Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 886 Claws

"Squeak—squeak—"

A tooth-grinding sound, like countless fingernails scraping against rock, suddenly came from the earthen walls on all sides.

Yu Shijiu's ears twitched, and he looked at the walls and ground around the cave with a puzzled expression.

These ordinary walls and floors suddenly began to writhe as if alive! The once hard earth and stone seemed to become like soft mud, and countless dark yellow claws, as if made of mud and shadow, stretched out from the walls, trying to grab their ankles and bodies.

"what is this?"

Yu Shijiu dodged an outstretched dark yellow claw and curiously approached An Jie.

"Sister An, Brother Chen, did you notice?"

"..."

Anjie swallowed the paper in her throat and shook her head: "Don't ask me, I haven't read many books."

"..." Chen Yi smiled wryly: "I have some education, but it's only compulsory education... Besides, my grades aren't actually that good..."

Xu Han almost screamed when he saw the countless claws reaching out from the walls and floor, and howled incessantly:

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh—Stop talking! Stop talking!! Let's go, let's go, let's go!! I see it! There aren't any ahead! There aren't any of those furry paws ahead!!!"

hairy?

The three of them were taken aback upon hearing this.

Yu Shijiu looked closely and realized that these dark yellow, or even more dark brown, little claws that he thought were formed from soil were actually hairy.

These claws aren't very long, they're rather short and thin, and a bit curved. There's some downy hair growing near the base of the arms—but that doesn't quite match what Xu Han just said about them being furry, does it?

"Ahhh! Stop looking! Stop looking!!! Run, Sister An, you guys!!"

Xu Han, who was ahead, ran faster than a rabbit, nimbly dodging the outstretched claws around him. He had already reached the fork in the road and was panting against the wall.

"..."

Chen Yi didn't care much about these outstretched "claws." With his large and muscular body, he simply stepped down, and those "claws" that stretched out from the ground were crushed by his foot, making a series of crisp "crack" sounds.

"Healed?"

Anjie dodged the outstretched claws and, after seeing Chen Yi's actions, said...

"Xiao Han cured me."

Chen Yi nodded with a smile and walked heavily toward the fork in the road.

“…This guy.” Anjie looked at Xu Han, who was leaning against the wall at the end of the fork in the road, panting heavily. Her gaze lingered on his trembling calves for a few seconds.

"Fortunately, my injuries are not serious."

Chen Yi, who was standing next to him, said, "Otherwise, Xiao Han probably wouldn't have been able to run so fast just now."

“…” Anjie shook her head with a smile.

While the two were talking, Yu Shijiu quickly reached out and grabbed a "claw" sticking out from the wall, pulling it out suddenly before either of them noticed—"Squeak!"

A faint scream suddenly came from behind the earthen wall. Yu Shijiu was startled and looked at the broken "claw" that he had forcibly pulled out of his hand with some confusion.

"Ok?"

Yu Shijiu stared in surprise at the half-claw in his hand and the fluffy dark brown hair at the broken bone, and remained silent for a moment.

He glanced at Anjie and Chen Yi beside him without making a sound, and silently stuffed the severed "claw" into his pocket.

At the end of the fork in the road, Xu Han, who had recovered, was so anxious he was practically jumping up and down, waving his hands repeatedly to urge the three of them to hurry up.

Ahhhh!!! Why is he the only one in such a hurry?! Especially Shi Jiu! How can he even have time to look down at those claws on the wall?!

Xu Han's screams and urging finally made the three of them quicken their pace.

"Quick! Over here!"

Xu Han pointed to the relatively clean underground passage leading to the main room, where no claws were sticking out of the walls, and said breathlessly.

"I just checked, and this is the only road that's safe."

Yu Shijiu and the other two looked over instinctively.

The underground passage did indeed appear much calmer. The candles on the walls burned steadily as before, emitting a dim but normal glow, which contrasted strangely with the writhing creature behind them, its claws outstretched as if it were alive.

"Let's go!" An Jie made a quick decision and went in first, followed closely by Yu Shijiu, Chen Yi, and Xu Han.

As soon as I entered the passage, the feeling of being spied on and attacked disappeared.

The group breathed a slight sigh of relief, but dared not slow their pace at all.

