Chapter 882: Poodle
Chapter 882: Poodle
"Go!"
Before the light could dissipate, Lin Sanjiu grabbed Bohemia's wrist and pulled her straight outwards. In the blink of an eye, they passed by the still-standing girl who hadn't reacted yet and plunged into the darkness of the night that was just a stone's throw away.
"But..." Bohemia's words were cut short as she realized they had already escaped the pocket dimension. Reacting swiftly, she swallowed the rest of her sentence and quickly swung her hand behind her. In an instant, a shimmering silver net spread open in mid-air. Just as it enveloped the backs of the two, sparks of silver light burst out as if electrified.
Amidst the rushing wind as they ran, Lin Sanjiu raised her voice and shouted without looking back, "Try to stop those pocket dimensions!"
"I'm doing my best!" Bohemia followed closely behind, her voice trembling with each jolt of her footsteps. "But what if they keep following us and don't let go?"
Lin Sanjiu wasn't certain either, but she gritted her teeth and ran for a while. She noticed the lights and voices from the distant street drawing closer to them. However, when she glanced back, she saw the silver net in the sky still splattering with flames. It was evident that countless unseen entities were repeatedly crashing into it. Even with just a quick glance, she could tell that the splashes of fire were becoming more frequent, and the silver net itself was shaking violently.
"Lead the pocket dimensions to the busy district!" Bohemia shouted, "There are more people there to block them!"
If the pocket dimensions' objective was to eliminate posthumans, then having more targets would indeed help to distract their attention. However, those posthumans would likely face imminent death without any warning. Lin Sanjiu looked at the brightly lit street ahead for a moment, not responding, and suddenly changed direction like an arrow leaving the bow. They dashed into the desolate darkness of the night without forgetting to pull Bohemia along.
"What are you doing?"
"They won't pursue us indefinitely," Lin Sanjiu shouted as she ran, "After all, they are pocket dimensions. Even if they suddenly became active, there must be limitations! Otherwise, why wouldn't they just walk straight into the bustling district?"
These words seemed to have come out without much thought, but once spoken, Lin Sanjiu felt that she indeed made some sense.
"So, should we just keep running?" Bohemia retorted, her voice shaking from the bumpy footsteps. "My net can't hold on much longer!"
"Hold on a little longer," Lin Sanjiu called out, "I think they won't be able to chase us for much longer!"
"How do you know that?" Bohemia bickered while running, "You're all talk, but why don't you come up with..."
She didn't finish her sentence as Lin Sanjiu slapped her hard on the shoulder, causing her words to turn into a painful cry. Before Bohemia could start swearing, Lin Sanjiu pointed towards the distant night, lowering her voice, "Look!"
Bohemia reached out and grabbed the silver net in the air, stabilizing it with effort. Then she squinted her eyes and looked.
Immediately, she gasped.
"Isn't that the dead person from earlier?" she exclaimed.
Even though his neck had snapped in half, rendering him unable to support his head, the figure continued running forward at high speed. From behind, his drooping head was almost invisible, only showing an empty shoulder. Occasionally, when he accelerated, a faint shadow of the back of his head could be seen swinging.
How did he manage to survive after breaking his neck?
"Keep up with him!" this time, both Bohemia and Lin Sanjiu came to the same conclusion.
The man seemed to know exactly where he was heading, not hesitating for a moment as he maneuvered through the darkness. If it weren't for the agility and vigilance of the two, they might have lost sight of him several times.
As Lin Sanjiu had guessed, the pocket dimensions gradually fell behind. For some reason, their range of movement and speed remained limited. Perhaps it was thanks to this limitation that the world of Verdance hadn't been overrun by rampant pocket dimensions.
There was undoubtedly a connection between this event and the Great Deluge, but Lin Sanjiu couldn't extract from the pocket dimensions why they needed to eliminate posthumans. What was the link between the two?
"It seems like he hasn't noticed that we're following him," Bohemia whispered as she put away the silver net. For several minutes now, she hadn't uttered a single sound while running. If Lin Sanjiu didn't turn back, she could hardly tell that there was another person beside her.
Lin Sanjiu brought her thoughts back and nodded silently.
The man never turned to look back—not because he hadn't noticed being pursued but because he couldn't turn his head. Nevertheless, his pace remained unchanged, as if he were completely oblivious to what was happening behind him.
