The rectangular-faced person didn't return to his room as Lin Sanjiu had speculated. He took several turns, rode the elevator up and down four or five times, and passed through the storage area filled with building materials and supplies. His footsteps were firm and purposeful. However, after a while, Lin Sanjiu realized she had followed him back to a place not far from the residential area.
Where exactly was he going?
Frowning, she saw the rectangular-faced person suddenly halt in the distance. Quickly, she bent down and pretended to tie her shoelaces behind a railing.
Did he suspect something?
Just as Lin Sanjiu had this thought, she looked up from behind the railing and immediately realized why the rectangular-faced person had stopped—he coincidentally encountered Octo, who had the same face, as he turned the corner.
Perhaps because [No Coincidence, No Story] was still active, her luck was quite good! The two of them were dumbfounded when their eyes met. Octo was the first to react. Without saying a word, he turned and ran, quickly returning the way he came. Lin Sanjiu didn't have time to pay attention to the rectangular-faced person. Like lightning, she shot out, biting into Octo's direction. She sprinted past the rectangular-faced person and created a gust of wind.
"What the..."
She vaguely heard the rectangular-faced roommate mutter two words before the wind blew him away. He stood there in shock, unable to react to the sudden encounter with another version of himself.
Octo seemed afraid of being caught by the original. When he heard the sound of wind approaching from behind, he ran even faster. Although Lin Sanjiu could easily catch up to him with a burst of speed, she intentionally slowed her pace, creating distance between them.
Octo had to feel like he had lost his pursuer before he would feel safe enough to find Luther.
She mentally went over the plan she was about to execute twice. However, at that moment, Octo suddenly took out something and threw it behind him without looking. Before she could see what it was, a thick smoke instantly billowed up from the ground, engulfing the corridor in a swirling gray-white haze.
Lin Sanjiu cursed inwardly and narrowed her eyes, halting her steps outside the smoke. The smoke dissipated unnaturally fast, in just a couple of seconds, as if it had never appeared, and so did Octo.
Like a stage performer exiting, that disappearing act was undoubtedly the effect of some kind of Special Item. Despite knowing this, Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but call out a couple of times in frustration, "Octo! Octo!"
She knew she was wasting her breath, so she turned around and rushed back. But this time, not only had Octo run away, but the rectangular-faced person was also nowhere to be seen. She clenched her lips tightly, annoyed and wishing she could punch something. She returned to the spot where Octo disappeared, scanning the straight corridor repeatedly with her eyes.
Except for a utility room, there were no doors along the corridor. The door to the utility room was tightly closed, but Lin Sanjiu hadn't heard any sound of it opening or closing.
"Octo!" This time, she didn't shout but bit the name between her teeth as if she could chew it to pieces.
To her surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, the door to the utility room was lightly pushed open from behind. Then, the doorknob slowly turned half a circle, revealing the face of a rugged middle-aged man who looked somewhat like her.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds until the man said, "So, it's you. Are you looking for someone named Octo?"
Lin Sanjiu felt a little guilty toward the janitor, so she was more patient and nodded at him.
"That Octo... Octo... What's his last name again?" The janitor furrowed his brow, trying to remember, but impatiently changed his wording, "Is it Octo, the guy who got eaten by a dog?"
Lin Sanjiu felt utterly confused by this description.
"Well, I'm looking for a woman..." she hesitated, unsure of the significance of the description.
"In that case, it's not the same person."
The janitor seemed reluctant to engage in further conversation and was about to retract into the narrow utility room when he suddenly paused. "Wait, what kind of woman?"
Although she didn't understand why he asked for such specific details, Lin Sanjiu replied honestly, "I don't know. He disguised himself as a man."
"How do you know that he's a woman?" The janitor suddenly became more aggressive.
"Because... the tone, the gestures..."
"Fool!" The janitor spat out. "Men like you are too easily fooled! You think wearing a skirt and speaking softly is what it means to be a woman. It's stupid and irritating! Real women aren't like that!"
"Not wearing a skirt?"
"Of course not," the janitor's eyebrows almost flew into his temples in anger. His expression looked familiar. "Why are you so dumb and argumentative?"
Lin Sanjiu looked at him suspiciously, the phrase "men like you" still ringing in her ears. Could this janitor also be wearing a disguise? Could he also be searching for Luther to transform?
What exactly was Luther doing on this ship? Helping with the transformation charity?
"I can't leave this place right now," the janitor suddenly said, his anger deflating as if poked with a hole. "Where did you see him? Don't be like that; I know it's the same person. I can help you deal with him if you can bring him to me. He has offended me."
"Why can't you leave here?" Lin Sanjiu asked, glancing down. The janitor only showed his chubby face; his body and legs were hidden behind the door, making his head look like a free-floating balloon. Because of this, she couldn't see if he had the [Oath Implant] on his wrist.
"Because some bastard stole my vacuum cleaner," the janitor replied quickly. "Without it, another bastard can find me."
As one of those bastards, Lin Sanjiu didn't understand, but seeing the janitor's impatience, she didn't inquire further. "I'm tracking him to find someone. I can't guarantee that I can bring him to you."
The janitor raised an eyebrow.
"You're quite honest," he muttered. "The way you are reminds me of someone..."
"The person I'm looking for, you might also know them." Lin Sanjiu looked at him and took a step forward. When the janitor lowered his head to look at her feet, his expression became somewhat unnatural when he raised his head again.
"W-what person?"
"The person who helped you transform."
"The person who helped me..." The janitor was momentarily stunned as if he didn't understand the sentence. Then, he suddenly changed his expression. His face turned pale. Looking at his facial expression, Lin Sanjiu knew she had hit upon some hidden secret. Before the janitor could react, she forcefully pushed the narrow door of the utility room with her elbow protected by the [Defense Forcefield], shoving the large, chubby janitor into the interior of the utility room.
She quickly followed, closing the door behind her. The motion sensor lights immediately illuminated the cramped space.
"Don't move," Lin Sanjiu warned. "I just want some information."
With unexpected agility, the janitor quickly exited from the ground without knocking over any items. His face turned purplish-red from anger and fear. He stared at Lin Sanjiu and let out a cold laugh, "There are quite a few places where they've left their traces, right? You even know the origin of this face of mine."
What was this person talking about? Lin Sanjiu had a vague feeling that something was off, but she couldn't grasp it.
"I see you're not a formidable character either... They look down on me now?" The janitor straightened his back and looked her up and down. "You just want to know who transformed me, right? I'll tell you—my mom!"
"The hair, his appearance and expression, and the phrase 'your mom' put together finally made something click in Lin Sanjiu's mind. Without thinking it through, she blurted out a name, "Bohemia?"