Chapter 1113: A Rescue with No Target in Sight
The grand prize truly lived up to his name. In just a few sentences, Lin Sanjiu felt a sense of relief and reliance on him. She said, "You"re right. So, what should we do now?"
Someone as naturally intelligent and quick-witted as Ji Shanqing, who now possessed the Veda"s knowledge, undoubtedly had a few ingenious strategies hidden up his sleeve. As Lin Sanjiu waited with bated breath, she was prepared to be amazed.
She was indeed taken aback.
"Just call out to her," the grand prize suggested, unaware of her great antic.i.p.ation, and he didn"t see anything wrong with the suggestion. "Speak loudly; she has sharp ears and might hear you."
Lin Sanjiu stared at him for a moment. "Just like that?"
"Well, it"s worth a try."
"What if we end up calling the Concrete World Branch"s owner out?"
"He"s not here," the grand prize said matter-of-factly. "If he were, I"d be surprised."
"How do you know he"s not here?"
"Dear sister," the grand prize sighed, "the reason he moved the Concrete World Branch and planted these landmines is because he wanted to find a way to temporarily trap Magus here. If he were here, he wouldn"t have used this method. He would have simply captured her."
"Maybe he can"t catch Magus..."
"If that were the case, she would have escaped long ago, and he wouldn"t need to plant landmines here."
"Perhaps he planted the landmines and is now searching around Concrete World Branch for Magus? His own landmines might be ineffective against him," Lin Sanjiu couldn"t help but suggest another possibility. It wasn"t that she didn"t trust the grand prize; it was more a matter of her feeling slightly indignant that even Mrs. Manas seemed to think she was less capable with her own mind compared to the grand prize.
"Perhaps, but it"s unlikely," Ji Shanqing shrugged. "We"ve triggered several landmines, and he still hasn"t shown up. Why? Remember that the person who triggered them is most likely his target, Magus. If he were here, wouldn"t he want to come and capture her as soon as possible?"
Lin Sanjiu had no words. Just as she furrowed her brows, the grand prize suddenly added in a murmur, "However, why do these landmines, which can devour Higher Consciousness, move?"
"What do you mean?"
"If he wanted to trap someone, he could simply fill all the s.p.a.ce around them with landmines to ensure they can"t move a step. But since the Concrete World Branch"s owner doesn"t know her location, he planted landmines everywhere..."
Ji Shanqing"s voice gradually lowered, and he fell into deep thought. Suddenly, his face turned pale as he exclaimed, "I"m so stupid! He must be using these wandering landmines to track her location!"
"What does that mean?"
"That would be terrible! Sis," he grabbed Lin Sanjiu"s arm urgently, "we need to get out quickly; we"ve already wasted too much time."
"Wait, but..."
Ji Shanqing didn"t have time to explain. He grabbed her and, with a sense of urgency, raised his voice, "Let"s talk outside; hurry!"
Lin Sanjiu was pulled off balance, and as she rushed forward, she suddenly turned her head and shouted, "Magus!" As her voice echoed into the distance, she turned around, only to be met with a dark shadow. There was a heavy thud as she and the grand prize collided with the entrance of the Concrete World Branch.
The entrance they had entered through had transformed into a solid iron wall.
"As I suspected!" Ji Shanqing was both angry and anxious, but he didn"t appear surprised. "Sis, stick to the wall and go in the direction you haven"t explored with Higher Consciousness. Hurry!"
"Wait, what"s going on?" Lin Sanjiu asked as she followed his instructions, staying close to the wall and quickly moving toward another corridor.
In the same position, Ji Shanqing also kept his back against the wall, his lips pressed tight. When he heard her question, he scolded himself, "I"m so stupid!"
Lin Sanjiu couldn"t figure out what he meant. "What"s going on?"
"It"s a simple deduction," the grand prize sighed repeatedly. "After those landmines would find Magus, then what? We"ve used those few strands of Higher Consciousness to test it multiple times, yet the Concrete World Branch"s owner still hasn"t shown up. At the very least, there is no way for landmines to inform him – even if he knows Higher Consciousness has been devoured, he can"t rush back immediately. So, what"s the use of planting these landmines?"
Lin Sanjiu raised an eyebrow slightly. "They can cause harm to the consciousness..."
