Puzzle Madness

Chapter 203 The First Dream War (Part 9)
The supervisor rattled off a string of technical terms, but failed to resolve DouDou's confusion:
"So, this term is just a technical term related to the detonation structure of an atomic bomb? Does it have no other special meaning—?"

"You—you fucking shut up first! I'm so sorry for swearing, but listen to me first!"

Before I could figure it out, my supervisor interrupted me with a yell; the TV speakers started making a loud, jarring noise.

All fear and flattery vanished instantly. The veins on the supervisor's brow throbbed as he finally began to vie for control of the conversation.

"Oh, you say it."

DouDou did indeed shut up, and didn't even get angry: simply out of curiosity.

The supervisor's previously humble facade, which was both false and secure, has suddenly shattered, and he's even too lazy to continue the pretense. It seems there is indeed some hidden story behind this, which has brought fear and even anger.

DouDou felt that this question had finally hit a nerve.

"You have no idea what's going on right now; I just figured it out myself. I'll send a special task force over to explain to you right away—no, that's too slow; let Inoue take you to the safe house first!"

The supervisor lowered his hands and braced himself on the table, leaning forward; even through the screen, you could see his spittle flying everywhere.

"Kid, listen to me. This is for our own good, and for the good of everyone in Southeast Asia. From this moment on, you absolutely, absolutely, absolutely! Never leave the ground! Don't fly, not even jump a little high, understand?!"

DouDou tilted her head and glanced at the mirrors on both sides.

[Are the consequences really that serious? That sounds kind of weird.]

The supervisor's sudden aggression didn't anger him; instead, it intensified his thirst for knowledge. DouDou also had his own interpretation of what the supervisor said:
"I thought you were going to say something like—'Another me will pop out of the mirror, and the two of us will collide and explode,' you know? Annihilation. Like those antimatter bombs in sci-fi movies?"

"So that's what you meant after all that you just said? Gun-type detonator."

"Oh, and—you know, I can't fly."

The supervisor froze.

His lips twitched, and his eyes were wide open to the point that his eyebrows seemed to pierce his eyeballs. He appeared to have been struck in the brain by some horrifying shock, to the point that his entire language center was disrupted.

"Antimatter? Annihilation? No, no... what nonsense, wait!"

"You? How could you—a mirror? Another you in the mirror?! You've connected to a two-way mirror?! Impossible, impossible! The people in these high-rises wouldn't allow—"

Beep.

Before he could finish speaking, the words came to an abrupt halt; the image on the screen shrank to a single pixel and then went completely dark.

Ping! Sizzle.
Wisps of smoke rose from the television set, and the screen went completely black, silencing the supervisor's unfinished words.

"Oops! Sorry, the TV seems to be broken?"

It wasn't DouDou who spoke, nor was it the supervisor.

Marie Inoue, who had been kneeling in front of the small warehouse, suddenly appeared nearby and peeked out from behind the television with a big smile on her face.

【Huh? When did you get here?】

Marie Inoue bent down and brushed the white dust off the knees of her stockings. She was the one who had destroyed the television.
"The supervisor talks a lot, and he doesn't seem to understand what he can and can't say. Plus, his mouth smells and sounds awful. Can you guys stop here for now?"

"If he says anything more, the negative impact on you will be immeasurable."

She slowly emerged from behind the television, her stiletto heels clicking softly; several metal forks were clutched tightly in her hand, wedged between her fingers. "So you took the forks? No wonder there were no cutlery on the fruit plate."

DouDou had to eat watermelon with her hands because she couldn't find a fork; I was quite puzzled at the time.
"Oh, so you're not as nervous as you seem. I knew it, you were just faking it, you looked so blank."

Was he about to say something crucial? Something he didn't want me to hear?
-
DouDou originally thought that Inoue Marie was an unlucky subordinate of the supervisor; it even seemed like she was being bullied in the workplace.

But given her current behavior, it's possible that this woman in the pencil skirt is actually the one monitoring the supervisor.

So is Asia-Europe Post itself embroiled in internal strife? Or is she part of another organization?

Marie Inoue raises her iron fork—
Then he thrust upwards with a sudden force, plunging the entire shaft into his jaw.

Presumably, the tip of the fork had pierced her tongue, taking up space in her mouth where she could move; her words became somewhat slurred.

Instead of answering DouDou's question, she started talking nonsense:
"I heard... I heard your obsession is also the self-inflicted type—and has reached the furthest point on the scale?"

His smile widened, and blood trickled from his lips and between his teeth, staining his collar and chin red.

"Actually, I've wanted to see you for a long time. But—I have to work; I like working. Ouch, that hurts!"

flutter!
Marie Inoue swung her hands upwards sharply, shoving both forks into her mouth at once; the metal tines of the forks collided and rubbed together, making a rattling sound that made one's teeth ache.

Oh dear, maybe she's gone crazy from working; that's what happens when you work for a long time.

DouDou pinched his chin with his hand:

"You are a sinner! This is your ritualistic act, isn't it?"

"Oh, you say you're an assistant, but you're actually a hidden master! You should have said so earlier!"

"And what about your obsession? What is it—"

DouDou stopped halfway through her sentence.

He saw Inoue Marie's high heels lift off the ground, along with dust and particles from the ground; they surrounded her like noise, forming a halo-like circle.

Marie Inoue floated up, her eyes burning with fervor. Her smile revealed cracked gums and a bent fork, her cheeks flushed with a redness that even foundation couldn't conceal, burning all the way down to her neck.
"Wow, look, I can fly now. I become stronger by your side. Even though we've only just met, I like you so much!"
-
Marie Inoue's legs are still rising, while her body leans forward until her torso is parallel to the ground; her right hand is outstretched, in a freestyle swimming posture.

She began to spin, and the surrounding air gradually blurred:

"So, can I get a little closer to you?"

Like a torpedo, or a drill; the rotation speed increased, a buzzing sound filled the entire sales office, and the glass windows shook.

call--
Marie Inoue was launched into the air, the wind pressure peeling away the paint from the wall. Her face contorted in motion, her cheeks deformed by the acceleration—blood sprayed backward from her mouth, leaving two red streaks that led up to her ears.

The airflow made a slapping sound against the raincoat. The distance for acceleration wasn't long—Marie Inoue's twirling fingertip was about to poke Doudou's nose:

"Huh? You're crazy."

With a casual flick of his wrist, DouDou's five fingers gripped Inoue Marie's wrist and twisted it slightly.

(End of this chapter)