Chapter 39: Neither These Cards nor People Allay My Worries
Translator: Pluto Editor: Tehrn
The card in her hand was entirely new to her since there wasn’t a failed crayon drawing. Instead, the card was totally black and extremely beautiful.
When she flipped open the card, she discovered these silver words:
【Congratulations on leveling up! 1】
Introduction: This is a card that appears the first time your active ability increase by a level. This card will give a detailed explanation of Lin Sanjiu’s active ability. Thus, it is important for the named human to keep this card properly and not lose this card to prevent this critical information from leaking out.
Active Skill: Planar World
Level-up Count：1
Forecast date of Next Level-up: Some unknown time far into the future
Level-up benefits：Hey, after leveling up, you can convert up to eight items. By the way, the drawings are so much nicer. In addition to that, you finally gained increased control over your cards! Most importantly, you now possess the ability to summon a Diary Card! Woot!
“What sort of f*ckery is this? How was the name Planar World conceived?” Lin Sanjiu could not help mumbling to herself. “What the h.e.l.l is this Diary Card?”
As if the black card could understand her, the words faded and were replaced with a different paragraph.
【Diary Card】
Even though this is called Diary card, that doesn’t mean you can summon this card every day, okay? As for the specific occasion you can summon it? Well, please try continuously! Experience is the true way of life!
“If you don’t give me any proper information, I’m going to tear you up!”
The words immediately changed.
【Diary Card】
After the card has been summoned, it can record everything within the surroundings of the card. The level of the owner’s ability determines the detailedness and extensiveness of the information recorded.
Duration: 3 hours. The recording will stop after the 3 hours’ limit. The information on the card must be erased before the next recording.
Recording Range: Anything within a five-meter radius or less, determined by the actual surface where the card is placed.
Note: This card can be seen by anyone, cannot be controlled remotely and is p.r.o.ne to damage. Please hide it appropriately.
“Huh? Even though this doesn’t have any combat value, it does seem useful.” This roused Lin Sanjiu’s interest, so she placed the explanation card aside and stretched open her left hand.
She commanded softly, “Diary Card.” There was no response.
“Diary Card.” Once again, there was no response.
“Is it really so hard to summon this card…” Lin Sanjiu rambled to herself dejectedly. Just then, she eyes swept over the explanation card unintentionally. She realized that the words on the card had already changed at some unknown time. Right now, it wrote: “When summoning, please use a sincere tone to say the words: ‘I’m going to write in my diary now.’ Any card that appears whenever it’s called is a dog.”
Lin Sanjiu could feel the veins in her forehead pulsating — she really could not get used to this, how could the cards she “created” had such terrible att.i.tudes? She clenched her teeth and commanded softly, “I’m going to write in my diary now!”
Just as she prepared herself to shout this repeatedly like an idiot, her palm budged slightly. Suddenly, a white card appeared.
The size of the card was the same as her previous cards, but it had lines just like a notebook. She thought for a while and coughed twice. Just as she expected, a line of words suddenly appeared: Lin Sanjiu coughed twice.
“Interesting!“ She smiled, surprised. With another flash of thought, she kept the card. She laid on her bed, feeling very satisfied as a wave of sleepiness washed over her. If she had gained her ability yesterday, she wouldn’t have to risk using the walkie-talkie… [If it works wherever I paste this card, wouldn’t it function like a surveillance camera!] Hazy thoughts drifted through her mind.
After being tormented for the entire morning, she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep on the unfamiliar bed. She did not know how long she slept but through her drowsiness, she was awakened by the gradually increasing noises of conversations, people walking, and things being knocked. She opened her eyes and found that the bas.e.m.e.nt had been lit up.
Even though only a few fluorescent lights were switched on, Lin Sanjiu was stunned when she woke up. After one month without seeing any artificial lighting, she could not help feeling emotional. It was as though human civilization was slowly recovering with those few dimly lit fluorescent light. Apparently, it was time for everyone to wake up. Most of the Oasis members in Bas.e.m.e.nt One had already woken up, so the confined s.p.a.ce was abuzz with conversations and random noises. Hazily, she sat up in her bed, wondering if she should look for Luther and Marcie.
“Yo! Are you awake?” Fang Dan lifted the curtain to Lin Sanjiu’s cubicle, revealing her usually stoic face. “You should pack your things. It’s dinnertime now.”
Once she heard this, she realized that she was a little hungry. Lin Sanjiu thanked her and asked, “Typically after dinner, what does everyone do?”
“Our duties, of course. We each have our own jobs. Take me for example, I belong to the water well maintenance group.”
“There is a well here?” Lin Sanjiu finally got it — that was why they have cooked rice! It seemed that the high temperature only caused the evaporation of surface water, but water could still be obtained from underground sources. “But, why is it necessary to maintain a well?”
“That’s quite obvious. After all, it’s not like in the past. If we leave it as it is, even the groundwater from the well will dry up quickly. Besides, after we get the water from the well, it has to be treated, the temperature has to be controlled, and we have to transport it to the canteen. This all fall within our job.” Fang Dan gave it some thought and said, “Tonight, after dinner, you may be a.s.signed a job. Sigh. A neighbor is difficult to come by, and you’ll be gone just like that.”
The way she spoke was as if Lin Sanjiu was already dead. Lin Sanjiu couldn’t help rolling her eyes and not giving a verbal response to that. She was just about to ask some questions regarding Professor Bai when a sharp whistle pierced through the air. Suddenly, everyone started moving. Within minutes, she heard countless footsteps hurrying past her cubicle. Without waiting for Lin Sanjiu questions, Fang Dan called out to her, “The canteen is opened now, let’s go!”
“Wait, what about my two other friends…”
Lin Sanjiu had just gotten out from her cubicle, she had not even finished her sentence, but the hungry crowd of people behind her had already pushed her forward. She walked together with the crowd involuntarily and spotted Fang Dan ahead of her, caught up in the crowd in a similar fas.h.i.+on. Fang Dan turned to her and shouted, but Lin Sanjiu could not hear what she was trying to say.
Despite being stronger than most of the people in the crowd, it was impossible for her to push aside everyone in front of her… Lin Sanjiu could only grimace as she was pushed into the main hall of the building. Only after she was out on the empty s.p.a.ce in front of the building, did she finally managed to catch her breath and pause for a moment. She looked around her and discovered that Oasis took on a very different atmosphere at night.
There was a large searchlight on the roof of each of the buildings. These searchlights lit up the entire factory compound. She could hear the whirring sounds from a backup generator which she could not locate; the three-story canteen in the distant was brightly lit, and the sound of the noisy crowd filled in the air.
Seeing the lights and crowd, smelling the off-and-on aroma from the food, Lin Sanjiu felt as if she was in a reverie. For a moment, she forgot that she was still in Hyperthermal h.e.l.l.
“Xiao Jiu!” she heard a familiar voice from a distance, someone was trying their best to call out to her. Lin Sanjiu turned behind and spotted Marcie. Marcie looked anxious as she tried to push her way through the crowd toward Lin Sanjiu, frantically waving her arms.
“Why are you alone?” she responded quickly, drawing the stares from the people around her. “Where is Luther?” she asked.
Marcie sighed, replying, “When we were coming out from the building, Luther’s ability suddenly evolved! I don’t have enough strength to carry him, but then I saw you. Help! Quick!”