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

1469: Yes, There Is

As Lin Sanjiu dashed into the corridor and hurriedly sprinted past several offices, she realized that she had overestimated the urgency of the situation.

From her perspective, she had managed to calmly and quietly retrieve the Life Coach under tension, and it was only logical to retreat from the crime scene with the Artist as her accomplice. But from Lily's viewpoint, all she saw was Lin Sanjiu standing at the doorway in a daze, lost in thought for several minutes before suddenly shouting out loud, then turning and running. Who wouldn't think, "Is she crazy?"

When Lin Sanjiu realized this, an angry shout from Lily echoed from behind, "Who's there? Who else is here?"

Lily seemed momentarily confused, perhaps thinking Lin Sanjiu had other posthumans with her. However, this bewilderment wouldn't last long. Lily would soon understand because, in another corridor separated by about two walls, the Artist was making as much noise as an entire band.

Running in the long, narrow, and dim corridors, the echoes from the Artist sounded like continuous waves, almost twice as loud as usual. Besides his footsteps, there was the clattering sound of his drawing board, the clinking of his easel, and the rustling of a bucket of brushes. The backpack on his back, filled with countless painting tools, swayed with each step, making it abundantly clear to anyone listening. "Come on, there's someone here."

Apparently, the young man had taken out all his tools earlier, probably thinking he had a chance to draw.

"Isn't that a client?" Lily's piercing question reached even Lin Sanjiu, who had already run far.

Ah, she was about to find out.

"Life Coach, should I..." Lily's voice trailed off, then after half a second of silence, she exclaimed, "Coach? Life Coach?"

Lily would soon realize, but she probably wouldn't come after Lin Sanjiu—chasing her would be pointless. It would be better to catch the other humanoid Special Item to minimize the loss. Lin Sanjiu hastened her pace and made a quick left turn ahead, wanting to quickly retrieve the Artist. Only by turning him into a card could she feel at ease.

However, even after she sped through two corridors, the Artist's performance still echoed on the maze-like floors. The reverberations made it hard to pinpoint his exact location. Lin Sanjiu stopped, listened, and shouted, "I'm here, come quickly!"

The clattering noise unique to the Artist suddenly halted, leaving only a gradually fading echo. Just when Lin Sanjiu was getting anxious, she heard the Artist's footsteps again. This time, they seemed to be approaching her, getting closer with each step.

Lin Sanjiu listened to the surrounding movements in the hallway and quickly moved toward the Artist. All her apprehension melted away into a layer of cold sweat on her back when she finally saw the pale-faced Artist.

"Hurry," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "Let's go back."

The Artist stood in front of her, unchanged from moments ago. Although he didn't need to breathe, his chest faithfully rose and fell.

Lin Sanjiu paused.

Everything seemed normal with [Planar World] and the card inventory, but for some reason, the Artist couldn't be turned into a card now.

The Life Coach had mentioned that they were becoming more adaptable, but surely they hadn't evolved to the point of becoming true humans.

"Artist? Can...can you speak?"

The Artist blinked at her, showing no signs of understanding.

"What's one plus one?"

The Artist hesitantly raised two fingers.