Chapter 977: I Think Everyone Agrees, Right?
Countless pedal boats sliced through the view, obscuring it layer by layer. Looking around, it seemed as though the people had been devoured by the numerous pedal boats, disappearing among the worn-out cartoon animals.
On the different faces of the pedal boats, pairs of eyes, faded and lacking luster from wind erosion, stared blankly at the empty lake surface in the distance.
Not a single person remained.
The lingering echoes of the round-faced man's voice seemed to reverberate on the lake's surface, but his group members had already reacted in the blink of an eye. Upon hearing that their Special Items were sealed, they didn't even have time to be astonished or question it. They hurriedly rushed into the midst of countless pedal boats and disappeared in no time.
It must be said that their reaction was quite fast.
Only the round-faced man remained standing in place. He had been squeezed between two pedal boats while trying to determine Lin Sanjiu's position based on the bullet trajectory, and now he was trapped directly in the line of fire of the automatic rifle. He didn't dare to move a muscle, his face turning pale and then green.
"As long as you move, I'll kill you. But for now, I won't pull the trigger," Lin Sanjiu whispered from behind a swan boat, giving him a low command. "Just listen to me. If you have any questions for Philibert, ask now, but speak louder."
The round-faced man squinted his eyes but kept his lips tightly sealed, refusing to make a sound.
"Ask," Lin Sanjiu lightly hummed. "Don't you want to know if he did it on purpose or by accident?"
The round-faced man seemed to be trying to make his mouth disappear into his skin.
"Don't test my patience. I said I won't kill you now, but I never said I won't kill you later," she said, pointing her gun at him as she spoke.
Without abilities or items, posthumans were as powerless as ordinary people in the short term, especially when faced with an automatic rifle.
"I... I don't need to ask. I don't want to know," the round-faced man struggled to speak, as if he were contemplating something. After uttering those words, his voice gradually grew louder, and his expression became resolute. "Hey, everyone! Philibert made a mistake by accident! I know, he just obtained that Special Item and isn't familiar with how to use it—please, let's not turn against each other. Trust me, based on my reputation within the organization over the years, I guarantee that we can all come out of the pocket dimension as long as we don't turn against each other!"
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but admire him a bit.
His mind was indeed clear, and his character was worthy of admiration. He was even willing to risk his life to prevent the possibility of the group turning against each other. Upon careful consideration, Lin Sanjiu admired the agility of the round-faced man's thinking even more. If she were to shoot him now, it would make the remaining group members unite against her—after all, if the pocket dimension had nothing to do with her and she killed the round-faced man, there would only be five people left who needed to seize the boats. Among them, four belonged to the same group, so there would be no doubt about who the second victim would be.
The round-faced man had already stepped onto a path of no return, but he had found this slight chance of survival.
However, his method was not without risks: what if Lin Sanjiu didn't understand his intentions and shot him right away? All his deliberations would become a useless joke.
This person was courageous and thoughtful, no wonder he was the leader.
Moreover, now that she thought about it, she couldn't proactively eliminate one of their group members before they started killing each other. Even if she killed two in one go, it would be difficult to guarantee that the remaining group members wouldn't join forces for revenge—because the possibility of the pocket dimension disappearing if she killed someone was always present for the group.
As Lin Sanjiu contemplated this, she slowly tightened her grip on the rifle, her knuckles turning white.
What should she do with this guy?
"Philibert!" a female voice suddenly called from afar, seemingly Zao Peng speaking while moving to a different location. "Say something! What exactly happened earlier?"
As her words fell, a moment of silence settled on the lake's surface.
At the edge of the lake, where the pedal boats had gathered, only the faint sounds of friction caused by shaking and collision occasionally emanated from the boats, dispersing lightly with the wind. The green water continued to pour into the lake, and the sound seemed distant and remote, while the rising water level gradually pressed on and engulfed everyone's bodies, one bit at a time.
The water had reached Lin Sanjiu's stomach. It was still cold, filled with an oppressive feeling, and rising slowly.
After several seconds, the middle-aged man finally responded.
"Ah, it was really an accident," his voice was sometimes near and sometimes far, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact source. "I'm really sorry, everyone. It was my first time using this Special Item. It only lasts for fifteen minutes, and once the time is up, all of you can recover."
"It has already been nineteen minutes since the pocket dimension started!"
The Eastern European girl angrily shouted, her voice not far away. "Don't you understand? In just one more minute, the water level will reach 1.2 meters!"
Lin Sanjiu was momentarily stunned and exchanged a glance with the round-faced man before realizing what was happening.
The loudspeaker had mentioned that the water level was rising at a constant rate, meaning that the height of the water level increase per minute was the same. If it reached 1.8 meters in 30 minutes, then it was indeed at 1.2 meters at the 20th minute. It seemed that the Eastern European girl, being the shortest, was the most sensitive to this point.
"I don't need to wait for another fifteen minutes; I'll have drowned by then!" the Eastern European girl shouted angrily.
"But you don't have to stand in the water the whole time," the middle-aged man responded calmly. "Don't you see all the pedal boats in front of you? You can get on one."
Upon hearing this, something suddenly clicked in Lin Sanjiu's mind.
Philibert must have had a purpose—could this be it? To get people onto the boats?
"Philibert!"
Before she could carefully consider that thought, the round-faced man happened to shout loudly at that moment, "As Natasha said, we won't last another fifteen minutes, but if we get on the boats now, we might be at risk of being attacked. Since you're the only one whose Special Item hasn't been sealed, come here and deal with her!"
"Alright!"
Philibert readily agreed without hesitation. His expression at the moment he stared down the barrel of the gun was almost inhuman—it was clear that he was afraid Lin Sanjiu might be provoked and she would just end him with a single shot.
"However,"
Just as Lin Sanjiu was rapidly planning her next move, uncertain of what to do next, the middle-aged man's voice rang out again.
"I'm very curious. She just mentioned that Natasha discovered a way to clear the level underwater. I think it would be better to ask her that question before killing her. I believe everyone would agree, right?"