Days in the Infinite

Li Ke took out his lighter and flicked it open. A small flame flared up, instantly pushing back the darkness and illuminating their surroundings.

At night, they usually just rested. In emergencies, they could light a fire for illumination, but since there wasn't much in the way of entertainment after dark, Li Ke had never bothered preparing modern lighting tools. Compared to everything else, the inconvenience of moving around in the dark was a minor issue.

In the dim firelight, he clearly saw something unexpected—Tsunade, the one among them who should have been the least afraid of zombies, was curled up in a corner, hugging her head. Her whole body trembled, and her long hair cascaded over her face, hiding her expression from view.

Even with the continuous howls and pounding of the zombies outside, making it hard to hear anything else, there was no mistaking it—Tsunade was crying. And not just crying, but sobbing in sheer terror.

Li Ke had no idea what was going on. Just as he closed his lighter, Kiri spoke.

"It's probably claustrophobia. People with hemophobia often have similar issues. In my world, plenty of people develop something like this after seeing their loved ones' corpses from inside bunkers or trenches. I don't know what Tsunade has been through, but it's probably something similar."

Li Ke didn't say anything, just nodded and shut the lighter.

But Kiri wasn't about to let the silence settle. Looking at him, she suddenly asked,

"So, what kind of person were you before all this?"

Li Ke was caught off guard. He turned toward Kiri, who, at that moment, flicked her own lighter open. A faint orange glow illuminated her face.

"I mean, we don't know what's going to happen later. If we end up dying together, wouldn't it be better if we at least knew who we're dying with? What we've been through? Besides, just waiting here in silence is boring."

The smile was gone from Kiri's face, replaced by a tight grimace. No one could be in a situation like this—trapped in a cramped space, surrounded by flesh-eating monsters—and still feel cheerful.

"As for me... there's not much to say. I was just an ordinary person. Lived in a peaceful country, didn't even get married in my twenties, then suddenly ended up here. I met a girl named Erina Nakiri, and during the last zombie horde, I sent her back to her world... That's all."

Li Ke absently toyed with his lighter, while Kiri, finding hers too hot, snapped it shut again. The darkness swallowed them once more.

"That's it?" she asked.

"That's it," he said. "Though, to be honest, the whole thing feels like a joke."

Kiri sounded confused. "Why?"

Li Ke leaned his head against the cold steel wall. Despite the relentless pounding from the zombies outside, the tightly-fitted steel columns weren't showing any signs of coming loose. If anything, the constant impact seemed to be wedging them even more tightly together.

"The people who are willing to be with me... they must have some feelings for me. But their original lives were undoubtedly far better than this. If I really wanted what was best for them, I had to send them back to their own worlds."

He took a deep breath.

"Like Erina. Her world is a strange one—people there can cook meals so delicious that they make you feel like you've taken an aphrodisiac, and everything is unbelievably refined. For someone like me, from an ordinary world, that's pretty unimaginable."

As he spoke, Li Ke felt a pang of longing. He truly missed Erina—that bright, youthful girl with her warm and gentle nature. He had seen the tsundere side of her personality from the manga, but in reality, she was mostly kind and affectionate toward him.

"In her world, conflicts can be resolved just by cooking better food than your opponent. And Erina's tongue can detect even the subtlest of flavors, making her invaluable in a place where people actually care about gourmet cuisine. But here? That ability is just a useless burden."

Li Ke sighed.

"So, when the last blood moon rose, and I realized we had no way to hold back the zombie tide, I sent her away. Honestly... after everything we'd been through, after realizing what my ability could do, my first instinct was to keep it a secret. Because living in this world alone is just too exhausting."

Even now, he couldn't stop himself from shivering. The blood moon had come earlier than expected, and the zombies were clearly stronger than before. He didn't care about any supposed 'Dimensional Master' power—he simply didn't want to stay in this world.

But unfortunately, he had no way to escape.

His ability wasn't upgraded enough to let him travel to another world.

And even if he tried to force his way out, both Kiri and Tsunade could easily overpower him.

"I see," Kiri said.

She flicked her lighter open again, letting the firelight illuminate her face once more.

"I think I understand you now."

Her impression of Li Ke had never been bad, but she had always been suspicious of him. No matter how she looked at it, he had all the hallmarks of a manipulator.

But now, hearing the frustration and helplessness in his voice, she finally believed him.

"As for me, well, I've told you before. Orphaned by the Kallert, grew up, and fought back. Pretty standard revenge story."

She shut her lighter. After all, they needed to conserve fuel for when they really needed it.

Instead, she pulled out two glass bottles.

"Speaking of which, I've got some beer left. Want one? It tastes weird, but it's actually pretty good."

Her voice was light, carrying a hint of cheerfulness. Li Ke felt her press a cool bottle into his hand, and then, before he could react, she grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"Come on, let's have a drink with Tsunade."

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