Chapter 873: The First Activated Pocket Dimension
If it were just one or two pocket dimensions, perhaps they would still have the courage to fight. But even someone as resilient and stubborn as Lin Sanjiu knows her limits and when she must face reality.
...In this situation, it"s impossible for Yu Yuan to have survived.
Now, she must find a way to escape with herself and Bohemia.
"Flashlight," Bohemia hurriedly said, her pale face looking ghostly in the darkness. "If we can block or destroy that flashlight, will the shadow disappear along with it? Once it"s gone, we can-"
"Let"s give it a try!"
As soon as Lin Sanjiu spoke, their attacks went towards the flashlight in front of them one after another. The black sandstorm Bohemia summoned with her poetic incantation and the tornado Lin Sanjiu unleashed instantly engulfed and obscured the entire area like a vortex—both of them instinctively tried to cover its light.
Amidst the swirling shadows, they saw the flashlight being helplessly lifted by the sandstorm and hurled toward the rear entrance, disappearing in a gust of darkness. Its light was dimmed as if it had been covered by a piece of black cloth, quickly fading until it vanished completely.
"...for we are but sand, on this solid veil!"
When the last sharp female voice echoed in the night sky, the black sand and wind gradually dissipated, revealing the two figures still standing in their original positions.
Locking eyes with Bohemia, Lin Sanjiu"s face turned pale as she slowly turned her head backward.
The shadowy figure still stood on their blurry shadows, closely pressed against them without moving.
Compared to before, the figure no longer wore a tribal chief attire. Instead, it had changed into a loose, empty hospital gown at some point. The glow emanating from its eyes had also s.h.i.+fted from orange to bluish-gray—just like the light inside the medical station window.
"Why..." Bohemia murmured a few words, her complexion becoming increasingly grim. She tightly clutched the pocket dimension detector, her hand trembling slightly. Unexpectedly, Lin Sanjiu saw her suddenly becoming angry, her face flus.h.i.+ng red.
"It"s all because of you!"
"...Wasn"t it you who brought me to the medical station?"
"You were the one who suggested coming here!"
"How could I have known there would be so many pocket dimensions here?"
"Well, nothing good ever happens when I"m with you!"
In such a situation, it was quite amusing to see them quarreling. Lin Sanjiu opened her mouth and suddenly slapped Bohemia on the shoulder, interrupting her endless complaints. "I know!"
"What?" Bohemia asked.
But Lin Sanjiu didn"t have a chance to explain from the beginning. Just a moment ago, for a good two to three minutes, nothing happened except for the shadow being stepped on. The 27 pocket dimensions even allowed them to attack the flashlight at the entrance. However, Lin Sanjiu"s face suddenly changed, and she became so anxious that she almost bit her tongue. "Quick, bring out some barrier that can separate us!"
"I don"t have anything like that!" Bohemia exclaimed, startled. She looked around, but the surroundings remained pitch black and heavy. She didn"t dare to be negligent and nervously rummaged through the bracelets and chains on her arms. "Wait, I think—"
But she was a step too late.
In the blink of an eye, the scenery around them completely changed. The dark night instantly faded away, and the surroundings became as bright as daylight, so bright that they couldn"t even open their eyes. The ground beneath their feet turned into a faintly glowing silver-white floor, extending boundlessly as if there was no end to this s.p.a.ce. Above them, a nearly white, clear sky covered their heads, but it exuded an artificial and fake feeling, as if even the sunlight here was pretending to be cheerful.
"Did one of the pocket dimensions activate on us? Just one, right? Not all 27 at the same time?" Bohemia squinted her eyes, looking around. She also realized that her long curly hair seemed to s.h.i.+mmer with a golden glow amidst the silver-white radiance. "What kind of pocket dimension is this? Wait, why is this freak still here?"
The shadowy figure in the patient"s gown was still standing close to them. In this s.p.a.ce filled with silver-white radiance, he looked like a translucent ghost.
Even the floor emitted a silver glow, naturally devoid of any shadows to step on. Both of them glanced at his feet, then leaped backward at the same time, their bodies landing smoothly on the ground.
"Because he isn"t a pocket dimension, nor is he the product of the flashlight"s light," Lin Sanjiu said, staring at the pale, transparent figure, speaking softly.
"What"s going on?"
"I examined that flashlight with my ability before. Its item description only mentioned the function of indicating life or death. Even if it gained self-awareness and knew how to utilize its ability to mislead people, it shouldn"t have the function of "stepping on shadows" that wasn"t mentioned on the card."
Lin Sanjiu didn"t know when this pocket dimension would officially begin, so her speech speed was fast. "And even though the flashlight"s light disappeared, the product of the flashlight"s light didn"t disappear. Isn"t that strange?"
"And after the flashlight"s light disappeared, he changed his appearance—ah!" Bohemia also understood. "He"s simply another Special Item"s effect! You made a hasty judgment."
