Chapter 1472: The Office's Defense
When Lin Sanjiu landed with a "thud," her vision flipped upside down before stabilizing. Two figures were racing in the corridor leading directly to her office—one behind the other. The one in the back was the level 5 employee, his figure concealing the player in front, leaving only a glimpse of his head.
At this moment, there was only one defensive employee in Lin Sanjiu's office. If the player with the level 5 employee reached the door handle even a tenth of a second before she did...
She didn't have the time to pull Caster back, let alone shout out to her. She shot straight into the corridor ahead like a bullet. Whether in combat power or speed, Lin Sanjiu could easily overpower the other three posthumans in the game. Even if she couldn't attack here, she could catch up with the player in front of her in a blink and block his path. Her agility was her strongest asset. So, even though the situation took a sudden turn, she didn't panic.
At least, she wasn't when she first started running.
Lin Sanjiu realized something was wrong after she caught up with the level 5 offensive employee.
Within moments, Lin Sanjiu had closed the distance. She sidestepped the employee—just like the players, she couldn't attack the level 5 employee either. The player running in front immediately came into her view, his suit billowing and wrinkling as he sprinted.
"Whit E.?" Lin Sanjiu yelled.
Without turning his head, Whit E. shouted, "I need to adapt!"
What?
Lin Sanjiu wondered if she'd heard wrong; the statement was completely out of the blue. Confused but undeterred, she surged forward. She had already chosen her angle of approach. With her agility, she could zoom past Whit E. in an instant. However, her vision suddenly blurred, and just as she thought, 'Not good,' she felt a gentle thud as her forehead hit something.
The game neutralized the force of her high-speed movement. Lin Sanjiu felt as if a coquettish girl had softly pushed her. Looking up, she was stunned.
Whit E., who was of average build moments ago, filled the entire corridor.
His head was pressed against the ceiling, his arms squeezed between the walls, and his waist, hips, thighs, and calves occupied every inch of the corridor. With his body's expansion, his suit had enlarged as well. At a glance, it seemed like a wall wearing a suit had suddenly appeared in the corridor.
Even if you tried to stuff a fat man into a narrow corridor, filling every inch of space was impossible since the width difference between the head and shoulders would leave some gaps. However, Whit E.'s body had completely deviated from normal human structure. The width of his head and shoulders were exactly the same; his feet were as thick as his thighs, blocking the path completely, leaving not even a tiny gap.
"Sorry about this," Whit E. said, his voice sounding just as before—he didn't turn his head when he spoke. Honestly, with him being squeezed so tightly, it would probably be hard for him to do so. "I guessed that your office was nearby, and I had to get it no matter what."
It seemed that Whit E. hadn't believed a word she said earlier. As for how he accurately found this direction, Lin Sanjiu could only guess that he had deduced it based on her own movements.
She almost laughed out of frustration.
Blocking her path with his own body—such a childish tactic would only work in this game: any push or shove she made against Whit E. would be seen as an attack by the game and neutralized. For a moment, all she could do was trail behind him, watching him slowly squeezing forward, so agitated she felt like she could burst into flames on the spot. His clothes, hair, and skin continuously rubbed against the ceiling and walls. With a rustling noise, he moved step by step towards her office.
The level 5 employee followed suit, walking side by side with Lin Sanjiu. She glanced back, grabbed the employee's shoulder, and yanked him behind her. The employee stumbled, being thrown a step back.
Whit E., not turning his head, seemed to guess her intention from the noise. "It's useless. He's one of my attack forces. As long as I can start my attack at the entrance of your office, his presence will automatically be counted. Even if he falls a step behind you, I still have 2 attack points here."
This game had more tricks up its sleeve than she could ever imagine.
If Lin Sanjiu couldn't get back to her office before Whit E., she could only watch her company being taken away. She stopped and looked back, noticing Caster had also stopped in the distant corridor. At the moment, she appeared no bigger than a thumbnail, and she couldn't discern any expression on her figure. If she went back and tried to circle around to her office from another direction...
No, that would take too long. If she were Whit E., as soon as Lin Sanjiu disappeared from behind, she'd revert to her original size and sprint forward. She'd surely reach the office before Lin Sanjiu, who'd be taking a longer detour in the maze-like corridors.
Perhaps because he was also nervous, Whit E. continued, "That humanoid thing, it's not a client, is it?"
Lin Sanjiu didn't speak. If Whit E. reverted to his original size, he'd need less than twenty seconds to see her office. It would take at least half a minute if she took a detour. She had already accounted for her speed advantage, but there was no way to close that fatal ten-second gap.
