Infinite Game Ch.61.2

Chapter 61.2 – Duolan Mountain (1)

The competition took place in the auditorium of a nearby university. The next morning, all students were led into the university by their teachers.

Chen Jing was always quiet. Apart from basic communication, he rarely interacted with his classmates. This time, Zhang Xin came with her friend Xiao Mei and they chatted smoothly.

Before the competition began, there was a classic speech segment. Students from several schools sat together in designated seats. There were no specific arrangements on this side; they could choose where to sit.

Chen Jing and Zhang Xin sat together, while another classmate and Xiao Mei sat on the other side, with the four of them sitting in a row.

After sitting down, Zhang Xin asked, “Didn’t you see the message Xiao Pang sent you?”

Chen Jing said no.

Electronic devices weren’t allowed here, so their phones were left at the hotel. When he checked before leaving, there were no new messages. If Xiao Pang had sent a message, it should have been after he left the hotel.

Zhang Xin glanced around and then said, “When the first round ends around noon, don’t leave right away.”

Chen Jing nodded.

It seemed that the classmates sitting nearby were surprised that Chen Jing actually knew a girl from another school. They glanced over in surprise.

Xiao Mei was also surprised that Zhang Xin knew someone here and seemed familiar. She curiously glanced at the other person.

Noticing Xiao Mei’s gaze, Zhang Xin introduced, “This is my friend.”

Xiao Mei nodded.

After the speech, the first round of the competition began and lasted the whole morning, ending at noon.

The hotel was close by, but still a bit of a distance, so teachers and students went directly to the university cafeteria for lunch.

At this point, they weren’t grouped by schools anymore; teachers and students walked together as they pleased, and Chen Jing and Zhang Xin successfully met.

Making sure no one else was around, Zhang Xin said, “Xiao Pang’s study tour has ended.”

On their way back from the neighboring city where they had their study tour, passing through H City, they noticed some commotion on a mountain. There seemed to be something with wings that quickly disappeared. They were in a rush and had left early in the morning, so it wasn’t fully bright when they passed the mountain; they could only make out faint shadows and couldn’t see clearly.

Xiao Pang was quick to react at that moment, using his phone to pinpoint the location. Unfortunately, the phone died just after pinpointing it. There was no charging spot in their car, so he had to wait until the next toll station to charge it briefly. With the meager battery left, he sent the coordinates, mentioning that after the competition, if they weren’t in a rush to head back to A City, they should check out the situation there.

They were definitely planning to go. Finally, they had a lead, but they needed more information. Not a single clue could be overlooked.

With a few days left until the competition ended, they didn’t rush into discussing it. Zhang Xin took charge of relaying the message and, after doing so, waved at Xiao Mei nearby and ran over to leave with her.

When they returned to the hotel that evening, Chen Jing saw the messages and the location sent by Xiao Pang.

The location pointed to a road next to a mountain called Duolan Mountain.

During these competition days, Chen Jing occasionally received messages from Jiang Yujin in A City.

It seemed like Jiang Yujin was doing fine these days, occasionally sending photos of meals, always with the same bowls and tabletop, clearly just taking advantage of someone, and enjoying free meals.

The other person even went to the oceanarium alone and, just like the previous messages about lotus flowers, sent a series of fish photos, changing his profile picture to an extremely ugly fish, praising the professionalism of the staff there.

Every time the chat box flashed, Chen Jing tried not to look at that excessively ugly fish.

The five to six days included grading papers and compiling rankings. The part where the students needed to actively participate had actually finished on the fourth day.

They still had to wait for the results to be announced here. Since they were already there, after some discussions among the leading teachers, they decided to take the students out for a day.

The decision-making process for the outing was fair; all teachers and students participated in the discussion. Chen Jing had already decided early on not to join the group activity and to use that time to go to Duolan Mountain.

Zhang Xin also decided not to join, leaving only Xiao Mei to attend the discussion meeting.

The youth nowadays might indeed have some pursuit. Between shopping in the city center and going hiking, the students decisively chose to go hiking.

