Infinite: Dawn Game

Wang Ji didn't want to talk to him about the past.

Yu Shijiu glanced at Wang Ji's departing figure, then turned back to look at the goats inside the fence that were looking up at him.

Yu Shijiu hissed, patted the bits of hay in his hand, and met the gaze of the goats that were slowly raising their heads one by one.

The goat's eyes were still the same as he had seen before, with vertical yellow pupils, cold as if staring at a lifeless stone.

That cold, chilling gaze... and it wasn't just one, it was a whole group.

"Holy crap..."

Seeing that Wang Ji had finally left, Xu Han ran over with a bundle of grass in his arms. Before he could say anything, he was startled by the goats behind the fence who were looking up at him.

Why are their eyes like that?

Xu Han hurriedly threw the grass in his arms haphazardly into the fence and shrank back to Yu Shijiu with lingering fear.

"My goodness! Their eyes look even scarier than snakes'!"

"……well enough."

Yu Shijiu turned around, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "Don't you think they look cute? And quite human-like?"

"..."

Xu Han stared at Yu Shijiu's profile in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Ah."

Yu Shijiu bent down and threw the scattered bits of hay into a corner. "Furry animals are all quite cute."

Xu Han: "..."

Xu Han hesitated for a moment, then asked abstractly, "What about the caterpillar?"

Yu Shijiu: "?"

Yu Shijiu looked up blankly, "Caterpillar? I've never seen a caterpillar before? What does a caterpillar look like?"

Xu Han: "..."

Xu Han silently slapped himself in the heart, and chuckled:

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Actually, caterpillars aren't cute at all, really, not at all."

"Anything with fur is pretty cute—"

"stop!"

"Stop! Stop! I don't want to hear it!"

Xu Han was stung by a caterpillar when he was a child, and thinking about it now feels like a childhood trauma... He must have been out of his mind to bring that up...

"?"

Yu Shijiu was even more confused, "Didn't you bring it up first?"

He didn't even know what a caterpillar looked like...

Xu Han interrupted, "No, I was just saying that casually, hahaha..."

"..."

Yu Shijiu looked at him with a very peculiar gaze, and Xu Han felt increasingly guilty under his gaze. Finally, he silently took out a chocolate from his pocket.

"Give."

Yu Shijiu accepted the chocolate, looked away, and thanked him politely.

"Thank you, Brother Xu Han."

Xu Han's brother's face twisted in pain: "...No, you're welcome."

"..."

The atmosphere was good on the two of them, but it wasn't so good for the other players in various corners of the lower deck.

For example, a bald male player who is "lucky" is engrossed in carrying wine barrels behind an NPC crew member.

The bald male player was sweating profusely from working, and he cursed in his mind countless times, saying things like "Dawn of the idiots uses free labor without paying wages" and so on.

Just as he was finally managing to arrange the wine barrels in the corner in front of him with the help of the NPC crew, the NPC who had been busy working suddenly turned his back and stood still.

The bald male player felt a chill, but he didn't take it seriously. After all, it wasn't even the first night yet, so nothing that could kill him was likely to happen.

Thinking of this, the bald male player mustered up his courage and patted the NPC player on the shoulder.

"Hey! Hey buddy, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly stop moving?"

The NPC crew member, who had his back to him, suddenly coughed heavily. His straight, broad back bent over from the cough, making him look like a human shrimp.

The bald male player was so startled that he took a step back and instinctively turned to call for help.

The moment he turned his head, he met a pair of cold and fierce eyes.

The bald male player was so frightened that he opened his mouth wide, but couldn't make a sound.

"what happened?"

It's Wang Ji.

The bald male player was so frightened by the sudden close contact that his hands and feet went weak, and he took a step back and pressed himself directly against the neatly arranged barrels of wine.

"Wang, Wang, Brother Wang."

The bald male player stammered, pointing to the NPC crew member behind him, "That, that guy, he suddenly coughed..."

Wang Ji frowned, cursed something like "coward" and "rat," and walked over to the NPC player who was coughing and hunched over with his back to them.

"What's wrong, Ah Jin?"

Wang Ji walked over to the other person and patted their back. "Why are you coughing all of a sudden?"

The NPC crew member named Ajin coughed and shook his head, revealing a dark face covered in snot and tears when he looked up.

