Infinite Game Ch.73.2

Chapter 73.2 – Destroying the Headquarters (1)

The streets were deserted by midnight, with only the streetlights shining. A few people walked, and even their voices unconsciously lowered.

The streets became completely quiet, but the small pub was still lively. Just as the usual gossip group was present, a few people had a bit too much to drink, and various gossips spilled out. A crowd gathered around, listening as if hearing a story.

Citizen Jiang and a few others quickly blended in, hearing gossips they hadn’t heard before. Their eyes widened, and some even exclaimed in surprise, not expecting such things to happen in real life.

Originally scattered tables joined together, forming a group to listen to gossip.

With the combination of alcohol and the excitement of gossip, even the owner of the small pub joined in eventually.

When the small pub closed, it was already 3:30 in the morning. Some people fell asleep directly in the pub, their snores echoing loudly.

Citizen Jiang put down his glass and decided to go home, and the others agreed.

The group staggered out of the pub, shoulders bumping and swaying. Although the journey back was only a fifteen-minute walk, it took them half an hour due to their unsteady gait. Someone wanted to sing aloud, but their mouth was covered by a nearby person.

Finally reaching the downstairs of his own building, Jiang Yujin left the wobbly group, exchanged goodbyes, and headed upstairs. People downstairs waved goodbye, saying they would meet again next time.

Jiang Yujin casually replied while climbing halfway up the stairs, but his stomach churned, and he bent over.

Seems like he had a bit too much to drink.

After standing still for a moment, he took one step at a time, gripping the railing to climb upstairs. The keys were in his pocket, and he leaned against the door, fumbling for a while before finally taking them out.

He scolded the keys with a sentence.

Not coming out on its own for so long, it seemed to be the key’s fault no matter how you looked at it.

The key inserted into the lock with a “click,” the door opened, and the person leaning against the door slid down.

Lying on the floor, Citizen Jiang slapped his own face.

Seems like he had more than just a little too much to drink.

The entrance was cool, almost icy, and strangely comfortable. His eyes, which hadn’t fully opened, gradually closed. In the darkness, there was a sound, and his phone on the side lit up for a moment.

Opening his eyes again, his light-colored pupils took a while to focus, finally seeing a new message on the phone. In the dark environment, the phone screen seemed too bright, hurting the eyes.

【○○ Airlines reminds you: Your child has safely arrived at South Seas North Airport】

Finally reading the text, the surviving brain cells made a slight effort, and the person lying on the floor finally understood the meaning.

“…”

Jiang Yujin sobered up.

The barber shop owner, who was pulled out of bed in the middle of the night, felt that he must have committed a serious offense in his past life to deserve knowing this drunkard in this life.

Driving to the airport in the middle of the night, he bit a cigarette, hands on the steering wheel, his face showing annoyance from being awakened in the middle of the night: “Why haven’t you died from drinking yet.”

The person in the backseat slouched, didn’t reply, and continued to look at the phone with open eyes.

Drinking, staying up late, motion sickness, and looking at the phone while feeling dizzy – Jiang Yujin felt that he might be close to death.

He shouldn’t have believed the airline regulations from a few years ago. A few years ago, special minors needed to be accompanied by a guardian to go to South Seas. Now, as long as you’ve been to South Seas and haven’t committed any illegal or unruly acts, you can freely travel to South Seas after turning sixteen.

All three high school students had already turned sixteen. The airline was surprisingly considerate, not notifying before takeoff but reporting safety after landing.

Having bought tickets for the last flight, Jiang Yujin leaned on the counter, took the ticket with the gaze of the counter attendant, and then proceeded to board the plane.

In order to witness the sunrise from South Seas while on the plane, despite the gloomy time, there were quite a few people on the plane at this hour.

The effects of staying up late, being drunk, and experiencing motion sickness had not completely worn off. Amidst the cheerful crowd, Citizen Jiang exuded an aura of gloominess.

As the sun rose from the sea, exclamations echoed through the plane, while the person who remained quietly in his seat felt nauseous alone.

Feeling like vomiting.

Shouldn’t have taken that last sip of alcohol.

*

When the sun rose, the members of the SIU, who had worked overtime last night, started work early again. Another meeting was organized at the higher-ups to discuss matters related to the headquarters of Zero that yielded no results yesterday. Most members of the SIU teams were not present yesterday, but today, to gather their opinions, everyone attended, and the meeting further expanded.

Before the meeting started, Xu Tonggui received a call from the front desk, specifically requesting him.

