Doomsday Wonderland

Chapter 1468: Are Humanoids Heartless and Items Meaningless?

Once the words "Hire a Level 4 employee" were spoken, Lily's fate was sealed.

Lin Sanjiu felt a tingling sensation on her skin but took another steady step as if she had heard nothing, moving forward in the corridor. The next few muffled words from Lily trailed off before reaching her ears. She only caught the word "guach." She resisted the urge to turn towards the source of the soft noise.

'Gauch? What's that?'

She took another step. After a short while, the office behind her quieted down. Before the appearance of the Level 4 employee, Lily wouldn't leave her office to capture the Artist. Lin Sanjiu had four more minutes to strategize and rehearse her next moves in her mind.

The plan was risky, but it seemed workable.

By the time she reached the end of the corridor, she was out of Lily's line of sight. Lin Sanjiu quickly glanced over to see the Artist retreating behind a wall. She casually turned around, perfectly timing her return. She even heard a sigh of relief from Lily's office. So far, everything was going according to plan.

However, she then heard the Life Coach speak.

"I believe in you. With your potential, you can surely find a way out of this seemingly unsolvable situation..."

Seriously?

Lily was really not shy about using the Life Coach right away, especially when its former owner was still wandering around. Could it be that what she heard as "gauch" was actually a part of "life coach"?

Lin Sanjiu quickly approached the closed door and whispered, "Life Coach?"

She hadn't considered this possibility before, but now, with the mention of the Life Coach, a concern arose: What if the Life Coach completely forgot about its former owner after being transferred?

Lin Sanjiu's subconscious seemed a step ahead. Suddenly, Mrs. Manas said, "If he truly forgot about you, then there's nothing to worry about. You should be concerned if he hasn't."

'What?'

Almost as if to confirm this notion, there came an awkward cough from behind the door, followed by Lily's low voice, "Given your understanding of her, what should I be cautious about in my current situation? Are there any traps?"

Lin Sanjiu stood by the door, stunned, coming to a realization.

After Lily finished speaking, there was a moment of silence, and both of them waited for several seconds before hearing Lily's slightly embarrassed voice say, "Is this enough for you?"

"It's enough."

The Life Coach accepted without any refusal. A few seconds later, probably after destroying the item, he said, "Although my former owner is bold and unafraid of risks, leaving the office unattended for an hour is rather reckless. Even she might find it hard to imagine doing such a thing. Since you haven't personally seen the concealed office, the truth of her statement is uncertain. Therefore, I believe there's a high possibility that there's a trap in the current situation."

'Shut up!'

Lin Sanjiu finally understood why Bohemia would constantly swear. In this helpless situation, all that came to her mind were strings of curses. Items are just items, unreliable, turning their backs without recognition.

"What kind of trap might it be?" Lily inquired.

Frantic, Lin Sanjiu momentarily forgot to move away from the blinds. Because of this oversight, her plan wasn't completely exposed. The blinds were slightly separated by fingers, revealing the eyes of the Life Coach. At the same time, she heard the soft sound of the Artist's drawing board tapping against his back from around the corner.

It's a good thing she didn't move away.

Because Lin Sanjiu's body was blocking the Life Coach's line of sight, he didn't notice the Artist. Otherwise, with the traitorous nature of the Coach, he might have shouted, "That's not a real client!", ruining everything.

Their gazes met through the slats of the blinds—Lin Sanjiu felt a glimmer of hope.

The expression on the Life Coach's face was far from calm. Upon seeing Lin Sanjiu, he looked as if someone had walked five kilometers in shoes two sizes too small, his face contorted with discomfort. It was evident that opposing Lin Sanjiu was distressing for the Life Coach—perhaps because he had been taken away from her not too long ago?

However, this faint hope was soon dashed. The principle of Special Items cannot be defied. The Life Coach pulled back and closed the blinds, saying, "The current information is scarce, and it's hard to determine exactly what kind of trap she set. In the face of unknown risks, I believe it's best to adopt a conservative approach."

"But I need clients," Lily whispered, probably aware that Lin Sanjiu outside the door could overhear their conversation. However, the nature of the marketplace game is such that even if Lin Sanjiu heard it, she could do nothing about it.

"In that case, you don't have to go out yourself." As soon as the Life Coach began to speak, Lin Sanjiu regretted not keeping him in the bubble space. "Don't you have Higher Consciousness ?"

Lily took a deep breath, understanding. "Ah, you mean let me send out my Higher Consciousness alone to search?"

"Yes."

"You don't get it. The nature of my Higher Consciousness means it doesn't just extend outward as I wish. Its texture is like a piece of clay; once shaped and thrown, it sets. Besides, she is probably a Higher Consciousness user too."

"She is," the Life Coach said straightforwardly, showing no signs of internal struggle. Lin Sanjiu felt like someone watching a flood about to burst, knowing things were going awry but unable to do anything. The idea that one of her primary objectives was to reclaim this ungrateful creature made her want to kick him.

