A Socially Anxious Persona, but High-Risk [Infinite]

Classic Infinite-Flow | Synopsis: We generally don’t call people with social anxiety “social phobics.” A quick plug for my upcoming novel next door: *Mortals Forbidden from Cultivating Immortality*. Here’s this novel’s blurb: Shi Xu received a letter addressed to his long-missing ex-boyfriend, who was presumed long dead. …A kidnapping letter? He opened the envelope and found a ticket for a sightseeing train ride. Shi Xu showed up as promised, only to be dragged into an infinite-flow survival game with an extremely low survival rate. …So his ex-boyfriend dug this pit before he died and left it for him as a grave, huh? The other players on the train eyed Shi Xu with suspicion. He was the only one who had arrived in the carriage early. “Why did you enter the carriage ahead of time?” Shi Xu remained expressionless. “I have social anxiety.” “Why did you charge in just now without discussing it with us?” “Social anxiety.” “You didn’t even know which option was right, did you? If we choose wrong, everyone dies!” “...Anxiety.” Everyone fell silent, unsure what to say. Wait, by social anxiety, did you mean you were a social terrorist?! *The Socially Anxious Character, But Make It High-Risk* | *Wait, It Wasn’t the Instance Marked High-Risk, It Was the Protagonist?* | *What Kind of Social Anxiety Is That?!* Once the Werewolf voting began, almost everyone cast their vote for Shi Xu. Shi Xu fixed a death glare on a certain direction. A black cat was crouching there, pretending to be innocent… Surely they should vote out this black cat that no one else could see instead of him. …Where had this black cat even come from? Could it really be someone who died and turned into a cat so they could keep haunting him? After clearing three instances in a row, Shi Xu encountered his ex, who should have been long dead, inside an instance. The man was sprinting toward him, chased by a blood-covered ghost. Shi Xu: “...” Forced to run together, the two finally escaped. The man let go of Shi Xu’s hand and said, “I heard your name is also You Yingjue?” His appearance was familiar, but his gaze was entirely foreign. He didn’t remember Shi Xu at all, though his knack for getting people into trouble was clearly written into his DNA. Shi Xu glanced at the calm and decisive You Yingjue, thought of the black cat who pretended to be clueless around him every day, and sneered. “...No, actually, that’s my pet’s name.” You Yingjue pondered for a moment, then asked hesitantly, “This pet of yours… did you meet him through legitimate channels?” Shi Xu: “?” Notes: 1. A classic infinite-flow story with supernatural horror elements. The ghosts are invincible, and teammates are disposable. 2. Only the cat version of the love interest appears in the first three instances. The human version joins the protagonist in clearing instances starting with the fourth. And another plug for my upcoming novel, *Mortals Forbidden from Cultivating Immortality*. I want to try writing a historical danmei story, probably with Lovecraftian cultivation and a touch of strange tales. Upcoming novel blurb: A hundred years ago, a ban on cultivating immortality was issued. Since then, no one in the city has dared utter the words “cultivating immortality.” Only those who pass the imperial examinations may receive cultivation manuals. Everyone else is branded a monster, yet people still repeatedly risk violating the ban in pursuit of immortality. After receiving an anonymous tip, the constable broke into the Lu residence in the dead of night, only to discover that all one hundred or so people in the household had vanished without a trace. They searched the entire estate and eventually found someone in a room sealed shut with wooden boards nailed across every side. The nails in the boards were completely rusted, and the dust inside the room was thick enough to write in. The room had been sealed for at least a whole year, yet the young man lying on the floor was still alive. His skin was warm, his breathing steady, and he looked no different from an ordinary person. The moment the horrified constable drew his sword, it suddenly dawned on him: this was no human. He was a monster. When Xie Shangzhi woke, the back of his head was pressing against a pile of straw, and iron bars stood before him. Cultivating immortality. The jailer said that was his crime. And in three days, he would be executed. Xie Shangzhi had no weapons and no idea what was going on. He could only remember one simple spell. He tried to summon his spiritual energy. A few stalks of straw floated up, then turned into a little paper doll in his hands. The palm-sized paper doll tilted its head and, under his eager gaze, sank into deep thought. Then it turned around, carefully arranged the straw for him, and gestured that he should go to bed early. Xie Shangzhi: “...” How was this a household chore spell?! That night, the shadow on the ground swallowed the jailer, then rose to its feet and grinned at him. “You look delicious.” The little paper doll bravely stood in front of Xie Shangzhi. Xie Shangzhi looked at himself, then at the paper doll, which didn’t even reach his ankle. He was touched, but perhaps the paper doll should run away while it still could. The instant the shadow demon pounced, the paper doll transformed into a paper sword in his hand. It guided him in a fierce downward slash, and the shadow demon shrieked before vanishing into thin air. Xie Shangzhi: “...Huh?” The next day, the county magistrate and his men knelt in a crowded mass before him. “Immortal, please save the thousands of lives in our county!” Xie Shangzhi: “...Huh?” No, he really didn’t know how! Theme: Don’t give up in the face of difficulties.