Doomsday Wonderland

Chapter 1465: The Downside of Being Too Human-like

In this world's games, there's always one player who acts like a human game manual, memorizing all game instructions perfectly; even more annoyingly, they can instantly find ways to exploit these rules.

This thought dawned on Lin Sanjiu as sweat formed on her forehead.

She forcefully struck the transparent air in front of her several times. Under her metallic fist, an invisible yet familiar substance yielded softly, bouncing back as if swallowing her strength with each hit.

Lin Sanjiu stepped back, gazing at the Life Coach, who was trapped in this clear barrier, and wiped her face.

She couldn't break this transparent balloon, nor could she turn it into a card. The reason was simple: it was some kind of manifestation of Higher Consciousness. While material objects or their effects could be carded, she unfortunately encountered a Higher Consciousness user.

"Don't talk," Lin Sanjiu almost growled. "Whoever set up this trap probably thinks you're a client I just found."

The Life Coach rolled his eyes but remained still, trying to maintain a clueless expression. Human-shaped items were rare and valuable. If the person lurking in the shadows discovered that what they caught was not a client but a human-shaped item, the chances of recovering the Life Coach would dwindle.

'That person is likely nearby,' Lin Sanjiu thought.

Earlier, when she and the Life Coach had entered this corridor, they saw an office on the right-hand side up ahead. As she hurriedly walked towards it, there was a sudden burst below them. Immediately, a huge invisible balloon expanded, encompassing the entire corridor and trapping them both.

Ads by PubFuture Whoever had set this up smartly used the game rules to their advantage: players couldn't harm each other, so Lin Sanjiu was soon expelled from the trap; however, since the Life Coach wasn't a player, he remained trapped like a dumpling filling.

Lin Sanjiu could understand the logic of the person who set the trap. If the Life Coach was indeed just a client, then trapping only him and disregarding Lin Sanjiu would be the best tactic, as no player would waste time over a client snatched away by someone else. The trapper just had to wait a while and could then leisurely reap the rewards.

However, the Life Coach wasn't a client, and Lin Sanjiu was unwilling to lose him – which meant she had no choice but to waste her time there.

Wait, that person must be nearby, right?

If she pretended to leave now, luring that person to come and retrieve the Life Coach, wouldn't she have an opportunity?

After capturing a client, one must deliver them to an office within five minutes. The person who captured the Life Coach would surely appear within five minutes to take him away.

Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath, glanced around, and gave the Life Coach a meaningful look, wondering if he understood. Pretending to be deeply frustrated, she muttered, "Forget it, I don't need him," and turned to run deeper into the corridor, stealing a glance at the office that had caused her and the Life Coach to fall into the trap.

It was a medium-sized office, accommodating 6 people, costing 30 yuan/hour. The conditions seemed quite right, but unfortunately, it was too close to where the Life Coach was trapped. Lin Sanjiu sighed and continued running forward without looking back.

After taking a turn and passing three small offices, she stopped—this distance seemed right. Lin Sanjiu squatted behind a corner, closing her eyes.

Aside from the humming of the building's ventilation system, she heard almost nothing. She didn't expect that person to make loud footsteps. Instead, she mentally reviewed the door of the medium-sized office and the small gap underneath.

A tiny gap was enough for Caster's gaze to stretch out and monitor the movements around the Life Coach. She had Advaita to thank for this.

After mentally instructing Caster, she felt Caster's forehead slowly squeeze out from under the door gap. The sensation was peculiar, like extending her tentacle elsewhere, like a snail stretching out its head, eyes, and nose from its shell. Unfortunately, she couldn't see through Caster's eyes.

She felt like she was fishing, with Caster acting as her bait from afar. If the bait began to wiggle, she would know she had a bite, and it was time to rush out.

"Congratulations to Whit E. Company on its establishment," came a voice from somewhere, startling Lin Sanjiu, and nearly causing her to lose focus. "Wishing you business prosperity!"

Did that guy rent an office so quickly? Has he secured the client? He probably wouldn't just pay the rent and leave the office empty.

Lin Sanjiu licked her dry lips, and just as she was pondering, she suddenly felt Caster vigorously shaking its head in the distance. She immediately jumped up, dashing back the way she came at lightning speed. By the time she laid eyes on the motionless the Life Coach again, Caster had just disappeared from the door gap. Around the corner, the intruder was just revealing his round belly.

Catching a glimpse of the newcomer's silhouette, Lin Sanjiu didn't think, and her body lunged forward, reaching out to grab him. When she remembered that players couldn't attack each other, a cold sweat formed on her back—she was too anxious. She should've waited until the intruder was about to use their Higher Consciousness before rushing out to reclaim the Life Coach. Yet, unexpectedly, her fingers closed smoothly around the person's neck, sinking into several layers of his chin.

