It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 166

 

ITOTIABSAM | Infinite Flow | 166

In the instance, ghosts were not unbeatable; they could even be killed, but often at great cost to the players.

Upon hearing the system announcement, most players became nervous:

According to the brief provided by the instance, they were headed to a town called Nightmare. Who knew how long the journey would last and how many ghosts were on the bus?

Two players were eliminated within the first ten minutes of the game. In a level 7 advanced instance, at least in terms of death rate, it lived up to its reputation.

"..."

Perhaps sensing the players' cautious and hostile mood, or perhaps simply to set the atmosphere, without warning, the previously lively and noisy bus suddenly fell silent. Even the loudest snorer among the passengers pursed their lips, giving themselves a pause, leaving only the monotonous hum of the vehicle's operation.

The white seat covers with red-lettered advertisements on the back were slightly yellowed, indicating the bus had aged without proper maintenance. There were only a few functioning air conditioning vents on the ceiling, and as more passengers boarded, the bus became increasingly stuffy and humid, resembling a steamer.

But now, this irritating stuffiness was rapidly decreasing at a speed that players could feel, alternating between hot and cold, making people feel nauseous.

Cheng Xiaorong, sitting towards the back, quietly tensed her muscles, ready to strike.

She was very aware of her luck. If the ghost wanted to make an example and kill someone as a warning, it was highly likely to be her.

However, just as she was quietly assessing the passengers who could potentially approach her quickly, a crisp sound of packaging being torn open shattered the silence.

In an instant, whether it was the players or the passengers, all eyes were fixed on one spot.

Click.

In full view of everyone, the boy who had attracted too much attention didn't react. With his eyes lowered and his mouth open, he obliviously bit into a large piece of chocolate, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

His skin was too pale, and his lips too red, which, at a glance, seemed somewhat eerie. But this action was just too foolish, only serving to make players wonder if this newcomer had a screw loose in his head.

Whether it was the cold or the covert scrutiny, although Xie Ye had no memory, subconsciously he was quite accustomed to it. It wasn't until a peculiar gaze lingered on him for a while that he curiously raised his eyes.

It was the man named Jiang Chuan.

Eye contact, according to the explanation that floated in his mind, seemed to be a rather abstract concept. Yet, Xie Ye felt warmth during the time the man focused his gaze on him.

His cheeks puffed up like a hamster, and he resembled a leisurely little creature basking in the sunlight, squinting slightly.

Gu Cong couldn't help but smile.

He had never seen Xie Ye like this before, yet it felt so natural, as if long, long ago, the little immortal being in Liuyun Mountain might have been like this.

"Has he gone mad?" A male player disdainfully curled his lips, silently rolling his eyes. He thought, "How did the system let someone with a problem like this into the advanced instance?"

If he died, he died; what could he do to avoid dragging others down?

However, to his surprise, aside from staring, those passengers with stiff features didn't do anything more. Instead, after a few dozen seconds, they gradually returned to their initial states.

The chilly carriage became lively once again.

"What's this? A fake-out scare? Even horror movies don't use such clichéd tropes." That's what he said, but Zhao Dong didn't dare to truly relax. He looked out of the window, searching for any overlooked corners in his line of sight.

Across the aisle, two rows away from Zhao Dong, Gu Cong, seemingly completely forgetting they were still in the instance, began chatting amiably. "Do you like it?" 

Xie Ye nodded obediently.

He knew it was chocolate, and he knew the taste that burst on his tongue was sweet. But before this moment, those impressions were just fleeting words, whereas now they vividly transformed into reality.

However... as he lightly touched the area just above his stomach through his clothes, Xie Ye felt that his stomach hadn't become heavier.

After some effort in thought, he spoke, abruptly changing the subject, "Are you afraid of ghosts?"

Gu Cong shook his head.

Not only him, even if the real Jiang Chuan were here, he wouldn't just casually fall on the road leading to the town.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing his answer, the young man who had seemed cheerful just a moment ago had a slight dimming of his pupils in the next second, like a plant wilting under the sun.

—Xie Ye felt a bit disappointed.

He had originally wanted to catch the ghost and give it to Jiang Chuan as a return gift for the chocolate. But now, it seemed that the other party didn't need it.

"A..." In just the span of these two short sentences, a brief, sharp scream suddenly came from the front of the carriage, as if someone had promptly covered it tightly with their hand.

Gu Cong's position was toward the rear, and seated as he was, he couldn't see what was happening up front. The moving bus restricted the players' movements.

But with his skills and courage, like the other players, Gu Cong hadn't fastened his seatbelt. Relying on his tall stature, he stood up and quickly scanned the entire scene.

Another dark head popped up right behind him.

Ignoring the driver, on the left side, in the third row, a strange mushroom suddenly appeared. It looked quite ordinary, something anyone would have seen on a dining table even if they didn't know its name.

