Forced Smile, wielding a chainsaw, had charged to the second floor, only to be greeted by the sight of Light Chant's mangled corpse, intestines spilling across the floor in a gruesome mess.
His shrill, helpless shrieks and sobs carried clearly down to the first floor.
Lin Shuang pursed her lips. If the male lead hadn't been standing right there, her own volume would undoubtedly have surpassed this guy's by a significant margin.
"Something happened downstairs," Exaggeration initiated the conversation, his tone flat. "Should we go take a look?"
"No need," Jiang Mo replied coldly. It was nothing more than another newbie breaking down under the pressure of the gore. Judging by the sound of the crying, it was obvious they weren't actually injured.1
As for the other newbies, he thought, observing his wife's capacity for endurance.
Jiang Mo: "Miss Lin, hearing those sounds—why aren't you crying for a bit?"
Lin Shuang: ?
Cry? For what? Crying was useless and just plain annoying. She planned to have a good cry in the safety of her own home once this round of the game ended, and she would treat herself to that indulgent, cream-topped cake she'd bought earlier as a reward.
The thought of that ridiculously expensive, beautiful, five-inch little cake instantly brightened her mood.
Seeing her not only dry-eyed but actually smiling, Jiang Mo grew genuinely worried. "Miss Lin, you... you can actually smile at a time like this?"
Could she have been scared out of her mind?
"I just suddenly remembered something happy," Lin Shuang said, reaching out to tug and sway his wrist.
"You were busy today, so I went out to wander the streets and bought a really beautiful little cake. I was already full, so I put it in the fridge to eat tomorrow. Now, it's all good—I'll definitely get to eat it tomorrow."
"……What kind of cake has Miss Lin so obsessed?"
Jiang Mo felt his tension ease, though he found himself caught between laughter and disbelief at her reasoning. "If I'd known you were having such a fulfilling day, I would've gone with you."
He'd spent the entire day holed up in a boxing gym, brawling with a bunch of brutes and even teaching a challenger a lesson.
"It wasn't that fulfilling, just a normal kind of happy," Lin Shuang admitted. Fearing tonight's game would be a disaster, she had spent the day playing frantically, truly tired yet happy.
An hour passed quickly. This time, the Butchers were even more ferocious and terrifying. The moment they respawned, they lunged directly at the players, having clearly mastered some secret technique for an opening strike.
Three Butchers spawned on the first floor. Exaggeration intercepted one, wielding his chainsaw, while the other two charged straight at Lin Shuang and Jiang Mo.
"Keep your distance," Jiang Mo instructed sharply. He lifted his chainsaw to parry a Butcher's overhead chop, while simultaneously, another Butcher's blade darted toward his midsection.
Jiang Mo pushed the first Butcher back with a surge of arm strength. Just as he prepared to drive a kick into the second one's skull, something caught his eye, and he shifted his movement to block the second Butcher's chainsaw instead.
Lin Shuang had been keeping her distance; these NPCs, which only attacked the nearest target, had no brain for defensive maneuvering against flanking strikes.
The moment Jiang Mo engaged in the scuffle, she darted in, gripping her blade with both hands and swinging down with all her might from the side. She couldn't reach the head, but she could definitely take out an arm.
The arm shattered under the razor-sharp Game Items like it was made of paper. Seeing her opening, Lin Shuang immediately retreated.
At this moment, she really felt like she was trapped in a holographic game—kiting, pulling aggro, dodging. The readers' theories were right; the Main God was nothing more than a cheapskate, game-addicted basement dweller from a higher dimension.
The armless Butcher remained relentless. He felt no pain and could swing his chainsaw with one hand. Meanwhile, the second Butcher, whom Jiang Mo had pushed back earlier, lunged again.
But for Jiang Mo, neither of these presented an insurmountable danger. With Lin Shuang occasionally landing a hit to finish them off, both Butchers were soon lying on the floor.
Exaggeration's fight ended just as quickly. He'd abandoned his makeshift club, and with the chainsaw, a true veteran player had no reason to fear a one-on-one.
