Chapter 431: Finally, We"ve Germinated…? 1
The process of absorbing water droplets was so smooth it was ridiculous.
Lin Sanjiu didn"t need to mimic Ji Shanqing, nor did they require an explanation from Number 46. After Number 43 absorbed a few rows of water droplets by comparing to the photos, they had somewhat discovered the distribution pattern. If they couldn"t get the number of water droplets in the next cubicle via the mathematical method from the number of water droplets in the previous cubicle, they could conclude that all the water droplets in the last cubicle were contaminated water droplets. After they had found the pattern, they realized how easy it was to clear this round.
Clearly, Harry was not going to go rough on the seeds in the first round. After all, as a farmer, the more seeds that germinated, the better it was for him. There was no reason for him to ride roughshod over their growth as that would do him no good.
This could also imply that without the interference of Number 42, they wouldn"t have ended up in such a bad situation. One of them was killed while the other had gone missing. As such, the motive behind Number 42"s action remained an unresolved mystery.
Even though all of them were keen on finding out Number 42"s motive, they decided to put that matter aside and focus on the main thing first. Everybody threw Number 42 to the back of their mind like he was a person that had never existed before and went ahead with absorbing their 40 clean water droplets.
The reason Number 42 met his end by decapitation was that he had almost revealed a secret which he was forbidden to disclose. Number 46 had openly displayed his ruthlessness and his resolution in keeping the secret; it would be just as fair for the rest of them not to try to find out the secret.
... Except for Lin Sanjiu.
"The total time Number 48 used to read the whole contents is 4.2 seconds," A whisper like a soft purr came from Silvan. She didn"t know why but the speaker who spoke to her changed after every few sentences, "... After he read the first and second lines, he jumped straight to the center of Diary Card and stayed there for roughly 2.6 seconds."
It was hard to believe that all of that information came from her consciousness. The memory when she was watching Number 48 was still vivid in her mind.
Even though Lin Sanjiu had her full attention on Number 48"s eyes such that she could even count his eyelashes, all she could see was his quickly moving irises and a white rectangular shadow that reflected on his eyeb.a.l.l.s.
"Then?" She mouthed.
"We missed a lot of content since his eye color is on the deeper side. Moreover, he just skimmed through the content, so the information we could discern is incomplete," Hui Chuyan said, giving Lin Sanjiu a rough picture.
"Go ahead," Lin Sanjiu was so accustomed to the sudden change of the speaker that her expression didn"t change. The people that kept walking beside her didn"t realize that she was in fact engaged in a conversation. Only Number 46 occasionally glanced at her.
"From the second line, the words are PM, 4, speak, and plan."
Lin Sanjiu had psyched herself up, but she still couldn"t help overwhelmed by an uncontrollable disappointment.
The line about "PM" should have been the time the Daily Card started recording, "4" should have been somebody"s number, and the words "speak" and "plan" meant nothing to her.
Harry"s voice came from above them and Lin Sanjiu was stunned for a moment, "Congratulations for those who successfully absorbed 40 water droplets! So now, moving on to the next stage, all seeds are required to find a chamber and climb to the cubicle on the top row. Any chamber will work, and there"s no number restriction on each chamber; two seeds can choose the same chamber, so pick at your own will. All seeds will only be given 15 seconds to reach your position. After 15 seconds, the germination process will start and for those who failed to reach their position on time, say goodbye to them."
"Fifteen seconds?!" It was only enough time for them to walk through the pa.s.sageway, not to mention they still had to climb all the way up to the highest level.
Immediately, an uproar ensued. As they cursed on Harry"s harshness, they all quickly rushed toward the three doors in the hall.
Lin Sanjiu instantly put aside her thoughts and dashed toward the first chamber. Trailing behind her was the figure wearing a bandana: Number 43. However, since he was the first one to absorb the water droplets, he had absorbed a lot of contaminated water droplets before they found the correct distribution pattern. His countenance was unwholesome and his breath was heavy. He was overwhelmed by his fatigue after he had run a few meters in the pa.s.sageway and almost fell to the ground.
"Quick!" Lin Sanjiu yelled at him. She s.n.a.t.c.hed him by the back of his neck, lifted him, crouched down, and placed him on her shoulder, "I"ll bring you into the chamber. The rest is up to you!"
