Chapter 1186: The Purpose of the Special Item
Lin Sanjiu felt an excruciating pain throughout her body as if all her bones were about to be shattered. Yet, she hadn't felt this good in ages. Along with the pain, she felt a surge of strength, a feeling of regaining control over her body.
Despite the dizziness, Lin Sanjiu struggled to twist her body and tried to land on her feet. The X-ray machine screamed with a strong attraction from the canvas, as if eager to grab her and pull her into the blank space on it. Thanks to the Life Coach's alertness, the moment he noticed her movement, he shouted, "Take the painting away!"
The Artist's clanging sound was unclear, and Lin Sanjiu, having been used to the painting's suction force, couldn't help but be amazed at its strength when turned against her. When she was sucked in, she could barely resist and hardly made any difference. Her feet couldn't even touch the ground, and her body was sucked into the air, tightly pressed against the X-ray machine. She futilely placed her only right hand on the edge of the machine, feeling her heartbeat so intense that she thought the whole hospital could hear it.
"Why are you shaking your head?" the Life Coach said anxiously, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, I see. You add her! Just complete the painting, alright?"
Amidst Lin Sanjiu's trembling resistance, the sound of the brush was her greatest hope. It felt like an eternity for the Artist to finally bring back the familiar sensation of gravity, and she was thrown back onto the ground with a thud.
Her chest heaved up and down as she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. It took a while for her to slowly climb back up from the floor. Just being able to stand up again using her muscles, legs, and feet felt like a remarkable achievement.
The Artist stood to her left, holding a newly painted canvas with a mundane view but with hopeful eyes fixed on her. The Life Coach stood to her right, hands on his hips, smiling gleefully.
"See, I told you. No matter what kind of predicament you face in life, as long as you use your imagination and willpower..."
Ignoring his voice, Lin Sanjiu gently wiped her face and unsurprisingly felt the dry paint on her skin. She scraped her skin a few times, noticing black paint dust in her fingernail crevices. This was why Gardenia felt safe to leave. It was all because of this paint.
"Don't scrape it all off," the Life Coach said with some concern, leaning in to take a look. "With black holes on your face, it'll be more convenient to go outside."
Lin Sanjiu put her hand down and turned to look at the Artist. Due to the post-traumatic stress, when she smiled, she felt her muscles and lips still tense. "Can you repeat that process you did just now? This time, don't paint the guard inside the house... Yes, the one with a lot of black holes on the face. Do it quickly."
During the ten minutes that [Defense Forcefield] ran out and the lullaby finished playing, Hei Zeji—assuming it was really him and not a guard wearing his clothes—deteriorated further. She couldn't see any trace of her friend on that face anymore. His body seemed like a bundle of twisted, withered branches. It was evident that he was slowly getting up from the ground, and as the transformation into the guard became more thorough, his body gradually straightened up.
Was it already too late to drag him out?
The panic gnawed at her heart like a rat's teeth, and with Lin Sanjiu's urging, the Artist hastily moved to the back of the X-ray machine to start painting again. The front of the X-ray machine had a large dent from when Lin Sanjiu bumped into it earlier. The loud impact still reverberated in her ears.
She could only wait anxiously with her nails between her teeth until the painting was done.
"Mm." The Life Coach, like a moth drawn to a light, hovered around her. "Was my guidance to your satisfaction?"
"Yeah," Lin Sanjiu replied honestly.
"In that case, about my service fee..."
What did a Special Item need another Special Item for?
Lin Sanjiu glanced at him and asked, "Do you need it, or are you planning to give it to Gong Daoyi?"
The Artist worked quickly; in the brief exchange of words, he had already finished the painting. The powerful suction force suddenly opened in the room, countless air currents carrying the person, rushing straight toward the X-ray machine. With another thunderous crash, the guard dressed in Hei Zeji's clothes hit the dent on the X-ray machine, just like Lin Sanjiu had done earlier.
After the echo from the impact, the Life Coach grinned and then casually said, "I don't need it, and I won't give it to anyone else either."
Lin Sanjiu didn't have time to talk to him. She urgently urged the Artist to quickly complete the guard's image. As soon as the attraction disappeared, she swiftly summoned her metal gauntlet. While being cautious not to touch the guard's skin, she grabbed his arm and pulled him up from the ground.
