Who Told You to Play Infinity Like This - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Chu Zhao checked the time and realized that Lin Qiu and the others had taken less than fifteen minutes.

She felt a strange sense of amusement and glanced at the group chat before closing it.

“Can I skip eating?”

Lin Qiu gave her a cold look, then tossed the food she had brought back onto the table. “No.”

She then handed a test paper to Chu Zhao. “Eat quickly. Once you’re done, finish this for me to see.”

Chu Zhao sighed. “Fine.”

What kind of normal person insists on testing their roommate? But she had no choice; she could only indulge Qiuqiu.

She finished a piece of meat in a few bites, then pulled out her unfinished snacks to munch on.

She had a small question.

Where did the snacks in this academy come from?

What kind of snacks could be delivered to the academy through the Abyssal Depths?

As expected, Lin Qiu dumped the remaining meat into her own bowl and just stared at Chu Zhao.

Crunching away, Chu Zhao asked again, “Where exactly did you buy these?”

Seeing that Chu Zhao had no intention of starting the test yet, Lin Qiu lowered her head to eat.

It was Zhu Qing’an who answered, “The commissary at the school gate. That area connects to the outside.”

Chu Zhao’s eyes flickered. It was the first time she had noticed anything about the world beyond the school. “What’s it like outside?”

Zhu Qing’an: “We’ve never been out. You should ask Qingyin.”

Only Qingyin and Qinghe could leave the school for short periods; the rest of them couldn’t get out.

Lin Qiu said coldly, “It’s none of your business.”

Chu Zhao glanced at her and casually typed a message to Yu Ge: [Do you know where the outside is? I want to buy some snacks.]

Yu Ge: [I heard from a Senior that the academy is currently stopped in the ‘Wilderness of Yore.’ It’s where the past and future intersect, and you can see the Mirages of the Myriad Heavens. That’s why the academy’s supplies are so abundant this year.]

[But I heard from the Autonomous Council that we seem to be stuck here. If we don’t leave the ‘Wilderness of Yore’ soon, we’re doomed if we get entangled by the things inside.]

She finally remembered something and warned Chu Zhao: [The Mirages of the Myriad Heavens are the most painful and desperate places in the universe. Once you wander in by mistake, there’s no possibility of return. Even when the strongest members of the Autonomous Council go out, it’s extremely dangerous. Don’t even think about leaving the school!]

Leaving the school…

Survival, role-playing… why was there no option to escape?

The moment Chu Zhao looked up, she saw the long-awaited light screen.

[Dormitory 612]

[Game Type: Survival, Role-play

Faction: Ordo · Edict

Difficulty: ? (Trial)

Objective 1: Survive for seven days.

Objective 2: Escape the academy.

Objective 3: Sinner’s Blood (S), Blood Moon of Desire (S), Chase of Yore (S), Voice of the Saint (S)…

Players Alive: 96/360]

Escaping the academy was indeed one of the objectives, but… her gaze fixed on the third condition.

So the Objective 3 from last time really was fake. That Fraud player must have used some ability to tamper with her interface… or perhaps her vision.

No wonder the sense of dissonance had been so strong.

But was the third objective real this time?

Isn’t this a bit much?

Is the academy parked in hell?

Chu Zhao’s eye twitched.

What kind of Trial instance is set in such a terrifying place?

She strongly suspected that if Lin Qiu and the others were placed in any other instance, they would all be bosses.

Noticing her expression, Lin Qiu asked sharply, “What did you do now?”

Chu Zhao took a deep breath and tore open the last bag of chips. “Qiuqiu, I’m out of food.”

Lin Qiu’s eyelid jumped, and she coldly lowered her head to eat.

She didn’t have the money to buy snacks for Chu Zhao. Not a chance.

Chu Zhao asked, “How much did the snacks cost last time?”

Zhu Qing’an said casually, “Two thousand five hundred.”

Chu Zhao: “?”

She had almost no appetite in this instance and ate very little. Setting aside the unpalatable ‘meat,’ she couldn’t even eat many snacks.

But she still remembered that the snacks they brought back last time only amounted to four or five bags in total. That cost two thousand five hundred?!

Was she eating gold?!

Chu Zhao: “Let’s go buy some tomorrow.”

She was contemplating whose gold coins she should farm tomorrow.

Since Li Qingyin wasn’t coming back, their plan to go to the library was scrapped.

