She had thought this was just some kind of bungee jumping activity. Now, Lin Sanjiu realized how wrong she was.
Bungee jumping might be thrilling for ordinary people. Repeated bungee jumping might even excite the average human survivor in the doomsday. But for posthumans in Twelve Worlds Centrum, who lived life on the edge every day, that was far from enough.
So, what could be thrilling enough?
The tour guide's urgent warning wasn't even finished when Lin Sanjiu found her answer.
The plump woman let out a scream—it was hard to tell whether it was a cry of alarm or exhilaration—and immediately flung her yellow ribbon in another direction, dragging both herself and Lin Sanjiu sharply to the side. Almost at the same moment, a thunderous roar erupted as if the heavens themselves had cracked open. A massive shadow, riding a gale, shot upward from below and narrowly missed the spot they had just occupied.
Clinging desperately to the plump woman's arm, Lin Sanjiu twisted around for a look. What she saw nearly scared the soul out of her. "What is that thing?!" she yelled, her voice trembling with panic. If only she could travel back in time and slap herself for deciding to join this tour group. "Is that... is that a fish?"
Calling it a fish was an understatement. Its "head" alone was the size of a house, with two long, mucus-covered tendrils glistening with blackened water and lingering smog. Each tendril was lined with countless smaller appendages, thrashing wildly in the air, giving the grotesque impression of a swarm of serpents writhing to emerge from the creature's monstrous body.
Its massive, dull gray head bore two lifeless orbs of pale flesh that might once have been eyes, though they seemed blind now. Yet, somehow, it tracked their movements, tilting its grotesque head as if its dry, lifeless sockets could still swivel.
"That's a dragonfish!" The plump woman laughed as the beast fell back into the depths below, sending a spray of smog and black water high into the air. "Wow, it came straight for us first! Probably because we're two people. It must think we smell extra tasty!"
"You knew something like this was down there?!"
"Of course," the plump woman replied, her voice strained as she repeatedly flung her yellow ribbon, trying to pull them further away from the dragonfish's last position. This effort, however, was taking them further from the icy path. Panting, she added, "That's why we're here. There's a huge lake beneath the smog, and whenever people get close, these mutated fish leap out. It's super exciting."
So, they were bungee jumping as bait?!
In the distance, another cheer rang out, signaling that another tour member had attracted a beast. This one bore even less resemblance to a fish; if anything, it was a writhing mass of interlocking metallic scales. Each scale opened to reveal even more layers of smaller scales beneath, endless and hypnotic, like a fractal pattern designed to entrap the mind. Staring at it for even a moment felt like being drawn into an abyss, unable to distinguish head from tail.
Lin Sanjiu's mind churned with a string of curses.
"Did you see how many teeth that dragonfish has?!" she screamed. "And it's not just the teeth—there's also—also—"
Her earlier glance hadn't revealed everything, but the dragonfish was considerate enough to leap out of the smog again. This time, it opened its massive jaws wide, giving her a second, horrifying look. Its gaping maw resembled a sinkhole filled with rings upon rings of sharp, white fangs, each as tall as a doorpost.
"At least three layers of teeth!" Lin Sanjiu nearly sobbed.
"Then let go of my right hand!" the plump woman shouted. "Grab onto my waist! If I can't use both ribbons, we'll fall straight into its mouth next time!"
Jumping through the air while trying to shift her grip from the woman's arm to her waist was no easy task. Lin Sanjiu was so scared she felt like throwing up. But then she remembered one thing about her former self: the more dangerous the situation, the calmer she became. ꭆä₦ȱꞖƐS
The tour guide was still crouching on the icy path above them, now at least several dozen meters higher than the two of them. Lin Sanjiu could barely make out her face. The guide kept her head down, closely monitoring the shifting smog below. After a few seconds, she suddenly called out loudly, "Miss Feng, two o'clock!"
The plump woman immediately responded, flinging out two yellow ribbons and pulling herself and Lin Sanjiu sideways with swift, repeated motions. Just as they moved away, the dragonfish leapt up again from the direction of two o'clock.
This time, they were far enough away for Lin Sanjiu to get a clear view: the dragonfish was as long as an apartment building, and its body was covered in what looked like fur—except that the "fur" was made of countless writhing tendrils resembling human arms. Even if one avoided its mouth, falling into the range of its tendrils would undoubtedly be fatal.
'These Twelve Worlds Centrum posthumans must be insane!'
"Help me!" Lin Sanjiu screamed, her face buried against the plump woman's belly as she clung tightly to her waist, too terrified to turn her head. She could only shout blindly in the general direction of the tour guide, hoping her plea for help would be understood. "Get me out of here!"
The tour guide seemed flustered too. She stood up on the icy path, craned her neck to survey the surroundings, and then clapped her hands as if she had an idea. Pulling out a megaphone from who-knows-where, she took a few steps back and shouted to the other tourists in the distance, "Who wants to take on this dragonfish? We've got a team member here who needs help luring it away!"
Including Lin Sanjiu, there were eight people in the air. At most, three had managed to lure mutated fish from the lake below. Upon hearing the guide's call, two or three of them perked up with interest, shouting, "Me!" as they swung their ribbons and leaped toward the dragonfish.
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One young man with a head full of wild hair was particularly bold. He let himself plummet straight down without using his ribbon for several seconds, waiting until he was nearly level with the smog layer before sharply flinging his ribbons upward, pulling himself into a slanting arc. The dragonfish's massive head, practically brushing against his feet, broke through the smog at the same moment. Even amidst the roaring sound of water and wind, Lin Sanjiu could hear the man's unrestrained laughter echoing wildly.
With other tourists temporarily distracting the dragonfish, the plump woman had her hands free to send Lin Sanjiu back to the icy path. Two minutes later, Lin Sanjiu lay sprawled on the path, her whole body trembling and her muscles shaking from exertion. She felt like a ragdoll barely held together.
The tour guide put away her megaphone and sighed as she looked at Lin Sanjiu. "I wouldn't have guessed from your appearance that you'd be such a coward. It's just a few mutated fish! This activity is a staple of our tour group."
"Isn't this a normal reaction?" Lin Sanjiu snapped, lifting her head. Thinking about how her former self would never have been criticized like this, she felt a mix of bitterness and frustration. "It's not like I have one of those ribbons!"
"Alright, alright," the guide said, clearly not interested in provoking her further. "The next activity isn't as thrilling. It'll be much more peaceful."
Lin Sanjiu sat on the icy path, watching as the other seven tourists bounced up and down in the air. Below, the smog layer was repeatedly broken by the leaps of various mutated fish, sending up sprays of water and swirling clouds of smoke. Thunderous crashes echoed continuously, mingled with the high-pitched laughter and screams of the tourists narrowly dodging the fish's snapping jaws.
They were clearly having the time of their lives. Lin Sanjiu observed them for a while and suddenly had a thought.
It was lucky the plump woman hadn't let go of her to lighten the load... If their roles were reversed, would she have let go?
She thought about it and decided she wouldn't have either. Letting go might have led to repercussions later, like being held accountable by the entire tour group. That wasn't worth the trouble.
But this reasoning made her vaguely uncomfortable. That persistent "insufficient fabric" feeling crept back into her mind again.
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