Puzzle Madness

Chapter 206 The First Dream War (Part Twelve)

"Huh? I--I can't hear what you're saying. Speak louder, please?"

Marie Inoue uttered an indistinct murmur as she flew forward once more, her body leaning slightly forward and her head maintaining the direction of the jet.

boom!
There was no warning of any force being exerted, only the air being squeezed and bursting open; blowing away the surrounding debris with a sharp sound.

DouDou was still using her palm to block the beam of light she was emitting:

[It moves without warning, and it rushes forward so fast! I'm so envious! It looks so convenient.]

Her tied-up hair was completely burned away, like a helmet made of smoke; scorched embers were flung back from her face, making her features unrecognizable. It was unclear whether Inoue Marie had truly lost her hearing or was simply avoiding the question posed by DouDou.

But the blazing beam of light was indeed shrinking shorter; while the flower of heat blooming in the palm of his hand was expanding and growing stronger—
Marie Inoue, flying at high speed, collided with Doudou's palm.

轰：
As the blazing red light faded, Inoue Marie's head also vanished. Only charred remains lay scattered on the ground, along with her headless and armless body, rolling on the earth and stirring up swirling dust.

In the heat and the impact, she was left with only these fragments.

"Huh? He just died like that? So what was he supposed to do?"

DouDou was momentarily stunned. The scene was so bizarre that even he couldn't quite understand what was happening.
"--Oh? Is it my turn?"

Dudu looked up in disbelief and saw another Inoue Marie stepping out of the sales department's mirror.

She tilted her head, her gaze sweeping over the street torn apart by the heat of her gaze, and the still-smoking corpse of "the previous" Inoue Marie; finally, it settled on DouDou:

"Yeah, I used laser eyes, and it didn't even work. My arm is completely severed, it's a laceration—did you rip it off? I guess I have no chance in close combat, I guess I was too excited."

"Hey, did you have enough fun? If not, shall we continue?"

She flicked her wrist—but instead of a metal fork, a gleaming fountain pen appeared between her fingers.

Marie Inoue moved her jaw left and right a couple of times, then flicked off the pen cap and, just like "last time," forcefully shoved it into her mouth from bottom to top—
"It hurts so much, oh!"

Marie Inoue used her other hand to loosen the hair tie on her head. Her long hair didn't fall down, but instead rose up, just like the surrounding shards of glass: these transparent, glittering fragments, like an asteroid belt, surrounded her.

She floated quietly up and moved out of the business hall; hovering in the air, blood stained her collar red down her chin.

This time, Marie Inoue did not attack immediately. Instead, she raised her head and looked up at the night sky, its starlight obscured by the city—her body gradually began to tremble until she swayed as if shaking.
"Wow, amazing! I... I flew! And the area that Tianjing occupies has never been this big before! You're so incredible, how can someone be so amazing?"

[Holy crap, what's going on? It's like a time loop!]

In a daze, DouDou felt a sense of familiarity, as if time had reversed; the words the other person said were almost identical to those when they first floated up.

But following Inoue Marie's gaze, Doudou also realized other clues she hadn't noticed before—the strange phenomena she saw in the sky were definitely different from usual. [Right, the higher the infatuation level, the stranger things in the sky seem to look? Or maybe bigger.]

Just like the corpse on the ground, her frenzy was greatly amplified.
However, it seems that the manifestations of fanaticism are the same:
"You emerged from the mirror? But you have no memory of the battle. Like a copy? A clone? Oh, I think I understand."

It must be related to two-way mirrors.
DouDou recalled that in a previous briefing, it was mentioned that the [two-way mirror network] was not a true network; now it seems that this might mean it lacks the ability for "real-time communication."
[PhD—wow, I haven't thought about him in ages. I wonder how he's doing—the PhD talked about it for ages back then, about how the internet could provide real-time communication over the entire globe.]

I don't understand what this "two-way mirror network" is, but it's definitely not very timely.

The fact that things inside a mirror can move outside is fantastical in itself; there must be something even more complex at work.

[However, I just bumped into the previous lady, and there was no big explosion or anything: it seems the [gun-type detonator] wasn't a physical collision, and maybe the object of the collision shouldn't have been this super white-collar lady.]
-
Normally, DouDou would be incredibly curious about the underlying principles and would insist on finding out for herself on the spot.

but.
Not right.

What exactly is she doing? And what is Asia-Europe Post trying to do?
Putting aside the tactical mechanisms, DouDou was more curious about the opponent's true strategic objectives. This curiosity almost surged up her spine and burst through the top of her head, scattering like fireworks:

"Your older sister, you're actually stalling for time, aren't you? Not just you right now, but also the one who just died. Otherwise, why would you keep bothering me even though you can't beat me?"

Although the "new version" of Inoue Marie before her had made some judgments by observing the previous corpse.
"Wait, are you sure people can pop out of the mirror? Are you all going to keep coming out to fight me one after another? After I beat you up, another one will just jump out? Are you trying to create an infinite loop?"

But if we really have to change the way we fight and our strategies, and learn and grow to the point where we can truly fight against DouDou, it might take until dawn and we still won't be done. Will we even be able to go to class tomorrow?

Marie Inoue abruptly stopped flying and picked at the corner of her mouth with her little finger. Her entire face was drooping, seemingly filled with dejection.

"Ah, you noticed."

“Strictly speaking, the plan began the moment you chose to get the information from Asia-Europe Post tonight; I was indeed stalling for time, that was my job.”

"However... well... if you're already tired of playing, I can explain to you what's going on?"

"Explanations take time anyway, and it's good to chat while we're working. Besides, even if you know I'm stalling you—you don't know where to stop Asia-Europe Post's actions, do you?"

She combed her hair and stared at DouDou with anticipation:

"So? Do you want to fight, or should I explain it to you and you choose? Or it would be even better if we could fight and talk at the same time!"

DouDou clapped his hands, shaking off the lingering dust left in his palm by the previous Marie Antoinette. For some reason, his emotions seemed to be fluctuating more intensely tonight than before.

"You're so cunning! Is this what it means to be a seasoned adult? I'll fight you now, but I have to hold back so I don't kill you—otherwise, when the next one comes out, I'll have to start all over again."

(End of this chapter)