"He doesn't seem to get tired," Bohemia complained, her voice slightly breathless. "How long have we been running..."
Running with a broken neck, and not getting tired even after running for so long...
The thought suddenly jolted Lin Sanjiu, electrifying her entire body. She accelerated her pace abruptly and urgently shouted, "Let's get closer!"
"What... what's going on? Why?"
"I'm asking you, did you get a clear look at his appearance when he followed me into the medical station?"
"Don't ask stupid questions. It was so dark, how could I see clearly?"
Lin Sanjiu pursed her lips, not in the mood to argue with her at the moment, and continued to chase after the man without stopping. The night wind whistled past their ears, cheeks, and hair, chilling their skin. Even when they closed half the distance, the man didn't accelerate or turn back. Instead, after rushing into a deserted street, his figure flickered and disappeared into a partially abandoned building.
The two of them involuntarily stopped in their tracks and glanced at each other.
"I want to follow him," Lin Sanjiu hesitated for half a second and averted her gaze. "There might be danger inside, so if you're willing, you... you should go back to Exodus first."
Bohemia paused for a moment, blinking her golden-brown eyes, and pondered for a while. "...What danger?"
"I can't be sure."
"Why are you suddenly so kind?"
"...Are you going or not?"
"Can I even get in?"
"Have you forgotten? Didn't you insist on registering me as a 'VIP' in the system?"
"Oh..." Bohemia twirled a strand of her long hair with her finger. "Then I'll go."
"Good."
"But you better not die. You still owe me a big debt."
"...I know."
"And the fries."
Lin Sanjiu couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and walked away. If she delayed any longer, it would be too ironic if that dead man slipped away from behind the building. However, after a few steps, she turned back and saw Bohemia's shadow still standing in place, stretching her neck and staring at her like a mole.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
"I want to see what the danger is. You're too suspicious, always wanting me to leave!"
That's what it meant to have good intentions misunderstood.
Lin Sanjiu sighed and reluctantly revealed a few sentences of the truth to her, "To be honest, I think I might know what that dead person was all about. If it's really what I think, it won't be safe for you to stay here..."
After thinking for a while, Bohemia finally nodded reluctantly, turned around, and quickly disappeared in the direction of Exodus. Lin Sanjiu breathed a sigh of relief, stood still in place, and listened carefully to the sounds inside and outside the dilapidated building. The street that had been reduced to ruins seemed dead, without any signs of life.
Just as she quietly approached the building, suddenly, a series of footsteps reverberated through the night, rapidly approaching her from far to near. Lin Sanjiu's whole body tensed up, and without turning back, she leaped quickly towards the entrance of the building, narrowly avoiding the figure rushing towards her.
"Why are you hiding from me!" Bohemia's voice immediately rang out, tinged with a bit of a nasal tone, as if she had just bumped into something. Startled, Lin Sanjiu was about to ask how she had returned, but Bohemia preemptively answered the unspoken question, "There are people lying in ambush outside. We're surrounded everywhere!"
"Ambush?" Lin Sanjiu immediately went into a state of pure touch. "How is that possible? There was nothing when we came."
"If they hadn't suddenly attacked me, I wouldn't have noticed either!" Bohemia
was even more anxious than her, glancing back and forth. She didn't finish her sentence, "Now... now I don't know where those people have gone. They were here just now!"
"They showed up just to scare you away? Weren't you already reluctant to leave?"
"Why do you always talk with that annoying tone?"
The two women glared at each other for a moment. Lin Sanjiu was the first to give in, "I understand. Just come with me... But you have to be careful."
"Nonsense, I don't need you to tell me that."
Sighing, Lin Sanjiu summoned her Skill "Adaptation to Circumstances" and carefully pushed open the half-door. The cool air, mixed with the smell of dust, rushed out from the darkness, almost causing them to cough. They covered their mouths and noses and summoned two Glowfish, slowly moving deeper into the darkness in their dim glow.
This place seemed to have been a church, with greenish-gray floor tiles. Even though it was half-destroyed, amidst the darkness, one could still faintly sense its grandeur and solemnity. Stepping over the dusty broken cross, Lin Sanjiu walked into the hall of the church first. Everything was engulfed in darkness that the light couldn't penetrate, yet she could clearly feel eyes watching her.
Then, a low, cold breath sounded. Just that single breath felt like icy water had soaked through her clothes, sending a chilling sensation throughout her body.