Chapter 1076: Lin Sanjiu Just Doesn't Know How to Make Good Use of Time
"Congratulations, you have completed all the objectives in 'Prison Storm.'"
When the long-lost voice of the Pocket Dimension host rang out once more, even the always energetic and lively Bohemia couldn't help but feel a deep sense of exhaustion. As soon as she relaxed, her whole body began to ache. She felt sore, especially in her back, as if it were about to crack. She let out a series of "ouch" sounds and slowly lay down on the ground. The onion above her head swayed unsteadily before finally falling.
"This game is pretty good," the Descartes Spirit didn't share the same sentiment at all. "It's quite enjoyable. I think there should be other plotlines to explore further, like the major character trying to cover up their dark secrets... I wouldn't mind having another go."
"Please spare me. I hate deducing and analyzing things!" Bohemia complained as she lay on the concrete floor, looking at the sky that had solidified into a blue expanse after the game's end. "Why can't anything be resolved with a good old-fashioned fight?"
Though she said this, after receiving the information from Snake-Skin, it wasn't difficult to find her true identity in the game. Following the four bank statements, she and the Descartes Spirit quickly discovered that one of the names, Emma Green, shared a birthday with the safe's password, both being 1127.
And the reason Old Shoes knew her safe's password was easily explained as well. On the safe's keypad, only the keys "1, 2, 7" had her fingerprints. Old Leather Shoes had been suspicious of the current warden, who seemed to be connected to the infamous female criminal, Emma Green, who had gained notoriety on the streets but had never been captured. He compared Emma Green's information with the three fingerprint-equipped number keys and realized that the password was her birthday.
"It is, after all, just a game," the Descartes Spirit commented, "and they have reduced the difficulty appropriately. Otherwise, who would undertake such a high-risk task and use their birthday as a password?"
"Now, you are about to perform a round of 'Onion Strip,'" the Pocket Dimension host didn't give them much time to ponder. "Next, you can exercise the right to disrupt the 'Final Exam' game. Please note that while you have completed all the objectives of 'Prison Storm,' you will not be allowed to leave for a day unless you successfully complete the game for player Lin Sanjiu."
Bohemia sat up, feeling her mouth go dry.
"Splash!" The onion on her head was peeled another layer. Her heart skipped a beat, and the Pocket Dimension host immediately continued, "Among the enemies you killed in the past, there is a relative of one of the deceased seeking revenge. They are looking for you everywhere."
This is a piece of cake. In the Twelve Realms, there are plenty of people seeking revenge on her, and she can easily deal with all of them. Bohemia sighed in relief but couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
The facts peeled from the onion were random, so how could she uncover the mystery of the 'Five Lives'?
"Are you ready? You can now interfere with player Lin Sanjiu's game."
Even though it had only been a day in the game, it felt like she hadn't seen that person for a long time. "Sure," Bohemia replied, "let me see how she's doing."
As expected, when the "Final Exam" game appeared in front of Bohemia and the Descartes Spirit, nothing had changed except for Lin Sanjiu herself. Even though Bohemia had experienced two days, Lin Sanjiu's time seemed not to have moved forward, not even halfway through the exam.
When her gaze fell on the screen, Bohemia couldn't help but hold her breath.
On the screen, Lin Sanjiu was still looking down at the exam paper, but this time, she cast a brief glance in Bohemia's direction. Compared to the last time, her condition now looked much worse.
"Are you... okay?" Bohemia cleared her throat a few times. She had intended to tease her, but the words got stuck in her throat. "Did you get another question wrong?"
Almost imperceptibly, Lin Sanjiu shook her head. Even this small movement seemed to cause her great discomfort. Now she didn't have to worry about the invigilator's scolding for looking up because, from the back of her neck, a large, trembling, semi-transparent lump had grown, which seemed to be alive, with vague shadows moving inside.
It had grown right above Lin Sanjiu's collar on the inside of her neck. With its recent growth, it had pushed the collar backward. As a result, the collar now tightly strangled Lin Sanjiu's neck, leaving her barely able to breathe and on the verge of suffocation.
"Wait a moment," Bohemia made up her mind, "My vision can enter your classroom. Write down the situation for me to see... Do you have any spare paper? Don't scribble on the exam paper."
Lin Sanjiu blinked, seemingly indicating an affirmative.
In response to Pocket Dimension's voice, Bohemia felt her vision slowly drifting into the 'Final Exam.' Like a floating camera, she descended towards Lin Sanjiu's desk. Her hasty, somewhat messy handwriting came into view, growing clearer.
"I've completed another four questions so far, thankfully getting the first three right. I'm currently working on this question that provides clues about a certain creature's activity traces, the condition of its victims, and its habitat. It includes a total of ten clues. This is a timed question, and I need to deduce the appearance, habits, and abilities of this creature in reverse within 20 minutes. Throughout the entire process, the creature will continue to grow inside the lump on my neck... When the 20 minutes are up, if I haven't figured it out, it will be birthed from the lump. I have nine minutes left."
Why such detailed writing under such a tight deadline!
After reading that passage, Bohemia felt even more anxious than Lin Sanjiu. She wished she could give her back the time she had used to write that explanation. She watched as Lin Sanjiu's neck lump grew larger, feeling helpless and frustrated.
The Descartes Spirit slowly floated into her view, blurring the lump.
"This lump is quite close to her head," the mosaic entity pondered, "Considering the question you're about to give her... could we use the creature inside this lump?"