Infinite Game Ch.42

Chapter 42 – Luosa Tree (4)

Originally, Curly Hair, who was in the car, was still entangled with Xiao Li, who was trying to get into the car to settle the score. In the end, a fluorescent spore drifted in through the partially open window that was never completely closed. Curly Hair caught a glimpse of it from the corner of his eye and instantly let out a scream reminiscent of an ape.

Bystander Jiang, who was originally standing to the side, took a step forward and peered curiously. Xiao Li also looked on from the side. However, Curly Hair managed to survive. Hu Li swiftly broke the glass with gloved hands and crushed the spore directly. Aside from his hoarse screams, he didn’t seem visibly injured.

The people on the side sighed in regret, sounding quite disappointed.

Hu Li forcefully pulled open the car door and gestured for Curly Hair inside to come out, saying, “I’m from the SIU. Let me get you out of here first.”

Knowing Xiao Li would soon engage again, the moment Curly Hair got out of the car, he attempted to run away, only to be startled midway by almost colliding head-on with the spore, resulting in another cry.

Hu Li: “…”

Hu Li experienced a pulsating sensation on his forehead for the first time. He remained silent, crushed the spore again, and then turned to look at Curly Hair, who was hiding behind him, eyes devoid of any emotion.

Honestly, unless it was necessary for work, he didn’t mind this person dying at all.

Curly Hair complied but continued a silent battle, refusing to stay close to Xiao Li. Every time she got close, he dodged away, creating a direct path amid the winding and twisting situation.

Surprisingly, the most composed among them was Jiang Yujin. He didn’t move much, didn’t cry out like Curly Hair, and simply trailed along, trying to express his sadness over his stolen helmet.

This person, after eating the fresh melon, finally remembered his still-missing helmet.

Due to the compression caused by the rising Luosa tree, the middle part of the parking lot, near the top, had already collapsed. It was teetering on the edge of collapse, but luckily, the tree roots were still providing support, preventing a complete collapse of the entire structure.

Navigating through the roots wasn’t comfortable, often requiring bending, occasionally encountering sudden surges of spores, and primarily dealing with Curly Hair’s screams that caused mental distress.

Finally, when Curly Hair cried out once more, Hu Li approached him, holding a spore near his eyes, and softly joked, “If you scream again, you won’t be able to ever again.”

Curly Hair suddenly trembled when he saw green in front of his eyes, and his whole body shuddered instantly, sending chills down his entire body. He dared not move, only managing to whisper, “You’re not from the SIU…”

Hu Li informed him, “We are the SIU, not the police.”

Curly Hair didn’t dare speak again or make another sound.

The world fell silent.

Jiang Yujin nodded approvingly at Hu Li, “Impressive.”

Accepting the compliment, Hu Li finally led the three people out of the parking lot.

Coming out of the parking lot didn’t feel like a return to daylight as Xiao Li and her companion had hoped. The outside remained just as gloomy, all light obscured by the dense branches and leaves of trees that had sprouted from the ground, completely covering the sky. The square looked entirely different.

Hu Li led a few people through the almost ruined square, dodging debris continuously falling from the roots of the towering Luosa trees.

It wasn’t until they reached the edge of the square, essentially crossing the danger zone, that they could see the SIU’s vehicle parked not far away.

Hu Li stopped, pointing in the direction of the team’s vehicle. “Follow this road straight and get into the car. You’ll be safe.”

Clearly not intending to accompany them further, without the protection of Hu Li, Xiao Li and Curly Hair’s faces turned pale. Knowing they had no choice but to traverse this path, they struggled to move, their progress slow.

Jiang Yujin followed along, his gaze scanning continuously over the ruins.

Even in this situation, he hadn’t given up searching for his helmet. Hu Li glanced at him, then turned away.

As they moved, Jiang Yujin watched downward, Xiao Li looked upward, and Curly Hair was more alert, alternating between watching Xiao Li and checking for any falling debris from above.

