Infinite: Dawn Game

Snapped!

The earthworm, halfway through its journey, was swiftly slapped to the ground by Fatty. With its movement, the enraged earthworm was mercilessly crushed into a pool of purplish-red flesh.

It's all gone now, just scraps.

"Meow!"

Fatty growled angrily, rubbing its paws disdainfully on the dry grass beside it.

Yu Shijiu looked at the earthworms that had been smashed into a pulp on the ground, casually rubbed his fingers that had almost been bitten, and lazily stood up and walked towards the river.

Things have developed to this point, and it's no longer just the two eyes that Yu Shijiu initially mentioned.

Fatty rolled its eyes silently, glanced at the earthworm corpse on the ground with disgust, and quickly followed Yu Shijiu with its cat-like steps, while also licking its slightly tangled fur.

The riverside was no different from before.

Apart from the slightly eerie red mist that shrouded the river, the entire river was very calm, but the normally warm sunlight could no longer penetrate it.

Yu Shijiu looked up and saw the sunlight falling between the intersecting branches being gradually seeped into the red mist, until only a slightly dim light and shadow remained.

It's a strange fog, but it doesn't mean anything.

After making his decision, Yu Shijiu prepared to turn around. Before leaving, he casually glanced at the still calm river surface, and his gaze suddenly stopped.

Beneath the river's surface, a huge, strip-shaped object is gradually becoming clear. It is somewhat dark due to the river water, but its circular curves are still easily discernible.

Is that the giant earthworm? It's back again?

Yu Shijiu tried to get closer with interest, but was pulled back by Feifei by the corner of her clothes.

Yu Shijiu paused, but ultimately decided to take Feifei back and put her to sleep first.

Even though it's only noon, it's not a bad idea to take a nap.

Thinking of this, Yu Shijiu instantly changed her mood, obediently taking a step back with the help of the fat man, looking completely compliant.

“Let’s go,” Yu Shijiu said. “I said I’d take a look, so I’ll take a look. I’m a man of my word, right?”

Fatty: "..."

Feifei seemed to snort from her nose and then turned her head away, not wanting to talk to Yu Shijiu.

Yu Shijiu rubbed his eyes, which were a little sore from not sleeping well:

"What's wrong? Just take a look at the cave and the river, it's just two eyes, isn't it?"

Seemingly exasperated by Yu Shijiu's unreasonable arguments, Feifei didn't even utter a sound this time, simply turning around and walking away.

Yu Shijiu chuckled, glanced back at the still calm river surface, and followed Feifei.

"What's wrong, Fatty? Did I say something wrong?"

His response was Fatty's tail held high and his increasingly heavy cat steps.

Once the figures of the person and the cat had completely disappeared, the riverside, which had been somewhat lively, became completely quiet.

In the eerie stillness, a heavy footstep sounded not far away.

The middle-aged man with graying hair slowly approached the riverbank. He seemed completely oblivious to the strange, eerie red mist on the river's surface, his eyes somewhat vacant.

"How could he not be here... how could he not be here?"

Uncle Gong lowered his head, his usually kind and gentle face now looking somewhat eerie, pale, and filled with inexplicable doubt and sadness.

"Does Niannian not want to see me...? It's all my fault, it's all my fault for being too busy with work, still reporting at my age, otherwise I wouldn't have let Niannian go to Changsheng Village to teach alone..."

Uncle Gong was muttering to himself when he reached the riverbank. Suddenly, his foot slipped, and as his voice stopped abruptly, he fell into the river.

"Pfft—cough cough cough—"

Uncle Gong, who had just emerged from the river, coughed violently. He lay on the bank, coughing one cough after another until he vomited up a lot of the water he had drunk before he slowly calmed down.

Uncle Gong clutched his chest in discomfort. Just as he was about to climb up, he heard the sound of water flowing behind him.

Uncle Gong stopped moving.

At the same time, after the calm river surface was broken, the giant earthworm reappeared, wriggling its mouthparts with densely packed teeth, slowly approaching Uncle Gong's back.

Uncle Gong turned around.

His hair, wet from the river, clung to his scalp, the graying strands sticky and sticky, and his nostrils seemed to carry the distinctive fishy smell of the river.

"Recite, recite?!"

Uncle Gong exclaimed in surprise.

The woman who appeared before him was quite pretty. She was rather thin and had severe dark circles and bags under her eyes, giving the impression that she might fall into a deep sleep at any moment.

She looked at Uncle Gong in front of her, seemingly surprised as well.

"dad?"

Gong Nian's eyes were red as she watched Uncle Gong wading towards her through the water.

"Dad, what brings you to Changsheng Village?"

Uncle Gong wiped the water from his face, the sadness from not being able to find his daughter vanishing instantly. He coughed and stepped forward, grabbing "Gong Nian's" hand urgently, saying:

"Where did you go? I went to your place early this morning to look for you but couldn't find you. I thought you had moved to another place to teach. I was so scared! I thought you were still holding a grudge against me for going out to work..."

Uncle Gong kept talking, seemingly forgetting that he was still soaking in the water, his whole being radiating the joy of seeing his daughter.

Gong Nian also seemed very happy; she nodded gently, her voice soft.

"Dad, I don't blame you."

These few words instantly silenced Uncle Gong, who had been muttering to himself. He opened his mouth, and under Gong Nian's gentle gaze, he gradually broke down and cried.

"Niannian, Niannian, it's been eight years, eight years, Niannian, you've finally forgiven your father. I really didn't know, if I had known, I would never have left you and your mother alone at home..."

Gong Shu's reply was a gentle hug from "Gong Nian".

Gong Nian smiled broadly, her pale, delicate face overflowing with joy, yet her eyes churned with a complex mix of emotions—worry, fear… But in the end, Gong Nian simply patted Uncle Gong's trembling back gently, her voice soft and submissive:

"It's alright, everything's alright now, Dad..."

As she uttered the last word "Dad," Gong Nian opened her mouth wide. Unlike normal teeth, her mouth was filled with a dense array of teeth, and clear saliva dripped from her tongue...

Tick-tick-tick-

It dripped onto Uncle Gong's back.

Uncle Gong was completely unaware of what was happening and continued to repent and weep. He was even more devastated by his daughter's gentle response, to the point that he could not control his trembling.

In the town, countless players stared at the giant earthworm on the screen with chills running down their spines, unsure of what to say.

Unlike Uncle Gong, who saw the other party's "daughter," the players saw a giant earthworm coiled up around Uncle Gong.

The earthworm's mouthparts wriggled closer to Uncle Gong's head, dripping mucus, a terrifying scene that the latter was completely unaware of.

All of this was observed by Lin Feng, who was hiding in the tree at some unknown time.