Chapter 1510: The Ninth Game Maker
Lin Sanjiu had envisioned many times what kind of attack she might encounter after breaking past the door and what measures she should take to deal with it. The only thing she hadn"t really considered was the situation she was now facing.
When she burst through the door and steadied herself on the concrete floor, besides a female corpse that couldn"t jump up to run, the other eight game makers scattered in panic, like ants fleeing from a destroyed anthill.
Left in Lin Sanjiu"s sight were heads bobbing near and far, shouts of "Don"t block the way!" and "Don"t run this way!", the occasional arm pus.h.i.+ng someone away, and Yu Yuan being dragged by several people.
The Veda was being dragged along, stumbling and almost falling, his face turning blue from the rope around his neck. He shouted back at her, "Over here!"
"Let him go!" Lin Sanjiu roared as she pounced behind those people. The people were so startled by her approach that some immediately let go, while others turned to run. One particularly greedy man, Blue s.h.i.+rt, still refused to release Yu Yuan, instead pulling the rope and rus.h.i.+ng forward.
Lin Sanjiu stepped up, shoulder to shoulder with Blue s.h.i.+rt. To her, every move was as leisurely and precise as having tea or a meal. Blue s.h.i.+rt"s frightened glance, the turn of his head, the change in face color, the opening of his mouth, etc., was like a movie close-up shot for her, with every detail clear.
She smiled at him, raising her right hand.
Blue s.h.i.+rt"s eyes turned as she raised her hand; although he saw it coming, his mind and actions couldn"t react in time. He could only watch helplessly as her hand crossed his field of vision, landing on the back of his head. Only then did he let out a low cry.
"When being taught a lesson, remember to feel the pain," Lin Sanjiu advised him, raising her left hand, wrapped in a metal gauntlet, as the smooth bra.s.s glided over her fingertips.
The next second, her right hand pushed the man"s face into the metal gauntlet.
His head, caught between her hands, was compressed with a m.u.f.fled sound that made one"s face wince. Then, Blue s.h.i.+rt collapsed on the ground without even a cry. Lin Sanjiu bent down to pick up the rope"s end and untied it from Yu Yuan"s neck, asking, "Are you alright?"
Yu Yuan wiped his neck, seemingly restoring some color, and said, "I"m fine. You were merciful."
If she hadn"t been, he would have died in dozens of ways and wouldn"t be breathing on the ground. After examining Yu Yuan and seeing that he was indeed fine, Lin Sanjiu put her hands on her hips, glancing at the fleeing figures in all directions, not even feeling the urge to catch them all.
These people had no value even for pursuit, apart from information about the text.
Besides, she had taken advantage of the surprise, knocking down Blue s.h.i.+rt before he could react. Now, the others had probably put on protective text.
"He was really slow to react," Lin Sanjiu said, kicking Blue s.h.i.+rt in the waist.
Yu Yuan guessed her thoughts and explained, "He seemed to want to release text for a moment. Just as the others were letting go, he hesitated and then dragged me to run faster."
It seems that greed had messed things up. Although, judging from Yu Yuan"s live broadcast, the other seven people were not much better; they had at least realized that Lin Sanjiu would hunt down whoever held Yu Yuan. Whether Blue s.h.i.+rt didn"t think about this, or took a desperate gamble, being so blinded by greed, it wasn"t easy at all.
Lin Sanjiu watched as the seven people ran; some turned corners and disappeared into the corridors behind the hall while others went behind a distant wall. They ran for a while, then ran some more, until they had scattered completely.
"Is this their top speed?" she said, somewhat incredulous. Ever since doomsday, she had been struggling and fighting her way through, always facing greater and greater challenges, constantly facing hards.h.i.+p; now, suddenly facing such a group of enemies, even she felt a little unaccustomed.
Yu Yuan glanced at her.
"Alright." Lin Sanjiu grabbed Blue s.h.i.+rt"s collar, allowing his head to hang down and his legs to drag on the ground, turning in place. "Next, we need to extract information from him... Hmm, this doesn"t seem like a good place to talk."
They were a s.p.a.cious hall, open on all sides, making one feel that any words spoken here would be like the wind escaping through a toothless mouth, impossible to hold back.
"How do you plan to extract the information?" Yu Yuan asked. "Poe can run, and so can he when he wakes up. Posthuman means can neither harm nor imprison them. With safety and freedom, why would he tell you the truth?"
This indeed was a problem; she had nowhere to start with threats.
"Can you a.n.a.lyze him?" Lin Sanjiu asked.
Yu Yuan shook his head. "I can, but I won"t. It"s not like when I was saving you; a.n.a.lyzing him would consume a significant amount of my energy. If I use up my energy, it"ll become dangerous for me. Helping you understand the situation and finding Ji Shanqing doesn"t benefit me personally."
"Too rational." Lin Sanjiu sighed inwardly.
"Are there truth serums or something similar to Special Items?"
Yu Yuan nodded. "Yes, but when he realizes he"s speaking the truth, if he releases words to protect himself and walks away, what can you do? Hearing only a fragment of information won"t help you."
Lin Sanjiu glanced at him. "You seem to be reminding me of all the problems I face."
The Veda was honest. "Yes, if you decide to give up now and leave, it would be the best outcome for me."
It seemed he could not be relied upon. Lin Sanjiu knew that Blue s.h.i.+rt wouldn"t wake up for a while and, pinching her chin in thought, a seemingly far-fetched idea began to form.
She looked at the female corpse lying at the entrance of the room.
"Your broadcast mentioned that Poe asked her, "Are you new here?"" she said softly. "This means that the nine game makers weren"t transformed at the same time; there"s a sequence, and if new people arrive, the others may not necessarily know... so, since one is dead, if another new person appears, wouldn"t it make sense?"
Yu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "You mean..."
"I should become the ninth game maker."