Infinite Nightmares

As Zhang Wenda heard himself say those words, his nose stung, and tears streamed from his eyes.

Zhang Wenda had forgotten so, so much. He had even completely forgotten the very thing he once desired most.

Zhang Wenda held his younger self up before him, looking at the boy with immense seriousness.

"It’s okay. If no one holds us, we’ll hold ourselves. If no one loves us, we’ll love ourselves. We can leave the past behind us. We absolutely can!"

As the crying gradually subsided, Zhang Wenda continued, "Come with me, okay? I promise you, the future will be so much better than the past. You’ll find people who truly cherish you."

Zhang Wenda smiled as he watched his younger self give a slight nod. "Let’s go. We’ll walk out of here together."

Zhang Wenda swayed as he got to his feet. Cradling his former self, he walked step by deliberate step out of the pitch-black darkness and toward the light.

And so, step by step, he crossed the six-layered region of the paleocortex, navigated the maze of the Hippocampus, and passed through the forest of the Little Black Cat.

At that moment, every living being on the island stopped, their gazes fixed on Zhang Wenda in a silent tribute. The entire island fell utterly still.

When he reached the edge of the island, Zhang Wenda put down his younger self, who was clinging to him, unwilling to part. "You stay here with the Little Black Cats for now. I have some things to take care of on the outside. Once I’m done, I’ll come back for you, okay?"

"Okay." His younger self let go, taking a Little Black Cat’s paw in his hand and watched with longing as Zhang Wenda departed the pink island.

The moment Zhang Wenda stepped off the island, several pillars of blue light shot down from all directions, pinning him in place. The roar of propellers filled the air. From the sky above to the ground below, he was completely surrounded by Bureau 507’s combat team.

Zhang Wenda calmly looked at the people around him. "I’m fine," he said. "It’s all over."

However, the combat team watched him warily, showing no signs of lowering their guard. On the surrounding rooftops, figures could be seen peering down.

Zhang Wenda scanned the crowd, searching for someone. He finally found Song Jianguo and the others, who were watching him with grave expressions.

He calmly opened his arms to them and asked softly, "Will you hug me?"

While everyone was still trying to figure out what was going on, a dark figure darted from the crowd, leaped at Zhang Wenda, and held him in a death grip. It was Song Jianguo.

Feeling her warmth, a wave of comfort washed over Zhang Wenda. In that instant, he felt her trust.

Right after Song Jianguo, Hu Maomao floated over from the crowd. Seeing the sanity return to Zhang Wenda’s eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief and gently embraced him as well.

Then came Wang Xiaohua, then 2826, and finally the whole clowder of Black Cats. They piled onto Zhang Wenda in a massive group hug, and in that moment, the gnawing emptiness inside him was completely filled.

Once it became clear that Zhang Wenda was truly lucid and had no intention of harming anyone, the intense tension on the street finally broke. Teams began to stand down, and agents started filing their reports.

After a long hug, Hu Maomao let go, raised her right hand, and gave his head a light smack. "What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused?"

Zhang Wenda didn’t know how to explain. He just smiled at her. "Auntie, it’s a long story. I don’t even know where to begin."

With a flick of her right hand, the tinfoil helmet flew from a nearby stool and settled back on her head. "No need for apologies. I’m your elder, after all. It’s my job to clean up your messes."

Just then, Zhang Wenda’s gaze fell on Wang Xiaohua, who was covering her eyes, and Song Jianguo, who was clutching the stump of her severed arm. "I’m so sorry. Does the Bureau have limb regeneration technology? I’ll pay for it."

Seeing that Zhang Wenda was back to his senses, Wang Xiaohua waved a hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about it. Your mind was obviously being manipulated. It’s not your fault. All that matters is that you’re okay now."

Hearing this, Song Jianguo, who stood nearby, jerked her head up defiantly. "I want a raise! I’ve checked the job market, and you can’t hire someone this incredible for a measly 2,500."

As they were chatting, Shuisheng and his team approached. "Come on. We’ll escort you back to the Bureau to rest."

Zhang Wenda looked at the dozen or so people approaching him and shook his head. "Hold on. There’s something I need to take care of first. I’ll explain it to Ouyang myself when I get back."

"What else could you possibly have to do?" Hu Maomao pleaded. "Just stop with that ’thing’ for a while. After all this, you should stop cultivating."

"No." Zhang Wenda shook his head, his gaze more determined than ever. "This isn’t about Trial No. 2. This is something I’ve waited years for. I have to see it through now. I promised him."

With that, Zhang Wenda turned and started walking toward his home.

But the house was a wreck, and no one was there. He finally found his mother outside an operating room at the hospital.

The moment Mrs. Zhang saw him appear, she shot to her feet. A look of agony and despair crossed her face as she asked in a trembling voice, "You’ve come to kill us both, haven’t you?"

"No. I came to talk." Zhang Wenda sat down beside her.

Seeing no trace of hostility in his eyes, she sat back down, still visibly shaken. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Suddenly, a sob broke the silence. Zhang Wenda watched as his mother began to weep.

"Can’t you forgive your father and me? Please, just let it all go. No matter what happened, we’re still family!"

Zhang Wenda stared at the ceiling for a long moment before speaking. "Mom, when you asked me before if I could forgive you, I didn’t know how to answer. But I’ve figured it out now."

Just as a flicker of hope appeared in her eyes, Zhang Wenda shook his head resolutely. "No. I don’t forgive you."

Having said his piece, he stood up decisively and walked out of the hospital.

A hoarse scream echoed from behind him. "You’ve already done this to your father! What more do you want! Do we have to die for you to forgive us?!"

Zhang Wenda half-turned to face her. "I can’t be the one to forgive you. Not on his behalf."

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"I’ve grown up, but he never got the chance. I have no right to forgive you in his place. I can’t betray the boy I once was for some ’so-called blue’ or any other benefit!"

After saying this, Zhang Wenda ignored the torrent of ugly, hateful words about his ’unfilial’ behavior and walked out of the hospital without looking back.

Just as he pushed open the hospital’s main doors, he saw a small, blue version of his younger self standing outside, waving happily at him.

Zhang Wenda stared, stunned for a second, then a smile spread across his face. He strode toward the boy. "Sorry to have kept you waiting so long."

The moment Zhang Wenda’s hand touched the boy’s, the blue figure dissolved into a ball of light and flowed instantly into Zhang Wenda’s body.