Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 774 Copy

Just as Xu Han said, Fang Youhua really didn't look like a vice president of a guild. She was too ordinary, so ordinary that anyone who talked to her could only remember her ordinariness, timidity, weakness, and her occasionally trembling and spasming hands.

This is how Fang Youhua is seen by the public.

He Lingling spoke with such certainty that the others were momentarily at a loss for words.

Finally, Lu Chusheng spoke up, breaking the silence among them, "One minute left."

Lu Chusheng naturally raised his hand to wipe the coffee milk stains from Yu Shijiu's lips, then realized something and stiffly withdrew his hand.

Anjie and Chen Yi's expressions changed immediately.

Anjie suspected that Lu Chusheng was still harboring the intention to recruit people—Chen Yi, on the other hand, felt that Lu Chusheng's gesture of wiping his face was a bit too natural.

He Lingling and Xu Han are the same.

Well, they know a little more. He Lingling almost lost her temper and choked on her coffee.

"Cough cough cough-"

He Lingling covered her mouth and coughed, and Xu Han hurriedly handed her a tissue.

Yu Shijiu wrinkled her nose, glanced at Lu Chusheng's hand with some disdain, and muttered:

"Why not use paper? Hands are so dirty."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi, who had just taken a sip of coffee, choked and coughed instantly.

Anjie: "..."

Xu Han: "Brother Chen! Take the paper!"

Chen Yi: "...Thank you, thank you Xiaohan cough cough cough..."

"...Sorry, I'll be more careful next time..."

Ignoring everyone else, Lu Chusheng took a clean piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Yu Shijiu, saying restrainedly:

"Can I do it myself?"

Lin Feng and the other players from the monitoring team who had been watching for who knows how long: "..."

“…Brother Lu.”

Lin Feng finally couldn't help but speak up: "Um, there are about twenty seconds left in the countdown—"

"Ten-second countdown begins now."

The mechanical female voice rose in pitch: "All players participating in the guild tournament, please prepare yourselves!"

"10"

"9"

"8"

"7"

"..."

Yu Shijiu looked up, squinted slightly as he cut off the blood-red ten-second countdown on the big screen.

In the last three seconds, Yu Shijiu ignored Xu Han's shriek beside him and subconsciously looked across the crowd at a group of Eye of All Things players who were looking down and discussing something.

The leader was Fang Youhua.

Seemingly sensing that someone was watching her, Fang Youhua looked up and met Yu Shijiu's wary gaze across the crowd for a second.

"..."

Fang Youhua paused slightly, and just as she was about to smile, a familiar dizziness spread from the depths of her brain to her limbs and bones. Her vision went black, and she instantly lost consciousness.

At the same time, all the guild players who got the same colored ball (except for the white ball) instantly disappeared.

The audience was silent for about five seconds after they disappeared, and then—the crowd erupted in cheers!

In a corner of the audience, Fang Zhi skillfully used his one arm to shake the baby bottle rapidly, his wrinkled eyes staring at the dark screen with some worry.

"They say no one will die in the guild tournament..." Fang Zhi licked his dry lips and looked at Shi Pei, who had just finished changing the child's pants. "Are there really no side effects?"

Both of them were just ordinary players. Guild tournaments simply didn't exist in "Chrysalis Shop"—players from "Chrysalis Shop" had no way of coming to town to participate in guild tournaments.

After all, the expenses in a town are too high, even though it's only a road away.

"...No way."

Shi Pei took the baby bottle from Fang Zhi, her wet hair hanging down in front of her eyes.

“Everyone says I won’t really die,” Shi Pei said. “If it weren’t for taking care of my child… I would also like to participate in the guild tournament.”

The allure of double points was undeniable; Shi Pei's emotions had been running high ever since she sat down in the live-streaming plaza with her child in her arms.

Shi Pei had considered joining a guild to participate in the next guild competition several times, but she suppressed the thought each time.

She wasn't afraid, but what would happen to the child alone?

Who can she entrust such a young child to?

No one can pay.

Shi Pei dared not imagine the consequences if she returned after participating in the guild competition to find her child missing... or dead.

She dared not, and did not want to, gamble.

"..." Fang Zhi was silent for a few seconds, then sat in the audience and looked up at the big screen that had begun to flicker with static.

“…I hope Shi Jiu will always be safe and sound,” Fang Zhi murmured. “He’s a good boy.”

