The torrential rain obscured the world, and the earth bore the continuous sound of rain as if everything was veiled by a curtain of rain, leaving only the rain in this vast world. As they ran far away and turned back to look, the distant white house appeared hazy and indistinct, as if it was about to evaporate from the curtain of water.
Once they left the house's shelter, they were soaked through within seconds, and even when they opened their mouths to speak, they would ingest rainwater. Yuan Xiangxi had to spit multiple tis after saying a sentence, and his eyelashes, nose, and mouth dripped with water. "I said, where's Xiao Jiu? Aren't we going to bring her out?"
"If we bring her out, we'll bring the container with us, and who knows when it will fall out," Bohemia said, wiping her face as if she were a car that needed windshield wipers to continue working. "It's okay if she's left inside. As long as the things that can't be held with one hand appear outside her body, they won't weigh her down."
J7, carried in Yuan Xiangxi's arms, shook off a ring of water every ti he turned his head; he remained silent. Puppeteer wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and muttered sothing under his breath, but no one heard clearly nor dared to ask.
They stood in the rain, gazing blankly at the distant white house. Through the living room window, they could vaguely see what was happening inside: a new shadow occasionally glided across the air or a burst of light flashed by. The sounds of items falling, colliding, and rolling were all drowned out by the deafening rain, barely audible—only the sudden blast of loud music coming from the living room made everyone look at each other.
"That music festival ticket. What...what song is it?" Bohemia asked, not knowing if she was talking to Puppeteer or Yuan Xiangxi.
The rain's singing was lodious and powerful, and every note seed to lift people's hearts. Everyone listened silently for a few seconds until they saw no more shadows moving in the living room.
Yuan Xiangxi couldn't help but say, "Maybe not everything will fall out—"
A thunderous boom overpowered the rain's sound, tearing through the house's walls and scattering debris in a whirlwind of smoke and dust. The second floor teetered, threatening to collapse. The container, having burst through the constraints of the surrounding walls, demolished almost half of the front face of the house.
Everyone fell silent. They listened as the thundering sound gradually subsided, and the rain and singing rose again. They slowly began to walk back until they felt no more disturbance in the house, and it seed like Lin Sanjiu was no longer dropping anything.
Now, the 40-foot container blocked any entry, leaving behind only a skeletal fra of the ho and itself. Everyone fumbled and slipped in the pouring rain but couldn't find Lin Sanjiu anywhere. Puppeteer finally lost his patience.
"It's useless," he said, no longer looking at the other two and the machine. He reached out and grabbed the air. The container, as if lifted by a giant beast, soared and crashed into a distant field, the impact shaking the ground.
Under the curtain of rain and dust, Lin Sanjiu and her countless belongings lay among the broken bricks and wood. Though her skin had paled from the rain, she remained unhard. Her ability upgrade stopped fluctuating, but they didn't know if she had completed it or if it had been interrupted again. The others hesitated and walked over, stepping on the open space amidst the debris, and finally reached her side.
"Heartbeat is 40% clearer than before," J7 said, his chanical arm pressed against Lin Sanjiu's chest, like a doctor using a stethoscope. "Her breathing is also stable. That's a good sign."
"But all the food has been crushed," Bohemia said, lifting one foot covered in sticky jam and broken biscuits. "Everything is soaked in water. Even if we pick it up, we can't eat it."
This calamity destroyed all their spare clothes, daily necessities, and food reserves. After cleaning up, they sorted out what seed usable or edible and gathered it into a small pile along with the Special Items. When they were finally done, they all sat in the central ruins like drowned rats, their expressions sowhat distressed.
"This house should be capable of repairing itself," Yuan Xiangxi said. "Don't worry; our ho is still intact."
Puppeteer and Bohemia glanced at him.
"Why did this happen?" J7 murmured, the light on its head flickering on and off, seemingly unable to decipher the answer. "Isn't she supposed to have an ability upgrade? How co her ability has failed instead?"
