Infinite: Dawn Game

After thinking for a long time without being able to recall anything else, Yu Shijiu pinched the bridge of her nose. The more she thought about it, the more her head ached. So, while she was still able to fall asleep, she turned over and went back to sleep.

This little incident went unnoticed by most viewers of the live stream; they simply assumed Yu Shijiu was having a nightmare.

But how could a monster like Yu Shijiu, who confronts a group of strange creatures head-on, also have nightmares?

One player joked, "I'm actually a little curious what kind of nightmare Yu Shijiu had to be so scared."

"...More than being scared, it feels like a physiological reaction, right?"

One knowledgeable player hesitated and said, "It feels like he's suffered some kind of trauma..."

The other players rolled their eyes: "If I could be as frantic as him, slaughtering and crushing monsters even after being traumatized, I would be willing too."

"..."

Perhaps because the sleeping boy on the screen seemed harmless, most players laughed and echoed their sentiments.

Only the players in the hidden surveillance team were extremely anxious and frustrated.

What's going on? We sent someone to talk to Captain Lu half an hour ago, why hasn't he sent back any information? At least give us a straight answer—

As the static crackled in his ears, the player's expression hardened, and he straightened up to listen carefully to the male voice coming from the system.

“Nothing will happen,” Lu Chusheng’s voice came through the earpiece, as calm and composed as ever.

“I met Yu Shijiu once, and he doesn’t seem like the kind of person the Black Robe Church would recruit,” Lu Chusheng paused for a few seconds and said:

"He looks like a very well-behaved boy."

Inspector team player: "..."

He looked up at the boy on the screen who was now sleeping peacefully, but he couldn't forget the scene of the other boy going on a killing spree and slaughtering monsters in the game just now.

"Is that so?" The player from the surveillance team, unusually skeptical of Lu Chusheng's judgment, swallowed hard.

"But Yu Shijiu just killed a lot of monsters, the whole corridor is covered in blood—"

"Is it a ghost?"

Lu Chusheng asked through the headset.

Inspection Team Player: "...Yes."

"Is the reason you choose not to kill the monster just to spare its life so it can kill you?" Lu Chusheng found this statement somewhat absurd.

"He did the right thing."

Inspector team player: "...Yes, Brother Lu, you're right."

But the problem is, killing is fine, but why is he laughing and even having a manic expression of pure enjoyment while killing?! And what kind of player can go on such a rampage in the very first official game instance?! What's wrong with Brother Lu?

"Alright," Lu Chusheng said succinctly after confirming that everything was alright on the other end, as he still had a lot of things to do.

“Since Yu Shijiu is quite capable and well-behaved, after he completes this game instance, have someone ask him if he has any thoughts about joining the monitoring team.”

Inspection Team Player: "...Are we really going?"

Can a player who seems unruly really become a responsible monitoring team player?

He heard Lu Chusheng's question through his earpiece: "What's the problem?"

Inspector team player: "...No, absolutely not!"

Lu Chusheng hung up the phone.

The monitoring team players, whose ears had returned to silence, hunched over for a moment and couldn't help but sigh.

A player standing guard nearby asked curiously, "What did Brother Lu say?"

"...They told us to find a way to bring Yu Shijiu into the inspection team."

"Holy crap!" his companion exclaimed in astonishment, "Then who's going to find that killer?"

Inspector team player: "...You."

"Why?! I'm not going! You go if you want to!"

"That's what Brother Lu said."

Actually, no… The player from the monitoring team was a little guilty and said hesitantly.

His companion fell silent. He looked up at Yu Shijiu sleeping on the screen, opened his mouth, and then spoke with a tragic sense of self-sacrifice:

"...Okay, I'll go!"

The players in the surveillance team, feeling guilty, kept their eyes down and didn't utter a single word.

--------

The next morning, the weather was fine and sunny. The Aide Sanatorium was bathed in soft sunlight, peaceful and serene.

When Yu Shijiu woke up, his head still hurt a little. He sat up, rubbed his head, and then squinted as he got out of bed and slowly walked towards the bathroom.

After falling asleep again last night, I slept without any dreams. I slept blankly all night. Although I am still a little tired, the soreness and pain in my limbs have subsided a lot.

Yu Shijiu habitually raised the corners of her mouth and smiled.

In the mirror opposite, the pale and thin boy blinked, his round eyes bright and lively, revealing a kind of innocent smile.

Yu Shijiu reached out and ran her hand through her black hair, which was almost reaching her shoulders, silently considering whether she should get a haircut.

But it looks pretty good this way too...

While thinking, Yu Shijiu lowered his head and began to wash his face and brush his teeth. After he slowly finished cleaning himself up, the wound on his wrist, which had only been roughly bandaged, burst open again.

The red blood soaked through the gauze, a shocking sight.

Yu Shijiu seemed oblivious, rinsing his blood-stained wrist under the running water. The stinging pain only intensified the pleasure in his eyes.

The bloodstains on my wrist were washed away, and the gauze turned a light pink color, but at least the bleeding had stopped.

Yu Shijiu ignored it, and after leaving the washroom, he tore open the packaging, grabbed a slice of bread, and walked out of the ward.

Coincidentally, just as Yu Shijiu opened the door to his ward, the door to the ward diagonally opposite him also opened.

Xue Yan, who looked noticeably haggard, walked out of the ward. She didn't seem to be wearing makeup today; her lips weren't the bright red they were on the first day, but a very pale pinkish-white.

"..." Seemingly recognizing the bread in Yu Shijiu's mouth, Xue Yan's furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and she smiled as she said:

"Are you going to the cafeteria for lunch?"

Yu Shijiu smiled and took a bite of bread. "Yeah, I was too late yesterday and didn't get to eat. I want to go earlier today."

Xue Yan nodded in agreement, "Then let's hurry up and go, or the food will be unclean."

This made Yu Shijiu raise an eyebrow. He turned his head to look at Xue Yan, who was closing the door, and felt that something was not right.

Did Xue Yan go to the cafeteria yesterday?

You should have gone, right? Otherwise, how would you know the food in the back was dirty?

Something was off, but Yu Shijiu didn't bother to investigate further, since whatever happened next was none of his business.

He just wants to stay here for two days to play around, and then finish the game.

Thinking of this, Yu Shijiu agreed and said, "Then I'll be going now."

Xue Yan smoothed a stray hair that hadn't been tucked into the side of her face. "Okay, you can go ahead."

Thinking of the big steamed buns from the cafeteria yesterday, Yu Shijiu happily walked towards the elevator not far away.

Just as the elevator doors opened, Xue Yan's voice suddenly came from afar:

Do you think I did the right thing?