Infinite Game Ch.46.2

Chapter 46.2 – No.6 Middle School (2)

The next morning, the high schooler left with a backpack. As he departed, the person in the neighboring room was just rising with tousled hair, appearing to sleepwalk into the bathroom.

The minor had to attend school during the day, but the adult didn’t. After washing his face, Jiang Yujin felt slightly more awake. He went downstairs and hopped onto his beloved electric scooter.

In the morning, students arrived at school, causing a traffic jam at the school gate during rush hour. By the time he arrived, the congestion had just cleared.

Starting the first class of the day, the busiest period had passed. Only one or two students were seen dashing desperately, obviously late.

Jiang Yujin parked his scooter by the roadside. He hesitated momentarily between placing the helmet on the scooter or carrying it. Eventually, he carried the helmet and walked towards the security booth.

Just as he turned around, a car slowed down and stopped in the designated parking lane.

Xu Tonggui got out of the car and immediately spotted the person walking casually towards the school gate.

He followed up and overheard the person casually leaning on the security booth’s window, saying, “I’m the parent of Shi Bu from Class 1-3. He took the house keys, and I can’t get in. I’ve come to get the keys from him.”

The person sounded sincere, and the security guard believed them, handing over a registration form, saying they could enter after completing it.

Xu Tonggui: “…”

If he remembered correctly, the person had mentioned his child was in third year of high school.

It was hard to discern the truth from the person’s words. For a moment, Xu Tonggui couldn’t tell if he was deceiving him previously or if he was deceiving the security guard now.

After completing the registration, Jiang Yujin stood up. He spotted the person behind him, subtly raised an eyebrow, returned the form and pen to the security guard, greeted them, and said, “What a coincidence.”

His demeanor was no different from before, but for some reason, Xu Tonggui felt that the person didn’t want to see him there.

Jiang Yujin indeed didn’t want to see the other person there. He had no objections to this incredibly good friend, who would send all his energy to him in Xiaoxiaole, but he simply hadn’t expected the SIU’s actions to be so swift.

Almost as quick as the high schooler, he ended up synchronized with the SIU.

Unlike his need for registration, Xu Tonggui only had to produce his ID, and the security allowed him through.

Leaving the security booth and standing beneath the teaching building, Jiang Yujin turned to glance at Captain Xu, who was still beside him, slowly closed and then reopened his eyes.

The other person was kind enough to offer to take him to Class 1-3 before starting work to find his child Shi Bu and get the house keys.

He had no child attending Class 1-3, Shi Bu wasn’t his child, and his house keys were safely in his pocket. Jiang Yujin attempted to explain his reason for being there to the other person, saying:

“Well, you see, I just strategically said something contradictory to reality.”

In simpler terms, he lied.

Jiang Yujin emphasized the righteousness and legitimacy of his visit: “Actually, it’s about an incident involving the child of an old friend’s friend at this school. The situation hasn’t been clarified yet, so they asked me to take a look.”

Well-known for being a good-hearted person, that was why he came. The security wouldn’t accept such a reason for entry, so he tactically fabricated a non-existent child.

Clearly, what he was investigating overlapped with what he was about to do. Xu Tonggui considered the matter dangerous and assured him he’d handle it, suggesting the other person head back.

Jiang Yujin disagreed and negotiated.

He was well-acquainted with the folks on the streets, perhaps naturally gifted in that aspect. He had a way with words and after a round of back-and-forth exchange, Citizen Jiang successfully convinced Captain Xu to bring him along.

The school was crowded, but during class, except for the classrooms, there weren’t many people in other areas; it was very quiet. Two people went upstairs together, heading to the place where the problem had initially occurred.

The mirror, which had already been broken once, was shattered again overnight, leaving everyone at school baffled. They cordoned off the bathroom and temporarily prohibited its use.

With no one using it, it was convenient for them to go in and take a look.

Jiang Yujin had already taken a stroll around yesterday, but that didn’t stop him from having another look at the scene.

