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

1457: Happiness Akin to Finding Money

The paper crane flapped its wings, took off, circled the U-shaped blue sky formed by the apartment buildings, then landed back on Lin Sanjiu's outstretched hand.

She stared at the crane, momentarily stunned, feeling as if her heart had dropped into a void.

Though she had considered this possibility, she hadn't expected it to come true: Marcie was just a personality. When they communicated, the paper crane never flew towards a specific personality. Even if Marcie now had a physical body, Lin Sanjiu wasn't sure if she was truly an independent person. If she was, what would her full name be? Marcie... Something. Surely, she should have a surname.

Lin Sanjiu chuckled bitterly and put the paper crane away.

There had to be other ways to find Marcie. Holding her breath, Lin Sanjiu listened intently. Advaita was seriously injured and couldn't be entirely silent if she caught up. For now, it seemed Lin Sanjiu was the only one in the building.

She opened the door to apartment No. 1 and carefully closed it behind her.

After the previous game, everything was eerily quiet, like an ordinary apartment that hadn't been rented for months. Because of this oppressive silence, Lin Sanjiu almost screamed when she spotted someone squatting on the living room floor.

The person turned, his eyes as large as copper bells and his face expressionless. It was unclear if he even noticed her. He abruptly stood, walked towards the bathroom, and unbuckled his belt. Once inside, he closed the door behind him, and the apartment fell silent. As her initial shock faded, Lin Sanjiu approached the bathroom door and found it empty.

He was likely one of the many characters left behind by the apartment game; Lin Sanjiu remembered something the volunteer might have mentioned.

"Isn't this like hiding in a haunted house? What if Advaita sees these ghosts?" asked the Life Coach, whom Lin Sanjiu had summoned as a conversational partner. "If she thinks someone's here and comes in..."

"When I entered earlier, I didn't notice anyone," Lin Sanjiu replied, drawing the curtains. They kept their voices low to avoid being overheard. "Unless she comes in, she can't see anything. If she does come in, then I'm just unlucky."

The Life Coach, ever the cautious one, replied, "Having faith in your perspective is... commendable."

The Artist sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding a drawing board, looking lost and unsure of whose side to take. Although he couldn't speak, his presence was comforting—like an old friend sitting beside her. After losing her friends one by one, Lin Sanjiu developed a fear of silence and emptiness. It felt like standing at the edge of a cliff, frozen in the moment just before falling into the void, and having to relive that feeling day after day.

"Caster," Lin Sanjiu called softly to the daydreaming humanoid Special Item. "How long have you belonged to Silvan?"

She wanted to gauge Caster's understanding of Silvan's situation but didn't expect such a simple question to confuse her. Caster stared at her fingers as if she had forgotten how to count and mumbled, "How long has it been... It began at 22, minus 23..."

The answer couldn't be negative one, could it? Could Caster be a defective humanoid Special Item?

Lin Sanjiu asked more directly, "I know you were with me when he disappeared. But do you know why Silvan might have vanished suddenly? Has this happened before?"

As if connecting the dots, Caster answered confidently, "Not before."

While Lin Sanjiu pondered this, Caster's mental connection seemed to falter again as she added, "It happens later."