Infinite Nightmares

Seeing the people walk into the bustling market, Wang Dayan grabbed some nearby trash and piled it over himself, trying to burrow even deeper into hiding.

’So many people have come and gone without finding me. These newcomers must be idiots, too. It won’t be long before they get attacked for eating without reporting it. All I have to do is stay hidden so they don’t find me.’

However, just as he was drowsily drifting off again, he heard the sounds outside growing louder and louder.

He didn’t dare go out. He was afraid the people these idiots had attracted would notice him and drag him back.

The voices outside grew even louder. "Found him yet!"

"No! We’ve knocked out all the kids in the area! How is this thought-current still here?!"

"Keep looking! He has to be hiding here! There’s no doubt about it."

’So noisy. Why haven’t those other people taken them away yet?’ Just as Wang Dayan was thinking this, he suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring at him.

As he looked up, he saw a cute little cat perched on the edge of the dumpster, looking down at him.

"Meeeow...rroowl!"

With a SCREECH of tearing metal and a shower of sparks, Wang Dayan watched as several deep gashes appeared in the heavy metal dumpster.

Next, several incredibly sharp long blades stabbed into the gashes and yanked. With a piercing SCRAPE of metal, the dumpster was torn open. Exposed to the world again, Wang Dayan found himself face-to-face with a ferocious, scythe-wielding monster staring him down.

"Found him! It’s this kid!"

Seeing the terrifying scene before him, Wang Dayan’s first instinct was to run. Run as far and as fast as he could!

He scrambled on all fours, but he hadn’t gotten far before a tall, red figure appeared in front of him. A pair of large, powerful hands clamped down on him from either side like crab claws.

"Now now, little one, no more running. Don’t you worry, Big Auntie would never hurt a child."

As the others started to surround him, panic seized Wang Dayan. ’I’ve been caught! They’re going to send me back! I’ll never get out again!!’

The more Wang Dayan panicked, the more terrified he became, until he burst into tears. He then watched in horror as, in time with his sobs, the man in red before him began to bleed—gushing blood, so much blood that his white bones became visible through the mangled flesh.

Feeling the arms holding him go limp, Wang Dayan saw a chance to escape and immediately stopped crying. He scrambled toward a nearby alley.

Wang Dayan’s head was buzzing. A single thought crashed wildly in his mind: ’I just used my Qi Gong by accident! Those people are going to come get me now! Run! I can’t be taken back! They’ll beat me! They’ll lock me in the black box!’

He scrambled on all fours like a startled stray dog, completely unaware that he was moving so fast that not even Zhang Wenda, a speed specialist, could keep up.

The wind howled in his ears, mixed with the surprised cry of the cat-eared woman and the pained grunt of "Big Auntie" behind him.

"Cough... be careful... this little whelp... is something else..." Big Auntie’s voice was hoarse and broken, like a leaky bellows. But Wang Dayan didn’t look back. He didn’t dare.

’The alley is right there! If I can just get inside and keep running, just like before... as long as I keep running, they’ll never find me!’

But just as he was about to dart into it, a beam of blue light shot down and struck the ground in front of him, forcing him to a screeching halt.

"Stop running! We’re not here to capture you!" A strange voice came from above and to the side. Wang Dayan looked back in terror to see the monster speaking to him, a flashlight in its hand.

Seeing the flashlight in its hand—identical to the ones *those people* used—Wang Dayan screamed inwardly. ’Liar! They’re all in it together! All adults are liars! If they catch me, they’ll send me back!’

A whimper escaped his throat. He instinctively wanted to cry again—the kind of crying that made bad people bleed and get hurt.

But he bit down hard on his lip, choking back the sobs. ’I can’t cry! If I cry, I’ll use my Qi Gong! If I use it, *they’ll* know where I am!’

He whirled around, trying to break out in another direction. But a wall made of cats was already blocking his path. Perched on the wall, Song Jianguo’s eyes glowed in the dim light like a real cat’s, his expression a mixture of irritation and curiosity as he looked down at the little beggar.

"We’re out of time! The Third Line is on their way here! Let’s take him down together, for good!"

Hearing Zhang Wenda’s command, Song Jianguo immediately raised the spear in his hand and thrust it toward the little beggar’s eyes.

’Don’t touch me!’ Watching the spear fly toward him, Wang Dayan’s terror reached its peak. He didn’t cry. Instead, he let out a short, sharp gasp, like a sob from someone scared out of their wits.

VMMMM—!

An invisible, distorted force field erupted from him. Whether it was Zhang Wenda charging forward or Song Jianguo on the wall, both of them felt as if their heads had been struck by a sledgehammer. A wave of intense dizziness and nausea washed over them. Even the red light of the flashlight in his hand flickered violently, becoming extremely unstable.

Zhang Wenda, who had quickly backed away, watched the child from a distance with lingering fear. ’So this is the power that can sustain a thought-current all on its own. This kid’s innate strength is absolutely astounding.’

’Aside from that computer-person, this is the second most powerful being I’ve ever encountered.’

’It’s just that he’s too young. He has no way of fully utilizing the immense power within him.’

’He’s only driving it by instinct, but even so, subduing this little guy is going to be extremely tricky for us.’

’I wonder if his body is physically enhanced. If not, maybe we could try a sneak attack.’ Just as Zhang Wenda was mulling over his strategy, he noticed that something seemed wrong with the boy. He wasn’t attacking or trying to run. Instead, he was... trembling?

The little beggar in his tattered clothes squatted down, wrapped his filth-caked hands tightly around his head, and curled into a ball. He was like an ostrich facing danger, hiding himself in the smallest possible space.

He began to shout, uncontrollably and desperately, over and over. His voice was thick with tears, but none would fall.

"Please! Don’t send me back! I don’t want to go back! I really don’t want to go back! I really don’t! I don’t want to be beaten anymore!"

He chanted it over and over, his body trembling violently, as if he wasn’t begging the enemies before him for mercy, but repenting and pleading with the unseen beings who punished him, beat him, and set the iron laws of his life.

As Zhang Wenda watched, and as he looked at the child, it was as if he were seeing a reflection of himself.

With the fierce battle paused for a moment, Zhang Wenda finally had time to wonder what this child had truly been through, and what he was so afraid of.

At that moment, it also dawned on Zhang Wenda that this wasn’t a game. His mission this time was to deliver this living, breathing child into the hands of the Big Circle—people who killed without batting an eye.

"Haha, not bad, kid! I can’t believe you managed to find him in all this chaos. Guess you’re not a rookie after all." Liu Jianming flew over with a laugh, taking big bites of garlic as he excitedly sized up the little beggar on the ground.

Just as he was about to rush toward the child to knock him out and complete the mission, the blue beam from Zhang Wenda’s flashlight shot out and blocked his path. "Hold on a minute."