Doomsday Wonderland

Chapter 1463: A Moment of Relief

In the following minutes, two more elevators reached the sixtieth floor, with two unfamiliar posthumans stepping out. While the other three cautiously whispered among themselves, Lin Sanjiu just stood dazedly on the side, replaying the events of her recent spatial traversal in her mind. After a while, she let out a heavy sigh.

She really wanted to confide in someone, but her life coach had already been stored in the card inventory. As he had said, the humanoid Special Items around her had become more adaptable and understanding, so it was best not to expose them carelessly to strangers. Lin Sanjiu wasn't certain if the man in the men's yoga attire had seen the Life Coach, but she was sure the two newcomers hadn't.

"Were you the first one here?" a young woman asked Lin Sanjiu.

Judging by her appearance, this woman likely hailed from the Twelve Worlds, dressed in their classic style, which could be summed up as bizarre: A streak of purple paint extended from her widow's peak, crossing her eyebrows, covering her nose, and reaching her chin. At first glance, Lin Sanjiu couldn't discern her true face.

Like Lin Sanjiu, she had something wrapped around her neck—countless curving, wavy, large purple leaves—or perhaps petals, who knows—wrapped tightly in layers, making her look like a nobleman from medieval Europe.

"Yes." Lin Sanjiu nodded, her mind still partly distant.

"There are less than five minutes left before the new game launch," another male posthuman said, glancing at his watch. "We should all take a moment to rest."

Just by looks, no one seemed more fitting to be in this building than him. He was tall and slender, wearing a perfectly tailored suit with sharp lines. His blazer was smooth and clean, his hair impeccable, and his wristwatch, shoes, and tie appeared meticulously selected and maintained; this lent a touch of sophistication to his otherwise ordinary round face.

The man in the yoga attire immediately sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. The woman with the purple streak started chewing gum at some point, and amidst her popping sounds, everyone waited silently for five minutes.

Ads by PubFuture It seemed that apart from bracing themselves for the game, there was no other way forward.

Lin Sanjiu repeatedly pricked her palm with her nails. This slight physical pain felt like a tether to reality, anchoring her vessel that could drift into an endless world at any moment. Once the game began, she'd find an opportunity to call the Life Coach and consult him.

"Welcome," JoyBee said, capturing everyone's attention. A buzzing voice emanated from its white spherical head. "The game is about to start. Let me introduce you all to the rules of the Mall Warfare game."

"I'm not very good at business," the woman with the purple paint murmured.

If it were just about business, that would be fine since Lin Sanjiu had a hidden skill, [Scrooge McDuck's Power]. She kept her composure and listened as JoyBee continued, "Each player will receive a starting capital of one hundred yuan at the beginning of the game."

As its voice fell, portraits and textual data of four players appeared on the elevator wall — the one with purple paint was named Lily, the one in yoga attire was Qian Dao, and the man in the suit was called Whit E. Behind each person's name was the figure "100" representing their current funds.

It seemed that the Scrooge McDuck skill might come in handy after all.

"After the game starts, everyone will only be able to see their own details and funds. This is just an introduction, so please be at ease," JoyBee said. Its voice was mechanical, but its content seemed human-like, addressing the usual concerns of the posthumans. "There are a total of a hundred offices, big and small, on this floor. The four of you need to rent offices on this floor, set up your own companies, and expand them. The goal is to eventually eliminate all competitors and be the only survivor. Note, I'm talking about companies, not actual killing. In fact, in this game, you can't physically harm each other."

Lily looked around, seeming slightly flustered—natives from the Twelve Worlds Centrum might not be familiar with modern business operations.

Lin Sanjiu felt like a student who hadn't studied much but found the exam topics to be exactly what she expected when she glanced at them.

"There are three types of offices: large, medium, and small, with varying rental prices, all listed on the doors. Like this," JoyBee said, and an image projection of an office floated up in the middle of the elevator area, with a sign reading "Small Office, 20 yuan/hour."

"A small office can accommodate four people. Once full, you'll need to rent a new office—"

"Accommodate who?" Whit E., ever sharp, asked. "There are only four of us."

"There are many clients wandering around this floor," JoyBee explained. "After you rent your initial office, you'll need to start searching for clients on this floor."

While everyone was taken aback, the projected image changed. A silhouette swayed into the image, walking as if sleepwalking, with no clear purpose. He wore a cowboy hat and overalls, looking almost indistinguishable from a real person—the only difference was the blank, vacant expression on his face.

"Clients come in various appearances, and you can only capture one at a time," JoyBee added. "After you've captured a client, you need to bring them to your company's office. Only when the client is in your office will they begin to generate income for you. For example, let's say this office belongs to Miss Lily."

