Days in the Infinite

Li Ke stared at the vast assortment of items in the shop—canned goods, bandages, concrete, and other essentials for surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. 

But the question lingered in his mind: 

What exactly are Duke Casino Tokens? Were they akin to bottle caps from Fallout 4? 

More importantly… 

"I actually have an inventory?" 

Looking at the large blank grid next to the shop menu, Li Ke couldn't help but feel intrigued by this world's peculiarities. 

With a thought, he pulled out the gold bar he had taken as a souvenir from the room earlier. Though it was only about the size of his pinky finger, it shimmered faintly in his hand. He silently imagined 'Press E.' 

The next moment, the gold bar vanished into thin air, replaced by a golden icon that appeared in one of the empty slots in the grid. 

Focusing his attention on the icon, a description popped up in his view: 

Gold Bar: Merchants might find this valuable. Selling Price: 140. 

Li Ke didn't hesitate and sold the bar. Instantly, a notification flashed at the corner of his vision: 

EXP +420. 

At the same time, a purple progress bar at the bottom of his view shifted slightly forward. 

"Experience points?" 

He blinked, stunned. Could trading items also grant experience? 

This world felt increasingly absurd. But when he glanced at the Duke Casino Tokens that had replaced the gold bar in his inventory, curiosity overtook him. He focused on them as well. 

A familiar game-like interface appeared. 

Disassemble (S) 

Discard (D) 

Li Ke chose D, and immediately, a small burlap pouch materialized on the table in front of him. 

"…" 

He grabbed the bag and noticed a button prompt hovering over it: Press E to pick up. 

Instead of using the system interface, he manually untied the pouch. 

A cascade of yellow coins spilled onto the table. Examining one, he realized it was made of brass and bore strange engravings. 

Unfortunately, the inscriptions were in English… 

Which he couldn't read. 

His English skills had long since rusted away. If it weren't for the Level 4 Certificate sitting in his drawer, he wouldn't even have remembered he'd once studied the language. 

"Now that I think about it, Erina Nakiri has only been speaking Japanese this whole time." 

He cast a discreet glance at Erina Nakiri. Her words had indeed been in Japanese, yet he'd inexplicably understood them—and she seemed to understand him perfectly as well. 

It hadn't seemed significant when they were busy surviving earlier, but now… 

Setting that thought aside, Li Ke's focus returned to the interface in front of him. 

Closing the merchant's menu, he experimentally pressed B in his mind. 

A new screen appeared, similar to the previous one but now featuring a host of new elements. 

On the left, a miniature avatar of himself—dressed in a suit and holding two axes—was displayed. On the right, a detailed status menu appeared: 

Concussion 

Treated Abrasion: 45h 23m 42s remaining

Anti-inflammatory Effect: 3.5% 

Treated Mild Infection: 1.5% 

Hunger 

Thirst

Li Ke stared at the status indicators in surprise. When he focused on the Treated Mild Infection line, a detailed description appeared: 

Treated Mild Infection: Your minor infection has been treated. Continue medication until the infection clears. Being attacked by zombies or animals may worsen the condition.

"I'm… treated?" 

Li Ke was dumbfounded. He remembered being scratched and showing signs of infection. Aside from eating some canned luncheon meat and honey, he hadn't done much. 

Could the luncheon meat or honey be some kind of medicine? 

"Hextech miracle cures?" 

The descriptions were simple but accurate, matching his condition well. He was indeed hungry and thirsty, and the concussion made sense since he'd hit his head upon arriving. 

If there was hope for recovery… 

Hands trembling, Li Ke reopened the merchant interface and frantically browsed the items until he found what he was looking for under the Medicine category. 

Honey: Restores 5 Food, 2 Health, No Max Stamina Bonus, Heals Infection 5%.

So honey really was a cure for infection! 

Overcome with excitement, Li Ke hugged Erina Nakiri tightly, planting a kiss on her cheek before instinctively attempting to purchase the honey. 

But then he realized something crucial. 

He didn't have enough money. 

Even after selling the gold bar, he only had 140 tokens. A single jar of honey cost 240 tokens! 