Hei Zeji's clothes, pants, and boots hung loosely from the guard's shoulders and hips, making his twisted and emaciated body even more apparent. Lin Sanjiu kept her eyes on him, and once he stood straight, he became motionless.
Lin Sanjiu carefully and cautiously took half a step closer, observing his face up close. "What's wrong?"
The black holes on his face hadn't spread to the extent of other guards, indicating that his guard transformation wasn't complete yet. Otherwise, he would probably target Lin Sanjiu first.
Now, what should she do? If the guard transformation wasn't complete, would waiting outside for a while lead to his gradual recovery?
"But I still need my reward," the Life Coach said, his voice echoing again from beside her.
If the Life Coach's tone before could be described as sunny, positive, and annoying, then this time, there was something extra in his voice—a kind of persistence that would never give up, making it faintly feel somewhat dangerous.
Lin Sanjiu withdrew her attention and turned to look at the Life Coach.
When she was sucked out, she had secretly made up her mind that she would never part with the Artist ever again—this guy was surprisingly useful. If she deducted the two Special Items, the Artist and the Life Coach, and removed the [There Is Probably Someone Like This in Your Class] that she had to keep, she might have to reveal all the remaining Special Items just to cover the bill.
As her thoughts on the number of items and trying to negotiate with him melted away, the Life Coach's mouth slightly widened again. His mouth corners retreated, revealing a row of white teeth.
"There will be fewer and fewer," he said softly. "A free piece of advice, you'd better not lose any more Special Items."
Lin Sanjiu was taken aback, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up involuntarily.
"What... do you mean, fewer and fewer?"
"Special Items." The Life Coach's face showed no change, but it was as if a cloud had come over, obscuring the sunny expression. "Pocket dimensions devouring pocket dimensions, worlds crushing worlds, items annihilating items. You and I are the same."
'What does this mean?' Lin Sanjiu wanted to ask but found herself unable to speak.
"We are all part of the order. When the Great Deluge arrives, we and the orders we represent will all be buried in the depths of the flood," the Life Coach said, his voice growing lower, as if the words were rolling up from his throat.
"I don't understand," she finally said. "What does this have to do with the Great Deluge?"
The Life Coach slowly raised his hand, and Lin Sanjiu stepped back half a step, staring at him intently. He didn't seem like he was going to attack, just gently wiggled his fingers back and forth, looking at them, and whispered, "They are already soaked... are you ready to pay now?"
If she didn't misunderstand, it seemed like the Life Coach's purpose for those five Special Items was to destroy them, and it appeared he would do so by any means necessary.
Lin Sanjiu swallowed lightly, her gaze shifting from the guard beside her, the Artist, to the doorway, then she nodded.
"I understand," she said softly. "I'll give you your five Special Items... but give me two minutes first."
On the floor of the room, there was still Red Face lying there.
The pole-like weapon in his hand seemed to have disappeared, but he should still have other items on him. At the very least, there was the giant insect-catching net he used to capture the guard.
As Lin Sanjiu ordered the Artist to repeat his previous actions, her mind never stopped buzzing with various thoughts. But she couldn't even say exactly what she had been thinking. Only one thought persisted, pulsing like a heartbeat and refusing to go away.
This item, the Life Coach, had already been soaked by the Great Deluge.
He was sent by Gong Daoyi, which might indicate that the Great Deluge had already reached the place where Gong Daoyi was, thus allowing the chance to soak this Special Item. And Gong Daoyi was not far from her... Had the Great Deluge already arrived in her world?
When Red Face, too, collided with the X-ray machine and made a third muffled sound, the Life Coach grinned in satisfaction again. The black holes on Red Face's face were just a few slowly opening cracks, very likely to recover self-control just like Lin Sanjiu did. But before he could touch the ground and regain his strength, she had already rushed up and struck her metal gauntlet heavily against his temple.
Whether he would have recovered or not, he had no chance now.
Red Face had an intact body and formidable combat power, so he must have had plenty of points to redeem Special Items. Originally, he could walk across the lava, but now he fell into this unexpected situation, unable to keep a single item. When Lin Sanjiu threw the first Special Item into the Life Coach's arms, his eyes instantly brightened. His two large palms came together forcefully, shattering the small plate into pieces.