Who Told You to Play Infinity Like This - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was only when she actually stepped into the rain that Chu Zhao felt the world-crushing pressure.

From the dormitory, it had looked like a light drizzle, but down here, the dark clouds felt like they were pressing against her head, casting the world into a murky gloom.

Raindrops hit her umbrella like falling marbles, striking with heavy thuds before rolling off to smash violently against the ground.

Chu Zhao’s vision dimmed considerably. The shadows of the trees lining the path were jagged and uneven, resembling monsters with bared fangs and brandished claws.

She looked back and found she could no longer see the shape of her dormitory building clearly; everything was hazy and indistinct.

She gripped the handle of her umbrella cautiously, avoiding the overgrown shadows on either side as she continued forward.

With every step, she felt dark figures flickering at the edge of her vision, keeping her nerves on edge.

At least she could communicate with her roommates; these things didn’t seem like the conversational type.

“Woof, woof!”

A small black dog darted out from nowhere. It hesitated noticeably as it passed Chu Zhao, as if it couldn’t quite tell what species she was.

Chu Zhao caught a glimpse of its fur. It wasn’t rain flowing off it, but a thick, viscous substance like crude oil.

In the black rain, the dog barked a few more times, but in Chu Zhao’s ears, it sounded like it was saying-

“Have some pity, lady. I haven’t eaten in a year…”

“I can tell you where the key to this dungeon is, because I used to be a player too!” It seemed quite confused by Chu Zhao, but it still tried its sales pitch. “Beware of your roommates! They’ll replace you! Lady! Lady!”

Chu Zhao pretended not to see it and maintained her pace.

The little black dog hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn’t give chase, melting back into the rain.

Waves of shock crashed through Chu Zhao’s mind.

There had been other players in this Novice Dungeon before?

If she failed her mission, would she also be left behind in the dungeon as a stray cat or dog?!

And what about her roommates?

What kind of entities were they, really?

Chu Zhao didn’t believe the black dog, of course, but she became much more alert.

Along the way, she encountered many more ‘small animals.’ Most were cats and dogs, but occasionally there were stranger things: vines talking to themselves, streetlights gurgling with oil. Every ‘small animal’ said something different, but their ultimate goal was the same.

They wanted food.

Chu Zhao had no food on her. Perhaps she herself was the food these ‘small animals’ sought.

Because she ignored them throughout, she eventually left them behind, fading into the distance under their bewildered gazes.

Chu Zhao vaguely realized that the meat she had eaten yesterday might have served another purpose…

Finally reaching the teaching building, Chu Zhao stopped to observe. Sure enough, she found a thin curtain of light at the entrance.

[Edict]

[1. Teaching Building A3 is a place for teachers to teach and students to attend class. Unauthorized persons are prohibited from entering.]

[2. Noise and fighting are prohibited in this area.]

There were only two ‘Edicts,’ which surprised Chu Zhao slightly.

Did this mean the teaching building was safe enough?

But then she thought of her clingy roommates and couldn’t help but shake her head.

They were all ‘students.’ To them, the teaching building was like their own backyard. How could it be safe?

Steeling herself, Chu Zhao stepped into the building. She folded her umbrella but pointedly did not shake off the water. Carrying the dripping umbrella, she walked toward Zone B.

They were all afraid of the rain, and it was still very early on a Saturday. There shouldn’t be many of them in the teaching building. This was an excellent window of opportunity.

At this moment, the lobby on the first floor was empty. She was alone.

The woman in the white shirt paused before the floor map. Her hair was tied in a simple ponytail, with a few stray strands resting loosely against her fair neck. She had one hand in her pocket and the other holding the dripping black umbrella.

Not far away, a descending elevator finally came to a stop.

The bright red floor indicator stopped flickering and settled firmly on ‘1F.’

The elevator doors slid open automatically, spilling bright light across the floor and making the smooth tiles shine like new.

Chu Zhao turned her head and saw the elevator doors standing open directly in front of her.

After a few seconds of silence, the doors remained open.

Chu Zhao gave her black umbrella a casual flick and strolled toward the first-floor corridor.

Rainwater from the umbrella splashed across the floor, and as Chu Zhao stepped through it, she left a conspicuous trail of wet footprints.

The elevator doors finally slid shut slowly.

With one hand in her pocket, Chu Zhao looked around nonchalantly, making no effort to hide her purpose.

She was window shopping.

Next to the elevator were the restrooms, both male and female. Without going inside, she could see the sinks and trash cans.

Chu Zhao gave them a cursory glance and moved on.

She was afraid of filth.

The rooms closest to the restrooms were classrooms, numbered 101 through 104.

There were four classrooms in the Zone B corridor, all of them large lecture halls.

The first floor had no faculty offices or breakrooms. Instead, there was another restroom at the end of the corridor, next to a staircase leading up.

Chu Zhao finished her brief tour of the first floor of Zone B and began to head upstairs.

She was still the only one there, yet there were two sets of footsteps.

As she reached the stairs, Chu Zhao slowed her pace slightly and turned her body halfway.

Her footsteps stopped, but another set of footsteps continued below her, about three to five steps away.

After about two seconds, the other party’s footsteps also stopped.

Chu Zhao said casually, “Hello. Which class are you in?”

The air was silent.

Chu Zhao shrugged. “A teacher called me in for a talk. You too?”

Seeing that the other party was too shy to answer, Chu Zhao continued upward. “Hardly anyone is here today. I guess no one really likes studying.”
The “Edict” stated that no one except teachers and students was allowed inside.

Chu Zhao wasn’t sure if “unrelated persons” included janitors, security guards, or school officials.