Although Li Qingyin said she would be back tomorrow, who knew if she was telling the truth.

Lin Qiu declared in advance, “I’m not paying.”

Chu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. “Qiuqiu, let me farm some gold-”

Before she could finish the words ‘gold coins,’ Lin Qiu rushed over and covered her mouth.

Lin Qiu said sternly, “You are not allowed to farm my gold coins!”

Having witnessed ‘farming gold coins’ twice with her own eyes, how could she not understand Chu Zhao’s ability by now?

At this moment, Lin Qiu was terrified.

Chu Zhao: “Hahaha…”

Zhu Qing’an: “…”

Lin Qiu: “?”

She grew annoyed. Giving up on her meal, she slapped the test paper in front of Chu Zhao without a word. “Write.”

Chu Zhao: “?”

Tsk, someone’s tilted, but she wouldn’t say who.

Fine, she would go easy on poor little Jiu Jiu.

The moment she picked up the test paper, Chu Zhao felt a familiar, bone-chilling sensation.

Could a test paper also count as a Cursed Object?
Was this because it had touched Lin Qiu’s hand, or did it originate from her own power?

Chu Zhao used [Reading].

[A blank test paper (Lin Qiu)]

Chu Zhao wrote her name in the designated space and used [Reading] again.

[A blank Zhao Qinghe test paper (Lin Qiu)]

It seemed this was Qiuqiu’s own derivative ability.

Was Lin Qiu’s ability just turning things into test papers?

Was she… not that strong?

Seeing her write down the name, Lin Qiu took back the notebook she had given Chu Zhao earlier and just stared at her.

Proctoring.jpg

Chu Zhao answered two questions and used [Reading] again, finding that it had no negative effect on her.

She immediately felt at ease.

Lin Qiu’s eyes flashed with a strange light. “You’re not using a pen?”

Chu Zhao replied, “No.”

Lin Qiu looked a bit envious.

Time passed as Chu Zhao repeatedly checked the paper, making various corrections.

Lin Qiu watched her finish the paper with her own eyes, then watched her repeatedly erase and rewrite under the guise of ‘self-checking.’

She clearly saw that Chu Zhao’s score was getting closer and closer to a perfect mark.

As she watched, she became thoughtful. “Can you see your own score?”

Chu Zhao ignored her and used [Reading] once more.

[A perfect score Zhao Qinghe test paper (Lin Qiu)]

She handed it to Lin Qiu and said with a smile, “How’s that? Pretty impressive, right?”

Lin Qiu: “…”

The woman’s final doubts dissolved, and the faint redness in her eyes vanished completely.

She glanced at Chu Zhao and silently put the paper away.

She hadn’t finished her meal yet; she couldn’t let it go to waste.

Chu Zhao began to pester her. “Qiuqiu, Qiuqiu, Qingyin isn’t coming back tonight. Can I sleep in her bed?”

Lin Qiu: “???”

Zhu Qing’an: “???”

Don’t you have your own bed?

Lin Qiu flatly refused, “No.”

Chu Zhao asked again, “Since we’re on such good terms, can I sleep with you?”

Lin Qiu choked, her lifeless pupils nearly gaining a spark of light from the shock.

Zhu Qing’an was stunned.

This was a possibility she had never even considered. Was that even allowed?

Lin Qiu’s voice rose. “No!”

Chu Zhao muttered, “If I can’t, I can’t. Why are you shouting?”

When Li Qingyin left, she had specifically told them to keep the doors and windows tightly shut.

Chu Zhao suspected that there might be some hidden danger in the dorm while she was away, so she wanted to try an unconventional approach.

Unfortunately, Lin Qiu wasn’t being cooperative and had rejected every request.

Giving Lin Qiu a reproachful look, Chu Zhao turned to Zhu Qing’an. “An’an, An’an, An’an, I’d love to sleep with you too-”

Zhu Qing’an crossed her arms over her chest, her tone firm. “No.”

Chu Zhao looked extremely disappointed. “Really?”

Zhu Qing’an became even more resolute. “No!!!”

Chu Zhao sighed. “I’m clearly the one who should be feeling shy here.”

When Chu Zhao had looked at her earlier, Lin Qiu had almost started reflecting on whether she was being too mean. Hearing this now, she realized the girl was simply shameless.

If it were Qinghe… she would never need to sleep with anyone else.

