Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 977 Before the game

"He was too exhausted in the 'Return Journey' dungeon, and his mental trauma is not easy to recover from. As his deputy, Mulanzhi should now be in charge of the guild team."

She paused, then looked at Yu Shijiu and asked:

"Did you hear what exactly they're going to prepare?"

Yu Shijiu shook her head, "I didn't hear clearly. The man in the gray clothes spoke very softly, and Ma Ming also lowered his voice later."

Xu Han had already washed his hands and returned. Upon hearing this, he pouted and said:

"What else could it be? They're definitely trying to sabotage someone in the later revival round! They're not satisfied with their loss, so they're trying to use underhanded tactics!"

"uncertain."

He Lingling shook her head.

“Ma Ming said, ‘That thing might be useful in the next competition.’ This doesn’t sound like it’s specifically targeting the opponent; it sounds more like… some kind of special item that can be used in the competition.”

As she spoke, her large pupils turned to Anjie, "Sister An, what do you think?"

Anjie remained silent for a moment, then stuffed the deformed cake in her hand into her mouth.

"Whatever it is, we just need to be prepared."

Her voice was calm, but a hint of suppressed irritation flashed quickly in the depths of her eyes.

"There are less than 20 hours until the next match. Our most important task now is to get into a good mindset, rather than trying to guess what other guilds are doing."

"Sister An is right."

Chen Yi nodded, a relieved smile spreading across his chubby face.

"We've seen it all, whether it's soldiers or floods. Besides, we're all in good shape now. Shi Jiu's hand has recovered, Lingling's eyes are better, and Xiao Han's healing ability has recovered to about 70-80%..."

He paused, glanced at Anjie instinctively, and said hesitantly:

"Sister An, you...you seem to be eating more than usual lately. Is your stomach upset?"

Anjie was taken aback, then shook her head.

"No, I'm just a little hungry."

She spoke naturally, but He Lingling's gaze lingered on her calm face for a few seconds.

"Sister An."

He Lingling suddenly spoke up: "How long has it been since you last used your talent skill?"

This question came out of the blue.

The living room fell silent for a moment.

Anjie raised her eyelids and looked at He Lingling; their eyes met in mid-air.

A few seconds later, Anjie slowly shook her head.

"It's been a long time, the last time was several years ago. I've always been very restrained from activating my talent skills."

"I see..."

He Lingling looked away, picked up the cake again, took a bite, and said indistinctly:

"I've heard that the 'Cleaner' talent skill has some significant side effects, so it's best to avoid using it if possible."

Anjie gave a soft "hmm" and didn't say anything more.

Yu Shijiu blinked as she watched the brief exchange of glances between the two, suppressing her curiosity and refraining from interrupting.

He lowered his head and took another bite of the cake, the sweet aroma of the pastry filling his mouth.

For some reason, at this moment, he suddenly remembered the feeling of his beast-like left hand tearing apart those dark red polluted streams in the "Return Journey" instance.

That kind of savage, greedy, almost "hungery" devouring desire.

Is An Jie's current situation... somewhat similar to yours?

The thought flashed through Yu Shijiu's mind, and he quickly shook his head, banishing the inexplicable idea from his brain.

How can it be?

Sister An is Sister An, and he is him.

Their talents and skills are completely different.

Moreover, his beast claws have now disappeared, and the pollution has been absorbed by the driver.

Everything that was abnormal has now returned to normal.

"Oh, right."

Xu Han suddenly remembered something, jumped up from the sofa and ran to Yu Shijiu's side.

"Shi Jiu, is your hand really completely normal now? Should I check it again?"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Yu Shijiu's left hand.

Yu Shijiu instinctively flinched, then stopped, letting Xu Han grab her wrist.

A familiar, warm, healing energy emanated from Xu Han's palm, slowly flowing into his wrist and spreading upwards along his veins.

It's still warm and comfortable.

But Yu Shijiu felt a faint, extremely subtle sense of rejection coming from deep within his left arm.

It was as if something was resisting this external, gentle healing energy.

Yu Shijiu paused, biting into the cake.

"How about it?"

Xu Han asked with concern, "Is anything bothering you? Or do you feel unwell?"

"……No."

Yu Shijiu shook his head, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart.

"Very good, very comfortable."

He was telling the truth.

