Chapter 327: Missed Him by That Much
Translator: Pluto Editor: Vermillion
Slap. Slap. Those consecutive sounds were the most unsettling sounds Lin Sanjiu had ever heard in her life. She was filled with such dread that she could feel her stomach churning. If she wanted, she could vomit on command. The mixture of nervousness, anger, and helplessness had vanished without a trace. Her face was pale and covered with cold sweat.
Even though Santa Claus was sitting on a chair, he was so huge that he was like a small mountain. His white beard had been dyed pink due to the bits of blood in it. It shifted upward as if he was smiling. As he raised his hand and hit his own thighs, that slapping sound rang out again.
"Come, sit here and make a wish." When Santa Claus smiled, his hook-like eyes arched so much that it was mind-numbingly creepy. The gaping hole behind his beard was faintly discernable, "Hoho. Quick."
Lin Sanjiu stored her [Female Slave Bondage Rope] while in a half-numbed state. She stopped Soulsqn from following her and walked over to Santa Claus with her rigid body.
She had to thank herself for making the right choices for how the next situation unfolded…
—
Ten minutes ago, when Santa Claus slowly turned his head, Lin Sanjiu had come to a decision despite her dismay. After she witnessed the first three posthumans turning into blood mush in front of her eyes and thinking about what they had said, she decided to choose a different route. She decided to be honest with Santa Claus and told him everything about the grudge Puppeteer had against her. She also added how he tried to ambush her at Progressor Alliance and how she escaped from him...
It takes a genius to figure out the connection between Santa Claus and Puppeteer and what had happened between them. As she gave her account, Lin Sanjiu could not feel any part of her body except her vocal cords. Her eyes were fixed on Santa Claus' body. She was afraid that she would miss any sudden movements and end up dead without even an intact corpse. After she finished her account of what had happened, Lin Sanjiu's body was soaked with cold sweat. Even her eyes ached a little.
Thankfully, Santa Claus seemed extremely pleased with her "story". He finally decided that he would give her a present.
"Your present is different from the other stinky chaps," his husky voice drifted into her ears lightly. "If you are even more obedient, I will give you something more than your life. Hohoho."
The moment Lin Sanjiu processed that she had survived, she felt a numb sensation throughout her whole body.
"What do you want me to do?" No matter how scared she was, even if she risked getting killed, Lin Sanjiu couldn't force her to add a "Sir" behind her sentence when addressing Santa Claus.
Fortunately, Santa Claus didn't seem to detect that small hint of disrespect, as he continued smiling. He waited for her to walk over to him before replying, "Once you've made your wish, you will know..."
He did not say another word. However, the subtle meaning of his words immediately gave Lin Sanjiu goosebumps. If she didn't make a wish, logically, she wouldn't get her "present". The consequence of not getting a present was clearly the slippery floor she was standing on.
"There is no opening… I have no chance to attack… There is no way I can win."
When Lin Sanjiu finally sat on Santa Claus' knee, she was trembling. She wished she could just tear off the part of her skin that was in contact with his knee. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down but it was useless.
Lin Sanjiu could not differentiate between her fear and disgust. Every muscle on her body was so tensed that they couldn't get any harder. She did this as if it reduced the contact between her body and his to the minimum. The smell of Santa Claus' new clothes, a rotting stench and the metallic smell of fresh blood overwhelmed her.
The knee she was sitting on was icy cold, and she didn't feel even a hint of warmth.
"Tell me, will you listen to Santa Claus and be a good kid?" Santa Claus asked with a saccharine, cloying tone.
"I…" Lin Sanjiu was willing to give up all her Special Items just to exchange for a chance to see how the other Growth-types were now. Unfortunately, when the man's white, curly beard lowered, she knew she could not hesitate, "I... will."
The next second, she felt her abdominal muscles tighten as if something had been injected into them. This was immediately followed by a deafening burst of laughter. Santa Claus convulsed so much with his laughter that Lin Sanjiu fell off his knee.
Lin Sanjiu's ears hurt after hearing his thunderous laughter. She was clueless about what she had actually promised the man. She climbed up from the floor with her weak legs and looked up. Honeysuckle was not far from her. He stared blankly at her. Lin Sanjiu could not tell what was going on in his mind.
"That's great! You're not only a Growth-type but you hold a grudge against that play doll…" Santa Claus withdrew his gaze from Lin Sanjiu and stood up, "That's great! Hoho. Now, I have to find where that play doll is hiding, so I need you to come along with me to another place..."
As the last word in his sentence reverberated through the hall, Lin Sanjiu finally understood what that "wish" meant. Actually, the answer to that had been very obvious. She didn't know why she didn't realize that earlier. Before one could "be a good kid", they had to "listen to Santa Claus".
