Who Told You to Play Infinity Like This - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

She wasn’t the real Yun Shuang.

Aberrants had no Faith.

Chu Zhao lowered her head to avoid the glint of light, then naturally retreated behind Li Qingyin to prevent the Fake Yun Shuang from grabbing her as a hostage.

Yun Shuang was a player-specifically, a player who followed the Faith of ‘Fraud’.

Edict Academy had fallen into the Abyssal Depths, struggling to survive in the rift between annihilation and nothingness. Everyone in the academy was either an Aberrant or a player. How could an original inhabitant have the ability to get in?

That was why she was certain Yun Shuang was a player.

If Yun Shuang was a player, judging by her Rank, she was definitely no novice.

It followed, then, that her mission was different from theirs.

So, what she had said last time… naturally couldn’t be trusted.

Chu Zhao had already thought it was strange; what kind of newbie would try to blow up the Academy Crystal right from the start?

She herself needed her roommates’ protection just to go out. The difficulty of such a mission was completely mismatched with a player’s current strength.

That raised a question: since she was just an ordinary player, why had the Fake Yun Shuang specifically sought her out?

Why had she happened to wake up in Room 612?

Could it really be such a coincidence that everything just happened to revolve around ‘Zhao Qinghe’?

Chu Zhao preferred to consider the deeper possibilities.

Li Qingyin had turned hostile the moment she entered the room, which meant she had discovered Yun Shuang’s problem even faster than Chu Zhao’s [Reading] skill could.

How did she find out?

If she could see through Yun Shuang’s anomalies, what about her own ‘roommate’ who she spent every day with?

Chu Zhao had already used [Read] on quite a few Aberrants; most were ‘B’ rank with a ‘Mysterious’ grade.

But Li Qingyin was ‘S’ rank, and her grade was unknown.

Although Chu Zhao wanted to believe it was a coincidence, it was just too convenient.

Even without using [Read], Chu Zhao could clearly feel that Lin Qiu and Zhu Qing’an were also stronger than ordinary students.

Chu Zhao wasn’t a conceited person, but at this moment, she couldn’t help but examine herself.

Was there something special about her?

After scanning her status panel for a long time, Chu Zhao’s gaze landed on her hidden identity.

[Apostle of Chaos]

Was she the only one with a hidden identity?

Chu Zhao narrowed her eyes.

Her gaze fell upon ‘Yun Shuang’.

“What value do you have?” Li Qingyin’s voice was cold and grim.

“The academy is currently located in the Wilderness of Yore-a place where even gods don’t want to linger,” NoGiggles spoke rapidly, knowing that an Aberrant’s sanity was extremely unstable. “I have a map of this place. I can give it to you.”

She continued, “You must be from the Autonomous Council, right?”

The Autonomous Council?

Chu Zhao’s ears perked up.

“Your rationality seems much stronger than your kind outside. Not only can you maintain a disguise for a long time, but you can even live among the living for this long.”

Chu Zhao was full of questions, but she didn’t interrupt.

Li Qingyin closed her eyes briefly. “Forget it. I’ll just see for myself.”

“Wait, wait, wait! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!” NoGiggles hadn’t expected her to lose patience just because she asked one curious question.

As expected of a ghost-type, she had zero patience.

White light burst from NoGiggles’ body one after another, as if some items were shattering.

“No! Don’t! Those are protective charms bestowed by my Lord! You don’t want to provoke my Lord, do you?”

Li Qingyin finally opened her eyes and looked at her. “Just you?”

NoGiggles spoke even faster. “I’m a player! Do you know what a player is? Each of us is a backup Divine Chosen, carrying the blessings of the gods!”

“Since you know of Their existence, you should know Their great power.”

Thank God, these Aberrants weren’t hicks; they actually knew about the gods!

NoGiggles breathed a massive sigh of relief.

As a follower of ‘Fraud’, what she feared most were things she couldn’t communicate with.

Unfortunately, she was on ‘Edict’ territory, and the rules of ‘Edict’ were exactly what restricted her performance.

