Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 10: Lava [Complete]

1152: Capitalism in the Doomsday

Except for an automatically locking door latch, the other locks on the iron door were currently unlocked. Under the relentless pounding from outside, the iron door emitted loud and unsettling sounds, as if it could rattle one's brain.

Lin Sanjiu thought that the people outside the door must be as weak as she was at this moment. She rushed to the door, which, despite its sturdiness and weight, equipped with a heavy brass lock, still seemed insufficient to deter any skilled posthuman.

"I can't open it!" a voice, on the verge of panic, cried out from outside, each word dripping with despair. "I can't open this door!"

Lin Sanjiu's fingers, just about to turn the door lock, froze.

"Help!" The banging on the iron door ceased, and the voice sounded as if it had moved farther away. Then, the iron door of the neighboring patient room also began to make a clanging noise, though it was much fainter than before. "Is anyone there? Please! Save me, let me in, I promise I'll repay you!"

Was he not coming for her? Did he remain unaware of her presence in this patient room?

The man had uttered only two sentences, yet his voice had already strained his throat to the point where his intense fear and despair were palpable, evoking a heart-wrenching response. Lin Sanjiu wondered if this was a ruse, an act to deceive her into opening the door. Encountering such a skilled actor was a rarity, she admitted.

With her right hand, the one carrying the IV needle, poised to unlock the door and grant entry to the person outside, Lin Sanjiu hesitated. However, just as she was about to turn the door handle, a low, muffled noise emanated from the outside. It sounded as if something had leaped against the wall or as if a water bag had burst, akin to teeth biting into a soft grape.

The person outside stopped crying for help.

Lin Sanjiu pressed her ear against the iron door, her right hand still on the door lock, holding her breath. Outside, there was silence, and the previous noises seemed like mere illusions. She didn't know if she was hallucinating, but she detected something subtle in that silence.

Slowly and silently, her right hand moved to the other two unlocked locks, and her fingers gripped the lock cores.

Just then, someone leaned closer to her ear, separated by the iron door, and took a deep breath.

It was like the deep breath a tourist takes when they finally reach the top of a mountain and admire the beauty of the valley.

"Oh, there's a newcomer," a low male voice said as Lin Sanjiu abruptly withdrew her ear from the iron door. Each word he spoke seemed to be intentionally articulated, with her imagination conjuring images of the veins and muscles on his cheeks rising and falling in sync with his speech.

Outside the iron door, the locks received light scratches from someone's nails, producing a fine, piercing sound that seemed to penetrate beneath the skin.

The door lock suddenly endured a series of forceful blows, and the sharp metallic sounds pierced Lin Sanjiu's eardrums. Startled, she swiftly secured the other two locks. With a clattering noise, the person outside the door emitted a puzzled "Ha," saying, "You're a woman with black hair... you're missing your left hand... Well, I don't need nutrient solution right now. Just hide for now; we'll meet again."

Had he seen her just now?

Lin Sanjiu doubted it. To prevent herself from falling off the door frame, she leaned her body against the door to maintain balance. Even if someone outside had observed her from a distance, it was unlikely they could clearly discern that she was missing her left hand.