Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 14: Cloudwalk Heights [Complete]

1671: Next Steps

The blade of Higher Consciousness quivered in Lin Sanjiu's hand before suddenly unraveling into countless streams, swirling into a coiled vortex resembling a dragon. In an instant, it lashed onto the short man. The docking bay, aside from a few ground tracks, was an empty expanse with nowhere to hide. He didn't even have the chance to scream before being wrenched from the ground and trapped in the vortex's relentless grip.

The small flag in his hand fell to the floor with a crisp 'snap.' Lin Sanjiu flicked it into the air with her toe and swiftly converted it into a card.

Few posthumans could endure such crushing force. However, as the short man was caught in the vortex, a sudden silver glow erupted around his body. Some sort of protective item had activated, shielding his head and body from being torn apart.

He thrashed desperately within the vortex, struggling either to use an ability or to retrieve another item. But amidst the storm of brutal, frenzied force, he couldn't manage even a single complete action, let alone form a coherent thought.

No matter how strong the protective item, its efficacy had limits. The frantic, almost erratic flickering of the silver light suggested it was already operating at full capacity.

More force. Twist harder. Squeeze tighter. It would undoubtedly be satisfying when that protective item shattered with a 'snap,' the silver light extinguished, and flesh and blood exploded across the cabin. Like popping a balloon or obliterating a city, the act of destroying something carried with it a pleasure that swelled like a mushroom cloud.

Lin Sanjiu licked her lips. Aside from the roar of blood rushing in her ears, she could hear nothing else. Higher Consciousness surged from her hands, more violent and piercing than ever before, carving out eerie, whistling shrieks within the docking bay.

She felt as though she had been living her life all wrong.

Even the most peace-loving person, once crossing that critical threshold, would discover the visceral thrill of unleashing unrestricted power and violence on a target. It was primal, animalistic—a howl from deep within. Every strike into the target's gut brought a craving for more. Once, twice—each time heavier, harder, and more satisfying.

"Please—"

A warped cry, barely recognizable as the short man's voice, managed to squeeze out two syllables before being shredded again by the razor-sharp force of the vortex.

The old Lin Sanjiu would already have been reasoning with herself, reminding herself that this man didn't deserve to die. After all, he was just a member of that organization, not the one who had turned Ah Quan into a pocket dimension.

"Kill him," Mrs. Manas's sharp, exhilarated voice rang out in her mind like a strange battle hymn. "Kill him and take everything he has!"

The short man, teetering on the edge of death, seemed to realize his grim fate. Even though a Special Item temporarily shielded him, he already looked barely human. Fear and despair had crushed him into metaphorical pulp, barely holding together within the semblance of a human form.

"The organization!" he rasped with tremendous effort, managing to squeeze out these words before crying out in pain again. "Its... name!"

Lin Sanjiu blinked, and clarity returned to her. The exhilarating haze of bloodlust that had clouded her mind began to recede.

"Its name?" she murmured, slightly easing the force in her grip. Right, if he died, there would be no one left to provide the organization's name or information. But... what would she even do with that information?