Monster - Chapter 96
Chapter 96: The People in the Glass Bottle
Lou dealt with the crazed "jackals" so efficiently that any written description would be rendered meaningless. For her, firing a gun was as simple as climbing a flight of stairs.
Back in the car, Lou had Carlo get out and help drag the bodies scattered across the highway to the sides, clearing a path.
After Carlo got out, she moved to the front of the car and saw Lin Sandie's face was deathly pale, her horrified gaze fixed on the spiderweb cracks in the windshield. Lou asked jokingly, "What? Didn't you buy car insurance?"
Lin Sandie turned to look at Lou. Her dark green jacket was splattered with blood, and the aura of slaughter still clung to her. But because she always had a smile on her face, it was easy for others to overlook the fact that she was a ruthless killer who took lives without batting an eye.
What must a person go through to become like her, to seem as if she never wavers?
The thought surfaced in Lin Sandie's mind as she looked at Lou's face, identical to her own. She blinked hard, finally shaking herself fully awake from the hazy dream she'd just had.
"Even if I did, you can't file a claim with an insurance company for an accident in the Disorder Land…" Lin Sandie felt like she must be losing her mind to be talking about this now. "I'm suddenly starving. I'm going to eat something before I help clear the road."
"Let Carlo handle it," Lou said, grinning to reveal her small, white, adorable canine teeth. She sat down in the driver's seat, pulled open the storage compartment under the front passenger seat, and took out a small loaf of bread. She started eating one herself. "Besides, I'm hungry too."
Lin Sandie silently took out a loaf of bread and began to tear off pieces to eat.
"What did you dream about?" Lou asked curiously, looking at Lin Sandie. The latter noticed a few drops of blood splattered on Lou's forehead.
"I forgot," Lin Sandie said, chewing on her bread.
"I often forget what I dream about, too. I remember it right when I wake up, but by the time I sit up and get out of bed, the dream has dissipated." The two started chatting idly.
"Maybe dreams are creatures that live in the space between sleep and wakefulness. Once we're fully awake, they fly away." Lin Sandie understood the feeling Lou was describing perfectly. Sometimes she truly felt she remembered something, but she could never recall what it was.
"Maybe they don't fly away, but fly back into the depths of our minds?"
"Mm, perhaps they don't disappear," Lin Sandie said, nodding in agreement with Lou. "Instead, they lie hidden, and if they suddenly reappear in our lives one day, who knows what earth-shattering changes they might bring."
"It's just a dream. What kind of earth-shattering changes could it bring? Or are you afraid of remembering the content of certain dreams?" Lou leaned back against the leather seat, eating her bread, her eyes never leaving Lin Sandie.
"I guess so," Lin Sandie nodded, admitting it frankly. Although she had forgotten what she'd dreamt about during her nap and hadn't brought any information from the dream back to reality, the feelings of regret, fear, and bewildered helplessness had filled her chest the moment she woke up.
Hearing Lin Sandie's answer, Lou smiled, her bright eyes narrowing slightly. "We've rarely talked about things like this since we met."
"We haven't known each other that long," Lin Sandie said, averting her eyes slightly.
"But I always feel like I've known you for a long time."
"I get that feeling sometimes, too," Lin Sandie had privately tried to find an explanation for this illusion before. "It might be because our faces are the same. We've been seeing the same face in the mirror since we were children, so it creates a sense of déjà vu."
"That's possible. But it could also be that we've met each other in dreams before, right?" Lou burst out laughing, probably aware she was talking nonsense. But seeing her brilliant smile, Lin Sandie couldn't help but let the corners of her own mouth lift, her mood much more relaxed than before.
Lou finished the last bite of her bread, then leaned over to grab a bottle of mineral water from the storage compartment, twisting it open and taking a sip.
Seeing that Lin Sandie was almost done eating, Lou handed the water over to her.
"Thanks, Lou Lou," Lin Sandie said as she took the water bottle.
Lou laughed. "For what?"
"I just suddenly understand a little about the meaning of human community." Lin Sandie took a gulp of water, then reached for some cookies. She really was hungry.
"How boring! My existence isn't for you to understand the meaning of community."
Lin Sandie continued eating her cookies, just watching Lou with smiling eyes.
"Alright, fine. Sometimes I do enjoy talking with people about certain topics. Because places like this…" Lou gestured in a circle in the air, "Tower Worlds with so many rational people… I don't go to them often. So sometimes when I want to talk, I don't know who to talk to."
"Me too. Even though I've always been in a place with a lot of people, I can't find anyone to talk to," Lin Sandie said, lowering her head to pick up the cookie crumbs that had fallen on her suit pants and putting them in her mouth. "There are many people to talk to online, but a lot of the comments are one-sided. I'm especially afraid of offending people with what I say, so I avoid speaking if I can. But I really do want to say something."
