Chapter 1214: Everyone Thinks They Are an Oriole
Lin Sanjiu deeply regretted her decision.
Upon reflection, she realized that her previous interactions with Hei Zeji had been fruitful, learning techniques such as the hypersensory state, airflow vortex, and recently, spatial perception. However, she mused that absorbing all these skills simultaneously might not have been wise. It seemed Hei Zeji now harbored unrealistic expectations of her learning capabilities. His glance towards the corridor"s entrance, coupled with a certain finality in his expression, suggested he considered his task complete, leaving the rest to Lin Sanjiu and her companions.
As for Bohemia and the NPC, whether they would be able to do it or not probably hadn"t even crossed his mind.
"What"s he up to?" Bohemia whispered, her voice tinged with confusion. "He looks like he"s trying to rally the troops. But who"s he inspiring with that demeanor?"
Hei Zeji gracefully sidestepped, evading a reaching arm behind him. He knew he couldn"t speak; continuing the conversation would only raise the guards" suspicions. Lin Sanjiu was on the verge of shouting "wait" when he turned the doork.n.o.b and vanished behind the door of the pocket dimension"s engine in an instant.
"He really f.u.c.king went in himself," Bohemia murmured in disbelief. "I can"t believe it."
"Be careful," Lin Sanjiu said as she patted Bohemia"s shoulder and quickly took two steps back, seizing the collar of the NPC"s clothes. "He went in alone! What"s inside that room? What happens now?"
"Keep your voice down," the NPC said, his brow sweaty but his smile unwavering. "Don"t let them hear us. There"s no danger inside the room, so it"s actually good that he went in first."
Lin Sanjiu, about to reply, instinctively glanced around the corridor"s corner. She expected to see guards rus.h.i.+ng out, shouting, but surprisingly, several seconds had pa.s.sed since Hei Zeji"s entrance, and not a single guard had appeared.
"We"re all like programmed routines, bound to our duties and territories," the NPC explained hastily. "The guards can"t enter the pocket dimension"s engine room, yet they must apprehend intruders. Faced with these conflicting orders, they become confused. This is our chance."
"It looks like they"re all panicking," Bohemia observed, turning her head. "Like headless flies, unsure of what to do. Come and see!"
When Lin Sanjiu hurried over, she saw what the NPC meant. Comparing these guards to malfunctioning computer programs might seem harsh, but they appeared utterly bewildered. Some stood idly, others paced, and a few even tangled their dry, branch-like fingers in their hair, muttering "What should we do?" repeatedly.
"Let"s find somewhere to wait," the NPC suggested, dragging himself along the floor. "I"m not sure what they"ll do in their confusion."
"They probably won"t search the offices here now." Lin Sanjiu decided quickly, grabbing Bohemia. She was ready to move and also took hold of Gardenia. Noticing Red Face nearby, looking indecisive, she said, "Come with us, too."
As they were about to leave, a guard in the corridor clapped his hands and announced, "Listen up, everyone!"
All eyes, including those of the hidden group, turned towards the guard.
"He"s inside the room, but he"ll have to come out. We"ll split into two groups. One will stay here, and the other will search the surroundings. We"re not just dealing with one intruder. Let"s find his accomplices!"
The brief advantage the NPC had mentioned was short-lived. After all, they were once posthumans, not p.r.o.ne to "cras.h.i.+ng" so easily. Lin Sanjiu cursed under her breath, pulling Bohemia along as they ran in the opposite direction. "Head back to the utility room! Gardenia, you"re with me!"
"And what about you?"
"I"ll try to draw them away from the corridor. The fewer guards at the door, the better my chances of getting inside," she said quickly, lifting the NPC onto her shoulder as he slid. "They"ll be coming out soon. Go, now!"
"But can you really distract them and handle this alone?"
Lin Sanjiu knew just the right words to convince her to leave. She responded firmly, "I don"t need you looking after me."
"Go to h.e.l.l," Bohemia retorted, turning to leave. "I"ll come back for your body later."
This time, Red Face didn"t hesitate and followed Bohemia. With them safely on their way to the utility room, Lin Sanjiu didn"t linger. She raised her hand, creating an airflow vortex and hurling it down the opposite end of the corridor. The wall cracked and caved in with a loud boom. Dust and debris billowed up, stirring the silence like a roused beast from the dark with the echoes rumbling through the corridor.
By the time the guards followed the sound to investigate, Lin Sanjiu had already run far away. With a living map on her back, she could quickly get directions from the NPC. Moreover, Gardenia seemed to understand the urgency of the situation and followed her silently.
"They won"t be distracted for long," the NPC warned. "Once they realize that no one is there, they will come back... What"s your plan then?"
Lin Sanjiu responded, seemingly off-topic, "When you eat steak, you have to cut it, right? You can"t just swallow it whole."
