Doomsday Wonderland

Chapter 1134: As the Saying Goes, Third Times a Charm

Chapter 1134: As the Saying Goes, Third Time's a Charm

To be honest, in most cases, Lin Sanjiu couldn't discern whether it was her [Keen Senses] or her overly tense and suspicious nerves that gave her these warnings. Take, for instance, the carpet beneath her feet. She meticulously scanned it with her Higher Consciousness multiple times, but aside from her own heightened paranoia, she couldn't uncover any abnormalities.

She fixated her gaze on the circular carpet by the door, steadfastly refusing to take a step further. The occupants within the room undoubtedly sensed that something was amiss. Footsteps resonated from behind the door, and after it swung open, the man reappeared, wearing a perplexed expression. "Why are you standing there?"

Before Lin Sanjiu could respond, he bent down and scrutinized the carpet, a realization dawning. "Oh, I see. You're quite perceptive. I couldn't tell from your appearance..."

As he spoke, he kicked the circular carpet to the side with his foot. When the carpet stubbornly refused to move, he bent down and yanked it, rolling it up against the wall.

"Please, come in," he gestured with a raised hand, inviting her to enter, "I understand your concerns. The issue doesn't lie with circular objects."

'If not circular objects, then what is it?' Lin Sanjiu wondered, yet before either of the two individuals in the room responded, they gave enigmatic smiles. She couldn't discern which one of them bore injuries, but the woman reclined on the bed, wrapped in a blanket. She appeared to be at least five or six years older than the bearded man and possessed a round face adorned with fewer freckles. At first glance, she resembled a sesame cake.

Neither of them extended introductions, and Lin Sanjiu quietly settled into a chair.

"So, the deal is simple," the bearded man said, rubbing his hands. Realizing there was no available seating, he settled on the floor—neither he nor Sesame Cake appeared to be a couple. "You give us antibiotics and food, and we'll tell you about this world."

"And water," the woman on the bed added, her voice surprisingly strong. However, both she and the bearded man had slightly dehydrated lips, showing a dull, dry, and cracked appearance, indicating they likely hadn't had proper water for a while.

"Oh, right," the bearded man said, looking at Lin Sanjiu. "How much do you have?"

"Enough," she replied with a smile, secretly grateful that [Planar World] wasn't as problematic as she had thought. Thankfully, she had those two items.

After calculating the quantity and retrieving the supplies one by one, the two people in the room appeared very satisfied, albeit a bit surprised. Sesame Cake even set aside her blanket and carefully examined two boxes of antibiotics. She seemed to have difficulty moving her legs, suggesting a lower-body injury.

"Where did you get these things?" she exclaimed in amazement. "They still look brand new..."

Of course, they were new. Since their creation by the grand prize, they had remained in [Planar World] and hadn't experienced the outside world.

As Lin Sanjiu began to grow impatient, the bearded man nodded, signaling his intent to speak. However, Sesame Cake halted him by grabbing his arm. The woman displayed more caution and suspicion than her companion. She glanced at the supplies on the ground and offered a polite smile. "It's not that I don't trust you... We were strangers just a moment ago. If the situation were reversed, I doubt you'd readily consume food or drink from strangers, right?"

Lin Sanjiu's patience wore thin. "So, what do you suggest then? These are the items you requested, aren't they?"

"Here's the proposition." Sesame Cake hesitated for a moment, then casually picked up a pack of compressed biscuits. "Take a bite of one of these biscuits."

Lin Sanjiu complied, finding the compressed biscuit dry and heavy as it stubbornly resisted her attempts to swallow. The woman then pointed to the mineral water bottle by her feet, "If you don't mind, take a sip of this water."

Lin Sanjiu, in need of water herself, swiftly reached for the mineral water bottle. It was created by [Planar World], based on the bottled water from her hometown. She had chosen 'Evian,' a brand with deep personal significance. She unscrewed the cap and pressed it against her lips, but suddenly, Mrs. Manas made a movement.

The sensation was odd because Mrs. Manas was merely a manifestation of Higher Consciousness, much like an operating interface in a computer system. Yet Lin Sanjiu could distinctly feel Mrs. Manas shifting, indicating one thing: a disturbance in her sea of consciousness.

While still holding the mineral water bottle, Lin Sanjiu gazed beyond it, conducting a rapid scan of the two individuals in the room.

One round face, one bearded face – at this moment, they turned their faces towards her like sunflowers tracking the sun, both fixating on the mouth of the water bottle, eagerly awaiting her first sip.

