Doomsday Wonderland

“Are you ready?” asked Puppeteer.

Lin Sanjiu let out a breath, and as she wanted to nod, she suddenly realized something—she did not have a head! As such, she said, “I’m ready.”

Hardly after her voice faded away, Lin Sanjiu felt a strong force slap her back. The next thing she knew, she had already fallen off the shelf. It occurred to her that Puppeteer had used a Special Item that had power so great that she wondered whether he was seizing this opportunity to get back at her for pulling him into this mess.

Before she could complain to Puppeteer for hitting her too hard, the floor became within her reach. A second before she crashed, Lin Sanjiu released her Higher Consciousness, shaping it into a dome-shaped defensive barrier below her to act as a repulsive force to push herself off the course, and landed on the lowest shelf.

She pounced onto another packet of snacks, releasing a light rustle in the air.

Breathless with fear, Lin Sanjiu waited in silence for a moment. Her heart spurred into a gallop, only slowing down when she did not see the appearance of the potato chip man.

Turning a deaf ear to Puppeteer’s urging, Lin Sanjiu waited for a few more seconds before inching herself towards the edge of the shelf and dropping on the floor.

The packet of chicken onion-flavored potato chips lay flat on the floor, sliding forward until she had the entire shelf of snacks under her sight. Then, Puppeteer’s voice came, “Alright, stop it right there.”

Lying on the floor, Lin Sanjiu raised her eyes, trying to see what flavor of chips Puppeteer had turned into, but to no avail. A price tag blocked the spot where the flavor was printed on, so she could not see it from her angle.

“Stop farting around and do your job properly,” Puppeteer raised his voice, “Roll your damned eyes around. I want to see every corner of the shelf!”

Every time Puppeteer recruited a puppet, he would inherit all of the puppet’s properties. Using such a method, Puppeteer was one of the few wealthiest people in terms of Special Items that Lin Sanjiu had ever met. The Spirit of Film Crew, for example, which he had planted on her, was one impressive specimen.

[Spirit of Film Crew]

The end of the world is here. All of the investors are dead, and if you want to make a movie at the lowest cost possible, then this item is the answer for you. It replaces and integrates the roles of the cameraman, the sound engineer, the shooting equipment and audio recorder, and lighting, to name a few. In other words, with this item in your possession, the only two roles you’ll need are the director and the actor.

This item is capable of full HD shooting based on the environment and the direction. Seamless switching of shooting angle is possible. Every angle, including the visual angle of the actor, will be recorded and simultaneously projected to the director.

This item comes with a two-way microphone. Not only can it record the actor’s lines and transmit them to the director, but the director can also use the microphone to give commands and instructions. In order not to interrupt the shooting process, all of the director’s demands are directly transmitted into the actor’s ears.

The next step of our company is to develop an item that could substitute actors, so stay tuned!

Puppeteer had indeed done justice to the functionality of this Special Item by using it to track Lin Sanjiu.

Lin Sanjiu started scanning from the top layer of the shelf.

Everything she saw was concomitantly transmitted back to Puppeteer. Even if there were some unclear spots, Puppeteer could magnify it during the editing process. Of course, it went without saying that he would not tell Lin Sanjiu what flavor he was.

“When did you put this thing on me?” As Lin Sanjiu continued to scan downward, she asked, “Have you been monitoring me all along?”

Sneering, Puppeteer responded coldly and sarcastically, “I only took a peek once in a while. Looking at you makes me sick.”

Lin Sanjiu had no idea why, but she did feel a little relieved to hear the reply from Puppeteer. ‘Why does he despise a good person so much?’ The question popped up in her mind. ‘Well, I guess it’s not bad to be hated by him. At the very least, that makes me a good person.’

Both of them did not talk afterward. Lin Sanjiu continued to scan down the entire shelf meticulously because she did not wish to let any corner or any small packet of snacks slip past her eyes. After that, she confirmed again with Puppeteer, “Have you recorded down every item?”

“You’re telling me.”

The next step would be going back to the shelf, but Lin Sanjiu could not do it without any help. Even though she could utilize the Higher Consciousness to push her back to the lowest level, she still needed somebody to pull her up.

“Can you step on it?” She prompted, “By the way, how are you going to get me up there?”

Lin Sanjiu’s nagging made Puppeteer’s hackles rise. Unlike Lin Sanjiu, who could keep her Special Items in card form, Puppeteer could only store his vast array of Special Items on his body. He had difficulty getting about ever since he had turned into a packet of chips, so he needed more time to get something out. “Shut up and wait!”

Since they were both chips now, Puppeteer was not as menacing as he was before.

