Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 974 Sleep

Yu Shijiu chewed slowly until the sweetness filled his mouth, but it couldn't completely dispel the inexplicable sense of melancholy in his heart that he himself couldn't explain.

There was resentment towards that ugly, uncontrollable beastly claw, and also displeasure at Lu Chusheng taking Feifei away... but more than anything...

It was at the moment when he completely unleashed that polluting power in the "Return Journey" instance, collided head-on with countless negative emotions in the carriage, and was even nearly swallowed up, that he felt as if he had touched some strange... boundary.

The boundary between madness and lucidity, the boundary between self and non-self, and... a cold and primal desire hidden deep beneath the cycle of the Dawn Game instance.

That strange desire doesn't belong to the rats in the burrow, nor to the resentment gathered in "The Way Home." It's more bizarre, more chaotic, and even vaguely carries a... inexplicable familiarity.

What does it resemble?

Yu Shijiu chewed on a milk candy, trying hard to recall, but only fragmented images and sounds flashed through her mind—

The water droplets dripping from the edge of the bathtub as his mother lay there, the glaring light from the incandescent bulbs in the sanatorium, and the icy touch of Lu Chusheng's fingers as he handed him the cake…

Yu Shijiu paused for a few seconds, then swallowed the melted candy in her throat.

He remembered that the taste of this milk candy was somewhat similar to the big cake that Lu Chusheng had once given him.

It's very big, really big, and as sweet as milk candy.

Yu Shijiu pursed her lips, pounced on the bed and buried her face in the pillow, the sweet scent of milk candy immediately filling her nose.

Forget it, I don't want to.

It's good that your arm has recovered.

He can control himself better now, and he won't hurt anyone easily anymore, nor will he worry Sister An and the others.

Milk candy... Milk candy is also delicious.

As for Feifei, who hasn't returned yet, it definitely prefers Lu Chusheng—Yu Shijiu thought somewhat unhappily.

As for that strange, empty feeling in my heart... I'll get used to it.

Just like how I used to be used to being alone in the ward, used to the pain of the rope digging into my flesh, and used to the malicious stares and whispers around me.

...You'll get used to it eventually.

Yu Shijiu closed her eyes as she thought about it.

Outside the room's doors and windows, the night, simulated by the Dawn game, had completely fallen, and the starlight in the night sky began to light up sparsely—a starry sky scene set by the system and remaining unchanged.

As the surrounding silence gradually deepened, Yu Shijiu listened to her own steady heartbeat and slowly relaxed.

Soon, the fatigue that I had been deliberately suppressing after leaving the dungeon slowly surged up like a tide, and I soon felt sleepy.

Just before he was about to drift off to sleep, the almost invisible light red marks on the inside of his left arm seemed to burn for a very slight moment...

It was as fleeting as an illusion.

Yu Shijiu's eyelashes trembled, but she didn't open her eyes.

The overwhelming fatigue that washed over him after relaxing made him fall asleep.

In the living room, Xu Han helped Chen Yi clean up the dishes and then yawned as he went back to his room.

He Lingling had already taken the mental restoration potion rewarded by the system and fell into a deep sleep. Her pale complexion seemed to have eased a little in her sleep.

Anjie went into the room to check on He Lingling's condition, and then checked all the doors and windows before leaving the room.

She initially intended to go straight back to her room, but after hesitating for a moment, she walked to Yu Shijiu's door and listened quietly for a few seconds until she heard faint, steady breathing inside before turning back to the living room.

Chen Yi made himself a cup of tea and sat on the sofa, watching An Jie walk back from her room.

"Sister An."

Chen Yi chuckled and said, "You must be tired too. Go and rest. I'll clean up the kitchen later; it's not much to do."

Anjie shook her head, walked to sit opposite Chen Yi, and rubbed her sore temples.

"I can't sleep, and my stomach still feels a little uncomfortable."

Anjie rubbed her lower abdomen as she spoke.

It wasn't just a simple feeling of hunger, but a deeper, more subtle, restless hunger.

The warning on the system panel about "excessive suppression of appetite" felt like a tiny thorn stuck in her brain, and even the thought of it made her stomach cramp slightly.

Chen Yi sighed and pushed the warm teacup towards her.

"Is it because of this instance?"

After thinking for a moment, Ange shook her head. "It shouldn't be."

