Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 916 Chaos Begins

The next second after saying that.

Yu Shijiu felt as if he had been caught by those crazy "claws" in the wall. More claws wrapped around his body, dragging him and his violent, polluted aura, and he quickly disappeared into the wildly dancing "claw forest".

Yu Shijiu was not passively devoured by those "claws," but rather he chose to actively use himself as "bait" and "bomb," throwing himself into the most chaotic core area of ​​the cave at this moment.

He Lingling's heart nearly stopped beating as she watched all of this unfold.

She knew that Yu Shijiu was using his last vestiges of consciousness to carry out a crazy plan—to use his own contamination as a trigger to completely disrupt the tranquility of the cave and create an opportunity for her and Anjie.

Whether this hard-won opportunity is used to assassinate a mole or to do something else, it doesn't matter.

Amidst the earth-shaking chaos, the faceless aggregate on the bone bed in the center of the cave seemed to tremble as well, stimulated by the sudden surge of violent energy.

The cracking and rattling of bones mixed with noise, and the woman held in the faceless, aggregated female body let out a sharp, silent scream.

Immediately afterwards, more dark red blood vessels spread from the composite female body, and the concentration of resentment in the entire cave soared.

He Lingling immediately bit the tip of her tongue, using the pain to force herself to calm down.

Before leaving, she took one last look at the terrifying aggregate and Yu Shijiu, who had disappeared into the wall. She turned around abruptly, stumbled through the low door, and ran desperately up the stairs she had come from.

I must find Anjie and the others! I must immediately use the chaos created by Yu Shijiu to kill the mole!

Meanwhile, near the warehouse and the hidden cave.

Just as Anjie, Chen Yi, and Xu Han cautiously approached the entrance to the hidden cave, preparing to make some noise, a violent tremor suddenly came from beneath their feet. The walls writhed as if alive, and countless claws suddenly surged out of the previously quiet walls.

"what happened?!"

Xu Han was so frightened that he almost got his ankle grabbed by a claw that suddenly appeared from under his feet.

"The sound sounds a bit like it's coming from Shi Jiu's side. Did they launch it ahead of schedule?"

Chen Yi frowned and listened carefully to the direction from which the sound came from, his expression somewhat solemn.

Anjie's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and she instantly understood what Chen Yi meant.

The scale and ferocity of this claw riot could not have been created by them; it could only have been caused by the out-of-control contamination on Yu Shijiu's body.

After all, they hadn't had time to do anything yet.

"Plan changed!"

Anjie immediately changed her mind, "The burrow is in chaos, let's hurry and find Thumbelina, or we can go directly to the main room to check on Swallow!"

Chaos is the best cover.

Almost immediately, the three abandoned their original plan and quickly traversed the wildly dancing "Claw Forest," which seemed to lack aggressiveness due to chaotic internal commands, moving rapidly towards the main hall.

Along the way, they even saw some underground passages beginning to collapse, dust flying everywhere, and the sharp, furious cries of old field mice could be faintly heard from afar.

Xu Han stared in disbelief, choking on a mouthful of dust as he ran, coughing loudly and exclaiming, "My God, what on earth did Shi Jiu and He Lingling do?"

Why did he feel like the cave was about to collapse?

Chen Yi and An Jie frowned as they stared at the collapsing pits, their hearts heavy.

Something must have happened to Yu Shijiu and He Lingling.

But they can't just do nothing and go looking for them now.

Anjie clenched her fists tightly and ran headlong toward the main room.

No matter what happens, they absolutely have to go check on Swallow and Thumbelina.

—In the main room.

The swallow that had been "sleeping" in the basket suddenly opened its eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in its dark pupils.

It sensed the violent fluctuations emanating from the depths of the cave, which made it extremely uneasy, and... a kind of destructive aura of collapse.

"Chirp chirp chirp..."

The swallow emitted a sharp cry from its throat, as if it were shouting something to itself.

Inside the earthen stove, the flames flickered erratically, as if foreshadowing what was about to happen.

Thumbelina, who had been given "admonitions" by the old field mouse, was now huddled in the corner of the old field mouse's bedroom, watching in horror as the old field mouse swayed and staggered due to the tremors in his burrow.

