Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 995 Memory Stall

Not far away, there were few tourists queuing at the shooting game stall, only a lone clown standing there, holding a bunch of colorful balloons in his hand.

The balloons floated gently in the wind, each one painted with a smiley face.

"That shooting range..."

Xu Han followed her gaze, his expression changing slightly. "Different from the previous one?"

"Go and see."

As Anjie spoke, she took the first step.

The five of them quickly walked up to the shooting game booth.

The clown, who had his back to the five people, turned around after hearing the sound.

His face was covered in the same thick greasepaint as the previous clowns, and his mouth stretched to his ears, revealing two rows of white teeth.

But his eyes didn't have the madness and emptiness of those clowns before, nor that eerie fanaticism.

There was only a calm, almost compassionate...gentle atmosphere.

Yu Shijiu stared into those eyes and suddenly remembered the clown she had seen at the stall earlier.

The clown mechanically turned the machine, yet a hint of pity occasionally flashed in his eyes.

Hello.

The clown spoke.

His voice wasn't sharp and piercing like those of the clowns before him; instead, it was deep and gentle, carrying an eerie sense of realism.

"Are you going to play a shooting game?"

He politely inquired about the five people.

Anjie looked at him and asked cautiously, "What are the rules of the game here?"

"The rules of the game are very simple."

The clown gently pointed to the wooden board behind him, which was covered with balloons.

The balloons that had just been pasted onto the wooden board were colorful, and each one had a smiley face drawn on it.

"If you hit three balloons in a row with this gun, you can get a badge."

He took out a toy gun and handed it to Anjie with a smile.

"But there's one thing to note—"

The clown paused for a few seconds, his calm eyes sweeping over the five people in front of him.

"In my balloons, each balloon holds a memory."

The clown patiently explained, "When visitors come to the amusement park and have fun, they will have some 'happy memories.' Conversely, if visitors come to the amusement park and don't have fun, they will have some 'painful memories.'"

"When these memories become too numerous and overwhelming, and the amusement park can no longer contain them, they will be stored at my stall."

"so--"

The clown's lips twitched down, forming a strange crying face. "As long as someone hits the balloon, that memory will be released."

"The released memories will enter the brain of the person who was hit, allowing him/her to experience that 'pleasure' that did not belong to him/her."

"If you can withstand the impact of that memory without screaming or closing your eyes, you can get the badge."

"If you can't handle it..."

The clown didn't continue, but simply sighed softly.

That sigh carried a faint yet heartbreaking sorrow.

The five people remained silent for a few seconds.

"I'll go first."

Chen Yi stepped forward.

"Brother Chen—"

Xu Han called out.

"fine."

Chen Yi smiled at Xu Han, "I'm the oldest and have experienced more, so I should be more resilient."

"Besides, I haven't earned a single badge yet."

As he spoke, he took the toy gun from the clown's hand.

The gun is very light, has a plastic feel, and has a strangely warm sensation when held in the hand.

Chen Yi took a deep breath, raised his gun, and aimed.

boom!

The first balloon burst.

The pink balloon fragments scattered and flew everywhere, turning into countless points of light that flowed into Chen Yi's body.

Chen Yi's body trembled violently.

A memory suddenly surfaced before his eyes—

A sunny afternoon.

He walked in the amusement park with his wife and daughter.

His chubby daughter rode on his shoulders, excitedly pointing at the carousel and squealing.

"Daddy, Daddy, it's a rocking horse! It's a rocking horse! Look! It's a carousel! It's so much fun! I want to ride it too!"

His wife stood by, smiling, holding three sticks to amuse their daughter.

"Baby, don't move around, Daddy will get tired..."

"..."

The sunlight felt warm, the breeze was gentle, and everything was as beautiful as a dream.

"Dad! I want to sit on that one!"

"Okay, okay, Daddy will take you to sit."

"Honey, don't spoil her too much..."

"It's okay, it's rare for us to get out and have some fun."

The innocent laughter of children, the warm sunshine, the sweet scent carried on the breeze...

Just as Chen Yi couldn't help but smile, the heartwarming scene in front of him suddenly changed.

The stark white lights of the hospital came into view, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of disinfectant.