Shi Pei paused in her breastfeeding, and after a long while, she nodded and said softly:

"Yes, he's a good boy."

As the two were talking, Ruan Qinghe, wearing a light blue dress, glanced at their backs from the audience behind them and took out a cake and water from her system backpack.

"Shi Yuan".

Ruan Qinghe smiled gently as always: "They must be players from the 'Chrysalis Shop,' and... they even brought a child."

Ruan Qinghe was quite shocked when she saw this.

She did know that Dawn Games had rules regarding "children," but this was the first time she had actually seen a living child with her own eyes.

"Guild Leader..." Shi Yuan was taken aback, subconsciously glancing at the two somewhat timid ordinary players in front of him, hesitating slightly:

"Are you trying to recruit them?"

"..." Ruan Qinghe's smile faltered. She looked at Shi Yuan with some surprise, as if she were carefully observing her thoughts at that moment.

Shi Yuan felt uneasy under Shi Yuan's gaze and was somewhat embarrassed: "President?"

"They won't agree to join any guild."

Ruan Qinghe laughed, "You're so cute when you talk, Shi Yuan."

Shi Yuan: "..."

She pretended to be embarrassed and lowered her head, but the feeling of unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

Ruan Qinghe is indeed quite frightening in this respect; she always manages to put on a gentle and beautiful face that makes her feel uneasy.

Well, Shi Yuan always felt that Ruan Qinghe was full of bad intentions.

The kind of bad fluid that can ooze pus.

Completely unaware of Shi Yuan's inner mockery, Ruan Qinghe sighed softly:

"I just wanted to ask you if you want to send them some food."

Shi Yuan was taken aback: "...Food?"

She subconsciously looked at the man and woman in front of her, her gaze falling on the giggling child in the woman's arms, and then slowly on the face of the old and tired man.

With faces like that, bodies like that, and children like that... would they really be willing to buy food?

For the first time, Shi Yuan felt that Ruan Qinghe was truly thoughtful.

"...I'll take it."

Shi Yuan felt a tickle in her throat. With a complicated expression, she lowered her eyes and said, "They look very thin."

She is really thin.

It's very similar to Yu Shijiu's state when he first entered the Dawn Game—Yu Shijiu is at least young and looks thin and somewhat malnourished, but at least he is quite excited in spirit.

But the man and woman in front of them looked like they were starving to death.

Shi Yuan knew that this was a filter he had imposed on the two people in front of him—but since Ruan Qinghe wanted to help them, why should he refuse?

So—Shi Yuan nodded again and said, “Yes, they look like they’re starving.”

Ruan Qinghe: "..."

That's still not that exaggerated.

Even so, Ruan Qinghe still reached out and patted the shoulder of the woman who was holding and comforting the child, raising her most familiar and approachable smile.

The woman who was patted on the shoulder was clearly startled. She hugged her child tightly, turned around sharply, and looked at Ruan Qinghe warily.

The one-armed middle-aged man next to her was the same.

Upon seeing Ruan Qinghe, the two men paused in their wary expressions, becoming somewhat bewildered.

"How old is the child?"

Ruan Qinghe, seemingly oblivious to their gazes, smiled and asked:

"It looks very small. Is it ready to eat?"

Shi Pei: "..."

Shi Pei hugged the child tightly, somewhat timidly, and whispered, "Eight, eight months."

Ruan Qinghe: "..."

Ruan Qinghe calmed herself down, handed them the cake and water, and said:

"The child is too young, you must be working so hard."

Seeing that the two hesitated, Ruan Qinghe leaned down and gently touched the cheek of the child in Shi Pei's arms. The soft and smooth skin of the infant made Ruan Qinghe's heart tremble slightly.

Her voice softened: "Take it, it's nothing valuable."

Shi Yuan glanced at Ruan Qinghe and said, "Take it. If you eat your fill, your child will live longer."

"..."

Shi Pei was still hesitant to accept the money, and was about to refuse when Fang Zhi grabbed her arm.

"Thank you, Chairman Ruan."

Fang Zhi bowed and thanked him profusely, saying, "Thank you so much. We are really hungry and need this food. Thank you, thank you."

After being reminded, Shi Pei nodded and thanked him repeatedly.

"..."

Ruan Qinghe withdrew her hand, her expression turning indifferent for some reason. She stopped the two from thanking her again and looked up at the various small screens that were gradually displaying images.

