Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 10: Lava [Complete]

1141: I Guarantee You'll Find It Familiar

In a split second, Lin Sanjiu found her direction.

From a narrow alley tucked between two buildings, hidden amidst various shop lights and signs, a barely audible inhalation reached her ears. She propelled herself forward with a powerful kick off the ground, moving so swiftly that it seemed as if she had never paused. In an instant, she reached the entrance of the alley. A figure, startled by her sudden appearance, darted out from the dimly lit space and rushed toward the opposite end of the alley.

The person's speed couldn't compare to Lin Sanjiu's; with a slight increase in her pace, she could close the gap in mere seconds—and that's precisely what she did. As Lin Sanjiu accelerated, the sound of rushing wind grew more pronounced. However, in the next moment, she collided heavily with a door that had been pushed open just at that precise instant. The impact sent a sharp tingling pain through her nose.

Her forward momentum was too potent, and the door panel shattered immediately upon impact.

Amidst the splintering fragments, Mrs. Manas urgently called out, "Duoluozhong! There's a duoluozhong behind the door!"

Lin Sanjiu's head throbbed from the collision, but she managed to halt her movement in time and swiftly retreated a few steps. Behind the shattered door panel, a female duoluozhong stood bewildered, still in the process of pushing the door open, as if she hadn't understood what had just happened.

Lin Sanjiu raised her head, her gaze darting around, and realized that the person she had been pursuing had already vanished. The narrow and dimly lit alley, flanked by several parked cars, provided ample cover for someone to escape.

"How coincidental," Mrs. Manas grumbled with frustration in her voice. "This blasted duoluozhong chose this exact moment to emerge."

Was it truly a coincidence?

Lin Sanjiu hesitated for a moment, standing still. The female duoluozhong, realizing she hadn't been attacked, resumed her usual duoluozhong behavior. She stepped out from the shattered door, "bought something" from the shop across the alley, then returned to the entrance of the small eatery. With a raised hand, she mimicked opening a non-existent door before disappearing back into the dim interior once more.

"This duoluozhong must frequently move between the two stores," Lin Sanjiu said, making a hand gesture, "and that person must have calculated the time of the duoluozhong's appearance."

But how did he know that she would rush over precisely at that moment?

With this doubt in mind, she waited for the Artist to catch up. He carried various scattered objects that clanged with each step. When he approached, he unfolded a canvas with a somewhat boastful expression and pointed at it, showing Lin Sanjiu. Under his fingertips, the torn paper that had become part of the painting was permanently affixed with oil paint.

Lin Sanjiu slapped her forehead and sighed. She had forgotten that the person, scared away by her, had lost the counterforce against the canvas's attraction. Naturally, the Lava Player's Handbook was drawn into the canvas.

"Can it be extracted?" she asked, unwilling to give up. The Artist merely shrugged in confusion.

"Alright, you can return."

Lin Sanjiu converted him back into a card and strolled down the narrow alley. The ground floors of both buildings were occupied by small eateries and shops, and several duoluozhongs moved about within. Activating her hypersensory state, she could clearly hear the mechanical beings' footsteps and the sound of air colliding within their chests, all within dozens of meters.