"As far as I know, before we parted, her Higher Consciousness was almost depleted, so she can't seal off the surroundings with it. You don't need to worry." The Life Coach, having completely betrayed Lin Sanjiu, didn't forget to encourage Lily. "Moreover, the fixed nature of your Higher Consciousness doesn't prevent you from using it to break the deadlock. Instead, it's an advantage you can utilize. What do you think would be the best approach now?"

"Fixed... is an advantage?" Lily mumbled.

Lin Sanjiu felt sweat forming on her forehead. The Life Coach's words were indeed inspiring. She could now think of a way for Lily to break her plan. Since she thought of it, and Lily wasn't foolish, the solution was likely near.

"Ah, I can shape my Higher Consciousness into a ball," Lily suddenly said, "then use it to form a long enough rope and wrap it around my hand."

Her Higher Consciousness can envelop a target. With a rope, even if she only captures the Artist's leg and pulls, the Artist will be dragged to her. Without Lily even stepping outside, Lin Sanjiu would end up losing on all fronts. And using this method, not just the Artist, but any nearby clients could be captured as well.

"This Special Item I got is so worth it," Lily said, chuckling. "Does she have anything else that can obstruct my power?"

Using fists to counter Higher Consciousness is like trying to punch waves; it's largely ineffective. Lin Sanjiu regretted not asking Puppeteer how he had resisted the Higher Consciousness back then.

"As far as I know, she seems to have a method involving manipulating air currents. But don't forget, she can't attack you in the game, so she can't attack the part of your consciousness either," the Life Coach said. "Moreover, standing at the office door, you can release several balls of consciousness into each corridor simultaneously. Without her own Higher Consciousness, how can she be at multiple places at once to intercept?"

The situation was like a hostage advising the kidnapper on how to defeat the police.

If Lin Sanjiu only stopped the Higher Consciousness ball rolling towards the Artist, Lily would immediately realize that the so-called "clients" were a ruse, ruining the plan. The Life Coach's nature meant he would do his best to find solutions for his owner, regardless of who that is.

The door handle started turning, indicating someone behind the door was about to come out. Staring at it, Lin Sanjiu, anxious due to her lack of a plan, suddenly realized a contradiction.

Wait, what was the purpose of the Life Coach's plan?

It was to prevent Lily from rushing out, failing to catch the client but capturing the Artist instead, right? And then returning without any money and losing a level-four defense staff member? Lin Sanjiu still had sixty bucks, and she could immediately hire a level-five staff member on the spot, completely destroying Lily's company. It could be said that the Life Coach's plan indeed considered maximizing Lily's benefits and was entirely for her good.

But why didn't he use a simpler method?

The office door opened, and Lily, with a loop of large wavy petals around her neck, stood at the entrance, with the Life Coach and two employees, one level-one and one level-four, spread out behind her. The Life Coach's face turned pale and green, as if he was trying hard to bear something, seeming quite uncomfortable betraying his former owner.

No, there was another side to the Life Coach's plan.

Lily didn't know that Lin Sanjiu had several human-shaped items, but the Life Coach did. To simply avoid the worst-case scenario for Lily, he only needed to describe the appearance of the human-shaped items in Lin Sanjiu's possession. Then Lin Sanjiu's plan would fall apart, and Lily wouldn't be fooled.

Did he not mention it simply because Lily didn't ask?

"I don't know why, but I feel that all of us who have been with you for a while seem to be... becoming more flexible."

The Life Coach's words still echoed in her ears, almost like a forewarning for the future.

If Lily adopts the Life Coach's plan, she'll have to open the door and release her Higher Consciousness balls from the office doorway. Lin Sanjiu is taller than most women, and Lily is no exception.

Lin Sanjiu's gaze effortlessly passed over Lily's head and settled on the front half of the office. The cubicle design was identical to Lin Sanjiu's office. The space under the desk, intended for a computer's main unit, was a dark void, spacious enough for a person to slowly crawl out of. Wherever she could see, Caster could crawl out.

"You're out of moves? It's okay for you to just stand here and watch since you can't do anything to me anyway," Lily said, noticing Lin Sanjiu's lack of movement, her expression not very pleased. "You can't block my Higher Consciousness ball either. It'll roll past you."

At this point, Lin Sanjiu wasn't concerned about her Higher Consciousness ball. With just a single command from her, the Artist would turn and flee. What she needed now was for Lily not to look back.

Behind Lily, the two employees were standing dumbfounded in the office, staring wide-eyed as Caster crawled out from under the desk. The Witch knew the gravity of the situation and moved without making a sound, crawling toward the Life Coach, reminiscent of Sadako emerging from a television. The Life Coach had his back to Caster, still offering Lily encouragement and advice. "Yes, a little more to that side, you're doing well..."

When Caster suddenly reached out and grabbed the Life Coach's ankle, Lin Sanjiu willed it, and the two humanoid Special Items were instantly sucked into the dark void under the desk as if drawn into an abyss.

She turned and ran deep into the corridor, not forgetting to shout to the Artist in the other hallway, "Run!"