The old field mouse was also panicked. It didn't understand why the "resident thugs" in the burrow would suddenly riot. The situation was completely beyond its control.

"Damn it... what's going on? What's wrong with these idiots?! Have they lost their minds? If they collapse the burrow, where will we live?!"

The old field mouse cursed angrily, no longer caring about teaching Thumbelina what to do and what not to do, and went out to check, leaning on his cane.

Before leaving, the old field mouse glanced back at Thumbelina, who was curled up in the corner with her knees drawn up to her chest, only her eyes showing.

Its angry expression briefly transformed into a strange "benevolent smile," and its furry face twitched spasmodically.

“Good boy,” said the old field mouse, “stay here quietly. Don’t worry, this commotion won’t last long. Soon, very soon, Grandma will be able to calm them down.”

Thumbelina stared at its face in fear, not daring to utter a sound or nod or shake her head. She simply hugged her knees tightly, trembling and curling up in the corner.

After the old field mouse finished speaking, it ignored her, its eyes flashing with anger again. It cursed and slammed the door as it left the room.

"These stupid, clumsy bastards! If they mess up my burrow, I'll make sure they don't get anything to eat..."

After the old field mouse's footsteps and curses faded into the distance, Thumbelina tremblingly looked up at the closed door, a single tear, which she had been holding back for a long time, falling blankly from the corner of her eye.

———The guest room area where the mole is located.

The mole, fast asleep, was awakened by a loud commotion in its burrow. Its massive body slowly sat up, and two red lights shone eerily brightly in the darkness.

The mole twitched its nostrils a few times, carefully discerning the information in the air.

"Chaos...contamination...and...fear?"

The mole whispered, its gaze fixed on the tightly closed door.

It didn't go out immediately; instead, it seemed to be waiting for something.

—Fang Youhua and Yang Hua's room.

Fang Youhua stood in the candlelight shadows of the room, listening to the noise and commotion outside. The usual gentle smile on her face completely disappeared, replaced by a cold, almost cruel calm.

She gently stroked the old straw bracelet in her pocket and whispered to Yang Hua, who was trembling uncontrollably:

"Xiao Hua, stay close to me. The real 'guests' are only just beginning their 'dinner'."

Yang Hua didn't understand what was going on, but seeing the unprecedented expression on Fang Youhua's face, he nodded in fear.

She knew that there was almost nothing she could do now except obey.

------

The underground cavern was plunged into unprecedented chaos.

Claws emerged from the surrounding walls, dancing wildly in the air. Parts of the passage collapsed, and dust mixed with a sweet, rotten stench, making even a single breath feel suffocating.

Despite the excruciating pain, He Lingling finally broke through the steps and returned to the upper cave. Coincidentally, as soon as she climbed out, she bumped into An Jie and her two companions who were running towards her, trying to avoid the claws.

"Lingling! How are you? Where's Shi Jiu?"

Anjie saw her leaning against the door frame, her face covered in blood, and asked in shock.

They were fine before they left, how did they suddenly become like this?

Not only An Jie, but Chen Yi and Xu Han also felt uneasy and looked at He Lingling nervously.

"Shi Jiu... he 'detonated' himself."

He Lingling spoke hurriedly, quickly recounting everything she and Yu Shijiu had seen and done in the underground cave.

“I saw those claws. Shi Jiu deliberately got dragged in by those melon seeds. He wanted to go in and disrupt those claws himself…”

As He Lingling spoke, she felt a sweet taste in her throat and spat out another mouthful of blood. An Jie's eyelids twitched, and she reached out to support the swaying He Lingling.

"Lingling, Shi Jiu—"

Anjie was in a state of confusion; she was a little scared... but she didn't know what she was scared of.

This is just a guild tournament instance... players won't actually die, not to mention that even if Yu Shijiu were dragged into the wall, he might not necessarily die.

But Anjie's mind was a mess, and she had a fear of wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.

"...This is an opportunity, Sister An."

He Lingling, who was being helped up, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and forced herself to suppress her fear, saying calmly:

"We must find the 'core' of the underground cycle now."

"The core? What exactly is the core? The old field mouse?"

Chen Yi swatted away a claw that was reaching for him while asking urgently.

Xu Han looked at He Lingling's face covered in bloodstains, hesitated for a few seconds, then walked to her side and was about to take her hand.

