Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 10: Lava [Complete]

1278: Ripples in the Pool Water

Ji Shanqing didn't have to wait long. As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Sanjiu abruptly turned her head toward him.

In that instant, when her gaze fell on him, he felt as though he was being illuminated by the first ray of light breaking through the dark clouds. He could almost hear the sound of ice cracking inside his body, and the air rushed in quickly.

Only when his sister's attention was on him could he breathe.

"She's not Hakain?" Lin Sanjiu frowned, still not understanding. "Then who is she? Wasn't it her voice we heard from the intercom?"

"More accurately, the voice we heard from the intercom was hers. Transmitting one's voice to make it sound like it's coming from elsewhere is a common trick among posthumans."

Lin Sanjiu tilted her head slightly as if she had been reminded of something. When he thought that she might have remembered that Puppeteer could do this trick, Ji Shanqing couldn't help but want to take two steps closer to her to regain her attention. But he hesitated, considering the viewfinder gesture he made with his fingers. He spoke hurriedly, with a hint of impatience, "Sis, can you put her in the cage first? My arms are getting sore."

"Oh, right."

Lin Sanjiu quickly summoned [Canary's Revenge] and placed it before the woman. As soon as Ji Shanqing released his fingers, she wobbled and stumbled, eventually finding her way into the cage.

Only at this moment did the two of them notice the severe injury on her left hand. It looked like it had been licked by extremely high temperatures, with the whole hand melting and deformed, the fingers melding together. It was impossible to tell where the skin was, and all that could be seen were blood-red blisters and a grotesque appearance.

After Lin Sanjiu took a look at her hand, she opened the cage door slightly for her.

"If the two of us cooperate like this, anyone can be captured, right?" she asked.

Lin Sanjiu walked back with the cage holding the woman, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation for several seconds. Everything seemed too easy and too effortless for her to believe.

"When we cooperate like this..." Ji Shanqing said, feeling like he was turning into a balloon, filled with hydrogen, floating in the air. "Formidable individuals have their own methods. But generally speaking, yes."

"Tell me from the beginning. How did you find out that the villa owner isn't her?"

Unfortunately, the trap set by the woman in the cage wasn't very complex. He could only explain it briefly, and Lin Sanjiu's gaze would likely shift away in just a few minutes. Ji Shanqing reached out and held her free hand, pulling her back into the courtyard. As they walked, he said, "Because everything we experienced just now showed two different patterns of behavior."

"Are we going back in?" Lin Sanjiu was momentarily confused. "The real owner-"

"I know where they are." Ji Shanqing turned around and smiled at her. "Don't worry, we'll talk right here in the courtyard."

Her hand was always so warm, like holding a little heater. In the short span of a few dozen seconds, he could tell which parts of her hand had scars, where calluses were, and where her skin was smooth and even... Each piece of data surfaced and replayed once more.

"Let's stop here," he said, holding Lin Sanjiu's hand and stopping near the pool. "From the distance between the courtyard door and the villa door, there was a logical invitation from a person... right?"

Lin Sanjiu nodded.

"But shortly after entering, another pattern of behavior emerged—one that punishes us for entering. Right?" Just as her eyebrows lifted, Ji Shanqing knew what she would say, but he still waited for her to ask the question.