"You talk as if she"s not the same."
"He"s a shadow person, definitely related to shadows," Lin Sanjiu guessed. "That"s why you saw him standing up from the circle of flashlight"s light... Maybe he can move between different light sources?"
"I don"t care why he"s still here," Bohemia sneered after finally regaining her physical abilities. She flexed her fingers and walked towards the shadowy figure. "Since he"s still here, that"s great for me. Even if he"s a Special Item, I"ll make him regret—"
"Don"t waste your energy on him!" Lin Sanjiu quickly stopped her, half persuading and half coaxing, spinning her around. "We still don"t know what kind of pocket dimension this is."
"This question, perhaps I can answer for you, ladies."
A grating voice suddenly echoed from the silver-white radiance in the distance. The voice and the figure arrived in front of them almost simultaneously, and Lin Sanjiu didn"t even see clearly how this plump, round-headed person appeared. "Welcome to this Candy Crush pocket dimension, ladies."
He had a round head and wore a tall top hat. His black suit was tightly squeezed, and the b.u.t.tons seemed like they could burst off at any moment. He had a chubby and smooth face, but at first glance, it made people extremely uncomfortable—he had no facial or head hair at all. When this man blinked, the two thick folds of flesh without eyelashes would flutter, making a clicking sound.
This man was undoubtedly the owner of this pocket dimension.
Both of them couldn"t help but tense up and exchanged glances. Bohemia, who grew up in the Twelve Realms, was the first to question.
"What is Candy Crush?"
"Also known as Match-3, it was a very common electronic game before the world was destroyed," the owner flexed his muscles, as if practicing how to smile, revealing a row of teeth. "In summary, when three things with the same attribute are connected, they can be eliminated together. You and I are all part of Candy Crush now."
Before Lin Sanjiu could react, Bohemia suddenly trembled, raising her hand and throwing something into the air. With a "whoosh," a bright yellow barrier appeared in the air, quickly enclosing the two of them inside.
"What are you doing? It"s too late to bring it out now," Lin Sanjiu glanced at the barrier around them. The pocket dimension owner and the shadow person were trapped outside, just a few steps away from them.
"But didn"t the ball say that three things with the same attribute can be eliminated?"
Bohemia extended a finger, pointing directly at the pocket dimension owner, seemingly unfazed by the sagging flesh on his face. "You, me, and this shadow person make three humanoid ent.i.ties!""
"In her eyes, the pocket dimension owner didn"t even count as a humanoid... not even a polite way to address him. Lin Sanjiu glanced at the "ball" and couldn"t help but be surprised: apart from his slightly bluish complexion, the pocket dimension owner actually seemed somewhat disappointed."
"Upon further consideration, they didn"t even have shadows anymore, and the presence of the shadow person in the pocket dimension was indeed unnatural. For now, they didn"t have to worry about being eliminated since the pocket dimension hadn"t officially begun. However, once they adapted to the presence of "a shadow person standing here," it might become a deadly trap once the pocket dimension started."
"The isolation barrier might not serve any purpose within the pocket dimension, but it served as a warning that they wouldn"t be accustomed to the shadow person."
"The lady is being overly cautious," the pocket dimension owner said, his soft thick lips parting as his voice pierced like a dagger. "The pocket dimension hasn"t started yet... Oh, you can go back now." He waved his hand towards the shadow person, who promptly turned around and disappeared into the silver light. The round man"s expression returned to its initial state, and he smiled at the two of them. "Now, let me introduce the rules."
"As I mentioned earlier, in the Candy Crush pocket dimension, any three connected objects with the same trait will be eliminated. Please note that "connected" means they can be linked by a line, with no limitation on distance... So, once a third object of the same kind appears, it will be of no use even if you run away. The two of you and I are on opposing teams and will engage in turn-based elimination battles."
"As he calmly explained, some large shadows gradually floated out from the depths of the s.h.i.+mmering light behind him. As those shadows approached, Lin Sanjiu could see that they were several round spheres, each over two meters tall."
"For the specific gameplay, let"s start with a trial round... Don"t worry, this is just a test round, even if you lose, you won"t be eliminated for real. I can guarantee it in the name of this pocket dimension"s reputation."
"Wait a minute!" Just as he was about to turn and introduce the large spheres in the air, Bohemia suddenly interrupted the pocket dimension owner. "Isn"t this too unfair?"
"Oh?"
"We have two people, and we"re just one step away from being eliminated, but you"re only one person!"
The pocket dimension owner pondered for a moment, and the muscles on his cheeks slowly swelled up again.
"Ah, yes, you"re right," he exposed a row of white teeth through his lips and laughed. "Previously, this pocket dimension existed to provide fair games for posthumans, but it"s not the case anymore... Now, this pocket dimension exists to eliminate posthumans. If there"s any unfairness, I"m afraid you"ll have to bear with it."