that could only be compared to the blue sky remained vividly clear in her eyes and her mind.

“Follow me.”

She stretched her arm out and grabbed onto Lin Sanjiu’s wrist. Both of them swayed across the water, and the water splashed like an elf humming a song.

“Is this place…”

As if she knew what would Lin Sanjiu ask, the woman chimed in before she could even finish her sentence, “This isn’t a brothel, for your information.”

“Then, who are you?” Lin Sanjiu asked again.

The woman in front giggled but did not turn her head back. “Me? I am the owner of this place.”

‘Is this place really not a brothel?’

“That is the most soul-destroying thing in the world, don’t you think?” She turned her face slightly. There was a drop of water dangling from the tip of her nose. “I mean, putting a price on something so engrossing like this.”

Lin Sanjiu realized that she used “this” rather than “that”. However, she had no idea what could that possibly mean.

“The name is Jezebel,” the woman introduced with a smile. She seemed to know what Lin Sanjiu was thinking. “This is the place where you can find warmth and affection.”

Stupefied, Lin Sanjiu followed the woman to wade in the pool. She felt like she was having a dream.

“I…I, I’m sorry. You lost me,” Lin Sanjiu said.

Jezebel spun and glanced at her with light flowing in her eyes.

“My customers aren’t only the ones who pay and come in like you,” she said softly, “Those inside the showcases, they are my customers as well.”

Lin Sanjiu was stumped by the response.

“Human desires are the most diverse and complicated things in the world,” Jezebel said as she raised her head. Her graceful neck cast a shadow on the rippling water. She gasped and continued to say, “Some wish to walk in the dark so that they can be discovered by the light, while the others want nothing more than attention. They want to be seen, to be touched, and desire to be desired… Don’t you miss it?”

“Miss wh—what?” Lin Sanjiu stammered.

“After so many years of leaving normal human society, you’ve grown accustomed to putting up a wall while dealing with anybody that comes near you and watching out for every place you go. You’ve already forgotten that kind of feeling.”

As she talked, Jezebel had already stopped walking ahead. She held Lin Sanjiu’s wrist and pulled her forward. That way, both of them walked to a corner of the swimming pool.

Narrowing her eyes, it took Lin Sanjiu several minutes before she finally saw the word “checkpoint” on the tile at the corner. She let out a breath and took two steps forward. She leaned her body against the corner and stepped on the tile.

As if the waves urged her, Jezebel suddenly went closer and their distance shortened. Her tepid breath sprayed on Lin Sanjiu’s skin.

“Most of those who come here are looking for something. They want to snuggle into somebody’s embrace and feel the person’s body heat, hear the person’s heartbeat, and feel the person’s breath on their skin or cheeks.” Looking into Jezebel’s azure eyes, ut seemed as if there was another swimming pool in there, and it burned Lin Sanjiu just by locking gazes with her.

“Do you want to know how does it feel when the hair of somebody tickles your face during some kind of intimate activity? Do you want to feel how moist and damp and soft a person’s lips are when you…Oh, so your earlobes are your erogenous spot, huh?”

The woman gave a chuckle. Her voice deepened in pitch, sounding like a husky contralto.

“This is something that no Special Item or Evolving Ability can provide…Real, fresh, and warm humans. Only humans can give you a sense of belonging, and only humans can make you feel like you are human.”

Her hair cascaded down and fell onto Lin Sanjiu’s chest.

“Don’t worry,” Jezebel continued to lure Lin Sanjiu with her husky voice. She was getting closer and closer to the point that Lin Sanjiu was able to see the droplets of water that dangled around the corner of her lips. “We are just two human beings, two bags of desires that float about in the water, nothing more than that.”

Lin Sanjiu was totally stumped. Her brain was a mess, and she did not know what was happening.

“You know what?” Jezebel moved even closer. Lin Sanjiu began to imagine the wonderful feeling when that pair of plump lips nipped her ears.

“Unlike her, I’m not afraid of teaching novices.”

‘So, she saw everything happening down there…’ The moment the thought surfaced in Lin Sanjiu’s mind, her vision turned black as a shadow loomed over her.

The water moved slowly around the two figures, caressing them coolly, eddying in their wake before spreading out far and hit the wall of the pool.

The flicker of lights from the pool continued to shine brightly, creating a brilliant latticework of light and shadows on the ceiling that the rippling water below danced along with it.

Everything felt like a dream.