Thankfully, there were still over a dozen gold bars back in the room they came from—plenty to buy all the honey they'd need! 

However, Erina Nakiri was utterly bewildered. Watching Li Ke's ecstatic expression, she clutched her flushed cheeks, unable to understand the reason for his sudden mood swings. 

Li Ke, noticing her confusion, planted another kiss on her cheek. 

"We're saved! If this is all real, Erina, we don't have to turn into zombies!" 

"Eh?" 

Erina's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't comprehend what Li Ke was talking about. 

Seeing her bewildered gaze, Li Ke suddenly realized another concern. 

What if honey didn't work for Erina? 

He glanced back at the interface, his gaze lingering on the various tabs at the top. 

Crafting, Character, Map, Skills, Quests, Log, Players, Creative. 

Li Ke hurriedly opened each one to test their functions. 

Crafting revealed an empty framework. Character brought up the inventory screen he had seen earlier. 

When he tried to access Map, a bold red message appeared: 

"Insufficient Permissions."

Unfazed, he moved on to Skills and received the same error. The Log tab also refused to open. Only Players successfully loaded, displaying an Excel-like table: 

Li Ke: Level 1, Game Phase 1, No Party, No Allies, Enemies Killed: 12, Players Killed: 0. 

Erina Nakiri: Level 0, Game Phase 0, No Party, No Allies, Enemies Killed: 0, Players Killed: 0. 

"Level 0… Is that because she hasn't killed any zombies yet?" 

Li Ke clicked on the Party option next to Erina's name, but nothing happened. 

Closing the interface, he kept the game menu active and stared at Erina. As her confused and bashful gaze met his, he tried mentally holding E while focusing on her. 

A prompt appeared in his vision: 

"Spend 11,240 experience points to help Erina Nakiri become a player?"

Li Ke grinned and kissed her cheek once more, too elated to realize how overwhelming his actions were for the young woman. 

"Li Ke! What is going on with you?!" 

Erina covered her blushing face, utterly flustered. 

"Well, to put it simply, we might actually be able to survive here, together!" 

Li Ke excitedly embraced Erina again. Though the girl didn't resist, her expression turned to one of embarassment. 

"W-Who said anything about being with you…" 

Erina's heart was in turmoil. She had imagined who her other half might be, and most of the time, she envisioned a chef capable of creating a dish that could lift the "God Tongue" curse. 

But now, she felt that even if the curse couldn't be lifted, living with Li Ke might not be so bad. 

After all, honey mixed with canned luncheon meat wasn't entirely inedible… She could get used to it! 

Yes, she, Nakiri Erina, could adapt to this kind of situation! 

"Anyway, come with me! Erina, I need you to take down a few zombies to test something for me!" 

Li Ke excitedly picked up the Duke Casino Tokens, stored them in his inventory, and grabbed Erina's hand, rushing out of the shop. 

If gold bars could be exchanged for money, and the merchant's inventory included numerous items for sale, then other things might also be monetizable! 

However, as he stepped out of the door, a question suddenly came to his mind. 

"Could it be… I don't have a cheat ability?" 

This "cheat system" clearly existed because of this world; otherwise, Nakiri Erina wouldn't have been invited as a player. While it might be an evolving system, Li Ke still believed it was tied to this world. 

So, was he, as a transmigrator, truly just an ordinary one? 

"That's so frustrating…" 

Quickly brushing the thought aside, Li Ke led Erina back to the previous room. 

He swiftly stored the gold bars in his inventory and eagerly searched for items to sell. Unfortunately, he couldn't store larger items like sofas or refrigerators, only smaller objects like folding chairs and flower pots. 

What disappointed him even more was the lack of lootable treasure chests. No matter how many drawers or refrigerators he opened—mentally pressing "E" the whole time—nothing responded. 

During this process, Li Ke grew less afraid of the zombies and enthusiastically explained his discoveries to Erina. 

"So, we've entered a game world, and as long as we take actions aligned with the game mechanics, we can gain the abilities of in-game characters? And the honey we ate earlier works as an antidote to infection?" 

