Infinite Game Ch.36

Chapter 36 – Tower on the Sea (1)

After just drinking a glass of water, suddenly coughed like this. Xu Gao immediately cast a suspicious look at his superior and asked, “Captain Xu, did you put something in the water?”

He genuinely dared to ask, but Captain Xu didn’t answer this seemingly foolish question.

After a bout of coughing, Citizen Jiang took two more sips of water and his brain spun rapidly.

—Nothing happened. So, he chose to remain silent.

Xu Gao asked from the side, “Captain Xu, care to join us for a meal?”

Xu Tonggui didn’t sit down for the meal, saying he had cold medicine in his office and went back to get it.

Xu Gao approached Jiang Yujin, who was wearing a medical mask, and said, “Didn’t expect Captain Xu to be so caring.”

Jiang Yujin nodded slightly. “Perhaps.”

Xu Tonggui didn’t have any cold medicine in his office, but there were butterfly pea and rock candy. These were usually prepared for other female colleagues in the department. He took two packs from them and left the office.

At noon, Jiang Yujin took the heartwarming cold medicine.

This place wasn’t suitable for a long stay today. After thanking for the medicine, he politely left and hopped onto his electric scooter.

But before fully getting on, Xu Gao was concerned about his driving fatigue.

Looking at the time, Xu Tonggui casually said, “It’s still early for lunch break, let me drop you off.”

Under the curious gaze of onlookers, Jiang Yujin got into the car to go back.

After fastening his seatbelt, he slid comfortably down, sinking into the passenger seat. Xu Tonggui casually asked for his destination, and he mentioned a place.

The car smoothly started and moved onto the road.

Though he usually seemed tough, he drove steadily, and one could hardly feel any bumps.

Jiang Yujin decisively took out his phone to play Xiaoxiaole. Soon, the car was filled with the sounds of the game’s animals disappearing.

Midway through the journey, they encountered a 99-second-long red light. The person who had been focused on the game finally looked up, turning to the person driving.

His gaze were sincere, vulnerable, and helpless.

Xu Tonggui: “…”

Xu Tonggui casually took out his phone, opened Xiaoxiaole, and sent some game energy to his friend.

As the energy was sent, the person beside him let out a muted chuckle, then lowered his head again.

When the red light ended and the car resumed, passing through a tree-lined avenue, the person playing the game sensed something, sat up slightly, glanced outside, and realized they were near home. So, he suggested getting off.

Xu Tonggui casually glanced at him and said, “There’s still a bit more to go.”

“I’ll walk the rest of the way myself,” Jiang Yujin said, “My son is at home, and if he sees you, he might think he’s got a stepfather.”

“…”

Xu Tonggui originally intended to say something more, but upon hearing the words “stepfather,” he paused for a moment, and his light grey pupils seemed to tremble.

Jiang Yujin was adept at resource utilization. After using the driver, he swiftly departed patting his buttocks – unfastening his seatbelt, smoothly getting out of the car, standing outside, waving goodbye, and leaving briskly.

Leaning against the car window, Xu Tonggui turned his head to watch as the person walked past under the dappled tree shadows, disappearing from sight. After a long while, he withdrew his gaze.

He retraced his steps back to the Special Investigation Unit.

The others in the office had already returned after finishing lunch, each with a cup of tea, gathering to chat. Xu Gao, who didn’t originally belong to this office, had successfully infiltrated the group, freely expressing himself among the chattering people.

They discussed a colleague’s relative who had remarried, marrying a man who was divorced and had a child. The child happened to be in adolescence, rebellious, completely refusing to acknowledge her new identity as a stepmother. Chaos ensued at home daily.

Xu Tonggui never used to pay attention to gossip, but this time, he quietly listened to the entire conversation upon returning to his seat.

As the topic concluded, someone summarized, “Both stepmothers and stepfathers have to endure some grievances.”

“It’s tough being a stepfather or stepmother.”

