Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 973 Train Ticket

Chen Yi's voice came from the kitchen, "Fortunately, after drinking the recovery potion, I feel like I can still cook two or three tables of food."

Xu Han: "..."

Xu Han listened to the sounds coming from the kitchen and ran to the kitchen door to look several times before finally feeling relieved.

Brother Chen looks really fine, wow, I'm so envious... so envious... Brother Chen's physique is just too strong...

Xu Han, filled with envy, ran back to the living room sofa and collapsed.

He Lingling had already leaned back in the single sofa and closed her eyes. Her breathing was steady, but the dark circles under her eyes and her still pale face showed that she had not yet recovered from her exhaustion.

Anjie habitually checked the doors and windows, then looked at Yu Shijiu who was standing silently by the window, and walked over.

Does your arm still hurt?

She asked.

Yu Shijiu turned his head and shook his head.

"It doesn't hurt, it just feels a little... empty."

He raised his left arm, spreading and closing his fingers several times, as if to confirm that it was indeed his original hand.

Ange understands this feeling.

Although the beast-like left arm was a symbol of corruption within the instance, it had been with the body for some time. So, its sudden return to normal... Yu Shijiu must feel a little uncomfortable about it.

This feeling is like someone who is used to carrying heavy loads suddenly having their burden lifted, and experiencing a momentary sense of psychological imbalance.

"You'll get used to it."

Anjie said, "This is a good thing."

"Ah."

Yu Shijiu gave a perfunctory reply, her gaze drifting to the crowds passing by on the street outside the window.

The players, their faces bearing the weariness, excitement, or numbness of finishing a dungeon run, blended into the ever-present, bustling twilight of the town, creating a strange, almost surreal, illusion that overlapped with the real world.

"Sister An, was the driver finally... free?"

Yu Shijiu suddenly asked.

Ange was silent for a moment, then slowly said:

"Perhaps."

She paused, then added, "At least, that car won't be driven forever anymore."

Yu Shijiu didn't say anything more.

He unconsciously touched his left arm, which had returned to normal, and felt as if he had forgotten something.

What was it again...? It doesn't seem to be something from the dungeon...

Yu Shijiu stood by the window, deep in thought. Not long after, Chen Yi, who had been busy in the kitchen all day, came out with a large pot of steaming bone broth.

The soup was milky white, with mushrooms, corn, and diced radishes bubbling inside, and its aroma instantly filled the entire living room.

Xu Han, who had been sprawled on the sofa without moving, almost immediately came to his senses and darted to the dining table, staring longingly at the pot of milky white bone broth.

Yu Shijiu instantly banished the jumbled thoughts from her mind and quickly ran to the dining table.

The two ran to the dining table and sat down almost at the same time. Xu Han chuckled and handed the bowl and chopsticks to Yu Shijiu first.

Yu Shijiu accepted it with a smile and thanked Xu Han politely.

Xu Han waved politely, his eyes fixed on the pot of bone broth on the table.

Anjie, who had just taken the bowls and chopsticks out of the kitchen: "..."

She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, continuing to put the bowls and chopsticks down one by one.

"Lingling".

Chen Yi, holding a large spoon, shouted at the sofa, "It's time to eat."

He Lingling, who was sleeping next to the sofa, was also awakened by the fragrance and Chen Yi's shouts.

"……Oh."

She responded lazily, blinked her sore eyes, and slowly moved over.

The five people sat around the table, quietly drinking the steaming hot bone broth.

The warm bone broth slid down my esophagus, dispelling the last trace of chill I'd carried from the dungeon.

Xu Han sighed contentedly and then poured himself another large bowl.

"Brother Chen, with your skills, it's a waste that you don't open a restaurant in town."

Chen Yi simply smiled, then placed a piece of stewed pork bone on He Lingling's plate until it was soft and tender, and said gently:

"Lingling has exhausted herself this time. Eat more to replenish your energy."

He Lingling nodded gently, "Thank you, Brother Chen."

Chen Yi smiled and shook his head, then turned and put a large piece of meat bone on Yu Shijiu's plate, who was engrossed in eating.

"Shi Jiu, eat more too."

Chen Yi looked at Yu Shijiu's thin figure and sighed deeply.

"It seems like Shi Jiu doesn't gain weight no matter how much she eats..."

He Lingling and Xu Han: "..."