Erina held her head in disbelief. 

"Sorry, Li Ke, but this is too bizarre! Then again… we've already transmigrated here, so I suppose anything's possible." 

Taking a deep breath, Erina looked at him. 

"Does that mean… we won't die? We can keep living here?" 

Her heart filled with joy, though a part of her remained uneasy. Despite witnessing the fantastical elements—like the brass Duke Casino Tokens vanishing into thin air, the eerie female merchant, and the self-operating doors—she couldn't fully believe it until she experienced it herself. 

"Hmm, yes. But to be safe, I need to make you a 'player' first. Otherwise, I can't guarantee the honey's antidote effect will work on you." 

Li Ke, still feeling a bit feverish, realized the character interface didn't directly improve his condition. He also needed to confirm whether all this was real or just his imagination. 

"So, you're going to fight those monsters?" 

Though mentally prepared to face zombies, Erina couldn't help worrying at the thought of Li Ke fighting them. 

"Of course! If it's real, then infection won't be an issue. And if infection isn't a concern, these creatures are just prey to us. As long as we avoid large groups at night or getting surrounded, they're nothing to fear. Making you a player shouldn't take much experience… How much, again?" 

Li Ke placed a reassuring hand on Erina's shoulder. Summoning the game interface, he pressed "E" on her in his mind. 

But nothing happened. 

Puzzled, Li Ke mentally pressed "E" several more times, trying to summon the interface. 

Then, in the next moment— 

Erina's clothes… disappeared. 

"Eh?" 

Li Ke's view was suddenly filled with a rare and breathtaking sight. Her clothes, shoes, skirt, even her socks vanished in an instant under his mental "E spam." 

His hand inadvertently touched skin as smooth as silk, and his eyes couldn't help but take in the snowy peaks, the delicate, pink loveliness, and the sparse, golden field below hiding another mysterious pink treasure. 

"They're not sagging at all… Truly impressive…" 

He murmured involuntarily, and Erina, sensing something amiss, looked down at herself. Then at Li Ke, who was staring at her chest. 

The next second— 

"Li Ke!!" 

Erina hastily covered her chest with one arm, pressing her snowy hand deep into the equally snowy softness, hiding the adorable pink from Li Ke's view. 

She also shielded the golden field, pressing her legs tightly together to block any further exposure. 

"What on earth are you doing?!" 

Her mind was spinning. The kiss and hugs earlier could be excused, but this… this was too much! 

"Ah, sorry! I accidentally misused the game system…" 

Li Ke quickly turned around, retrieving her clothes from his inventory and dropping them in a small burlap pouch on the ground. He opened the pouch and handed it to the blushing Erina. 

"Here are your clothes! I swear I didn't do it on purpose!" 

Even with his back turned, Li Ke couldn't help recalling the scene just now. But rather than focusing on Erina's stunning figure, his mind turned to the skill he had just discovered. 

"This ability would be incredible in the real world…" 

The implications flooded his thoughts. It could cause someone to lose all social standing instantly, or enable seamless theft without leaving a trace! 

Even in the cold weapon era, this skill would be terrifying. A single thought could strip a fully-armored opponent down to nothing! 

What a terrifying power! 

"This is practically a god-tier talent… It's just unfortunate that it doesn't seem very useful here. If I were in the cold weapon era, I'd become a legendary hero with this skill…" 

Li Ke stared at his hands, muttering to himself. 

As for Erina's body… 

Dwelling on it now would only add to his troubles. 

Li Ke glanced at his hands, already calloused and cut from just a couple of days' work, and sighed. 

Erina, though still fuming, couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Her initial anger turned to burning embarrassment and frustration. 

"Idiot… What kind of nonsense are you thinking?! In a situation like this, that's what's on your mind?! Idiot, idiot, idiot!! Big dummy!" 

Having dressed, her face still flushed, Erina furiously kicked Li Ke's shins. 

Just then, the sound of zombie growls echoed from outside the room. Erina froze, quickly grabbing the axe Li Ke had set aside and handing one to him. 

"Li Ke! I think I made a mistake!"