Infinite Nightmares

"Hold on a second." Seeing the blue light from Zhang Wenda’s flashlight blocking his path, Liu Jianming looked at him in surprise. "What’s the meaning of this? You’re stopping me now of all times?"

Zhang Wenda stood there silently. Just as Liu Jianming’s brow furrowed and he started to grow wary of Zhang Wenda, Zhang Wenda finally spoke again.

"If we capture him and take him back, what will happen? What will Big Circle do to him?" Zhang Wenda finally asked.

"How should I know? We get paid to do a job, and that’s that. Why are you asking so many questions?" Liu Jianming was a little confused as to why the kid was asking this.

Recalling the sun in that factory, Zhang Wenda spoke again. "Will he be locked up somewhere, his abilities exploited day and night without rest? Will they use him like a tool until he’s all used up?" His breathing grew ragged.

"What are you getting at? Just be straight with me. Are you trying to stop me?" Liu Jianming glared at Zhang Wenda, his tone turning hostile.

Seeing the tension rise, Song Jianguo started to walk over to tell him not to be stubborn, but he was pulled back by Dayan.

Just as Song Jianguo thought, ’He’s going to act up again,’ Zhang Wenda glanced at the little beggar in the distance, then back at Liu Jianming. He suddenly took a deep breath, and a smile spread across his face.

"What are you talking about? I was just asking. And I just wanted to remind you to be careful. This kid isn’t ordinary. I’m afraid he won’t be easy to deal with."

"Hah, so that’s all this was about? And here I was, wondering what you were up to." With that, Liu Jianming completely ignored Zhang Wenda’s warning and flew rapidly toward the child.

Facing Liu Jianming’s attack, Wang Dayan, who was squatting on the ground, didn’t react at all. He just remained where he was, crying in despair.

After a brief flurry of attacks, Liu Jianming saw his chance. He swung his right fist and smashed it directly onto the child’s head.

As the boy’s head slumped to the side, the airplanes circling in the sky instantly transformed into motionless white clouds. The strange little thought-tide had vanished!

Liu Jianming saw this, and a smile had just begun to form on his face when Zhang Wenda’s voice rang out from behind him. "Senior! I’m here to help!"

He whipped his head around to see Zhang Wenda charging over menacingly with the other two.

"AAAAHHH! My ultimate secret technique: Bloody Battle in All Directions!"

Zhang Wenda roared as he raised his scythe-hands high and swung them violently to the left. Several gashes immediately split open across Dayan’s stomach, and her crimson blood sprayed all over Liu Jianming’s body and face.

Liu Jianming stared at the blood covering his body, his pupils trembling. Then, he let out a piercing scream. "AAAAHHHHH!"

Panic instantly seized Liu Jianming’s heart. He shrieked in terror as he flew away.

Seeing Liu Jianming flying frantically around the sky, searching for water to wash himself, Zhang Wenda knew he had guessed right. ’If he really is a Vampire whose aversion to garlic is swapped with an aversion to blood, then for as much as he loves garlic, he must hate blood. That’s Liu Jianming’s fatal weakness.’

"Let’s go!" Zhang Wenda rushed over, scooped the unconscious little beggar into his arms, and dashed toward the edge of town.

He had only been pretending before; it didn’t mean he had actually given up.

"Wait, what the hell is your plan? Why did you suddenly attack our own teammate?" a bewildered Song Jianguo asked as they ran.

"You really think he’s our teammate? What’s wrong with your brain? Have you already forgotten that we’re here undercover?"

Zhang Wenda glanced at the little beggar again and said with a grave expression, "More than that, I want to know who tortured him into this state, and if he’s an experimental subject of Bureau 507!"

"And if he is?" Dayan asked, clutching her rapidly healing wound as she caught up.

"If he is, then we’ll have to reconsider our relationship with the Third Line."

Zhang Wenda was fast, and with no one to stop them, they quickly reached the outskirts of town.

After confirming that Hu Maomao and Liu Jianming weren’t in pursuit, Zhang Wenda stopped by a pool of water.

Now, he finally got a clear look at the boy. He was small and gaunt, with sallow skin and yellowish hair—clearly malnourished.

Even in his sleep, a trace of fear was etched between his brows.

Zhang Wenda wanted to touch the boy’s face, but then he saw his own gleaming scythes and pulled his hands back. He tried to scoop up some water, but it just streamed out through the round holes in his palms.

"You, wake him up. Gently," Zhang Wenda said to Song Jianguo, who was lifting his shirt and carefully peering inside.

"Look! I changed back! I told you! I really am a girl!"

The ecstatic Song Jianguo generously started to unbutton his shirt for Zhang Wenda, only to be quickly covered up by Dayan.

"Mimi! Don’t do that! Be more of a lady."

Looking at the two, who were on a completely different wavelength, Zhang Wenda felt a headache coming on. "Who wants to see that? It’s not like you have anything to show off. Now hurry up and wake him!"

At Zhang Wenda’s command, Song Jianguo scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on the little beggar’s grimy face.

Just as Wang Dayan groggily opened his eyes, Song Jianguo’s excited voice suddenly deflated with disappointment. "Aww... I changed back again..."

Seeing Wang Dayan becoming agitated again, tears welling in his eyes, Zhang Wenda, who had witnessed the power of the boy’s crying, didn’t dare hesitate. He immediately stretched out his right hand and stuck a lollipop right into the boy’s mouth.

"Don’t cry, don’t cry! We’re good people! We don’t want to hurt you!" Although Zhang Wenda’s current appearance was anything but convincing, the sweetness in his mouth caused Wang Dayan’s sobs to gradually subside.

Especially when Dayan stuffed eight fluffy kittens into his arms. Stroking the incredibly soft, smooth fur, Wang Dayan finally calmed down.

Zhang Wenda let out a long sigh of relief and tried his best to make his voice sound harmless. "What’s your name, little one?"

"Wang... Wang Dayan." Dayan buried his head as deep as he could into the pile of kittens, not daring to look too long at Zhang Wenda.

’That’s obviously a nickname,’ Zhang Wenda thought for a moment before asking again, "Where did you escape from? Who were the people that captured you?"

Wang Dayan hesitated, but when he saw Zhang Wenda pull out another lollipop, he started talking again. "From inside a black house. There were bad people in there. They hit me."

"And what were their names, little one?"

"They were called Bad People."

Seeing that the boy hadn’t understood him at all, Zhang Wenda thought for a moment, then held up his flashlight. "This. Do you recognize this? Did the bad people who captured you have these?"