Chapter 1132: The Most Unlikely Candidate
The situation gradually became unbearable.
As the group of five, including the two silent corpses trailing behind, entered the city streets, it resembled a scene from a cla.s.sic zombie movie. People on the roads, in cars, and behind house windows all turned their heads to gaze at them.
One person opened a car door and slowly climbed out; another staggered down the stairs of a building and onto the street. Right next to Lin Sanjiu"s foot, a manhole cover suddenly clanged aside, and a head emerged from the darkness. He wore an orange work uniform around his neck, and with determination in his eyes, he began to climb out.
All these silent, sluggish, neatly dressed, and expressionless individuals had one singular purpose. The sounds of footsteps and rustling fabric quickly coalesced into a clear chorus. Drawing from their past experiences, Lin Sanjiu couldn"t help but liken them to waves of ants, drawn by three pieces of candy, forming a dark and overwhelming ma.s.s in an instant.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the group was engulfed, and the surroundings swarmed with people. No matter where they looked, they saw a sea of faces, each bearing different features but sharing the same expression of numbness and emotionlessness.
The people who surrounded them on all sides stood just half an arm"s length away. With every step Lin Sanjiu and her companions took, the "people" in front of them would take a step back. It felt like being in a crowded subway during the morning rush hour, except that everyone in this "car" fixed their gaze on the same target.
"Don"t touch," Bohemia repeated these two words in a whisper, as if reminding herself, "Don"t touch them..."
Perhaps sensing their restraint, a middle-aged housewife dared to step closer, approaching Lin Sanjiu. Her pointed nose almost brushed against Lin Sanjiu"s cheek. Even without turning around, Lin Sanjiu could distinctly feel the heat emanating from the two round, white eyeb.a.l.l.s with small black pupils, which seemed to protrude and remain fixed on her, unblinking.
Warm bursts of air wafted from the woman"s nose, touching Lin Sanjiu"s skin.
Startled, Lin Sanjiu took a step back, pulling away from Bohemia slightly. After moving away, she cautiously observed the housewife. It was difficult to discern any movement beneath the outer robe and loose sweater, but one thing was certain: since they had been surrounded by the silent crowd, the heat generated by their breathing had subtly warmed the air around them.
"These duoluozhongs can breathe," Lin Sanjiu concluded silently.
"What should we do?" Bohemia asked in a low voice. "Should we continue? The cat doctor can"t possibly be here."
"What if it"s already in this city and has already attacked these things?" Mrs. Manas"s voice suddenly echoed in Lin Sanjiu"s mind.
She s.h.i.+vered slightly, lowered her gaze, and circled among the countless legs and various shoes—more of a subconscious reaction. She couldn"t realistically expect to find a cat among the legs and feet.
"Let"s venture further into the city and a.s.sess the situation," Lin Sanjiu said, then hesitated for a few seconds. "It seems that as long as we don"t initiate an attack, they won"t take the initiative either. It"s uncomfortable, but we should be safe for now... Uh, you don"t mind, do you, Puppeteer?"
When she posed the question and turned her head, she was met with a pair of lifeless, dull-colored eyes. In a moment of panic, she raised her arm, but fortunately, she halted her motion just in time, avoiding a punch.
Glancing around again, she realized that the elderly man was now surrounded by a large group of silent individuals, and Puppeteer, along with his silver-white circle, had mysteriously vanished at some point.
"Eh? W-where is... Puppeteer sir?" Bohemia also made the discovery simultaneously. "Where did he go? I didn"t hear anything?"
Being in the midst of thousands of people, the sound of numerous feet sc.r.a.ping against the ground sufficed to drown out many faint noises—except for the vanis.h.i.+ng of Puppeteer. Perhaps anyone could be taken away without notice, but Puppeteer"s disappearance was incomprehensible.
"He might have left on his own," Lin Sanjiu speculated after a moment, furrowing her brows. "Otherwise, who could make him vanish so suddenly? He wouldn"t have gone to a pocket dimension... we were right behind him when we explored the path. Even if there were a pocket dimension, we would have stepped into it first."
"But... Gong Daoyi..." Bohemia"s unspoken words were nevertheless clear.
"These duoluozhongs are so annoying," Lin Sanjiu said, growing impatient. "Blocking our way, obscuring our vision—I really wish I could—"
She intended to say that she wished she could push them all away, but before she could complete her sentence, the people surrounding them suddenly loosened their formation. The housewife stepped back a couple of paces, and the elderly man turned his head in another direction. Just as quickly as they had gathered, they all dispersed within a matter of minutes. Some individuals returned to their cars, others opened the doors of their houses, and a few took positions behind shop counters, as if they were ready to continue with their normal lives. If it weren"t for the shared expression on every face and the eerie silence, it could easily have been mistaken for a modern city untouched by the doomsday.
"Quick, we need to find Puppeteer!" Lin Sanjiu whispered urgently to Bohemia. Now was not the time to investigate the reasons; she feared that in a matter of seconds, she would turn her head and find Bohemia gone as well. So, she reached out and tightly grasped Bohemia"s arm as they hurriedly retraced their steps. However, as soon as they looked ahead, they froze.
Despite Puppeteer"s absence, the silver-white circle had fallen to the ground. Now that the crowd had dispersed, it lay conspicuously in the middle of the two lanes of the road.
The two exchanged glances, their expressions darkening.
"Even he... Even he"s disappeared..."
As they hurried to the side of the silver-white circle, Bohemia wiped her face with a heavy hand, as if trying to regain her composure. "What exactly happened? Everything seemed fine before. Well, except for those duoluozhongs—"
Lin Sanjiu was just as clueless as Bohemia. She released Bohemia"s arm, crouched down, and carefully examined the circle. It appeared no different from when she had first seen it: if it stood upright, the diameter of the circle was large enough for her to enter by simply bending down; the ring itself was about as wide as a palm and seemed to be made of a very heavy and solid material. After a thorough inspection, she found no bloodstains, scratches, or any other signs that could suggest Puppeteer"s whereabouts.
She hesitated for a moment, then gently extended her fingers and pressed them against the circle.
"What are you doing?" Bohemia leaned in closer.
Lin Sanjiu remained silent for a moment, and only when Bohemia asked again did she slowly raise her head.
"My [Planar World]," she said, her face pale, "...doesn"t work on it."