Monster - Chapter 119
Chapter 119: The Universal Game Machine
Lin Sandie struggled to carry Lou to the back seat of the car, laying her down flat. Lou was delirious from excessive blood loss, mumbling incoherently with her forehead drenched in cold sweat.
She reached out and touched Lou's forehead. Although Lou's physical resilience was impressive enough to make Lin Sandie look at her in a new light, she still couldn't help but worry.
"Lou," Lin Sandie gently patted Lou's cheek. The latter whimpered slightly and immediately grabbed Lin Sandie's wrist. As if sensing something, she held it with both hands, pressing it against her lips and sniffing deeply.
"The scent of Lin Sandie~"
"What's your blood type?" Lin Sandie didn't know that Lou had given her a blood transfusion before. Seeing her heavy blood loss now, she wanted to find out her blood type so she could buy blood bags from the points mall to give her one.
"Same as Lin Sandie's."
"Really?" Seeing Lou answer so decisively, Lin Sandie was a little skeptical. She didn't understand how Lou would know her blood type and assumed she was just answering randomly due to the blood loss.
"Mmm~"
"How do you know?" Lin Sandie opened the points mall, intending to buy blood bags of her own blood type, but Lou's next words stopped her in her tracks.
"When you came out of the Salai Building, I gave you a blood transfusion in the ambulance~"
One of Lin Sandie's hands was held and nuzzled by Lou. She took the opportunity to stroke the other woman's soft, cold earlobe. Instead of buying blood bags, she just purchased some transfusion equipment.
"Then I'll give you my blood now, too."
"Lin Sandie, you're so romantic~"
"This is to save you. What's romantic about it?" Lin Sandie said, amused. After connecting the transfusion tube, she also sat in the back seat, letting Lou rest her head on her lap.
"Lin Sandie, you're so good to me." Lou turned her face inward, nuzzling against Lin Sandie's stomach.
"Get some rest." Lin Sandie smoothed Lou's hair.
"Can you sing, Lin Sandie?"
"I'm tired. I don't want to sing."
Lou didn't mind and began to hum herself. The melody was peaceful and calm, sounding somewhat familiar to Lin Sandie, though she couldn't quite place it.
The singing gradually faded as Lou fell asleep in Lin Sandie's arms.
In her sleep, Lou arrived in the Nine Netherworlds, a place she would wander whenever she was in danger. She had been here so many times that eventually, she could come whenever she wished.
After entering the Nine Netherworlds, for a long time, one could only walk through a pitch-black wilderness, with nothing but dense fog ahead. Here, a person could still think, but their emotions would become extremely dull. This allowed one to remain calm even when seeing hordes of ferocious ghosts who had died and come to this place.
Lou habitually went to the shore of a black sea that stretched as far as the eye could see. A person dressed all in black, their age and gender indiscernible, was there just as they were every other time, wearing a conical hat and fishing by the water's edge.
Lou sat down beside the person, listening to the black waves crash against the shore. Her eyes gazed toward a brightly lit ancient city in the distance. For most of the ghosts who entered the Nine Netherworlds, their destination was that ancient city called Zhaorang.
After watching quietly for a moment, Lou did as she always did when she came here: she took out rabbit-related items from her Space Bag one by one and tossed them into the black sea.
"Why do you throw those things into the sea?" the angler suddenly asked. The voice was gentle and distant, but it was still impossible to determine the person's gender. Their voice seemed to be distorted by something, allowing only the general meaning and intent to be perceived.
This was the first time the angler had spoken to Lou, even though they had met countless times.
"I've been to that city before. Have you?" In the Nine Netherworlds, Lou seemed more candid than her usual self.
"I have. Not far inside, there's an inn. The owners are a young brother and sister."
"Yes. The brother with the narrow eyes told me a legend about the Nine Netherworlds. He said this sea is called the Bitter Sea, and if you throw your beloved possessions into it, you can be reunited with the person you're separated from once the sea is full."
The angler wore a conical hat, so their expression was hidden, but their frozen posture made it easy to imagine their dumbfounded state.
It was because Lou's reason was simply too absurd.
"Have you ever considered that the owner was just joking with you?"
"At least it's a glimmer of hope." Lou continued to toss items related to the little rabbits she had seen on her journey into the Bitter Sea, but these insignificant things were quickly swallowed by the black water and vanished.
The angler fell silent for a moment and said nothing more.
"Can you really catch any fish like that?" Lou asked the angler. In all the times she had seen them, she had never witnessed them pull anything from the Bitter Sea.
The angler chuckled, then extended a hand and lifted the fishing line. Lou saw that it was just a line with nothing on the end.
"There's a type of fish in the Bitter Sea called the Mingsheng fish. They're exceptionally sensitive, and only this specially made line can attract them. That's why I can't use bait or a hook. I can only attract them with the line first and then figure out the rest."
"Have you ever attracted one?"
"Once or twice, but I missed them. They're very fast."
"What you're doing isn't very reliable either."
"It's a way to pass the time. Mostly, I'm waiting for someone," the angler said with a shrug.
"Who are you waiting for?"
"And you? You're filling the Bitter Sea—who are you trying to be reunited with?"
