Infinite Nightmares

After exchanging a few words with the man, Zhang Wenda stood at a distance and made a quick, light swipe. The man’s Inner World appeared directly in front of him.

After a quick tour of the man’s Prefrontal Strait, he confirmed that the man was really just here to reminisce about his childhood, not a member of the Big Circle.

He quickly scanned the area around the school gate and noticed something. Some of the parents picking up their children, and other adults just passing by, all seemed to have the same look in their eyes as they watched the students roughhousing on their way out.

Seeing the deep longing and nostalgia for childhood in their eyes, Zhang Wenda found it completely baffling.

’Seriously, what was there to miss about childhood? I got smacked around by my parents so much they could’ve spun me like a top. Was I nostalgic for the beatings?’

"Here, the last bite. It’s for you." The now-smaller Song Jianguo stood on her tiptoes, enthusiastically holding up the top cake in her hand.

Zhang Wenda eyed her warily. "You didn’t wipe your boogers on this, did you?"

Song Jianguo violently slammed the pastry onto the ground. "Damn it! My plan has been foiled!"

Sometimes, Zhang Wenda truly couldn’t figure out what on earth went on inside Song Jianguo’s head.

"Come on, let’s get something to eat," Zhang Wenda said, pulling Song Jianguo toward a fried noodle stall on the side of the road.

The rice noodles were stir-fried to a golden brown with soy sauce, creating an authentic flavor that could probably only be found in Thought Wave One.

He broke apart the disposable chopsticks, rubbing the ends together to shave off any splinters. He was about to dig into the noodles, but he froze just as they reached his mouth.

He still hadn’t figured it out. Why would people from the Big Circle come to Thought Wave One for no apparent reason, and more specifically, why come to a school?

He’d assumed they were planning some new scheme, perhaps creating a new weapon. But the nostalgic look in that man’s eyes just now suggested a new possibility to Zhang Wenda.

’Could it be that this person has been living in Thought Wave One all this time just to relive his childhood?’ The more Zhang Wenda thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

’Putting himself in their shoes, it made sense. If someone had a happy childhood, one where they weren’t getting beaten every other day, they’d be completely different from him. They would definitely miss their childhood, especially after facing all the bullshit of the adult world.’

Shoving a large mouthful of fried noodles into his mouth, Zhang Wenda chewed as he pulled out his phone and shared the new intel he’d gathered.

Just as he was explaining the details to the others, a small, chubby figure appeared in front of him. "Haozi! This is great! You’re back?!"

It was his childhood friend, Pan Dongzi. Zhang Wenda had grown up, but Pan Dongzi was still just a student.

"Er, long time no see?" Zhang Wenda said, looking awkwardly at the Little Fatty before him. The two of them, who once could talk about anything, now found the situation a bit stilted.

He’d never thought of him as being particularly short before, but now, Pan Dongzi only came up to his thigh.

"Are you back to attend school again?" Pan Dongzi asked, his eyes subconsciously drifting to Zhang Wenda’s half-eaten plate of fried noodles.

"Hey, boss! Another order of fried noodles, not spicy."

Once the steaming plate of noodles was ready, Fatty plopped down and inhaled them like a vacuum. He slurped so hard his face flushed red and his forehead beaded with sweat.

Zhang Wenda pushed the nearby napkin dispenser toward him. "How are your grades these days?"

Fatty shot him a dissatisfied sideways glance. "You sound just like my dad, asking about school the moment you see me."

Zhang Wenda laughed awkwardly. ’What else was he supposed to talk about? It’s not like he had anything in common with kids anymore.’

Fatty glanced around before asking curiously, "Haozi, isn’t that feral kid with you?"

Glancing at Song Jianguo, who was engrossed in her own plate of noodles beside him, Zhang Wenda replied, "Nah, she’s not here."

"Good. You shouldn’t hang out with her. That feral kid eats garbage; she’s a bad influence."

Seeing Song Jianguo raise her noodle plate as if she were about to slam-dunk it onto Fatty’s head, he quickly slid into the seat beside her and stopped the little monster.

He changed the subject. "By the way, Fatty, has anything interesting been happening at school lately?"

"Not really. Oh, right, Teacher Ouyang went to have her baby, and Yang Shu transferred out. Haozi, are you going to start school again now that you’re back?"

Zhang Wenda looked at the familiar yet alien street in front of the school and slowly shook his head. "No, I’m not. Just came back to see how things were. Is everyone else doing all right?"

"Yeah, everyone’s doing great. They really miss you, you know. They talk about you."

After that, Zhang Wenda completely ran out of things to say. It hadn’t been like this when he first emerged from Thought Wave One; he wasn’t sure when the change had happened. "We grow up so fast," he murmured.

"Yeah, we really do," Fatty echoed.

After they finished the noodles, it was almost time for class to start. Pan Dongzi hurriedly thanked Zhang Wenda, then turned and ran toward the school.

Zhang Wenda resumed his work. Armed with this new lead, he scanned with greater care. He kept at it until sunset, when school let out for the day. He even scanned his old homeroom class but still came up with nothing.

’What is going on? This shouldn’t be happening.’ Zhang Wenda’s brow furrowed as he watched the steady stream of people at the school gate.

"What’s the situation on your end?" he asked the others over the phone.

"No progress yet," Shuisheng was the first to reply.

"Then what’s the standard procedure?"

"We continue the mission. He might have detected the Third Line’s movements and left in advance. I recommend we continue to lie low and watch."

"For how long?"

"A few days at the short end, a month or two at the long end. Not all our assignments are quick. Sometimes you get a long-term one like this."

That news was about as welcome as a toothache. He didn’t have a month or two to waste here.

"Haozi!" Pan Dongzi shouted boisterously as he walked past with a few familiar-looking classmates. It looked like they were done with school for the day.

"Yeah, yeah. Don’t mess around on your way home, be safe," Zhang Wenda replied dismissively, his attention still on his phone call.

Just as their receding figures were swallowed by the crowded street, a flash of yellow made Zhang Wenda’s expression turn grave.

"We’re leaving," Zhang Wenda said to Song Jianguo, who was standing in front of a small shop, staring at a TV displaying a slab of meat.

"You found him?" Song Jianguo asked, surprised.

Zhang Wenda hesitated, not entirely sure if his eyes had played a trick on him. Still, the color had definitely been yellow.

’Could the last yellow one really have appeared just like that?!’

A jolt of excitement shot through Zhang Wenda. Real or not, he had to see for himself. He immediately grabbed Song Jianguo and raced after that fleeting splash of yellow.