Just as Lin Sanjiu wanted to urge him again, she realized she had been muted once more. Puppeteer had unilaterally shut down the Soul of Film Crew. Hence, he would not receive any messages she sent to him.

Since she had nothing else to do, Lin Sanjiu waited and studied a price tag on the shelf to pass the time.

It was a piece of white paper with black font in a plastic holder. The number “6.5” was written on it in italic font, and beside the figure was a currency unit, which resembled a blade, that Lin Sanjiu had never seen before.

Time passed by like a snail, and she had no idea how long had she been staring at the price tag. The number suddenly dimmed down as if it was obscured by a shadow.

Stunned, Lin Sanjiu turned her eyes around until she saw a familiar face hiding behind the shelf.

On the brown, rough, and uneven face, its lopsided glassy eyes stared straight at her, a packet of chips on the floor. Lin Sanjiu could see the hunger in its eyes.

For a few seconds, neither of them moved as they continued to stare each other down. The potato chip man usually created a lot of noises when he was walking, but this time, he had arrived here in total silence. It sent a cold sensation down Lin Sanjiu’s spine—well, technically she still had one—when she realized that he might have been standing there and observing her for a long time.

‘Damn it!’

As the potato chip man came out of hiding and strode toward her, Lin Sanjiu sent a gush of Higher Consciousness out. It hit the shelf with a loud jarring noise that reverberated down the entire lane. However, when she looked up, she could only see the vague outline of rows of neatly arranged packets of chips sitting quietly on top of the shelves. There was no sound and movement. Even the slightest rustle that came from Puppeteer’s direction was gone as well. It was as if he deliberately quieted himself down so that he would not attract the potato chip man’s attention.

Thud. The potato chip man landed his second step. Right now, he was only three steps away from Lin Sanjiu.

Lin Sanjiu had been trying to call Puppeteer via the Soul of Film Crew, but she could not make any sound. The potato chip man was getting closer, yet she did not sense any response from Puppeteer. Fraught by anxiety, a dark and chilling conjecture was slowly taking shape in her heart. Puppeteer had always been at odds with her, so why would he save her now?

According to the plan, they first needed a scanning photo of the shelf at this side, which Lin Sanjiu had already done and sent to Puppeteer, who now had the scanning photo. To leave this side of the shelf, they needed his Special Item.

‘Can those Veda codes and create anything they want?’ The sentence that Puppeteer had said before crossed Lin Sanjiu’s mind.

‘If Puppeteer could get the Veda to grant his wish, does that mean that he doesn’t need me to lead him to the grand prize anymore?’

The moment the thought flitted across her mind, the potato chip man had already arrived in front of her, its enormous shadow looming over her tiny body. Even without looking up, Lin Sanjiu knew that Puppeteer did not make any move. It was as if he had merged himself along with the other packets of potato chips on the shelf.

‘I shouldn’t have let down my guard!’

Lin Sanjiu was desperate and bristling with self-condemnation. Nonetheless, she pushed those feelings aside and began to speculate a way to turn the tables around. Time was of the essence, and she could hear rustling as the potato chip man bent over. In desperation, she repeated the same thing she had earlier and hit the shelf with Higher Consciousness, albeit with a tad stronger force. Coupled with her airy body, Lin Sanjiu pushed herself far away in the opposite direction.

Perhaps the potato chip man had never seen a sentient packet of chips. He wondered, “Eh?” To Lin Sanjiu’s dismay, the speed gained from the propulsion force was not strong enough to get her out of the reach of the potato chip man’s arm. Before she could send out another gush of Higher Consciousness forward, he slapped his hand on her, pinning her firmly on the ground.

The brown face of the potato chip man became abnormally large in her vision.

As it tightened its fingers, Lin Sanjiu felt her body become lighter, and her vision gradually rose as she was picked up from the floor.

Her heart had turned to become as minuscule as a needlepoint that stood wobbly on a bowstring as the distance with the toasted, large, flat face grew shorter. She could not hear a thing now. The potato chip man lifted his hand, pinching at the jagged edge as he tried to open the “soiled” potato chips.

In Lin Sanjiu’s current condition, the jagged edge was her head. An excruciating pain spread out from her scalp instantly, ravaging through each cell. Every part of her body screamed in pain, but she could not utter any sound. Since the situation had developed to this state, Lin Sanjiu could not care less about hiding her strength any longer. She unleashed her Higher Consciousness at the maximum to parry against the power from the two giant hands.

As the searing pain continued tormenting Lin Sanjiu, she heard the potato chip man wonder out loud again. “The packaging of these potato chips is pretty sturdy.”