Number 43 replied "okay" as he huffed and puffed. She didn"t get it since they were running against the time. For a while, her ears were filled with the wind that blew past her.
After they arrived at the chamber, Lin Sanjiu placed Number 43 in a cubicle on the second row and quickly climbed up toward the top. As she was climbing, she looked around to see that only Number 43 followed her. She wondered how the others had picked their chambers.
Perhaps he"d gained enough rest from the short break, Number 43 did regain some of his energy. Lin Sanjiu didn"t forget to check on Number 43"s condition while she was climbing. Turning her head, when she saw the figure with bandana was following closely behind her, she heaved a sighed of relief.
"Last five seconds. Five," Harry announced suddenly. His resonant and loud voice gave both of them a fright. Lin Sanjiu was very near to the top, only a cubicle away while Number 43 still had a long way to go. She could hear his heavy wheezing as he struggled to climb upward.
When Harry counted down to four, Lin Sanjiu"s fingers gripped the edge of the cubicle at the top row.
"Please, help me," Number 43 pleaded weakly below her, "I can"t move anymore—"
Lin Sanjiu"s heart quivered for a bit, but she emboldened herself and paid no heed to his plea. She propped herself up using her arms and jumped into the tunnel on the top row.
"Four!"
"Please help me. I really can"t move anymore..."
It seemed that Number 43 had again exhausted all of his energy. He was clinging to the cubicle one row below Lin Sanjiu, unable to move an inch forward. Seeing that Lin Sanjiu had successfully reached the top row, he continued to beg for help, though his eyes were filled with despair as he wailed, "I beg you!"
Rather than saying he was calling for help, it was better to say he was venting his fear.
Lin Sanjiu"s lips blanched as she bit her lower lip hard.
Number 43 knew very well that n.o.body would come to his aid at this moment. His finger stabbed deep into the soil, his brain went blank and all he managed was a slur through his quivering lips.
As the "three" and a clear "Grab it!" sounded concurrently above him, he was stunned. Raising his head, he saw a long black figure dropping from the top.
"I"ll try to pull you up, quick!" Lin Sanjiu roared.
Then, she felt a weight tugging at her [Female Slave Bondage Rope] and she almost got pulled down instead. Clenching her teeth and as veins bulged in her forehead, she pulled the [Female Slave Bondage Rope] upward.
The countdown went quicker than both Number 43 and Lin Sanjiu could"ve imagined. As the number "one" escaped Harry"s lips, Number 43"s head had already appeared in Lin Sanjiu"s vision. However, she knew that she wouldn"t have enough time to pull him up.
Lin Sanjiu didn"t know nor she wanted to know the content of Number 43"s mumbles about as his panic-stricken voice wafted below her. She yelled, "Don"t let go!" and focused all her strength on her arms.
She wasn"t in her most zenith form, yet she was still able to draw much strength when she mustered all her strength from her body. Drawing a curve in the air, the [Female Slave Bondage Rope] flung Number 43 to the other side of the tunnel with a loud thump.
"You all sprouted!" Almost at the same time, Harry"s voice echoed in the chamber.
Before Lin Sanjiu could take a breath, the tunnel under her feet rumbled and the ground she was standing lifted upward. She quickly crouched down and stabilized herself amongst the rumbling ground. In the meantime, she took around and she was relieved when she saw Number 43 was beside her.
"As a group of seeds of excellent quality, you all have germinated, " Harry announced, "I have to say though you all might not like it, the ordeal during the seed stage is merely a beginning."
As his voice died down, the ceiling of the chamber creaked open. Then, a cl.u.s.ter of soil rained down around them as a dazzling light filtered through the gaping crease. The light a.s.saulted Lin Sanjiu"s eyes relentlessly as they had become accustomed to a lack of sunlight. She squinted and couldn"t open them any wider than that.
The tunnel continued to rumble, and she felt she was getting higher and higher until a fresh and warm breeze fondled her cheeks. The lances of light from the celestial fireball in the sky filtered through her eyelids and dyed her blackened vision a tangerine red.
Lin Sanjiu had almost forgotten how it smelled outside.
