Chapter 1424: Lin Sanjiu Seizes Every Opportunity
While Lin Sanjiu was taken aback, Silvan, standing at the other end of the shelf, suddenly raised his hand, releasing a s.h.i.+mmering white light aimed straight at her face. When Silvan put in his full effort, his combat power reached an almost incomprehensible level. She didn"t have time to think in that split second, and it wasn"t until the white light narrowly grazed her ear that she realized Silvan had launched an attack at her.
Time seemed to slow down.
After a long, almost surreal half-second, she heard a tiny, explosive sound near her. Then she realized Silvan"s target wasn"t her but something beside her.
Slowly turning her head, she came face to face with a visage peeping out between bottles and cans on the shelf.
If that face could still breathe, its breath would be hot against Lin Sanjiu"s skin. Even without Silvan"s strike, she doubted that face would show signs of life. Below it stretched a long neck with tense tendons, but its resemblance to a normal person ended there; the shelf had no s.p.a.ce to accommodate a full body.
As if made of porcelain, the head reaching out towards her from the shelf shattered with a crack, falling in pieces onto the floor. Among the white bones, brain matter, black hair, and red blood lay a relatively intact skin of the face, softened by the gore. Lin Sanjiu couldn"t even decipher what had broken it.
Silvan was already by her side. Unable to speak, he grasped her shoulder, guiding her back a few steps.
Lin Sanjiu might have even applauded the woman if she weren"t the unfortunate target.
There was no way the woman had missed the volunteer"s announcement. My G.o.d, only a few seconds had pa.s.sed since that announcement. When the woman realized she was also included in the game, her first reaction wasn"t shock but to seize Lin Sanjiu and Silvan"s moment of surprise and launch a second attack.
Had Silvan reacted even a split second slower, that face would have hit her. She didn"t know what the face would have done to her, but she was relieved she didn"t have to find out. If she had been hit, Silvan would inevitably be distracted. While he was distracted, the woman could have targeted her true objective.
"Are you okay?" Lin Sanjiu asked, quickly checking him from head to toe. Seeing him shake his head and appear unharmed, she sighed in relief. Activating her [Higher Consciousness Scan], she whispered, "We better not split up again."
That woman had already blended into the environment. Whether [Higher Consciousness Scan] would still work remained uncertain, but Lin Sanjiu had to give it a try.
A volunteer, seemingly unaware of the previous altercation, now spoke loudly from the other end of the mall: "All those in the mall, please come to the main entrance as soon as possible! Sorry, you no longer have the privilege to refuse or opt-out."
Lin Sanjiu closed her eyes, trying to find her focus.
Fine, it seemed they had to play this game alongside their pursuers.
Both were on high alert as they made their way to the mall"s main entrance. Every aisle formed by the shelves, every corner, seemed to hide lurking shadows watching them. Lin Sanjiu could have sworn she saw a pair of eyes between two boxes of laundry detergent. Yet, upon a closer look, the detergent remained, and the shelf was just a shelf.
She struggled not to think about what would happen if those human limbs reaching out from the shelves touched her. Their arms, faces, and eyes seemed to be persistent, almost hungry, wanting to touch her.
Silvan walked silently beside her. His presence was like a sanctuary of absolute safety. She knew no harm would approach from his side. With that a.s.surance, she repeatedly swept her [Higher Consciousness Scan] across every small gap, wanting to provide Silvan with the same sense of safety from all angles.
"Welcome, welcome," said a similarly dressed volunteer standing at the entrance, waving at them from afar. "Please gather here!"
It was evident he tried his best to fit into his role as a volunteer. But compared to the previous one, his demeanor and tone were much more laid-back. Behind him stood only three posthumans, all wearing expressions of caution and suspicion. Their gazes frequently s.h.i.+fted between Lin Sanjiu and Silvan, especially lingering on Silvan.
The volunteer tapped a self-checkout counter beside him and then raised his voice. "Please wait a moment. We still have one missing."
It was clear he was addressing the woman from before.
Everyone waited in silence. Among the shelves stacked one above another beneath the ceiling, the woman"s shadow never appeared.
Was she planning to leverage her environment, stubbornly staying hidden?
"This is making my job difficult," the volunteer grumbled as he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and glanced at it. "Ah, so that"s her ability. No wonder she"s so confident in staying hidden."
Lin Sanjiu"s heart raced, and she quickly stepped closer, whispering, "What ability is it?"
The volunteer turned his head and peeked at her from behind his mask, quickly folding the slip of paper back up.
"Can you give me a hint? I"m quite curious," Lin Sanjiu said, trying to smile nonchalantly. "It doesn"t break the game rules, does it?"
"That"s not allowed either." The volunteer gestured with the back of his hand, signaling her to move back with the rest of the unfortunate partic.i.p.ants. "Telling you might give you an unfair advantage."
Perhaps he was irritated that the woman still hadn"t appeared, for after a brief pause, he added, "All I can say is, getting her out would be as annoying as popping a pimple."
Lin Sanjiu, who never had pimples, pretended to understand and nodded as she moved back. Silvan seemed amused, but unfortunately, he couldn"t laugh aloud or voice his thoughts. He probably forgot she was in this mess because of him.
"Fine, I guess I have to pop that pimple," the volunteer mumbled. He took a pen from his pocket and quickly scribbled a long message on the slip of paper.
Lin Sanjiu craned her neck towards the distant shelves, waiting for the woman to "pop" out while silently asking in her mind, "Did you see it?"
"Yes," Mrs. Manas replied.
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