His wife lay on the hospital bed, emaciated and pale as paper, clutching his hand tightly, her breath barely audible.

"Husband...take good care of...our...our daughter..."

"Wife—"

Chen Yi suddenly heard the piercing blare of the electrocardiogram monitor.

"mom--!!!"

Then came the heart-wrenching cries of her daughter outside the door.

Tears slowly streamed down Chen Yi's face.

But he still didn't close his eyes.

He endured all the pain brought by that memory of someone else, letting it wash over his mind and soul.

boom!

Chen Yi gritted his teeth and pressed the trigger with trembling hands.

Then the second balloon burst.

The blue fragments transformed into specks of light and flowed into Chen Yi's body.

The time in my memory has come to the day my daughter got married.

He held his daughter's hand tightly as they slowly walked down the red carpet, then placed her hand in another man's.

His daughter, dressed in a white wedding gown, looked as beautiful as an angel, smiling at him, but with tears in her eyes.

"Dad, thank you for raising me."

"Dad, you have to take good care of yourself..."

"Dad, no matter where I marry, I will always love you..."

The daughter in front of him looked remarkably like his wife when she was young, gentle and beautiful.

Chen Yi smiled and nodded as his daughter choked back tears, but the edges of his wrinkled eyes were red.

I can't bear to part with it... I can't bear to part with it... I really can't bear to part with it!

boom!

The third balloon burst.

Chen Yi's eyes were filled with tears, and his jaw was clenched.

The yellow fragments transformed into specks of light and flowed into Chen Yi's body.

An empty, lonely, and cold home.

He was the only one gazing quietly at the picture frames that covered the walls.

On the wall are photos of his daughter when she was little, and happy photos of his wife holding him and smiling when she was young.

The setting sun slowly descended outside the window, its afterglow streaming through the glass and bathing everything in a soft golden light.

Chen Yi sat on the sofa, looking at the photos with a smile on his lips.

Without his wife and daughter, he felt lonely, but not hopeless.

Because those people he once loved deeply, and those beautiful memories, will forever remain in his heart.

Tears streamed down Chen Yi's cheeks, one after another, soaking a large patch of fabric on his shoulders.

Although tears had soaked his cheeks and shoulders, his eyes looked calm.

It is a kind of calm that comes from having experienced pain and loss, yet still choosing to face the reality of the world.

Yu Shijiu stood there looking at him, her fingers twitching slightly.

Brother Chen... looks very sad.

What exactly did he see in "other people's memories"?

"congratulations."

The clown's voice rang out beside Chen Yi, carrying a hint of genuine relief.

He reached out and handed Chen Yi a brand new badge.

The badge is shaped like a balloon, with tiny colorful light bulbs embedded in the miniature balloon, and like all badges, it is glowing softly.

Chen Yi wiped away his tears, smiled, nodded, and accepted the badge. "Thank you."

The moment Chen Yi received the badge, a game notification sound rang in his ears.

Congratulations to player Chen Yi for obtaining the item: "Memory Badge"

[Item Description: A small prize from a special shooting booth, symbolizing a reconciliation with memories.]

[Item Effect: Slightly increases resistance to mental pollution when worn. Side effect: Occasionally flashes of other people's memories—(Note: This item is only effective in the dungeon "Shh, Please Be Quiet".)]

Chen Yi stuffed the badge into his pocket and turned to look at his teammates.

His face still bore traces of tears, but his smile was warm.

"I am fine."

He smiled, with a heartfelt sigh: "Those memories, though painful, were also a different kind of life experience."

Xu Han looked at him, and her eyes inexplicably reddened as well.

"Brother Chen..."

There were few tourists queuing at this shooting game booth; only a lone clown stood there, holding a bunch of colorful balloons in his hand.

The balloons floated gently in the wind, each one painted with a smiley face.

"Xiao Han, do you want to give it a try?"

Chen Yi patted him on the shoulder and handed the toy gun to Xu Han.

"Don't be afraid, just think of it as a dream."

Xu Han: "..."

Xu Han took the gun somewhat bewildered, his hands still trembling.

"No, no, don't we need to talk and exchange ideas before letting people play the game?"

He Lingling glanced at him. "Are you scared?"

Anjie and Yu Shijiu also looked over.