Bit by bit, she unglued her eyelids. The first thing that appeared in her vision was the aquarium-blue sky. Under her feet was farmland that stretched into the horizon. The open gap had closed unbeknownst to her. She was now standing on top of a "soil bridge" that resembled an overpa.s.s from modern days.
Lin Sanjiu"s entire body from her hair to the gaps between her fingernails were all covered in a thick layer of soil. When the wind blew past her, it filled her nostrils with the earthy smell that came from her body.
Gazing around, she saw roughly a hundred meter away stand another soil bridge. Likewise, on top of the soil bridge was a group of four people caked in grime. She was surprised to see all four of them had chosen the same chamber.
Clearly, neither of them noticed Lin Sanjiu as they were fully absorbed by something in the other direction. Driven by her curiosity, she followed their gaze and she was too astounded by what reached her eyes.
She saw a large pair of shoes, standing at the other end of the farmland.
Even with her current height, she could only reach the toecap of the shoe. Lifting her head upward, on top of the hill-like shoelaces were two even more spectacular columns that shot straight up into the sky. Up ahead, she could see no more as it was shrouded by the clouds.
"Th-thank you so much, you saved me," Number 43"s trembling voice came from the other end of the soil bridge, sounding like a lucky survivor from a holocaust. Lin Sanjiu looked at him as he sat up, wiping off the dirt on his face, "If it weren"t for you, I would be as good as dead."
"You"re welcome," Lin Sanjiu gave him a big smile, "I just didn"t wish to see any unnecessary casualties. Since it"s something I could do, I might as well do it."
Number 43 didn"t say anything but merely nodded hesitantly in return. He looked as if he wished to say something but a second thought was holding him back.
After a short while, a murmur escaped his lips, "Thank you."
"Anyway, what should we do now?" Lin Sanjiu didn"t wish to hold the matter on the tip of her tongue as she swiftly changed the topic. She looked around and asked, "What is going on with that pair of shoes?"
Suddenly, as if aroused by her question, Harry"s voice rang out in the air. His voice seemed much louder than it was in the chamber and their ears went numb from the intensity of the frequencies, "Congratulation everybody. You have successfully come to the germination stage."
The voice seemingly came from above the shoes.
"Now, I have an announcement to make, please listen closely," Harry"s voice boomed in their ears, "The first thing, please don"t go leave the soil bridge. All the water, fertilizer, and nutrients will be transferred to your body via the soil bridge… Oh yeah, if you remove your shoes, you might regain your energy faster, so please try it out. Also, you all are now a seedling that has been planted on the ridge, that"s the soil bridge under your feet. Hence, don"t walk off the soil bridge or else you will be regarded as an uprooted seedling. In other words, you will be considered dead."
He paused at this point and Lin Sanjiu heard herself gasp.
"All young shoots are p.r.o.ne to pest issues. Since I wish to have all-natural, non-polluted produce, I won"t issue any insecticide or pesticide. Likewise, your germination stage is ten days. If you wish to enter the next round, you must survive the pest invasion for the next ten days."
"Pest invasion?" Lin Sanjiu frowned at the words.
Up until now, she hadn"t seen anything that looked like an insect, but anything that could be solved through the use force would not be any problem, so—
"Oh yeah, before I forget. Since you all are practically young sprouts, you can"t attack the pests," Harry"s announcement came in in the nick of time and snapped Lin Sanjiu out of her thought.
"We can not attack the pests?" Lin Sanjiu was stunned as Number 45"s voice sounded from the other soil bridge.
"Did you guys ever see a plant that attacks? You think you guys are the plant from the game playing Plants vs. Zombies?" Harry replied innocently.
"He"s right. This pocket dimension always does the unexpected."
"How can we avoid being bitten by the pest, then?" Number 46 asked. His voice filled with desperation, "What do you mean by pest invasion?"
"That means the pest will come to eat you. After being bitten by the pest, aside from sustaining some superficial wound, you would lose some vitality as well. You will feel like you have been starved for a month. Anyway, since you will regain your vitality along the time, I guess this is not much of a problem. As for how to avoid the pest invasion, you have divided into two groups, right? Each group will have a chance to have a conversation with the pest, so cherish the only opportunity as you have to protect yourself from the pest!"