Infinite flow, but I submit myself

In the dilapidated music classroom, a black-haired, amber-eyed teenager sat in front of a broken piano, playing it with all his might. It should have been a sunny and cheerful score, but a melodious and strange tune came out of the piano.

Tang  Mo Bai’s mind was not on the piano music at all, but he was listening to the sounds outside the classroom.

The entire teaching building felt like an old, abandoned structure, with the wooden floor creaking with each step. It sounded like something was drawing closer.

As time passed, more and more anomalies began to appear in the music classroom. The wallpaper started to peel off, revealing dried blood scabs underneath. The lights flickered, and the piano’s tune grew more intense.

Suddenly, the dark window shattered, and a ghostly figure broke through the glass, its eyes shedding black tears and emitting a horrific, non-human shriek.

Tang Mo Bai’s fingers uncontrollably trembled. Despite mentally convincing himself over and over that this wasn’t real, that it was fake, his senses—vision, hearing, touch—everything told him the chilling sensation of fear.

But he held himself together, playing through the piano piece until the very end. He grabbed the key that had appeared on the piano keys, and while the female ghost was still lingering near the back window of the classroom, he quickly ran toward the front door.

As he rounded a corner, the security guard’s flashlight and stern scolding caught up to him.

“Stop! Which class are you from? There’s a ghost here! Don’t wander around!”

Tang Mo Bai glanced back and nearly had his soul scared out of him. The security guard had swollen to a giant’s size, his eyes bloodshot, and the stench of fish seemed to come with every step.

“Damn! Is it really that serious?!” Tang Mo Bai cursed inwardly.

His face turned pale, but he didn’t dare to stop. Biting his lip, he tried to remember the layout of the building and maneuvered in circles to shake the security guard off.

There was no choice; he had only cracked two clues so far. In this teaching building, unlocking any room required one or two keys, and the safe room required three. He still lacked one key!

But judging by how quickly the ghost had been closing in, he didn’t have the time to solve the third clue. It seemed like this simulation exam was doomed to fail again!

Yes, a simulation.

Right now, countless surveillance cameras were capturing every movement, every detail of Tang Mo Bai, and broadcasting it to the control room. Psychologists and the instructor team were observing this simulated field assessment.

As the security guard quickly closed in on him, the instructors sighed and recorded the following:

Name: Tang Mo Bai
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Hand-to-hand combat: C (Has some skill but still just a show)
Reasoning: B (Occasionally has flashes of brilliance, but mostly guesses)
Speech: C (Should be toughened up in society)
Other: To be evaluated

Then, the instructor leisurely scored his physical ability with a D and wrote the comment: “Suggest a reform in university physical education…”

For other attributes like strength and agility, more accurate data was available, but Tang Mo Bai’s level was generally that of an ordinary person. Especially his physical attributes, which could be summed up in one word: “fragile college student.”

Watching the screen, one instructor couldn’t help but sigh, “Two weeks isn’t enough, it’s impossible to train up any real results.”

Based on Tang Mo Bai’s descriptions and one of the items he handed over to the country, the expert team had roughly pieced together basic information about the “infinite flow world.”

Firstly, that infinite flow platform was known as “Paradise Lost,” and all the explorers called themselves “Demons.” Similar to most infinite flow novels, it had livestreams and stores. The demons’ mission was to enter apocalyptic alternate worlds through the platform and complete various tasks set by the platform, mostly exploration and plunder.

So far, the staff monitoring the livestreams had seen at least a dozen different alternate worlds, and this was just the tip of the iceberg.

Compared to the vastness of countless worlds, they, who were confined to Blue Star, were like frogs at the bottom of a well. And this so-called “Paradise Lost” infinite flow platform was like Pandora’s box.

But they couldn’t afford to ignore it. This mysterious “Paradise Lost” had already extended its hand into reality. This month, it might take ten people; next month, a hundred. From the few words overheard in the livestreams, it was clear that even the great demons under Hell’s command could easily flatten small countries, so the platform itself was undoubtedly terrifying.