Others sighed in agreement, leisurely sipping their water.

Xu Tonggui glanced at the large goose on the office desk, locking eyes with the big-eyed white goose.

*

Jiang Yujin returned home, took off his coat, changed into pajamas, and happily lay down on the bed, enjoying some leisure time.

Chen Jing had packed his things before Jiang Yujin returned, slung his backpack over his shoulders, briefly glanced at the person already lying in bed, greeted him, and left.

He had agreed with Xiao Pang and Zhang Xin to meet in the private room of the coffee shop they usually frequented.

Xiao Pang initially estimated that it would take a few days to crack the USB drive password. However, after two nights of overnight work, they managed to crack the password. They briefly perused its contents, identifying a few potentially crucial areas, and proposed meeting up to discuss.

“Because it was a rushed copy, some information might be missing. We’ll need to figure out a way to obtain it later,” Xiao Pang said, turning the computer. “But from what I’ve seen, we should have a good idea of what Zero was planning.”

From the appearance in the lab at that time and the other data in the USB drive, it was evident that Zero aimed to create a special channel between humans and mutants. The ultimate goal was to facilitate free transformation between the two, essentially modifying humans or mutants. The original owner of the USB drive, the researcher whom they had knocked unconscious, was responsible for the recognition of cells between humans and mutants, altering their rejection function to enable mutual recognition.

The experiments had been ongoing for a considerable period, and they had even started human trials. They had attempted this nine times in total, with six failures resulting in the immediate death of the subjects. There were two successful instances where the subjects survived initially but soon after suffered cognitive degradation, speech impairment, ultimately losing their human thought process, becoming hybrids, and were locked away in containment. The personnel responsible for feeding them discovered the bodies stiff and bloodied against the walls the next morning.

The only successful case was the branch chief of this branch, who volunteered for the experiment and became the sole successful case, at least until the records stopped. He seemed completely normal until the day they infiltrated. Amidst chaos, they heard rumors of the branch chief’s death. The causes were debated—some claimed he was killed by the infiltrating outsiders, while others said the non-human parts rapidly growing within him absorbed all nutritional substances, leading to his demise.

Researchers combined various past experiments and perused strange species data from other organizations, eventually pinpointing their focus on merfolk blood.

Merfolk blood contained a unique substance that could seamlessly merge human and mutant cells without mutual hostility. However, it couldn’t be artificially synthesized, and the organization only had less than half a drop. After extracting this substance, it completely vanished. Now, the most urgent need was to locate merfolk blood.

However, merfolk were a product of the Game, existing only in a dungeon. This dungeon was already rare within the game, and with the game collapsing, it was uncertain if merfolk still existed.

Xiao Pang said, “So, do we have time now?”

“There probably isn’t much time left.”

Zhang Xin extended her hand, turning her phone screen outward for him and Chen Jing to see.

Displayed on the phone was a news article released an hour ago.

Unusual phenomena occurred frequently in the sea near C City. The sea surface was shrouded in mysterious mist. Several fishing boats that ventured into the mist never returned, with the fishermen onboard mysteriously vanishing. People who had a close look at the sea mist claimed to have seen towering shadows within it.

A silence fell over the room.

The dungeon where merfolk existed was called the “Tower on the Sea”.

*

Jiang Yujin returned home after noon, initially lying on the bed, then moving to the couch. It wasn’t until the sky completely darkened that he realized how late it had become.

The high schooler hadn’t returned after leaving today, and dinner hadn’t been arranged. After contemplating while lying on the couch, he threw on a coat and a mask before leaving. He made a significant decision to go downstairs to the barbershop owner’s place to grab a meal.

Indeed, the barbershop owner happened to be cooking when Jiang Yujin barged in and naturally requested a double portion.

As the owner turned to look at him, before he could refuse, he noticed the mask on Jiang Yujin’s face and the reddened eyes. So, he asked, “What happened?”

