Infinite Nightmares

Seeing Zhang Wenda in peril, Song Jianguo blew his whistle again. The other Black Cats broke away from the instructors, swarming toward Yang Yongxin’s left arm and legs like a fearless black tide.

They clawed at the gaps between his scales and gnawed at his weaker joints. In an instant, Black Cats were twitching and collapsing, electrocuted by the arcs of electricity radiating from Yang Yongxin’s body.

But more cats surged forward to take their place, latching on and dragging him down. They weren’t trying to deal serious damage, only to disrupt his movements and slow the speed at which he could gather electricity, all to help Zhang Wenda.

"Fuckin’ hell!" Auntie Flo charged over, landing an elbow strike with enough force to send an instructor flying, and then hurried toward the fray.

"Get off! You damned pests!" Yang Yongxin roared. Swarmed by the cats, his movements became sluggish and clumsy, and the electricity gathering around him flickered erratically.

Zhang Wenda wanted to pull his Light Saber out and plunge it into the man’s head. But Yang Yongxin, seemingly aware of his intent, clamped down hard on the hilt, preventing him from freeing the weapon.

Groping around his body, Zhang Wenda’s right hand found the cold enamel mug.

With almost no time to think, he threw the dented enamel mug with all his might, like he was pitching a softball, straight at Yang Yongxin’s beastly face, which was twisted in a mask of pain and fury.

The Red Core on Zhang Wenda’s arm flared brightly, and the enamel mug flew like a blur.

Yang Yongxin saw something dark hurtling toward his face. He instinctively swiped at it with his claw, but the arm being dragged down by the cats was a beat too slow.

BANG! The heavy metal mug smashed squarely into Yang Yongxin’s face! The impact was perfectly aimed, landing on the exact spot where Zhang Wenda had stabbed him with the Light Saber.

CRACK! The distinct sound of bone fracturing rang out again.

"Aargh!" Yang Yongxin let out a bloodcurdling scream. The pain was far more intense than before, and the blow sent him crashing to the ground.

A flash of blue-white electricity appeared in his hand again. But this time, Zhang Wenda knew what was coming. Empowered by the Red Core, he grabbed the hand crackling with electricity and forcibly shoved it into Yang Yongxin’s own mouth.

Instantly, the arcs of electricity turned into a frenzy of venomous snakes, pouring back out through the wound on his face, his nostrils, his mouth, and even his eyes.

"Guh-aaaaah—!" Yang Yongxin’s massive, beastly body began to shake violently. His whole body convulsed uncontrollably, and blue-white sparks shot from the gaps between his scales.

The powerful electric currents he took such pride in, the very same ones he used to torture others, were now rampaging through his own body in the most brutal way imaginable.

He could no longer stay upright. Like a great beast that had had its bones removed, he crashed to his knees, clawing desperately at his face and throat while letting out inhuman, despairing howls. The powerful electromagnetic field around him instantly dissipated into chaos.

Seeing this, everyone seized the opportunity to back away. Nearby, Song Jianguo stood with his spear in one hand, gasping for breath. Auntie Flo watched nervously from the side.

Meanwhile, Zhang Wenda struggled to his feet with the help of the young boy. He watched Yang Yongxin writhing in agony on the ground, consumed by his own power. There was no joy of victory in his eyes, only a cold sense of release and burnt-out exhaustion.

"Did... did you see that... Dean Yang..." he gasped, his voice so hoarse it was nearly unrecognizable.

With Professor Yang’s death, the nearby instructors scattered like birds and beasts, vanishing without a trace.

Once the last of their enemies had disappeared, nearly everyone left collapsed to the ground, exhausted and panting for air.

Zhang Wenda gazed at the bizarre, dazzling sky of the Internet World as a sun slowly began to rise. He never would have thought the Internet World could have a sun.

Just then, the boy pulled an orange-flavored lollipop from his pocket and offered it to Zhang Wenda.

"Friend, with all those injuries, you must be in a lot of pain. Have something sweet. When I was in there and couldn’t stand being electrocuted anymore, I’d eat something sweet."

Zhang Wenda looked at the candy but didn’t take it, pushing it back instead. "You keep it. You need it more than I do right now. Oh, by the way, can you do something for me... Zhang Wenda?"

The boy looked at him in surprise, then unwrapped the lollipop and popped it into his mouth. "What is it? Of course! You saved me. Just tell me what you need."

Lying on the ground, Zhang Wenda watched the sun slowly climbing into the sky. "I want you to remember this day. Even ten, twenty, or thirty years from now, I hope you still remember it. Never forget."

The boy nodded firmly, crunching loudly on the candy in his mouth. "Yeah! Don’t worry! I’ll remember. I’ll always remember!"

Zhang Wenda smiled at the boy’s resolute expression. "Oh? Don’t be so sure. The adult world is exhausting. All sorts of things will come at you. You’ll be so worn out from chasing a salary of a few thousand a month that you’ll barely be able to breathe. So tired you’ll forget a lot of things without even realizing it."

"I won’t!" the boy’s voice shot up, his expression firm.

"Oh? Why not?" Zhang Wenda sat up.

Hearing this, the boy stood up and raised his right fist toward the rising sun, his eyes shining with excitement as he declared, "Because I’m a World of Warcraft player!"

’Looking at my past self.’ Watching the boy shout the name of a game he himself hadn’t played in ages, he suddenly smiled. ’It’s great to be young.’

The boy looked at the man on the ground and extended his right hand. "Let’s reintroduce ourselves. My name is Zhang Wenda. Thanks for saving me. You hate Professor Yang so much, you must have been locked up too, right? I’m the Zhang Wenda from Room 13. Which room were you in?"

Zhang Wenda stood up, winced through the pain, and reached out to shake his hand. But he didn’t answer the question, only saying calmly, "Go back. It’s getting late. Remember to go find your uncle."

The boy was a little surprised. "Who are you? How did you know I have an uncle? And why do I feel like you look really familiar?"

Zhang Wenda still didn’t answer, just shaking his head. "Go on, it’s late. Don’t look back. Just keep moving forward. Don’t let what happened in your childhood cast a shadow over your whole life. Don’t look back."

The boy walked toward the edge of the flea market, glancing back every few steps. Just as he was about to part the "dog fur" to get out, he shouted to Zhang Wenda from a distance, "Hey! You have to at least tell me your name! Who are you?!"

Zhang Wenda watched him go. Cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, he shouted back, "Just an adult!"