Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 777 Strange Laughter

...In the past, long, long ago...before his mother passed away, she had seen herself in the same way—no, with a tenderness a hundred times purer than this.

Yu Shijiu felt a chill run down his spine under the woman's gaze. He stared back at her, giving her a well-behaved and sensible smile.

—A smile just like Thumbelina's.

"Mother."

Yu Shijiu asked obediently, "Does Mommy want to see me dance too?"

The smile that was gradually fading from the woman's face froze: "..."

She looked at Yu Shijiu with an extremely strange gaze, as if she had heard something unbelievable.

"Dance?"

The woman stared at him and whispered, "You can dance too?"

Yu Shijiu, who couldn't dance but dared to speak her mind, nodded: "I can, Mom, what do you want to see—"

No! You can't!

The woman who had seemed normal just a moment ago suddenly flew into a rage, her delicate and gentle face twisted into a ferocious grimace. She abruptly moved closer to the boy kneeling on the matchbox bed, her mouth agape as she snarled:

"You are a defective product! You are a defective seed! Children grown from defective seeds are all bad children! Bad children will never dance! Bad children will never listen to their mothers!"

Yu Shijiu: "..."

The other players in the matchbox beds: "..."

Xu Han, who was nearby, was terrified and kept whispering prayers that Yu Shijiu would be alright.

Please, please don't let anything happen... Who starts a game by making an NPC angry right from the start?! Shi Jiu, really! No matter how strong you are, you can't be so careless about your own life!!!

Xu Han's heart skipped a beat, but An Jie and the other two in the matchbox beds weren't too worried.

On the one hand, it was known that Yu Shijiu could not possibly be killed at the beginning of the first scene, and on the other hand, in the original "Thumbelina" story, women are indeed portrayed as "kind and hardworking" characters.

Although the original work will be modified by Dawn Games into a game instance suitable for players' adventures, some important things will not be changed too drastically.

But that doesn't necessarily mean there's no danger.

Anjie rolled over in her matchbox bed, facing the large French window not far away.

The French windows were half-covered by curtains, and the afterglow of the setting sun slowly disappeared along the horizon, like crimson paint gradually fading.

Like the "kind" women who have shed their gentle and harmless exterior.

Anjie was somewhat worried about what would happen after the sun had completely set.

Can a woman defined as "kind" really maintain the principle of not harming the player indefinitely?

Anjie was a little uncertain.

The original story of "Thumbelina" has only just begun and the plot has already taken a bizarre turn, making it difficult to see how it will develop... Even if Ange thought about it, she couldn't come up with anything.

We'll have to wait and see how the story unfolds.

"……Mother."

Yu Shijiu lowered his hand, which was covering his face, with some disgust, and felt the stickiness on the back of his hand—it was a woman's saliva.

“…Mom.” Yu Shijiu suppressed his nausea and called out again, speaking slowly under the woman’s gaze:

"Mom shouldn't treat me differently just because I was born a defective seed?"

The other players who were quietly eavesdropping: "..."

Yu Shijiu got more and more excited as he spoke, and said in a low voice, "...Defective products should also be noticed."

"..."

The woman acted as if she hadn't heard him, stared at Yu Shijiu for a few moments, and then suddenly laughed.

"Is that right?"

The woman lowered her head slightly, her huge pupils staring wide-eyed at Yu Shijiu, the corners of her mouth curving upwards to an ever-widening degree.

Yu Shijiu's hair stood on end, but he made no move to take out the axe—given his current size, it wouldn't have made any difference.

The axe could only chop into the woman's eyeball; at worst, it would blind her in one eye.

What's the use of losing one eye?

He couldn't accept the woman's rage after she went blind.

"Is that so..."

The woman smiled as she looked at the motionless, obedient boy who was looking up at her with wet eyes (physiological tears), and her tone unexpectedly became much gentler.

"...You are my youngest son."

The woman looked at Yu Shijiu carefully and attentively for a long time before concluding:

"If you're really good... then sing a song for your mom."

"..." Yu Shijiu hesitated for a few seconds, then said under the impatient gaze of the women:

"But my sister is already asleep."

Yu Shijiu turned to look at Thumbelina, who was already lost in a dream, and said seriously:

"Mom, my little sister is already asleep. Won't singing wake her up?"