He answered. It was a call from Yuan Sanshui, and the content of the call was straightforward. It mentioned that Jiang Yujin had gone to Atsha, taking a flight at around four in the morning. Yuan Sanshui also exposed the crime of this person drinking until past three in the morning.

After the call ended, the meeting began.

Apart from the change in the number of attendees, this meeting was no different from yesterday’s. When asked if they should go out to clean up the headquarters, no matter what others said about going or not going, the higher-ups always found reasons not to send anyone.

When others said they were tired and didn’t want to go, the leaders would say it wouldn’t be good. When others said they would go, the higher-ups would rub their hands, saying, “We’re tight on resources lately, and if we go, there might be financial issues…”

Sitting at the back, Xu Gao marveled at the extreme pulling and dragging capabilities of these people. Hu Li, not far away, had the privilege of participating in yesterday’s meeting and was not surprised by such a situation. His raised eyes drooped, and he began to think about lunch.

Xu Tonggui, who had been staring at his phone, finally raised his head slightly, ending the repeated tug-of-war: “Go.”

The higher-ups looked at him, and his internal struggle began again: “But…”

Facing the opponent’s icy and bloody gaze, the person who spoke felt as if he had become a dead man and couldn’t utter any more words.

A mysterious intuition told him that if he continued, he might become a real dead person.

Putting such a dangerous person in the SIU might be a mistake or not; the piercing gaze finally shifted away, and the speaker breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Tonggui lowered his head and glanced at his phone again.

He sent several messages, but still received no replies.

In the morning, the entire SIU, fully armed, boarded a dedicated plane and set off for South Seas.

*

On the coast of South Seas, a ship departed from the shore.

Jiang Yujin sat on the boat, wearing a straw hat temporarily given by the old man steering the boat. He asked, “Old man, can you speed up this boat?”

The sun-tanned old man waved his hand, “Don’t give me a hard time with this old boat. This speed is already the fastest. Blame yourself for not catching the good times.”

A few days ago, someone was speeding on a speedboat here, resulting in consecutive accidents. As a result, the operation of speedboats was temporarily prohibited in this area. Now, the available options were large ships and ordinary boats like his.

Jiang Yujin pressed down the straw hat and continued to squat on the boat, occasionally pointing in a direction as the boat rocked in the waves.

Feeling more nauseous.

The boat was small and slow, but it managed to reach the designated sea area safely. The old man, looking at the empty sea, didn’t quite understand what his guest came here to do. Suddenly, he heard a “Goodbye, old man” from behind. He turned his head, only to see a white hem of clothing sinking into the sea.

In an instant, that trace of white clothing completely disappeared into the deep sea, no matter how hard one looked.

The pale yellow straw hat fluttered and fell onto the boat.

In the distance in the sky, the sound of a helicopter echoed. The old man looked up and saw a large ship coming from afar. Without hesitation, he waved and shouted, “Someone jumped into the sea here!”

…

The water grew colder as he descended.

During the rapid descent, Jiang Yujin took off the red string from his wrist. The moment he took it off, the red string scattered, and the seawater seemed to be cut by something invisible.

The descent turned into a fall, and the speed increased significantly as he went deeper.

Following the previous memories, Jiang Yujin descended to the depths of the sea. The originally turbulent and dark currents were intercepted, dispersed, and redirected elsewhere, turning the previously most dangerous area into a calm one.

Jiang Yujin glanced at the entrance hidden behind the black rocks, studied its intricate structure, and finally chose not to use his brain.

Sometimes, brute force dismantling was much quicker than thinking.

A massive surge spread out from the depths of the seabed. After the gate was dismantled, a passage leading upward unfolded, and the sea water that should have rushed into the entrance was completely diverted.

Beyond the entrance, the brightly lit city with tall buildings still remained.

However, unlike before, this place had lost that eerie tranquility.

Something had clearly happened here. The silver building had exploded, and thick black smoke was rising.

Even with a building explosion, pedestrians on the street continued on their paths, not looking aside, playing out the scenes of a peaceful city.

It was the familiar intersection again. The traffic lights were still not lit, and the traffic was flowing slowly.

A rapid series of footsteps echoed around, accompanied by the sound of gunfire.

The intersection was now crowded with people holding guns.

A man carrying a briefcase walked through the crowd, seemingly oblivious to these armed individuals, continuing on his way to work.

Jiang Yujin glanced at him and, as they passed each other, said, “The traffic lights here still haven’t been fixed.”

The man with lifeless pupils looked over. This time, he replied, “Not necessary.”

It wasn’t just him; everyone around spoke simultaneously.

All the voices merged into one, and in an instant, the intense sound of gunfire flooded into the eardrums.

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