Chapter 1199: Lin Sanjiu Plays Billiards and the Lion Dance
"Oh, are you really not interested?" Ren Nan turned around as the afternoon sunlight spilled into the top-floor apartment, casting a golden hue on his hair. His face was obscured by the backlighting as he said, "But if you play billiards with me a few more times, you'll definitely like it. It's fascinating because you're borrowing force to hit the target. You're not directly attacking your goal; you're using a force to manipulate something else to achieve the desired effect. Detaching yourself from the relationship of attacker and attacked, even if it's only by two degrees, ensures your own safety."
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Reflecting on his words, she realized he hadn't achieved that himself.
"Hey," the NPC shouted impatiently, snapping Lin Sanjiu back from her rising memories. She refocused her attention on the multiple layers of fat chins before her. "Are you going to exchange something or not?"
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She stood about four or five steps away from the counter, discreetly surveying the interior and the guards. At the NPC's words, she quickly nodded, preferring not to speak to avoid recognition.
"Then come over here!" the NPC barked.
Lin Sanjiu nodded again and slowly approached the counter.
The NPC, towering half a head taller than her and robust in figure, made her realize her optimism might have been misplaced; he likely weighed over 200 pounds. As she took a closer look, she noticed the stark contrast between the NPC's physique and the two guards standing beside him like dry branches. It seemed they would be flattened against the wall if he merely turned around. With two more guards in the center, they formed a circle inside the small square payment counter, ensuring that at least two guards would be waiting for Lin Sanjiu no matter where she entered.
The trickiest part was their skillful blending into the shadows, their black attire rendering them nearly invisible at a glance. However, Lin Sanjiu had the advantage of brief direct contact and no previous sightings of them using any evolving abilities.
"What do you want to exchange?" asked the obese man behind the counter, scratching his ear with his pinkie finger.
Watching this chubby NPC, Lin Sanjiu understood why she had suddenly thought of Ren Nan—it was because she had thought of "billiards" first.
She feigned searching her pocket, then stealthily reached under her light-red robe adorned with tassels, a garment that belonged to Bohemia, well-suited for concealing one's appearance.
The first question arose: Could she lift a 50-kilogram man with one hand?
Her fingers clenched inside the robe, Lin Sanjiu grabbed it from above and flung it toward the NPC behind the counter. The fabric billowed, and the tassels spread out, obstructing the NPC and guards' view. While the robe fluttered, Lin Sanjiu vaulted over the counter with a push from her left arm.
The rotund man, resembling a small hill, shivered and tried to step back, but the two guards beside him lunged forward.
Lin Sanjiu ignored the guards, sat on the counter, leaned forward, and stretched out her arm to catch the light-red robe mid-air, along with the collar hidden between the NPC's chin and chest.
With precise knowledge of his position, she grasped his collar through the fabric and flesh, pulling forcefully. The hefty figure stumbled forward as Lin Sanjiu, agile as a cat, concealed herself in the shadows behind the robe and the NPC. The guards, aiming for her a moment ago, found their hands striking the falling NPC instead.
Before the fat man could regain his balance, Lin Sanjiu straightened up and lifted him once again. With her right hand still gripping his collar, she hurled him toward the guard on the right.
Regarding the first issue, the answer was a resounding yes. Not only could she lift three to four hundred kilograms with one hand, but she also seemed to be able to maneuver the NPC as though he were a billiard ball. Had it not been for the confined space within the payment counter and her not fully recovered strength, it might have been more convenient to summon Gizo's corpse. Nevertheless, the NPC proved to be effective, provided the duration was brief.
'This isn't a problem,' Lin Sanjiu thought. She had initially planned to rush into the side entrance of the payment counter within ten seconds.
The skinny guard emitted a loud cry and vanished into the corner behind the fat man. Without needing to look, Lin Sanjiu knew the guard to her left was charging at her, with the other two guards converging from the opposite direction. Only now did the fat man, whom she had been holding, let out intermittent groans.
With five people crammed into such a small area, she could bump into someone by merely turning around. Where could Lin Sanjiu possibly dodge?
Retreating outside the counter would be too cumbersome at this juncture. Time-wise, she lacked the opportunity to throw the fat man toward the left guard and topple the guards on that side. Instead, she used her foot to push off the counter and propelled herself toward the fat man with bullet-like speed.
As she curled up mid-air, a blackish, withered hand brushed past her from behind. Pressing down on the NPC's collar with her right hand, Lin Sanjiu then released her grip, flipping over him like a wheel, barely missing the ceiling, her skin tingling with heat.
When she landed on her feet and grabbed the NPC's neck again with her right hand, the three guards only realized that she had jumped out of their encirclement from above. Lin Sanjiu quickly lifted the NPC who was screaming, and as the three guards turned towards her and rushed at her again, she pushed the fat man out as if he were a billiard ball, knocking down two of the guards head-on.
"Ow!" the fat man shouted as he sprawled towards the floor. Since his vision was covered by the shallow red robe, his two feet hadn't been steady, swaying left and right under Lin Sanjiu's hands. The third guard jumped out in time, avoiding the fat man who crashed down heavily. He reached out and grabbed towards her face.
As soon as she lost the fat man in her hands, she felt uncertain. Lin Sanjiu quickly crouched down, narrowly avoiding the guard's swinging arm by a few centimeters. She then grabbed the NPC's collar again from behind. The guard must have turned around by now—she didn't have time to look back. She rolled to the ground, using the fat man as a shield in front of her, instantly taking a blow from the guard.
"It's me!" he shouted.
Lin Sanjiu, dragging the three to four hundred kilograms of flesh, leaped up once more and positioned him between herself and the guards. The guards she had just knocked down were scrambling to their feet. Unlike billiards, she couldn't pocket them, ensuring they couldn't reemerge.
Thus, the second question arose: could she perform the lion dance maneuver with three to four hundred kilograms in such a confined space?
Lin Sanjiu was prepared to attempt it.
She backed into the corner wall, with the side door leading to the lower level directly across, about ten steps away. However, it was effectively guarded by two guards, one in front and one behind. The remaining two positioned themselves on either side, awaiting an opportunity to pounce.
Lin Sanjiu tiptoed, looping her left arm around the NPC's neck and ripping a hole in the back of his clothing with her right hand. Then, switching hands, she extended her left arm through the hole in his clothes, protruding it from his collar.