Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 9: Esculent Alethia [Complete]

1092: But I Want To

If you were to look down from above, in this vast expanse of mountains and plains, clusters of mushrooms were scattered everywhere. Human cities had developed around various types of mushrooms, just like mushroom clusters, haphazardly spread with no rhyme or reason, sometimes separated by thousands of kilometers of plains or forests.

In the places where neither mushrooms nor humans had ventured, it was the territory of another kind of creature.

Mei Jia felt an itch on her face and, upon touching it, realized that she was crying. Only now did she begin to feel fear: what if she had run a bit slower, and the falling dirt had struck her directly? She would likely be deep underground now, dragged by the ants.

"Help!" She caught sight of a figure behind the giant ant, knowing it was the man who had caught up with her, so she urgently shouted out towards the tunnel entrance, "Ants, help!"

"Shut up!"

The man emerged from behind the ant. The ant was enormous, perfectly blocking the entire tunnel. To escape, the man had to crouch and squeeze between its long legs. The distinct rustling sound as his clothing brushed against the insect's body felt almost as discomforting as if it were crawling under his skin.

"Didn't expect that, did you?" The man pointed to the top of his head, and as he managed to produce a smile, his already crooked face twisted even more. "I specifically told it to dig the entrance vertically. Even if you find the exit, what will you do? How will you climb out?"

Indeed, she couldn't climb out on her own. But all she needed to do was hold on until someone came to rescue her. Thinking this, Mei Jia swallowed a mouthful of saliva and felt her calves trembling. She was not only facing an adult male but also a gigantic ant she had only seen on TV. No, wait, if the knowledge from school was accurate, perhaps she only needed to deal with Little Jian, her childhood friend...

The man climbed the dirt mound in several steps, looking down at Mei Jia from a superior vantage point. Her throat suddenly felt choked, rendering her speechless. With him blocking the light from above, her entire face was obscured in shadows, except for her brightly highlighted hair. The face that loomed closer was distorted by the shade.

"Don't come any closer to me," she pulled out the small knife she had acquired earlier, and in the most menacing tone she could muster, she warned, "Back off!"

After all these years, this was the first time she had ever used the word 'back off.'

"Why is it that people, in moments of desperation, always like to spout this nonsense?" The man gradually descended, getting closer to her. "I've heard these words from over a dozen people. Care to guess what happened to them in the end?"

The giant ant behind him tilted its head slightly, and its long antennae trembled in the air as if it were trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. It didn't seem inclined to help. Mei Jia remembered that ants rarely participated directly in violent conflicts; those tasks were usually carried out by the humans they nurtured.

"Have you forgotten that your school is on the outskirts?" The man paid no attention to the small knife she was waving in her hand. "There's no one around here. Who do you think you're going to wait for?"

The man's strength and speed, as an adult male, were indeed much greater than her own. This realization flooded her mind as his fist struck her right cheek. The thought mingled with the taste of blood as her cheekbone collided with her teeth. In her fear, Mei Jia's mind was consumed by an odd question: why was he hitting her right side?

They stood face to face, with him striking her right side, indicating he was punching with his left hand. Upon closer inspection, Mei Jia discovered that most of the punches landing on her body were with his left hand. He wasn't left-handed, so why did he repeatedly use his weaker hand?