Had they scrutinized her with such intensity when she nibbled on the biscuit?

As this thought crossed Lin Sanjiu's mind, Mrs. Manas immediately sensed it and thoughtfully brought up the images that had been subconsciously recorded when she was consuming the biscuit. She observed the bearded man, originally seated cross-legged on the ground, change his posture to crouch down, his attention casually drifting to the opened package of compressed biscuits on the floor. On the other hand, Sesame Cake occupied the corner of the bed, her gaze meandering across the floor, frequently scanning Lin Sanjiu's feet.

Beneath her feet lay only a few bottles of mineral water.

"What's the matter?" the freckled woman asked. "Aren't you going to drink it?"

Comparing the mental image with the present reality, even a fool would discern a glaring fact: they didn't care whether Lin Sanjiu ate the compressed biscuit or not; instead, their attention was focused on whether she would drink the water or not.

She shifted the water bottle away, setting it on her knee. Her gaze fell to the bottle cap as she lowered her head. The mouth of the mineral water bottle was a standard circle, and the clear water inside rippled slightly.

"Oh, by the way," Lin Sanjiu said casually, "What kind of world is this? Can you at least tell me that much?"

The two of them exchanged glances. The bearded man was about to speak, but Sesame Cake smiled and said, "You don't even know this much? Were you randomly teleported here, or did you come from the neighboring world?"

Lin Sanjiu was startled and almost spilled the water. "You... You knew?"

"Of course. I can tell you even more, but we must wait until we receive the supplies with no problems." She shrugged, adding, "I already proved that I know a lot, right? Now it's your turn to prove it."

She gestured toward the mineral water bottle.

This water was taken from [Planar World] by Lin Sanjiu, and there couldn't be any problems with it. Then why...?

There was only one way to find out.

"Okay." Lin Sanjiu smiled, raised the water bottle, and brought it to her lips.

In the next second, she sprang up from the chair like lightning, pointed her hand at the two people in the room, and all the mineral water flew out of the bottle into the air. The bearded man and Sesame Cake had already realized that something was wrong when they saw the water splashing. They both leaped to the sides, narrowly avoiding the water flying in their direction.

Most of the water fell onto the floor, and a small portion splashed onto the bedsheet, causing it to get wet. There was nothing unusual about it.

The two of them reacted quickly and had good skills. They quickly regained their footing and stood on both sides of the room, blocking Lin Sanjiu in the middle. At this moment, Sesame Cake's legs and feet didn't show any signs of pain at all. Her series of jumps, leveraging, and stabilizing movements were even more agile than her companion's.

Lin Sanjiu looked at the water bottle in her hand, which now had only a little water left at the bottom. Immediately after, she grabbed the bedsheet and blanket, and sure enough, she found a small bloodstain on the mattress—not much blood, just enough to flow more than when the skin was cut. However, thanks to a posthuman's keen senses, it still produced a strong enough smell of blood to be noticeable.

"So, this was your main goal." She smiled, and no one looked away as they continued to stand in the center of the room. "The so-called antibiotics and food were just distractions to conceal the fact that you actually wanted me to take out clean water, right?"

The two of them stared at her with heavy gazes, and no one spoke for a while. At this moment, there was no point in hiding anything anymore.

"I took out the clean water myself, so I know there's nothing wrong with it. I didn't expect to meet people here, so it's impossible that I would sabotage the water in advance to harm someone... In this case, when you asked me to take a sip of water. Anyone, I'm afraid, would have drunk it without suspicion."

She turned the bottle upside down, watching the water spill onto the bed, soaking a large area. Whether it was the scent or appearance, it was just ordinary water.

"I don't know what's wrong with it, but you do."

Lin Sanjiu smiled lightly, and before anyone could react, she swiftly turned around and charged at the freckled woman on the left. As expected, the woman was not someone to be underestimated. She pushed off the ground with both feet and leaped up the wall, climbing quickly to the corner of the ceiling. However, just as she stopped to catch her breath, she heard a dull thud. When she looked up again, she found that her companion had been hit by something and slid straight out from the floor until he stopped against the door.

1

Lin Sanjiu continued to use her Higher Consciousness to firmly suppress her real target. She took a few steps forward, quickly pulled out another bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and held it above the bearded man's head.

"W-wait, don't!" he said with panic, but unfortunately, Higher Consciousness held him down from head to toe, making it impossible for him even to blink his eyelashes. "Don't spill it. It's lava!"

1