Chen Yi patted him on the shoulder encouragingly.

Xu Han: "..."

He took a deep breath and looked at the clown staff members who were patiently waiting beside him.

"What a brave young man."

The clown, his eyes meeting hers, said gently, "Come on, let's see if your luck will be as good as the last tourist's."

Xu Han: "..."

Xu Han swallowed hard, raised his gun under everyone's watchful eyes, and aimed at the balloons pasted on the wooden board not far away.

boom!

The first orange balloon suddenly burst.

The orange fragments transformed into specks of light and surged into Xu Han's body.

Xu Han's vision blurred for a moment—and then he saw his own face.

It's my face when I was a child.

She was thin and small, with bruises and welts all over her face and body, clearly the kind of child who was always bullied by other kids.

Xu Han painfully raised her hand and blew on her bleeding palm, tears streaming down her face.

On his way home from school, he was cornered in an alley by bad kids of the same age. They snatched his schoolbag and threw it on the ground. He was slapped and kicked several times on the face and body, but he didn't dare to cry or scream. He could only curl up in the corner and wait for the bad kids to leave before he dared to get up from the ground.

Xu Han sniffed, and after returning home, she smiled and whispered to her mother:

"Mom, I came home late today because I played for a while on the way."

"What?! You're back? Hurry up and wash your hands and go to your room to do your homework! I'll call you out to eat after I've cooked dinner!"

"..."

Mom called out briefly while busy in the kitchen, but the hum of the range hood drowned out everything.

"……it is good."

Xu Han, enduring the pain, hid alone in her room, hugging her pillow, silently shedding tears.

"Why...why do they always bully me...waaaaaah..."

"Why...why is no one protecting me..."

"Mommy... Daddy... I'm in so much pain... They all... They all bullied me... Waaah..."

"It hurts so much... my whole body hurts..."

"..."

Xu Han strained to open his eyes wide, letting tears stream down his cheeks, and pulled the trigger forcefully.

boom!

The second green balloon burst.

Green fragments surged into Xu Han's body.

My memories take me back to my middle school days.

Because of his poor grades and his introverted personality, he was called "useless" by the teacher in front of the whole class.

The whole class was laughing, and those dense, piercing laughs stabbed into his heart like knives.

He lowered his head, clenched his fists, and his nails dug deeply into his soft palms.

They dared not resist.

I dare not talk back.

I dare not shed a tear.

He... he could only endure it.

If I resist... if I resist... if I resist, my dad will beat me even harder when I get home.

Neither his father nor his mother stood up for him... His family was too poor... A family that's too poor can't help him fight back...

boom!

Xu Han shot and popped the third balloon.

The fragments of the purple balloon were carried by the wind and completely entered Xu Han's body.

The memory returned to the day he failed his college entrance exam.

The father's angry slaps and roars, the mother's disappointed sobs, and the relatives' amused stares.

Dad roared and slammed his fist on the table. His dark face turned bright red, and even his eyes were bloodshot.

"We've worked so hard, getting up early and working late, to support your studies, and this is all the score you get?"

"How could you do this to us?"

"I'm so—I'm so! How could I have given birth to such a useless person like you!"

"..."

Xu Han stood there, head down, without saying a word.

Tears welled up in his eyes and dripped onto the ground, quickly drying as he lowered his head.

I want to...I want to die so badly...I want to die so badly...Living is so tiring...Living is so tiring...Living is so tiring, so tiring, so tiring...

The angry cries of my parents and the mocking faces of my relatives echoed in my mind and in my ears...

Xu Han suddenly clenched his teeth, the sound of them grinding together echoing, and his hand holding the gun involuntarily rose to press against his temple—

"Minor Cold!"

"Brother Han!"

"Xu Han!"

"Xu Han!"

Upon seeing this, Yu Shijiu and the other four were so frightened that their hearts stopped, and they took a step forward in quick succession—

The clown stepped forward and raised his hand to block it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the clown smiled, his gentle gaze sweeping over the four people in front of him, "no one else is allowed to interfere with the games at this booth."

Ange suddenly looked up and stared intently at the clown, who smiled back at her and whispered reassuringly:

"Please don't be impatient, trust your companions, okay?"