Infinite Game Ch.12

Chapter 12 – Human Skin Honghong (1)

In the outskirts, far from the city, where taxis were expensive, Jiang Yujin began using his electric scooter again, tearfully purchasing a new helmet.

He kept the receipt, turning to the person conscientiously seated behind him, saying, “I bought this for your commission, remember to reimburse it when the time comes.”

Thankfully, the person behind only counted as half a passenger, exempt from wearing a helmet; otherwise, it would have been an extra expense.

Zhou Yang asked him, “Didn’t you wear a helmet before?”

Jiang Yujin almost instantly recalled his stolen helmet.

Sitting at the rear, unable to see the expression of the person in front, Zhou Yang could sense the air around filled with a sense of sorrow.

The sorrowful electric scooter started.

To be honest, this was Zhou Yang’s first time riding an electric scooter in his life. A brand-new experience, an entirely different sensation, especially when smoothly maneuvering through the heart-stopping traffic, his eyes widened.

It felt like the gateway to a new world had opened.

Riding the electric scooter all the way to the mountain roads in the outskirts, this side of the mountain roads had always been deserted. After the disappearance incident, even fewer people frequented the area. The police searched nearby for a few days after the incident but left when they couldn’t find the missing person, leaving the place completely deserted.

The electric scooter could traverse these mountain roads. Jiang Yujin circled halfway around the mountain, returning to this spot. Zhou Yang, with eyes wide open, finally spoke as they passed a particular spot, saying, “It’s here.”

Jiang Yujin stopped the electric scooter, removed his helmet, and got off.

It was a big curve with tire marks on the road, likely left by Zhou Yang and his group. The road and the guardrail on one side were intact, the trees were still standing, the sunlight was bright, and everything appeared normal, with no apparent anomalies.

Jiang Yujin squatted next to Zhou Yang on the roadside and asked the ghost beside him, “Did anything unusual happen on the day of your incident?”

Unusual?

Zhou Yang lowered his head, pondering for a while. He instinctively tried to pluck a blade of grass from the roadside, only to see his hand pass through the leaves, freezing momentarily before retracting his hand.

After a brief silence, he seemed to suddenly remember something, turning to say, “Does eating an extra meal in the morning count?”

Jiang Yujin quickly came to a conclusion: ‘This ghost looks okay, but it seems like his mind doesn’t quite match.’ He said, “Probably doesn’t count.”

Perhaps it was because he noticed a hint of inexplicability in Jiang Yujin’s calm demeanor that Zhou Yang’s mind began to brainstorm again, and he said, “I bought a bracelet at the foot of the mountain that day. Does that count?”

Jiang Yujin set aside the soda he had just prepared to open and said, “Continue.”

Zhou Yang said that on that day, he arrived the earliest and while waiting in the car for his friends, a child knocked on his car door, holding a bracelet and looking at him, hoping he would buy one.

He said, “The child had a lot of wounds on her hands and arms, looked quite pitiful, so I bought it.”

The child’s service was surprisingly considerate; she even stood on tiptoes to help Zhou Yang put on the bracelet. It clearly didn’t match the watch in his hand, but it was a heartfelt gesture from the child, so he didn’t take it off.

As Zhou Yang spoke, his voice gradually faded, and his eyes widened.

He finally realized something was wrong. How could a place where barely anyone passed by have a child selling things?

Jiang Yujin gave a brief comment, “You’re too kind.”

Zhou Yang, who was squatting on the side, finally grasped what was happening, and his heart sank.

He had stayed here for a few days after the incident, but hadn’t seen that child again. Perhaps the other ‘person’ would never appear again, or perhaps they might.

Jiang Yujin stood up and said, “Let’s go down.”

Zhou Yang asked him what they were going to do down there.

“To where you encountered the child selling bracelets,” Jiang Yujin yawned and said, “Maybe she’ll appear tonight, who knows.”

They returned to the foot of the mountain.

The waiting process was lengthy, Xiaoxiaole was entertaining, but energy in the game was easy to exhaust.

As the energy finally depleted, Jiang Yujin turned to Zhou Yang and asked, “If I recharge energy now, would you reimburse me?”

Zhou Yang: “…”

Zhou Yang agreed to reimburse, and Jiang Yujin immersed himself in the game until his phone almost shut down before reluctantly putting it aside.

By the time he set the phone down, it was nearing dusk. The orange sun was slowly setting behind the opposite mountain pass, casting everything in sight into a fiery red hue.

The child selling bracelets didn’t appear, but instead, several sports cars arrived.

The sound of the cars echoed along the empty road, audible from a considerable distance away.

Zhou Yang, who was squatting nearby, stood up to glance over, then his eyes shifted slightly as he said, “It’s my friends.”

They were the group, including Zhang Si, who had raced with Zhou Yang a few days ago. They had waited at home for news for a few days, found nothing, and decided to come back here, hoping to uncover any clues.

The cars slowly parked by the roadside, and the first thing they noticed was the electric scooter parked there. Their gaze shifted, and they noticed the inconspicuous figure sitting by the roadside.

Adhering to his principle of politeness, Jiang Yujin raised his hand in greeting.

Zhang Si reflexively responded and then, realizing, asked, “Who are you?”

Jiang Yujin glanced at Zhou Yang beside him and casually replied, “Passing by, taking a break here.”

Zhang Si and the others nodded and continued up the mountain.