Jiang Yujin rubbed his tired eyes and said, “I caught a cold last night because I didn’t cover myself with a blanket.”

“Bullshit.” The barber shop owner touched his forehead with the back of his hand to feel the temperature, and said, “How about I just turn off the fire and use your butt to cook, maybe it will cook better.”

Getting a cold from exposure might be true, but it isn’t enough to cause fever.

The boss didn’t believe a word of the person in front of him and asked, “What did you do this afternoon?”

Jiang Yujin sincerely searched his heart, believing he hadn’t done anything much, and explained, “I just had a bottle or two of cold beer.”

“…”

Consequently, he received a hit on the head, making his already dizzy head even worse.

Staying in the kitchen posed a risk of another confrontation. Jiang Yujin immediately left the kitchen and rushed to the adjacent living room, settling down while turning on the television.

It happened to be the time for the evening news replay. He closed Xiaoxiaole he was about to play and focused on the TV.

“In the vicinity of C City, there has been an appearance of unexplained dense fog. Since the 12th, thirteen fishermen driving their boats into the mist have gone missing, and their whereabouts remain unknown.”

The TV sound reached the kitchen, where the barber shop boss also glanced at the screen.

One side of the TV displayed an image showing the previously clear sky above the sea now covered in grey fog. It was a static image, yet the sense of its movement was oddly palpable.

The barber shop owner looked down at the person sitting on the sofa and said, “Tower on the Sea.”

Jiang Yujin nodded.

The barber shop owner withdrew his gaze, muttered, “C City is quite close to here,” and before returning to the kitchen, added, “The high schooler hasn’t come back yet.”

Jiang Yujin raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “Really?” before taking out his phone to dial a number.

The phone rang for a while and finally connected before auto-disconnecting. The voice of the high schooler came through from the other end.

Jiang Yujin asked, “Where are you now?”

After hearing a response, he inquired when the high schooler would return. Apart from the sound of the gas stove in the kitchen, the faint conversation was the only noise in the room.

When the person on the sofa hung up the phone, the owner asked, “What did he say?”

“He said he’s at the library studying with friends and won’t come back tonight, going straight to a friend’s place.”

Jiang Yujin put away his phone, stood up, and said, “But the library he mentioned has the sound of waves.”

A library with the sound of waves wasn’t a place a high schooler could go to at this time.

Jiang Yujin slowly approached, then reached out and patted the barber shop owner’s shoulder, saying, “Old Yuan, you shouldn’t let a fragile patient wander around alone late at night.”

The barber shop owner: “…”

Old Yuan wanted to find a cigarette.

…

Through his own experience, Old Yuan proved that in the middle of the night, there were very few cars on the highway from A City to C City. The road stretched endlessly, occasionally passed by only by large cargo trucks.

He gripped the steering wheel, with someone sitting beside him, even reclining the seat to rest, claiming to have a fever and needing rest.

After a journey of an hour and a half, when Jiang Yujin opened his eyes again, he could already see the sea shimmering under the moon not far away.

*

In the afternoon, Chen Jing and two others set off for C City, as reported in the news. When they reached the coast mentioned in the news, it was still relatively early, with the sun still up. Due to previous incidents, the entire coastal area had been cordoned off, forbidding entry or exit. The news of the mishap was widespread, and even without the cordon, no one would venture here anymore. The three easily crossed the restricted line and reached the shore.

Standing there, they could already see the grey mist hovering in the middle of the sea. The seabirds that used to frequent the area for food were nowhere to be seen. The waves surged up the shore and receded, giving an eerie sense of desolation to the entire world.

They needed to find a way to approach the fog.

After the previous incident, the local fishermen stopped renting out their boats, thinking these three were just adventurous young people seeking excitement. They warned them not to go to sea for the sake of novelty. However, where there’s demand, there’s always supply. Nearby, someone rented out ocean skiffs. Regardless of the renters’ ages or intentions, as long as they paid, they could use them. Additionally, due to the possibility of not returning, a hefty deposit was required.