After they settled back into their pocket dinsion, Bohemia regained so courage. She glanced at Puppeteer and whispered, "Sir—"
"Don't call that," Puppeteer said, sitting in the only intact chair, while the others sat on the ground. His drenched black hair clung to his increasingly pale skin, and water droplets slid down the leather like they had absorbed a touch of darkness. "You ask her."
Bohemia imdiately shut her mouth.
"I think we should try electrifying her again. I can control the current," J7 said, seeking their opinions.
"It's raining," Yuan Xiangxi said. "Although electricity can't kill or revive , we do have a cat at ho."
"What cat?"
"I already told you I'm playing a cat," Bohemia said, impatient. "How can you forget—huh?"
They all turned their heads, looking towards the source of the sound.
Lin Sanjiu half-tilted her head, and rainwater continuously stread down her face, forming a small puddle on the ground. Her eyelashes fluttered a few tis, shaking off a few water droplets. "Where am I?"
"She's awake!" Bohemia jumped up, not knowing what to say. "She's awake!"
Lin Sanjiu reached out, her fingers dipping into the muddy puddle, and slowly propped herself up. Yuan Xiangxi, undoubtedly the most suitable to play the role of a wife among them, hurried over and supported her to sit steadily, saying, "It's alright... Do you rember when we went out together in the mountains?"
"Fuck you," Bohemia grumbled.
Lin Sanjiu closed her eyes, let out a soft 'Hmm,' and then seed to realize sothing. She opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings, her gaze stopping on the pile of items. "What... happened to [Planar World]?"
"I don't know," Bohemia said. "It seems like you had an ability upgrade, but everything got thrown out for so reason. Luckily, we ran fast." She grabbed the Ukiyo-e, tossing it to Lin Sanjiu. "Try it. Can you still use it?"
"It works," Lin Sanjiu said, watching the Ukiyo-e transform back into a card, puzzled. "The card looks the sa as before. Did I really level up?"
The others exchanged glances; even Puppeteer furrowed his brow slightly. Nobody had witnessed her upgrade, and it might have been interrupted again midway. Bohemia, unwilling to accept the loss of so many resources, said, "Take a closer look. Is there really no difference? You probably upgraded. Don't tell you gained nothing despite losing so much."
Lin Sanjiu wiped the water off her face and brought the card closer, carefully observing it for about half a minute.
"It's exactly the sa as before," she said almost dazedly. "If I'd upgraded, I would have received a card prompt. My conversion and weight limit should have increased. Last ti, the card had a detailed explanation for using items to absorb ability effects... but now, I have nothing."
Bohemia seed to have taken a heavy blow, and she slumped back down, sighing. "Alright, lost so many supplies, and all you got was waking up..."
"Throw the painting out first," Puppeteer said, suddenly speaking up, causing everyone to shudder. "Try it again empty-handed."
Perhaps because he hadn't left the pocket dinsion all along, his words were unexpectedly calm, lacking the usual sarcasm and disgust as if he was genuinely thinking for Sugar Cube.
Lin Sanjiu found it hard to adapt to this change. After looking at him several tis, she slowly got up and said, "I'll try."
"You should sit down and rest a little," the toaster said.
"J—J7?" Lin Sanjiu almost jumped up, realizing who the machine in the corner was. "What are you doing here? How did you—"
"Get down to your business!" Puppeteer spat out
Lin Sanjiu snapped out of it and pushed back all the questions in her mind. She said to J7, "For so reason, I want to rest while standing. Did you add so household functions? ...Okay, okay, I'll try now."
When she closed her eyes, everyone around her stared intently. After the container was gone, the pocket dinsion house had begun slowly repairing itself. When the living room ceiling finally grew to a level that could barely shield them from the rain, Lin Sanjiu finally opened her eyes.
"I... I found sothing different." She paused, trying to find the right words to explain, but hardly able to believe it herself. "The changes must have co with the upgrade. Do any of you have a pen?"
"The study has one," said Yuan Xiangxi, the hostess. "What do you need the pen for?"
"[Planar World]... has reversed."
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