Infinite: Dawn Game

The elevator is old again.

Amidst the intermittent sounds of the ascending elevator, the dean licked his blood-stained lips, his gaze behind the broken frame of his glasses sinister and vicious.

Looking at the dilapidated elevator wall in front of him, the bloody wound on his chest throbbed with pain, transforming into a blood snake that clung to his chest and danced around.

After arriving on the second floor, the dean stepped out of the elevator and returned to his office to tidy himself up.

Twenty minutes later, the dean, having changed his clothes and glasses, walked out of the office, his face once again displaying that dignified, refined, and amiable demeanor.

While the dean was cleaning himself, He Lingling and Xu Han took advantage of the elevator being out of service and rushed up to the fourth floor to find Yu Shijiu.

Judging from the dean's appearance, the first thing he'll probably do after recovering is find Yu Shijiu. Although Yu Shijiu can rampage through this instance, he's still young and doesn't seem to care about his health...

He Lingling was genuinely worried that Yu Shijiu might bleed to death.

The moment the elevator doors opened, He Lingling and Xu Han rushed out.

Unfortunately, instead of finding Yu Shijiu, they bumped into Xue Yan face-to-face at the elevator entrance.

"What are you running for?"

Xue Yan wasn't wearing makeup today; her bare face was exactly the same as in the illusion, which startled He Lingling and Xu Han for a few seconds before they realized what was happening and quickly responded:

"We were worried that we wouldn't have enough time for rounds later because we were going to be doing ward rounds soon..."

This reason was actually quite good; at least Xue Yan couldn't find anything wrong with it. But the strange thing was that Xue Yan just looked at the two of them and smiled upwards.

What the hell!

Xu Han felt flustered by her laughter and instinctively tried to crawl into the elevator.

It's really scary when a weirdo suddenly laughs in the middle of the night!

He Lingling didn't react much. She looked at Xue Yan in front of her, her eyes seeming to flash with realization and helplessness, but in the end she just lowered her eyelids and remained silent.

This time, Xue Yan didn't make things difficult for them. She looked down and rummaged through the folder she carried with her, then took out two pieces of paper and handed them to the two people in front of her.

Xu Han and the other person took it, and the first thing they saw was the huge words "internship certificate" on the top.

The two of them paused for a moment, then looked up at Xue Yan.

Xue Yan smiled beautifully; stripped of her heavy makeup, she appeared much more gentle and refined.

"I've already signed the document. You can leave as soon as it's light."

He Lingling clearly knew something. Looking at the paper in her hand, she didn't try to joke around for the first time, but instead seriously communicated with the monster in the game:

Do you know what will happen next?

They cleared the level without incident, but based on Yu Shijiu's strategy... Xue Yan and Xue Xue will most likely—

"I know."

Xue Yan said with a smile, "I should have known sooner."

Her smile seemed to be tinged with tears, and also carried a hint of relief and guilt at being exposed:

"Instead of living a muddled life, it's better to just go for it and find happiness."

She didn't understand this principle in life, nor did she understand it after death, until it gradually became clear to her through reminders from others.

“You’re still alive,” Xue Yan said. “That’s wonderful.”

He Lingling fell silent. She looked quietly at Xue Yan, who seemed harmless, and for the first time, she felt a surge of anger and helplessness.

They were angry that Xue Yan had suffered such injustice, and helpless because, whether human or monster, there always seemed to be some who were suffering from the pain caused by injustice.

“Living isn’t necessarily a good thing,” He Lingling said with a playful smile, unexpectedly.

"Being weird is good too. You don't have to worry about not having enough food, or about suffocating to death one day because you can't buy enough oxygen."

Xu Han, still somewhat bewildered, stood to the side: "..."

No, can they really talk to monsters about these things?

Not only Xu Han, but also many players watching this scene on the screen were stunned. They looked at He Lingling chatting with the monster on the screen and suddenly felt that there might be something wrong with their eyes.

New players are slaying monsters, while veteran players are getting exploited by monsters.

The next second, Xue Yan burst out laughing:

"So the world outside has changed now. Oxygen is chargeable now? I can't even imagine how you guys survive..."

After chatting for about ten minutes, Xue Yan smiled and said she was going to tell her daughter a bedtime story, then turned and left.

Xu Han, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but speak:

What does Xue Yan mean?

He Lingling: "It means we can pass the test."

"A three-day internship, strictly speaking, we should stay until noon tomorrow..." Xu Han muttered as he calculated the time:

"Does she mean we can finish the game early?"

"Ah."

"Is it really that simple?"

Xu Han found it somewhat unbelievable.

He Lingling nodded again and walked with Xu Han to Yu Shijiu's ward and knocked on the door.

Footsteps soon echoed inside the room.

After taking another shower, Yu Shijiu opened the door and her eyes lit up when she saw He Lingling and Xu Han.

"Wow! Come in and have a chat," Yu Shijiu said enthusiastically, much to the dismay of He Lingling and her companion.

"No," He Lingling cleared her throat, "we're about to clear the level."

Yu Shijiu's smile remained unchanged. "So what? Does clearing the level mean I can't come in and chat?"

He Lingling: "...What I meant was, can you manage all by yourself?"

Xu Han nodded as well. He looked at the pink gauze on Yu Shijiu's wrist and was about to speak when he heard Yu Shijiu's indifferent reply:

"Why not?" Yu Shijiu said with a smile.

Do you think Xue Yan would give you internship certificates for no reason?

Both He Lingling and Xu Han were stunned by these words.

He Lingling initially thought that Xue Yan's sober mind and kind nature made it somewhat understandable, but after Yu Shijiu's explanation, she instantly understood all the strange things.

"No wonder..."

He Lingling suddenly realized, and her gaze towards Yu Shijiu became complicated before returning to her usual lively self.

"Thank you then."

“No need,” Yu Shijiu blinked and said seriously, “You gave me a lot of delicious food, all of which are points.”

Xu Han, standing nearby: "...cough..."

He Lingling was both amused and exasperated. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and stopped in her tracks.

"Never mind, maybe it's fate," He Lingling raised her eyes, her pupils deep and unfathomable. Yu Shijiu, who was being stared at, had the illusion of being stared at by a ghost, the coldness subtly stimulating his already unstable nerves.

He Lingling felt a sharp pain in her eyes, and as blood dripped from her eye sockets, her legs went weak and she almost fell. Xu Han caught her, and he instinctively tried to treat her, but was stopped.

"We'll clear the level soon, let's not waste our skills."

Xu Han stopped moving.

He Lingling looked up again, her cheeks covered in bloodstains. She sighed, weak but unable to hide the fear in her eyes:

"Yu Shijiu, try your best to return to normal."

Otherwise, excessive rigidity leads to breakage, and even madmen eventually die.