Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 10: Lava [Complete]

1291: Ji Shanqing's Night

The less-than-hour-long beach barbecue had drained all the energy out of Lin Sanjiu. When she finally confirmed that there was no one hiding around the villa, she pushed open the door and walked in. Each step felt as heavy as if she had soaked herself in water, and she dragged her feet across the floor.

The vacation resort was considerate enough that the phone rang just as the two collapsed onto the sofa. An NPC on the other end asked in a gentle voice if they wanted some services—beverages, alcoholic drinks, massage therapists, late-night snacks, and various barbecued foods that had just been prepared for the evening activity to help them recover their physical and mental strength.

Lin Sanjiu hung up the phone immediately.

Besides the safety assurance, the villa and all the accompanying services were extra benefits for the villa owners. But after tonight, they didn't know who would stay or become the new villa owners... Exhausted, she collapsed onto the sofa but still felt the salty sea breeze and the sizzling sound of barbecue lingering around her.

"If you weren't here, I would have definitely lost tonight," she said softly. She wasn't stupid. She had managed to get through several pocket dimensions that required using her brains and wits. However, she was very aware of the gap between herself and the grand prize. "I wonder where Mr. Ito has gone to..."

In the dimly lit living room, only scattered starlight shone through the French windows and cast gentle ripples on the ceiling, creating a soothing water-like effect. In the haze, she felt the grand prize squeezing through to the other end of the sofa as if he were a thin figure, forcing himself into the small gap between her and the sofa—his scent, belonging to Ji Shanqing, suddenly overwhelmed her.

"Sis," he said hoarsely, "you need to rest now."

Today had indeed been incredibly long. Lin Sanjiu closed her eyes and let the grand prize's hand gently stroke and tidy her hair, again and again, as soft as a pool of spring water wrapped in a warm breeze. Although she still had many things on her mind, touching him like this gradually relaxed her, and all her thoughts and worries evaporated through her pores. After a while, her breathing slowed down and became steady.

"Sis?" Ji Shanqing called softly.

Lin Sanjiu didn't respond at all, still sleeping deeply.

Ji Shanqing fell silent. He carefully got up from the sofa, came down, and found a blanket to cover her. He paced around the living room, his clothes and footsteps rustling. However, Lin Sanjiu just drowsily said, "Be quiet," and went back to sleep. If she were alone, she would never sleep so soundly.

Ji Shanqing stood alone in the dimly lit living room, silently watching her for a while. Several times, he reached out to her, only to pull his hand back.

Perhaps it was because she was sleeping so peacefully.

He looked out the window at the night sky, finally stood up, quietly opened the door, and left the villa. Before he left, he made sure to seal all the gaps in the doors and windows.

Since this body was not fundamentally one person, he couldn't be considered a refugee. Sometimes, the guards floated up from the dark night beside him, passed by silently, and didn't even give him a second glance.

Along the way, several pale bodies were wrapped in the night and slid past him. Sometimes, he would take a careful look, but by the time he reached his destination, he hadn't seen any familiar faces in the guards' bodies. Perhaps the villa owners who participated in the beach barbecue had better methods than ordinary refugees and managed to keep their lives.

Villa F11 was at the other end of this coastline, slightly higher in terrain compared to the other villas. At night, it looked like a crystal that had rolled down from half the mountain and stopped. He had just arrived at the villa's entrance when he heard a rustle from the nearby bushes, followed by a low voice saying, "Why are you here? So you can still leave her and act alone?"