'Were any of the players this fat?'

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Lin Sanjiu took a closer look and realized she had grabbed a chubby middle-aged man. His hair was thinning on top, and even though she had him by the throat, his flushed, chubby face showed no emotion. It was a client.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that moment. Quickly, she held onto the client's collar and pulled him back with her. The person who set the trap might be nearby, and they might have seen her rush out. The only silver lining was that if they saw her with a client, they might think she was renting an office next, and they might come out to retrieve the Life Coach soon.

Dragging the chubby client, Lin Sanjiu returned to her hiding spot, mentally calculating the time. Within the next five minutes, she had to rent an office and hire a level one employee to watch over the client. Considering the current situation, the only suitable place nearby was the intermediate office next to the Life Coach.

If she continued to look for another office, she would have to act immediately and go further away, meaning she would have to leave the Life Coach behind, which was impossible. Even knowing that the others were just objects, these humanoid Special Items were more than just things to her.

She summoned Caster, whispering reproachfully, "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on the players? Let's try again. This time, make sure you get it right before alerting me."

"I really wasn't made for this," Caster grumbled before being sent back under the door crack of the office. With Advaita's power, it could slide silently under the door gap like a piece of paper. Unless the person deliberately looked down, they might not notice a pair of eyes watching them from below the door.

However, Lin Sanjiu didn't expect that as soon as she sent Caster under the door, the humanoid Special Item started shaking its head vigorously. Immediately after, she heard a suppressed, muffled exclamation from a distance, too low to tell whether it was a man or woman.

Was it the player who set the trap, stumbling upon Caster beneath the door gap?

Lin Sanjiu instantly pulled back Caster and lunged out again. This time, she couldn't move as swiftly as before, given that she was dragging a large fat man. The clients might not have human intelligence, but they surely had human weight. Gritting her teeth, she hoisted the over 260-pound man and ran. By the time she reached the corridor near the Life Coach, another announcement came on: "Congratulations to Lily Company on its establishment. Wishing prosperity!"

There was the sound of a door closing not far away.

Lin Sanjiu immediately understood.

That medium-sized office was probably where Lily established her company. The fact that the woman appeared here was no coincidence. It was simple logic. After a player captures a client, they rent an office as soon as possible. Presumably, as soon as Lily captured the Life Coach, she immediately rented the nearest office.

Without wasting a second, Lin Sanjiu tightly held the chubby client's arm and sprinted out like an arrow released from its bow. As she guessed, Lily was standing at the entrance of that office, her hand still on the doorknob. In the corridor, the Life Coach was nowhere in sight.

Hearing footsteps, Lily turned, and Lin Sanjiu shouted, "Did you take my client?"

Lily initially shrunk back in the face of her anger. However, realizing Lin Sanjiu couldn't do anything to her, she gathered courage and said, "Finders keepers. Don't you have another one?"

With a glance, Lin Sanjiu noticed Lily's avatar on the 6024 door. Even though she couldn't see, if Lily turned to look, she might see the office's real information: Clients - 0. Then, she'd realize something was amiss.

She couldn't let Lily discover that the Life Coach was a humanoid Special Item. Thinking quickly, Lin Sanjiu smiled. "You've already hired a level-one employee, right? Even though they take a minute to show up, you've paid the salary and office rent, haven't you? Thanks for that. I can take it over now and save some expenses."

Lily looked at Lin Sanjiu as if she was a fool, hand still firmly on the doorknob. "Do you... not understand the game rules?"

Without waiting for a response, she swiftly entered the office and closed the door. From behind it, her voice, slightly muffled, said, "You count as one offensive power, and I'm one defensive. We cancel each other out. How do you plan to take my office? You don't have an office, can't hire a level-five employee, and I only need four minutes to hire a level-four employee, which is faster than you. And your client will disappear if not placed in an office within five minutes."

Lin Sanjiu sighed in relief, her shoulders sagging. It's good that Lily entered, at least for now. She wouldn't see the information on the door and know that the Life Coach isn't a client.

"I'll spare you this time," she muttered, unsure if she sounded threatening enough. "You owe me a client. Remember that."

A hum came from behind the door.

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This wasn't a long-term solution. Lily would eventually come out, inevitably seeing the door's information. Meanwhile, she needed to rent an office soon and put her client there. As Lin Sanjiu pondered her next move, the announcement suddenly blared: "Congratulations to Qian Dao for successfully taking over Whit E.'s company headquarters. Congratulations on the establishment of Qian Dao Company. Wishing prosperity!"

This announcement was unexpected, and not just for Lin Sanjiu. The next moment, from behind door 6024, the Life Coach's surprised voice leaked out, "How could this—"

He quickly cut himself off, but it was too late.

"You're a humanoid Special Item?"