Chu Zhao sat back down and continued browsing the group chat.

Her group was growing bit by bit; people were joining through the numbers found in the cafeteria.

The group was a mixed bag. she vetted them one by one, moving players into a backup group and ignoring the rest.

Perhaps all ‘people’ had a desire to chat. Aside from the players, the students also exchanged a few words occasionally, allowing Chu Zhao to piece together an image of the academy.

The Grand Auditorium was a special place; they mentioned going there to welcome new students.

The playground was still a place of terror; the punishment for losing a match was extremely severe.

They held the administration building in contempt, and their feelings toward the school leaders and teachers were complicated.

Among all this, what caught Chu Zhao’s attention most was that they were terrified of ‘moonlight’ and ‘music.’

Furthermore, leaving the school and the library were the only two topics they never even mentioned.

After watching for a while, Chu Zhao withdrew her gaze. She folded a small box out of paper and placed Yu Ge’s Heart inside.

She examined it closely.

[Yu Ge’s Heart]

[Erudition] activated automatically-

[Body parts of an Aberrant often contain the most extreme curses. They are the source of their power, but also their weakness.

You feel that if you were to destroy this ‘heart,’ Yu Ge would suffer immense trauma and very likely dissipate.]

Chu Zhao became thoughtful.

Zhu Qing’an and Lin Qiu’s gazes silently converged on her. At some point, they had both come to stand on either side of her.

Lin Qiu asked gloomily, “What is that?”

Chu Zhao replied, “I don’t know. I picked it up.”

Lin Qiu: “…”

Zhu Qing’an: “…”

Chu Zhao asked, “Want a bite?”

Lin Qiu immediately took a step back, her eyes full of disgust. “Get that away!”

Zhu Qing’an didn’t have such a violent reaction. “…Does Yu Ge know you took her heart?”

Chu Zhao had already put ‘it’ back into her Inventory. “I found it. How would she know?”

Lin Qiu said sarcastically, “You certainly have a knack for ‘finding’ things.”

Chu Zhao replied, “Understood. Next time, I’ll find yours.”

Zhu Qing’an said expectantly, “Find more of them.”

Lin Qiu looked at Zhu Qing’an in disbelief.

Zhu Qing’an met her gaze with an innocent look.
Outside, the sky had already dimmed. Chu Zhao changed the subject. “Since Qingyin isn’t here, will it be dangerous tonight?”

Lin Qiu glanced at Zhao Qinghe’s current state, then turned her head. “It wouldn’t have been before.”

“What do you mean, ‘wouldn’t have been before’?”

Zhu Qing’an thought to herself: *Because Qinghe was still in the dorm then. Usually, Qingyin and Qinghe don’t leave the room at the same time.*

She said aloud, “There might be visitors from outside the school tonight. They…”

“They just want to find a place to spend the night.” She wasn’t sure if the dorm not being at full capacity would affect the current ‘Zhao Qinghe.’ “No matter what happens, do not get out of bed.”

“It’s best if you don’t even open your eyes.”

“Just sleep until tomorrow morning and everything will be fine.”

Lin Qiu finally remembered something as well and turned to warn her, “Don’t pull the curtains open. Don’t expose yourself to the moonlight.”

“There won’t be anyone outside the window. No one will call for you, and certainly no one will ask you to come downstairs.”

“If you hear music…”

Lin Qiu paused for a long time. “Then wake me up too.”

Chu Zhao couldn’t help but stare at her for a moment. It wasn’t until Lin Qiu’s expression grew colder that she withdrew her gaze. “I understand.”

She added, “My luck shouldn’t be that bad.”

“If things really go south, I’ll call Qingyin for backup.”

Lin Qiu’s expression softened considerably. “Mm.”

“If it’s truly dangerous, Qingyin will rush back.”

Night was dangerous, but Qingyin could manage it. She had always prioritized them.

Time slipped away. By the time Chu Zhao snapped out of her thoughts, she heard Lin Qiu say, “Get in bed first. I’m turning off the lights.”

Chu Zhao followed the instruction, put down her book, climbed into bed, and lay down. “I’m ready.”

Lin Qiu didn’t say a word. The lights flickered once before slowly fading into darkness.

The lights were out, but Chu Zhao didn’t hear the sound of Lin Qiu climbing into her bunk. Instead, she heard a heavy *thud*, like a weight dropping straight onto the bed boards.

