Infinite Game Ch.3

Chapter 3 – Convenience Store Clerk (1)

Jiang Yujin conjured up a nonexistent ex-boyfriend so that he could slip away early.

He stayed up all night last night, and today, after being busy for half the day, he could lie down right where he stood, even with a brick on him.

After drifting back home and lying down, he appeared a few days later as a citizen in the evening news.

The high schooler was coming home late again. Jiang Yujin ran downstairs to the barbershop to hang out and wait for someone.

Today, the barber at the shop was unusually indifferent. He couldn’t successfully chat and had to settle for watching TV for free.

He even found interest in an evening news broadcast.

There was no one at the barbershop in the evening. The boss, cigarette in mouth, was cleaning when he turned around and saw someone sitting in a chair, engrossed in watching the news.

“A few days ago, the Special Investigation Unit cracked a series of disappearances in the East District, rescuing a citizen. Items found at the scene were delivered to the victim’s family by a specialist.”

Jiang Yujin was sipping on water and pointed to the boss, saying, “That citizen is me.”

He sounded oddly proud of being a rescued citizen.

The boss, broom in hand, glanced at him. “So, was it a wasted trip earlier?”

Jiang Yujin swirled his water cup. “I returned the reward to the victim’s family, but I actively participated and received a two thousand yuan reward.”

He added, “Now I have utility bills covered.”

The boss scoffed but acknowledged, “Impressive.”

Jiang Yujin nodded. “Indeed.”

After the boss finished sweeping, he casually took Jiang Yujin’s water cup and remarked, “Do you know your employer has issues?”

Jiang Yujin watched helplessly as the cup, with only a sip left, moved away from him. His eyelids drooped gradually as he said, “The smell on her body is similar to… let’s call it ‘pearls’. It’s so strong that it’s hard not to know. .”

He knew there were problems, but he still took the job, maybe out of boredom or due to the intimidating gaze of the high schooler standing at the door.

The boss succinctly said, “Disappointing.”

Being scolded and deprived of water to drink, Jiang Yujin defiantly pushed the door open and left.

The boss leisurely blew out a smoke ring.

“…”

Not more, not less, precisely five seconds passed as Jiang Yujin pushed the door open and then returned.

He rubbed his hair and chuckled, saying, “Chen Jing hasn’t come back yet. I’ll wait a bit longer.”

The boss replied, “Hmm.”

After a few minutes, a high school student appeared at the street corner.

Jiang Yujin briskly dashed out the door.

Chen Jing, from a distance, spotted a swiftly approaching figure and discreetly tucked his school uniform jacket away.

Jiang Yujin approached, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The hidden school uniform was still discovered.

Jiang Yujin leaned in to examine the uniform several times. Chen Jing shifted his gaze aside, his expression unchanged, but one of his hands involuntarily clenched.

Finally, the person hanging onto him pointed at the faint red marks on the uniform and asked, “Are you planning to switch to being an art student?”

Chen Jing remained silent for a moment, then hesitantly nodded. He hadn’t expected the other person to mistake blood for paint.

Jiang Yujin rubbed his chin, “Looks like we’re going to have an art student in the family.”

Chen Jing replied, “Not necessarily.”

The conversation stopped there. Jiang Yujin casually changed the subject, “Are we having dinner tonight?”

Thus, the high school student also ended up cooking dinner after returning home in the evening.

Tight on funds, but willing to do whatever it took, even selling the pot, they managed to get a dishwasher. After tossing the dishes into the dishwasher, Jiang Yujin yawned and went back to his room to sleep. Before sleeping, he instructed the high schooler, “Don’t study too late.”

Chen Jing nodded, took a sip of water, and headed to his own room.

Two rooms weren’t exactly side by side, but by stretching out from the window, one could barely glimpse the neighboring lights.

Noticing the dimming of the light from next door, Chen Jing withdrew his gaze, returned to his room, opened a drawer, and swiftly assembled scattered parts in silence. After confirming the absence of any activity next door, he turned off the light and quietly flipped down the window.

Someone was already waiting downstairs.

Upon meeting up, there was no commotion. Someone held a locator and informed him, “Activity traces of A-Class Intelligent Strange Species have been detected in the Central District. Though we’re unsure if it knows what we want to know, we need to investigate.”

Glancing at the time, Chen Jing said, “We need to hurry. I have to get to school before seven tomorrow.”

Before heading to school, he had to come back and prepare breakfast for the person upstairs.

The person with the locator asked him, “Is something important happening?”

Chen Jing replied, “There’s a midterm exam tomorrow. I need to review beforehand.”

The others fell silent for a moment. “…”

Indeed, this person was a genuine high schooler.

To not delay the high schooler, they set off promptly.

Until the group vanished at the street corner, the room that was engulfed in darkness lit up again. Jiang Yujin, dressed in a tank top, lay on the bed, took a slow sip from the bedside water glass, glanced down, and casually swiped away the little creatures on the screen.

Out of moves.

