Doomsday Wonderland

Chapter 1138: Lost Due to Geographical Disadvantage

Understanding the rules of this peculiar world took Lin Sanjiu some time. It was unlike any of the previous worlds she had encountered.

"So, you mean even though the cap of the mineral water bottle is circular in shape, it doesn't have lava because it has no opening in the middle." Lin Sanjiu illustrated her point with a mineral water bottle, and Sesame Cake instinctively shrank back. "But if the mouth of the bottle has an opening in the middle, there will be lava?"

"Exactly."

No wonder the bearded man had touched the circular carpet but hadn't been engulfed by lava—he had probably remained outside of the center of the circular ring due to the solid carpet. Even if one argued that there were gaps between the fibers, they wouldn't be large enough to allow a finger to pass through. Thus, his body had effectively been separated from the center of the circle.

"But my companions didn't touch any water..."

"It's not easy to understand," Sesame Cake admitted. "It's not just the water flowing out from the circle that turns into lava. Think of it this way: anything circular, consider its center area as a volcano. It doesn't matter if you put your hand inside it, something comes out of it, or, like your friend in the black clothes who just peeked out and then went back in, all of these actions are equivalent to being immediately engulfed by the lava from the volcano."

The mystery of Puppeteer's disappearance was finally unraveled. Lin Sanjiu quickly asked, "So, you witnessed the whole thing?"

"Yeah," Sesame Cake said. Since she had cooperated well, eight of her front teeth had grown out. Though they were not perfectly aligned due to Lin Sanjiu's average dental skills, they looked somewhat decent at a glance. "If he had sat quietly inside the circular ring and not moved, he would have been safe. You entered the city before 11:30, and at that time, your friend was sitting inside the circular ring, right? When the Circular Ring rule was in effect, he was naturally considered part of the volcano... Unfortunately, he didn't know the rules of this world. If he hadn't gone through the process of peeking out and then going back in, he wouldn't have been engulfed by the lava."

No wonder even Puppeteer had fallen for it. Who could have thought that they might suddenly turn into the center of a volcano?

Lin Sanjiu then realized that she had been rather lucky not to be engulfed by lava. If she had stuck her hand inside the circular ring to pick something up, she would have been swallowed by the lava.

"However," Sesame Cake added after some thought, "You saw it too. This rule only affects people. If you pour the water from the bottle onto the bed, it remains water. Unless it lands on a person's body, the lava effect won't happen."

Reflecting on this, she chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Even if the lava effect occurs, it's invisible to the naked eye. It solely exists within our sensations. If someone unaware of the rule witnesses us in distress because a droplet of water fell on us, they'd likely assume we're mentally ill."

So, that's why the dead posthuman, who had not a single scratch on him, was said by Puppeteer to be 'damaged' to the point where he couldn't even be turned into a puppet? Because he was affected by lava and ended up in such an unusual state?

Lin Sanjiu pondered for a while but couldn't recall spotting anything circular or similar in the vicinity. It had been nighttime, and the distance made it challenging to discern any details.

Nonetheless, the cat doctor would have been safe if he were present.

Her next query was directed at the fate of those consumed by the lava. "What happens to a person once they're swallowed by the lava?"

Sesame Cake complained, "Can you reset my joints first? I believe I've cooperated sufficiently, haven't I?"

Indeed, Sesame Cake had proven to be exceptionally cooperative. Lin Sanjiu contemplated briefly but held off on resetting her joints. "I'll attend to your joints once you've provided the information I seek."

Sesame Cake had her major joints dislocated, rendering her incapable of much movement without assistance. She had to curl up her abdomen and could barely lift her head using the strength of her waist and neck, a fact that oddly comforted Lin Sanjiu.

Impatient, Sesame Cake sighed. "Now, help me sit against the wall, please. I'd prefer not to stare at your chin while we talk."

Complying with her lone request, Lin Sanjiu assisted Sesame Cake in sitting against the wall outside the bathroom. Despite this, Sesame Cake's impression of her showed no sign of improvement; she still cast cold glances her way, harboring lingering grievances.

"Answer my question."

After a brief pause, Sesame Cake grumbled, "You can probably deduce it, right? But you're not entirely correct. Initially, every person starts with a 100% survival rate."

"Survival rate?" Lin Sanjiu echoed, feeling like a parrot.

"Yes, it's not the type of chance where you won't perish after being engulfed three times, but..." Sesame Cake paused, struggling to articulate the concept. She furrowed her brows and deliberated for a moment. "Whenever you're consumed by the lava, your survival rate takes a hit. I don't know the exact deductions or criteria... All I know is, for instance, your friend with the long hair was engulfed because she placed her hand inside the circular ring, right? Her survival rate deduction should be less than that of the guy in black, who plunged his entire head into the circular ring. Presumably, he suffered a more significant decrease in his survival rate. Do you follow?"

