Infinite Game Ch.63.2

Chapter 63.2 – Duolan Mountain (3)

The deputy branch head slowly approached. One of his wings was halfway broken, bones shattered, but he managed to fly, albeit unsteadily. Missing a bone and the recent injury made his movements eerie, wings flapping behind while his waist bent.

As he advanced, Zhang Xin subtly moved her right hand, igniting crimson flames, albeit not as vigorous as before.

The deputy branch head stepped directly into the blaze; apart from slightly singeing the bones to a charred yellow, he seemed unaffected.

Struggling, Zhang Xin managed to sit up.

A few steps away, the deputy branch head halted, glancing downward to one side, a hand poised by the side of his skull. “I hear the breathing of your friend hiding below,” he said.

Zhang Xin’s eyes widened slowly.

“She seems worried about you, utterly terrified.”

The deputy branch head recalled bringing people in; there were two young girls sticking close together—one was the person in front of him, the other presumably the one hidden below.

The girl’s pupils contracted instantly.

The almost extinguished fire flared back to life, but the deputy branch head paid no heed. “Little sister, your flames won’t kill me.”

Though he was surprised to find a player from the Game among the random people captured on the mountain, it didn’t affect him much.

“I’ll go help your friend first, to ease her fear,” he said.

He stepped away from the dark, dirty corridor, heading downstairs.

“No… Don’t—”

Zhang Xin couldn’t lift her head, but her bloody hand extended slowly.

The deputy branch head turned, “Hm?”

Zhang Xin struggled to rise from the ground. Her open hand clenched instantly, nails digging into her palm.

In an instant, flames soared into the sky.

The building turned charred, the sound of shattered glass echoing continuously. The golden-red flames swept through the entire upper structure. Caught off guard, the deputy branch head was carried by the surge of flames, propelled out of the corridor and plummeting from the air.

The girl stood up, staggered and walked to the railing step by step. Her face a mixture of grime, dirt, and bloodstains, nearly unrecognizable. In a hoarse voice, she said, “You are not allowed to leave.”

This was unbelievable.

The scorching temperature had already caused the air to distort and warp. The deputy branch head quickly realized he couldn’t stay in the fire. He dashed out of the sea of flames, but found the intense heat relentlessly pursuing him, with no signs of cooling down.

As he glanced down, he discovered the flames had completely engulfed him, their golden-red flickering light seeping into his bones.

His bones began irreversibly turning charred black, the finer finger bones nearly reduced to nothing by the blaze.

He remained conscious as he faded away, gradually falling.

His senses started to blur, but he remembered sensing the sound of breathing in a room downstairs.

Grabbing her friend, that’s how he could gain control…

“Whoosh—”

A burst erupted from below, torrents of rising flames propelling him upwards, denying him any chance of escape.

Within the relentless assault of flames, the deputy branch head first lost sensation, then his body ceased to move. Bones turned charred, fractured, and dispersed into ashes.

He perished in flames he once belittled, thinking they couldn’t harm him in the slightest.

Seeing the skeletal remains in the flames dissipate completely, Zhang Xin, leaning against the railing, could no longer hold on. Her eyes closed, her body slowly slid down the railing, the golden-red flames gradually fading away.

As the outside fell silent and the room’s temperature gradually dropped, Xiao Mei gritted her teeth and finally decided to open the room’s door.

She didn’t know what had happened outside, but understood that fire represented Zhang Xin, and its extinction meant something unexpected might have occurred.

Going out might not help, but if she didn’t, there would be no chance of a turnaround.

The moment she opened the door, the outside had completely transformed.

Without a moment to spare, Xiao Mei’s gaze scanned between the floors until she spotted the person leaning against the railing.

She had lost consciousness, slowly sliding downward.

Below lay a daunting distance of six or seven stories.

“Zhang Xin!!!”

