Doomsday Wonderland

In this seemingly intricate game, Occam's razor has been proving its worth time and again. If Lin Sanjiu had to solve a truly complex problem, she might have been outmatched. However, she had a knack for dissecting intricate issues to unveil the simplest answer.

From Lin Sanjiu's experience, the simplest answer was often the truth.

"Why couldn't Lily hear her whistle?", "Why didn't Lily notice Qian Dao leaving earlier?", "Why couldn't Lily locate the second office rented by Qian Dao nearby?" All these questions shared a single answer: Lily wasn't close to Qian Dao's office at all.

Why wasn't Lily near Qian Dao's office? Didn't she claim to be there?

It was because she didn't know where Qian Dao's office was and couldn't determine if she was close by.

Only Whit E. knew the address of Qian Dao's company from the beginning. He led Lin Sanjiu and told her, "Lie low here; Qian Dao's company is nearby." Naturally, she had no reason to doubt him. That's why she confirmed her arrival on the [Migratory Letters].

So where was Whit E.? Where had he taken Lily, and why?

No, the real next question was, why didn't Qian Dao look up when he heard a whistle sound from the air vent above—a place from which no sound should emerge? Any normal person's instinctive reaction would be to check the source of the noise, especially for Qian Dao. He would want to find out what's going on if someone was in his office vent.

The answer was straightforward—Whit E. couldn't perfectly mimic the appearance of his targets.

Lin Sanjiu had noticed this when he impersonated a search employee. Although he resembled the real employee at a glance, a closer inspection revealed differences in facial features. "Qian Dao" didn't look up because he didn't want Lin Sanjiu to see the face that should've belonged to Qian Dao. Now, it merely resembled a vague similarity.

The real danger was: if Whit E. was here, where was Qian Dao?

There was no need to answer this question anymore.

All these thoughts flashed through Lin Sanjiu's mind in an instant. By the time she realized the situation, she also knew what she had to do. She had been too late; she should've acted right at the five-minute mark. Now, she could be eliminated from the game at any moment.

"Attack!" she whispered, gripping the fan blade tightly.

After a moment that seemed both instantaneous and endless, she heard the game announcement.

To be precise, there were two overlapping announcements that were almost indistinguishable.

"Congratulations to Lin Sanjiu Company for successfully capturing Qian Dao Company's headquarters. Best wishes for your business."

"Congratulations to Qian Dao Company for successfully capturing Lin Sanjiu Company's headquarters. Best wishes for your business."

Then, simultaneously, two more announcements overlapped.

"Lin Sanjiu Company has declared bankruptcy. We express our regrets. After the game, player Lin Sanjiu will face the penalty for failure."

"Qian Dao Company has officially gone bankrupt, and we regret to announce it. After the game, player Qian Dao will face the punishment for failure."

The entire floor plunged into an eerie silence, so quiet that even the sound of breathing seemed to be choked off. Messages from Lily kept popping up on the [Migratory Letters], she didn't even bother to write words anymore, continuously sending: "???????"

Another announcement shattered the newly formed stillness. This time, it was without overlapping with any other sentence.

"Game over."

Lin Sanjiu grabbed the [Migratory Letters], only to realize that the rustling noise she heard was her own trembling fingers clutching the paper. She glanced downwards through the vent and saw the same black-haired figure as Qian Dao, standing motionless, seemingly stunned, not knowing how to interpret the current situation.

She clenched her teeth, summoned her metal gauntlet, and smashed the vent with a single punch. Jumping down, she found that all the clients and employees in the room had vanished—only a man, who looked somewhat similar to Qian Dao, remained in the small office.

"Whit E.," Lin Sanjiu said through gritted teeth. If words could feel pain, these would have been skinned alive.

The face, which bore about 60-70% resemblance to Qian Dao's, went pale instantly. He took two steps back towards the door and raised one hand, saying, "Wait, I had no choice... I... the game now..."

"The game is over," Lin Sanjiu interrupted softly.

Game over meant that the remaining three players in the game couldn't withstand Lin Sanjiu's attack. But someone seemed to be closely monitoring the game, as just as she was about to pounce on Whit E., another announcement echoed: "The punishment for the losers starts now."

Distracted by the announcement, Whit E. seized the opportunity to turn and bolt out of the door, shouting, "Qian Dao! Qian Dao, you've lost! Now free me!"

Lin Sanjiu also dashed out.

Her mind was a chaotic mess: Lily was about to face the punishment, and she had no idea where she was or how to find her. She was also curious as to why Whit E. betrayed them at the last moment. Would she be thrown down sixty floors? How could she save Lily?

These tangled thoughts crashed around in her mind, but the physical shock she felt was even greater. As she instinctively chased after Whit E., the floor seemed to betray her.

It felt like an earthquake occurred in mid-air, affecting only the 60th floor, shaking her feet. The floor undulated like a wave from behind, nearly flinging the unprepared Lin Sanjiu into the air.

Desperately reaching out, she pressed her hand against a wall for balance. But the wall receded as if shyly, and her previously regained balance was thrown off. She stumbled forward.

"This is the direction of the window," Mrs. Manas muttered.

This subconscious realization only added to her panic. The lights fluctuated as the ceiling, walls, and floor began to warp; Lin Sanjiu felt her vision failing. Everything she tried to grab slipped away, pushing and guiding her towards the 60th-floor window.

"Qian Dao," Whit E.'s voice echoed from an unknown distance, distorted and agonizing to the point it was unbearable to hear. "Please, I beg you, release me! If you don't, I'm done for! Didn't you promise to free me once the game ends?"

Release? Had Qian Dao tied something to him?

Lin Sanjiu felt completely disoriented, unable to differentiate up from down. She felt like a pinball, bouncing chaotically in a tube, rolling downward. At one point, she thought she could stand upright, but as she was about to hit the ground, she realized she was about to crash shoulder-first.

That large window was indeed below her.

Its appearance was reminiscent of a cinematic scene after the rain – the chaotic, dimly lit, ever-changing concrete space finally halted, and the sky, on the brink of nightfall, abruptly spread out beneath her. Fading streaks of red merged into a soft velvet of purple twilight. Stars slid down the tilted horizon, disappearing into an unknown abyss. The city lights began illuminating, one by one.

At that very moment, about to plunge headlong through the glass and into the sky, a thought crossed Lin Sanjiu's mind: in this world, every single light might represent an ongoing game.

Just as she was about to shatter the glass, something tightened around her waist, halting her momentum. Once she stopped, her disrupted sense of direction started settling. Dizzily, she realized: the window was close to the elevator. Her punishment was to be thrown out, while the others were to be transported down by the elevator. So, sooner or later, they would all meet here.

Looking down, she noticed a string of wavy petals tied around her waist. Tracing it back, she saw that the other end was held tightly by Lily.

Although Lily was the first to lose, it wasn't because she was foolish.

The elevator doors opened in front of her, and it seemed like an irresistible force was pulling her in. Likewise, Lin Sanjiu was being dragged out. At this critical juncture, Lily used the large petal around her neck to form a rope, connecting the two of them.

The force pulling Lin Sanjiu outwards was counteracted by the force dragging Lily into the elevator.

It wasn't a long-term solution, and Lily, her forehead veins bulging, shouted at Lin Sanjiu, "Quickly, think of something! Weren't you going to save us?"

Lin Sanjiu looked up to see Whit E. and Qian Dao nearby, their faces flushed and distorted, struggling mightily against being dragged into the elevator.

"Give me a moment," she yelled. "I'll figure something out!"

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