There weren’t many mountains nearby for them to visit, and some required reservations days in advance due to excessive crowds, making them clearly unattainable.

Someone suggested Duolan Mountain: “This mountain is close to us, not particularly high. We can go in the morning and return by noon, just in time for lunch when we come back.”

Everyone unanimously agreed to the proposal.

Zhang Xin found out about the plan to visit Duolan Mountain after Xiao Mei had returned to her room.

After sharing the exciting news, noticing the odd expression on the other’s face, Xiao Mei asked, “Is there a problem?”

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xin asked, “Has it already been decided?”

It was evident that the decision had been made. After the dispersal, the teachers immediately began preparing, leaving no room for changes.

Zhang Xin softly acknowledged.

On the day of departure, despite initially deciding not to join the others, Chen Jing and Zhang Xin ended up getting on the same vehicle as the larger group.

For convenience, the teachers had arranged to rent a minibus, and everyone traveled together to the base of the mountain.

The weather forecast predicted a sunny day, with a high chance of witnessing the sunrise, so they set out very early. When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, it was still dark.

As they disembarked, someone checked the time, realizing it was still early enough to make it to the mountaintop for the sunrise.

While others appeared enthusiastic, Chen Jing maintained his usual expressionless demeanor. Zhang Xin wasn’t as relaxed internally, but her face mirrored the smiles as she chatted with Xiao Mei, Chen Jing, and the other girl from their group.

After several days of the competition, the four of them bonded well. Chen Jing remained reticent, allowing the other girl to engage in conversation with Zhang Xin and Xiao Mei without feeling constrained.

As Zhang Xin chatted, she glanced toward the dark forest. Without any light in the sky, it was so dark that the trees were barely discernible.

If only we could light a fire. Just by starting a fire, we could see everything clearly.

Walking beside them, Xiao Mei’s attention was caught by a massive signboard, and she recited, “Setting fire to the mountain, serving time in jail.”

Walking quietly beside them, Chen Jing’s lips curved slightly upward, noticed by Zhang Xin, who shot a stern glare at him.

It was the first time in all these days that she had seen him smile. The girl beside them curiously glanced at him a couple of times.

The ascent up the mountain was uneventful, and most people were in good spirits. However, when they reached halfway up the mountain, they discovered that the path was blocked, with a sign indicating the danger of falling rocks. The route needed repairs before it could be opened to the public.

Before Zhang Xin could suggest going elsewhere for the day, someone used their phone flashlight to illuminate a small path, saying, “Looks like we can go this way.”

While the path seemed passable, the teachers didn’t agree. Walking on such narrow mountain paths might lead to other accidents. Concerned for the students’ safety, after some discussion, they decided to turn back.

A sudden “click” sound echoed from the forest, like the snapping of a branch.

There were people in the woods.

The first to react looked over and saw someone wielding a long thorny whip emerge from the darkness, followed by a figure with large bone wings on their back.

Zhang Xin’s hand instantly lifted but was subtly held back by Chen Jing.

The dark forest was filled with people holding weapons, their guns aimed at the group standing on the steps.

*

The Special Investigations Unit Headquarters received the report from H City right at noon. Xu Gao, who had slipped out early, was in a usual local restaurant, sharing freshly picked melon with his gossip buddy.

Just as he was getting to the most exciting part, his phone rang, and seeing the note, he had an ominous feeling.

With furrowed brows, he answered the call, and the voice on the other end erupted, “Several middle school students and teachers from A City have gone missing at Duolan Mountain in H City. There’s blood at the scene. Get back to the office immediately. Notify the families of the missing persons on your way…”

Jiang Yujin listened in while looking at the message from the high schooler he’d received last night, focusing on the words “Duolan Mountain.” He grabbed Xu Gao’s hand holding the phone, glanced up slightly, and asked:

“Notify the families about what?”

It might have been a trick of the mind, but Xu Gao felt his usually carefree companion’s voice sounded different, giving him an inexplicable sense of oppression.

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