Xiao Mei disregarded everything and sprinted upwards. Bodies lay sprawled on the ground, but this time she wasn’t paralyzed by fear. She raced up the stairs at the fastest pace, checking on the person’s condition with every floor climbed.

Several floors ascended in succession, pushing her to her physical limits. Despite this, Xiao Mei’s steps never faltered. Finally, she reached the top floor.

The building formed a U-shape, and Zhang Xin was on the other side, seemingly close, yet separated by a long stretch of corridor.

After passing a certain point, the person’s slow descent suddenly accelerated. In the blink of an eye, most of her body already had fallen out.

Too late.

Xiao Mei was acutely aware that she couldn’t cross the remaining half of the corridor in such a short time.

Her previously capable legs suddenly felt heavy, unable to take a step. Her breath seemed to stagnate.

The person leaning against the railing fell.

“Whoosh—”

The bulletproof glass, yet to be shattered by the exploding flames, was kicked open, creating a loud noise. Fragments flew through the air, then crashed to the ground, producing a cacophony against eardrums.

A figure in a black uniform leaped out of the window, landing on the corridor, and without pause, immediately jumped over the railing.

His movements were swift, so swift that there wasn’t enough time to discern what he had done until it was realized that he was almost level with the falling person.

Xiao Mei’s eyes widened in terror.

From that height, anyone would face certain death.

As the wind rustled his clothes, Jiang Yujin successfully caught the falling person. In midair, he twisted his body, grabbing a metal frame destroyed by flames to slightly reduce the speed before continuing the descent, landing safely on the ground.

Zhang Xin, supported in his arms, seemed to sense something, opening her eyes slightly. All she saw was the black goggles and the uniform, then she closed her eyes again.

Xiao Mei, standing above, had no time to consider whether what she witnessed contradicted her knowledge of physics. Her legs regained strength, and she swiftly descended the stairs.

Handing the person over to Xiao Mei as she reached the bottom, Citizen Jiang, dressed in a uniform, discreetly let out a sigh of relief.

That was a close call.

No matter how one thought about it, it was the fault of the small pebble that obstructed his path.

—Although she had never truly seen it before, Xiao Mei recognized that uniform.

It belonged to the SIU.

Encountering them for the first time, she realized the true nature of the SIU.

Xiao Mei moved slowly with the person in her arms. Jiang Yujin then helped Zhang Xin back onto himself and gestured in a direction.

He headed toward the passage leading to the next experimental area, but the passage was tightly sealed, and the fingerprint scanner extinguished.

Sensing the halt in footsteps, Zhang Xin, who had previously closed her eyes in a haze, managed to open them slightly once more. Struggling to make a sound from her throat, she said, “Electric… central control…”

Jiang Yujin momentarily handed Zhang Xin to Xiao Mei, then kicked the metal door.

With a resounding noise, he swiftly brought the person back.

Zhang Xin: “…”

Zhang Xin closed her eyes.

The SIU member moved quickly, entering the adjacent experimental area.

Unlike the relative silence here, the next room was bustling with shouting mixed with the sound of firearms, assaulting the eardrums.

As they opened the door, they were greeted by a group of armed individuals.

Before the others could react, Jiang Yujin snatched the closest person’s dagger from their waist and tossed Zhang Xin to Xiao Mei.

Guns were more valuable to seize, but he opted for the dagger, finding it more practical in the moment.

In a way, it proved to be effective. The gun-wielding individuals couldn’t match his speed. He sidestepped bullets, seized one person by the neck, made a swift cut, and then kicked another person off the railing. He intercepted the stray bullet aimed at Xiao Mei using the body of the person behind him who was preparing to ambush.

Out of habit, he was about to say thank you to this good man who protected the high school students with his body, but he remembered Shield Man was still behind him, so whispered a quiet “thank you” in his ear.

Regardless of the circumstances, basic courtesy was crucial.

Shield Man spat out a mouthful of blood: “…”

F*ck your thank you.

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