Chapter 1315: Darling Wife"s Call
Lin Sanjiu spent the night in a daze, weighed down by her heavy thoughts. It wasn"t until dawn"s faint blue light returned her to her senses that she realized she had unconsciously made her way back to where Wu Lun lived.
She had promised Wu Lun that she would come to protect her after six months, but with doomsday now seeming unlikely, waiting six months felt pointless. Pausing briefly at the alley"s entrance, Lin Sanjiu made up her mind and walked in.
She knocked on the door, the sound echoing like a drumbeat. She was ready to keep knocking for a few more minutes to wake Wu Lun up, but to her surprise, someone rushed over and immediately opened the door. "Ah," Miss beauty advisor"s gaze fell on her, and she seemed surprised.
"You"re back!" the beauty advisor exclaimed.
"You knew I was coming?" Lin Sanjiu said, taken aback. She hadn"t expected Wu Lun, a chance acquaintance, to be so attentive to a "mental patient". "Were you... waiting for me?"
Wu Lun, in her light beige teddy bear pajamas, with loosely tied hair and bloodshot eyes, looked like she hadn"t slept well.
"Of course, I was waiting for you!" she said matter-of-factly, "After work, I even roamed near the museum, hoping to find you. But after a long wait with no sight of you and fearing drawing suspicion, I left. I was on the verge of tears walking home."
"This girl was really kind—"
"You haven"t returned my furniture yet!"
"Oh, right."
Lin Sanjiu glanced into the spa.r.s.e room, noting the emptiness where only a bed remained. Wu Lun even had to drape her change of clothes over a small refrigerator.
"Let"s talk inside," Wu Lun said, yawning. "I"m not sure I even slept last night. It felt like I was awake the whole night, but your knock was what truly woke me."
Silently, Lin Sanjiu stepped in, opened her hand, and dropped a card. Before touching the ground, it transformed into a desk with a loud thud, kicking up a dust cloud. The bottles, jars, and other items on the desk trembled, threatening to topple, but she quickly steadied them, pus.h.i.+ng them back into place.
Wu Lun watched, mouth agape, at a loss for words for how to explain this magic trick. "This... This wasn"t here before... Where did these things come from? J-just that card?"
Lin Sanjiu silently rearranged all the furniture.
"No, if this keeps up, maybe I"ll go insane too," Wu Lun said, her hands pressed against her forehead as she sank into the newly recovered, creaky sofa. She managed a weak smile. "I"m almost starting to believe your doomsday stories."
Lin Sanjiu straightened and said softly, "No, that"s not going to happen. There won"t be a doomsday here."
Wu Lun was startled, as if she finally noticed Lin Sanjiu"s unusual expression. "What"s wrong with you? Are you alright?"
Even if Lin Sanjiu explained everything, Wu Lun wouldn"t believe it. She sat on the floor, legs crossed, sighing. "I"m fine. I"m just a little tired."
There was too much for her to digest. This wasn"t an apocalyptic world; it would never experience a doomsday. Then why was she teleported here? Didn"t the grand prize provide her teleportation through his own code? If so, why would he deliberately send her here?
"These questions can be pondered slowly later," Mrs. Manas said, her tone lacking energy again after just one night. "There"s a main issue I need to remind you of."
Lin Sanjiu"s heart sank.
"Don"t think that being a Growth type means your evolved ability will always maintain balance under the principle of give and take," Mrs. Manas paused, then added, "Growth types can gradually strengthen over time as your Potential Growth Value is constantly increasing... But remember the essence of Potential Growth Value I"ve explained before?"
She wanted to bury her face in her hands. "Yes, you said it"s... it"s a unit for mental power strength, right?"
"The first thing that dissipates in this world is mental power, so you won"t last long as a Growth type." Mrs. Manas said, her tone almost sounding desolate. "For a Growth type... this sequence of dissipation is the last straw."
Perhaps only posthumans like Hei Zeji, with their rigorous and specialized physical training, could last longer here. Lin Sanjiu sighed, unsure of what to do. She gripped her phone, trembling anew.
She felt Wu Lun gently place a hand on her, whispering, "Are you... Are you really okay? Shall I get you breakfast?"
Lin Sanjiu shook her head, but Wu Lun didn"t care. She got up, put on a coat, grabbed her change purse, and headed to the door. Engrossed in her thoughts, Lin Sanjiu lost track of time. It seemed as though Wu Lun had just left when she burst back in, a mix of screams and sobs.
"Lin Sanjiu!"
She sat up straight.
"You—you really—" Wu Lun wasn"t holding a breakfast bag but tightly clutching a newspaper. "I didn"t expect... You—"
"What"s wrong?" Lin Sanjiu said, bewildered.
Realizing the door was ajar, Wu Lun quickly locked it and then tossed the newspaper in front of her. Attached was a special edition featuring an urgent headline, likely added in haste for a big event without time to replace the regular articles. The bold red headline in bold red letters on the special edition pierced Lin Sanjiu"s vision: "Modern Art Museum Robbed Last Night," with a subheadline: "Six invaluable pieces stolen; total value sixteen million."
She stared blankly at the headline for a few moments, struggling to grasp its implications. Then she continued reading.
"Suspected use of explosives on the roof, yet no explosive residues found at the scene."
"The museum"s surveillance system was compromised, yet no suspicious individuals were detected, and the police have increased their efforts to track the suspect."
"Suspects believed to have ascended to the roof externally... Several exterior cameras were disconnected during the crime."
"Security staff failed to detect the intruders timely; responsible personnel disciplined."
The article repeatedly highlighted the value of the stolen exhibits—"Estimated worth over sixteen million. The artworks, not considered top-tier, are easier to sell in the black market, suggesting the thief"s discerning artistic preference."
"Was it you? Did you really do it? Is it really you?" Wu Lun said, lowering her voice so only they could hear. "Where are the stolen items? You didn"t bring the stolen goods to my house, did you?"
Stolen items.
"No, I didn"t take them," Lin Sanjiu said blankly, pulling out the phone Han Jun had given her last night and staring at it as she replied softly.
Things just happened to be this coincidental—under her gaze, the phone screen suddenly lit up. A gentle ring accompanied the display of the caller ID, "Darling Wife."