Infinite Nightmares

A green jeep sped down the street. Sitting in the back, Zhang Wenda watched as the familiar scenery outside his window receded into the distance.

He didn’t know if he would ever come back, or if this would be the last sight he ever laid eyes on.

"What do you think? Feeling sentimental? We can stay a few more days if you’d like. We’re not in a hurry," said Tang Xingxiong, who sat beside Zhang Wenda with her legs crossed.

"That’s not necessary." Zhang Wenda pulled his gaze back from the window and looked toward Saber, who was driving in the front. "Are we just driving there? I thought we’d have a more impressive mode of transportation."

"Don’t be hasty. Our mode of transport will definitely surprise you. But not yet. We have to pick someone up first." As she spoke, Tang Xingxiong pulled out a long, slender woman’s cigarette, dangled it from her lips, and lit it.

"Someone else? Is someone else joining the Big Circle today?" Zhang Wenda asked, looking at her in surprise.

Tang Xingxiong gave a knowing smile. "You’ll find out soon enough. It’s someone you know."

"Someone I know?! Someone I know is joining the Big Circle!?"

The jeep soon reached the deserted outskirts. The woodlands on either side were reminiscent of Uncle Wang’s past.

Just as Zhang Wenda was wondering who it could be, the jeep screeched to a halt. A few people emerged from the nearby woods, and the one in the lead was none other than Song Jianguo.

"What are you doing here?! Didn’t I tell you to stay in Thought Wave One and catch your rat?"

Zhang Wenda stared at the young woman in shock. If he didn’t know Song Jianguo’s personality, he might have even suspected she was the mastermind behind the Big Circle Gang.

"I didn’t want to come! They dragged me here!" an indignant Song Jianguo snapped, glaring resentfully at the weapon-headed enemies.

Zhang Wenda put a hand on the restless Song Jianguo to hold her back, his brow furrowed as he stared at Tang Xingxiong, who was still in the car. "What is the meaning of this?"

A Crow perched on Tang Xingxiong’s head hopped down to the car window, regarding Zhang Wenda with amusement. "It means nothing. Aren’t you and your little girlfriend the best of friends? How could you leave her all alone in Thought Wave One? If you don’t see each other for a long time, you’ll miss her terribly, won’t you?"

"So, out of consideration for you, we’ve decided to welcome her into the Big Circle as well. No need to thank me. It’s the least we could do."

’I went out of my way to keep Song Jianguo from getting involved because this was so dangerous. I never thought she’d end up here anyway.’

’She made it sound so considerate, but of course, I knew what she really meant. That woman was afraid I’d cause trouble if I had nothing to lose, so she grabbed some leverage to keep me in check!’

"Is that a threat? You really think I need your Big Circle that badly?" Zhang Wenda, completely unfazed by the Big Circle Gang members subtly surrounding them, pulled out a flashlight.

Tang Xingxiong got out of the car, her tone mock-pleading. "Oh, my, my. I’m sorry. Big Sister was wrong. I promise, this is the absolute last time, okay?"

"You think a few nice words will fix this? Do you really take me for a child? Send her back! I’m busy as hell, I don’t have time to babysit a cat!"

"Fuck! You little bastard! Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Saber spat out his cigarette butt and stormed out of the car.

"Bring it on! Got the guts to go another round? You want to lose to me again?!" Zhang Wenda shot back, taking a quick step forward and craning his neck, showing no sign of backing down.

’He’d never done undercover work, and he was terrible at faking it. Any deliberate attempt to act subservient would just look phony. Since that was the case, he might as well just be himself.’

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Tang Xingxiong quickly stepped between the two to play peacemaker. "Now, now. From now on, we’re all family."

Then, she came up to Zhang Wenda. "Wasn’t this little cat your assistant before? She’s quite useful. Why wouldn’t you want her? I’m doing this to help you."

"Of course, bringing her here without your consent was my mistake. I apologize." As if to show her sincerity, she presented two pieces of fluorescent colored chalk to Zhang Wenda, holding them in both hands.

"Don’t worry, she’ll be better off after joining the Big Circle. The techniques and applications for a ’cat’ like her aren’t something you can easily learn elsewhere."

"As long as she’s in the Big Circle, her abilities will definitely reach the next level. And it’s all provided for free to our members."

’She had laid all her cards on the table. He had no more room to object. If he kept pushing back, they’d probably start getting suspicious.’

’Besides, they weren’t idiots. If he didn’t have some form of collateral with him, they would never fully trust him.’

With a cold expression, Zhang Wenda got back into the jeep and slammed the door shut.

The jeeps started moving again. This time, the person sitting next to Zhang Wenda wasn’t Tang Xingxiong, but Song Jianguo.

"This is all your fault! It’s Sunday! It’s my day off!" Song Jianguo complained through gritted teeth.

"Shut up. You think I wanted this to happen?" Zhang Wenda shot back, turning to look out the window in annoyance.

’Fortunately, before all this, he had already given Song Jianguo a strict order not to reveal any secrets about Bureau 507 to anyone. Otherwise, he would never have dared to keep this thoughtless girl by his side.’

’As for what came next, he would just have to play it by ear.’

The car was moving again, but as it drove on, the surrounding environment began to change. When Zhang Wenda saw the towering recycle bin icon in the distance, he finally realized they had arrived in the Internet World.

"The Big Circle’s lair is in Thought Wave Seven?" Zhang Wenda asked, surprised, turning to Tang Xingxiong in the passenger seat.

"That depends on the speed," she said, lowering her head to light another cigarette.

"The speed? What speed?"

"The speed of the Cavalry." Following Tang Xingxiong’s pointing finger, a gigantic mobile city appeared before Zhang Wenda.

Giant treads, hundreds of meters wide, slowly rolled over the landscape, crushing everything on the ground into data fragments under their absolute power.

Atop the giant treads sat a bustling neon city filled with a chaotic arrangement of bizarre buildings. The most eye-catching feature was a colossal CRT monitor, as large as a small mountain.

"Whoa," Song Jianguo gasped beside him.

"What’s this huge thing called? The Cavalry?"

’Zhang Wenda couldn’t help but compare the power of Bureau 507 with that of the Big Circle. Based on this alone, the Big Circle was far, far more powerful than Bureau 507.’

Tang Xingxiong was very pleased with Zhang Wenda’s reaction. The corners of her lips curled up slightly. "Cavalry 1997. And don’t think this is the only plane the Cavalry exists on. It’s a miraculous entity that exists simultaneously across the nineteen great Thought Waves, and it has a different function in each one."