Chapter 738: Let’s Play Some Dirty Games
Lin Sanjiu was so shocked that she almost forgot she was under attack right now.
'Could it be the bespectacled man already knew the forest is created by Exodus's camouflage barrier?'
Truth be told, even Lin Sanjiu herself could not differentiate the real forest from the one put up by the barrier. The replica created by Exodus's barrier was so close to the real thing that it was well-nigh impossible to set the two apart, so how was there any possibility that he could see right through it?
'No, this isn't right.'
If he knew the forest was fake, then he should be trying his best effort to destroy it and not protect it.
"If, if you are not leaving… then, then, I'm leaving now!'
For a moment, she was too sidetracked by the rising tide of questions and doubts that she failed to evade the attacks thrown at her. As she gritted her teeth and activated the [Defense Forcefield], a trembling voice behind her slid into her ears. "I have nothing to do with any one of you… Take care of… Ah! On your right!"
Lin Sanjiu had beep keeping her eyes tightly shut all this time, yet the light was still strong enough to pierce through her eyelids. Without flipping her eyes open, Lin Sanjiu kicked the ground and darted out. However, instead of backing away, she went straight up to Flame Arm, exposing herself entirely under the mercy of the blinding light. Suddenly, something shot out from her right, grazed past her back and then disappeared into the forest. She did not turn her head or open her eyes. Seizing the chance as the person in front took two steps back, she called out a card and shoved it into her mouth.
"What did she eat?" The girl shouted a question, causing gooseflesh to grow on Lin Sanjiu's back.
The voice was within earshot, and Lin Sanjiu could even feel the hot breath of the girl on her skin. She had no idea when Lollipop had come so close to her.
The light dimmed. At the moment Lin Sanjiu flipped her eyes open and connected her sight with the pointy chin in the dark, she heard Ikkaku sneer. "I will leave her to you guys. I am going to show that annoying brat what will happen for messing with us!"
'Was it because Woyu called me out just now?'
The second the thought flitted across Lin Sanjiu's mind, both Ikkaku and Lollipop began their move. The former charged towards Woyu in the distance, which elicited a sharp shrill, while the latter went for Lin Sanjiu, her hand held high in a claw.
Lollipop's skirt had stopped spinning after Lin Sanjiu activated [Oh My God! My Wallet Is Missing!]. It flopped weakly by its master's side like a top that ran out of power. Wisps of smoke sprouted from the girl's palm, which soon grew into plumes and filled Lin Sanjiu's entire vision. The smoke intertwined between the girl's fingers, giving an impression of tiny snakes baring teeth at their prey.
However, this was merely the tip of an iceberg of the total attacks she received.
The metal device on Flame Arm's arm rattled and reconstructed. Four barrels then appeared, pointing straightly at Lin Sanjiu. Tunnel remained standing still, his expression hidden behind his glasses. Suddenly, she caught a silhouette whizz past in the corner of her eyes. She did not know whether she was being sensitive or if it was another hallucination.
"The hypersensory combines your body and your mind," Hei Zeji's voice rang out beside her ears once more. "In other words, there is no way you cannot deflect an attack directed at you once you are in your hypersensory state. Still don't get the idea? Let me show you…"
At that moment, the world in Lin Sanjiu's eyes slowed down. The greyish-white smoke fluttered sluggishly and the girl's movement looked as if somebody had pushed the slow-mo button.
Several sharp-headed bullets in deep red created multiple waves in the air, the freedom seeds aiming straight towards her stomach.
A mass of darkness unfolded behind, waiting silently for her.
At a place further ahead, Ikkaku landed heavily with a loud thud, killing off Woyu's half-suppressed scream and flustered footsteps. The ground shook and several leaves flitted down the tree.
The smoke had reaped all of Lin Sanjiu's senses. She could not turn her head, nor could she open her mouth to utter a single syllable. She was even afraid of carrying out a simple process such as the aspiration, let alone complex movements like dodging attacks under the circumstances that her perceptions towards the outside world were completely sealed off. She was certain that the bullets were powerful enough to penetrate and maul through most posthumans, and even though she could prevent herself from getting mutilated with the [Defense Forcefield], the force built up by the salvo of bullets was able to push her into the "dark tunnel" behind her.
It now occurred to Lin Sanjiu that these people were clearly not fighting together for the first time. Their cooperation was impeccable and deadly.
All their attacks took place in the blink of an eye and almost the same time, leaving no room or time for their target to come up with an effective retaliation. They had always been able to get rid of their targets in this way, but unfortunately, they were up against Lin Sanjiu this time.
Slowly and calmly, Lin Sanjiu angled her face to examine the row of bullets. Of course, it all happened in her mind.
"What a coincidence."