Xu Han's healing energy did indeed make him feel very comfortable, and the slight rejection sensation in his left arm was almost negligible.

Perhaps it's because you've just recovered and your body isn't used to it yet?

Yu Shijiu guessed.

Xu Han examined it carefully for a while before letting go and nodding in satisfaction.

"There is definitely no problem. The flesh, bones, and tendons feel normal, and there are no traces of pollution or residue."

After he finished speaking, he thought for a moment and added:

"But Shi Jiu, your left hand strength should be a bit stronger than before, right? I feel that your muscle density and bone strength seem to have improved slightly."

Yu Shijiu nodded, "Yes, I felt it too."

"Good thing."

Chen Yi chuckled and replied, "This means that Shi Jiu's body was strengthened after the pollution was purified, which is a blessing in disguise."

Anjie nodded, but her gaze lingered on Yu Shijiu's left arm for a second or two longer than usual.

After finishing her cake, He Lingling took a tissue to wipe her hands and suddenly asked:

"Shi Jiu, when you were absorbing all that pollution at the end of the dungeon... what did it feel like?"

This question drew the attention of all three of them.

Anjie and Chen Yi's eyelids twitched simultaneously, not quite understanding what He Lingling meant by suddenly saying that.

Could it be that……

Yu Shijiu was silent for a few seconds, then carefully recalled.

"It's very messy."

He said, "There are many individual voices, and many kinds of emotions: despair, fear, numbness... and the murderer's emotions... probably something like excitement and madness? Actually..."

Yu Shijiu paused for a few seconds to recall before continuing:

“These emotions that don’t belong to me are tearing at my consciousness, it feels like they’re trying to drag me in, but I… I’m using pain to hold my emotions in place.”

Yu Shijiu didn't explain exactly how he used pain to immobilize the body, but everyone present understood.

He Lingling's huge pupils contracted slightly.

"What do you think when the driver is absorbing the pollution?"

She pressed for more details.

"..."

Yu Shijiu began to carefully recall the scene of the driver holding the red hat and the polluted stream flowing into the other person's body.

"It's very heavy."

He said slowly, "It was as if countless unseen things were pressing down on him, but he... seemed very calm."

"calm?"

Xu Han was surprised, "With so many negative emotions flooding into your body, how can you possibly be calm?"

He thought the driver was about to break down; the driver was wailing and crying, how could someone cry like that and still be calm?

"It's just peace."

Yu Shijiu said with certainty, "He was crying and repenting, but his heart and emotions were very calm, as if... he had finally accepted something that he should have accepted long ago."

The living room fell silent again.

Chen Yi sighed softly.

"The driver... was actually a pitiful person too."

"There is always something hateful about a pitiful person."

He Lingling raised her water glass, took a sip, and after feeling the sweetness in her throat dissipate slightly, continued:

"After all, his cowardice and escapism indirectly led to a tragedy, but at least in the end, he chose to take responsibility."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Yu Shijiu and asked, "Shijiu, how did you feel when the driver sucked the contaminant out of your left arm?"

Yu Shijiu thought about it seriously.

"It feels empty."

He licked his lips and said, "It's like... I've always been wearing a heavy load, and suddenly he took it off. For a moment, I felt a little uncomfortable."

This description is very apt and perfectly captures Yu Shijiu's current state.

He Lingling nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The afternoon tea, filled with the sweet aroma of honey, quickly came to an end in a slightly somber atmosphere.

As dusk approached, the five of them returned to their rooms to make final adjustments.

Yu Shijiu lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time. His left arm unconsciously rose, his fingers opening and closing.

It still feels empty.

Not only did my left arm lose the burden of pollution, but I also felt empty inside.

The emptiness that had disappeared while eating the cake returned.

Yu Shijiu turned over unhappily, took out the axe from his system inventory, and tested his strength by holding it in his left hand.

The feeling from swinging the axe a couple of days ago was still there; his strength had indeed increased considerably, but he always felt... like something was missing.

He actually knew exactly what was missing—

Gone is the stinging pain of claws piercing flesh, gone is the itching sensation of hair wriggling under the cloth, gone is the almost violent madness brought on by the agitation of pollutants within the body…

Yu Shijiu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

No, I can't think about it anymore.

Sister An said this is a good thing.

Brother Chen, Brother Han, and Sister Lingling were all happy for him to recover.