Woman: "..."

Upon hearing the name Thumbelina, the woman's impatience and rage vanished instantly. She gazed at the sleeping Thumbelina with affection and tenderness, and sighed dramatically:

"Oh my God, my poor and lovely little daughter, she danced for so long to make me happy, how could she be afraid of being woken up by her disobedient brother's awful singing?"

Yu Shijiu, the disobedient older brother with a terrible singing voice: "..."

He seemed a little unhappy and pursed his lips without saying a word.

"I still can't wake my dear little daughter, Thumbelina..."

The woman was clearly caught up in her emotions, and she kept stroking Thumbelina's delicate and tender face with her fingertips with a mixture of pity and affection—a gesture that made Yu Shijiu's heart tremble with fear.

Wouldn't the woman's "loving touch" be more likely to wake Thumbelina than his singing?

Yu Shijiu, thinking that he might actually have to sing after Thumbelina was woken up: "..."

He hissed softly, starting to consider what song he would sing later... Should it be "Only Mother is Good in the World," or "Little Swallow"...?

There was nothing he could do; Yu Shijiu had never heard any popular songs from the outside world. In his limited memory, there was only his mother holding him as a baby and gently rocking him... humming a childish and distant nursery rhyme.

Fortunately, Thumbelina remained fast asleep despite the woman's intense "harassment."

From Yu Shijiu's perspective, they could even see her sleeping face with a smile on it.

...What happy and joyful thing did you see in your dream?

Yu Shijiu silently recalled Chen Yi's recount of Thumbelina's life story and felt that it would be difficult for Thumbelina to maintain that happy sleeping face in the future.

Disasters will come one after another.

Yu Shijiu sighed.

"All right."

The woman who had finally stopped harassing him stood up, pulled the petal blanket over Thumbelina's body even higher, and turned to look at Yu Shijiu.

“It’s getting late,” the woman stared at Yu Shijiu, her lipstick-covered lips opening and closing. “You naughty kids should all go to sleep.”

Yu Shijiu obediently nodded, immediately lay down and dutifully covered herself with the flower petal blanket, even saying to the woman staring at her before closing her eyes:

"Mom, good night."

Woman: "..."

The curve of her lips froze for a moment, then slowly disappeared.

After confirming that Yu Shijiu was indeed asleep, the woman finally turned her head and whispered something.

Goodnight, my little son.

Xu Han and He Lingling, who were barely daring to breathe on the matchstick bed next to them: "..."

The youngest daughter, the youngest son... This kind-hearted woman NPC from the fairy tale seems to be very enthusiastic about "raising children"...

Xu Han, who thought that a woman's interest shouldn't lead to anyone's death, quietly opened his eyes.

He wanted to see what this kind woman looked like; he hadn't dared to look at her face earlier because he was too scared.

Just then, the woman standing by the table suddenly laughed.

She chuckled strangely, her voice hoarse yet gentle: "My children... you should all be asleep by now... surely no one would be pretending to be asleep?"

"This is not something a good child should do."

"..."

Xu Han, who had just half-closed his eyes, suddenly closed them and instantly assumed a sleeping posture.

Before he closed his eyes, he saw the woman turn her head 180 degrees and start looking around the match bed on the table—she was looking for the players who weren't asleep.

Xu Han: "..."

Good heavens... won't its head break if it keeps turning like that? Don't fairy tales explain the principle of skeletal death?

Despite his complaints, Xu Han didn't dare to make a sound when it came to something as important as his life.

It was at this moment that Xu Han heard the sound of a woman's footsteps and the "crack" sound of her neck as she turned her head.

The woman walked toward him.

"..." Xu Han kept his eyes tightly closed, his mind flashing back to the scene that would happen if the woman found out he wasn't asleep.

What if he strangles himself? No, no, he's so small now, a woman could crush him with a single finger... Wait, if he's discovered, can he call for his mother like Shi Jiu did and get away with it?

Xu Han's mind was in a jumble of thoughts when the footsteps finally stopped.

Xu Han's chaotic thoughts froze instantly.

Yes, yes—

Xu Han heard a woman's laughter coming from the match bed next to him.

Wait, who's the player next to him? It looks like... it looks like He Lingling?