The next morning, when Chen Jing returned, the person in the bedroom was sprawled asleep as usual, completely unconscious of their surroundings.

After a shower and changing into a school uniform, Chen Jing quickly prepared breakfast and left.

Jiang Yujin slept until waking naturally, lucky to catch a replay of the morning news at noon.

With the TV murmuring in the background, he played a mobile game while eating, exhausting his number of plays during the breakfast meal.

There was one last chance to clear a level in the game. He concentrated on looking at his phone and put the dishes and chopsticks into the dishwasher.

It seemed like something was stuck, so he exerted a little force.

Click

The kitchen fell silent after a sound, not loud, but deafening in a way.

Jiang Yujin glanced down at the metallic block the chopsticks had accidentally flung, his hand pausing in motion.

As he attempted to piece the metal block back together, a knock on the door interrupted him.

Glancing at the mobile game again and then at the dislodged part of the dishwasher, Jiang Yujin swiftly made his way to the kitchen door.

Thankfully, it wasn’t the high schooler returning. Instead, a middle-aged man stood at the door, smiling awkwardly at him.

Jiang Yujin wiped his sweat, returning the smile wholeheartedly.

The order had arrived.

…

A few days ago, after dealing with the Species B607, Xu Gao, although alive and kicking at the scene, was subsequently admitted to the hospital.

The strange species was dead, but he wasn’t doing much better, left with an arm almost half disabled, successfully checked into the hospital in the North District.

After only a few days, he roamed the hospital, eventually strolling out after a routine examination.

The hospital was near a commercial area, with a convenience store across the street.

Today the sun was scorching, evaporating even the sweat from his skin. He glanced around before finally stepping into the convenience store.

The air conditioning in the store made it refreshingly cool.

It was still early, and there weren’t many people in the convenience store, just a clerk sitting behind the cash register playing a mobile game, looking more comfortable than he, a patient.

He grabbed a bottle of water and placed it on the counter.

The clerk, engrossed in the game, looked up, their perpetually wide-open eyes strikingly familiar.

Xu Gao: “…”

Xu Gao asked, “Aren’t you the one who runs the agency?”

“This is a commission.” Jiang Yujin scanned the barcode of the water, succinctly stating, “Long story short, two yuan.”

In essence, the middle-aged man who had visited him yesterday managed this convenience store. He wanted to take a few days off with his family and, through referrals, ended up hiring Jiang Yujin to manage the cashier, paying him significantly more than the regular clerks.

Jiang Yujin didn’t understand the wealthy man’s mindset, but he did appreciate the salary. After all, he still owed for a dishwasher.

Xu Gao paid, glanced around, leaned forward slightly, and whispered, “Someone from the unit might visit me today. Your ex-boyfriend might show up.”

This person was unusually kind.

Jiang Yujin’s eyebrows twitched, thanking him with clasped hands.

The kind-hearted Xu Gao bid the temporary cashier farewell.

Stepping out of the store, Xu Gao glanced back and saw the clerk starting his mobile game career again.

Throughout the day, Jiang Yujin did a lot of things. He mostly played a game called “Xiaoxiaole,” followed by collecting money, and then, while his phone was charging, he watched the ebb and flow of people outside.

Several ambulances rushed by multiple times today, and until the evening, they continued to roar back and forth.

Something must have happened because shortly after the ambulances arrived, lights began flashing on the roadside, casting a red hue on the streets. People kept going in and out of the hospital.

Jiang Yujin didn’t pay too much attention, just occasionally counting down to the end of the workday.

The pedestrians on both sides of the road became fewer and fewer. Another employee responsible for arranging shelves and restocking had already finished work on time. Jiang Yujin glanced at the time again, preparing to leave at any moment.

Two minutes before closing time, the motion sensor at the entrance made a noise.

Jiang Yujin, who had already moved closer to the counter, slowly shifted back and continued silently counting down to the end of the workday.

The customer who entered grabbed some iodine and placed it on the table. Veins protruded on their arm, and dark brown bloodstains flashed on the inner side of their fingers.

Jiang Yujin noticed but didn’t mind, still keeping an eye on the closing time. Swiftly scanning the barcode, Jiang Yujin lifted his gaze and said, “Ten yuan.”

The person in black combat uniform lowered their eyes, rare lead-gray pupils meeting the gaze of the person opposite.

A sudden eye contact, but the expression behind the counter remained unchanged, and there was even a yawn.

The convenience store was very quiet, and the slight yawn seemed infinitely amplified.

Xu Tonggui paid for the item, grabbed the iodine, and left.

After walking a distance away from the convenience store, he turned back.

The store employee, with disheveled hair, bent over to shut down the computer under the bright light, looking weary.

“What’s Captain Xu looking at?”

Approaching in a brightly colored floral shirt, the person narrowed their eyes and followed his gaze. They caught a glimpse of someone trying to take a shortcut and cross over the counter to leave work early.

They seemed in a hurry, not willing to stay a second past closing time.

Xu Tonggui withdrew his gaze. “Nothing, let’s head back first.”

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