Before Chen Yi could say anything, An Jie casually changed the subject:

"Do you think this dungeon run is a good thing for Shi Jiu, or...?"

She paused, leaving the rest of her sentence unfinished.

"It's certainly a good thing that the pollution has been completely eliminated."

Chen Yi replied instinctively.

Anjie frowned slightly. "But the process is too dangerous, and Lin Hai never mentioned how risky it was when he first proposed the method."

"...But the driver ultimately bore the brunt of the pollution, so that could be considered...another form of responsibility?"

Chen Yi carefully chose his words and said in a low voice, "Judging from his final state, it didn't seem like he was faking it."

Anjie was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Perhaps."

She continued, "But I still don't think I can trust the people from 'Echo,' especially that Mulanzhi..."

Mentioning Mulanzhi, Anjie's eyes turned cold. "Next time we encounter them in a dungeon, we should be more careful."

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

"I know, but for now, let's take care of ourselves first. Lingling needs to rest, and Shi Jiu has just gone through something like this and needs time to adjust. Plus, the next guild competition is in three days, so we're running out of time to rest."

Although Chen Yi bled quite a bit in the dungeon, it was only a superficial injury. He could recover quickly with some healing potions and was perfectly healthy again.

"Ah."

Anjie picked up her teacup, took a sip of the slightly hot tea, and the warm tea slid into her stomach, temporarily calming the restless hunger in her stomach.

Her gaze fell on Yu Shijiu's tightly closed door.

Will Shi Jiu be able to fully adapt?

She recalled the fleeting look of confusion in Yu Shijiu's eyes as he stood by the window, and the subtle, unconscious pause he made when he touched his arm, which had returned to normal.

They all thought it was a good thing that the pollution was cleared up... but Yu Shijiu might not necessarily think so...

Anjie lowered her eyes and stopped thinking about it.

In any case, the fact remains that her arm has returned to normal. The rest is up to Shi Jiu to figure out for herself, since having a contaminated hand is quite a shock for her...

-

As night deepened, the town's hustle and bustle did not completely subside.

The sounds of players talking, trading, and even arguing could still be faintly heard from the location of the live-streaming plaza, but this temporary residential area belonging to the "Living" guild had become completely quiet.

In the room, Yu Shijiu was not sleeping soundly... He was dreaming.

There was no specific scene in the dream, only a hazy, dark red mist.

From the dark red mist came many indistinct sounds: crying, whispering, shrill laughter, and the sticky sound of wheels rolling over the wet road.

He walked in the fog, his left arm sometimes light, sometimes heavy.

Sometimes it's a perfectly intact human arm, and sometimes it transforms back into a beast's claw covered in black and yellow fur with sharp fingertips.

Yu Shijiu raised the tip of his claw, which had transformed into a beast's claw, and lightly brushed it across the surrounding dark red mist, creating subtle ripples.

He raised an eyebrow at the dense ripples, then continued walking forward.

Then, Yu Shijiu heard a very soft male voice, moist and gentle like water vapor, as if it were right next to her ear:

"...I'll take...you...away..."

Yu Shijiu suddenly opened his eyes.

The room was pitch black, with only simulated starlight from outside the window casting a very faint white halo on the bed through the glass.

"..."

Yu Shijiu stared at the ceiling for a long while before sitting up.

A thin layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and he looked down at his left hand with a dazed expression.

Apart from the pounding of his heart in his chest, his human-like left arm lay perfectly at his side, without any abnormality.

Was what I just saw just a dream?

Or is it auditory hallucination caused by residual pollution?

Yu Shijiu raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his fingertips touching his skin, warm and real.

He slowly lay back down on the bed, staring at the diffused light and shadow on the ceiling until his heartbeat completely calmed down and sleepiness slowly crept in again.

This time, nothing strange happened in the dream.

The next morning, simulated sunlight streamed through the windows and into everyone's rooms right on time.

When Yu Shijiu woke up, he felt much better and got out of bed. He then rotated his left arm vigorously.

My left arm is also more flexible than it was yesterday when I came out of the game instance, and the emptiness I felt in my heart seems to have faded a bit.

After confirming that the beast claw was truly impossible, Yu Shijiu walked out of the room with some disappointment.

The kitchen door was closed, and the sounds of cooking were making a clattering noise.