"Cough... Brother Wang..." Ah Jin coughed, "The air in the lower deck is too pungent."

Wang Ji stared at him for a while, then sighed and said, "I'll be leaving soon, hang in there a little longer."

Ah Jin nodded, tears streaming down her face, "I know, I know..."

"Alright, alright," Wang Ji said impatiently, turning around after calming Ah Jin down. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and addressed the bald male player:

"Why are you all so timid? Men who can be sailors are all in good health! How could a cough be so bad?"

Bald male player: "...Brother Wang, actually I didn't think that way..."

"Hurry up! Everyone, move faster!"

Wang Ji ignored his explanation and yelled, "The air in the lower deck is stagnant! Get everything done and go to the canteen for lunch! Get moving!"

Bald male player: "..."

He glanced cautiously at Ah Jin, who was leaning against the corner wiping away tears, and swallowed back the explanation he hadn't said.

...Never mind, it should be fine.

On the other side, Yu Shijiu and Xu Han, who noticed this scene, exchanged a glance and simultaneously memorized A Jin's tearful face.

This isn't the first time that the crew member, Akin, has been mentioned.

Perhaps the other party also has some clues...

After preparing to find Ah Jin that night or tomorrow, Yu Shijiu and his companion followed behind the NPC crew members, quickly busying themselves with various miscellaneous tasks.

By the time they finished their work and came out of the hold, it was completely dark outside.

Several NPC crew members were busy hanging up light bulbs on the deck. When they saw Wang Ji and his group of people coming out, they greeted him with smiles.

"Brother Wang, are you done with work? Once you're done, we can all go out for dinner together!"

"Yeah, I heard the food tonight is pretty good. I heard there's lamb too, right? That's a really good dish, very nourishing!"

"There should be some mutton soup, right? It's quite cold on this boat at night. It would be even better if we had some mutton soup to warm us up!"

"Haha, that's not true..."

"..."

The NPC crew members hanging light bulbs were getting more and more engrossed in their conversation when Wang Ji, unable to bear listening any longer, interrupted them.

All they think about is eating and drinking!

Wang Ji clicked his tongue several times, and his fierce gaze suddenly vanished when the NPC crew members remained silent.

"You little brats were right! The cafeteria really did make mutton soup tonight! It's not much, but everyone can have more than half a bowl! Pour some rice over it and you'll be full!"

All the NPC crew members on the deck cheered instantly. The men happily raised their hands and shouted, and some even wiped the drool from their mouths.

"..."

Xu Han thought it was outrageous: "Is it really necessary to be so exaggerated? It's just a bowl of mutton soup..."

"Is the mutton soup delicious?"

Yu Shijiu was also caught up in the celebratory atmosphere, and he asked with great interest:

"They're so excited, the mutton soup in the cafeteria must be delicious!"

The chubby cat that had been squatting at Yu Shijiu's feet ever since he came out also meowed several times.

Xu Han, the only one who had given up hope of finding food, choked up: "...That Shi Jiu—"

"Otherwise, why would anyone wipe their drool?"

Yu Shijiu muttered to himself, his eyes shining even brighter.

Seeing how happy he was, Xu Han couldn't continue speaking.

...Shi Jiu probably forgot what she had just said to him in the hold... In a place like the sea, can mutton really be prepared well?

Xu Han silently shut his mouth and said nothing.

Whether it tastes good or not... we'll know after we eat and drink it...

In this state of excitement and anticipation, with Wang Ji's command, all the NPC crew members and the players who dared not move followed the flow of people toward the first-floor cabin.

The lighting inside the first-floor cabin was also dim, with a hazy, yellowish filter effect, but it was much better than the lower deck, where at least you could see the densely packed beds in the corners of the cabin.

bed……

Yu Shijiu, Xu Han, and the other players paused for a moment when they saw the messy and dirty beds in the dim light.

If they're not mistaken... are these the beds where they'll be sleeping from now on?

Yu Shijiu frowned for the first time. He looked at the densely packed beds that were almost touching each other, and thought of the "pupa shop" he saw when he woke up after completing the game.

Unlike the "cocoon shop" which provides some privacy, the gaps between these beds are only about ten centimeters wide, and because of the poor lighting, they are not visible at first glance.