Watching them finish their opponents, Exaggeration spoke up: "Let's go. We need to help the lower levels."
It wasn't out of an overflow of altruism. The Butchers spawning in this final hour were simply too much for them—or, rather, for the "two and a half" people they effectively were—to handle alone.
Sixteen Butchers, with boosted strength and agility. If the other players died, they wouldn't survive either.
Jiang Mo understood this, nodding as he took Lin Shuang's hand and headed downstairs.
Two Butchers had spawned on the second basement level, and three on the third. By the time they cleared them, some of the other veterans had sustained injuries.
Superman Can't Fly had been gored in the thigh and was currently wrapping it with strips of fabric from his suit, the blood soaking his leg in a truly sickening display.
But injuries wouldn't carry over to the real world, so as long as they were alive when the game ended, it counted as a success.
Evil Monarch and Slaughterhouse had suffered minor wounds. The worst off was Forced Smile, though he hadn't been injured by a Butcher. The Gentleman, who had rushed up to the second floor, had sawed off Forced Smile's hand in a dispute over a chainsaw.
No one argued about it. Slaughterhouse even warned the sobbing, agonized Forced Smile: "Shut up! Another sound out of you, and I'll kill you myself!"
There was no choice. Forced Smile knew well that if he wanted to live, he had to obey.
If Jiang Mo hadn't been there, Lin Shuang suspected her own outcome would have been far worse than Forced Smile's. In many situations, women were at a distinct disadvantage compared to men.
The eight of them plotted their next move. Fighting sixteen Butchers head-on was unrealistic—especially considering that Lin Shuang, Forced Smile, and Superman Can't Fly were, essentially, combat-ineffective.
At best, they could stall one. That left the remaining five to deal with fifteen; no matter how skilled, one-against-three was a death sentence.
The group gathered on the first floor of the subway station, quickly using debris and panels to rig up several makeshift barricades at the stairwell entrance.
They only needed to clear the first floor's Butchers quickly. When the remaining ones surged up, the barricades would allow them to pick them off one by one, which was far safer than a chaotic melee.
Lin Shuang tugged on Jiang Mo's vest. As he leaned in, she whispered, "What if all the Butchers respawn on the first floor?"
Jiang Mo frowned slightly. "Based on the game's mechanics, the spawns should be randomized across the three levels."
(Don't trust the game), she thought. In the original plot, all the Butchers spawned on the first floor. The final battle was a bloodbath, and only three people walked out alive.
Could she tell him? She couldn't. She could only offer this tiny, cryptic warning.
"Be careful of the possibility that all the Butchers respawn on the first floor," Jiang Mo cautioned, lowering his head. "If that really happens, crawl into the baggage security machine."
"And what about you?"
Jiang Mo patted her head. "I'll be right outside. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Summary:
The group clears initial Butcher spawns on the first and basement levels but sustains several casualties.
They recognize the impossibility of fighting sixteen boosted Butchers in a group and retreat to the first floor to establish defensive barricades.
Lin Shuang subtly warns Jiang Mo about the risk of a full-floor spawn, prompting him to give her an emergency hiding spot.
The final confrontation looms as they prepare their makeshift defenses.
Trivia:
Lin Shuang uses a "bursting milk-cap cake" as her emotional anchor to reality.
The "Main God" is described as a game-addicted, stingy basement dweller from a higher dimension.
The "Butchers" lack pain perception and can operate heavy equipment like chainsaws with only one limb.
Injuries sustained in the game do not carry over to the real world, provided the player is alive at the end.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A common term in Infinite Stream settings for "newbies" or players who have only recently begun participating in the dangerous game.
Notes:
• Forced Smile - A male player who displays visible fear and helplessness, and ends up losing a hand during the game.
• Light Chant - A newcomer who encounters the butcher on the second level, this player ultimately meets a grim fate, falling victim to the game's hazards. Mutilated and left mangled by the environment, they serve as a chilling testament to the dangers lurking within, marking a tragic end to their brief journey through the dungeon.
