Infinite Nightmares

Just as Zhang Wenda was busy experimenting with his new ability, Li Chengying interrupted him. "My time is running out. You have two questions left. Are you going to ask them now, or wait until I return?"

Seeing that she had already stood up and looked ready to leave, Zhang Wenda quickly stopped his experiment. "Don’t go! I’m done experimenting. I’ll ask now."

However, Zhang Wenda needed to think carefully about the next two questions. Since she had already proven her worth, asking the right questions would be a great help to his progress.

Zhang Wenda mulled it over for a while, right up until Li Chengying’s face began to show a hint of impatience. He finally spoke again. "I need to find yellow next. Do you have any suggestions?"

Li Chengying’s answer completely surprised Zhang Wenda. "I don’t. I don’t have it either."

"What?! You don’t have yellow? Aren’t you a Thought Wave Strong Person?"

"Who told you that you have to collect all three colors to reach Level 3? A person with only red can still be very strong. Not everyone’s path involves completing the set of three. There’s no instruction manual for this journey." Li Chengying had just revealed another name for a Thought Wave Strong Person: Level 3.

"I know that, but with all red, there’s no rationality at all. In that state, you can’t even be sure you’re still yourself." Zhang Wenda had never imagined he’d once been so close to becoming a Thought Wave Strong Person.

Li Chengying sized up Zhang Wenda. "Didn’t you say you’ve already used blue to escape losing control to red? In that case, continuously increasing your red is also an option. Once you reach a certain tipping point, a quantitative change will trigger a qualitative one, and you’ll be able to possess your own thought wave just the same."

"Continuously increasing red?" Zhang Wenda’s brow furrowed. He did indeed have blue, which meant he could use red to increase his power, but this was different from what the Soviets had taught. ’Why does this sound so much like an Evil Cultivator?’

"What’s the difference between the two paths?" Zhang Wenda pressed.

"I don’t know. This path is very difficult, and everyone’s is different. You need to find your own way." After saying this, Li Chengying walked directly toward the door. "Alright, that’s three questions. Mission complete."

"What? That counted as the third question?" A stunned Zhang Wenda rushed forward to block her path. "Wait, that one shouldn’t count. Let me ask a different one."

With a deceptively light, one-handed push, Li Chengying shoved Zhang Wenda aside. "I’m out of time. But here’s one last piece of advice: no matter what you obtain, always remember who you are. Don’t let some external thing change your true self. If you let it change you, then you will become a slave to your power."

After she spoke, with a SWISH, a flash of white light flared and Li Chengying vanished right before Zhang Wenda’s eyes.

Staring at the spot where she had vanished, Zhang Wenda replayed her words in his mind several times before walking back into the room.

Li Chengying had left him with a massive amount of information this time, and Zhang Wenda decided he needed to take his time and properly digest it all.

Zhang Wenda remained lost in thought until a voice finally broke his concentration around dinnertime.

"Haozi, I just found out you can order food on your phone! I’m getting pig’s trotter rice, what do you want?" Song Jianguo, who had spent the entire afternoon watching TV, walked in holding up her phone, her relaxed demeanor a stark contrast to Zhang Wenda’s current tension.

Zhang Wenda glanced at her and couldn’t help but sigh. ’It’s so unfair sometimes,’ he thought. ’She can increase her power just by watching TV, yet here I am, struggling to figure all this out.’

"Get me one too, then. Extra fatty meat, and lots of sauce on the rice," Zhang Wenda said, his eyes already returning to the notes in front of him.

Based on what Li Chengying had said, he could confirm a few things. First, yellow was harder to find than blue and red. Second, it was possible to develop a thought wave with only blue and red, but its type and function would likely be different.

By logical extension, the more difficult path would surely lead to greater power.

Zhang Wenda designated the second method as his backup plan. If he truly couldn’t find yellow, he would fall back on that alternative.

Next, he considered her final words before she left: *don’t let some external thing change your true self*. He understood what she meant, especially after his three experiences with red.

But that made him think of something else. ’If that’s true for red, then what about blue? My rationality is increasing because of it. Doesn’t that also count as changing my true self?’

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

’My mind has definitely become more agile, but is that change for the better or for the worse? It’s hard to say right now.’

After a moment, Zhang Wenda shook his head forcefully. "What’s the use of thinking about all this? I feel like I’m getting bogged down in philosophy."

’Unless I choose to get rid of blue, this kind of influence is unavoidable as long as I possess it.’

"I don’t have time to be sentimental," he muttered to himself. "I’ve finally found a path. Even if there’s a price to pay, I have to follow it as quickly as I can."

’With Qianxi already targeting me and the possibility of Old Tan selling me out, I have to get stronger as fast as possible.’

Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang. DING DONG.

"That was fast?" Song Jianguo excitedly opened the door, only to find an agent from Bureau 507 standing outside.

The man saluted Zhang Wenda, who was looking over. "You just ordered takeout, correct? My sincerest apologies, but the situation is tense right now. All outside items are temporarily prohibited from entering headquarters. If you’d like to eat, you can go to the cafeteria."

Seeing this, Zhang Wenda walked over, gave Song Jianguo a pat on the head, and asked the agent, "Are people from the Big Circle trying to infiltrate this place?"

The agent just smiled, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Zhang Wenda frowned in thought, then looked at Song Jianguo. "Come on, let’s go eat." It had been a long day, and he was hungry too.

"No! I want pig’s trotter rice!"

Zhang Wenda got her to comply with a single sentence. "The cafeteria has pig’s trotter rice too."

However, halfway there, they passed the medical department, and Zhang Wenda turned and walked inside.

’I almost forgot,’ he thought. ’My hand and eye haven’t grown back yet. Fixing them is a better power-up than anything else right now.’

Say what you will about the Third Line, but it had one huge advantage: medical care was free.

By the time Zhang Wenda came out again, his arm and eyeball had already grown back.

There were still scars, but that didn’t matter. ’I can just transfer them to the Black Cat when I get back,’ he figured.

"I’m starving! What took so long?" Song Jianguo whined, clearly displeased.

"Let’s go. How about a feast at the cafeteria tonight? All-you-can-eat garlic crayfish. You can have as much as you want." Zhang Wenda walked over and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Seriously?!"

"Of course. What can I say? I’m just a kind-hearted guy." As he said this, Zhang Wenda glanced down at his faintly blue fingers.

"But once you’re done eating, I’ll need you to help me with a little something when we get back. There’s something I need to test."

"No problem!"