Chapter 1136: You Can't Look Down on Waste

The situation had taken a dire turn.

Lin Sanjiu didn't fully grasp Sesame Cake's earlier explanation, but one thing was crystal clear: only the contents within the circular shape transformed into lava.

Now she faced a grim predicament with no viable weapons at her disposal. When Sesame Cake had been propelled through the room's wall, she had also swept away and demolished the food and water bottles scattered on the floor. Even the few remaining mineral water bottles that could have been wielded as weapons had been flattened by the collapsing half of the room, rendering their openings no longer circular.

[Planar World] did indeed store more mineral water, but how could she access them now? It seemed this ability had taken a particularly unfortunate turn lately.

"The existence of such an ability," Higher Consciousness remained inaccessible, but Mrs. Manas remained spirited, remarking, "Who would have foreseen the need to defend against such a move? It's far more potent than your Route 300."

The doomsday boasted a vast array of abilities and items that defied human imagination. Even with ceaseless vigilance around the clockwhich was humanly impossibleonly a fraction could genuinely be preempted. Lin Sanjiu had long grown accustomed to this fact.

"It's rather intriguing," she cast a glance at the disc above her head and snorted, "Setting abilities aside, every posthuman seeks to gather items they deem powerful to keep at their side... This implies that, if chosen at random, the likelihood of acquiring a potent item is relatively high. Yet your wheel consistently selects the most useless option. Considering the rule that the more powerful an ability, the greater its limitations, this shouldn't be the case... Have you done something to it?"

Sesame Cake clearly hadn't antic.i.p.ated such questions from Lin Sanjiu. She took a step back, appearing startled, and stammered, "You... you're far more observant than I thought."

With a sigh, she let out a forced laugh and continued, "I don't mind divulging the truth. Over the years, I've employed every method at my disposal to refine and enhance this ability. This time is no different." She reached out, revealing a pale yellow piece of paper that Lin Sanjiu briefly noticed before it was concealed again. "It's rather embarra.s.sing, really. We lured you here with the sole intent of trapping you in the lava. Since you're uncooperative, I'm willing to resort to force. I've never encountered anyone who could resist my set menu before."

Lin Sanjiu remained fixed on her, meticulously adjusting her muscles and joints to a state of readiness. Blood surged through her veins, awakening her strength and saturating every fiber of her muscles, priming her to unleash tremendous power at a moment's notice. Hei Zeji had taught her that, regardless of how powerful external objects might be, there were occasions when they proved ineffective or subject to limitations. The only constants she could rely on were the ones she wielded herself.

"What difference does it make if this item is useless?" Lin Sanjiu chuckled lightly while twirling the [Cosplay Enthusiasts Visited the Funeral Home Today] in her fingers. "I can still use it to pry open your mouth and toss you into the lava."

Sesame Cake attempted to speak but found her voice strangely absent. She appeared accustomed to her opponents' panic and confusion and seemed at a loss for how to handle Lin Sanjiu's reaction. With a quick turn, she dashed toward the double bed on the room's opposite side, shouting, "Second dis.h.!.+"

Lin Sanjiu allowed her to rush over and watched as the wheel above her head spun once more. She gazed upward, observing the wheel's colors blur as it whirled. When it came to a stop, the pointer landed on a blue section, and the floating words transformed: Chase.

In just a short two seconds, Sesame Cake had already rushed out of the room. Lin Sanjiu didn't need her to explain further; she understood what the second dish was.

Lin Sanjiu hadn't initially intended to give chase, yet her body acted of its own accord. Step by step, she turned toward the room's entrance. As she stepped onto the third-floor corridor from the bedroom, she witnessed Sesame Cake bolting into the adjacent room.

Even without [Keen Senses], she was aware that blindly pursuing her adversary would be a grave mistake. Unfortunately, the wheel above her head stubbornly displayed the same word: Chase.

This directive felt as though it were her own instinct, propelling her body forward much like hunger driving a person to eat or exhaustion compelling them to sleep, with little room for consideration. If she strained her hearing, she could even discern Mrs. Manas' slightly anxious voice, whispering repeatedly deep within her consciousness, "Chase, chase... What's happening? Chase... chase..."

As Sesame Cake entered the neighboring room, she fell silent. Lin Sanjiu felt her left foot moving forward when she abruptly bit down hard on her tongue. The sharp pain halted her in her tracks, and the metallic tang of blood swiftly permeated her mouth.

The second dish differed from the first dish.

For someone with a strong will, there existed a vulnerability to exploit. Lin Sanjiu embodied precisely that kind of person.

