Doomsday Wonderland

When the operation began, she had to try her best to ensure that Qian Dao didn't realize that the defensive staff in his first office had been neutralized.

Lin Sanjiu's breathing was so faint, it was as if it didn't exist.

She had been lying in the ventilation duct for several minutes. For safety, Whit E. had only led her close to the Qian Dao company headquarters. She then had to find her way through the ventilation system for quite a while before eventually locating the right duct. She then crawled above Qian Dao's office—like all rooms, there was a ventilation fan in his office.

From her vantage point, she could see Qian Dao's black hair, sometimes standing up, then sitting down, occasionally pacing around the room. He would sometimes open the door to the corridor, clearly anxious and restless.

Everyone was waiting for the moment Qian Dao would receive his first payment, and it was getting closer.

When Qian Dao opened the door for the fourth time and glanced at the information, Lin Sanjiu heard him let out a sigh of relief. He then whispered, "Hire a defensive staff."

Whit E. was right!

A few minutes after his words, a stationary defensive staff appeared in the room. Lin Sanjiu's heart raced, making her worry that her heartbeat might be heard below. After pacing around twice and hesitating, Qian Dao slowly opened the door.

He seemed to have realized the personnel limit in the office and was planning to rent a second office.

Lin Sanjiu glanced at the note in her hand, which belonged to Lily's Special Item, [Migratory Letters]. It was kind of like a paper crane but split into two. Each person held one half; when one wrote a message, it would appear on the other half in real-time. It wasn't as fast as voice communication but was discreet.

"He hasn't rented a second office yet," Lily had written a few minutes before. "I've met with Whit E. We're now dispersed, hiding near Qian Dao's office. I'm about one or two corridors away from his office. As soon as we see him, we'll inform you immediately."

Since there were only two halves of [Migratory Letters], Whit E. didn't get one. He had to hide further away and would communicate any findings to Lily via a regular voice communicator, who would then relay the message to Lin Sanjiu.

Lin Sanjiu put down the note and took a quiet, deep breath. As Qian Dao turned the door handle and entered the corridor, and just as the door closed with a soft "thud," she whispered, "Attack."

She had considered numerous possibilities during the wait, each worse than the last; for instance, attacks not executed right outside the door might not count, or the game might not allow her to crawl into the ventilation fan in Qian Dao's office. But at this moment, as soon as she spoke, the defensive staff that had just appeared immediately vanished without a hint of resistance.

"Five minutes," Mrs. Manas announced immediately. "Countdown starts now."

She had completed the first step, and Lin Sanjiu closed her eyes.

Within these five minutes, she could only stay in the ventilation duct, waiting for the next opportunity to attack. She unfolded the note, canceled the card conversion of a pen, and wrote, "Qian Dao just left, and I've neutralized his first defensive staff."

Lily's handwriting quickly surfaced beneath the line. "Received. I've informed Whit E. As soon as he appears, we'll keep an eye on him."

Given Qian Dao's intellect, he must have guessed that there could be Lin Sanjiu's allies nearby. Even if he didn't expect Whit E.'s involvement, he knew who Lily was willing to help. He must be extremely cautious now, so it might take Lily and Whit E. some time to spot him.

As Lin Sanjiu suspected, there was no update on the [Migratory Letters] even after two minutes. Inside the narrow square duct, she slightly adjusted her neck, maintaining the same posture, and wrote, "Any signs of him?"

Lily's handwriting emerged after a brief pause. "No. I haven't heard any movements nearby... I suspect he's using some method to hide from us. But don't worry, if he keeps using it, both Whit E. and I will know how to counter it."

"The more cautious Qian Dao is, the longer he'll take," Lin Sanjiu replied. "If he spends more than five minutes outside, we can win even without our backup plan."

"It'd be nice if it were that easy," Lily said briefly.

If Qian Dao rents a second office, Lily and Whit E. would immediately send the address and his movements to Lin Sanjiu: like if Qian Dao is staying in the second room to defend or if he's planning to leave.