Yu Shijiu silently looked at the chubby, strong, and thin body at her feet, wondering if the chubby guy could even fit into these beds...

"...This is a bit too, too simple, isn't it..."

Xu Han's lips twitched as he watched: "...If we really want to go out and explore tonight, we'll have to sneak around a bunch of NPCs..."

Just imagining the two of them weaving through a bunch of NPCs who might turn into monsters... Xu Han felt a little breathless.

A bunch of people sleeping in one room—in reality, that's probably something only a garbage factory that doesn't treat people like human beings could produce… No, the designer of this accommodation on this ship is even worse than those garbage factories.

"..."

Yu Shijiu did not make any comments.

He frowned as he scanned the obviously unclean beds, then lowered his eyes and continued following the crowd out of the cabin.

After exiting the large, dormitory-like cabin, there was a slightly narrow corridor. It was small and dimly lit, and the corridor space, which could only accommodate two and a half people at most, looked very oppressive, giving one the illusion of not being able to breathe.

Xu Han then realized just how "good" the dormitory-style sleeping area had been.

At least there's still plenty of oxygen.

"..."

The players, their faces grim, exchanged glances and simultaneously lowered their heads to conceal the complex emotions in their eyes.

Why are the living conditions for the crew members so poor?

Based on the reports they saw in reality, the crew's living conditions and food should be quite good.

Thinking of the densely packed barrels of liquor in the cabin, all the players had a vague feeling that a cheap liquor smell was wafting through their nostrils.

Yes... it's no wonder these sailors' lives are so difficult, relying solely on cheap rum as their drinking water source...

After turning several winding and twisting corridor corners, a strong aroma of mutton soup wafted into many people's nostrils.

Unlike the NPC crew members who were instantly excited, a few players in the crowd with shallow appetites couldn't help but lower their heads, cover their mouths, and quietly gag.

Xu Han was no exception.

He covered his mouth and vomited silently several times. Finally, tears streaming down his face, he pulled out a tissue from his pocket, tore it open, and stuffed it into his nose, which made him feel much better.

"Shi Jiu, do you want some?"

Xu Han grumbled as he handed Yu Shijiu a tissue, saying, "This smell is way too strong..."

Yu Shijiu politely declined, saying, "No need, I feel fine."

Xu Han gave a thumbs up and said admiringly, "You're amazing."

"..." Yu Shijiu was momentarily stunned. "Is this considered strong?"

He genuinely felt the mutton soup didn't have a strong flavor... Of course, the gamey smell was quite strong, and there was also a strange, indescribable odor...

Yu Shijiu, who had never tasted mutton soup before, did not know that it was a unique flavor of mutton.

"OK OK."

Wang Ji, standing at the very front of the line, shouted loudly:

"Line up properly and don't push! We'll come up one by one to get our food, understand? Don't push! Anyone who pushes won't get any food tonight, get it?!"

Accompanied by the sound of a spoon stirring in an iron pot, the NPC crew members in front had already entered a cabin with an open door.

Yu Shijiu and Xu Han were positioned neither too far forward nor too far back, but rather squeezed into the very center, giving them ample time to observe their surroundings.

Although there's not much to observe.

This is the conclusion Yu Shijiu reached after surveying the corridor for a week.

The dark corridor walls, the peeling paint and cobwebs covering the corners of his own ceiling... all these things told him one thing: the cafeteria food tonight might really be as Xu Han said... not tasty.

"..."

Yu Shijiu's upturned lips slowly returned to a straight line.

Xu Han, who had been secretly watching him, was startled and quickly tugged at his arm.

"What's wrong, Shi Jiu? Have you noticed anything strange?"

"?"

Yu Shijiu shook his head blankly, "No."

Xu Han: "?"

"Seriously? Why did you suddenly stop laughing?"

"Oh."

Yu Shijiu suddenly realized: "Because I suspect that what you said might be true."

"I suspect? What's true?"

Xu Han was somewhat puzzled, thinking that he had unintentionally revealed some truth with one of his words. He was so excited that his face turned red, and he whispered:

"Could it be... could it be that I just... just said something useful?"

“…?” Yu Shijiu hesitated for a moment, and subconsciously patted the other’s head as the chubby one snuggled up to her.

"It's just... the possibility that the mutton soup really doesn't taste good."