He let go of the jagged edge, grabbed the front part of the package and the seal in the rear end, and pulled. For a moment, Lin Sanjiu’s ears were filled with the rattling of her bones. Even with the help of the Defense Forcefield, it was difficult to stop this bone-deep pain from assaulting her. It was as if somebody was holding a knife and stabbing her head repeatedly.

‘I can’t keep it up like this forever! I have to force my way out of this!’ Lin Sanjiu tried to ignore the tormenting pain and split her Higher Consciousness to hit the potato chip man’s wrist. However, the force tearing her skull was too large. The moment she made a move, Mrs. Manas shouted, “No! It’s too dangerous!”

She could not use the Higher Consciousness. Then, she had to bet on a hope that was not really solid.

Her limbs were gone, so she couldn’t use the Special Items she stored in her cards, but she still had the Pygmalion Choker around her neck.

Everything was ready, except for what was crucial. Right now, she only needed Puppeteer to describe an ability to her, then she could take her heels from this predicament. The problem was Lin Sanjiu had no way to tell him, as Puppeteer had unilaterally shut down the Soul of Film Crew.

‘Is this the end of me?’ 

Despair began to set in. She shouted and shouted, hoping that she could reach Puppeteer. In the end, Lin Sanjiu could barely distinguish if she was actually crying or if it was a mere thought in her brain.

The only thing that seemed real to Lin Sanjiu now was the large and bumpy brown face of the potato chip man in front of her. He queried, “Why won’t it open? The packaging is so…”

Before he could finish his sentence with the word “sturdy” again, something pierced through the rear of his head, leaving a hole in his mouth.

A small shadow disappeared into the air as soon as it hit its target. Yellow debris showered Lin Sanjiu from head to toes. As she was comprehending what had transpired, the big guy let go of her and fell to the floor, screaming.

“You’re pretty tenacious,” Puppeteer’s voice rang out again.

“What’s that?” Huffing heavily, Lin Sanjiu still could not believe that she had escaped death by the width of a hair.

“I very much doubt that you ever use your brain. Or is it just a display inside your head? Have you forgotten that I’d thrown something inside earlier on? It didn’t hit the arm that dragged us in, so it was still here, but I had to use your vision to get a shot.”

‘Is he explaining to me?’

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Lin Sanjiu heard Puppeteer sigh, “Though I have killed him, the bad thing is that you survived.”

“Less of your nonsense. Chop-chop and pull me up!”

It was apparent that Puppeteer was disgruntled that Lin Sanjiu had survived. However, as a man true to his word, he did honor his promise and reluctantly let a rope down. It was a conscious rope with a polite demeanor. It greeted Lin Sanjiu first before coiling itself around Lin Sanjiu’s body. It began talking with her as it pulled her all the way up to the shelf of its master’s location.

When they were close to their destination, the rope ended their conversation in a refined and courteous manner. “My master will put me away once we reach up there, so let’s talk another day. Oh yeah, there are two things I haven’t told you.”

“What?” Lin Sanjiu was wrapped by the rope tightly, moving up slowly like an elevator.

“The first thing is that the seal on your bag is a bit loose.” The rope nodded to Lin Sanjiu. “Another thing is that the potato chip man is up. He’s standing behind you now.”

Shocked, Lin Sanjiu raised her eyes to see Puppeteer dangling at the edge of the shelf. He, too, had realized the potato chip man had gotten back to his feet. He roared, not to Lin Sanjiu but the rope, “Hurry up!”

However, the rope paid no heed to Puppeteer. Even though the potato chip man was coming for them, the rope was not deterred and continued to go up in a lax manner. In the next minute, both Lin Sanjiu and the rope were caught in the potato chip man’s hand.

“Describe to me an ability that can kill it! Quickly!” Lin Sanjiu yelled desperately. It was a good thing that Puppeteer had not closed the Spirit of Film Crew this time. When she heard a description of an ability, the Pygmalion Choker glowed. Then, in the next second, the potato chip man’s leg crippled and he fell to the floor. He crushed a part of his shoulder and released Lin Sanjiu.

Seizing the chance, the rope finally sent her back to the shelf. As the potato chip man stood up again, Puppeteer yelled, “Here it comes!” In the next second, a plier-like thing grabbed them and pulled them into the depths of the shelf.

When she opened her eyes, both Puppeteer and she were already on the other side of the shelf. A snow-white goose loosened its beak and jumped down from the shelf.

Both of them were saved now, but Lin Sanjiu did not feel happy at all. Her stomach was churning.

“Why did you give me a description of eating potato chips?” she asked in a throaty voice. Right now, she felt her stomach was filled with potato chips.