Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 966 Sealed

Xu Han strongly suspected that Lin Hai was deliberately trying to reduce their fighting strength!

That's a pretty good idea! They can just clear the game without doing anything, right?!

Xu Han glared indignantly at Lin Hai and his three companions.

"Don't get agitated."

Mulanzhi spoke, her voice carrying a hint of understanding and weariness.

"What Brother Lin means is that whoever can lead or complete this final 'purification' will make the greatest contribution to solving the core problem of the instance, and the system's final judgment will favor that person."

Xu Han still disagreed, muttering:

"So you're going to let Shi Jiu go on the adventure alone? That's not..."

"I'll go too."

Lin Hai suddenly spoke, interrupting Xu Han.

Everyone looked at him, including Mulanzhi and the other two, their faces showing astonishment.

"Brother Lin?!"

Li Ye and Ma Ming spoke up simultaneously, disagreeing, "You can't take any more risks."

Xu Han rolled her eyes, grabbed Yu Shijiu's arm, and muttered under her breath:

"...Your Brother Lin is so precious..."

Yu Shijiu, whose arm was being pulled: "..."

Anjie and the other two: "..."

Apart from He Lingling, who was already exhausted and lying down with her eyes closed in her seat, An Jie and Chen Yi were actually hesitant.

Should we let Yu Shijiu go... or not let Yu Shijiu go?

Chen Yi actually preferred not to go—if they didn't go, they could search further and find some openings to perhaps find a way to leave.

As for Ange... Ange is actually considering something else.

Strictly speaking, her innate skills also belong to a certain series of the Dawn game's dungeon, "Monster Contamination".

"Cleaner" - derived from the core desires of the low-level cleaning worker NPCs in the dungeon "Gluttonous Feast".

That instance was an extravagant feast that defied description, and the human levels of the NPCs within it varied so drastically that it was incomprehensible.

The wealthy at the top will become richer and richer, while the poor at the bottom will become poorer and poorer. The wealthy at the top will only eat the very best little bit of food, while the poor at the bottom will only be able to eat the dirty garbage that the wealthy at the top have discarded.

Those garbage... will be cherished by the poor at the bottom of society, who will swallow everything without leaving a trace.

This coincides with a certain stage in Anjie's growth, which happened to unlock Anjie's innate skill, "cleaner".

If we had to force an explanation, this could be considered a form of game-related pollution.

Anjie hesitated for a few seconds, then pursed her lips.

I should be able to... right?

"Brother Lin?"

Li Ye was extremely anxious and advised:

"You really can't do it. You can't activate your skills now. Forcing it too much isn't good for you..."

Lin Hai waved his hand, staring blankly at the air around him, as if he were still looking at the figure that had long since disappeared.

"Li Ye".

Lin Hai: "Before Ah Xiu left, she said she hoped I could let go of all my memories and live well. But as you all know, I can't let go. At least, I should be the one to deal with this last bit of pollution caused by me. This is not about winning or losing, it's... my responsibility."

As he spoke, he took a step forward, and a faint spiritual fluctuation began to emanate from his body, similar to, yet much more peaceful, the one he had experienced when frantically absorbing the black mist.

"Brother Lin..."

Mulanzhi's eyes glazed over for a moment, and she subconsciously called out to him.

Ma Ming's heart sank. "Lanzhi, what is Brother Lin doing?"

Mulanzhi remained silent for a few seconds without responding, but the meaning in her eyes was very clear.

Lin Hai... He actively uses himself to attract and absorb the thin but stubborn pollution scattered in every corner of the carriage.

"Don't stop them."

Mulan sighed, "Let Brother Lin go by himself. The guild competition dungeon... just let him relax a bit."

With so many things weighing on his mind, Lin Hai's mental state had long been unhealthy. Taking this opportunity to step out and relax wasn't a bad thing, but... it would just take some physical and mental toll.

Ma Ming and Li Ye: "..."

The two exchanged a glance and remained silent in tacit agreement.

...If Brother Lin can really do what Lanzhi said, then let's take the risk.

However, just as the three of them were about to have a change of heart, Lin Hai let out a muffled groan, his face suddenly turned deathly pale, and his body swayed. He was caught in time by Li Ye, who was closest to him.

"Brother Lin! I already said no!"

Li Ye, who was supporting Lin Hai, was quite frightened.

Lin Hai sighed deeply, shook his head with a wry smile:

"...My mental strength has just stabilized, and the effects of 'condensation dew' are still purifying the residual pollution within me. I cannot absorb a large amount of negative pollution from the outside world. Forcing it will only cause my newly stabilized state to collapse again."