She never expected there to be an Aberrant of this strength among the students, nor that some bastard would lure her here.

Yun Shuang’s gaze couldn’t help but fall on Chu Zhao. “For example, your friend behind you is a novice player.”

Chu Zhao poked her head out from behind Li Qingyin. “Can I ask her something, Qingyin?”

Li Qingyin glanced back at her.

Chu Zhao had already started asking. “What is your mission?”

NoGiggles raised an eyebrow. “My mission has absolutely nothing to do with yours. If you don’t want to die, don’t pry into a high-level player’s mission. It’s for your-”

Chu Zhao interrupted her. “She wants to find the Saint’s Heart to blow up the academy. Qingyin, kill her and take her loot.”

White light began bursting from NoGiggles again.

Watching her expensive protective items shatter one by one, NoGiggles’ heart bled. Her tone instantly became incredibly sincere. “As your senior, ask whatever you want. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

*You better hope you make it out alive. I’ll see if any Aberrants can protect you once we leave this hellhole. If I don’t trick you until you don’t even have your underwear left, I’ll defect to ‘Edict’!*

NoGiggles swore an oath in her heart.

Chu Zhao: “Your mission is?”

NoGiggles’ tone turned solemn. “Sinner’s Blood.”

She swept a glance at Chu Zhao, her expression turning subtle again. “This is an S-rank dungeon. I really don’t understand why you were unlucky enough to have your Trial here.”

“I’m ready to force-quit to save my life at any moment. Can you?”

Chu Zhao asked, “What other players like you do you know of? How many people entered the dungeon in total? Are their goals the same as yours? What is your mission time limit?”

NoGiggles: “…”

It would have been better to let the Aberrant do the questioning.

This goddamn player-traitor!

Li Qingyin narrowed her eyes.

NoGiggles could only answer honestly. “There are twelve people in total. They’re all in the Inner Zone. I used an identity swap to get out.”
She glanced at NoGiggles. “As for what the Inner Zone is, ask your good friend yourself.”

“Our goals are aligned. This isn’t a Competitive Instance,” she said expressionlessly. “The time limit is one month.”

“What day did you enter?” Chu Zhao continued to ask.

NoGiggles was extremely displeased. She swept a look at Chu Zhao and said, “August 7th.”

Chu Zhao said, “You are a Kin of ‘Fraud,’ but I think now that you’ve been exposed, Qingyin definitely has a way to verify the truth of your words.”

Li Qingyin nodded slightly and then reached out directly, grabbing something from NoGiggles’ body. It happened in a flash, and Chu Zhao couldn’t see it clearly.

NoGiggles’ face turned green again.

She looked at Chu Zhao with a gaze that could kill.

Chu Zhao acted as if nothing were wrong, even resting her chin on Li Qingyin’s shoulder, unafraid of the increasingly thick scent of blood coming from her.

She continued to ask, “What information do you know now? Including what your teammates told you.”

NoGiggles closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Chu Zhao at all. “I want to speak with you alone.”

Li Qingyin thought for a moment and eventually nodded.

Chu Zhao: “???”

Are you kidding me right now?

Li Qingyin habitually comforted her with a few words. “That isn’t something you should know. It’s very dangerous.”

She added, “Qiuqiu, An’an, take her home.”

“I might not be back for the next two days,” she said, her brow furrowed. “Be careful on your way back and keep the windows tightly shut.”

Lin Qiu and the other girl nodded calmly.

Chu Zhao followed Lin Qiu out reluctantly, but after a couple of steps, she turned back. “NoGiggles, ‘Here, Burst Some Coins’!” (She shouted very loudly.)

NoGiggles: “???”

[Obtained 5,650 Points, ‘Qin Zhi’s Trench Coat’]

Because her Inventory was full, the item appeared directly in Chu Zhao’s hands.

The door Zhu Qing’an had just opened slammed shut with a ‘thwack.’

Li Qingyin reached out and grabbed the air, and the trench coat flew back to her. “Where did you get this?”