They set sail. The skiff bobbed on the water’s surface, the closer they got to the thick fog, the rougher the sea became. As the skiff was on the verge of tipping to one side, it managed to right itself. At the edge of the dense fog, the mist surged, seemingly moving toward them slowly, silently enveloping the skiff.

Their breaths seemed to carry a moist taste. As they glanced up, they faintly discerned a towering spire emerging from the fog.

The visibility gradually dimmed, and from somewhere within the mist came a faint sound. It was peculiar, akin to a hum, yet clearly a sound humans couldn’t produce. It seeped into their brains, inducing an inexplicable sense of pleasure.

Already on high alert, Chen Jing reacted instantly to the shift in perception. He didn’t allow himself to succumb to the sound. Zhang Xin and Xiao Pang covered their ears with one hand while desperately pinching themselves with the other.

The skiff drifted on the water’s surface, the circling hum growing louder before diminishing, gradually drifting away.

“Click—”

A faint sound emanated from the bow, the boat swayed with the sea but ceased moving forward.

The three individuals disembarked one by one, stepping onto the moist and somewhat yielding ground.

Chen Jing squatted down, carefully examining the black ground. He noticed something and turned his head to see something in the distance slipping into the fog, taking the hummed song along with it.

“There’s something in the mist, be cautious,” he stood up and told the two beside him. “There are footprints on the ground; Zero should’ve already been here.”

The fact that someone was sent on a mission to this unknown-risk place suggested that this newcomer might not be as easily dealt with as before.

Zhang Xin and Xiao Pang nodded, warily surveying their surroundings. The fog obscured their vision, but it was clear that the area was much larger than they had imagined.

As they proceeded along the coast, looming shadows of massive structures emerged from the thick fog.

Approaching the structures, light appeared, floating in the air.

On the black brick-like walls, flames danced. Upon closer inspection, they realized the flames were within skulls, white and slowly flickering.

The skulls were evidently not human and identifying the species seemed impossible, with their sharp, angular features.

A stretch of black wall extended to the end of their line of sight, and within that scope, the only passage leading into the wall was the large door in front of them.

*

Later in the night, the barber shop owner dropped Jiang Yujin off by the coastal road, letting the sea breeze tousle them both.

Jiang Yujin, wearing a mask, had his already disheveled hair blown in all directions by the wind. He could barely keep his eyes open and sneezed a couple of times in the gusty wind.

Yuan Sanshui stood by the car, smoking, making no effort to assist.

Jiang Yujin circled the coast perimeter with his hands in his jacket pockets until he located his target—a shop advertising skiff rentals.

The shop was two stories high, with the living quarters on the second floor. No one answered when he knocked repeatedly.

Finally, probably out of sheer annoyance, footsteps descended the stairs, approaching the door. It opened, revealing a tall, and thin man. He looked at the man in front of him who was wearing a mask and had a feverish face, with full impatience on his face.

Before he could say a word, the feverish person grabbed his collar and yanked him forward abruptly, forcing him to stagger forward.

In a raspy voice, he asked, “When did you rent out the boat today?”

The sea wind howled.

As the barber shop owner finished his cigarette, he saw the person who had been pacing around return. Tossing the cigarette butt into a designated ashtray, he inquired, “What did he say?”

Jiang Yujin had sneezed again.

Chen Jing had indeed been there, accompanied by his two companions. Jiang Yujin had managed to find out the time the three set off, retrieved the exorbitant deposit and rental fee they had paid, and also arranged for a boat.

The barber shop owner followed his gaze and saw, under the moonlight, someone in pajamas vigorously dragging a skiff along the coastline, meticulous and cautious even in their shadow, clearly having been through something.

Turning back to Jiang Yujin, who showed no expression, looking feverish but seemingly harmless.

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