Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 14: Cloudwalk Heights [Complete]

1666: Lin Sanjiu the Fattened Lamb

Who was it?

There were more than thirty people on this ship—men, women, and even those whose gender was as indiscernible as the grand prize's. The person holding Ah Quan would naturally suspect that Lin Sanjiu was searching for them, which meant they would be hiding carefully, leaving no obvious clues.

How was she supposed to find them?

To maximize efficiency, Lin Sanjiu insisted on questioning passengers separately, even though the grand prize was reluctant to leave her side. Worried she might miss important details, she instructed Mrs. Manas to record each passenger's reactions.

"The grand prize's words shouldn't be wrong," Mrs. Manas said affectionately, her tone soft whenever she mentioned him. "The person must be wary of you, but it's completely unclear how that wariness will show, and how you're supposed to spot it."

That much was true. After talking to eight people at the front of the ship, Lin Sanjiu felt more lost than ever.

"Why didn't you see who saved your life if they really saved you?" asked one of the eight, a friendly young woman with an easy smile. "I wish a wealthy benefactor would show up to repay me too, but sadly, I've never saved you."

Could her friendliness be an act? The calmer and more curious she appeared, the less likely she seemed to belong to some mysterious organization that turned people into pocket dimensions to attack others. Wouldn't the person she was looking for have figured that out by now?

"I don't know anything. I'm just going to see a friend," another passenger, a middle-aged woman clutching a small backpack to her chest, said tightly. Her expression was rigid, as though speaking too much might bring disaster upon her. After that one sentence, she refused to say more, shaking her head each time Lin Sanjiu asked another question.

Wasn't such obvious caution and vigilance suspicious? Could it be a deliberate strategy to play the opposite?

The rest of the group reacted similarly. Some answered Lin Sanjiu's questions as though killing time, showing mild curiosity about what rewards might come from helping their "life-saver." Others seemed skeptical about her ability to find this "life-saver" at all, while a few were more interested in Exodus, asking whether it belonged to her and how much it cost.

"I don't think this method will work," a short, chubby man interjected after listening for a while. "Going one by one? This is going to take forever. What if someone lies? Not everyone is as honest as me. I haven't seen you before, and I'm not missing anything."

"Then what's your solution?" Lin Sanjiu asked.

It turned out he didn't have one. "You don't even know what this person looks like. How are you going to find them? It's impossible."

"This guy is annoying," Mrs. Manas muttered in Lin Sanjiu's head.

Just as Lin Sanjiu was about to turn and head to the back of the ship to meet up with Ji Shanqing, she realized the grand prize wasn't there at all. Instead, he was chatting with a few people she had excluded from suspicion earlier. As she passed him, she shot him a meaningful glance, but all she got in return were his innocent, shining eyes as if he'd completely forgotten his earlier words.

At the back of the ship, the reactions were even more varied. Some passengers leaned forward as she approached, curious and eager to talk. Others avoided her entirely, slipping away like fish before she could even reach them. A few cooperated fully, answering every question in detail—which somehow made her even more suspicious.

After questioning everyone, Lin Sanjiu felt as though everyone seemed guilty, yet everyone also seemed innocent.

"Have you already asked him?" an old woman pointed toward Eight-Heads De, who stood some distance away.