She could feel the NPC"s doubtful gaze, as if he was questioning her sanity. Before he could say anything, she took a deep breath and smiled. "Don"t you want to devour this pocket dimension? Let me help you cut it into smaller pieces."
The walls, corridors, and ceilings in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the hospital were all breakable, and Lin Sanjiu happened to be an expert at manual demolition.
Although the [Tornado Whip] was taken away by the hospital as collateral, she still had the metal gauntlet, a container, and the airflow vortex. Following the NPC"s instructions, she created several fake disturbances along the way, successfully leading the guards to where she wanted them to go: the end of the bas.e.m.e.nt.
Without waiting to see them actually trapped in a dead-end, Lin Sanjiu turned around and rushed back. When she arrived at the intersection of several corridors, the place where she had to return from the dead-end, she stopped.
"Stand back," Lin Sanjiu said to Gardenia without looking back. "I don"t want to accidentally kill you."
Next, it was a straightforward job requiring strength.
The bas.e.m.e.nt corridors were like a rabbit hole, twisting and turning in all directions. The most effective way to catch the rabbits inside the hole was to destroy the corridors and trap the targets in one area. And the most effective way to destroy the corridors was to break the ceiling.
After just a few uses of the airflow vortex, the ceiling couldn"t hold up any longer. It cracked quickly with a heavy sound, breaking into several pieces in succession. One of the pieces crashed into the corridor without wall support, causing the floor to crack. Lin Sanjiu used the container repeatedly, releasing it from its card form and then converting it back, to hit both sides of the corridor with it. Lamp tubes, wires, signs... everything was crushed and deformed long ago; the walls couldn"t stand the impacts, and they broke into pieces. In just a few minutes, the entire corridor collapsed, as if experiencing a strong earthquake, completely blocking off the entrance and exit.
Lin Sanjiu wiped the dust and sweat off her face, motioned for Gardenia to stay away, and lifted the NPC again. Then, she rushed back towards the pocket dimension"s engine.
The collapsed corridor couldn"t permanently trap the group of guards, but the time she gained should be enough for her. On the way back, Lin Sanjiu saw another group of guards rus.h.i.+ng over in a hurry. They were probably startled by the earlier commotion and didn"t notice that their target had slipped away from just a few meters away.
The more people rushed to check the situation, the fewer people there were guarding the pocket dimension"s engine door, and Lin Sanjiu wished she could encounter more teams. However, unfortunately, until she returned to the corner, she didn"t see a second group of guards.
Gardenia, speaking up for the first time, added, "But there are still guards at the door. How do you plan to get in?"
If the number of guards guarding the door was reduced by more than half, maybe she could try Hei Zeji"s method?
Feeling a little uncertain, Lin Sanjiu pondered while quickly glancing around. There were still at least ten guards left, and they had learned their lesson. They formed a semi-circular formation around the door, making it difficult for her to use positioning to exert force like Hei Zeji. After some consideration, she put the NPC down and ordered Gardenia, "Carry him and walk over there."
"Me?" Gardenia said, her expression changing. "Although my mission is to lure people into the laboratory, it doesn"t grant me freedom of movement. I can only stay for thirty minutes each time before needing to find that female NPC we met to take me out. This time, I couldn"t find her, and I"ve already overstayed by far! Approaching them now would surely get me caught. How would you depend on me for points then?"
"Quit the nonsense," Lin Sanjiu said, pus.h.i.+ng the fat man beside her. "Just go. I"ll make sure they don"t catch you."
"Are you just asking us to divert their attention?" Gardenia asked hesitantly.
"Don"t you already know that?" Lin Sanjiu said.
Gardenia was truly a decisive and ruthless person. After briefly a.s.sessing the situation in her mind, she immediately nodded. Not only did she make quick decisions, but she also quickly understood Lin Sanjiu"s plan and added, "You need to get to the right position before they come to capture me. Only after you enter the door should you pull us in—"
"I really don"t need you to teach me," Lin Sanjiu interrupted her. "Are you ready?"
Gardenia nervously responded, "Yes."
Before pus.h.i.+ng her out, Lin Sanjiu took another look down the corridor. It was this glance that made her freeze.
She didn"t notice it before because the person was standing at the other end of the corner, obscured by several guards. At this moment, he seemed a bit uneasy, pacing back and forth. He stepped out from the shadow cast by the guards, revealing half of his face, which was adorned with mottled red paint. Even from a distance, in the dim light, Lin Sanjiu recognized that face.
He wasn"t alone.
He was holding a long pole with a huge insect-catching net at the top, and the net seemed to be carrying someone inside. The surface of the net was constantly undulating and twisting, but no matter how the person inside struggled, not a single sound could be heard.