They no longer had a choice. Once the citizens were forcibly dragged into this hell, the country, even the world, would inevitably step into an unknown dark forest.

Survival, or destruction?

“Based on the current training results, Tang Mo Bai’s safety in the next dungeon is not guaranteed.”

The staff responsible for finding the missing citizens had watched thousands of low-level livestreams, yet they didn’t recognize any familiar faces. They rubbed their tired eyes and, with a dry voice from staying up all night, said, “The trial dungeon completion rate is less than 5%. Those missing persons are probably already…Tang Mo Bai is currently the only channel we have to connect with this platform.”

“Sigh,” another staff member sighed, glancing at the documents on the table, unable to stop himself from quietly saying, “If only someone stronger had been chosen… Training an ordinary person from scratch is still too difficult.”

“Really? I actually think it’s quite lucky.” A voice suddenly interrupted the conversation.

Both turned their heads to see Wang Yuan Zhi’s face. Realizing they had been caught gossiping behind their superior’s back, their eyes widened in shock: “Ah, we didn’t mean…”

“No worries, I know you weren’t trying to,”he reassured them, patting their shoulders.

“You’re right,” he said as he picked up another document.

[The abilities born from the ‘id’ of the participants in Paradise Lost are nearly non-repetitive.]

[‘Rebellious individuals’ are those who disobey rules and order, and they are naturally gifted with the ability to see through loopholes in the rules.]

“Like a black sheep in a sheep pen,” Wang Yuan Zhi said, “Perhaps he’s not the strongest or the smartest.”

“But he’s the only one trying to break through the fence.”

Tang Mo Bai’s figure disappeared around the corner in an instant. The security guard chasing him didn’t hesitate for a moment, ready to follow, but was suddenly blinded by a cloud of sand.

Tang Mo Bai turned quickly, and while the security guard was temporarily blinded, he kicked at his knee. The security guard, however, stood firm, unshaken, and threw a punch with all his might. Tang Mo Bai raised his arm to block, gritting his teeth in pain. With the momentum, he quickly leaped backward, his foot stepping on a low fence. Behind him was the dark night sky, three floors high. The locust trees below looked like open green umbrellas.

With a smirk, Tang Mo Bai didn’t hesitate and jumped down to the second floor. The security guard was stunned for a moment, rushing to the fence to see him safely land on the second-floor corridor before he finally relaxed.

This kid sure has guts.

The security guard, who was roleplaying as an NPC, muttered and shook his head. Since he hadn’t obtained the third key within the time limit, it was already a failure. Why risk adding more trouble?

The instructors watching outside the screen thought the same way, shaking their heads. The instructor responsible for Tang Mo Bai’s combat training hesitated, then changed his score to a C+.

“He learns quickly, but he lacks aggression. More often than not, he thinks about escaping rather than confronting, always ‘holding back,'” the instructor thought the assessment had already ended and started talking to other instructors. “If he could let go and, with the talent he’s shown so far, perhaps he could surprise us.”

“In times of peace, it’s different than before.”

“I told you, someone needs to see blood.”

“Maybe he could be included in the next training program…”

“Wait,” Wang Yuan Zhi suddenly spoke up. “He hasn’t given up… Huh? Where is he going?”

The instructors, who had already moved into post-assessment analysis, turned their attention to the screen and saw Tang Mo Bai was still running, and not randomly, but with clear purpose.

He headed straight for the second floor, then quickly moved through the first-floor corridor.

At this point, one of the instructors raised an eyebrow. “Could it be…?”

“Mm?” Wang Yuan Zhi turned to him. “What did you think of? Did you set up another path to pass?”

“No,” the instructor quickly replied, “There’s only one path to pass, but… our setup is a complete reproduction of the teaching building. But you know, those eerie scenes and locked doors are all traps, and the traps definitely need power control.”