If he doesn't return, it would be great, and Lin Sanjiu could smoothly seize his headquarters. If he does return, then Lin Sanjiu has to simultaneously go to his second office and neutralize the defending employee there. This way, nearly all of Qian Dao's first hundred dollars would be wasted.

When he gets his second hundred dollars, he'll realize that he can't defend both offices and also have attacking employees to strike at Lin Sanjiu – because he's running out of money.

"There's a fatal flaw in this plan," Whit E. had said before their departure. "If he discovers us before renting the second office, he might just hold his ground. For instance, not renting another office at all and just driving out the client who just contributed once, leaving a vacancy."

"Do you think he's planning this?" Lily asked, worried.

"It's impossible," Lin Sanjiu replied, recounting her own experience trying to move employees and clients, which proved unsuccessful unless moving the entire office.

In other words, apart from renting an additional office, which would eventually lead him to his downfall, Qian Dao has virtually no other option.

After reminding herself of this, Lin Sanjiu took a breath, feeling a bit more relieved.

Three minutes and forty seconds passed, and there was absolute silence both inside the office and in the corridor.

"Any news about him?" she asked through the [Migratory Letters].

"None," came Lily's immediate response, tinged with impatience. "I've searched several rounds here. Where has he gone?"

There seemed to be no progress from Whit E.'s side either. As soon as Qian Dao left the office, he disappeared as if a bubble vanished in the vast ocean, undetectable by anyone. Lin Sanjiu massaged her temples, suppressing the urge to leave the ventilation duct.

The minutes ticked away, and by the fourth minute, she heard a faint noise outside the office door below. Shortly after, the door was pushed open by Qian Dao. He poked his head into the room and for a moment didn't notice the absence of the defense staff, simply closing the door behind him. The man with the black hair slowly walked into the room, stopping in the center, and looked around, muttering, "Hmm?" — he had noticed.

"He's back," Lin Sanjiu quickly wrote. "He returned in less than five minutes. Search within a five-minute radius, and you should find his second office!"

This time, Lily took a while to respond, likely busy searching the corridors.

Qian Dao apparently didn't have the habit of talking to himself. He strode through the cubicles, saw that the defense staff was indeed gone, paused for two seconds, clenched his fists, and sat down in a chair. With him present, any attempt by Lin Sanjiu to attack this office would be a wasted opportunity. She could only target his second office to deplete Qian Dao's funds as much as possible. But after waiting for a considerable time, Lily and Whit E. still hadn't located Qian Dao's second office.

"Still no sign?" she urged on the paper.

"Really nothing!" Lily's handwriting was big and messy this time, as if she was writing while walking.

Impossible. Qian Dao was out for less than five minutes, so the office he rented must be within a five-minute distance. His speed was comparable to Lily and Whit E., so it's improbable he ran off to a place they couldn't reach within such a short time.

Moreover, with both of them positioned strategically around his office, he would have been spotted by at least one of them. How could he slip through their watch and silently rent a second office?

Lin Sanjiu felt as if there was a fire burning on her back, making her feel parched. Their combined efforts and strategies couldn't outmatch Qian Dao alone? If she were Qian Dao, how would she hide the second office?

"It shouldn't be possible," Mrs. Manas murmured. "I've gone over this plan multiple times. Firstly, if Qian Dao wanted to attack you, he would need to rent a second office. And if he did, the two outside should have found it by now. He can't hide an office, and there are no secret passages."

"How many minutes have passed?" Lin Sanjiu asked, trying to suppress her anxiety.

"Almost six minutes."

She felt an inexplicable panic, making it increasingly difficult for her to remain still in the ventilation duct. If their plan was foolproof, then...

"Stop for a moment," she hastily wrote on the [Migratory Letters]. "I'm going to whistle. Tell me if you hear it!"

"What?" Lily expressed surprise through the paper.

Lin Sanjiu fixed her gaze on Qian Dao below, placed her fingers between her lips, and let out a sharp, long whistle. Qian Dao jolted, standing up from his chair.

But he only stood up without looking in the direction of the whistle.

As Lin Sanjiu felt her heart plummet, Lily's words appeared on the paper once more. "Did you whistle?"

At that moment, she understood everything.

Beside her, no one was in their designated position.

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