• Forced - A desperate player who exhibits cowardice and selfishness by luring monsters toward others to ensure his own survival. A desperate rookie player who resorts to stealing equipment from others to survive.
• Light - An unlucky rookie player who was killed by a Butcher during the subway station incident.
• Lin Shuang - Lin Shuang is a college student transmigrated as a cannon fodder in an infinite game. To survive its horrors, she adopts a detached persona, clinging to the male lead for security while finding solace in small rewards like cake. Navigating the original owner's complex social ties with anxiety, she hides her true self, focusing solely on comfort and survival within the deadly, surreal game world.
• Shuang - Lin Shuang is a college student who transmigrated into an infinite game as a cannon fodder. Anxious and desperate to survive, she adopts the persona of an opportunist clinging to the male protagonist for comfort. Known as Shuang or Lin, she navigates this dangerous world by leveraging the original owner’s social ties and attempting to siphon protagonist luck to secure her own survival.
• Lin - A university junior and Jiang Mo’s fiancée, she is a resilient survival game player who masks her trauma and vulnerability with a facade of bravado. Lean and striking in a black blazer and pencil skirt, she swaps a formerly sedentary life for tactical combat with a Tang dao. Though judged by others for her appearance, she skillfully navigates the brutal game while forging vital alliances to survive.
• Exaggeration - A hot-headed veteran and survivor of a Butcher encounter, he leads combat and coordination with pragmatic ruthlessness, openly looting fallen comrades. Despite his experience, he remains biased against rookies and women forming alliances. Prone to loud, hyperbolic shock, he acts as a polarizing, intense presence who prioritizes game survival over camaraderie or traditional social conventions.
• Jiang Mo - A cold, calculated strategist in the Infinite Stream, he masks a predatory nature with a gentle persona. As a former boxer living a solitary, tidy life, he balances lethal survival skills with a guarded temperament. He acts as a devoted protector to Lin Shuang, navigating the game's dangers with detached pragmatism and a methodical, controlled approach to both combat and his personal life.
• Jiang - Ranked first in the Main God Space, 'Jiang' is a stoic, cynical, and highly skilled survivalist. A working-class young man with a lean, fit build, he appears in-game as a weary construction worker in a white vest and camo pants. Armed with a Tang sword and chainsaw, this reluctant, protective solo-ranker masks his growing attachment to his rookie partner, Lin Shuang, with a teasing demeanor.
• Mo - Jiang, a gifted martial artist, is defined by his cold-but-caring demeanor. While he prefers operating alone, he serves as a dedicated mentor to Lin. Known simply by his given name, he balances his solitary nature with his role as a guide, maintaining a reputation for both his aloof outward appearance and his protective influence over those he chooses to support.
• Butcher - A hostile, respawning creature in the game instance armed with a chainsaw.
• Superman Can't Fly - A young woman in her twenties with an energetic personality who is teammates with Gentleman.
• Superman - A player struggling with the strength of the Butchers, often losing his weapon during combat. A player who utilizes makeshift weapons, such as a security baton, with precision despite being injured in the leg. A player whose hero name is "Superman Can't Fly," who sustains a serious leg injury.
• Slaughterhouse - A ruthless veteran and student-like combatant who has cleared four games of the Main God's Game. While initially confident, his demeanor falters during intense encounters. Known for his aggressive, opportunistic nature, he shows little mercy to weaker, panicking players, yet displays a complex side, such as pausing to close the eyes of a fallen comrade.
• Evil Monarch - A veteran player who assists Slaughterhouse in fighting the butcher, suffering minor injuries during the intense encounter.
• Gentleman - A skilled, tactical player dressed in an elite-style suit, he brings a background in boxing to his combat, often using red gloves as a signature game item. He is known for engaging in violent disputes with others over equipment. Despite the chaos of battle, he remains a composed observer, maintaining an elite presence while ruthlessly competing against other players.
• Evil - A player who is killed during the final stages of the game instance. An accomplice to Slaughterhouse, equally cold and calculating.