He should be happy about it.

But why... do I feel a little uncomfortable?

Yu Shijiu didn't know why.

All he knew was that he missed Fei Fei even more at that moment.

If Feifei were here, he could at least hold it, rub its soft belly and fur, and listen to its comfortable snoring as it falls asleep.

Instead of lying in a room, staring blankly at the ceiling, as is the case now.

Outside the window, the virtual sunlight of the town simulation gradually slanted westward, and the twilight light shone through the glass into the room, casting long, slanted, scattered patches of light on the floor.

Yu Shijiu stared at the spots of light on the floor for a long time until they disappeared completely and the room fell into darkness.

At dinner, Chen Yi prepared a sumptuous meal.

"The competition is tomorrow, so eat more tonight to replenish your energy."

He cheerfully served food to everyone, especially Yu Shijiu and He Lingling, whose bowls were piled high with food, almost overflowing.

Xu Han wolfed down his food, praising it indistinctly as he ate:

"Brother Chen, I'm not being long-winded! Your cooking skills are absolutely amazing! I dare say you won't find another player in the entire town who cooks better than you!"

Chen Yi was a little embarrassed by his praise, "It's not that exaggerated. I just do it casually before every meal."

"Really, really!"

Xu Han nodded vigorously, then burped, "Hey, once we've accumulated enough points to leave the game, I'll have my mom fund another big restaurant for you, Brother Chen. I'll definitely patronize it every day!"

This remark lightened the atmosphere at the dinner table.

He Lingling said with a half-smile, "Why do you come here every day to support us?"

"I can get a job!"

Xu Han said matter-of-factly, "I'll serve you dishes and wash vegetables, Brother Chen, and you can provide me with three meals a day!"

Chen Yi was amused. "Alright, alright, if everyone can really leave the game, I'll definitely open a big restaurant again. You can come and eat anytime, it'll be free."

"Really?"

Xu Han's eyes lit up.

"real."

Chen Yi nodded.

Anjie had been eating quietly, but when she heard this, she looked up at Chen Yi and smiled slightly.

Yu Shijiu smiled too.

He looked down at the mountain of food piled up in his bowl, and the emptiness in his heart seemed to be somewhat relieved by this warm dinner.

There are still many people around me.

Sister An, Brother Chen, Sister Lingling, Brother Han.

They are all here.

Fei Fei is away for now, but she will come back eventually.

As for the pollution that disappeared from my left arm... well, it's gone if it's gone.

At least now, he can better control himself and won't hurt anyone.

After dinner, the five of them gathered in the living room again for one last brief tactical discussion.

Anjie took out the "faded ticket" and placed it in the center of the coffee table.

"After entering the instance tomorrow, we will decide whether to use it and who should use it based on the instance type and the prompts."

She paused, then looked at everyone. "Does anyone have a question?"

All shook their heads.

"it is good."

Anjie put away the ticket and glanced at everyone.

"Then, get a good rest tonight, and tomorrow... give it your all."

"Yes!"

Xu Han immediately straightened his back.

He Lingling nodded, her black pupils appearing exceptionally large in the light falling from above.

Chen Yi said with a smile, "Everyone, relax. We've already won two games in a row, and we're sure to win this time too."

Yu Shijiu nodded in agreement.

Late at night, as the hustle and bustle of the town gradually subsided, Yu Shijiu lay alone in bed, his eyes closed, but he couldn't fall asleep.

The room wasn't very soundproof; he could even hear Xu Han snoring softly in the next room while he was fast asleep, and he could also hear Chen Yi quietly tidying things up in the kitchen.

Hearing this, Yu Shijiu blinked—yes, he could also hear Sister Lingling turning the pages of a book in her room.

However, Anjie's room was very quiet. Could she have already fallen asleep?

Lost in thought, Yu Shijiu suddenly heard soft footsteps coming from the living room.

Is Sister An in the living room? Or Brother Chen?

Yu Shijiu turned over and faced the wall.

On the inside of his left arm, the faint red marks that were almost invisible emanated a subtle, burning sensation in the darkness.

It was so light, almost like an illusion.

Yu Shijiu didn't pay attention. He touched his itchy left hand, closed his eyes, and forced himself to fall asleep.

There's another match tomorrow.

We must win.

We must win.

After we win, we'll bring Feifei back from Lu Chusheng.