Anjie just said it's almost time to make dinner... Have they been gone for so long?

"What were those things just now?"

Xu Han asked, still shaken.

"I don't know."

Chen Yi shook his head; his large, muscular body seemed somewhat cramped in the relatively narrow underground passage.

“I don’t know,” Anjie shook her head, her face grave, “but it’s definitely related to that head from earlier… To be honest, I feel like this place is getting more and more eerie. Isn’t this a fairy tale world?”

Chen Yi and Xu Han both choked up.

Yes... Shouldn't the world of fairy tales be beautiful, filled with kind and wonderful animals?

Why are they only encountering monsters and the like?

There should at least be one good animal, right?

Yu Shijiu followed silently behind, his fingers rubbing the broken claw he had just stuffed into his pocket.

It feels a bit cold to the touch, with a rough, earthy feel and... a few sparse, animal-fur-like textures.

He felt that the "claws" looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen them before.

"I wonder how He Lingling and Thumbelina are doing."

Xu Han asked worriedly, "She's been alone with Thumbelina for so long, she should be alright, right?"

"Lingling is very alert, nothing will happen to her."

Anjie offered words of comfort, but she was also a little worried inside.

The changes in Old Field Mouse's family were exceeding their expectations, and He Lingling was alone with Thumbelina, whose mental state was unstable, which posed a significant risk.

at this time--

"Ding."

A soft, familiar, lazy girl's voice appeared in Yu Shijiu's mind.

"Hey, stuffing random things into your pocket again? Let me see what you put there this time—what the hell?! What are you doing putting this in your pocket?!!"

When Xiao Li's voice rang in her mind, Yu Shijiu paused, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

He was almost used to Xiao Li's sudden, almost erratic online behavior, but judging from Xiao Li's tone, it seemed that what he had put in his pocket was not a good thing.

[Isn't that just a paw?]

Yu Shijiu responded to Xiao Li in his mind, his tone carrying a deliberately feigned innocence.

[It's just a paw???!!!]

Xiao Li's voice was so shrill it almost pierced his brain nerves:

[You call this a "claw"?! Do you even know what this thing is? It's so filthy it looks like a dead rat! What's stuck on it isn't anything good! It's greed! It's surveillance! Throw it away right now!!!]

Dead rat? Greed? Surveillance?

Yu Shijiu blinked, but instead of throwing it away, she clutched the pocket even tighter and asked curiously:

【What? They're practically indistinguishable from dead rats? That sounds pretty impressive! Are they also great at digging burrows?】

Xiao Li seemed to be choked by his reaction. She remained silent for two seconds before letting out a cold laugh through gritted teeth.

【Powerful? They're just a bunch of disgusting, corrupted creatures! They're the lowest-level... like "cleaners" and "defense mechanisms" in this godforsaken place. They can only win through sheer numbers; individually, they're incredibly weak. But the contamination on their claws is very potent. If players stay in contact with them for too long, they might slowly be assimilated and end up like them. I advise you to throw them away immediately.】

"Oh..." Yu Shijiu lowered her eyes thoughtfully. "Then, do the holes they dug lead to the outside?"

[...Theoretically, they are indeed constantly digging holes, but that's just their biological instinct to make the burrows bigger.]

Xiao Li thought Yu Shijiu might really have some mental issues, and said irritably:

Why are you suddenly asking this? Don't tell me you want to crawl out of their holes?! Don't dream about it, it's impossible.

Yu Shijiu didn't answer, but a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

He felt like he had... found an interesting idea.

【Yeah? 】

Yu Shijiu chuckled softly to himself: [But Xiao Li, why are you suddenly so talkative today?]

Xiao Li's digitized virtual body froze, then stubbornly retorted: "Can't I talk to someone when I'm awake?"

[Oh...] Yu Shijiu seemed completely unconcerned about what Xiao Li said, and continued to say to herself: [Is it not against the rules for the exclusive system to suddenly speak up and reveal so many clues to the player?]

Xiao Li: [...]

Xiao Li seemed to realize that she had accidentally said too much, and her tone became a little unnatural.

[This, this isn't really a leak, it's just, just that I mentioned it in advance...]