"…So we're people living in our own separate glass bottles? I was stuffed into mine, and you locked yourself in yours?"
Hearing Lou's words, Lin Sandie felt a little embarrassed. The air in the car suddenly felt hot and thick. So are we coming out of our glass bottles now? she thought.
Lou's eyes never left Lin Sandie. Seeing that she had stopped talking, Lou pointed at the cookie in her hand and asked, "I want to have a taste."
Lin Sandie held the half-eaten sandwich cookie in her hand to Lou's lips. The latter, with a complete lack of manners, lowered her head, stuck out her tongue, and licked specifically at the pale yellow filling in the middle of the cookie. Lin Sandie saw a smear of frosting stick to the tip of Lou's tongue and her lips, and watched, transfixed, as that smear of frosting disappeared between them.
"Mango flavored. I'm not a big fan." Lou licked her lips and leaned back, away from the cookie.
Lin Sandie laughed and patted her arm, then popped the cookie into her own mouth.
The two chatted in the car for a while longer. Once Carlo, panting, had dragged the bodies blocking their path out of the way, Lou continued driving toward the campsite Miu had designated. They arrived at their destination just as the sun was setting. The mountainside was covered in a magnificent forest of giant saguaro cacti, some reaching as high as twenty meters. They were columnar in the middle with branches extending from the sides, like candelabras. April and May were the blooming season for these cacti, and Lou and the others could see many red flowers blooming at the very top of the cacti in the distance. Bathed in the glow of the sunset, it was a scene of strange beauty.
This cactus forest was situated in a cool, windy spot. It seemed they weren't the only ones planning to camp here; they could occasionally see other vehicles or travelers on foot.
"Drive northwest. There are fewer people over there," instructed Miu, who had already scouted the area.
Lou followed its directions. Lin Sandie, sitting in the passenger seat, drank some water while taking in the scenery outside the window. Following her old habit, she took out her phone and snapped a picture. But as she was about to put her phone away, her sharp eyes spotted a familiar face.
"Xing Meilu?"
"The Little Police Flower came to the Disorder Land, too?" Lou slowed the car and looked out the window.
"Stop the car." Lin Sandie tapped on the car door and simultaneously called out to Xing Meilu, who was standing by a black SUV not far away, talking on the phone. "Hey!!"
Her voice caught Xing Meilu's attention. Dressed in plain clothes, Xing Meilu lifted her head slightly and looked toward Lin Sandie. Her eyes, originally tired and listless, regained some of their spirit. She smiled and raised a hand to wave at Lin Sandie.
By the time Lou drove the car closer, Xing Meilu had finished her call. She looked at Lin Sandie. "What are you doing here? Uh… Lou? Did you two come together?"
When Xing Meilu saw Lou, the smile on her face immediately vanished. She shot Lin Sandie a reproachful look that seemed to ask: Didn't I tell you not to get too involved with this dangerous person?
"Some things happened. We ran into each other and teamed up," Lin Sandie admitted openly. "Officer Xing, what brings you to the Disorder Land?"
"I'm looking for someone." When it came to her reason for being in the Disorder Land, Xing Meilu clearly had something heavy on her mind and was unwilling to say much. She changed the subject back to Lin Sandie. "Have you found your brother?"
"No, it won't be that quick." Seeing Xing Meilu's low spirits, Lin Sandie considerately didn't press her further. Instead, she said, "We're planning to go to Thriller Paradise. We took a mission there. You know how it is, you can't get anywhere here without points."
"That place is very dangerous…"
"But you have me~" Lou wrapped an arm around Lin Sandie, resting her chin on the latter's shoulder, and said cheekily to Xing Meilu, who was standing in front of them.
"It's even more dangerous with you around!" Xing Meilu glared at her fiercely.
Lin Sandie smiled, letting Lou lean against her as she continued talking to Xing Meilu. "Are you spending the night here too?"
Just as Lin Sandie had told Lou, the number of people she could talk to was minuscule. Especially after getting entangled with Yan Ting, many of her normal social connections had been severed. And although she hadn't known Xing Meilu for very long, the latter was definitely someone she could talk to. She had even come close to developing a feeling of dependence on Xing Meilu, simply because she had offered to protect her from Yan Ting's abuse.
"I'm going to Thriller Paradise, too," Xing Meilu said with a slight sigh.
"If you don't mind, we could go together."
Xing Meilu stared at Lin Sandie for a moment, but Lou's presence on her shoulder was simply too strong. She finally couldn't help but ask, "Why do you two look exactly alike? Are you long-lost sisters?"
"Yes, but we're into incest." Lou laughed, then suddenly gave Lin Sandie a kiss.
Before Lin Sandie could react, Lou had already turned and walked back toward the car. "I'll go get the camping stuff ready before it gets dark. You two can chat."
Lin Sandie quickly tried to explain to a shocked Xing Meilu, "Don't listen to her nonsense. We are definitely not sisters."
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