Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 12: New Game Launch [Complete]

1437: Turning Point

The moment the blonde figure burst forth from the scattering multitude of items, a sudden impulse arose within Lin Sanjiu.

Advaita was within arm's reach; however, her attention was diverted by Silvan, who had rushed out from behind the curtain of items. Lin Sanjiu felt that with just a stretch of her arm, [Mosaic Censorship] could land solidly on Advaita's back — she would no longer need to worry about Silvan being pursued, nor about Advaita winning the game.

Advaita was turning her head in another direction. Everything seemed to be magnified and play in slow motion in Lin Sanjiu's mind. The temptation was so strong that she unconsciously raised her hand.

Just as her hand was about to touch, Lin Sanjiu's heart contracted sharply. Blood rushed to her head, causing a jolt of realization. An overwhelming sense of urgency prompted her to retract her hand hastily.

In that split second, she noticed a fleeting glance from Advaita, who quickly looked away.

She had been aware all along — perhaps Advaita had been waiting for her to make a move.

What would have happened if her hand had made contact and her [Keen Senses] hadn't intervened?

Lin Sanjiu didn't have the luxury of time to ponder further. The thousands of scattered items propelled by the impact were like mini cannonballs whizzing into their vicinity. The overhead lights wobbled, casting sporadic shadows. Silvan's unmistakable figure drew a long arc in the air from a distance, like an arrow slicing through waves. Numerous items rained down like hail, threatening to pierce everything beneath; Chen Hanwu cried out in alarm, raising his hands defensively. Lin Sanjiu quickly activated [Defense Forcefield]. As she instinctively turned, she saw Advaita standing amid the falling items, turning her head towards her.

"Where do you think you're going?" the ever-calm woman said almost gently. Her voice remained clear amidst the muffled sounds of the falling items.

Lin Sanjiu was taken aback.

Just before she turned, Advaita stood a few steps in front of her, within her arm's reach. Now, after nearly turning 180 degrees, facing the opposite direction, in the blink of an eye, Advaita stood just a few steps before her.

"I... I need to stop him," she replied hesitantly amidst her confusion and shock. "He might be here to steal—"

"That's unlikely," Advaita said as Silvan landed in the distance, his figure swallowed by the shelves. "He's here to save someone."

In fact, as soon as she spoke, Lin Sanjiu realized how improbable her excuse was. Silvan's team had already exposed one shelf domain, so how could he expose another right under everyone's watch? Fortunately, countless items were still crashing down between the aisles, causing her [Defense Forcefield] to shimmer with a white light, like waves caused by heavy rain on a lake's surface, blocking Advaita's direct gaze.

Right, the stapler!

After Advaita extracted the stapler from the mouth of the girl with fox eyes, it seemed that no one had touched it. If Silvan was here to save the fox-eyed girl, he would surely find the stapler near her. Wait, that's not right.

If he was here to rescue someone, Silvan's landing direction seemed off... it wasn't where she remembered the fox-eyed girl to be. Could it be that he wasn't here to rescue someone?

"Why would I leave the girl there?" Advaita sighed as if she had already guessed Lin Sanjiu's thoughts. "If I can't move their target items, can't I move her?"

So, Silvan was now diverted elsewhere to save the fox-eyed girl, and it seemed he wouldn't find the stapler— As Lin Sanjiu was trying to suppress her anxiety and think of the next steps, she noticed Advaita's shadow blur. Lin Sanjiu was about to raise her hands in defense when she realized Advaita's target wasn't her but Chen Hanwu.

Before he could react, he became a trajectory in the air; his cries grew fainter as Advaita tossed him to Silvan's team's half of the field. "Go find their realm shelf, and listen to my commands!" Before she finished speaking, Chen Hanwu had already vanished. She then turned to face Lin Sanjiu.

"I understand," Lin Sanjiu said. "You want me to go too?"

"How can I be at ease if you do?" Advaita smiled slightly. "Come with me to block Silvan."

Right, it seems she wanted to create an opportunity for Chen Hanwu, hence the need to block Silvan. How to convey this under her watch? Lin Sanjiu silently followed Advaita, anxious about what was behind and ahead, when an idea struck her.

"Let's go up. It's faster!" she shouted, immediately reaching out to grab the edge of the shelf, rolling and leaping onto the top level. Advaita closely followed, her gaze sweeping over Lin Sanjiu. Their footsteps echoed on the metal layer as neither tried to tread quietly, clanging their way to confront Silvan.

When they stood face to face in front of the blond man, Advaita said, "Chen Hanwu, turn right now, speed up, the last person in their team is heading towards you."

Could she really multitask by blocking Silvan and directing Chen Hanwu simultaneously?

Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath. Being beside Advaita gave her the feeling as if she was surrounded by countless eyes, making her small tactics seem utterly transparent. Silvan was right in front of them, with the unconscious fox-eyed girl on his back. This was her only opportunity; she had to act naturally without letting Advaita sense anything amiss.

She slowly crouched down, placing her hands on her knees, and let out a low hiss of cold air. "My back still hurts from his blow."

Ever since they had blocked him, those emerald-like eyes had been watching the two of them. After Lin Sanjiu bent down, Silvan's pupils seemed to constrict slightly.

Advaita shouldn't have noticed that, right? The contraction of the pupils was very slight, and they weren't close enough to notice such details. If Lin Sanjiu hadn't specifically asked Mrs. Manas to pay attention, she probably wouldn't have noticed herself.

'Okay, that should do it.'

Lin Sanjiu sighed inwardly and straightened up.

The message has been passed on. Silvan now knew her shelf domain number.

The game had finally resumed to a somewhat even state. Standing on the top shelf, only half an arm's distance from the ceiling, she realized how good the view was. All the goods had fallen back to the floor and shelves, making the store's interior seem empty.

Perhaps when inspiration strikes, it's like an unstoppable flood. If it weren't for her self-control, she'd slap herself.

Wasn't there a simple way to make Advaita lose the game right before her?