Wang Yuan Zhi began to understand and quickly looked at the screen.

Sure enough, the young man stopped in front of a large door, looked up, and the words “Power Distribution Room” were clearly visible on the doorplate.

Although, according to the setup, the keys in his possession should open all the rooms except for the final safe house, this room wasn’t supposed to be one of them.

He took out a piece of wire.

The two weeks of training naturally included lockpicking lessons. For some reason, whileTang Mo Bai didn’t show much improvement in physical strength, he was quick to learn these unconventional skills.

He placed his ear against the door, twisted the wire a few times, and the door opened. In full view of everyone, the boy didn’t hesitate and pulled the main switch.

Wang Yuan Zhi and the instructors: “…”

Bang—

The entire building was plunged into darkness.

“You little rascal, and you say you’re not a rebel?” Wang Yuan Zhi was both amused and helpless, not expecting Tang Mo Bai to try this method to pass the test.

Upon reflection, though, he didn’t actually break any rules. Three keys were enough to open the safe house, while one or two keys could open the other rooms in the building.

Now, with two keys,Tang Mo Bai could indeed open all the rooms except for the safe house.

No one had expected him to do this. After all, this was just a training exercise.

But for Tang Mo Bai, today was the last simulation test!

This little prank brought him joy!

He happily walked out of the power distribution room, staying alert as he quickly made his way to the third floor.

After two weeks of simulations in different scenarios, he had never fully cleared a test. At least, for this last one, he wanted to win!

A strange competitive spirit began to rise within him!

However, as he reached the third floor, his face suddenly froze.

The ghostly figure, pale as death, silently blocked the staircase. He turned without looking back and saw that five security guards were blocking his path on the stairs.

It didn’t matter; he could just jump over the railing to the stairs below… Wait.

He hadn’t realized when it happened, but below him was already filled with a dense crowd of ghostly figures. The worst part was, he clearly saw several of them still wearing uniforms, and some had only put on wigs!

“Wait, this is too much!”

He barely had time to shout before he was overwhelmed by the sea of instructors.

Endless big men, the kind of scene you’d see with “Male on Male” jpg

When he was finally pulled out, he was so exhausted that he didn’t even have the strength to raise a white flag. After a long time, he managed to recover, only to find Wang Yuan Zhi smiling in front of him. “Congratulations, Tang Mo Bai, your two weeks of training have concluded.”

Tang Mo Bai came to his senses, glaring at him in complaint. “That last crowd clearly exceeded the number of NPCs in the scene, right?”

Wang Yuan Zhi didn’t respond. The one who spoke was the instructor behind him who was responsible for arranging the assessments. With a smile, he said, “You triggered an unknown route in the script…”

Tang Mo Bai blinked, as though he saw black flames rising behind the instructor, and wisely kept his mouth shut.

When you’ve annoyed the host, staying silent is the best trait of a rebellious person.

“Alright, we’ll leave perfect clearance for next time. Congratulations on completing your training,” Wang Yuan Zhi said. At that moment, a ghostly figure crawled out from behind a pipe, and a few middle-aged people also emerged around them.

The ghost lady pushed her hair back, wiped her face with a warm towel, revealing a stunning appearance underneath. The famous directors and makeup artists that Tang Mo Bai had only seen on TV all smiled at him, applauding.

The national-level actor, the director known for horror films, the makeup master who had won several special effects awards, the lighting specialist, and the psychologist had formed the training team for the past two weeks.

Thinking about how this hellish training (quite realistic) was finally over, he couldn’t help but feel teary-eyed, excitedly shaking hands with the instructors one by one. Finally, he shook hands with the ghost lady who had tormented him for two weeks. Afterward, he squatted down and warmly shook hands with the instructor who had grown “stricter” by the day, whose scent had become “stronger.”

Everyone else in the room: …

Calmly wiping the residue of the ghost fluids off his pants, Tang Mo Bai looked eagerly at Wang Yuan Zhi. “So, does that mean I can rest tonight?”