She hadn't even considered using her space-traversing ability. Doing so in such a short time would mean she could forget about winning the game; she wouldn't even be able to maintain her mental stability by then.
Whit E.'s voice hummed from below the ceiling. "Your idea was pretty good. For a moment, I almost chased after you. However, since I met you, I suspected you had a fake client."
Even if both of them were desperate to get to the office immediately, they could only inch forward at a snail's pace. Lin Sanjiu endured the agony, pondering her next move, and asked, "How did you..."
"You said Lily took one of your items, set up a company, but had no clients," Whit E. explained, clearly also uncomfortable in the tight space. "At first, it doesn't seem off. But on reflection, it's clear. Why would she rent an office without clients? There are plenty of available offices along every corridor. Renting an office without clients would be like voluntarily narrowing and fixing one's search range. It doesn't make sense. When you claimed to have no clients, I didn't believe you for the same reasons."
Lin Sanjiu pursed her lips.
"Either she's a fool, acting without thinking, or she believed she had captured a client, which was just one of your items, and you later took it back," Whit E. said. Cramped, his breathing grew heavier. "It's simple to test out the theory—just run in the opposite direction of the fake client for a couple of steps. As expected, you immediately chased after."
So, if she hadn't jumped down, maybe Whit E. would have been fooled?
But she couldn't afford to take that risk at the time.
Lin Sanjiu smirked. "Your mind might be quick, but your body is no match for my speed."
"What?"
Lin Sanjiu looked up at the ceiling fan and suddenly lunged at it. She struck at the fan's attachment with her metal-clad fist, causing it to distort and loosen. She ripped it down and threw it on the floor. Whit E.'s head was tightly squeezed between the walls, making it impossible to turn and see. He repeatedly asked, "What are you doing?"
Lin Sanjiu didn't make a sound as she hoisted herself up, disappearing into the dark vent above her head. The sudden movement caught Whit E. off guard. As he turned around hastily, the friction and his pained cry echoed through the corridor.
Anyone who saw this would guess Lin Sanjiu intended to return to her office via the ventilation system. The hallway went quiet for a moment. Whit E. seemed hesitant. To give him a nudge, Lin Sanjiu, lying prone in the dark vent, tossed out a card.
The sound of the tin can dropping echoed through the vent, likely audible below.
She'd thrown it with force, so the can landed far away.
The ventilation system was maze-like, and she worried she'd get lost if she truly tried to navigate it. Perhaps this was why there was still no movement in the hallway from Whit E. or his Level 5 employee. Holding her breath, Lin Sanjiu waited a few moments before releasing another can. Ensuring it went in the right direction, she threw it with even more force, and it made another echoing "clank."
This time, she finally heard the rapid footsteps of Whit E. as he bolted from beneath the vent.
See, even if he didn't fall for Caster's tricks, he was bound to fall for the tin cans.
Silently, Lin Sanjiu leaped down from the vent. A quick scan and she felt relieved—Whit E. was back to his original size. Even if he had a head start, she felt confident now because, in this game, no one could surpass her speed.
By the time Whit E. spotted her office, it was already too late.
Never mind that he overshot a few steps in his haste, even if he had managed to halt when he saw Lin Sanjiu's profile, he'd have seen her swiftly and silently slip past him, her hand lightly resting on the door handle.
As Whit E. turned, he found himself face-to-face with Lin Sanjiu. His eyes registered her presence, but his tongue, already prepped for this moment, didn't react in time, stammering, "Attack—No, wait—"
"Defend."
The moment Whit E. uttered the word "attack," the game recognized his aggressive intent; the two actions canceled each other out, and the words "Attack Failed" appeared on the door. Whit E. quickly looked back at his employee while Lin Sanjiu pushed open her office door. They both realized the employees they had hired had disappeared.
Whit E. hadn't been running long, but his breath came in rapid, heavy pants; while not exhausted, the weight of reality was visibly dragging him down.
After waiting for a moment without receiving any notification, Lin Sanjiu was surprised. "Why haven't you gone bankrupt yet? Was that employee the last one you hired with your remaining fifty dollars?"
Even if he now had clients, he couldn't afford to hire a Level 1 employee and should have been declared bankrupt.
Before Whit E. could answer, in the corner of Lin Sanjiu's eye, the Artist staggered. It was as if someone was pulling his ankle or the Higher Consciousness chain suddenly shortened. He waved his arms frantically to maintain his balance.
"I..." Whit E. began, but no one cared what he had to say.
The Life Coach suddenly jumped up from his chair, and at the same moment, Lin Sanjiu realized the worst possibility.
Like a shark that caught the scent of blood, Lily was already on her way.
Lin Sanjiu had no defenses left.