"Yes, but even if those landmines touch the consciousness, they can"t devour the entire consciousness, can they? Just think about it. The person he wants to capture is Magus," the grand prize looked at Lin Sanjiu as if saying, "She is different from you." "Her consciousness"s strength, resilience, and her ability to use Higher Consciousness... I"m afraid we can"t even imagine. Only allowing the landmines to nibble at her a few dozen times or a few hundred times, she can still charge to an exit and break the door by force, if necessary. I don"t know what other methods she has, but even if she barges through forcefully, these landmines are not a deadly obstacle for her. But the Concrete World Branch"s owner still placed them here, so it means they definitely have other uses." The grand prize added his last sentence, and he couldn"t help but swallow some saliva.
He didn"t need to explain further. As he finished his sentence, Mrs. Manas"s loud warning sounded, and Lin Sanjiu finally understood what the landmines around her were all about.
In the seemingly calm and empty corridor, countless invisible "fish" had gathered. Lin Sanjiu was suddenly hit by an overwhelming and stormy ma.s.s of these invisible ent.i.ties, like an unsuspecting diver colliding with a raging whirlwind of fish.
Her shoulders, arms, thighs, ankles... every part of her body was repeatedly grazed by these invisible, intangible things. Each touch felt like a small bolt of lightning tearing off a piece of "skin," and with each hit, her Higher Consciousness diminished by a bit. Even as she endured the stinging pain and turned her head to catch a glimpse of these invisible a.s.sailants, all she saw was a quiet and undisturbed corridor.
With every blink, she felt like she was standing on a calm cliff with a mirrored surface of a serene lake. With every closing of her eyes, she was plunged into the depths.
"Oh no."
She clearly heard the grand prize"s trembling voice, sounding fast and jittery, as if he was about to fall apart. "Did they touch you? Hurry, they"re all going to turn in this direction."
And indeed, that was the case.
Amidst the storm, Lin Sanjiu could only sigh. It all became clear when she remembered the grand prize"s instructions. Once a landmine encountered Higher Consciousness, even if it was just a tiny bit, it would signal to the others, just like ants discovering food. Immediately, all the landmines in the Concrete World Branch would rush from various directions, forming this ma.s.sive wave, drowning out the source of Higher Consciousness.
If Magus also noticed this and planned to release some Higher Consciousness as bait in another direction to lure away the landmines, she would be in the same situation as Lin Sanjiu.
Since the landmines were closely s.p.a.ced, once a strand of Higher Consciousness left its owner, it couldn"t drift very far before being devoured by the lurking landmines. Upon activation and sending a signal, the oncoming wave of landmines covered a vast area near the devouring location, essentially confirming the target"s location.
That was why Ji Shanqing, upon realizing there was no way out, had immediately told Lin Sanjiu to stick to the wall and head in the opposite direction. But he hadn"t antic.i.p.ated that the area covered by the landmines would be so vast, and many of them had still encountered Lin Sanjiu.
Now, the large group of landmines heading toward the opposite direction had all turned to her.
"Quick, sis!" The grand prize cried out in alarm, grabbing her wrist.
Trying to escape was futile because there was a large group of landmines ahead, rus.h.i.+ng towards them. In fact, above and below, front and back, left and right, countless landmines were headed toward Lin Sanjiu and the grand prize. No matter which direction they fled, they would collide with them.
"Try breaking through, see if you can open an exit!" Mrs. Manas grew anxious and urged in a sharp voice. "With this many landmines converging on you, you might be vaporized!"
If they kept going in the distant direction, they could delay the inevitable, but with more and more landmines closing in, they would eventually be overwhelmed. If they rushed back, they could reach the entrance just a couple of seconds away, but there were a staggering number of landmines there. It was closer to the point where Higher Consciousness had been devoured.
In a mere instant, a mult.i.tude of hostile forces had gathered around her, and the grand prize was already caught in the swarm. Lin Sanjiu made a determined decision.
"Magus!" She roared with all her might into the silent depths of the corridor. "It"s me, Lin Sanjiu. Bohemia told you about me. I"m here to save you, Magus! They"re all coming toward me now; you need to get out!"
With these sentences said, she could no longer bear the fear. She grabbed the grand prize, who was also being chased by the landmines, and rushed toward the exit. When they arrived at the wall, she felt like an effervescent tablet dissolving in water, as smoke rose and her body began to shrink. Lin Sanjiu suddenly thudded Ji Shanqing against the wall, while he was momentarily stunned, she positioned herself in front of him.
She shut her eyes, and the tempest raged ahead.