"My Guide. Her code name is Little Rabbit."
"Oh... how did you two get separated?"
"I forced her to break our binding. After that, I could never find her again." Lou's voice was calm, yet it carried an unconcealable regret.
The angler nodded.
"And you?" Lou asked.
"You might know the person I'm waiting for. When I knew her, her name was Akalia."
"Pie?" Even with her emotions suppressed, Lou stared at the angler in astonishment.
The angler shrugged again.
"How long have you been waiting here?"
"A long time."
"Does Pie know?"
"She knows."
"Oh~" Lou nodded, looking as if there was nothing more to pursue.
The angler smiled again and asked in a gentle voice, "Are you done throwing in your beloved things?"
"I threw a lot in last time, so I haven't collected much more yet." Lou hummed, indicating she was more or less finished.
"Then you should hurry back. Only the dead come to the Nine Netherworlds. You are one of the living, so it's best not to stay here for too long."
"Alright." Lou obediently stood up. The scenery around her flew backward, and her tightly shut eyes twitched slightly.
Seeing Lou's breathing stabilize, Lin Sandie quietly got out of the car. The Doberman outside, which had been dozing by the wheel, immediately straightened up when it saw her emerge.
Lin Sandie gave it a cold glance, then took out some meat. After the dog finished eating, she silently bandaged its wounds.
Lin Sandie removed the silver necklace named "Pet" from its neck.
The Doberman licked its lips, its expressive eyes fixed on Lin Sandie. The two stared at each other in silence.
"Are you leaving or staying?" Lin Sandie asked, looking into the Doberman's eyes.
The Doberman hesitated for a moment, then nuzzled its head against Lin Sandie's hand.
"Good. From now on, your name is Summer." Lin Sandie stood up, showing little warmth to her new pet. "Look after her."
Lin Sandie was about to walk toward the nearest Universal Game Machine when "thump!"—a slapping sound came from the car window.
Lin Sandie turned back to see that Lou had sat up and was struggling to open the car door.
"What is it?" Lin Sandie helped Lou pull the door open.
"Where are you going?" Perhaps the replenished blood had cleared her head, because Lou connected the dots between Lin Sandie's sudden confession and her own injuries. The Universal Game Machine, which claimed to grant any wish, also surfaced in her mind.
Lin Sandie was silent.
"I'm going too," Lou said, looking into Lin Sandie's eyes with calm resolve.
Lin Sandie frowned, her expression tinged with anger. After staring intently at Lou for a long moment, she understood that the other woman would never let her go play that deadly Universal Game Machine alone.
"Fine." She returned to the car in compromise and lifted Lou onto her back.
"It would be awkward if we had to play a three-legged race," Lou said self-deprecatingly. Perhaps thinking her own joke was quite good, she giggled on Lin Sandie's back without a hint of restraint.
"What am I supposed to do with you?" Lin Sandie sighed, her voice a mixture of affection and helplessness.
"I'm very good at games," Lou boasted, her arms wrapped around Lin Sandie's neck. "What about you, Lin Sandie?"
"When I was little, I used to go to my neighbor's older brother's house to play one of those game consoles that connect to the TV. The one I played most was a game about saving a princess, but I wasn't very good at it."
"Did you play any other games after you grew up?"
"Do crossword puzzles count? The newspaper the company subscribes to has some, and I'm pretty good at them."
"Grandma Lin Sandie~"
"What are you good at?" Lin Sandie decided to get some idea of Lou's strengths.
"Sports games, and I'm pretty good at action games. Puzzle games, I'm so-so."
The two chatted as they walked. It was nearly noon now, and the sun was growing stronger. Lin Sandie had also given a good amount of blood to Lou, so by the time she carried her to the nearest Universal Game Machine, she was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
"You rest for a bit. I need to study this machine." Lin Sandie found a flat spot in the shade, letting Lou sit down and lean against the game machine to rest.
Lou looked up, watching as Lin Sandie wiped the sweat from her chin before turning to study the game machine with a focused expression. She felt that lately, no matter what Lin Sandie did, it made her heart surge, made her feel a sense of longing, made her lose control of herself...
For Lou, this was not a good sign.
"Clack, clack, clack!" The game machine suddenly emitted a series of crisp typing sounds. Lin Sandie saw the previously dark screen light up. As if someone were typing, letters appeared one by one. The first line displayed: One chip equals one wish.
The second line displayed "Number of chips," followed by a box with a flashing green cursor, waiting for Lin Sandie to enter a number.
"Enter 2," Lou said suddenly. She had stood up on one foot, holding onto Lin Sandie's shoulder for support.
Lin Sandie sighed again and typed in "2."
The game machine's screen changed from its previous grim appearance, now flashing with colors. Various patterns shot out from the edges of the screen like fireworks. In the center, the names of all sorts of games scrolled past, and next to the list was a button.
"Are you lucky?" Lin Sandie asked Lou. Her own luck had never been very good.
"It's not bad," Lou said, her hand already pressing the button.
The game titles scrolled past, their speed gradually slowing until they stopped on one called "Charades."
Comments
Post a Comment