The two swallowed the soup in their throats and looked at Yu Shijiu beside them with a puzzled expression.

Under the lights, Yu Shijiu was so white he was almost glowing, and with his thin shoulders and small face... he really gave off the impression of being malnourished and not gaining weight.

But all four people present knew that Yu Shijiu was much "healthier" now.

Compared to when the other party first entered the instance, Yu Shijiu is now so healthy it's "shocking"... but she's still very thin.

Thinking of this, Xu Han, lost in her own imagination, put two pieces of stewed radish, which were cooked until very tender and flavorful, on Yu Shijiu's plate, tears streaming down her face.

"Shi Jiu, eat more. You're so thin, it breaks my heart to see you like this."

Xu Han said.

Yu Shijiu: "..."

Yu Shijiu stared at the radish in his bowl, thought about it carefully, and finally said:

"The radish is delicious too, thank you, Brother Han."

"Hey!" Xu Han quickly responded, and then lovingly picked up two more pieces of corn and put them in Yu Shijiu's bowl. "The corn smells so good, eat more, it's good for your health."

He Lingling and Chen Yi: "..."

Chen Yi didn't express any of his thoughts. He Lingling was expressionless, but after seeing Xu Han wipe away non-existent tears and put ribs on her plate... her eyes twitched uncontrollably several times.

—Does Xu Han really think they're fools?

Was he the only smart person at the dinner table?

Anjie ate quickly, but her movements remained clean and efficient.

The burning hunger in her stomach was temporarily calmed by the hot soup and rice, but only Ange knew that it was only a temporary suppression.

Anjie sighed inwardly as she thought about it.

Unlocking talent skills is really a hassle—

【Ding--】

The system notification sounded in everyone's minds without warning.

[The second round of rewards for the "Living" Guild Tournament has been settled.]

Congratulations to the "Living" guild for their victory! Rewards have been distributed to all players' accounts. Please check your accounts promptly.

[Dungeon points increased during the guild competition, and player individual points have been credited. The rare item "Faded Ticket"*1 has been stored in the guild warehouse. The remaining players will receive rewards such as items/skill experience/point increases. Please check your account.]

[Friendly reminder: The next round of the "Living" guild competition will begin random matchmaking in 72 hours. Please be prepared.]

The game notification sound ended, and the living room fell silent for a moment.

"72 hours..."

Xu Han counted on his fingers, then cried out in disbelief:

"Only three days from now? That's way too rushed! Can't we have a few more days to rest?!"

"It would be good if we could rest for three days."

He Lingling pressed her temples and opened her system panel to check her rewards.

"But there's good news too. My 'Ghost Eye' proficiency has increased again, and my mental strength limit seems to have risen a bit as well... So all that suffering wasn't for nothing."

Besides Yu Shijiu, who was still focused on eating and drinking soup, Chen Yi and An Jie were also checking their respective items and points rewards.

Anjie quickly reviewed the points credited to her account and noticed a faint, almost invisible gray mark next to her talent skill "Cleaner," with a line of small text annotation next to it.

Her eyelid twitched for no reason, and she squinted at the note: "[Please note that excessive suppression of appetite may bring unknown risks]."

Anjie's eyes narrowed, and she quickly turned off the panel.

Yu Shijiu wiped his mouth after finishing the last sip of soup, still feeling unsatisfied.

He also looked at his reward with curiosity.

Unsurprisingly, I accumulated a lot more points, and I even got a one-time use item in my system inventory.

[Sedative Sugar Pills: Can significantly increase resistance to mental pollution in a short period of time, leaving you feeling slightly fatigued after the effect ends.]

Ok?

Yu Shijiu's eyes lit up.

He really likes this. Judging from the name, it must taste pretty good too, right? It's definitely very sweet.

"A faded ticket?"

Xu Han had already gone to the guild warehouse interface to look, "What is this thing?"

Team leader Anjie brought up the warehouse interface and shared the information about that item.

[Faded ticket (special prop)]

[Description: An old train ticket with curled edges and blurred writing, seemingly from a night bus that has stopped running. The words "Homecoming" and a date stained with blood are faintly visible on it.]

[Effect: Players holding this ticket have a certain probability of triggering hidden clues or story branches related to "transportation" or "unfinished journey" when entering the next instance. Uses: 1/1.]

[Friendly reminder: Some paths, once embarked upon, are difficult to reverse, but you are free to choose which stop to get off at.]