As expected, they found nothing. When darkness enveloped the surroundings, they descended the mountain and left.

The electric scooter parked by the roadside was nowhere in sight as they descended. They glanced at the spot before continuing their journey back.

Zhou Yang, standing not far from the roadside, watched as the car lights gradually disappeared from view, then turned to the person beside him.

Jiang Yujin checked the time, pocketed his phone as it was nearly time, and began walking slowly under the roadside lamps. As he walked, he lifted his hand to fuss with his hair, grabbing a few strands and securing them with a clip from his jacket pocket, previously used to seal a bag of chips.

When he stepped into the light, Zhou Yang’s pupils quivered.

It was the first time he noticed that this person was actually quite good-looking, with distinct facial features that gave off an inexplicable sense of sharpness.

Jiang Yujin hastily secured his hair and, as he withdrew his hand, took a quick sniff.

Hmm, a hint of citrus.

Once he withdrew his hand, his eyelids drooped again, the sense of sharpness instantly dissipated. Noticing that Zhou Yang hadn’t followed, he raised his hand in a beckoning motion.

The light shone into his light-colored pupils. When he looked over, his expression was mild, as if he could see directly into the depths of a person’s soul.

Zhou Yang ran over and crouched down with him, patting his chest as if nothing had happened, then shifted his gaze aside, asking, “What are you doing?”

Jiang Yujin paused briefly, finding it somewhat difficult to explain, so he chose to remain silent.

Considering what Zhou Yang mentioned about the tunnel and the child selling bracelets, he probably already knew what had occurred.

Honghong, the mid-level dungeon mini-boss, enjoyed collecting “skins” she fancied. In the game, she had her own territory – an abandoned tunnel converted into a laboratory accessible only with a pass. She usually found ways to give the pass to those she chose, and the bracelet given to Zhou Yang was likely that pass.

In that laboratory, she processed various skins she acquired, piecing them together to create the most aesthetically pleasing set of skins in the world. Whether it was a player or an NPC, if she set her sights on a skin, she would obtain it without relenting.

When they entered the dungeon previously, Jiang Yujin recalled Honghong expressing interest in acquiring his face. Considering her persistence, she probably hadn’t abandoned the idea by now.

Hence, he decided to show her his face, allowing her to have a good look at it.

As the time for the child’s appearance approached, Jiang Yujin, bored, counted the number of mosquitoes buzzing around the base of the streetlight. Zhou Yang looked around cautiously.

After what felt like a long time, or perhaps just a moment, beyond the reach of the streetlight, a child gradually walked onto the road.

She wore a red cloak, had big eyes, and her face bore dark brown smudges, but it didn’t detract from her apparent cuteness.

When he looked over and met the dark, lifeless eyes, Zhou Yang couldn’t help but shudder involuntarily, goosebumps crawling all over him in an instant.

The little girl seemed to notice him but paid no attention, diverting her gaze and heading straight toward Jiang Yujin who was crouching. She took out the bracelet, her eyes pleading, and said:

“Please, buy one. If I sell this one, I can go home.”

The same exact words as before, without any alteration.

She had numerous wounds on the hand holding the bracelet, almost like scars from stitching that seemed poorly done.

Noticing her constant gaze fixed on his face, Jiang Yujin remained expressionless and said, “I don’t have any money.”

In an instant, Honghong changed her tactic from selling to giving. She raised her hand, attempting to fasten the bracelet onto Jiang Yujin’s wrist.

Having a red string already on his wrist, Jiang Yujin smoothly swapped hands before she could touch the string.

Zhou Yang watched as the child handed the bracelet to the person beside him and then watched her leave until she disappeared from view.

After she left, Jiang Yujin lifted the electric scooter from the bushes, saying, “Let’s go.”

With the bracelet obtained, it felt uncomfortable to wear the helmet with something on his head. Jiang Yujin directly removed the clip, wearing the helmet comfortably.

He didn’t head towards the mountain path but chose a flat and easy route to leisurely ride along.

Zhou Yang noticed they were heading in the wrong direction but didn’t dare say anything given the circumstances.

The electric scooter smoothly rode along the road, adhering strictly to the speed limits, abiding by the law.

Something flashed brightly, making it instinctive for one to close their eyes.

Upon opening his eyes, what was once a flat road suddenly turned into a deep and mysterious tunnel.

It appeared out of nowhere, eerie and enigmatic.

While the electric scooter moved slowly, the distance to the tunnel closed in at an inexplicable speed.

It wasn’t the vehicle heading towards the tunnel; it was the tunnel rapidly closing in on the vehicle.

Jiang Yujin said, “As long as the bracelet is in your possession, no matter where you run, the tunnel will find you.”

Hence, right from the start, the condition of taking a photo of the tunnel and submitting it to the Special Investigation Unit couldn’t stand, as encountering this entity meant one had to enter and walk around inside.

Zhou Yang asked, “How do you know?”

Jiang Yujin replied, “I guessed.”

He was skilled at brushing people off.

While speaking, he parked the electric scooter in a safe spot and removed his helmet.

No matter what, the safety of the electric scooter came first.

Once the helmet was off, he returned to his disheveled state, his hair even messier than before.

The tunnel was only a few meters away now.

Slowly rolling up his sleeves, Jiang Yujin looked to his companion and said, “Remember to double the commission when we get back.”

He emphasized, “And reimburse for the helmet and Xiaoxiaole too.”

<< _ >>