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

1451: Grasping Silvan's Hand

"Quickly grab it!" the Life Coach shouted.

Lin Sanjiu was already one step ahead, reaching out to grab at the air beside her. However, she couldn't see the Southwind Goose, and her right hand was somewhat numb. She felt her fingertips brush against something but couldn't grasp it in time, and her hand slid off. Her shock was overwhelming.

She couldn't afford to lose the Southwind Goose.

Otherwise, finding it again could be impossible. Once the Southwind Goose broke the bubble space and the connection point with the Special Item that created it, Lin Sanjiu must follow through with it. If it broke the Special Item, anything could happen, including being trapped in the bubble space forever if the item is damaged.

Anxious, Lin Sanjiu let her Higher Consciousness surge out, overwhelming a large area. Fortunately, her luck wasn't entirely bad. Mrs. Manas shouted, "Got it! It seems like we've grabbed its leg."

Whether it was a leg or not was unclear, but Lin Sanjiu felt that most of her Higher Consciousness had missed its mark. Only a portion landed on one of the Southwind Goose's elongated body parts. It moved so quickly that, in the blink of an eye, it seemed to have completely passed Lin Sanjiu. What she managed to grab was probably just the tail end of the Southwind Goose; its actual size was unknown.

Before she could feel relief, the Higher Consciousness in her palm was suddenly yanked forward. With her strength and agility, she was unexpectedly pulled into mid-air without time to react, speeding toward a mall ahead.

At this moment, Lin Sanjiu should have shouted many things.

Like "Follow me!" to the humanoid Special Items or "Grab the stuff," meaning asking them to carry her remaining belongings. Even if she didn't say either, she could have told the strong Life Coach to "Grab me." However, as she was yanked into the air and twisted her body, crashing face-first into an electricity pole, she could only manage a "Damn it."

By the time she realized what had happened and that she needed to hold onto the electricity pole, it was already far behind her. Even the three stunned humanoid Special Items had shrunk to half their size.

Given the situation, she said again, "Damn it."

"This thing is going to phase through walls," Mrs. Manas communicated telepathically, unaffected by the constraints of speaking time. "You're about to crash into the mall wall!"

Lin Sanjiu watched as the red brick wall of the mall grew closer and larger. Finally able to react, she tightened her grip on the Southwind Goose and, using the force of her Higher Consciousness, managed to turn her body mid-air, positioning her feet toward the mall and her head toward the parking lot.

Almost immediately after she made the turn, she felt a jolt in the Higher Consciousness she held - the Southwind Goose had burst through the mall's wall.

"Huh, why is this building shattered?" Mrs. Manas mused, voicing her confusion. "With no flow of time, this wall shouldn't be broken, right?"

Lin Sanjiu quickly glanced down, a stream of curses running through her mind. She understood why her attack on the car had no effect while the Southwind Goose could shatter a building.

It wasn't the building that was shattered.

The wall itself didn't show spider-web cracks radiating from a central point; it still appeared intact. What shattered was the space containing the building. To draw an imperfect analogy, it was as if a picture frame had fallen, breaking the glass but leaving the photo untouched. The Southwind Goose and Lin Sanjiu were about to pass through the shattered glass, and the mall they left behind remained undamaged.

From this perspective, it seemed that the depths of this mall might be the destination of the Southwind Goose, serving as the connection point between the bubble space and the Special Item.

She waved her right hand toward the parking lot, and another wave of Higher Consciousness surged out, quickly grabbing the nearest electricity pole. As the two powerful forces grappled, the forward momentum of the Southwind Goose momentarily halted.

Gritting her teeth, Lin Sanjiu felt that hindering the Southwind Goose only made it more desperate to surge forward. Since there was no flow of time and the space was undamaged, the electricity pole held by her Higher Consciousness remained steadfastly in place. Lin Sanjiu felt stretched between the forces, reminiscent of ancient punishments where victims were torn apart by horses.

Seizing the opportunity, she shouted to the distant humanoid Special Items, "Hurry over here! Bring my stuff!"

The longer the Southwind Goose was held back, the stronger its urge to push forward. Lin Sanjiu, using Higher Consciousness to restrain it, felt as if her brain was on the verge of being yanked out by its struggles. This sensation was even more alarming than physical discomfort. At her command, the distant humanoid Special Items began scrambling in a panic. By the time they finally reached her, Lin Sanjiu wondered if she had fainted a few times along the way.

The humanoid Special Items, understanding the urgency, rushed over like refugees fleeing disaster or travelers hurrying to catch a train during a busy festival. They carried large and small bags, making clattering noises. "Artist, Caster, touch my hand," Lin Sanjiu instructed quickly. Both her hands were tightly gripping the rope formed by Higher Consciousness, and she couldn't let go. She could barely adjust the direction to activate [Planar World]. By the time they and their belongings turned into several cards and fell, she couldn't even spare a hand to pick them up.

"Life Coach, pick up the cards quickly," she urged. Though she couldn't see, she felt her face draining of color. "Hold onto me, we're leaving!"

She couldn't hold on much longer.

As the Life Coach, resembling a giant koala, clung to her back, Lin Sanjiu immediately retracted the Higher Consciousness gripping the electric pole. Even a second longer would have felt like being torn into billions of cells. The moment she let go, she and the Life Coach were pulled into the interior of the mall. They didn't break a single brick but moved straight through space.

Everything spun around, fragments of light and shadow flashing before her eyes, leaving her unable to distinguish head from feet. To be precise, she felt as if she had neither head nor feet.

The moment felt incredibly stretched yet too brief to act. If not for Mrs. Manas, Lin Sanjiu wouldn't have thought of shortening the Higher Consciousness rope tied to the Southwind Goose. She only realized the rope was shortened after bumping into the Southwind Goose.

Being forcibly pulled through space was likely an experience no posthuman had ever had. It felt like the world had lost its balance. Amidst the chaos, as if the world had shattered into pieces, Lin Sanjiu heard a woman's voice, probably Advaita's, exclaim in shock. Soon after, she landed with a "thud," the rough cement scraping her face and causing a burning pain. The Life Coach also cried out and rolled off her back.

"Xiao Jiu?"

Lin Sanjiu's mind was in chaos, but she recognized Silvan's voice and knew he was standing in front of her. For a moment, she felt as if countless cracks had formed in her body, with her soul desperately trying to break free. The sensation was truly terrifying. She quickly grasped his outstretched hand and, with his support, stood up, only to be stunned.

Advaita was tightly holding her hand, her face contorted.

"Tell me, where did Silvan go?" she asked in Silvan's voice.