Doomsday Wonderland

Chapter 1476: Nine out of Ten Gamblers Lose, Going Broke is Worse than Being a Pig

Lily was frantically running back.

When Lin Sanjiu's voice echoed, she immediately sensed trouble. While she was searching for clients in corridor after corridor, the game had already entered its second hour—both Lin Sanjiu and Qian Dao had clients now. They had each earned ninety dollars. With the money they had left from earlier, they essentially had the upper hand in the game.

There was only one level-four defense employee in her office. Even if she ran her lungs out, she had to return before Lin Sanjiu arrived because she couldn't afford to lose this game.

Half of her life had been spent in a small human revival zone in the western part of Red Nautilus. She didn't know how ordinary people in a normal society defined happiness, disappointment, or ups and downs. As far as she knew, there were only two states: immense relief when she got her visa and long, restless nights filled with anxiety before obtaining that visa.

Lily was different from the posthumans who had experienced the world's extinction firsthand—those people often felt that every extra day they lived was a bonus; the longer they survived, the more relaxed they became. However, every day she lived felt stolen, with a growing sense of guilt, as she was one day closer to being discovered and having her life cut short.

Since she was randomly teleported to this world, Lily's subconscious knew that her stolen days might be taken back. What made her most anxious wasn't this fact, as no one in the Twelve Worlds ever expected to live out their full two or three hundred years. What she truly dreaded was the unknown—she didn't know after which step she'd be gone.

Now, she felt as if this game had started a "Countdown for Lily."

No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't find a way out of her current predicament.

Lin Sanjiu's office likely didn't have a single defense employee; this was evident if one thought deeply.

Given her advantages, hiring defense employees was a waste of money. Lin Sanjiu could use all her money to hire two attack employees, boldly leave, and let Lily divert to attack her office, trying to capture her company's headquarters. But so what?

When Lin Sanjiu's three attack points reach Lily's office, they negate her one defense point, leaving two attack points. Lin Sanjiu could leisurely return to her office later, face Lily's one defense point, recapture her office, and then, Lily would be bankrupt.

The only way to hold on for a little longer and drag out the game was to rush back to her office and counteract Lin Sanjiu's two attacking employees. After reclaiming her office, Lily would race to Lin Sanjiu's office at full speed. By then, Lin Sanjiu would surely not let her pass. Since Lin Sanjiu was faster, she would undoubtedly reach Lin Sanjiu's Company first and block her attack.

As long as Lily could lure her over there, she could quickly return to her office and reclaim it. As for the fact that she had no employees, no clients, no money, and even no opportunity to go out and find clients, she had no idea how to proceed. Once Lin Sanjiu collected income from the third hour, Lily would be on the losing end.

And then she'd face the punishment.

As she was about to turn a corner, Lily took a deep breath—she was mentally prepared to face Lin Sanjiu. However, to her surprise, no one was at the door; Lin Sanjiu hadn't arrived yet.

Wasn't she supposed to be very fast?

Part of Lily's heart was lifted, and part of it sank. For a moment, she didn't know how to feel. She quickly pushed the door open and, before closing it, peeked outside. At that glance, she saw a figure slowly emerging from the depths of the corridor on the opposite side.

"Hey, you're here." Lin Sanjiu waved at her, looking infuriatingly smug.

Lily couldn't be bothered to look at her any longer and scanned behind her. There was no one behind Lin Sanjiu, let alone a level-five employee.

"What are you here for?"

"Take a guess."

Lily's knuckles turned white as she gripped the door handle. She genuinely disliked Lin Sanjiu, not because she had the upper hand or was stronger. Lin Sanjiu had this aura that made it seem as if she knew her purpose in life and what she was living for. What nonsense. In such a world, who could live meaningfully and with hope? She couldn't, despite being a resident of Twelve Worlds. Why could Lin Sanjiu?

"I know you have a defense employee in your office. If I bring my attacking employees to capture your office now, with a 3-to-2 advantage, I'd surely win. But if you then rush to my office, I'd have to race back too... I can't defend both ends. In the end, you'd still reclaim your office, and wouldn't I have wasted two attacking employees?"

She had thought of that, too.

Suppressing her emotions, Lily asked, "So, what do you propose?"

"I have no intention of wasting money," Lin Sanjiu patiently explained. "So, I've discussed with Qian Dao, and we plan to play the long game. First, I'll attack one of your employees—"

She said the word "attack" so naturally that it was almost as if that was the name of the employee itself. Lily was taken aback, and before she could react, the defense employee in her room was gone.

"You..." She knew this was inevitable, but she couldn't help but feel anger. Anger was more dignified than fear or panic.