The cowboy-hatted client walked into the office in the projection, and when the door closed, new data appeared on it. Lily's avatar appeared on the door, with text below stating, "Client 1, Employee 0, Benefit 100 yuan/hour."

"100 yuan/hour is the income this client brings you. Although different clients bring varying benefits, the overall range is between 80-120, so the gap isn't big. Of course, only you can see this data. Other players can only see your name and know the office belongs to you."

Lily nodded and quickly jotted down notes in her notebook.

"What about the employees?" Whit E. asked.

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"Clients naturally wander around," JoyBee explained. "If there isn't someone specifically in charge of watching them in the office, they will leave and continue to roam until captured by the next person."

"Someone specific?" Qian Dao, the one in yoga attire, frowned.

"That would be the employees you can hire. There are five levels in total, and of course, their salaries differ."

As JoyBee spoke, the projection changed to display a line of five young men, all dressed in white shirts and black pants, looking like real estate agents. They were all male, with identical appearances and big sales-like smiles. The only difference was the bold black lettering on their shirts.

The first young man had the words "Reserve" on the front and "Guard" on the back.

"This is the cheapest and most basic Level 1 employee," JoyBee said. "His function is to watch over clients and prevent them from wandering away. One person can oversee three clients. His salary is 10 yuan/hour."

The second young man had "Increase" on his chest and "Benefit" on his back.

"A Level 2 employee can add 20 yuan to the income generated by a client; for example, increasing it from 100 yuan/hour to 120 yuan/hour. He earns 20 yuan/hour. He doesn't have the function of overseeing clients, but he can simultaneously enhance the benefits produced by up to three clients."

The third young man had "Search" on his chest and "Capture" on his back.

"The Level 3 employee can be sent out to search for clients and bring them back to your office once found. They also occupy office space and don't have the capability to guard clients. Their salary is 30 yuan/hour. However, you need to note that when I said you can't harm each other, I was referring to players. If another player happens to encounter your Level 3 employee, they can kill him on the spot and snatch the client."

The players looked at each other, none speaking.

Lily whispered, "This doesn't quite seem like the business I imagined."

"It's more like a wolf in sheep's clothing," Whit E. said.

Lin Sanjiu almost wanted to squat down and let out a long sigh – aside from its name, how was this game related to doing business?

The fourth young man had "Protect" written on the front and "Defend" on the back. The fifth young man's shirt bore contrasting words, with "Attack" on the front and "Conquer" on the back.

JoyBee stood by and explained, "Both Level 4 and Level 5 employees occupy office slots, and their salaries are 40 and 50 yuan/hour, respectively. Their functions are slightly more complicated. As the actual head of a company, you can attempt to attack and seize other players' offices."

"Oh?" Whit E. said, intrigued.

"For instance, if the fighting power of a Level 5 employee is 1, the defensive power of a Level 4 employee would also be 1. For example," JoyBee said, turning its 'head' to address Lin Sanjiu. "If Miss Lin Sanjiu dispatches a Level 5 employee to attack Miss Lily, and Miss Lily only has one Level 4 employee, then the two will cancel each other out. Both will die, and apart from their disappearance, the outcome remains unchanged."

Lily had already put away her notebook. "What if she sends two Level 5 employees and I only have one Level 4?"

"You would then have a +1 combat advantage. After one Level 4 and one Level 5 cancel each other out, the remaining Level 5 can successfully seize your office. It's worth noting that after occupying the office, the benefits generated by the clients beforehand won't be taken as well. In other words, past benefits are already pocketed by the previous company; seizing an office only gives you the other party's employees and clients and future profits."

'No real-world business operates like this, does it?' Lin Sanjiu thought dully.

"What about us?" Qian Dao asked. "Can we also seize offices?"

"Yes, in these battles, you count as one combat or defense power," JoyBee replied. "For instance, if Miss Lin Sanjiu decides to participate in the attack herself, she could save on employing a Level 5 employee. If Miss Lily also decides to defend personally, then the two of you would cancel each other out. But unlike employees, you won't disappear."

"So, the ultimate goal is to see who can occupy the most offices, snatch the most clients, and earn the most money?" Whit E. inquired.

"When three players in the game either lack the funds or the conditions to continue playing, commonly referred to as 'bankruptcy,' then a final winner will emerge and the game will end," JoyBee said. "Don't assume this game will last a long time, because clients are consumables. After a while, they will disappear entirely. Thus, the overall potential income decreases over time. It's crucial to snatch as many clients as possible in time and make it untenable for other companies to continue."

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The group exchanged glances.

"What happens to the losers?" Lin Sanjiu asked.

JoyBee took a couple of steps back, drawing their attention to the glass window. Outside, a vast expanse of land stretched out, with rivers and roads meandering across the surface, surrounded by patches of tall and short buildings amidst green trees.

"Losers will be thrown out from the sixtieth floor."