Looking up in this place allowed for a view of what was happening on the ground carrying the immense trees. The primary, thickest roots of the trees were continuously being severed, dropping down along with chunks of cement from the structures above, creating thunderous crashes upon hitting the ground. With the loss of roots, the tree’s ability to absorb nutrients rapidly declined. The once dense foliage of the Luosa tree, blocking out any sunlight, gradually withered and fell off. New shoots stubbornly emerged but couldn’t keep pace with the rate of decay.

The colossal tree made no sound, but its remaining roots and branches continued to writhe, entwining themselves tightly around the buildings, which emitted a frightening sound as they were crushed.

The sounds they heard in the parking lot came from this scene. What was happening above completely surpassed any understanding they had cultivated over decades. Xiao Li gazed upward, unable to fathom that such a colossal entity could actually be resolved by someone.

Leaves from the withered half of the giant tree began falling densely, filling the sky. Curly Hair stopped paying attention to Xiao Li, cautiously watching for any other potential objects mixed in with the falling leaves.

Then they saw the person standing on the massive tree root, wielding a short sword. Dressed in black, tall and imposing, he looked formidable and strangely familiar. The trunk in front of him gradually split in two, green liquid cascading down like a suspended waterfall.

Along the way, branches sprouted, only to wither again, and the buildings touched by the green liquid corroded away completely.

Xiao Li’s eyes widened as she looked at Jiang Yujin. “Isn’t that your boyfriend?”

Jiang Yujin withdrew his gaze from the ruins and glanced up before replying, “Ex-boyfriend.”

“?”

Xiao Li’s eyes widened even further.

He added, “Just broke up.”

He referred to their last meal together as their farewell dinner.

This person’s mouth is like a train station, trains coming and going every day, but from the outside, no one can tell that he’s running a train.

Xiao Li clearly fell for his nonsense: “I didn’t expect that after having a meal, we’d both…”

Midway through her sentence, she suddenly realized her thoughts had been completely derailed. She quickly pumped the brakes and urgently asked the question she originally intended to ask, saying, “Didn’t you say your… your ex-boyfriend worked at the small animal shelter?”

The thing in front of them didn’t resemble a small animal in any way.

The gigantic tree split apart completely, collapsing along the lifeless roots, and light returned to the rubble. The person standing above squatted down, picking up something resembling a small twig from the split trunk.

Jiang Yujin said, “This looks quite small.”

Xiao Li: “…?”

With the Luosa tree resolved and after the experts confirmed that the buildings here wouldn’t collapse suddenly, various vehicles rushed in for on-site investigation. Ambulances weren’t necessary here originally, but the financial management personnel, upon seeing the vast ruins, felt dizzy, struggled to breathe, and their chests heaved violently. Concerned for their safety, someone called for an ambulance.

The people rescued from the underground parking lot were unharmed and capable of normal activity. Keeping them on-site would only add to the burden. After some brief questioning, the staff signaled for them to leave.

But the three of them didn’t leave. Jiang Yujin’s electric scooter was intact, but without a helmet, he couldn’t move an inch with the traffic police helping to restore traffic nearby.

Curly Hair was eventually caught by Xiao Li. Xiao Li looked delicate and pretty, but her slender arms were built from practicing martial arts, and Curly Hair couldn’t defend against her. She landed several punches, swelling up half of his face. Eventually, others noticed the commotion and hurried over to pull Xiao Li away, preventing Curly Hair from getting further beaten.

On the sidelines, Jiang Yujin momentarily forgot about his lost helmet and enthusiastically ate the fresh melon with his electric scooter, also sending today’s results to his employer. The employer promptly paid the commission and decided to confront the issue face-to-face tonight.

Jiang Yujin extended his wishes and, after ending the conversation, called the high schooler who had left early this morning, hoping he could bring him a helmet.

Chen Jing arrived swiftly, holding a brand-new helmet, much quicker than expected.