All they could say was that the mirror was broken terribly. The shattered surface looked new, without any dirt; it was evidently a new piece. The result was that it was bought and then lost again.

Jiang Yujin sighed with regret. In these situations, he habitually wanted to lean on someone’s shoulder, but when he reached out, he realized the person beside him was too tall, making it difficult to lean on.

Then Xu Tonggui slightly bent down, successfully providing a shoulder. Jiang Yujin gave a thumbs-up, praising his adaptability.

They couldn’t find any clues on this side of the mirror, so they decided to head downstairs.

Unfortunately, as they were about to descend, the bell for the end of class rang. The teaching building instantly came alive, breaking free from the previously lifeless atmosphere. A bunch of lively figures emerged in the corridors, taking advantage of the break.

Jiang Yujin sincerely remarked, “So lively.”

If only his big son had half of this liveliness.

It was apparent that his hope was nothing but wishful thinking, with no chance of realization. To avoid the lively high schoolers who were wandering out of the classroom, the two didn’t linger in the teaching building and instead went to the auditorium next to it.

The auditorium remained locked when not in use. Xu Tonggui found someone to unlock it, and the person in charge of the keys handed them over, casting a glance at Jiang Yujin, who appeared like a societal idler behind Xu Tonggui. Finally, they were given access to the stage and the person left.

Liuling, a registered S-class strange species, unconsciously influenced the places it inhabited, causing subtle changes. According to what people in the SIU have gathered from various rumors, the only way to capture it, apart from waiting for it to show up, was to find the subtle changes it caused and restore them to their original state.

The changes were minimal, and there might be more than one. Finding all the alterations was generally difficult to accomplish; at least, it was impossible to find them all overnight.

Places like the teaching building and the cafeteria on the playground had many people coming and going daily, so any anomalies would be noticed. The anomalies that hardly ever got noticed were in these places where there weren’t usually many people.

Jiang Yujin followed Xu Tonggui into the auditorium. As the lights turned on, the previously dim space instantly brightened, significantly improving visibility.

When not in use, the auditorium served as a massive storage room, cluttered with various items on the stage.

For the moment, they disregarded these items and entered the backstage area through a door beside the stage. Rows of tall cabinets filled the backstage, each stacked with cardboard boxes labeled with descriptions of which class had used the props and when. Glancing through the rows made it easy to understand.

Behind the boxes were rows of videotapes, thick with dust. While Xu Tonggui inspected the boxes, Jiang Yujin walked further and bent over by the shelf containing the videotapes.

Although it wasn’t well-lit, he could see; however, considering Xu Tonggui nearby, he opted to turn on the flashlight on his phone.

The school placed significant emphasis on ceremonies, recording major events every year, including lengthy speeches from leaders and students, all meticulously documented. The videotapes were labeled with dates, all stopping several years ago.

Jiang Yujin wasn’t entirely sure, but he could guess that around that time, a more convenient method emerged, prompting the school to adopt the new approach, rendering the videotapes obsolete.

His phone’s light stopped at a spot in the middle and slightly above. Instead of scanning further, he reached out and took out two videotapes.

Two identical tapes, with even the accidental scratches appearing identical.

Jiang Yujin called Xu Tonggui over. Taking the tapes, Xu Tonggui glanced at them and said, “These are duplicates.”

Just as it can replicate the appearance of a person identically, Liuling can also replicate items.

They found a change.

The naked eye couldn’t distinguish between the two; since the tapes belonged to the school, they couldn’t be destroyed by force. Jiang Yujin scanned the room and, after a couple of steps, tapped an old-fashioned CRT TV set tucked away in a corner, remarking with a smile, “How about trying this?”

Xu Tonggui indeed tried it. The TV was plugged in and surprisingly functional.

Jiang Yujin and Xu Tonggui sat side by side. As they settled, the sound echoed from the TV:

“Before the commencement of the graduation ceremony, we ask a student to make a reflection.”

Memories long buried started to resurface, and a smile played at the corner of Jiang Yujin’s lips.

Before the other party could hear more, he swiftly placed a helmet over Xu Tonggui’s head.

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