Chen Yi was already preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

Xu Han was sprawled on the sofa, groaning and rubbing his arms, saying that his muscles were sore from resisting too fiercely with the props yesterday.

He Lingling, sitting at the dining table, rolled her eyes upon hearing this, her expression slightly better than yesterday.

She sipped the calming porridge that Chen Yi had specially prepared for her. Her huge black pupils returned to their usual size, but the dark circles under her eyes had not completely faded.

"Shi Jiu, you're awake?"

Chen Yi poked his head out of the kitchen and said with a smile:

"Breakfast will be ready soon. I made vegetable porridge and some omelets today. Is there anything else you'd like to eat? I'll make some more."

"Thank you, Brother Chen, but no need. I really like vegetable porridge and egg pancakes."

Yu Shijiu smiled and walked to the dining table to sit down.

Anjie walked in from outside at that moment.

She held in her hand several simple intelligence reports about other guild tournaments that she had casually copied from the town bulletin board.

"Are you all up? Let's eat first, and then we'll have a quick meeting to review the situation and discuss preparations for three days from now."

She put the papers on the coffee table next to the sofa and sat down next to He Lingling.

The atmosphere at breakfast was much more relaxed than last night.

While eating, Xu Han made fun of the five people in "Echo," especially Mulanzhi's last look, which he imitated so vividly that it made people want to laugh.

He Lingling would occasionally add a sarcastic remark, while Chen Yi would cheerfully continue to smooth things over. An Jie would listen quietly, occasionally asking one or two questions about intelligence information.

Yu Shijiu quietly lowered his head and drank his porridge, listening to his teammates' conversation and feeling the warmth and noise of this everyday life.

He held the spoon and slowly drank the vegetable porridge.

It tastes great and is nice and warm.

Yu Shijiu thought that it would be great if things could continue like this forever.

After the meal, the five of them sat around the coffee table.

Anjie spread out the information she had copied down early that morning on the coffee table and said:

"The next match will still be random, and the opponent and the type of dungeon are uncertain. But I guess we just went through a high-intensity mental pollution dungeon, so we might be matched with other types next time. But we should also be prepared to continue to encounter mental pollution dungeons."

After she finished speaking, she looked at He Lingling and hesitated for a moment: "Lingling, when will your eyes be fully recovered at the earliest?"

"Take the medicine again tonight, and it should be almost gone by tomorrow. It won't affect its use in the dungeon."

He Lingling took a sip of water and replied, "But activating 'Ghost Eye' at high intensity in a short period will still have some side effects on my eyes. Hopefully, we'll have better luck in the next dungeon."

"it is good."

Anjie nodded, then looked at Yu Shijiu, "Shijiu, your left arm has just recovered. How are you feeling now? In terms of combat strength..."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shijiu flexed his left hand, clenched his fist, and said with a smile:

"No problem, Sister An. I feel like I'm... a little bit stronger than before?"

He was a little unsure of what he said, but he could definitely feel that the force inside his left arm was stronger.

This was not like the explosive power he had when he was corrupted and transformed into a beast's claw; rather, it was more like a solidified enhancement of the fundamental power within the human body.

"It's possible that the body received a certain boost after the pollution was purified."

Chen Yi speculated, "As long as there are no side effects, it's a good thing."

"Ah."

An Jie memorized what Yu Shijiu had just said and turned to look at Xu Han, who was sitting slumped over next to her.

"Xiao Han, where are your healing abilities?"

"It is slowly recovering!"

Xu Han lazily raised his hand, responding confidently and actively:

"By tomorrow, it should be back to about 70-80% of normal levels! That should be more than enough!"

Anjie glanced at him and continued:

"That 'faded ticket' in the guild warehouse."

She pointed to the notes on the table describing the items. "I'll keep them for now. Next time we enter a dungeon, we can decide whether to use them and who should use them based on the dungeon type and the hints. Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"So, for the next two days," Ange quickly organized all the clues and summarized:

"Our mission is to get plenty of rest, adjust our mental and physical state, and check and replenish any necessary supplies. Lingling and Shijiu, you two need the most rest."

Yu Shijiu and He Lingling nodded obediently, indicating that they understood.

An Jie felt a little relieved and said with a smile, "Then Chen Yi, I'll continue to leave the kitchen and logistics to you. And Xiao Han, don't run around these next few days, just focus on recovering."