Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 11: Modern World [Complete]

1332: The Consular Officer Association's Dilemma

"I... I heard a rumor."

As Lin Sanjiu sat atop the towering industrial shelves, gradually condensing her Higher Consciousness, her thoughts suddenly stirred, and she heard a low voice coming from the dimness below, a female voice.

After the advertisements took effect, the dozen or so people they had captured were gradually released. Now, only three people remained sitting below the shelves. Among the dozen people, there was only one woman, surnamed Zheng, middle-aged, with short curly hair. When giving orders to subordinates, Zheng had the most difficulty. She gave the same unreasonable orders as others, yet only her subordinates showed her concern.

"Ms. Zheng, have you been feeling a bit emotional these days? Do you need a break for a couple of days?"

With surprise, Lin Sanjiu listened carefully to the daily conversations of the others and found that not one person was suspected of being excessively emotional, even though, in fact, it was impossible for these suddenly kidnapped hostages not to be emotional.

Now, she didn't need to speak more resolutely than her peers. "I've heard before that in our society... there are people like them hidden. Not many, but a few will come out occasionally."

"Where did you hear that? And what else?" The first to change the advertisement, Zhang, hurriedly asked in a low voice.

After spending some time together, if not Stockholm syndrome, a subtle mutual understanding had developed between the hostages and the kidnappers. Under the premise of cooperation, the hostages were untied and allowed to move, talk, and use the restroom within a limited area, while the kidnappers sat high on the shelves like shepherds watching their flock.

"A while back, didn't we often receive... those poorly written messages from dangerous individuals? The ones with long strings of numbers that didn't look like phone numbers." Zheng whispered, "One of them said that the existence of these people had been covered up because... because... cough, I can't put it into words. Anyway, the message said they were superpowered individuals dissatisfied with society, and there was something about waiting for them to solve social injustices. You know, it's the kind of nonsense only losers from the lower levels would send—"

"Don't, don't."

A laugh suddenly came from the shelf opposite Lin Sanjiu. A person climbed up from the shelf, leaned out, and joined the conversation below, "Rest assured, there's not a single fact in that message. What? You guys think we're asleep if we don't talk?"

"No... that's not it."

"We've said it many times already." The young man crossed his legs and spoke casually, "We just come and go from wherever. I've been here for two months and seen everything interesting or uninteresting; it's boring. I just want to leave. You created this world yourselves. Why should we care about your lives?"

The people below fell silent. Lin Sanjiu glanced at him and gave him a faint smile.

As the first posthuman to respond to the advertisement, Wan Qingge was truly worthy of his greatest trait: speed. It took him less than two days to contact and meet with the hostages and join the job of guarding them. As he put it, "Even if I could leave here a second earlier, I would be willing to exchange my visa for it."

Two months ago, when Wan Qingge had just been teleported, he happened to land in a high school.

When he realized the landing place was a school in the pre-apocalyptic world, he was quite pleased. "The school has a cafeteria, a clinic, and a place to sleep. Teachers and students come and go on time. When they're not here, the entire school is my territory. Tell me, is there a better stronghold for preparing for the doomsday six months later?"