Yu Shijiu smiled and said, "[Is that so? So, Xiao Li, you didn't do that on purpose, right?]"

Xiao Li: [...]

Xiao Li, seemingly embarrassed and angry, went offline.

The silence that suddenly fell over Yu Shijiu made her gently clench the "claw" in her pocket, her expression somewhat intriguing.

Will it cause pollution and even change the player's hands?

Yu Shijiu didn't think Xiao Li would lie to him about something like this, so it was probably true.

Then an even more important question arises: if the owners of these "claws" dig holes at the same time, can they get out of here without relying on swallows?

Although Xiao Li clearly stated that it was impossible... Yu Shijiu still felt that this point could be used to his advantage.

What if it were possible?

Then they can clear the game ahead of time, right? Why bother with Fang Youhua and Yang Hua, whose whereabouts are currently unknown?

Thinking of this, Yu Shijiu was somewhat looking forward to his hands turning into "claws" as well—as for the pollution, it didn't matter, once he won the Eye of All Things, his hands would return to normal.

But wouldn't it be too slow for one person to dig a hole?

As Yu Shijiu pondered, her gaze fell upon An Jie and the others ahead.

At this moment, Xu Han, who was running in the lead, let out another low shout of surprise:

"Ahead! I see light! It's the main room!"

As he spoke, he shivered, rubbed the goosebumps that had inexplicably appeared on his arms, and said in bewilderment:

Why do I suddenly feel like someone is thinking about me?

...or rather, not a very good "idea".

Chen Yi chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "Were you scared just now?"

Xu Han muttered, "No way? I wasn't scared just now."

Anjie had already quickened her pace and passed him, saying calmly upon hearing this:

"Yes, I wasn't scared. I think I was the one who was running around like a rabbit and yelling just now."

Xu Han choked on his words.

No, does running fast count as being scared?

Yu Shijiu also came up, his left hand still in his pocket, his right hand swinging the axe as he walked to Xu Han's side, smiling as he said:

"But Han-ge, are you sure you're not as scared as before?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Han immediately puffed out his chest and said, "That's right, I'm definitely not as timid as before—wait, no, I'm really not scared at all today, okay?!"

"Yes."

Yu Shijiu nodded repeatedly in agreement with Xu Han's words, saying, "I think so too."

Anjie and Chen Yi: "..."

The four of them walked quickly toward the main room, which was lit by candlelight, but when they reached the door, the scene inside made them freeze in place.

Unlike the "rough and simple" atmosphere when I left, the earthen stove and pot in the center of the main room are gone, replaced by a wooden table covered with a clean (relatively speaking) yellow tablecloth.

Bowls and spoons were neatly arranged on the table, and several sturdy candles still hung on the wall, their steady flames illuminating the room brightly.

He Lingling and Thumbelina were sitting at the table with their heads down.

Thumbelina lowered her head and sipped her water. Her complexion seemed better than before they left, and the inhuman feeling she had experienced after drinking the "porridge" that morning was almost gone.

What's even more surprising is that the injured swallow from the warehouse is also in the main room at this moment.

It was curled up in a huge basket lined with hay, covered with a gray quilt that Ange had specially brought, its eyes closed quietly, looking as if it were asleep.

Anjie and Yu Shijiu, standing at the entrance of the main room, looked at Yanzi, who was simply sleeping without any aggression, and exchanged a glance in surprise.

Yu Shijiu still remembered the scene of Yanzi yelling at the top of her lungs before she left, and was somewhat surprised:

Why has it stopped barking?

“…” Anjie’s lips twitched. “It looks like she’s asleep.”

"Sister Lingling! Thumbelina! You're both here!"

Xu Han, unaware of Yanzi's unusual behavior that afternoon, entered the main room with great delight.

He Lingling, who was sitting at the table, looked up and quickly scanned the four people. After confirming what kind of wounds they had, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You are back."

As He Lingling spoke, her gaze swept over Yu Shijiu.

She keenly noticed Yu Shijiu's unconscious rubbing of his left hand in his pocket, but didn't point it out.

"Don't even mention it," Xu Han slumped into a chair next to him, complaining bitterly, "He Lingling, we almost didn't make it back."

He Lingling was startled upon hearing this. "What?"