Chapter 972: Walking through Water to Board the Boat, Isn&##039;t It Strange?

Chapter 972: Walking through Water to Board the Boat, Isn't It Strange?

Being treated as "criminals" was completely expected.
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but sigh deeply.
It was already bad enough that the five people across from her belonged to the same faction, and now she was also suspected—she had a pocket dimension-related item—and had the motive—she was the target of the Night Wanderers' pursuit. She was in a completely hopeless situation now and couldn't explain herself even if she wanted to.
If it weren't for the timely voice, the five people across from her would have probably already swarmed her. But then again, they must not have given up on that plan.
[No Coincidence, No Story] really set her up for a disadvantageous situation.
Everyone had experienced numerous pocket dimensions and knew what was happening as soon as they heard the voice. They waded through the water, getting closer to each other, maintaining a distance from Lin Sanjiu, silently waiting for the continuation of the voice.
"On such a beautiful day, I think taking a boat ride on the lake is a good idea, don't you agree?"
It was only after the second sentence that everyone found the source of the voice. It came from a speaker on a small concrete building by the shore, and it was unclear if anyone was inside. The small concrete building looked simple, with only a conspicuous sign that read "Boat Rental" hanging on a large window.
"Do you want to enjoy the beautiful green lake in our park? Our artificial lake has clean water and a beautiful environment," the tone from the speaker was as if they were offering candy before kidnapping someone. "...It's easy to go boating. Our park offers colorful and cute pedal boats that are perfect for boating on a day like this."
"You are currently standing on this side of the lake, close to the boat rental area. On the other side of the lake, the farthest point from here, all the park's pedal boats are docked."
As the narration continued, everyone raised their gaze. Indeed, on the distant lake surface that was empty just a moment ago, there were now faint colors and shadows gradually becoming clearer, forming cartoonish animal-shaped pedal boats—one after another. Even from this distance, it was evident that their paint was fading, making them appear old, like a large pedal boat storage yard.
Lin Sanjiu couldn't remember the last time she had ridden this type of pedal boat. It must have been in the 1990s, right?
"However, there are regulations for renting our pedal boats."
Here it comes, Lin Sanjiu thought.
Not only her, but judging from the expressions of the five people across from her, everyone understood that the dramatic twist had arrived.
"Before I introduce the regulations, let me count... one, two, three... Hm, six people. Are all of you planning to rent a boat?"
"What if we don't rent?" the girl with the sharp, crisp voice spoke up. She had a slender figure and fair skin, with a prominently high nose that resembled Eastern European people from Lin Sanjiu's old world. However, residents of the Twelve Worlds generally had translation tools, so communication shouldn't be an issue.
"Whether you rent or not is up to you," the speaker replied evenly. "But the water level will rise soon."
"The water level will rise...?"
"I mentioned before, this is an artificial lake. We regularly fill it with water to raise the water level."
"But the height of the shore is just this high..."
"Regardless, the lake level will rise, and you don't need to worry about the shore," the tone from the speaker suddenly turned impatient, and no one dared to ask any more questions on this matter—there were plenty of pocket dimensions that defied the laws of physics.
"You must rent a boat," the round-faced man who had been acting as the group leader nodded at the team members. "Otherwise, I guess we'll probably drown."
"It's not like you'll drown right away," the voice from the speaker paused as if the person inside suddenly remembered to size them up. "The tallest... Let me see, one meter eighty?"
Lin Sanjiu measured her height and that of the others with her gaze and answered with a forced tone, "No, I'm one meter seventy-eight."
"Oh, that's a shame," the voice from the speaker didn't sound regretful at all. "The water level will gradually rise to one meter eighty. Once it reaches the top, our park will have another safety incident."
It seemed that the water level was determined based on the height of the tallest person among the posthumans who entered the scenario. Even if Kevin Durant were here, he would still be submerged. However—"Water has buoyancy," Lin Sanjiu probed, "as long as we utilize the buoyancy of the water..."
"No, the water in our park's lake has no buoyancy."
Everyone fell silent.
"In that case, won't the boats float either?"
"The boats can, but you cannot."
They were being completely unreasonable.
"And we can't go ashore either?" The answer to this question was obvious.
"Since you've all entered, I suggest you have some fun," the speaker said, using a somewhat tactful tone.
"Just drown us forcibly!" A man with drooping eyes on the opposite side, whether with a pained expression or a frustrated look, suddenly asked, "Alright, tell us how to rent the boat."
"Oh, the pedal boats start at a 30-minute rental period. Once you decide to rent, your deposit will be deducted automatically. When you return the boat to the rental point, the entire deposit will be refunded."
Lin Sanjiu's gaze shifted from the distant pedal boats to the small hut on the shore. Although it was far away, for a posthuman, it wouldn't be difficult to step on the pedal boat quickly.
"What deposit?" the last posthuman who hadn't spoken finally asked. He seemed to be a bit older, with silver strands mixed into his neatly combed-back hair. Even if he wasn't young anymore, he had a faint air of maturity, like an old-fashioned gentleman.
"The first 30 minutes' rental fee is an evolutionary ability, the second is a Special Item, and the third is Potential Growth Value... Well, so far, there hasn't been anyone who wanted to extend the rental four times."
"Wait, isn't 30 minutes enough?" The leader became a bit wary.
"That depends on whether you want to extend the rental or not," the voice from the speaker said in a flat tone, "Anyway, once the water is pumped in, the water level will rise uniformly over time, reaching 1.8 meters after 30 minutes."
"No, there might be a trap here, or rather, something that can be manipulated," the leader furrowed his brow, speaking in a low voice to his team members. Although he spoke softly, Lin Sanjiu could still hear him clearly. "Now there are two instances of 30 minutes—one for renting the boat and one for the water level..."
"Ah, this isn't a trap," the person behind the speaker clearly heard his voice as well. "Because it would be too troublesome to start the timer based on the time you boarded the boat, so we simply use the water pumping time as a reference. As long as you agree to rent the boat, the deposit will be immediately deducted, and the countdown will begin immediately. It's the same whether you've touched the boat or not."
The group fell silent again, pondering over this information.
"But... if we can't go ashore, how do we get to the boats?" the round-faced team leader asked.
"You wade through the water, of course," the speaker replied matter-of-factly.