"The moment you step out of this door, I'll capture your office. If you stay, without clients, you'll starve. Either way, your game ends here." Lin Sanjiu shrugged. "I can't defend two offices alone. So, the moment I capture yours, I'll immediately terminate its lease."

Lily, who had been preparing to negotiate, suddenly forgot what she wanted to say.

"Terminate... the lease?"

"Well, where there's leasing, there's terminating," Lin Sanjiu said, glancing at her in surprise. "Didn't you think of it? Unless one doesn't have an office, capturing an enemy's office doesn't offer much advantage. You're still an attacking force, and if you keep attacking from outside, how many defense employees would I need? If I can't defend it, then the best strategy is to cut off the enemy's power. Of course, I should immediately terminate the lease."

She concluded, "Spending even a dollar for an office you'll eventually have to give up isn't worth it."

So, she didn't bring a level-five employee?

This meant that Lin Sanjiu must have at least one level-four defense employee in her office, allowing her to ambush Lily outside. Lily bit her lip, her mind in chaos. It felt like she was trapped in a human chess game, searching for an exit in every corner but finding none.

"I'm going to take a short walk. Don't worry, I won't go far," Lin Sanjiu said leisurely as she turned around. "I can also look for some clients along the way. Just to let you know, I found my clients near your place. I think the feng shui there is good."

Lily watched her disappear down the corridor. If Lin Sanjiu wanted, she could move without making a sound. But now, every step she took was like a declaration of dominion, clear and unmistakable, meant for Lily to hear.

She intended to trap Lily inside the office, didn't she? It was an obvious tactic. However, as Lily was about to open the door, she hesitated.

She didn't have a stopwatch. If she went out to look for clients now, she couldn't guarantee she'd be back within five minutes – and in five minutes, Lin Sanjiu could launch another attack. If she was even slightly delayed, her office would be taken over. Moreover, she couldn't go far, and the chances of finding clients nearby were slim. Why take the risk?

"I don't believe you can stay here forever," Lily called out through the door crack. "Besides, you have at most one defense in your office, right? Can you really trust Qian Dao?"

There was no response from Lin Sanjiu in the corridor.

Cursing under her breath, Lily slid down the door, glaring at the idle level-one employee in her office. The safest approach for now was to stay inside. After paying the salary, she had only ten dollars left, enough to last just under two hours. Lin Sanjiu couldn't possibly stay away that long, could she?

She sat on the floor, deep in thought, growing increasingly frustrated. Was there a way to find clients without leaving the room?

Lily's eyes circled the room and slowly rose to the ceiling. The note tied to the ventilator fan fluttered slightly due to the incoming air.

'If I could remain silent inside...'

Lily carefully climbed onto the table and slowly dismantled the ventilator fan. It was completely silent outside, indicating Lin Sanjiu had gone far away. Supporting herself, Lily crawled into the ventilation duct, inching forward on her arms and knees.

Afraid of getting lost in the maze-like ducts, she formed a chain using Higher Consciousness, anchoring one end at the entrance and holding the other in her hand. Unsure of which way to go, she followed the light, moving towards brighter spots. After crawling silently for a while, a dizzy Lily finally reached the first vent.

Holding her breath, she peered down and was slightly startled. Coincidentally, the woman in the corridor below was Lin Sanjiu. As expected, she hadn't gone far but was lingering near Lily's office, probably waiting for an opportunity to take it over. What Lin Sanjiu didn't know was that Lily had already escaped right above her.

Daring not to make a sound, Lily covered her mouth and nose. To avoid letting Lin Sanjiu feel watched, she even averted her gaze, only stealing glances from the corner of her eyes. After a while, Lin Sanjiu walked down the corridor to the left.

Lily finally exhaled. It seemed there wouldn't be any clients nearby, and if there were, Lin Sanjiu would have already taken them by now. Before she could even complete her thought, she saw a figure slowly emerging from the other end of the corridor.

A client? Had they just narrowly missed Lin Sanjiu?

Lily couldn't believe her luck. She quickly fumbled around the vent, gripping its edge and gradually prying it open. Before jumping down, she took another look at the figure that was now directly beneath her.

Qian Dao seemed like a weightless, formless shadow. When he took a step, not even the air stirred around him. Even when staring directly at him, Lily felt that if she blinked, she might lose sight of him – as if Qian Dao was smeared in oil, causing gazes to slide right off him.

On his back, he carried an emotionless level-five attack employee, silently following the direction Lin Sanjiu had taken, and soon disappeared deep into the corridor.

Lin Sanjiu seemed completely unaware that she was about to meet the same fate as Whit E.