However, anyone capable of following her like this was most likely a student.

Even though the other person didn’t respond, Chu Zhao continued to chatter naturally and calmly, as if she had found a conversation partner.

She reached the second floor, entered the hallway again, and began to browse.

As she wandered, she said, “There are quite a few classrooms here. By the way, which one is yours?”

She wasn’t embarrassed when the other person didn’t answer. “Do you know my roommate? My roommate is very nice and pretty, too. You must have seen her, right?”

Passing the second-floor restroom, she even asked, “Do you need to use the bathroom? Oh, by the way, does the second-floor restroom smell?”

The layout of the second floor was identical to the first: four classrooms, two restrooms, a stairwell, and an elevator. There was nothing special about it.

Of course, Chu Zhao still had no intention of entering a classroom.

There was a horizontal corridor on the second floor that allowed passage from Zone B to Zone A, but Chu Zhao didn’t cross over.

She headed up to the third floor.

“Are you a bit shy?” Chu Zhao said as she climbed the stairs. “Actually, I’m just like you. I’m very introverted, too.”

A clear, crisp female voice rang out. “You? Introverted?”

Having followed her from the first floor to the third, the owner of the footsteps finally spoke, unable to endure it any longer.

“Yeah, how am I not introverted?”

Chu Zhao slowed her pace slightly, acting as if she could see the other person, waiting for them to walk side-by-side with her up the stairs.

“Hello, my name is Lin Qiu. Do you know me?”

“I know you.”

Chu Zhao was slightly surprised.

A girl with long, flowing hair and a button-down shirt appeared beside Chu Zhao. Her face was pale and gloomy, and her eyes were dark and heavy. “Zhao Qinghe.”

Chu Zhao: “…”

It was a bit awkward, but not by much.

Chu Zhao laughed it off. “I was just joking with you.”

“Since you know me, you must also know that Qiuqiu and I are very close,” she smiled. “Qiuqiu often mentions you to me.”

“Let’s introduce ourselves again. I’m Zhao Qinghe.”

The other girl stared at Chu Zhao coldly for a moment before scoffing, “Yu Ge.”

“Hello, Student Yu. Do you want to add me as a friend? I accidentally cleared my account a while ago, and now I don’t have any friends left.”

Yu Ge: “…”

Amidst the non-stop chatter, they reached the third floor. Yu Ge suddenly grabbed Chu Zhao’s hand.

Just like her roommates, she was as cold as a block of ice.

“You are completely different from my memory,” she said. “What happened?”

If the real Zhao Qinghe had seen her, she would have long since thrown an arm around her shoulder and called her “Little Ge.” She would have asked a mountain of nonsense questions that Yu Ge couldn’t answer, and finally, she would have stuffed some snacks into her hands before leaving.

Chu Zhao tilted her head, appearing to think seriously. “Could I have amnesia?”

Yu Ge wasn’t sure. “Li… Didn’t your roommates help you?” She seemed to have some reservations. “Can you also suffer from Corruption?”

Corruption?

Chu Zhao remained unfazed, rubbing her head with a look of feigned distress. “I’ll go back and ask Qiuqiu and the others about it.”

Yu Ge nodded subconsciously, finally saying what she wanted to say. “Today, Teacher Yun isn’t quite right. She…”

After a moment’s hesitation, Yu Ge continued, “Her aura is very strange. It’s like… a bit cluttered. You should be careful.”

Chu Zhao nodded earnestly. “Thank you, Xiao Ge.”

Yu Ge: “…”

There she went again.

Yu Ge originally intended to take two steps back and leave, but she was grabbed by Zhao Qinghe. With a familiar sense of speechlessness, she felt an arm draped over her shoulder.

Chu Zhao: “Xiao Ge, I don’t have any friends left. Hurry, scan my code and add me.”

With a dark expression, Yu Ge pulled out her phone and scanned her. “Go on then. Be careful not to make Teacher Yun angry.”

Chu Zhao contentedly gained a new friend. Harassment targets: +1.

She waved and headed upstairs, looking as bright as a spring breeze. “I’m going up now.”

Yu Ge stood stiffly, looking up as she watched Chu Zhao’s back disappear into the stairwell.

A warm body… Is this His power?

She could probably guess what Lin Qiu and the others were thinking.

“Teacher, I’m here.”

“Please come in.”

A woman in professional attire appeared in Chu Zhao’s vision. Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, and she seemed to be working diligently.

[Task Updated-]

[Side Quest: Teacher’s Task (Completed)]

[Obtained Points +100]

[Points Roulette Unlocked.]

[Please select a profession-]

[Deceiver (Aptitude: 99.9%)]

[Faceless One (Aptitude: 97%)]

[Voyeur (Aptitude: 88%)]

[Scholar (Aptitude: 79%)]

[Outsider (Aptitude: 51%)]

[Thief (Aptitude: 16%)]

[Reader (Aptitude: 9%)]

[Apprentice Lawbringer (Aptitude: 2%)]

…

A long list of professions unfolded. Chu Zhao looked closely; hardly any of them seemed decent.

99.9%? How rude.

Following her thoughts, she selected “Apprentice Lawbringer.”

Chu Zhao was curious to see what a 2% aptitude would look like.

In the next second, a chill settled between her brows.

[“Edict” has rejected you.]

Chu Zhao: “?”

Huh?

She then clicked on her second interest, “Outsider.” Again, a chill settled between her brows.

[“Time” has rejected you.]

Chu Zhao: “…”

Fine.

This time, she clicked on the 79% aptitude “Scholar.”