As the phrase swam through her brain, her face glowed as she put on a flimsy layer of [Defense Forcefield]. She knew very well that the defensive barrier powered through her Higher Consciousness could not last more than a minute, but that was all she needed.
She turned away from the smoke and shielded her stomach with an open palm.
The bullets hit their target in quick succession, giving rise to a long chain of jangling in the air. When the noise died down gradually, Lin Sanjiu was standing firmly amidst the smoke, looking unscathed.
Without giving her opponent a chance to know what she had done, Lin Sanjiu turned the silvery trash can into a card with a deft flex of her wrist. She had never expected that she would one day be saved by the useless trash can she took from Carrot Lo.
Flame Arm's eyes bulged open. His mouth was slightly ajar.
As the silver trash can vanished along with the bullets, an explosion came from behind her. For a moment, the ground wobbled. Then, a storm of broken twigs, trees, mud and sand was hurled into the air. It looked as if a mine had detonated.
Similarly, it all happened in the twinkle of an eye.
Seizing the chance as her opponents were distracted, Lin Sanjiu blew the smoke away by brandishing around her whip. She turned around, evaded the mass of darkness floating behind her and bolted towards the heart of the explosion in the distance. It was only then that Flame Arm's words slid into her ears. "Where did my bullets go?"
"Don't let her escape!" The bespectacled man barked out his command. After that, he made the first move and chased after Lin Sanjiu.
"Jesus! The smoke!" Lollipop shouted, sounding a bit flustered. This was because Lin Sanjiu had blown the smoke back to her.
Lin Sanjiu was much slower than her usual running speed. Right now, there was a sensation of soreness and distention in her abdomen, and every stomp of her feet would send a pang of pain to her stomach. However, the silver lining was that she had successfully lured her opponents away from the forest. It seemed that even Tunnel had forgotten that there was now a pocket dimension-attributed Special Item lying on the ground where they fought just now.
'Perhaps he does not want to damage the [Cornetto, Freeze The Fun Time]. That's why he asked his men to be careful with the surroundings.'
Pressing her hand against her stomach, Lin Sanjiu threw herself into the storm of dust.
The dawn was breaking, and the darkness was melting away. She squinted her eyes and was able to vaguely make out the shape of a human amidst the gust of dust, half-crawling half-running, as he scampered over to her direction. And then when he bumped into Lin Sanjiu, a scream almost tumbled out of his mouth.
In the end, the guy was not entirely hopeless at all. At the very least, he still tried to escape from Ikkaku when the opportunity was upon him.
"It's me!" She covered his mouth and nose, and whispered into his ear, "Follow me."
The young man rubbed the dirt from his face, bringing his chubby face into the light. There were dirt and sweat on the tip of his nose, and his eyes were glistening with tears. "Go, go where?"
Lin Sanjiu did not have time to explain to him. She clasped him by the waist and flung him over her shoulder. Just as she sprinted towards a random direction, Tunnel arrived.
Another explosion came, hurtling the ground below Tunnel skyward and blocking his vision. A row of trees screamed mournfully as they fell down, leaving several holes on the ground.
Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath.
Those trees were created by Exodus's camouflage barrier. She did not know whether they would be gone forever once they were uprooted or if they could be restored again.
"What, what happened?" Woyu asked. "Did you lay a mine there?"
"No!" Lin Sanjiu replied harshly, though it wasn't known whether her harsh attitude rooted from her upset stomach or the fact that Exodus's camouflage barrier was damaged. "That is my ability. I used it to save you!"
"To save me? What kind of ability was that?" Woyu asked blankly.
Lin Sanjiu was reluctant to talk about this ability.
"It's bloating!" In the end, she still answered Woyu's question nonetheless as she barreled down the slope. Behind her, the four figures were gaining fast on her.
"Bloating…? What a weird ability."
She'd gotten this ability from the dead Gizo when she was in the Salvation of God. The name of this ability was [Salvation of God's Native Product], which appeared in the form of bloating, and once ingested, would grant the user the ability to control sand. Lin Sanjiu found it hard to explain to Woyu. There was less drifting sand on the slope; thus, when she moved the upper sand layer, she caused the entire ground to lose its rigidity and crumble, which in turn brought down several trees.
Slightly embarrassed, Woyu wiggled and said, "Erm… thank you for saving me after what I did…"
"Shut up!"
There were five figures running under the waning moon. No matter how fast Lin Sanjiu was going, she could not shrug off her pursuers. After all, it was hard for her pursuers to lose sight of her in this vast and empty land.
When she felt another pang of pain in her stomach, she suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Woyu raised his head and asked.
"I've figured out a plan to get rid of them." Staring fixedly at the four approaching shadows, Lin Sanjiu whispered to Woyu, "However, I need your cooperation. Now, memorize every word I say. Then, repeat every word to me, okay?"