Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 823 Feelings

"..."

He Lingling's heart skipped a beat.

"You mean... in your 'dream,' they were suspected of being contaminated last night, right?"

“Hmm,” Yu Shijiu nodded, then hesitated, “Actually, I’m not sure if it was a dream, since they all looked pretty normal when I woke up… except for the bumps on their arms.”

But Xu Han was also bitten.

Xu Han also has quite a few red bumps on his arms. Could it be that Xu Han has also been contaminated?

Even though there was no evidence to prove that Xu Han was not contaminated, Yu Shijiu subconsciously felt that it was impossible.

After all, Xu Han's luck... is so good that it's enviable.

"...That might not be a dream."

He Lingling clearly realized something.

She thought of the past she had witnessed under the influence of the "Ghost Eye"—the women stolen by the toads would be corrupted and assimilated into one indistinguishable "female toad" after another...

Currently, none of them have any clues to prove that marriage is necessary to be corrupted... Perhaps, unknowingly, the two male players with low levels of power in the Eye of All Things have already been corrupted.

But why exactly?

Why were they the ones who were contaminated?

Why was it polluted so quickly?

And... He Lingling initially thought that her identity as a "woman" might make her, An Jie, Fang Youhua, and Yang Hua the first to be corrupted...

After all, what the toad is stealing in the "scene" is women.

"...Keep an eye on them both."

Lacking evidence, He Lingling had a headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose and quickly said:

"As long as we are careful not to let them contaminate us, it's fine. As for Fang Youhua and the others, this is a guild competition. They didn't notice their teammates being contaminated in time, which is their own fault for not being careful enough. They deserve the trouble that happened."

He Lingling quickly and coldly presented the "guild competition" to Yu Shijiu and Xu Han.

"We just need to make sure we are safe and get ahead of others in terms of exploration progress."

He Lingling said.

“…Um,” Xu Han licked his lips and whispered, “What about Sister An and Brother Chen…we live a bit far away…”

Xu Han was somewhat anxious and uneasy. He even made a conservative statement, saying that the distance between An Jie and Chen Yi and the three of them was not much different from the location of Fang Youhua and the others.

Anjie and Chen Yi were actually closer to the Eye of All Things.

“Don’t worry about Sister An,” He Lingling said calmly. She turned to look at Yu Shijiu, who was deep in thought, and sighed, “It’s you, Shijiu, who is more concerned.”

Yu Shijiu was just thinking that he wasn't the only one who saw the two people being contaminated last night, and he was about to turn his head to look at Thumbelina, who seemed to have fallen asleep again, when He Lingling called out to him and he looked up blankly.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Sister Lingling?"

"...Please take care of your personal safety."

He Lingling only said this to Yu Shijiu. She stared at Yu Shijiu, her pupils, which had spread so wide they almost filled her entire eye socket, looked somewhat eerie.

“If what happened last night wasn’t a dream… then your actions were far too risky.”

He Lingling wasn't saying this to preach; she was genuinely worried about Yu Shijiu, after all, Yu Shijiu's luck... really wasn't good.

Now, upon careful recollection, it becomes clear that the most dangerous events were always "triggered" by Yu Shijiu.

Each time it gets more dangerous than the last.

He Lingling felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it—she completely forgot that she wasn't actually that lucky.

"……Oh."

Yu Shijiu nodded, then turned his head to look at the lotus flower where Thumbelina was.

—Thumbelina couldn't have fallen asleep again; she was just busy outsmarting the toad.

After waiting for ages, He Lingling received this perfunctory reply. She almost choked on her breath and gritted her teeth, saying:

"Xu Han, go punch him."

Xu Han: "???"

Yu Shijiu blinked blankly: "Sister Lingling? Are you going to have Brother Han come and beat me up?"

Before He Lingling could answer, Xu Han jumped up first:

"What are you doing?! Why is it me? Why did I hit Shi Jiu?! He Lingling, let me tell you, if you want to hit someone, come and hit them yourself! I definitely can't do it! I can't beat Shi Jiu!! You go and hit him yourself, beat Shi Jiu into submission and make him obey!"

Yu Shijiu nodded obediently: "Yes, Sister Lingling, Brother Han can't beat me."

The last "oh" nearly made He Lingling faint with anger, and she could only manage to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"Okay, okay, you, you're all right."