It was difficult to describe the sensation Lin Sanjiu was feeling at that moment. Just like how people instinctively know that they have to eat when they are hungry and sleep when they are tired, every single cell in Lin Sanjiu was telling her that she needed to follow Santa Claus to that place, otherwise...
She realized that the spot in her lower abdomen which tightened just now marked the division between the splattered upper body and the intact lower body of those posthumans who were killed by Santa Claus.
Lin Sanjiu did not dare tarry. She quickly followed the green figure walking ahead. "W-Wait! Wait!" Being too anxious, Lin Sanjiu accidentally called out. Sure enough, Santa Claus turned his head. Lin Sanjiu quivered as she tried not to tremble, and tried her best not to think if what she wanted was considered disobedience, "Well, can my friend... follow me?"
Naturally, she was referring to Soulsqn.
With Soulsqn with her, at least, she had an additional assurance. If she noticed any opportunity, she could definitely use Soulsqn's help to escape. However, she wondered if Santa Claus would just allow her to blatantly bring along a helper.
Unexpectedly, the tall, stout old man did not seem to mind.
No. To be more accurate, not only did he not seem to mind, for some reason, he seemed to welcome that idea.
"Hoho. Not bad. Of course, you can." After he took a few steps, he turned back and eyed both Soulsqn and Honeysuckle, "Which one?"
Lin Sanjiu didn't even look once at Honeysuckle, she raised her hand pointed at Soulsqn, "Her. Out of pure coincidence, I picked up that one here. He's useless."
Since he had already taken Honeysuckle's red crystals, she decided to help him and give him a chance to escape.
Soulsqn looked at Santa Claus. Through her human suit, Lin Sanjiu couldn't tell what was her true expression. She carefully moved away from Santa Claus and approached Lin Sanjiu.
Santa Claus narrowed his eyes and stared at Soulsqn's back before he slowly turned his head back.
Honeysuckle only dared to move timidly after the sound of footsteps faded far away from the main hall. He looked up. The hall of Mokugyo Encyclopedic Forum was still brightly lit with white fluorescent lights. The screens were still bright. The messages and announcements were still rolling through the screens. Without the sound of a single human voice, the Encyclopedic Forum seemed like a totally different place.
The spot where Santa Claus had been standing was now empty. He had already left with Lin Sanjiu and Soulsqn. The only proof that he was here was the floor littered with bits of flesh.
When Honeysuckle took his first step, he felt his blood suddenly moving again. To him, it was as if his blood had been frozen solid during the past half an hour.
"Damn, how can I be so unlucky," he mumbled to himself as he stumbled toward the entrance. "Santa Claus had not appeared in such a long time, I thought he was just an urban legend…"
As he approached the exit, he felt his courage slowly returning. When he felt the sun rays on his body, Honeysuckle squinted. He thought he heard someone outside suddenly exclaiming, "Someone came out!"
As one of the most important places in Red Nautilus, the survivors had already spread new about the incident at Mokugyo Encyclopedic Forum throughout Free District.
"He left. There is no one else inside." After he said that to the people waiting outside, Honeysuckle felt that he didn't have the mood to answer any more of their questions. He slipped into an alley, trying to mind his own business.
He needed to earn a little money and then have a good rest.
Perhaps, he was feeling a little dizzy. Honeysuckle felt that his body was a little slower than usual. In a moment of distraction, he bumped into a shadow when he was making a turn. He staggered before finally regaining his stability. Honeysuckle looked up and his face froze for a second. His attitude changed immediately.
"Hello, sir." He wiped the sweat on his forehead hoping to look a little more presentable to the party in front of him. "Hello, sir. I truly apologize. I didn't watch where I was going…"
"It is alright. Don't worry," the other party forgave him magnanimously. "Since we meet so coincidentally, I have some questions to ask you. I need your guidance."
"No, you're being too polite, sir. Just go ahead and ask away!"
"This is my first time visiting. There are many things I don't know about this place. If I would like to get some information, where should I go?"
"Ah, you've come to the right person, sir. Usually, we would go to Mokugyo Encyclopedic Forum to search for information. You can find all sorts of information there… But, I would advise you not to go there now…"
"Why?"
"A very dangerous person was there just now. Some people died. The floor was covered in blood… It must be chaotic now," Honeysuckle replied looking a little worried.
"Oh. I don't mind," the owner of that voice spoke gently. The way his whiskers twitched and the way he occasionally licked his paws just looked so very well-mannered and elegant. "Afterall… for some reason, you humans just find it hard to reject my requests."
A sparkling glint flashed within the little cat's large emerald eyes.