Doomsday Wonderland

Chapter 1209: It's Time to Bring out the Magnifying Glass and Pipe

Inside the utility room, a group of people—all fugitives except for the NPC—kept their voices extremely low even after the recent apprehension and interrogation. How could the person outside the door hear them so accurately? Lin Sanjiu signaled Bohemia to step aside and stand by the door. Her right hand, clad in the metal gauntlet, flexed a few times as she softly asked, "How long have you been outside?"

"I just arrived at the door... Actually, I didn't hear from here," the person outside replied in a hushed tone. "I'm familiar with the terrain here, so to avoid the guards, I installed a listening device in several corners. I was hiding two hallways away, but when I heard your conversation, I came here."

"A listening device?" Lin Sanjiu said, turning to Bohemia and urging her to find it. "Where is it? Is it inside the utility room?"

As she thought she could finally verify whether what he said was true, she heard the person outside saying softly, "It's right above the door of this utility room. I can show it to you when I come in."

Anyway, at least this person is not a guard. Lin Sanjiu glanced at Hei Zeji, who didn't react at all. She pondered for a moment, then bit her lip and opened the door.

When the newcomer saw her face clearly, he took a step back and said, "Ah, it's you?"

"You should thank me," Lin Sanjiu said, looking him up and down. "If I hadn't killed you, you would still be a guard now."

There was no resemblance between his current appearance and when he was a guard. After escaping the black hole and dehydration, he appeared with small features, soft contours, and hesitant speech. He always seemed indecisive, making people think he was someone who couldn't make up his mind. He looked at Lin Sanjiu's right hand, which was ready to attack at any moment, hesitated and, after being urged twice, finally slipped inside.

"Too crowded here," Bohemia said, pressing against the wall and sounding very displeased. "With so many people, the air is terrible. Say whatever you want to say and hurry up; don't keep me waiting."

"I'm a gamer," Red Face said, and at the same time, the former guard also said, "I... am the person you are looking for."

"No, I am," Gardenia interrupted, shaking her head.

Why did they all want to claim to be a gamer?

If you follow this thought deeper, you will realize that the answer is actually quite obvious: these three people are all trapped on the basement, unable to leave, afraid of being discovered by the guards, and not even knowing what to do next. They can only endure the situation, and they must be feeling lost and anxious. At this moment, suddenly discovering another group of people who not only understand the situation but also have NPC assistance, it seems very hopeful that they can leave the basement. How could they not quickly find a way to join them?

After all, in the doomsday, helping each other wasn't a virtue everyone possessed. Most help was essentially an exchange of interests. If they couldn't prove they were useful to others, even if someone was willing to lend a helping hand, the person in distress would probably still be suspicious.

Lin Sanjiu looked at the NPC and asked, "Since you know there's a gamer in this place, you must know who it is. So, tell me, who is it?"

She hoped it wasn't Gardenia.

"If I could just tell you the answer directly right now, then I wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of beating around the bush," the NPC said, sitting in the corner. A perplexing smile appeared on his chubby cheeks again. "You must decide for yourselves."

This answer wasn't entirely unexpected for Lin Sanjiu. She crossed her arms and glanced at the three individuals. "Since you are all gamers, you should know the hidden ways to earn points, right? How about each of you tell me separately, and then I'll verify with the NPC? The one who passes the verification will be the gamer."

The three of them looked at each other.

"I can't do that," Red Face said with a sneer as if looking at an ignorant child. "You think I'm stupid?"

"Um... If I tell you now," the former guard said softly, "and you know the method, then I won't be useful anymore, right? Even if I'm forced to tell, I can only tell the NPC."

Gardenia sighed and remained silent.

"Then just let him verify it directly," Lin Sanjiu said with little patience for these evasive tactics, feeling a bit embarrassed. "The one verified by the NPC will be the gamer."

"This... It's not possible now..." the former guard said, lowering his gaze.

"He has listening devices," Red Face said with a skeptical look. "Who knows what you guys have? If you use some means to eavesdrop on me while I'm talking to the NPC, wouldn't it be the same?"

Gardenia shook her head. "There's a saying, 'No rabbits without hawks.' Our relationship is beyond repair now, and I hope you don't blame me for being extra cautious. Until we reach the room filled with points from the deceased players, I, like them, won't say a word."

Lin Sanjiu was about to suggest going to another room and verifying, but she was suddenly stopped by a thought. The attitude of suspicion and extreme caution from the three of them seemed to have inadvertently infected her, making her a bit more suspicious as well. Would it be unsafe to bring all of them to the location of the pocket dimension's engine? The true gamer might genuinely be cautious and want to wait until the last moment to reveal themselves, but those two fake gamers knew deep down that they would be exposed if they did nothing. What they would do when they arrived there was unpredictable.

"We can't bring the fakes along," Bohemia said, having the same idea. Annoyed by the situation, she suggested, "Let Hei Zeji beat them up until they confess, both nonsense and the truth."

She had been holding back the desire to exercise the privilege of being his savior. Just when Lin Sanjiu was thinking this, she saw Hei Zeji suddenly getting up, and she quickly stopped him. "No, sit back down."

"Why not?" Bohemia asked, even more eager than Hei Zeji. "The fakes will confess after being beaten, but the real one won't no matter what!"

"It's not that simple," Lin Sanjiu said.

If she believed that the real one wouldn't admit to lying, then they would just endure until the other two couldn't take it anymore and confessed. The remaining one would naturally be considered the real gamer. All three of them were aware of this, so it would turn into a test of endurance. Who knew if the real gamer could endure the pain? What if the real one was the former guard, who appeared weak and soft? What if he couldn't withstand a few hits?

Furthermore, Lin Sanjiu didn't like torturing people.

"How about this," she proposed after a moment of thought. "Let's solve this in a more civilized way. If all of you claim to be gamers, then you must know things about the Gamers Club and have knowledge about Lava and the hospital. Why don't you each share some of the most convincing information to prove that you are the real gamer? Let me see who the real gamer is."