Chapter 908: On the Brink of Crisis
The war between Grand Prize and the Veda must not have ended yet.
The reason for saying this was not because Ji Shanqing's voice was weak and hoarse, but because Lin Sanjiu had once again harbored doubts from the last time.
The person on the other end of the communicator... didn't seem to be Grand Prize.
"Hello?" The unmistakable voice of Ji Shanqing, truly belonging to him, gently rose.
At this moment, Lin Sanjiu's entire body weight was supported by one arm hanging on the rope. Her muscles were trembling violently, as if they were on the brink of exhaustion with every passing second. She couldn't switch hands—the square-shaped communicator could only be held in her one hand, and it was too smooth to find a secure grip. As soon as she put away the communicator, both it and the voice of Grand Prize would disappear.
"Sis, are you listening?" The gentle voice, as light as a breeze caressing the water's surface, trailed off like a swimming fish. It was an almost imperceptible detail, known only to those who were extremely familiar with Grand Prize, that he didn't have this habit when speaking.
"Yes, yes, I'm listening."
Each word was uttered with great difficulty by Lin Sanjiu. Fortunately, what she desperately needed now was strength, a capability that could help her escape her current predicament. As long as the other person could speak and activate her Pygmalion Choker, she still had hope of escaping from this deep well of darkness. She absolutely couldn't let the other person know that she had already realized they were not the Grand Prize.
Of course, if the person on the other end of the communicator was willing to help her with this favor.
"My injuries aren't severe. But why do you sound strange? It seems like you're struggling." It was the Grand Prize's voice, but with a tone he had never had before—a subtle mix of disorder and hastiness in his words.
"Gra-Grand Prize," Lin Sanjiu's arm could no longer support her, and she could feel herself sliding downward little by little. The rough rope rubbed against her palm, causing her skin to ache, but her fear ran deeper than the pain. "Please, please say something to me quickly!"
"What should I say?" The other person once again raised the trailing tone, this time purely out of confusion.
"Tell me that I have the ability to make small things devour larger things, right now!"
"Small things devour larger things?"
Ji Shanqing—or rather, the person pretending to be Grand Prize—fell silent for a few seconds, seemingly speculating and analyzing the current situation. Lin Sanjiu could even guess his thoughts: once he realized that she was in danger and that only his words could save her, he would hesitate whether or not to rescue her.
After all, she is the "sister" of the enemy.
What is his purpose in disguising himself as the Grand Prize and contacting her? What does he want to obtain from her? And how did he get hold of the communicator? Does his voice sound exactly like the Grand Prize because he analyzed the Grand Prize?
In just an instant, countless frightening questions flashed through her mind. However, all those questions could wait. The most urgent and dangerous thing at the moment was her slow descent down the rope. Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but shout at the communicator, "Hurry up and speak!"
She had never been so stern and forceful with Ji Shanqing before.
"Are you in a hurry, Sis?" The person on the other end of the communicator seemed startled by her shout. Even though he could guess that Lin Sanjiu was in danger, his voice remained calm and composed. "I understand, I'll say it."
Her muscles trembled, feeling weak and powerless as if her arm was about to no longer belong to her. In her anxiety, her breathing became heavy once again, and she dug her nails tightly into the rope, unable to suppress a low moan from escaping her throat.
That half-second of silence on the other end of the communicator felt longer than a year.
She could almost feel that the other person was toying with her.
"...Your ability is to make the small swallow the big."
Finally, in the darkness, the communicator in her embrace spoke these words.
Lin Sanjiu let out a sigh of relief and almost slipped down the rope due to the sudden relaxation. Startled, she hurriedly kicked her legs to hold onto the rope tightly again. Then, her heart sank as if it was about to plunge into an abyss, detached from her body.
The Pygmalion Choker around her neck didn't heat up.
"No... it can't be," she gritted her teeth, her breath intermittent and speaking became difficult, "No! It's not heating up!" The last word almost turned into a scream under pressure.
"No heat?" The Grand Prize's pace quickened. "Are you talking about the choker?"
He even knew about the choker!
Her arm felt as if it was burning, and Lin Sanjiu couldn't hold on any longer. She bit down hard on the rope, wedging it tightly between her teeth. Her bite force was only average, and even with an added set of teeth, it didn't alleviate much of the burden on her arm.
She heard a murmuring voice from the communicator, "Have you used this ability of swallowing the big with the small before?"
'Of course not!' Lin Sanjiu responded forcefully in her mind.
"Um, maybe the description was too vague?"
Lin Sanjiu's eyes lit up, and she quickly released her teeth and shouted, "Yes, that must be the reason! Quickly, say it again!"
"Sis, did you specifically use the communicator to tell me this sentence instead of asking the people around you... because the situation is really urgent?" the voice on the other side asked calmly.
Lin Sanjiu didn't answer. She would rather use these two seconds to bite down on the rope.
"Tell me what you want to swallow, and what you want it to swallow, so I can come up with a more appropriate description."
"I... I'm hanging on a rope over an abyss." She didn't know if telling him about her situation was a wise decision, but she had no choice. "I suspect it's something of the same nature as one of my Special Items... but, but that Special Item is too small. I need it to swallow— Ah!"
She didn't finish her sentence when her hand suddenly seemed to have a will of its own and let go. With a scream, Lin Sanjiu plummeted down, and the sound of her pounding heartbeat filled her ears.
When she managed to call her Higher Consciousness back from the brink of panic and reached out to grab her backpack, even though only a few seconds had passed, it was already too late. Her instincts were sharp, and they told her that the abyss, which had swallowed up the origami crane and the moisturizing lotion, was rapidly approaching her.
Is this how it ends?
The fake Ability Polishing Agent flew out of her pocket and spun in the air above her field of vision. The silver light swirled and scattered in the dark abyss, and a few gleams from the tears reflected off the dim light before disappearing. It was strange that in this split second before her imminent death, this scene seemed to slow down.
"...Sis?"
She still clutched the communicator, and the Grand Prize's voice sounded muffled amidst the thundering of blood and heartbeat. Lin Sanjiu released her arm, allowing the communicator to fall into the abyss beneath her. Soon, she would be going to the same place as it.
Then, she felt the burning heat on her neck.