Glancing over the rubble, Chen Jing withdrew his gaze and handed the helmet to Jiang Yujin.

Equipped with Helmet 3.0, Jiang Yujin smoothly placed it on his head and asked while wearing it, “How did you get here so quickly?”

Chen Jing lowered his head, saying he happened to be nearby.

Jiang Yujin looked him over, “Why are you a bit dirty?”

Chen Jing replied, “Social work, gets messy sometimes.”

Jiang Yujin put his arm around him, asking, “Do you get paid for helping people?”

“If they b*lly others, just let me know, I’ll take care of them.”

Silently, Jiang Yujin’s hand on Chen Jing removed a green leaf tucked behind his collar.

Yawning, the helmeted Jiang Yujin said, “Let’s go back and get some sleep.”

While warmth and affection filled this father-son moment, the SIU’s vehicle remained quiet.

Xu Tonggui looked down, attending to the minor wounds on his arm, while Hu Li listened to the investigators’ report. The investigator said:

“We compared the bullet holes in the corridor’s glass with all the bullets found at the scene from firearms. We discovered the holes were made by specialized bullets from a gun called M866. However, according to the detailed inventory found at the scene, these guns are not typically in use; they’re kept in the armory and any usage should be logged.”

There were a total of seventeen M866 guns in the armory, but in reality, there were only sixteen. One gun was found near the shattered glass, having been used without any record, indicating it might have been forcibly taken.

The body that had just died, the gun that had been forcibly taken, and various other signs distinctly indicated that someone had been there before they arrived and had left.

Xu Tonggui asked: “Is the person who left the branch still here?”

The person collecting the evidence nodded and said: “We found him, but he’s already dead. Preliminary autopsy results indicate death due to a sharp object piercing the heart. Additionally, there are signs of str*ngulation around the neck and marks suggesting a sharp object passed through the eyeballs.”

“His personal belongings are all missing. There’s a USB casing nearby, but the USB itself is gone, likely taken by someone.”

Pausing for a moment, the investigator continued, “I’m not sure if it’s worth mentioning, but there are injuries on his body, some from one or two days ago and some from today.”

Hu Li pondered briefly, then sat up slightly straighter, saying, “Pull up the surveillance footage.”

Another person in the vehicle took over, operating the computer and accessing the surveillance footage.

They retrieved footage from before they entered the cave. He checked the time as they jumped into the cave; he remembered it vividly.

Multiple surveillance screens played simultaneously, showing various people coming and going. Hu Li spotted someone on an electric scooter appearing in the surveillance. He slowly stopped by the roadside, glanced around, then rode off again, appearing on another screen.

He parked near the square’s parking lot, crossed the pedestrian crossing, arrived at the square, and then encountered the other two people from the underground parking lot.

Before their entry into the hole, the other two individuals from the parking lot appeared in different surveillance areas as well.

Both parties appeared conspicuously and without any suspicious activity.

With too many screens and a lot of information, Hu Li’s eyes hurt. He looked away from the screens and said, “Have our team review the surveillance more thoroughly.”

It was more of a formality; he couldn’t expect much. If someone could infiltrate the hole, they could easily evade the cameras if they intended to hide.

Hu Li shook out his floral-patterned shirt, sighing deeply.

In the end, he took charge of the aftermath.

*

Jiang Yujin returned home but didn’t sleep. He promptly lay on the sofa and started watching his favorite soap opera. Meanwhile, the high schooler took a shower and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Dinner was served on the coffee table in the living room. Since Jiang Yujin couldn’t take his eyes off the TV, the high schooler dutifully moved the food closer to ensure he could eat a few more bites.

Today’s show was the movie version of the soap opera, lasting a full three hours. After dinner, the high schooler went for a walk, and without turning his head, Jiang Yujin nodded and said, “Take care.”

Chen Jing went to meet Zhang Xin and Xiao Pang.