The expanded live streaming platform does this very well—the countless smaller screens surrounding the main screen can be enlarged by viewers at will.

Of course, the largest one is the original screen that is suspended in mid-air.

The "enlarge" feature is purely for allowing players to select the live stream they want to watch.

Shi Yuan keenly sensed Ruan Qinghe's bad mood, but instead of asking her, he chose to open the live stream he wanted to watch and watch it carefully.

Ruan Qinghe looked at the man and woman in front of her with their backs to her. Her pale golden eyelashes trembled, and when she looked up again, her eyes returned to their calm state.

------------

A suitable game instance has been found... The game is loading... Congratulations to all players...

Welcome to the Guild "Living" and Guild "Eye of All Things," a total of twelve players, to the "Thumbelina" Guild Tournament dungeon. We wish you all the best in surviving and doubling your points!

As the familiar system voice rang in all the players' ears, the dizziness that had enveloped them began to disappear at a rapid pace.

Yu Shijiu was the first to wake up.

When he opened his eyes, groggily yet excitedly, the rich floral fragrance that filled his nostrils appeared even before the sunlight.

"Haqiu!"

Yu Shijiu's grogginess from just waking up was instantly dispelled by the overwhelming floral fragrance. His eyes were blurry with tears as he rubbed his nose and looked around through the thin mist.

Then, Yu Shijiu found himself lying in a "bed" shaped like a matchbox.

Yu Shijiu: "..."

Yu Shijiu sat up from the "bed" with some surprise, only then realizing the source of the strong floral fragrance.

It was a light pink "quilt" covering him.

No, this isn't a quilt; it's clearly a peach blossom petal.

"..."

Yu Shijiu held the peach petal and stood there stunned for a full five seconds before slowly looking up at his surroundings—and then he saw eleven "matchbox beds" exactly like the ones he slept in.

Similarly, "petal quilt".

The same... rich floral fragrance.

"...Ha Qiu."

Yu Shijiu sneezed again, climbed out of the match bed, and walked towards the other match beds.

"I rely on!"

Xu Han's voice came from the match bed he was near, "What kind of blanket is this?! Why does this material feel so strange?! And it smells so good!"

"..."

Yu Shijiu paused in her steps and turned around.

Okay, let's go find Sister An, Brother Chen, and Sister Lingling first.

Behind him, Xu Han tumbled up from the match bed, his eyes looking somewhat dazed.

Wait, what did the game system say when they first came in...? The name of this instance is—Thumbelina?!

Thumbelina is a fairy tale, isn't she?! How did she become a game instance?!

Xu Han's mind went blank. Countless fairy tales he had read and heard since childhood were twisted into chaotic tangles in his head, giving him a terrible headache.

Wasn't it said that game instances would most likely take the player's memories and twist them in a bizarre way? So whose memories will be Thumbelina's? Could it be...?

Xu Han's eyes widened suddenly, and an unbelievable guess surfaced in his mind.

—Does this mean that Dawn Games doesn't just recruit players who are purely human? Do even paper dolls from fairy tales get sucked in after they die?

This is indeed a rather imaginative guess, but here's the problem—Xu Han carefully recalled the players who entered the dungeon this time, whether it was the five people on their side or the players on the Eye of All Things side, it seems... it seems that none of them look like paper cutouts.

Xu Han: "..."

He scratched his itchy chin and hissed.

Did he think too much?

On the other side, Yu Shijiu found the match bed where Sister An, Chen Yi, and He Lingling were.

Anjie and Chen Yi had already woken up. The two were looking down at the matchbox bed they were on and the ridiculously large furniture around them, and were silent for a moment.

"This is... a fairy tale?"

Chen Yi clearly knew more than An Jie; in fact, almost everyone knew the well-known fairy tale "Thumbelina."

Unfortunately, there are two of them in front of him now.

Yu Shijiu and... An Jie.

The boy ran to Chen Yi's matchbox bed, tilted his head, and asked curiously:

"Brother Chen, what is Thumbelina?"

Chen Yi: "..."

Chen Yi was momentarily speechless when asked the question. He subconsciously looked at An Jie and then met her gaze, which was also filled with curiosity.

"..."

The two locked eyes briefly for a few seconds, and Chen Yi's cheerful smile slowly faded.

He looked at Anjie in shock, "Sister An? You don't know the fairy tale 'Thumbelina' either?!"

Anjie: "..."