"The old field mouse is not the core; at best, it can only be considered a watchdog and a tamer."

He Lingling dodged Xu Han's outstretched hand and said coldly, "Yanzi is no good either."

Xu Han, who had been dodged, was taken aback and looked at An Jie, who was silently supporting He Lingling.

Anjie noticed his gaze and silently shook her head.

Xu Han: "..."

He opened his mouth, then seemed to realize something, and withdrew his hand, his face turning pale.

Yes...yes...and Shi Jiu...and Shi Jiu who was dragged into the wall, her fate unknown...

He Lingling, oblivious to Xu Han's state, spoke rapidly, "I suspect the core might be... it might be a marriage ceremony between Thumbelina and a mole or some other creature, or... something symbolic, that's also possible. Where is Thumbelina now?"

"In the old field mouse's room!" Xu Han shouted instantly, snapping out of his daze. "Before the tremor, I think I heard the old field mouse scolding Thumbelina over there!"

"Let's go find Thumbelina!"

He Lingling didn't hesitate and said directly.

"it is good."

Ange immediately decided, "The entire instance revolves around Thumbelina, so whatever the core is, it must be related to her... Lingling, in the 'memories' you saw, were there any hints on how to truly break the cycle?"

He Lingling's mind raced, recalling those fragmented images. Besides the endless pain, there always seemed to be a recurring image.

Those straw bracelets... Thumbelina wove and hid them in hope, and then... as hope ignited and then shattered, the bracelets were discarded and rotted for various reasons, becoming part of the resentment attached to the dead Thumbelina.

"Bracelet...a straw bracelet."

He Lingling's eyes lit up, and her breathing became rapid.

"The straw bracelet is a symbol of 'promise' and 'freedom' in Thumbelina's eyes! It's also the only thing that connects the resentments of different 'Thumbelinas'! We have many bracelets now, including the one Fang Youhua took... Perhaps we can look at it from this perspective..."

Before she could finish speaking, an angry, furious curse suddenly came from around the corner of the underground passage ahead.

"Damn it! Didn't I tell you to stay in your room and not run around? Why did you run out again? Do you know how dangerous it is in the cave right now?"

All four of them paused in their breathing at the same time.

As they stared at each other, Xu Han broke the silence, completely bewildered: "Who is that old field mouse cursing?"

"..." No one responded to him.

Who else could it be but Thumbelina? The old field mouse probably wouldn't "care" so much about anyone in the burrow.

Sure enough, after a few short, angry curses, the four of them saw Thumbelina, the old field mouse, appear around the corner ahead, her steps unsteady.

Upon seeing Anjie and the others who hadn't moved, the old field mouse's exasperation instantly turned into a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Damn it! Damn it, damn it!! It's you! Was it you who did this! Bad kids! Disobedient bad kids! What have you done to my family?"

After scolding her, the old field mouse suddenly shoved Thumbelina aside.

Thumbelina, still shaken, screamed and fell to the ground, curling up in a ball, too afraid to move.

The old field mouse, meanwhile, brandished its cane and roared in fury:

"Grab them! Arrest all these troublesome kids!"

The next second, the claws, which had been scratching haphazardly without any sense of direction, suddenly received their command and clearly targeted Anjie and the other three.

"Protect Thumbelina!"

Chen Yi shouted in a low voice, and together with Xu Han, they stood in front, using their weapons and limited tools to block the claws that were clearly reaching out.

Ange rushed forward quickly, shielded by the two, and helped the terrified Thumbelina up by the arm.

"Don't be afraid, come with us!"

Anjie said urgently.

At this moment, Thumbelina's eyes were unfocused and her whole body was trembling, but when she saw Ange's determined eyes, she seemed to have grasped a lifeline and nodded desperately.

When the old field mouse saw that they dared to resist and even snatch Thumbelina away from right under his nose, he was so angry that his reading glasses fell off his nose and shattered on the ground.

"Damn it! You bunch of bad kids dared to steal my precious granddaughter! So that's how it happened! So that's how it happened! No wonder my usually well-behaved Thumbelina became so disobedient! It's all your fault for corrupting her! I'll tear you all apart and turn you into mincemeat in a jar—"

at this time--

"boom!"