Chapter 1478: The First One Eliminated

There was a phrase Lin Sanjiu always detested: "a woman"s mercy."

It implied that having compa.s.sion was a terrible thing, belittling both kindness and femininity, trying to pave a bright path for more ruthless and unjust things. Yet, at this very moment, this same distasteful phrase surfaced in her mind.

No one could surpa.s.s Lin Sanjiu in terms of speed. It was her only lifeline when she was cornered. By the time Lily"s pleas still echoed in the corridor, Lin Sanjiu"s hand was already on the doork.n.o.b of Lily"s office. All she had to do was softly whisper "attack," and she would once again secure her footing in the game.

Lin Sanjiu"s fingers clenched tight, her knuckles turning white, and her lips parted slightly. She stared at the small avatar of Lily on the door. Yet, the word "attack" didn"t leave her lips.

She hadn"t expected Qian Dao"s tracking skills to be so advanced.

Even with Whit E."s hints, despite being extremely cautious, she hadn"t detected any traces of Qian Dao along the way. Before she could even think of a countermeasure, the office, which she had painstakingly protected and from which she escaped numerous crises, was lost so easily.

Just as she thought she was bankrupt and eliminated from the game, Lin Sanjiu realized the announcement declaring her bankruptcy hadn"t sounded.

Her mind was in chaos. Even if she realized she wasn"t bankrupt, she was lost for ideas. Life was not fair. No matter how smart, cautious, or well-prepared you are, you"ll stumble when it"s time for a fall.

Mrs. Manas, representing Lin Sanjiu"s subconscious, immediately said, "I need to find out where his office is. He can"t just be at ease!"

In reality, going there wouldn"t matter much. As long as the opponent stayed indoors, Lin Sanjiu couldn"t do anything. But before succ.u.mbing to complete despair, she had to do something, even if it was just a futile struggle.

It was then she noticed that Lily had already left her office.

"Hurry," Mrs. Manas urged, "Lily is almost here!"

The girl"s rapid footsteps, accompanied by the wind she was creating, were nearing the corridor"s entrance. Lily probably had already seen Lin Sanjiu standing outside her office, one hand on the doork.n.o.b. In her urgency, Lily seemed to want to both plead and threaten, resulting in an incomprehensible exclamation.

Lin Sanjiu closed her eyes and made up her mind. "Attack," she whispered.

The announcement rang out without delay.

"Congratulations to Lin Sanjiu"s company for successfully taking over Lily"s company. Best wishes for your business."

Lily, who was about to rush behind her wrapped in the wind, seemed to lose all her strength when the announcement sounded. Her feet faltered, and she stumbled, cras.h.i.+ng to the ground. She didn"t look at Lin Sanjiu. Her gaze darted around the door, seemingly searching for her missing avatar. Soon, the avatar rose again, morphing into Lin Sanjiu"s face.

In this game, it seems difficult for someone to genuinely go bankrupt. As long as one can raid another"s office, there"s always a turn of events and possibilities... As Lin Sanjiu turned around, just as she wanted to say something, the announcement sounded again, "Lily"s company has officially gone bankrupt, expressing regret. After the game, player Lily will receive a penalty for her loss."

Lily sat on her calves, her head tilted back slightly, her mouth agape, seemingly stunned.

Lin Sanjiu slowly crouched down, meeting Lily"s gaze.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before she whispered, "You still have time."

Lily blinked and finally looked at her. Her expression was cold, her voice low as she said, "What are you talking about?"

"You"ll receive the punishment only after the game ends—"

"So what?" Lily said sharply.

Seeing that Lily was about to stand up, Lin Sanjiu also stood, continuing, "I"ll be able to leave the game and help you."

Lily glanced at her, perhaps not understanding or thinking she was mad. "What?"

"I don"t know what your punishment is, but I want to help you, so I will help you," Lin Sanjiu murmured. "Why does a winner have to stand on a pile of strangers" bones?"

Lily stared at her, speechless.

"I have no obligation to help you, nor any need to pretend," Lin Sanjiu said. "So, when I say I want to help, know that I mean it."

Lily remained quiet for a while. When she finally snapped out of her dazed state, she looked around – not genuinely searching for something but more to distract herself.

"I... I don"t get it..." she muttered. "I"ve never been in this situation before, and I"ve never had a stranger offer help... I don"t understand. What should I say now?"

Lin Sanjiu almost laughed. "I don"t know either... You don"t need to say anything."

Now out of the game, Lily was no longer a player but a p.a.w.n awaiting its fate. She couldn"t influence the game anymore. Lin Sanjiu opened the door. "Come in, let"s sit and talk."

Lily walked in, still in a daze.

Lin Sanjiu summoned the Life Coach. "You watch the door. My office address has changed, so the search employees should be coming here. Qian Dao probably went back to his office, but I"m not sure about Whit E. There"s a good chance that those search employees could survive."

Still trying to comprehend, Lily mumbled, "Search... search employees?"

Lin Sanjiu nodded. "I believe that clients only appear when we can"t detect them, so I used all my money to hire search employees. If they can bring back a client, I have a high chance of winning this game. Winning would make it easier to help you."

Lily tilted her head, her expression dreamy. "You keep saying you"ll help... but how can you?"

Leaning in, Lin Sanjiu stared deep into Lily"s eyes. "What did you hear about the game"s punishment?"