As if to confirm Xu Han's idea, the woman's laughter grew louder. She lowered her head to observe the girl lying on the match bed up close, and the corners of her mouth began to turn up again.

"my daughter……"

The woman said, "Let Mom see if you're really asleep..."

The next second, He Lingling, who was pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, was lifted up by the woman by her ankles.

He Lingling: "..."

He Lingling's heart pounded as she was being held upside down, and she barely managed to suppress the scream that was rising in her throat.

The woman grabbed her ankle and swung it around in mid-air several times.

Amidst the rustling wind, He Lingling was thrown around so hard that she felt dizzy and her joints were cracking. She was so badly shaken that she almost passed out.

"...It seems she really is asleep."

The woman looked at the girl who was still motionless in her arms and smiled with relief.

"My sweet daughter, sleeping like this will make Mommy love you even more..."

He Lingling was in so much pain from being thrown that she wanted to curse.

But she dared not.

Given such a large size difference, anyone could only pretend to be dead.

Unless you really don't want to live anymore, you can try to fight a woman head-on—no, that would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

After confirming that He Lingling was truly asleep, the woman casually tossed her back into the match bed. He Lingling fell heavily onto it, and if the cushion beneath her hadn't been soft enough, she would have definitely suffered a concussion.

Despite her limbs being twisted, He Lingling still dared not move.

The women were also randomly selecting from the match beds.

Anjie escaped unscathed, but Chen Yi was chosen by the women and was also grabbed by the ankles and swung around several times.

Bang.

Chen Yi was also thrown back into his match bed like a rag doll.

Like He Lingling, he didn't make a sound from beginning to end, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The other players, who were pretending to be asleep, listened to the crackling wind in their ears and had some guesses in their minds.

Fang Youhua lay under the blanket of petals, her breathing slightly rapid.

The size difference between the two sides is too great. If it were her, she could tolerate being chosen, but she could hardly guarantee that others could as well. Although the players who enter the guild competition are all carefully selected, there are always some oversights.

The footsteps grew closer.

Fang Youhua could even feel the woman's breath hovering above her head, carrying the aroma of bread and flowers, which smelled very comforting.

Comfortable?

Why is it comfortable?

Fang Youhua paused slightly in her breathing.

She clenched her hands, which were hidden under the flower petals, somewhat stiffly, her mind racing.

Why do I find the scent of a woman's body pleasant?

Amidst the chaotic thoughts, the breathing above Fang Youhua's head ceased.

The woman bypassed her match bed and turned to the next player.

Fang Youhua's heart, which had been pounding, slowly calmed down. Just as she was about to continue pondering the question from earlier, a piercing scream suddenly rang in her ears.

"Ahhh-"

Fang Youhua held her breath instantly.

He is a player of Eye of All Things.

No, impossible... Players who can enter the guild competition may not be the most skilled, but they have all the basic patience to complete the game. How could they scream after being grabbed and shaken a couple of times?

The same thought also arose in the minds of the viewers and players.

The players watching from the stands frowned, thinking, "How can someone with such a weak mentality make it into the guild tournament?"

"I don't know. Maybe they used some kind of trick? After all, the points after clearing the guild competition are doubled, right?"

"There will always be people who will stop at nothing to get into the guild competition and rack up points, so don't take it too seriously."

"..."

In the first row of the audience, Lu Chusheng watched the first player to die and be eliminated on the screen with a calm expression.

"For some reason, her nose and mouth moved just now."

Lin Feng, standing nearby, said with a serious expression: "The movements are very small; the woman wouldn't notice unless she was looking very closely."

Lu Chusheng lowered his eyes, refusing to look at the bloody scene on the screen, and remained silent upon hearing this.

"Why?"

Wang Rui, sitting in the back seat, leaned closer to Kang Shaojie and wrinkled her nose: "She was arrested so unjustly."

Players who qualify for guild tournaments would never make such a basic mistake.

Kang Qiao glanced at her and said coldly, "How should I know? And are we that close? Don't get so close to me, thank you."

Wang Rui: "..."

Wang Rui glared at him fiercely several times in anger.

mean!

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As the screams around her grew fainter, Fang Youhua turned pale, her fingers unconsciously digging into her palms.