He Lingling was genuinely a little scared, especially after spending so much time with Yu Shijiu and Xu Han. She admitted that she couldn't maintain the indifferent attitude she had at the beginning.

Humans are higher animals that can form emotional bonds.

Given Yu Shijiu's constitution, which always seems to bring various dangers, even life-threatening ones... it's really hard for He Lingling not to overthink things.

It wasn't that she wanted to curse anything, she just couldn't help herself.

It's hard to stop myself from overthinking.

Unfortunately, Yu Shijiu is not a "truly obedient and well-behaved" person.

He Lingling completely ignored the fact that Yu Shijiu was now in a much better state than before.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and said seriously, "Alright, stop bickering. The wedding is about to start. Do you have any ideas on how to leave here?"

"..." Xu Han's eye twitched: "Do I look like I have any ideas?"

"Oh, sorry." He Lingling twirled her ponytail that was hanging down in front of her chest and said with a smile, "I forgot to mention, you don't need to hear this."

Xu Han choked, then angrily said, "He Lingling, you've gone too far—"

"Actually, I have a thought."

Yu Shijiu seemed completely unaware that the two were bickering, and raised his hand, saying:

"I want to go and chat with Thumbelina again."

"..."

He Lingling and Xu Han paused simultaneously. The former swallowed the words that had just welled up in her throat and frowned.

"Going to chat again?"

Yu Shijiu asked very seriously, "Can I go?"

His tone sounded like a question, but his eyes were full of determination.

"..." He Lingling stared at Yu Shijiu for several seconds, then sighed, "Go."

Yu Shijiu's eyes instantly crinkled into a smile as she said, "Then I'll go, very soon!"

Before He Lingling could react, Yu Shijiu had already turned around and run to the edge of the lotus flower. With a light leap, she landed on the lotus flower where Thumbelina was.

He Lingling: "..."

Xu Han didn't manage to say a word. After blinking blankly, he whispered:

"No...you really aren't going to stop her? I feel like Shi Jiu really likes Thumbelina..."

"No need to think about it."

He Lingling watched Yu Shijiu jump onto the lotus flower and disappear (perhaps squatting or kneeling down), and sighed:

Shi Jiu really likes Thumbelina.

I really like it, I really like it.

"Huh? Why?"

Xu Han was a little confused: "Thumbelina is indeed very pretty, but is it enough to make Shi Jiu like her so much?"

"...Don't you think she looks a lot like Shi Jiu at times?"

He Lingling spoke softly, her eyelids lowered, and under Xu Han's uncontrollably widened gaze, she said:

"Although it doesn't seem obvious."

He Lingling: "But Xu Han, it's true."

Yu Shijiu seemed to have sensed something in Thumbelina, something very faint, something similar to his own...experiences or feelings.

He Lingling could have used "Ghost Eye" to thoroughly investigate Yu Shijiu's past—she had actually considered this idea before forming the team.

However, as their relationship deepened, He Lingling kept delaying.

Putting aside the fact that activating "Ghost Eye" has too many side effects, just considering the emotional connection and the need to investigate the other person's past immoral behavior... He Lingling completely gave up on the idea.

"..."

Xu Han opened his mouth, then nervously scratched his palms before finally asking in a low voice.

"Are you okay?"

Did Yu Shijiu truly realize that he was seeking that slight resemblance to Thumbelina?

He Lingling knew what he was thinking. She looked up at Xu Han, who was unusually perceptive, and for the first time, instead of being sarcastic or sharp-tongued, she said seriously:

"Shi Jiu is very smart, perhaps we... should trust him."

In general, they have always believed in Yu Shijiu, but Yu Shijiu's past indifference to his own life has made them habitually worried and fearful—but perhaps they really should relax a little bit.

"..."

Xu Han pursed his lips, scratched his head in frustration, and muttered as he took a step back.

"This is so annoying... I'm going to take a nap first..."

"Well, go to sleep."

He Lingling nodded and said in the same way, "My head hurts a little, and I'd like to have some peace and quiet for a while."

"..."

Xu Han was lost in his own thoughts, staring blankly down at the soft, dirty lotus stamens at his feet, seemingly unaware of He Lingling's voice.

----------

Lotus flowers.