…Qiuqiu has a very unique way of getting into bed.

Soon, the greedy and excited voices of the Dorm Supervisors echoed in the hallway. But just like the previous night, they passed Room 612 three times without entering.

Compared to the noise of the first night, the corridor was exceptionally quiet tonight.

The Dorm Supervisors seemed destined to return empty-handed.

Chu Zhao heard them pounding on the door of 611, but the noise quickly died down.

As she listened, Chu Zhao’s eyelids gradually grew heavy.

She was sleepy.

…The light came on.

Chu Zhao instinctively wanted to open her eyes, but in the next second, she rolled over and continued sleeping.

Remembering the crisis from the previous night, she decided to be cautious. After all, if she just overslept, her roommates would at most nag her a bit.

But in the next moment, a soft voice rang out inside the dorm-

“The world belongs to the Father of Desire. Ladies, my Lord cordially invites the three of you to participate in the Moonlit Parade~~~”

[Emergency Event: Moonlit Parade (A)]

[The Master of Desire and Silver Moon wishes for you to carry out His will and scatter the seeds of life across the world.]

[Rewards: His Blessing, Twisted Desire/Power of Procreation]

Chu Zhao remained unmoved, showing no reaction whatsoever.

In the next second, however, she heard footsteps. The visitor stopped by her bed and asked in a very soft, melodious voice, “Lady, did you hear me?”

At that moment, Chu Zhao even felt the bed vibrate, as if something was leaning against it. She felt an uncontrollable urge to imagine what it looked like.

The moment she started to visualize hair, Chu Zhao suppressed her thoughts and began reciting multiplication tables in her head.

After an unknown amount of time, the weight beside the bed lightened.

Chu Zhao still didn’t react. She didn’t care what was by her bed. Even if the thing slept next to her, so what?

Whatever it was could wait until morning.

Gradually, drowsiness washed over Chu Zhao again. She let herself drift. Just as she was about to enter a dream…

She heard Zhu Qing’an’s voice: “What the hell is this! Get lost!”

Chu Zhao: “?”

Impossible. Zhu Qing’an and the others had been here for so long; there was no way they would fall for such a trick.

This was likely another one of the entity’s ploys.

In that instant, Chu Zhao’s sleepiness vanished, but she kept her eyes tightly shut and didn’t move.

“AAAAAHHHH-”

Zhu Qing’an’s scream suddenly pierced Chu Zhao’s eardrums. She remembered her resolve, but her eyes suddenly opened against her will.

She saw a face filled with absurdity and desire.

It had no hair, and its elongated neck was like a stretched water pipe. It had actually squeezed its way into her bed and was staring at her without blinking.

Seeing her open her eyes, it broke into an increasingly predatory grin.

Chu Zhao’s heart skipped a beat.

She didn’t understand. She hadn’t intended to get up, and she hadn’t believed the ruse, so why had her eyes opened uncontrollably?

It was as if, in that moment, she had lost control of her body.

If the monster had this kind of power all along, why the act?

But…

Chu Zhao’s eyes were open, yet they were unfocused.

As if sleepwalking, she abruptly sat up and climbed out of bed.

The lights were on. Lin Qiu and Zhu Qing’an were lying on their beds as if they were dead.

They were indeed staying perfectly still.

Chu Zhao moved like a sleepwalker, her gaze vacant. Ignoring the entity’s fanatical and unrestrained stare, she dragged her feet toward the sink.
She saw the mirror, and in it, she saw herself.

Compared to the daytime, her face had grown even paler. The dark circles under her eyes almost completely eclipsed the healthy color of a living person. Her lips were a ghostly white, and her fingernails had taken on a bluish tint.

Unlike yesterday, a winding, dark brown scar had appeared on her neck, looking as if someone had used a thick rope to violently strangle her.

She stared blankly into the mirror, ignoring the several long-necked heads that had appeared within the reflection.

These heads were hairless, with massive eyes but no noses or mouths.

One of them issued an invitation to Chu Zhao. “Faith in our Lord’s desire, shared rights of gestation, scion of the moon…”

Its expression grew increasingly frenzied, but Chu Zhao simply did her own thing.

If she decided to get out of bed, she got out of bed. If she decided to wash her face, she washed her face.

Chu Zhao had once specifically studied how to mimic a sleepwalking state and had even used it to pull off a triple kill. Now, she was returning to her old profession, treating a dead horse as if it were still alive.