Puppeteer's fate was truly unfortunate.

"That's concerning the head, an essential part... If the starting survival rate were 100%, there wouldn't be much left, would there? Going by your experiences, what do you estimate his remaining rate to be? 3%? 5%?" Lin Sanjiu inquired, her heart racing.

"You care for your companions," Sesame Cake stated, her demeanor softening somewhat. "Why? Does he owe you money? Do you find him useful?"

"And don't you care for your bearded friend?"

"Because we're friends," Sesame Cake said, sneering. "I doubt many people in this doomsday world form friendships like ours."

"You might be in for a surprise," Lin Sanjiu remarked, opting not to elaborate further. She posed her next question, "So, how can you be certain that someone won't face a full 100% deduction from their initial survival rate and perish after one encounter with the lava?"

"I can't guarantee there won't be such cases," Sesame Cake replied, furrowing her brows. Her freckles appeared even more pronounced after the recent excitement. "However, we've been in this world for six weeks and haven't heard of anyone facing a 100% deduction from the start."

"In that case," Lin Sanjiu calmly ventured the pivotal query, "what becomes of those who have been swallowed by the lava?"

Sesame Cake leaned her head back and mumbled, "What good are my eight front teeth for? I don't aspire to be a flight attendant. If my molars don't grow, how am I supposed to eat?"

Lin Sanjiu recognized that Sesame Cake wouldn't provide answers without receiving something in return. Patience was key. She dipped the toothbrush stick into the [Bone Broth] once more and cautiously inserted it into Sesame Cake's mouth. The dim lighting within made it challenging to discern if her teeth had grown. Lin Sanjiu had to turn on the bathroom light, positioning Sesame Cake to face it, and finally observe a hint of white emerging slowly from the dark tooth bed.

"It's just like the itchiness of teeth growing during childhood," Sesame Cake said, tilting her head against the bathroom door and scanning the surroundings. "You removed the hose?"

The bathroom was fairly standard, equipped with a sink, shower area, bathtub, and toilet. A closer look would reveal that all the water outlets were ordinary and alarmingly circular. The green hose Lin Sanjiu held was previously connected to the sink faucet.

"Yes," Lin Sanjiu replied. "I've stored the hose in my card inventory. We might need it later." She repeated her question, "So, where do the people swallowed by the lava end up?"

Sesame Cake retorted with a smirk, "Where else would they go? To the hospital, of course."

Those two words piqued Lin Sanjiu's interest. "A real hospital?"

Sesame Cake responded with a sidelong glance, "Are there fake hospitals? There's a regional general hospital that has become the treatment center for lava victims... As long as they haven't instantly died due to a severely reduced survival rate, all those swallowed by lava are transported there."

"Do you know where it is?" Lin Sanjiu asked anxiously, squatting down.

If a hospital was nearby, there was a chance Meowie Hu might be there too. Finding all three of them at once would be a significant relief. As she contemplated, she involuntarily glanced at Sesame Cake's hands.

Both her fair hands hung limply on her thighs, with her right hand resting lightly on her left wrist.

Lin Sanjiu recalled that when she dragged Sesame Cake over, her hands dangled freely at her sides.

In the moment of realization, before she even raised her head, Sesame Cake suddenly cried out, "Third dish!"

Lin Sanjiu instinctively leaped backward, her balance regained as she scanned the air for any signs of the revolving disc. However, it quickly dawned on her that she had been deceived. There was nothing in the air; the rotating disc had not reappeared. Instead, she heard two soft, bone-crushing sounds emanating from Sesame Cake's vicinity. In the split second it took for her to turn around, Lin Sanjiu understood what had happened.

Sesame Cake's finger joints hadn't been dislocated at all. Instead, she had cleverly used all ten fingers to piece her hands back together, unwittingly reconnecting her wrists as well. However, she couldn't possibly mend all the joints. As Lin Sanjiu lunged forward in an attempt to seize Sesame Cake, the latter flung her upper body backward onto the bathroom floor, her limp legs trailing outside the bathroom door. The only part of her body still mobile was her hands.

With a metallic clang, Lin Sanjiu's grasp landed on Sesame Cake's calf. Swiftly raising her head, she observed a round metal object bouncing on the floor. Following the trajectory of the tarnished metal piece, she stumbled upon another hidden drain beneath the sink.

Sesame Cake's fingers had surreptitiously pried at the drain stopper and plunged deep into the circular drain.

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