When Yu Shijiu jumped onto the lotus flower where Thumbelina was, he looked up and saw a girl not far away, huddled in the center of the flower with her knees drawn up to her chest, looking flustered.

Thumbelina's face looked even whiter, but only two days later, her once plump cheeks, which had been "carefully nurtured" by her adoptive mother, had become much thinner, and her delicate, slender chin looked particularly pitiful from afar.

"you……"

Upon seeing that the person who came was Yu Shijiu, the panic and fear in Thumbelina's eyes instantly disappeared. She was somewhat surprised and pleased as she loosened her hands that were wrapped around her knees and tried to stand up—but she tripped and fell back to her original position.

Thumbelina's cheeks flushed instantly, and she said awkwardly, "My legs, my legs feel numb, numb."

Yu Shijiu smiled and shook his head: "It's okay, it's okay, I'll come to your place."

Thumbelina nodded shyly and reached out to pound her numb and weak legs.

Yu Shijiu walked over and sat down next to her. After looking around for a few seconds, he turned his head to look at Thumbelina, who was rubbing her calves with her head down.

Are you looking forward to the wedding tonight?

Yu Shijiu asked.

Thumbelina's hand, which was pounding her leg, froze instantly.

Yu Shijiu could clearly see her cheeks turning white rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Yu Shijiu stared at her and asked again.

"..." Thumbelina's fingers began to tremble. She shook her head in a panic and helplessness, looking at Yu Shijiu with an extremely fearful gaze: "No, I don't want to."

"why?"

Yu Shijiu seemed completely oblivious to the fear in Thumbelina's eyes. He feigned curiosity and continued to ask:

"Actually, thinking about it carefully, the little toads are quite numerous, or rather, their toad population is thriving. They have a large family, and they seem to value their new bride very much..."

Yu Shijiu continued rambling on to himself, seemingly oblivious to Thumbelina's increasingly pale face beside him, and said with great interest:

"Oh, by the way, they even seem to have prepared a special bridal chamber for our wedding, Thumbelina. If we really married them, we'd be so happy!"

"impossible!!!"

Thumbelina suddenly screamed, and for the first time, her beautiful, delicate face began to contort—like those "Thumbelinas" who were tortured to death by their foster mothers in flowerpots.

Yu Shijiu's expression changed slightly when he was interrupted. He forcibly suppressed the corners of his lips that were curving upwards, and pretended to be frightened as he looked at Thumb, stammering as he tugged at Thumb's clothes.

"Thumbelina... what's wrong?"

Yu Shijiu looked at Thumbelina's distorted face and her eyes filled with fear, and whispered even more softly:

"Your expression right now looks a little... scary..."

“You’re here,” Yu Shijiu’s feigned timidity sounded almost seductive, “Are you afraid of something?”

"..."

Thumbelina's face froze as he stared at her, her features contorted. After a long while, she hurriedly covered her face, burying her head in her knees to hide it, and responded in a muffled, trembling voice.

"...You, you've forgotten?"

"Last night, those two people last night..."

Yu Shijiu's lips, which she had barely managed to suppress, curled upwards again: "What two people?"

"Last night, it really was last night!"

Thumbelina suddenly looked up, her distorted features gradually returning to normal, and her voice even carried a barely perceptible tremor and... a faint, fading madness.

“It was last night…” Thumbelina said, “They, they had so many bumps all over their bodies… and, and they were calling out, they were calling out, quack-quack… quack-quack…”

"There's more to come, there's more to come!"

Thumbelina suddenly grabbed Yu Shijiu's wrist, tightening her grip until her nails seemed to dig into Yu Shijiu's flesh.

Yu Shijiu's brow furrowed slightly, but he calmly followed Thumbelina's lead, asking, "What's next?"

"Their tongues, their tongues suddenly grew long, blood red, and were dripping blood, dripping blood... You, didn't you see it too?"

Thumbelina grabbed Yu Shijiu's wrist and shook it, saying urgently:

"You clearly saw it too, you even looked me in the eye, we clearly looked at each other, and I, I even saw it, I saw those two people who turned into toads jump onto the lotus flower where you were..."

Thumbelina's voice stopped abruptly. She abruptly released her grip on Yu Shijiu's wrist and stared in horror as she backed away with both hands.

"No, no, how could you, how could you not remember?! Could it be, could it be that you, could it be that you..."