'Just have to chase after her, right?' she silently said to herself, forcefully suppressing the urge to advance with her left foot. 'I'll give chase. I'm certain I will catch up. I promise. However, I will pursue an alternate route... a different path to close the gap...'

From her vantage point, Lin Sanjiu could clearly discern a corner of the room that Sesame Cake had dashed into. The mere outline of a washbasin sent s.h.i.+vers down her spine: it was a bathroom, more specifically, a bathtub.

Sesame Cake's tactic suddenly became apparent.

All she had to do was rush into the bathroom and command Lin Sanjiu to follow through the wheel. Unquestionably, the moment Lin Sanjiu stepped into the bathroom, she would confront the showerhead held aloft or a hose connected to the faucet, contingent on the bathroom's amenities and structure. Subsequently, lava would spew forth from the circular apertures, wholly engulfing Lin Sanjiu.

It was a straightforward, rapid, and foolproof plan.

"I need to step back first," she told herself repeatedly, as if coaxing a child. However, she was coaxing her own consciousness, influenced by external forces. While uttering these words, Lin Sanjiu meticulously outlined a mental blueprint of her intended actions, facilitating her mind's acceptance. "I'll return to the bedroom first, then leap down through the hole in the wall... Next, I'll unlatch the front door and ascend from the first-floor staircase... It's an alternative route to catch up... She'll be waiting for me in the bathroom, so diverging paths to catch up are acceptable."

They say you are your own worst enemy, and in this instance, it rang true. Even with Lin Sanjiu's formidable willpower, as she compelled herself to step backward step by step, an unimaginable resistance welled up within her. She had to continually command her leg muscles to exert force, her ankles to pivot, and her toes to twist, employing her indomitable will to execute each mundane action. Before long, perspiration formed on her brow, and her body began to quiver faintly.

Yet, ultimately, she relied on her solitary weapon to withstand the influence of the wheel above her head and successfully returned to the bedroom.

As Lin Sanjiu neared the hole in the wall, she faintly heard Sesame Cake's somewhat impatient voice emanating from the bathroom, saying, "Where is she?" Those two words nearly caused her knees to buckle, urging her to rush over once more. She barely managed to bite down on her tongue in time. Amidst the pain, she repeated her mental mantra, "I will catch up from the first floor. I will take a different path to catch up." Finally, she mustered her strength, half falling and half leaping out of the opening.

With a resounding thud, she landed on the sidewalk outside the row of houses, nearly losing her balance. The struggle between opposing forces rendered her actions far more arduous than usual. Lin Sanjiu unsteadily returned to the door and pushed it open without resistance.

Climbing the stairs to the second floor proved much simpler than her earlier retreat from the bathroom. Her task was to minimize both speed and noise as she ascended the staircase slowly and quietly. Fortunately, the stairs were carpeted thickly, rendering her movements completely soundless.

Sesame Cake had been awaiting her in the bathroom for several minutes, no doubt riddled with uncertainty.

Lin Sanjiu ascended the second-floor staircase with ease, still able to hear faint footsteps and sporadic mutterings from above. Each time Sesame Cake's voice resounded, the wheel above her head seemed to strengthen, intensifying Lin Sanjiu's challenge.

Upon gradually reaching the corner of the third-floor stairs, Sesame Cake finally emerged from the bathroom. She couldn't discern what transpired below the stairs and hadn't even considered gazing up the staircase. She surveyed her surroundings, found the corridor vacant, and ventured a few paces outside the bathroom, still clutching a deep green plastic hose.

"Weird," Sesame Cake muttered, taking a couple of steps toward the bedroom. Unable to extend the plastic hose further, she halted. Peering inside, she furrowed her brow deeply. "She's not here... Where could she be?"

At that very moment, Lin Sanjiu resembled a stealthy leopard closing in on its prey, meticulously edging toward the end of the third-floor stairs. Should Sesame Cake chance upon her, Lin Sanjiu would be in full view. Lin Sanjiu wiped away her sweat, revealing a faint smile.

While the wheel had designated a seemingly useless item, a critical point existedSesame Cake herself remained ignorant of the item's purpose.

Perhaps sensing something awry, just then, Sesame Cake abruptly turned her head and instinctively raised the hose she held. Her gaze landed upon the stairwell, and she was immediately rendered dumbstruck, lowering the hose. With astonishment, perplexity, and a hint of trepidation, she couldn't help but murmur, "H-how did this happen? How did she suddenly die?"

Lin Sanjiu's horrifying corpse lay across the stairway.