“Of course, or rather, you need to rest well tonight to recharge your energy,” Wang Yuan Zhi began to reflect if the training over the past two weeks had been a bit too intense, causing Tang Mo Bai to start growing in some strange directions.

Yay!

For the first time in a long while,Tang Mo Bai didn’t have to think about the next day’s training, or worry about when the next ghost would pop up. That night, he lay in bed with anticipation, staring at the ceiling.

As he stared, though…

He began to suffer from insomnia.

The next morning, at 6 AM, he washed up and stepped outside, only to see a line of people waiting for him at the door: the training team, the doctors who had been handling his psychological issues in the past few days, and the base leader, Wang Yuan Zhi.

Tang Mo Bai blinked. “Huh? So many people? You all look so serious; it feels like I’m about to go on a one-way trip…”

” Wang Yuan Zhi spoke softly. “Yesterday, I saw how tired you looked, so I skipped the long summary. However, before you leave, there’s one more thing I want to explain to you.”

Tang Mo Bai hesitated. “What is it?”

“Based on the information you provided, each instance is essentially a different world. That means no matter the strength of the participants in an infinite flow scenario, everyone starts at the same point when they enter an instance. The accumulated resources and reputation don’t matter much—personal hard power, like strength, intelligence, and charm, will be key. And that hard power requires time to build. I’m sorry, but even now, we can’t guarantee your safety entirely.”

Tang Mo Bai froze for a moment, then forced a smile. “I understand that, but it’s not your fault—it’s just that I’m too weak. The country has already given me a lot of help.”

Wang Yuan Zhi didn’t respond. Instead, he continued, “The two things you submitted—the paranormal world items, we haven’t been able to unlock all their secrets yet. Time is too tight to mass-produce them. But the broken watch you handed in, though its exchange functions are mostly locked, it still left behind a live stream account.”

During these two weeks,Tang Mo Bai had attended some cryptic courses and had a few guesses, but Wang Yuan Zhi never explicitly mentioned anything. He never asked, not until this moment…

He suddenly realized the meaning behind it. He looked at Wang Yuan Zhi in disbelief. “So, you’re saying, I can contact you guys from that world too?”

“That should be possible,” Wang Yuan Zhi said, smiling at his excited expression. “There are restrictions, of course. After testing, the account is at the lowest level. You can only send ten messages a day, and you can’t enter higher-level streams, but yes, this will be our biggest trump card. We can help you through the live stream while you’re exploring.”

It was like having a personal old man by your side, except with only ten messages a day—still, that’s quite valuable. It’s practically like having an external brain!

Tang Mo Bai’s eyes lit up, and the previous feelings of frustration and despair vanished. He even felt some emotions swelling up inside him like a balloon.

“Don’t worry, you’re not alone.”

“We’ll remember you. Everyone will be watching, and we’ll face all challenges together. We’ll be here, waiting for your return,” Wang Yuan Zhi extended his hand.

Tang Mo Bai instinctively shook his hand, only to realize his fingers were trembling slightly. Yet the middle-aged man’s warm, dry hand firmly held his palm. The warmth passed through, and he lowered his eyes, a smile curving his lips. “Does this count as the country helping me cheat?”

“Yes, of course,” Wang Yuan Zhi grinned. “Congratulations, Little Tang, you’re now officially a government-approved rebel.”

The two exchanged a smile.

Although being a rebel was troublesome, being part of it also meant it was all about the fun!

“Well, see you then.”

“See you, we’ll definitely meet again.”

As the strange pull arrived, Tang Mo Bai took a deep breath, shaking off his unease and fear.

What was there to fear? Two weeks of training had already reshaped him—his journey to rise started with the next instance!

[Detected that streamer #99998 has logged in… Current points: 0, trial failed, result: Erasure.]

Has it begun?

…It’s already over!