Xu Han and Chen Yi: "..."

Chen Yi was alright, but Xu Han's lips twitched, seriously suspecting that Lin Hai was faking his weakness.

They talk a good game but will definitely send Shi Jiu on a dangerous mission in the next second!

Lin Hai had no idea what Xu Han was thinking. As he spoke, he looked at Yu Shijiu with a complicated and ashamed expression.

"I'm sorry, it seems that only you can go. Your pollution comes from outside, and although it has the same origin as the pollution left here, it is independent. Perhaps... we can give it a try."

Now, all three of them focused their attention on Yu Shijiu.

Xu Han instantly bristled and, before Yu Shijiu could respond, swiftly stepped in front of her.

"No! Shi Jiu's emotions aren't very stable either! We can't take the risk!"

Yu Shijiu, who was blocked by Xu Han, looked down at her left arm.

The hairs that had been still under the strip of cloth seemed to sense something and twitched slightly again.

Yu Shijiu raised her head, her face showing neither fear nor excitement, only a pure curiosity.

"Sister An, Brother Chen," he looked at his teammates, paused, and continued, "and Brother Han, can I give it a try?"

Xu Han shook his head, "No, no, no, definitely not! Why are you even asking? Is it even necessary to say? Who knows if Lin Hai and his group are up to something bad?"

He chattered on and on without hiding anything, leaving Lin Hai and his three companions opposite him speechless.

The four of them, including Lin Hai, looked rather grim. Ma Ming opened his mouth to speak, but Mu Lanzhi stopped him.

Mulanzhi shook her head. "It makes sense that he said that."

Ma Ming was a little unhappy: "...We're not bad people."

Li Ye: "..."

Li Ye blushed slightly upon hearing this, quickly stepped on Ma Ming's heel, and whispered:

"You'd better not say anything. We may not be bad people, but we're definitely not good people either."

In the past, when they went into dungeons with other players, they had their share of messes with others... Everyone has their share of problems and even lives lost.

In other words, they simply don't provoke anyone.

Anjie's lips were tightly pressed together, and her brows were furrowed.

She looked at He Lingling and asked about the risks, "Lingling, what do you think? Do you think I can help?"

The implication is that she can do anything Yu Shijiu can do.

"..."

Lin Hai suddenly spoke up: "Captain An, I advise you not to interfere. Your skills and Yu Shijiu's beast claws are not the same type of pollution."

Anjie: "..."

She was a little annoyed and ignored Lin Hai, continuing to look at He Lingling's reaction.

We can't take Lin Hai's words at face value; we have to wait for He Lingling's response.

He Lingling barely opened her eyes. "Sister An, you really can't do it."

Anjie: "..."

Anjie felt a heaviness in her chest; all her previous thoughts vanished completely with He Lingling's words.

After speaking, He Lingling closed her eyes again, her large pupils moving laboriously beneath her eyelids. A few seconds later, she said hoarsely:

“The risk is huge… Although the residual pollution is thin, it is essentially a crystallization of extreme negative human emotions, much heavier than the previous black mist… My initial guess is that once Shi Jiu starts actively absorbing it, it will create a breach, which could very likely trigger a series of chain reactions…”

He Lingling took several quick breaths as she spoke. Chen Yi walked quickly to her side, unscrewed the bottle cap, and fed her a sip.

"Don't rush."

Chen Yi said in a low voice, "Take your time. We're already at the very end of the dungeon. We still have time to talk slowly."

He Lingling took a small sip of water, leaned back wearily in her chair, and continued what she had been saying:

"...It's not impossible that we could even temporarily reawaken some of the pollution that should have dissipated in the carriage...but..."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "If successful, it will not only completely end this instance, but perhaps... it can also 'neutralize' or 'purify' the pollution in Shi Jiu's arm to some extent. After all, pollution from the same source can devour each other, and it may produce unknown changes."

This answer surprised Yu Shijiu. "Sister Lingling, do you mean that actively absorbing it might reduce the level of contamination in my arm?"

He Lingling nodded, responding weakly, "Yes, I see such a possibility in the future."

But it's only a possibility... He Lingling can't guarantee it will definitely happen.

Chen Yi said worriedly, "What if it fails? What if he can't control himself..."

"Let me help."

Xu Han, who had been agonizing and muttering to himself for a while, raised his hand. Although his face was still a little pale, his eyes were very serious.

