Infinite: Dawn Game

"..."

Xu Han perked up and asked, "Yeah, yeah, Shi Jiu, that's exactly what we came here to ask. Sister An said we need to work on our teamwork before the guild competition so we can run more dungeons..."

He Lingling couldn't help but cough.

...No, could you please change the word "brushing"? It makes it sound like they're all incredibly skilled... even though they might be considered among the skilled players...

"Oh right, right, right." Xu Han was reminded by her cough and said somewhat awkwardly:

"Yes, we should be more careful and clear more dungeons."

Yu Shijiu had no objection.

He temporarily put aside what He Lingling had just said about the guild competition and said with a smile:

"I'm available anytime. When are you guys planning to enter the dungeon, Sister Lingling?"

Anyway, they can team up anytime.

He Lingling's eyes darted around for a moment, "Actually, we were planning to enter now... but Shi Jiu, haven't you eaten yet? Why don't you go eat first and then enter the game..."

"..." Yu Shijiu hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. He touched his empty, deflated stomach and nodded.

"We need to eat something."

"How about we have instant noodles?"

Yu Shijiu said, "Instant noodles are convenient and quick, and we can eat them together—"

Ding Dong!

When the doorbell rang, Yu Shijiu saw the smirks on He Lingling and Xu Han's faces.

Yu Shijiu: "?"

Xu Han jumped three feet high from the sofa in an instant, ran quickly to the door, opened it, and walked over with a takeout order, accompanied by words like "Thank you" and "You're welcome."

Under Yu Shijiu's shocked gaze, he began to untie the knot on the takeout bag, chuckling as he spoke:

"You didn't expect that, did you? He Lingling and I ordered takeout for you before we came! This place is actually pretty good, although it's not as good as Brother Chen's... but it's pretty good for a town..."

He Lingling was a little embarrassed, "Let's not eat instant noodles anymore. Although instant noodles taste good, they don't have much nutritional value—"

"I don't like hearing that."

Xu Han, having untied the knot on the takeout bag, pushed the takeout towards Yu Shijiu and retorted:

"Short videos all say that instant noodles are actually quite nutritious, okay? Those who say they're not nutritious are just slandering us—"

"Shut up, you!"

He Lingling casually tossed a cushion at Xu Han, then turned to Yu Shijiu and said:

"Shi Jiu, you eat first, don't rush, there's plenty of time. It's just that Xu Han and I will have to enter the dungeon here this time..."

"fine."

Yu Shijiu's gaze was drawn to the boxed lunch on the table. He looked at the braised fish, stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, and a seaweed and egg soup in the lunchbox, and his eyes crinkled with joy.

"I'm going to eat now."

"Eat, eat."

"...He Lingling, have you always disliked me...?"

Xu Han's mutterings kept reaching her ears, but Yu Shijiu pretended not to hear anything, happily eating and drinking soup, and smiling contentedly.

Xu Han wasn't lying to him; the boxed lunch really did taste good, though it certainly wasn't as good as Chen Yi's.

After Yu Shijiu finished eating his boxed lunch and rested for a while, he touched his slightly protruding belly and said with a smile:

"I'm ready, do you want to enter the dungeon now?"

After busily munching on dried grilled fish for half a day, Fatty suddenly let go of his mouth and pounced warily at Yu Shijiu.

Yu Shijiu instinctively hugged it, and was knocked off balance onto the sofa.

He Lingling glanced at the time on her watch.

At half past eleven.

You can enter.

She nodded. "Let's go in now. If this instance doesn't take long, we can still have dinner after we come out."

Xu Han muttered, "What if it's long?"

"Those who jinx others don't need to speak."

He Lingling had a cold expression.

Yu Shijiu thought for a moment, then grabbed the snack bag next to him and stuffed it into his system backpack.

"I'll bring some food, just in case there's nothing edible in this dungeon..."

He Lingling and Xu Han: "..."

Actually, this sentence doesn't need to be said...

Once all the Sany Catmen were ready, a system notification sounded in everyone's ears.

[Do players Yu Shijiu/He Lingling/Xu Han wish to enter the game now?]

Yu Shijiu, He Lingling, and Xu Han simultaneously responded in their minds: "Yes."

[Reply received... Game instance search in progress... Please wait patiently...]

Fatty nestled in Yu Shijiu's arms, still clutching the half-eaten dried grilled fish, its round, green eyes wide open.

...I can have another big bite, meow!

When the familiar dizzying, disorienting sensation entered their nerves, Yu Shijiu and the others' brains suddenly shut down, plunging them into a deathly silence of unconsciousness.

On the sofa, Yu Shijiu's hands, hanging by his sides, unconsciously clenched and then slowly relaxed.

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

Welcome to "Sheep Sacrifice"!

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

Before the visual senses could be restored, the pungent smell of seawater was the first thing to come to life.

Whoosh—whoosh—

As Yu Shijiu slowly regained consciousness, the sea breeze blowing in her face blinded her.

He briefly closed his eyes, and a drop of water slowly rolled down from the corner of his eye, a result of the stimulation.

"Wow!"

It was Xu Han's voice, "My God, this time the deputy commander is actually at the beach?"

"...Keep your voice down."

Yu Shijiu opened his eyes, his breath catching in his throat for a moment at the sight he saw.

Before me stretched an endless expanse of azure sea, its waves rolling and meeting the horizon. At the edge of the horizon, a massive, grey-blue ship lay still on the water, its mast piercing the thin mist. All around it were countless white seagulls flapping their wings and taking flight, their throats emitting hollow cries.

Very beautiful.

Even knowing that this was a dungeon where someone could die at any moment, Yu Shijiu couldn't help but glance at the sea and ships in front of him several times before he began to observe his surroundings.

He Lingling and Xu Han stood beside him, wearing matching gray and white uniforms. There were also many other players wearing the same clothes around them—as well as some men who looked like NPCs.

Yu Shijiu looked down and, sure enough, saw that he was wearing the same blue and white uniform as them.

It's obvious that the clothes they're wearing clearly look like uniforms... which means their identity in this instance is that of "employees" on a certain ship.

Xu Han winked at him and whispered, "Shi Jiu, you look really good in this outfit."

Yu Shijiu: "..."

He smiled sweetly, "Thank you, you look great in it too."

He Lingling, who witnessed the mutual flattery from the sidelines: "..."

She was about to speak when she was interrupted by a rough male voice from behind her.

"Hey!"

"Yes, you! All of you! Stand facing me right now!"