Doomsday Wonderland

Specialists known as pocket dimension reconnoiters would not, of course, let a pocket dimension have its way with them, as regular posthumans might.

The group exchanged glances, paying no attention to the television set. After briefly discussing, they turned around and left the room, started up the outdoor generator, connected the stove to propane, stuffed wood into the fireplace, and with a buzzing sound, the entire camping cabin was awakened along with the lights. The cartoon figure on the TV, now in the bright light, lost the ghostly vitality it had in the darkness, maintaining the same smile without uttering a word.

"So, Cuining and I will go check the range of the pocket dimension," Abby said. "What about you two?"

"I can do the stimulation tests; I don't mind. How about you, Wu Yiliu?" Pence shouted. The name of the person Lin Sanjiu had possessed felt somewhat of a tongue-twister.

The so-called stimulation tests were designed to probe a pocket dimension's reaction and limits by different means, depending on its estimated type. It was considered one of the riskiest tasks upon entering a pocket dimension. However, it was not surprising that a man like Pence would take on such high-risk work.

"I will try to contact the people in the other half of the pocket dimension," Wu Yiliu said calmly. "We must act quickly. The pocket dimension's request for us to rest might be a condition for it to start operating. If we keep not resting, and the pocket dimension cannot run. It might lead to unforeseen consequences."

The other three nodded.

The team trapped in the other half of the pocket dimension consisted of two people who had mistakenly entered at first and two additional members from the Twelve Worlds Centrum, all equipped with communicators. As expected, Wu Yiliu was unable to contact them through normal means.

They knew that any delay they could create would be beneficial. Wu Yiliu had cracked many pocket dimensions and had a good reputation within the Twelve Worlds Centrum. He had a systematic approach to detecting and resolving pocket dimensions, and with close to a hundred under his belt, his techniques were well-established.

Lin Sanjiu watched him bustle around the room, checking the clock's time flow, inspecting objects' uses, and hearing Pence's "bang bang" noise from one of the bedrooms, which caused the entire house to shake slightly.

The cartoon figure on the screen seemed to be activated by their actions and said with a smile, "Resting is for your benefit. I hope you will heed this advice; otherwise, being weak in the deep mountains could be dangerous."

Wu Yiliu looked up sharply. "Hey, Pence!" he called to the first bedroom. "Did you hear that? The pocket dimension has issued a warning."

"Then you go call them back," Pence's muffled voice came from behind the bedroom door. "I'm only halfway done here."

A pocket dimension's warning should not be taken lightly. Wu Yiliu immediately opened the window, sweeping the outside area. From several dozen steps away, the dark forest seemed to engulf everything; even a posthuman's sight couldn't penetrate the thick dark canopy. The endless dense forest seemed like a hand slowly creeping towards the house, ready to clasp and close in.

He called out several times loudly, but Abby and Cuining did not respond—they seemed to have gone far in just less than ten minutes.

The warning on the television escalated. "Additionally, the night lighting may attract some unwelcome creatures. If you continue to insist on not resting, you will have to bear the consequences."

Wu Yiliu reacted very quickly. Even before the echo of his words had faded, he had leaped over the sofa and rushed to the door, turning off the light with a decisive snap. The fire in the fireplace was still burning, casting a faint red glow in the suddenly darkened wooden house, barely illuminating the carpet in front of the sofa. All the furniture in the living room seemed to suddenly take on a gloomy aspect, swaying and breathing lightly in the weak light, as if sighing.

He hurriedly turned his head towards the direction of the TV and said, "Let's rest now!"

The cartoon figure on the screen froze with a smile, no longer speaking.

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"Pence, you get into bed and call them with the communicator," Wu Yiliu said, fearing there was not much time left. "I'll put out the fire in the fireplace."

Whether the firelight counted as illumination was something he couldn't confirm with the pocket dimension, so he decided to err on the side of caution. Wu Yiliu picked up the iron poker beside the fireplace and pressed the burning logs into the ashes below, trying to extinguish the fire. As he did so, Pence's voice rang out from the bedroom, presumably talking into the communicator, "Hurry back, the pocket dimension is issuing a warning!"

He couldn't tell who was on the other end of the line until a female voice hurriedly responded, "I'll contact Cuining and come back right away," before cutting off the connection. He then realized it was Abby.

The fire was soon completely extinguished, and Wu Yiliu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around to find that the living room was now devoid of all light except for the faint cold glow seeping in from outside. The undulating edges of the furniture gleamed faintly in the dim night. As he fumbled his way to the sofa, there was a sharp knock at the door, followed by someone pushing it open. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"We're back," Abby's voice rang out, tinged with an unmistakable, almost uncontrollable anxiety. "Why are the lights off? Where are you?"

Wu Yiliu was about to shout, "Don't turn them on!" when he saw the blonde figure reach for the wall. But before he could get the words out, there was a click, and the room was suddenly bathed in light again, everything exposed and stripped of some protective layer.

Abby blinked, equally quick to react, and turned the switch off again. The light came and went, leaving Wu Yiliu's eyes, just adapted to the darkness, in a pitch-black filled with lingering spots of light.

"What's going on?" Abby asked from the doorway. "Does the pocket dimension not allow lights?"

"The TV warned that lights might attract something," Pence answered from inside the room. Even though he was pretending to rest in bed, he seemed to have been listening all along. "It wants us to rest right away, or face the consequences. I think the first test will happen while we're resting. I'm sure of it. You two girls sleep in the bedroom, and Wu Yiliu and I will sleep on the sofas outside."

"That's fine, you stay in bed. Cuining and I are thin, so we can share a bed," Abby replied, unconcerned about where they slept since they wouldn't be really sleeping anyway. She seemed to be feeling her way into the room, even warning Cuining behind her, "There's a pair of shoes here. Don't trip over them."

Lin Sanjiu, attached to Wu Yiliu, watched the two women walk toward the other bedroom, her heart pounding so loudly that it almost drowned her senses.

She didn't even have a body, yet she felt as if her heart were oozing cold sweat. She just wanted to lean her back against something solid and curl up to protect herself. From that moment on, Wu Yiliu had not uttered a word.

What was that thing that had come in behind Abby?