They used to meet at the shaded walkway near the market and then go to their favorite café. However, because Chen Jing ended up buying too many groceries and the sellers recognized him, stopping for a chat every time he passed, they changed their meeting spot.

As soon as they met, Chen Jing straightforwardly pulled out a USB drive. It was stained with blood, but most of it had been wiped clean, except for some specks in the corners, not affecting its functionality.

Facing both of their gazes, he said, “This is the USB drive belonging to the Zero member we encountered in F City. There should be some useful information on it.”

After hearing about the Zero member from Jiang Yujin the day before, he rushed to the amusement park mentioned, where he saw members of the SIU leaving with the branch.

Guessing the team would use the branch to locate the mother tree, and assuming Brand-faced man would also be there, he waited at the SIU’s entrance. He observed Captain Xu and Vice Captain Hu getting into a car. Unable to track them directly, he had to gather information from passersby to trace the car’s movements.

Finally, the car stopped near the Goose Square.

This was the place.

Chen Jing chose not to follow the two men and went on to search by himself. Dealing with the Zero members directly—a gunshot leveraging the Luosa tree took care of them all.

The challenge was Brand-faced man. It took a while to handle him, perhaps because of his existing injuries, making it easier than expected.

Surprised at the magnitude of this person’s actions, Zhang Xin and Xiao Pang exclaimed in classic astonishment as they received the USB and plugged it into the computer.

Chen Jing explained, “Before he died, he confessed that he was the one who released the strange species into various schools, all to test if these schools had the strange species they were searching for.”

He sought the strange species called “Liulíng” from the school urban legend dungeon. If the school’s urban legend was destroyed, the strange species typically sought a similar environment in reality. Liulíng was exclusive; upon encountering other strange species within its territory, it would unhesitatingly eliminate the intruders.

The Luosa tree was a task assigned to him by the organization—simple testing, recording the results.

He probably hadn’t anticipated losing his life over such a straightforward job.

Zhang Xin asked, “Could the organization suspect you?”

Chen Jing shook his head. Brand-faced man, in his final moments, hadn’t believed he’d meet his end at Chen Jing’s hands and hadn’t mentioned him to the organization. The Zero members had no knowledge of his existence.

Xiao Pang questioned, “So, he didn’t say anything to the organization?”

“He mentioned ‘Shi Bu.’ It seemed like he believed Shi Bu was investigating him.”

*

Jiang Yujin woke up feeling great after watching the soap opera and catching up on sleep. The next day, around noon, he received a call from Shi Bu, who mentioned making a little fortune recently and wanted to treat him to a big meal.

Despite grieving the loss of his Helmet 2.0 and feeling sad about spending money for 3.0, he instantly sprang out of bed.

As Shi Bu had to return to work after lunch, they decided to dine near the company. Jiang Yujin was completely fine with piggybacking on the meal.

Shi Bu’s company was in the high-tech district, surrounded by impressive blue skyscrapers, each shining under the midday sun. It was just when the white-collar workers were leaving for lunch, dressed sharply, seemingly walking on air.

Jiang Yujin found a spot to park his electric scooter and messaged Shi Bu while wearing a loose, wrinkled shirt.

There was no response, but after a few minutes, Shi Bu arrived, clad in suit pants, a white shirt, and a suit jacket slung over his shoulder, almost unrecognizable at first glance.

Spotting Jiang Yujin on the roadside, Shi Bu broke into his usual silly smile and called out, “Brother!”

They entered the restaurant together.

Indeed, this person seemed to have made a little fortune—the restaurant looked posh and luxurious, and even the waitstaff seemed more formally dressed than him.

Glancing over the menu handed by Shi Bu, Jiang Yujin casually asked, “By the way, how did you make this little fortune?”

Shi Bu flashed his characteristic grin, saying, “Someone called me today, said I won a lottery. I came here for lunch, waiting for them to get in touch.”

Jiang Yujin: “…”

He got up and walked out.

This idiot was beyond saving.

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