“Transportation… an unfinished journey…” Chen Yi pondered, “It sounds like something that could influence the course of the game.”

"Keep it for now."

Anjie released the item permissions and said calmly:

"We can use the dungeons later as needed. Now everyone should take the time to rest and recover. Lingling, do you need any special treatment for your eyes?"

He Lingling shook her head: "No need. This time, the game rewards include medicine to repair mental trauma. I'll use it before going to bed, and I estimate that I'll feel much better after a good night's sleep."

"That's good."

Anjie nodded, "If there's nothing else, everyone can go back and rest."

"it is good."

"Ah."

"..."

Yu Shijiu returned to her room, closed the door, and shut out the murmurs in the living room where Xu Han was still whispering with Chen Yi about what ingredients to add to the bone broth next time.

The room was small and simply furnished, with a bed, a table, and a chair. Outside the window was the town's unchanging, gradually darkening daylight, simulated by the system.

He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, without turning on the light, letting the dim light and shadow gradually swallow up the sharp edges and contours of all the furnishings in the room.

After glancing at the night view outside the window, Yu Shijiu raised his left hand and examined it carefully.

Her fingers were slender and long, with distinct knuckles. In the dim light of the street lamps shining through the window, the skin on her hands appeared excessively pale.

On her wrist, the few almost invisible light red marks looked like some kind of faded mark under the light.

As he looked at it, he became irritated and curled his fingers, then slowly straightened them, repeating this several times before stopping.

The touch is real, warm, and truly a feedback from human skin and bone structure.

but……

Yu Shijiu's fingertips unconsciously traced across his palm, where the familiar stinging sensation of the beast's claws pressing against him should have remained, but now there was only a smooth surface.

It feels empty.

That feeling resurfaced.

This feeling wasn't just about losing a kind of "power," but more like something deeper had been briefly touched and stirred up during that frantic mental tearing and pollution-induced engulfment, only to be forcibly buried back down with the "purification" of the pollution.

Those screams, numbness, relief, frenzy that flooded his mind... Lin Hai's despair, Ah Xiu's tenderness and pain, and the driver's heavy repentance at the end of the dungeon... and the rough touch of the ropes in the ward and the endless whispers in his ears, lured up from the depths of his own memory by the source of pollution...

They did not disappear.

He simply suppressed those thoughts in his heart for the time being when he was sober, unwilling to think about them.

Yu Shijiu slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

He could feel that his heartbeat was steady, his breathing was normal, and his left arm could move freely without any discomfort.

This is good.

Sister An said this is a good thing.

Brother Chen, Brother Han, and Sister Lingling were also happy for his good fortune at the dinner table.

He felt he should also appear happy.

Yu Shijiu tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to force a smile, but the muscles around his mouth were stiff. After rubbing his face and forcing a smile a few more times, he finally gave up.

He lay down on the bed and stared at the blurry shadows on the ceiling for a while—then suddenly sat up!

Oh no! I remember now! When I left, Fatty was still waiting for me at home!

Where did Fatty go now?!

Fatty!

Yu Shijiu's head was buzzing. He wanted to go out and find Feifei right now, but as soon as he got out of bed, he froze in place for a long time without moving.

...He suddenly remembered that Lu Chusheng had come before he left.

Even though Yu Shijiu didn't want to face a certain fact, he still reluctantly sat back on the bed and sighed deeply.

Feifei must have been taken away by Lu Chusheng.

There's no indication that they'll send Feifei back anytime soon.

Lu Chusheng is getting more and more outrageous. In the past, he would at least tell me before taking Feifei away... This time, let's not even talk about taking Feifei away, he should at least send me a message, right?

Yu Shijiu sat alone on the edge of the bed, getting angrier and angrier, completely unaware that the words he kept thinking about were all the same.

At the height of her anger, Yu Shijiu slammed her hand on the pillow—and suddenly felt something prick her palm.

"..."

What had just touched his palm by the pillow was a small bag of milk candy that Chen Yi had just given him.

Chen Yi said it was a new product in the town's stores, and it tasted good, so he was asked to try it and see if he liked it.

After staring at the bag of milk candy for a while, Yu Shijiu tore open the wrapper and put the candy in his mouth.

The rich milky aroma and sweetness instantly melted on the tip of the tongue... It tasted very sweet, almost cloyingly sweet.