Chapter 1428: The Inevitable

"Alright, so the game rules end here. Next up"

"Wait, I have a question," Advaita interrupted. Her voice was calm and gentle, yet it was like a gust of wind scattering the leaves, making way for what she intended to say.

Everyone's gaze s.h.i.+fted to her. With hands clasped in front of her, a calm expression, and eyes slightly lowered, Advaita said in a tranquil tone, "I came to this world because I received an order to capture Silvan and Lin Sanjiu, who are present. Now that Lin Sanjiu and I have been grouped together, I have reasons to doubt her willingness to cooperate with me. Suppose the item I need appears on her shelf, but she refuses to give it to me or changes its form. What should I do then? This is a flaw in the game."

Lin Sanjiu could sense, without even looking, that Chen Hanwu swiftly turned to face her.

Honestly, Advaita didn't seem like the sort of posthuman who'd lie in ambush, waiting to sneak attack and rob other players. It wasn't just because of her face which was peaceful and non-confrontational but also because posthumans could somewhat gauge the combat abilities of others. Even if Advaita's power wasn't on par with Silvan's, it was undoubtedly top-tier in the Twelve Worlds. Such a person, of course, wouldn't waste time ambus.h.i.+ng small fries. Whatever she needed, there were plenty in the Twelve Worlds willing to provide.

Lin Sanjiu sighed. Compared to Advaita's statement, her own words seemed unconvincing. The best outcome might be to leave some lingering doubts about Advaita in others' minds.

"If your teammate intends for you to lose, there's nothing in the game rules to prevent that," the volunteer said, gesturing dismissively. "But you needn't worry too much. The items you need will be spread across six shelf areas. The items in one person's area won't be much. Besides, since you have these concerns, it's not hard to take precautions."

A faint smile graced Advaita's face. "I understand."

She probably never expected the volunteer to do anything in the first place. Her goal might have been to sway Chen Hanwu further to her side. After all, in this game, combat strength was secondary; the crucial thing was the number of hands available to search for items.

Unconsciously, Lin Sanjiu furrowed her brows, exchanging glances with Silvan who appeared deep in thought, subtly shaking his head at her.

She wished she and Silvan could be more in sync. She didn't understand what his head shake signaled.

1

"Alright." The volunteer raised a hand clad in a white glove. "The game begins now. I wish everyone a pleasant game!"

"Let's go."

The fox-eyed girl on the opposite side signaled to her two teammates and dashed toward the distant shelves. Grasping her intention, the round-faced girl followed closely behind and called out to Silvan. He followed after giving Lin Sanjiu one last look with some unease. This team had no conflicts amongst themselves; their objectives were aligned. They could first inspect their respective shelves and then exchange information. In contrast, Lin Sanjiu's team situation was awkward.

Advaita, still standing like a serene statue, said to Lin Sanjiu. "You go on. Our objectives differ, there's no need for us to stick together."

Chen Hanwu, somewhat embarra.s.sed, turned his head away, pretending to admire a chocolate bar on the cas.h.i.+er's shelf. After the game began, non-target items remained unchanged. However, the shelf that previously held snacks was now filled with men's underwear, chili sauce, hangers, and other random itemswith only that chocolate bar remaining. The randomness was evident.

"So, you're exiling me?" Lin Sanjiu chuckled. "Do you think I want to become a money tree? Even if Silvan and I are friends and wouldn't harm each other, I still hope to be the winner. Protecting him from harm is better than leaving my safety to someone else, right? There's no need to be overly cautious; I'll search for the target items with you."

Chen Hanwu promptly replied, "That seems reasonable."

Advaita offered a slight smile. "A 13L kitchen trash can, a pack of 450g b.u.t.ter rum flavored coffee, a set of three freshly baked apple pies, an A4 folder, and... oh, a hammer. You've memorized your shopping list, haven't you?"

This was Lin Sanjiu's list; clearly, Advaita had remembered it after just a glance. While Lin Sanjiu wondered about her intentions, she nodded.

"If you wish to join us in the search," Advaita continued unhurriedly. "I can't stop you. I propose two conditions. If you agree, we search together. How about it?"

Lin Sanjiu responded with an "Oh?" With Silvan not beside her, the absence of a particularly sharp-witted person made her a bit uneasy.

"Firstly, hand over your list to

us

and you must not look at it yourself," Advaita said, emphasizing the word "us." Chen Hanwu seemed to gradually get accustomed to siding with her. "Secondly, take off your pants."

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Lin Sanjiu felt she might have misheard.

"What?" Chen Hanwu straightened his neck like a startled goose. "Her pants?"

"Don't worry," Advaita said, waving her hand with a smile. "You found your roll of paper in your pocket, right? That means, all five items have to be put in the right pocket of your pants to be considered found. You hand the pants to me, and if you find your target items, give them to me as well. I'll figure out how to fit them into the pocket. This way..."

Lin Sanjiu got it. She hadn't had a chance to look at her shopping list a second time after her first glance. Naturally, she didn't know the other two's target items. If she handed over the roll without looking at the list, even if she intended sabotage, she could only ruin her five items. But who could guarantee she'd be so lucky to find all the items she needed from the vast array of shelves before them?

With her pants, if the other two came across her target items, they wouldn't need to risk giving them to her. It was also a test for her. If Lin Sanjiu didn't hand over her items, Advaita and Chen Hanwu would have reason to believe her loyalty still lay elsewhere.

"How about it?" Advaita looked towards the distant shelves. "We don't have much time; we're already a step behind."

Lin Sanjiu sighed. "I don't have a choice, do I? If I agree, I have to hand over the shopping list. But if I don't, you certainly won't let me have your target items. Were you waiting for me to drop my guard before acting when you asked me to leave?"

Advaita remained unflappable.

'If I can't help Silvan either way, I might as well fight it out and take the list and leave,'

Lin Sanjiu thought, fuming internally. Chen Hanwu looked easy to deal with, but Advaita...

"Hurry up," Advaita said.

Lin Sanjiu sneered and was about to reply when her eye caught something behind the two. Startled, she immediately turned her eyes away and lowered her head, pretending she hadn't seen anything. Neither Advaita nor Chen Hanwu had any awareness of what was behind them.

That's right. Even if Advaita's ability allowed her to blend into this mall, she might not pay special attention to an item behind her.

After all, the mall was full of various items. As long as Silvan's Special Item 'Caster' remained silent, there seemed to be no one there, regardless of any detection meanswell, there was no one to begin with.

1

Before Lin Sanjiu s.h.i.+fted her gaze away, she had seen it clearly: Caster subtly emerged from behind the shelf behind the two, nodding at her.

"Alright, I agree," she said.