Infinite Nightmares

"Hello? Hello?" Zhang Wenda hesitantly pulled the phone away from his face. "Strange, why won't the call go through?"

Waking up early the next morning, Zhang Wenda decided to call Big Circle Leopard. He wanted to ask him for some information about the blue ability.

However, he called several times in a row, but no one picked up.

He first thought it was bad reception, but even after moving to several different spots, the phone would only ring. No one ever answered.

Just then, Song Jianguo's voice came from the living room sofa. "It's true, it's true! Cake made with chicken and fish is delicious! Next time I get some, I'll let you have a taste!"

She was holding two black cats, happily chatting with Wang Xiaohua, who sat beside her.

"A cake made of meat? Is that even edible?" Just imagining it made Wang Xiaohua's expression twist slightly, as if she were about to be sick.

Zhang Wenda walked past them and headed for the door. "Take care of the house. I'm heading out."

Seeing Zhang Wenda about to leave, Wang Xiaohua quickly turned around, calling out to his retreating back, "Brother, I came today to tell you that the medical department at our bureau has a limb regeneration program. You can go there to get your arm and eye fixed."

"Yeah! Got it." Zhang Wenda gave a wave with his one arm and then closed the door behind him.

Although Zhang Wenda didn't know where Big Circle Leopard was, he knew exactly who at the bureau did.

Tan Yougen, who was wearing reading glasses and studying a late-game chessboard, frowned slightly as he looked at Zhang Wenda, who had pushed the door open and rushed in. "Didn't anyone teach you to knock first?"

"Sorry, I'm not that polite." Zhang Wenda pulled a nearby stool over and sat right down. "Where did Big Circle Leopard go? Do you have any news on him?"

Although he could use his blue ability to make his tone less aggressive, Zhang Wenda felt that using even a little of it on an old fox like this would be a waste.

Tan Yougen looked up, his eyes peering over the top of his reading glasses to glance at Zhang Wenda. "Why are you looking for him? You two shouldn't have any dealings, right?"

"Relax. I'm not planning to bad-mouth you behind your back. It's nothing else; I just want to consult him about Trial No. 2."

Zhang Wenda glanced at the late-game chessboard and noticed it was particularly strange. The black side had three generals, while the red side had only two.

The number of other pieces was wrong, too. There were already two red chariots on the board, but there was another captured red chariot placed off to the side.

This didn't seem to be a regular game of chess, either. There were even some pieces on the board that were flipped face-down.

Just as Zhang Wenda reached out to flip over one of the face-down pieces, Tan Yougen pressed his hand down. "Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you, how is your path coming along?"

"Not bad. Everything's going smoothly. I've gotten red and blue; all that's left is yellow." Zhang Wenda showed him the inside of his forearm, where only a yellow line remained.

Although he couldn't use the Spectral Technique without all three colors, he didn't really need it right now anyway.

"That's good, that's good. Keep up the good work. If you truly attain your own Thought Wave, your treatment within the Third Line—be it salary or housing—will improve drastically."

After saying that, Tan Yougen picked up the large tea mug beside the chessboard and took a sip of the bitter, strong tea. "Not bad. The first time I saw you, I knew you had limitless potential."

"Really? For some reason, I don't believe you. Isn't it a little late for compliments now that you see some hope in me?" Zhang Wenda looked at him playfully. From their first meeting until now, he had never felt that Old Tan had ever respected him.

"Think what you will of me, but from a practical standpoint, I have indeed given you preferential treatment ever since you joined the Third Line."

"Bullshit. I never felt it. Alright, enough with the pointless chatter. Where the hell is Big Circle Leopard? Give me his contact info."

However, after Zhang Wenda said this, he saw that Tan Yougen didn't answer, merely continuing to stare silently at the chessboard.

Seeing this, a thought struck Zhang Wenda. 'He's out on a mission right now? Can't take calls?'

"No." Tan Yougen glanced at the captured red chariot on the side and spoke very plainly.

"He's dead."

His tone was incredibly calm, but the words exploded in Zhang Wenda's ears like a clap of thunder.

He shot to his feet, his knees knocking the chair far behind him. "What kind of joke is this? Big Circle Leopard is dead?!"

Tan Yougen looked up at Zhang Wenda and continued in that same flat tone, "Do you think I'm the kind of person who likes to joke?"

"What the hell happened?! How did he die!" Zhang Wenda's expression instantly became dead serious.

"Is it so strange for people to die? People are dying every single moment. Just because things seem calm around you, you think nothing is happening? Don't forget, we are currently in a state of war."

"The reason all the main Thought Waves can exist without incident isn't because the world is at peace, but because people are constantly sacrificing themselves for that quiet."

Zhang Wenda took a deep breath, suppressing his agitation. "What really happened here? Someone with Big Circle Leopard's strength couldn't have died so easily."

They had only spoken a few times, but Big Circle Leopard had left a very good impression on him.

He couldn't believe that someone as powerful as Big Circle Leopard could die so anticlimactically.

"Do you remember your previous mission?" Tan Yougen watched the white steam slowly drifting from his large tea mug. "You pushed Qianxi into such a sorry state. Do you think he's the type to just swallow that insult?"

"Qianxi killed him? It was Qianxi again!" Zhang Wenda's fists clenched, his knuckles cracking.

"Never mind Big Circle Leopard for now. You two acted together back then. Qianxi has definitely taken note of you this time. Stay away from Thought Wave 13 from now on."

After hearing this, Zhang Wenda pulled the stool over and sat back down in front of Tan Yougen. He pondered for a moment before speaking. "Then this is big trouble. Big Circle Leopard was the de facto controller of the Big Circle. If Qianxi killed him, I'm afraid the entire Big Circle will listen to him now."

Tan Yougen gave Zhang Wenda a somewhat surprised look. "That is indeed the case."

"Losing a Thought Wave Strong Person must be bad for the current state of the war, right? So what's the Third Line's next move in response to this situation?" Zhang Wenda asked again.

"That's not something you need to be concerned with. You can go now." Tan Yougen pointed toward the door with his right hand, dismissing Zhang Wenda.

Zhang Wenda stood up, but then sat right back down. Staring into the old man's eyes, he asked again without hesitation, "Then in your plan, does Big Circle Leopard's position need to be filled by another Thought Wave Strong Person?"