Infinite Nightmares

"Kid, the rule in this place is: no eating!"

Now just a blur as he frantically dodged the attacks, Zhang Wenda heard Dayima’s reminder, and his heart clenched.

’What kind of bullshit rule is this? What the hell kind of place won’t even let you eat a meal?’

However, Zhang Wenda couldn’t worry about how strange the new rule was. He had a more important problem to solve: how to escape the invisible attacks.

As Zhang Wenda shifted a meter toward the wall on his left, something sharp and invisible smashed a huge chunk out of the hard surface. If that hit his body, it would probably dig out flesh and all.

’What do I do? What do I do?’

Zhang Wenda’s mind raced. While his speed was astonishing in this state, it wasn’t without a cost. From the frantic sprinting, his legs were already beginning to feel sore.

’Is it because I have to pay first?’ Zhang Wenda pulled out a 10-yuan bill and threw it on the table, but it had no effect.

"I promise I’ll never eat again!" Zhang Wenda yelled, but it still didn’t work.

Just then, Dayima suddenly had an idea. "Kid!" she yelled to Zhang Wenda, who was still dodging left and right. "This person’s logic is twisted! We can’t think about this conventionally. You have to try and guess the solution from the perspective of a lunatic!"

Zhang Wenda flew into a rage when he heard that. "Fuck! How the hell am I supposed to know what a lunatic thinks! I’m not a lunatic!"

Song Jianguo chuckled at the scene. "Don’t be so modest. You’re pretty close."

However, just as Zhang Wenda was about to retort, inspiration struck. He abruptly stopped moving. Clenching the five sickles on his right hand into a fist, he slammed it hard into his own stomach.

"BLECH!" With a single retch, Zhang Wenda spat out the mouthful of noodles he had just eaten.

He quickly caught the mushy glob of noodles in his other hand and held it high in the air. "I didn’t eat it! Here, take it back!" At that exact moment, the relentless attack stopped.

Two short seconds later, the dark sky began to brighten. The crowd that had vanished slowly reappeared, and the lively sounds of the marketplace returned as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

Seeing that he was finally safe, Zhang Wenda heaved a great sigh of relief. He finally had a moment to scrape the sweat from his forehead with the black hole on his forearm.

’I don’t know what that was all about, but it looks like I’ve made it past this trial for now.’

’This place really is dangerous. Even the most capable person would never imagine that the simple act of eating is a problem. I bet plenty of people from the last few groups died in this trap without ever seeing it coming.’

"What’s going on? We can’t even eat in this place? Are we supposed to starve to death?" Song Jianguo asked, walking over with a look of utter confusion.

"You have time to worry about that now?" Zhang Wenda stood firm and gestured with his right hand. "Come on. We need to find the other two and share this critical information with them."

’I don’t know them that well, but in this dangerous Tide of Consciousness, we’re all in the same boat. It won’t do me any good if they die here just for eating something.’

When Zhang Wenda reached Hu Maomao’s side, he saw her sitting cross-legged at the center of a group. Others were imitating her, also sitting cross-legged with tinfoil hats or pots on their heads. It seemed they were using their own methods to find their target.

"Maomao, where’s Liu Jianming? I have important intel to share."

He had barely finished speaking when a highly recognizable voice sounded from behind. "The hell you want?" An impatient-looking Liu Jianming squeezed his way out of the bustling crowd.

Zhang Wenda wasted no time. He pointed a sharp index finger at the ground and began writing quickly.

Tide of Consciousness Rule 1: Squeezing a hen until it pops turns it into a chick.

Tide of Consciousness Rule 2: When red seven-spotted ladybugs gather, they become steamed buns.

Tide of Consciousness Rule 3: Eating any food is strictly forbidden."

After writing it all out, he pointed to the last rule. "Don’t break the third one. I’ve already tested it for you. Any attempt to eat will trigger an attack, one strong enough to tear a person apart."

"What? That’s it? You called me back for this stupid crap?" Liu Jianming exclaimed, acting as if it were nothing.

"Stupid crap? This could get you killed! I’m telling you this ahead of time to help you." Zhang Wenda couldn’t believe it. He was trying to help, and this guy was being completely ungrateful.

’And he thinks this isn’t dangerous? Not worth sharing with his teammates?’

Liu Jianming blew a kiss to Dayima. "Don’t think we’re rookies like you lot. We’re old hands. This stuff is nothing to us. Isn’t that right, Maomao?"

Hu Maomao, still sitting cross-legged, said nothing. Zhang Wenda shot back bluntly, "You’re an ’old hand,’ huh? Well, Mr. Old Hand, have you caught our guy yet?"

"Hey, what’s that supposed to mean, kid?"

Just as they were about to start arguing again, Hu Maomao suddenly stood up, drawing everyone’s attention.

Zhang Wenda then watched as she walked over to a market stall, picked up a carrot, and tossed it to Liu Jianming.

Without a word, Liu Jianming took a big bite and began chewing noisily, giving Zhang Wenda a defiant look.

"I told you, no eating! Are you crazy?" Zhang Wenda stared at her, his eyes wide.

"I want to see exactly what was attacking you," Hu Maomao said, her voice unnaturally calm. She didn’t seem the least bit worried about Liu Jianming.

The sky rapidly dimmed, and the surrounding crowd began to disappear. Zhang Wenda cautiously took two steps back. He was also curious to see what they had up their sleeves.

CRACK! A nearby wooden basin split apart. The invisible attack had returned. A trail of impacts and gouges slithered across the ground like a giant serpent, speeding toward Liu Jianming.

Just as the attack was about to hit Liu Jianming, his body split apart, transforming into a swarm of screeching hog-nosed bats that scattered in all directions, evading every strike.

Zhang Wenda was stunned. He had assumed Liu Jianming was bluffing about everything, but he never expected it to be true.

"Holy crap! You really are a Vampire?"

"You bet! You think I was just messing with you all this time? Folks from my neck of the woods never lie. Everything we say is the god’s honest truth."

A bat hovering near Zhang Wenda spoke smugly. The stench of garlic on its breath was so strong that Zhang Wenda recoiled two steps.

As Hu Maomao held her hands out flat, Zhang Wenda watched with rapt attention. ’So the people in the Big Circle who guide the newbies really do have a few tricks up their sleeves.’

As Hu Maomao clenched her hands in mid-air, the rapidly moving trail of attacks froze in place, chiseling away at the cement ground until it was completely mangled.

Then, her whole body levitated off the ground, and she slowly floated closer.

After silently observing the marks for a moment, Hu Maomao said, "It’s a gun. This is gunfire."