He looked helpless and sighed:

"Although my healing ability is almost depleted, I can still stabilize my mind and help suppress the berserk state for a while. Besides... I still have the Blessed Belt from Thumbelina. Although I used some time on He Lingling earlier, the remaining resilience bonus should still be somewhat useful in resisting mental erosion?"

His last sentence sounded somewhat insecure, especially after seeing the dim light on the blessing belt... he became even more insecure.

But it is still usable.

Upon hearing this, He Lingling subconsciously lowered her head—she remembered that Xu Han had put the belt Thumbelina had given her on her wrist, hadn't he?

When did he take it off himself?

He Lingling's face turned almost green.

Xu Han avoided He Lingling's incredulous gaze and continued:

"If it really doesn't work, I can give it a try. At worst, I'll just overdraw my resources. As long as Shi Jiu can stay calm by then, that's fine."

After all, he's just a fragile support healer, while Shi Jiu is a warrior with immense destructive power!

"We can also lend a hand."

Mulanzhi also spoke up, "Although Brother Lin can't attract the pollution, he can still use his mental energy field to isolate external interference and concentrate the fluctuations in a localized area."

She glanced at Lin Hai as she spoke, and seeing that he didn't object, she continued speaking to An Jie:

“If I told you this was to help you win, you wouldn’t believe me, so this is just so that all of this… can truly end.”

As Mulanzhi spoke, she kept glancing at Lin Hai out of the corner of her eye.

Lin Hai, noticing Mulanzhi's gaze: "..."

He sighed softly to himself, but didn't say anything else, just nodded in agreement.

"What Lan Zhi said is exactly what I wanted to say."

Lin Hai said, "How about this?"

In his opinion, it would be strange if Ange and her five companions didn't hesitate—it would be a miracle if anyone could wholeheartedly trust the other side during a guild war.

Anjie took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over her teammates before finally settling on Yu Shijiu's clear eyes, which held a hint of eager anticipation.

"..."

After spending so much time together, Anjie felt she had come to understand Yu Shijiu's personality.

She also knew that simply stopping and suppressing Yu Shijiu might not be a good thing; sometimes, this child really needed a way to "release" himself.

"it is good."

Anjie quickly made a decision, "Shi Jiu, you take the lead. Xu Han, you do your best to help Shi Jiu stabilize her condition. As for Lingling... if possible, try to sense the scenes that are likely to happen in the future and give early warnings at any time."

"Chen Yi, you protect Lingling and Xu Han, and at the same time, pay attention to any unusual entities or strange creatures that may appear in the carriage. As for Mulanzhi and the others, you should also pay attention to any unusual things that may appear in the carriage with Chen Yi."

She quickly assigned tasks to everyone, then looked at Lin Hai and frowned.

"President Lin, it was your idea to actively absorb pollution, and we believed you. So, what you should and shouldn't do... I believe you understand what I mean."

The threat hidden in those words was quite obvious, but Lin Hai didn't seem to care.

He simply nodded silently, took two steps back, and leaned against a seat. Although he looked tired, his empty pupils refocused as he carefully observed the corners of the carriage where there was still residual pollution.

After all the arrangements for everyone were finalized, Yu Shijiu, at Lin Hai's prompting, walked to a relatively open area in the middle of the carriage and slowly sat down cross-legged.

Upon seeing this, Xu Han immediately squatted down beside him, placing one hand on his shoulder, ready to heal him at any moment.

He Lingling was helped by Chen Yi to sit in the opposite seat a little further away, her dark pupils fixed on Yu Shijiu and his left arm.

As the "Ghost Eye" expanded to its extreme, large patches of black and white double images began to appear before He Lingling's eyes again, and hazy blocks of color appeared in her eyes, all in a chaotic mess... However, there were no images that she didn't want to see.

If everything goes smoothly, then everything will be fine.

He Lingling thought.

Mulanzhi, Li Ye, and Ma Ming formed a triangle, surrounding Yu Shijiu in the middle. Each of the three emanated a faint spiritual fluctuation of a different color—this was the spiritual power that Lin Hai had forcibly generated.

He forcefully controlled the minds of Mu, Li, and Ma, creating an invisible barrier that temporarily separated the area where they were from the rest of the carriage.

Meanwhile, in the driver's seat, the driver continued to mutter repentance and weep over his powerlessness and inaction.

But at this point, no one had time to care about him.

Outside the instance, all the viewers and players who were watching the "Return Journey" guild competition instance...

They stared at the players from both guilds "united" on the screen, momentarily at a loss for words.