But the mushroom inside the bus was unusually large, arrogantly occupying the entire row of seats and even squeezing out a bit, its thick, grayish-white body protruding.

Most importantly, the "rich soil" where it took root belonged to a player—or it would be more appropriate to call them a zombie. The player had been squeezed out of their seat by the mushroom, half of their body lying in the aisle, with a large hole in their chest. Their skeletal arm reached out futilely, as if trying to grab something.

Underneath its thin skin, countless fine mycelium were wriggling and pulsating, making one's stomach churn.

As for the person who had just screamed, it should be the female player across the aisle. At this moment, she was staring wide-eyed, her gaze unfocused. Tang Yan, who had brought Xie Ye onto the bus, was tightly covering her mouth, following her instincts, desperately trying to move backward. Tang Yan had to stand up as well.

In the face of such surreal scenes, the "ordinary passengers" on the bus remained remarkably calm. Even if a few caught a glimpse, they acted as if they hadn't seen anything, continuing their separate conversations.

With a thud, like a balloon being inflated, the mushroom, which would only appear in fantasy stories, grew larger and larger until its umbrella top hit the ceiling and it swayed unsteadily, reluctantly coming to a stop.

Now, even the players sitting in the back row could clearly see it.

Frowning deeply, Zhao Dong's expression looked like he was about to vomit.

He detested this kind of squishy stuff the most.

The layout of the seats, with a considerable distance between them, made communication between players difficult. Taking a passive approach in Infinite Game was akin to waiting for death, so the only way to survive was to figure out the patterns that led to players' deaths.

As a doctor dressed in glasses attempted to leave his seat to investigate, the driver suddenly accelerated, flinging him back into place and warning, "Stop being annoying! Sit still and don't move!" His voice was loud and hoarse, like a tolling bell, causing Xie Ye to furrow his brow slightly, losing interest in studying the mushroom and sitting back with a sullen expression.

At the same time, in a place unseen by all the players, the driver caught a glimpse of the young man's face through the rearview mirror. His body tensed, and he tightly closed his mouth.

A mushroom?

Why would there be a mushroom?

In the oppressive atmosphere, players were on guard against the passengers near them while racking their brains. Only the teenager in the oversized school uniform seemed unaffected, casually finishing the remaining half of his chocolate.

The plastic packaging rustled with every movement, despite the fact that the carriage was not completely quiet. However, the male player who had previously looked down on Xie Ye couldn't ignore this subtle noise.

Before departure, he had specifically confirmed the seats, and it turned out that his teammate was sitting where the mushroom had grown. Annoyed, he glanced at the boy beside him, who seemed just as clueless and nervous as the high school student, tightly closed eyes and clenched fists. Despite the commotion earlier, he didn't dare to muster the courage to look around.

While he may be a bit timid, at least he knew his limitations.

Unlike the person behind him, who was only thinking about eating in a difficulty level 7 instance. Was he crazy? Didn't he even care about earning points for meals? How could such a useless snack, whose only redeeming quality was his appearance, still be alive? Why should his teammate die first?

The fourth one, the fourth one to die must be him. Otherwise, why would the system arrange for these cannon fodders to come in?

"Not the fourth one."

Sensing the malice directed towards him, Xie Ye swallowed the last bit of sweetness and tilted his head slightly. His eyes were pure and intense black, reminiscent of whirlpools, nights, and the depths of the ocean thousands of meters below.

After confirming that he hadn't voiced his inner thoughts, a player named Li Jie was momentarily horrified, but still maintained his identity as a seasoned veteran, retorting, "What did you say?"

"Kid, stop making trouble for no reason," he warned.

Although he wasn't particularly tall or muscular, being a capable adult male, he exuded a fierce aura that naturally intimidated students who hadn't yet left school.

However, the warned teenager just nodded, coupled with his previous eccentric behavior, it was hard not to suspect that he simply didn't perceive the threat.

Ignoring the latter part of Li Jie's statement, the teenager seemed to genuinely believe that Li Jie had hearing problems and patiently repeated, "Not the fourth one."

"Someone next to you died too," he raised his hand and kindly pointed, "Earlier than that mushroom over there."

"Nonsense," Li Jie retorted with a sneer, without hesitation he reached out and nudged the boy closer to the aisle, "Wake up, wake up, I just heard you..."

Thud.

Like a stiff sculpture, the nervous-looking boy swayed a bit and then suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Relatively speaking, his death was peaceful, much better looking than the previous corpse. However, for the players, this was not a good sign because there was no apparent pattern to it.

With the body almost hitting his left foot, Xie Ye instinctively pulled back, but just as his shoulder was about to touch the man, he abruptly froze.

He's also dirty.

Xie Ye thought.

If the images in his mind were correct, this jacket, which barely blocked the wind...

It seemed to have been torn off the corpse.

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Author's Note:

Gu Cong: It's not dirty, feel free to touch.