NoGiggles also spoke through gritted teeth. “You…”

Chu Zhao said, “I used ‘Burst Some Coins’ on her.”

She looked very innocent.

Lin Qiu and Zhu Qing’an: “…”

NoGiggles remained expressionless, shooting Chu Zhao a glare before saying, “One of us this time is a Scholar. He read a message left by a predecessor and went to the Grand Auditorium to get the trench coat.”

They had gone to great lengths to take things from the Grand Auditorium.

NoGiggles had also put in a lot of effort to trick the trench coat out of its hiding place.

Now, it was all for nothing.

Li Qingyin didn’t know what to say for a moment.

She put the trench coat away.

NoGiggles was so frustrated she felt like spitting blood, not to mention the fact that over five thousand Points had been deducted.

Over five thousand!!!

You couldn’t necessarily save up five thousand Points even if you carried an A-rank Instance from start to finish!

Chu Zhao, however, asked, “Qingyin, why are you taking my trench coat?”

NoGiggles: “???”

Li Qingyin: “…”

They were both done with Chu Zhao.

Li Qingyin could only close her eyes. “I’ll keep it for now.” But she didn’t give it back.

Chu Zhao was already being forcefully dragged away by Lin Qiu. “Remember to give it back to me when you return…”

Once they were out the door, Chu Zhao acted as if nothing had happened. “Qiuqiu, what is the Autonomous Council?”

Lin Qiu gave her a cold glance. “It’s an academy management organization made up of upperclassmen.”

“Why didn’t you join?” Chu Zhao asked.

Lin Qiu: “I failed the assessment.”

Chu Zhao: “Qiuqiu is so amazing, how could you fail?”

Zhu Qing’an chimed in for once. “Jin Xiao is dead. She should be able to pass now.”

Chu Zhao was puzzled.

Lin Qiu didn’t want to explain and changed the subject. “We need to wait a bit before leaving.”

Chu Zhao stared at her.

“Without Qingyin following us,” she stood in the hallway and looked down, “we can’t leave the teaching building for the time being.”

Chu Zhao looked down and then frowned.

Outside the teaching building, a dense gray mist pressed against an invisible barrier. She saw several familiar faces in the first-floor lobby.

It seemed like no one from their class had made it out.

Yu Ge appeared silently beside them. “Where is that… Senior?”

Lin Qiu: “She has business.”

Yu Ge looked thoughtful.

She said, “They haven’t had food for a long time. Without that Senior’s protection, I’m afraid it will be difficult for you to bring Zhao Qinghe back in one piece.”

Lin Qiu rolled up her sleeves. “It’s not that hard.”

Chu Zhao was slightly touched, until she heard Lin Qiu’s next sentence.

“At worst, we’ll just let her die.”

Chu Zhao: “…”

She hooked her arm around Lin Qiu’s shoulder. “Qiuqiu, I thought we were best friends who shared everything!”

Lin Qiu coldly pulled her hand down. “We aren’t.”

Chu Zhao persistently climbed back on.

Yu Ge’s expression was slightly strange.

*Are you two actually on good terms?*

Zhu Qing’an: “Let’s go through the back door.”

“Get back before dark,” she said in her usual flat tone. “They’ve already caught the scent. They won’t back down.”

Lin Qiu nodded and turned to walk toward the back.

Chu Zhao suddenly asked, “Is 611 certain they can get back safely?”

Zhu Qing’an answered her, “That depends on whether they’re willing to work for it.”

All four people in 611 were from Class 1 (3); they were at full strength.

Chu Zhao translated: It depended on whether they were on good terms with 611 and whether they were willing to put in the effort.

Lin Qiu’s tone was very impatient. “Why do you care about them?”

As they spoke, they had already reached the small back door of the teaching building. It was still afternoon, yet the sky looked as if it had been dyed with blood.

Chu Zhao pondered for a moment. “Qiuqiu, can this make things easier for us?”

“Song of Eternity?” Yu Ge cried out in shock. “Where did you get that?!”

Chu Zhao’s expression remained normal. “I picked it up.”