Infinite Nightmares

Stepping out of the International Friendship Store, Zhang Wenda watched with great interest as the transparent Wai Mouse circled him.

At Zhang Wenda’s command, the mouse flew up into the sky one moment and played little pranks on the crowd the next.

It didn’t even need him to speak; it knew what he was thinking. It was as if the transparent mouse was a part of him.

Zhang Wenda also discovered that despite its transparency, the creature was surprisingly strong, able to lift over ten pounds with no effort at all.

Combined with the fact that no one else could see the transparent mouse, Zhang Wenda’s mind immediately filled with all sorts of ways to ambush his enemies.

However, that was only from Zhang Wenda’s perspective. To Song Jianguo and 2826, all they saw was Zhang Wenda talking to himself, moving things around, and occasionally letting out a laugh.

"Psycho," Song Jianguo said scornfully, stroking the cat in his arms.

Meanwhile, 2826 recorded all of Zhang Wenda’s bizarre behavior, preparing to report it to the bureau as new intelligence on America.

Zhang Wenda wasn’t concerned with what anyone else thought. He knew only one thing: getting this creature from that foreigner in exchange for a single drop of Oil Bab was a fantastic deal.

His plan to trade Oil Bab for power had succeeded, just in a rather unique way.

The big mushroom had plenty of benefits, but it also came with a few downsides.

Ever since Zhang Wenda ate the mushroom, he could not only see the transparent mouse, but also things he’d never seen before.

For instance, a bubbly pink elephant that would appear and disappear, colorful bugs that would occasionally float through the air—even the clouds in the sky seemed to be smiling at him. It made an already bizarre world feel even stranger.

Fortunately, this state didn’t last long. After half an hour, the mushroom’s effects began to wear off, and both the Wai Mouse and all the other oddities started to fade from his vision.

’One bite of the mushroom lasts for half an hour.’ Zhang Wenda looked at the large mushroom in his hand, calculating how many doses he could get out of it.

"Sobering up? Did you get over the mushroom poisoning?" Song Jianguo asked, leaning closer.

"What mushroom? This is my friend!" Zhang Wenda was strictly adhering to the foreigner’s instructions, terrified the mouse would go on strike and refuse to help him at a critical moment.

Song Jianguo gave Zhang Wenda a massive eye-roll before leading his clowder of cats in a quick dash toward the distant treehouse.

Zhang Wenda couldn’t be bothered to argue with a kid. He turned to 2826 and said, "Now we don’t have to worry about them launching a sneak attack from a distance."

pointed at the mushroom in Zhang Wenda’s hand. "You’d be better off trusting our other comrades from Bureau 507 than that thing."

"They’re currently investigating the other cells of the Big Circle Gang. Once we dismantle the Big Circle, you won’t have to be so worried."

But Zhang Wenda didn’t buy it. "Easy for you to say. If you guys could actually do that, the Big Circle Gang wouldn’t still be around."

Even with his new "tool," Zhang Wenda still felt uneasy. After all, he had provoked a truly formidable enemy this time.

"Is there any way for us to hide out in another Thought Wave?" Zhang Wenda asked 2826.

shook his head immediately. "I’d advise against that. First of all, they’re called the Big Circle for a reason. They have ways to travel and smuggle themselves freely between various Thought Waves, and even into the past. They’ll find you wherever you go."

"Compared to other Thought Waves you know nothing about, at least here in Thought Wave One, you can’t die. It’s much safer."

As they spoke, Zhang Wenda and the others had almost reached the base of the treehouse. Song Jianguo was climbing back up a rope ladder that Teacher Rabbit had lowered for him.

Zhang Wenda turned to 2826 and said, "But we can’t just keep hiding. It’s impossible to be on guard forever. We can’t let them keep us pinned down like this, unable to do anything."

Zhang Wenda hadn’t forgotten his most important objective: to free himself and Teacher Rabbit from their monstrous identities and bodies for good.

"Don’t think you’re invincible just because you picked up some useful trinket from the Mayans. The Big Circle Gang specializes in trading and smuggling between Thought Waves. They definitely have far more powerful items than you do."

As they spoke, the two had arrived at the base of the treehouse. Just as Zhang Wenda was about to climb back up, there was a loud SCRAPE and the world above him suddenly went dark.

Instantly on alert, Zhang Wenda snapped his head up toward the streetlight and saw a scene that left him utterly stunned: the treehouse had grown legs.

The treehouse, which Song Jianguo had cobbled together on top of the streetlight from various bits of junk, was now standing up like a giant egg, propped up on two straight, glistening yellow, giant chicken legs.

Before Song Jianguo and Teacher Rabbit inside the treehouse, or Zhang Wenda and 2826 below the streetlight, could even react, the wooden door of the treehouse slammed shut. The massive chicken legs then gave a powerful push, launching the entire structure onto the roof of a nearby building in a single great leap.

Then, with an arrogant, swaggering gait, it began to bound away, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

"Damn it! After it!" Zhang Wenda immediately took off in hot pursuit of the treehouse.

Aided by its four-meter-long chicken legs, the treehouse was out of sight in moments.

Fortunately, 2826 could fly. Hovering in the air, he directed Zhang Wenda, telling him which shortcuts to take so he wouldn’t lose it.

Zhang Wenda snatched a children’s bicycle with training wheels from the side of the road. Dripping with anxious sweat, he stood up on the pedals and pumped furiously.

"The treehouse is heading out of town! Be careful! This could be a trap!" 2826 yelled down to Zhang Wenda from the air as he kept watch.

"We can’t just leave them! Song Jianguo and Teacher Rabbit are still in there!" Zhang Wenda yelled up at the sky.

"Don’t worry, I’ve got this."

"What damn good are you?! Hurry up and call Bureau 507 for backup!"

Soon, the surrounding buildings grew shorter and more sparse. Farmland began to appear as they reached the outskirts of town.

The view was clearer in the suburbs, allowing Zhang Wenda to spot the wildly running chicken legs in the distance.

Gazing into the distance, Zhang Wenda saw black dots appear on the treehouse—it was Song Jianguo’s cats!

Zhang Wenda immediately pulled the large mushroom from his enamel mug, took a small bite, and said to the transparent mouse that appeared before him, "Quick! Go help Teacher Rabbit and the others! Stop those chicken legs!"

The Wai Mouse nodded, then shot off with a WHOOSH.

From a distance, Zhang Wenda saw the transparent mouse grab a long cat rope and rapidly wind it around one of the chicken legs. The sprinting legs immediately stumbled, and the whole thing crashed onto the hard concrete ground.

Seeing this, Zhang Wenda’s confidence soared, and he pedaled even faster toward the crash site.

A minute later, Zhang Wenda finally reached the fallen treehouse. He saw Song Jianguo and Teacher Rabbit inside, protected by a "cat fortress."

Upon seeing Zhang Wenda arrive on his bike, Teacher Rabbit immediately shouted a warning from inside the fortress: "Wenda, watch out! Careful! There are enemies in the woods on both sides!"