Chapter 986: Judging a Person by Their Actions
"I see, it's a portable launcher," Philibert said in a low voice as Lin Sanjiu and the round-faced man approached him again. "It should be a common product manufactured by the Twelve Worlds Workshop. Killing all of us is enough for it to achieve its purpose."
The paddles of the pedal boat stopped, and both of them fell silent for a few seconds. "If only I still had my Special Item," the round-faced man sighed and stated the obvious.
"I'll bring the last boat over," Philibert nodded at them, turning the pedal boat in the distance towards the lone dolphin boat. "Then we can start."
Except for the last dolphin boat, all the pedal boats on the lake were now gathered together. Zao Peng had already urged them impatiently twice, and at this moment, she shouted from afar, "Stop wasting time! The boats are all here, so start searching! Find the good boats and bring them to me!"
"Understood," Lin Sanjiu replied, exchanging a glance with the round-faced man.
In fact, they had already identified the good boats, as the pocket dimension had clearly shown no intention of making things difficult for them in this regard. After eliminating Natasha's boat, they had found "garbage that hadn't been soaked in water" on only three boats among the remaining twenty or so pedal boats: the yellow duck, the flat-bottomed boat, and the blue whale.
"What if your plan doesn't work?" the round-faced man couldn't help but ask in a low voice. "One good boat must be given to Zao Peng... So, how do we decide who doesn't get a good boat?"
"As long as you follow the plan, it won't come to that," Lin Sanjiu replied with a furrowed brow. They both pretended to search for clues on various boats for a while, and then she couldn't help but ask, "Why did you save my life back then?"
The round-faced man pursed his lips and fell silent, seemingly reluctant to speak.
"Don't tell anyone, because I am still a member of the Night Wanderers," he averted his gaze and finally spoke, "You could have killed me with a single shot, but you didn't... You spared my life, and I can't go without repaying that. So, after we leave the pocket dimension, we'll be even."
This answer was far beyond Lin Sanjiu's expectations, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.
It was only when Philibert approached with the dolphin boat that she cleared her throat and whispered, "You trust my plan, right?"
The middle-aged gentleman's face tightened, either out of nervousness or lack of confidence. After a few seconds, he nodded firmly.
"Let's do it!"
Lin Sanjiu nodded at them, and the three of them immediately boarded separate pedal boats. The fact that just a few minutes ago they were adversaries ready to attack each other made her even more worried. In her plan, or rather, in the method of clearing this stage in the pocket dimension, the most crucial aspect was trust between posthumans.
And trust happened to be rarer than any survival resource.
"Wait!" Zao Peng watched as they started their pedal boats and suddenly shouted, making all three of them jump, "What are you doing? I told you to bring the good boat to me!"
"I understand, but we have only found one good boat for now," Lin Sanjiu shouted back, stepping on the pedals and moving forward. "If I give it to you, I won't be able to come back. So, to avoid sinking halfway, I asked them to tow a few boats and replace mine."
Zao Peng hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering the authenticity of her words. From Lin Sanjiu's perspective, she had to leave some possibility for her, the round-faced man, and Philibert to survive. And Lin Sanjiu was well aware of this. Taking advantage of Zao Peng's silence, she pedaled a few more times, feeling the increasing heaviness in her legs with each stroke.
On the lake's surface, three pedal boats formed a straight line, gliding over the green water, leaving long white trails that gradually dissipated on either side. Each boat had been tied to another boat using clothes, belts, and similar items, dragging them forward bit by bit.
After the other boat was towed, the speed of all three boats noticeably slowed down. The distance that should have taken about three to four minutes to reach Zao Peng seemed like it would take about twice as long. Lin Sanjiu looked up at Zao Peng and noticed her shifting on the boat, possibly due to feeling uneasy. In order to distract her attention and prevent her from suddenly deciding to fire the launcher, Lin Sanjiu shouted, "Have you realized the method for all of us to clear this stage? The boats that sink as soon as you step on them have all sunk. The remaining boats can stay on the water's surface for several minutes. After finding the four good boats, if we use them as 'core transport boats' and tow the other boats together to form a bridge, then everyone can successfully clear the stage!"
Zao Peng froze on the lake's surface, seemingly taken aback by this simple and clear solution.
"The pocket dimension's designated method for clearing the stage is to return to the boat. But it never said that the boat we return to must be the sturdy one, right? Instead, it specifically mentioned that all boats, regardless of sinking or not, will be placed back in their original positions. In this concept instilled by the pocket dimension, good boats and bad boats are treated equally."
The lake surface remained still, with no breeze, only her own voice echoing.
"Pedal boats that are not the correct answer will sink while we are paddling, but after sinking, they will be salvaged and placed back in their original positions. The focus of this concept in the pocket dimension is not how it violates its own nature by salvaging the boats... The key point has always been when—or rather, where—a pedal boat sinks after someone boards it. Just think, if someone were to tow you with two boats that can stay afloat for four minutes, even if you don't get a sturdy good boat, wouldn't you still be able to clear the stage?"
These words were successful in diverting Zao Peng's attention to the topic of "how to clear the stage with everyone." Lin Sanjiu estimated the distance between her and Zao Peng and increased her pace. After a while, Zao Peng's face with short hair and downturned mouth became clearer and closer.
"You've crafted this nonsense so meticulously that I almost believed you," Zao Peng said, looking at Lin Sanjiu as she drew closer, letting out a cold laugh. "But unfortunately, you forgot one thing—the pocket dimension only accepts one returned boat every ten minutes. With abilities, items, and Potential Growth Value, you can only mortgage a total of 90 minutes. Deducting the round trip of 20 minutes, you're left with only 70 minutes. Whether it's searching for boats or clearing the stage according to your plan, it will take at least 10 minutes combined, right? That leaves us with only 60 minutes. The first person to return a boat can only do so at the earliest in the 31st minute. As a result, at most, only five people can survive. Oh, I understand now, no wonder you didn't want to reveal this method earlier—"
She stared at Lin Sanjiu, her eyes narrowed, resembling the face of a snake.
"Because we happen to have five people. It's you," Zao Peng's breathing became rapid. "You are the one who caused all of this—"
She was sowing discord!
Just as Lin Sanjiu felt a tightness in her heart, unexpectedly, Zao Peng suddenly lowered her voice and her face, only raising her eyes to look at Lin Sanjiu with a smile. "Since you brought me a boat, I'll tell you some information for free. There is a person with an ability called [Judging a Person by Their Actions]... Is the boat you brought a good boat?"
Lin Sanjiu nodded.
Zao Peng's smile remained on her lips.
"You go up, and I'll take the boat you're currently on."