She was betting that the entity wasn’t sure if she was awake.

She didn’t even dare use her Reading ability on it for fear of being discovered.

After washing her face, Chu Zhao pretended nothing was wrong and began walking back to bed.

The heads couldn’t restrain themselves this time. Slender limbs reached out, trying to grab her.

The wind blew the curtains open, allowing moonlight to spill into the room and land behind Chu Zhao’s heels.

The sound of the wind carried music into the dormitory.

At that moment, sheets of paper suddenly filled the air. Blood-stained formulas swept through the room, swirling around and perfectly blocking out the wind and the moonlight.

They flew toward the window and dissolved into the blood-red moonlight.

The heads had their eyes covered by the flying papers. They scrambled to tear the sheets off their faces, only to find that Chu Zhao was already halfway back into her bunk.

Just as one tried to chase after her, its foot slipped, and it tumbled to the floor.

At some point, the floor had become slick with blood. Ruptured flesh and pale skin covered the tiles. After slipping several times, the entity could only watch as Chu Zhao climbed into bed, closed her eyes, and lay down again.

After an unknown amount of time, the wind died down. The curtains once again blocked the moonlight, and silence returned to the dormitory, broken only by the sound of Chu Zhao’s steady, rhythmic breathing.

The floor was a mess, with blood and paper covering the room. The thick scent of iron was enough to make one’s nose go numb.

The next day.

Chu Zhao woke up in a daze. Following her usual strategy, she turned over to go back to sleep, only to hear her roommate’s raspy voice.

Lin Qiu asked, “Still not getting up?”

Chu Zhao finally opened her eyes slowly.

Just like the first time, the room was dim, and the curtains were drawn.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains. Chu Zhao instinctively looked down.

Everything from last night felt like a dream. There was no moonlight, no heads, no flying papers, and no blood flowing like a stream across the floor.

With a lingering sense of dread, she touched her chest, only to feel a patch of rough skin. She pulled her shirt aside to look.

A dark brown scar, looking like a tumor, sat right over her heart.

Following her wrists and her neck, a very wrong-looking scar had now appeared over her heart as well.

Or rather, Zhao Qinghe’s body was transforming.

Getting out of bed, she saw Lin Qiu sitting in a chair reading and Zhu Qing’an pouring hot water.

They said nothing, each busy with their own tasks.

Chu Zhao walked to the mirror. After finishing her morning routine, she stared at the reflection for a long time.

Zhao Qinghe was a very beautiful person, but now, shrouded in scars and the aura of death, she looked incredibly eerie.

And this was only the third day-Monday.

The first Objective was to survive for seven days. Was that really not a trap?

Touching the scar on Zhao Qinghe’s neck, Chu Zhao suddenly said, “Hello.”

Li Qingyin suddenly appeared and tilted her head.

Chu Zhao said, “I wasn’t calling you.”

Li Qingyin gave an “oh” and vanished again.

She only came back in the mornings to check in.

Chu Zhao searched her entire body and then gave the mirror a meaningful look.

She had suddenly lost control of her body last night. An ordinary person might suspect it was their own mistake, but Chu Zhao wouldn’t.

She understood her own capabilities better than anyone.

No matter how chaotic things got, she never lost control-unless she was being influenced by an irresistible force.

In the mirror, Zhao Qinghe had a gentle, smiling face. Her upturned eyes seemed to hold a hint of a smile; she looked perfectly normal.

After finishing her business in the bathroom, Chu Zhao began rummaging through her things.

Lin Qiu and the others watched her actions silently. Finally, Lin Qiu couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”

Chu Zhao replied, “I want to buy some snacks, but I can’t find my bank card. I’m looking for it.”

Soon, she accurately located a card inside a piece of clothing in the wardrobe.

“I forgot the password. Qiuqiu, do you guys remember it?”

The two of them replied, “…No.”

Chu Zhao used Read on it-

[Zhao Qinghe’s Debit Card]
[Password: 19971314]

Chu Zhao smiled. “Never mind, I remember now.”

She opened her phone to check the balance on the new card.

[Balance: 65,023.]

Chu Zhao’s smile widened. “I knew it. How could I possibly have no money?”

Lin Qiu: “…”

Zhu Qing’an: “…”

Zhao Qinghe: “…”