Doomsday Wonderland Chapter 1679: A Very Stable Activity

Chapter 1679: A Very Stable Activity

High-altitude bungee-style fishing seemed to be an incredibly exhausting activity. Lin Sanjiu sat silently, watching the other group members eat, drink, and chat with lively enthusiasm. She couldn't pinpoint why, but she was simmering with irritation.
Feng Maomao, the plump woman who had dragged her into the chaos earlier, was in stark contrast, brimming with energy. "You wouldn't believe it!" she exclaimed to the group, recounting the earlier incident. "She clung to me so tightly, and when that dragonfish lunged at us, I had to swing the ribbon with just one hand! Wow, there was this moment where the fish was right there, so close I could feel its breath!"
She was so animated that she gave Lin Sanjiu a few hearty pats on the shoulder, as if they'd become close friends after the ordeal, though this camaraderie was entirely one-sided.
"Oh, the food's here," someone said, and the table collectively turned their heads toward the square hall's entrance.
After the "fishing" activity, which clearly had nothing to do with catching actual fish, the tour guide had led everyone to the designated lunch spot. In Cloudwalk Heights, where basic necessities like food and water were far more expensive than in other Twelve Worlds locations, an all-inclusive day tour didn't come cheap. The lunch included in the package only covered six of the group members, not counting the guide.
Having tagged along uninvited, Lin Sanjiu wasn't provided with utensils or a meal. She sat to the side, chewing on the dry bread she'd brought with her.
The meal server was an ordinary, un-evolved middle-aged man. With a solemn expression, he carried in a steaming brass pot and placed it carefully on the table. When he lifted the lid, a fragrant steam rose into the air, carrying an unusual yet appetizing aroma. He swiftly ladled out portions of rich, orange-red stew, glistening with soft chunks of meat, serving precisely six bowls; no more, no less. Sitting nearby, Lin Sanjiu craned her neck and peered into the pot, only to see a few remnants of broth left, not even enough for a full ladle.
Having already lost all semblance of pride today, Lin Sanjiu acted quickly. As the server prepared to pick up the pot, she pressed her bread into the bottom, swirling it around to soak up the leftover broth. The server glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Though he said nothing, Lin Sanjiu could almost hear the disdainful scoff in his gaze.
Frustrated, she took a bite of her now-soggy bread and was immediately infuriated by how delicious the stew tasted.
"What's the name of this place?" she turned to ask Feng Maomao. "Why couldn't they just charge me extra to make another portion?"
"This isn't a restaurant," Feng Maomao said between bites, her eyes fixed on her plate. "Didn't you notice we're the only ones here? It's a private meal reserved by the tour group. The ingredients were probably pre-prepared ahead of time, so even if you paid extra, they wouldn't have been able to make more."
If it wasn't a restaurant, how could they have pre-arranged meals? Lin Sanjiu found the situation puzzling, but it didn't seem important enough to pursue further. The time it took her to eat a single piece of broth-soaked bread was far shorter than the others' leisurely consumption of their six-course meal. Before long, she left the table and found a seat outside the hall's entrance, where the tour guide was sitting, frowning at her own packed lunch.
"I picked the wrong helper this time." The guide sighed at her bamboo lunch box, then closed it, having barely touched the food inside.
"Do you live in Cloudwalk Heights?" Lin Sanjiu asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yeah," the guide replied, her expression devoid of any pride. "The cost of living here is sky-high. Being a guide is just one of my jobs. Sometimes I'm forced to leave the Twelve Worlds Centrum entirely to take on tasks or gather resources, just to scrape by."
For Lin Sanjiu, who had only ever set foot in Twelve Worlds Centrum on rare and fortunate occasions, the guide's words felt surreal.
"Finding decent help has gotten harder and harder," the guide continued, seemingly unable to stop herself once she started venting. "I can only afford part-time helpers who work for multiple households. As for quality, well, don't even get me started! And when I have to teleport out, relying on those helpers to look after my place is nerve-wracking. Wealthy people from other Twelve Worlds Centrum worlds love coming here to hire workers, which only makes the local labor shortage worse."
She seemed to realize that her words might not come across well and gave Lin Sanjiu a smile. "Of course, it's not that I'm unhappy about them coming to hire people... after all, I make money from it."
For Lin Sanjiu, this was an entirely unfamiliar and incomprehensible sort of worry. As the guide changed the subject, Lin Sanjiu half-heartedly responded while glancing around. They were currently on the top floor of the pre-apocalypse Ziguo Tower. Right at the top of the stairs was this small dining room for everyone to eat in. Apart from this area at the entrance, there wasn't even a kitchen; the meals had been sent up from downstairs.
Ziguo Tower occupied a vast area, yet this dining room was only a few dozen square meters. What, then, were the rest of the spaces used for?
Just as Lin Sanjiu was about to ask, the guide suddenly turned to her and inquired, "Is this your first time in Cloudwalk Heights?"
Lin Sanjiu nodded.
"Do you... know anyone here?"
Lin Sanjiu found the question a bit odd. "No. I don't have many friends."
The guide furrowed her brow, her golden-yellow eyes glinting with what seemed to be restrained suspicion. "And in the other Twelve Worlds? No... issues there?" 𝐑Ä𐌽о𐌱Èṧ
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If being hunted by the Munitions Factory counted as no issue, that would be great. A vague sense of unease began to creep into Lin Sanjiu. Outwardly, though, she responded naturally and earnestly, "No problems at all. Why?"
The guide's doubt-filled expression didn't ease in the slightest. "It might just be my imagination..."
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The server from earlier popped his head into the dining room and politely addressed her, "Miss Bee, the meal will conclude in just a few minutes."
"Oh!" The guide quickly leaped up from her chair, pulling Lin Sanjiu along with her. "Come on, the next activity starts right when lunch ends."
"What activity?" Lin Sanjiu remembered that the guide had promised the next event would be calm.
The guide, now entering the room and thanking the server, didn't have time to answer. As soon as the two stepped back into the dining room, the rest of the group immediately took the guide's presence as a signal, hastily setting down their utensils and standing up.
"Is it starting?"
"Lunch is over already?"
The server hurriedly exited the room, closing the door behind him with a heavy thud. He seemed to have already turned the lock earlier, as the sound of the lock mechanism clicking into place followed immediately.
"Well, it seems everyone has finished their meal. Are we all ready?" The guide clapped her hands and resumed her professional smile, standing in front of the dining table. "Now, for our next activity—"
A muffled thud suddenly echoed through the room.
The group turned their gaze toward the source of the sound, landing on the space near the guide—where Lin Sanjiu lay sprawled on the ground, flat on her back, her face drained of color and utterly lifeless.