Infinite Nightmares

Zhang Wenda looked at the rabbit before him, listening to its words, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected it to actually come all this way to find him.

His expression was complicated as he asked, "Are you here to drag me back?"

The rabbit didn’t answer, instead asking, "Why were you hiding from me just now?"

Zhang Wenda couldn’t answer that. He didn’t know why himself. In truth, he wasn’t afraid of the rabbit catching him at all; he was no longer the helpless person he’d been when he first arrived.

If he had to give a reason, it was that deep down, he was truly a little afraid that the rabbit who had once genuinely helped him would also turn out to be an impostor like Ouyang.

There were few people who were genuinely good to him, even in the world he came from. He was afraid that the rash yet gentle rabbit would disappear completely.

However, looking at the expression on the rabbit’s face, Zhang Wenda felt a little more at ease. It hadn’t changed; it was still the same rabbit as before.

"Thank you," Zhang Wenda began. "That Special Ability Ticket was a huge help. Really, it helped me understand this world a lot. We’re not friends or family, so I’m truly grateful."

"It’s because you helped me that I don’t want to make things difficult for you. Do you remember what you said that night?"

Zhang Wenda looked up at the rabbit. "You said you couldn’t help me solve the issue with the rules. I know you can’t help, and I’m not treating you like some wish-granting Lamp God."

"But since you can’t help, can you at least not stop me from finding a way myself?" After speaking, Zhang Wenda turned to leave with the others, not wanting to say any more to the rabbit.

He had only taken a couple of steps before the rabbit grabbed him. Its grip was still immense, clamping around his wrist like a handcuff.

As Zhang Wenda turned back with a conflicted expression, just when he thought the rabbit was about to drag him away by force, he heard it say, "It’s already noon. You must be hungry, right? Let me treat you to a meal."

The rabbit seemed more familiar with the area than Zhang Wenda. Before long, it had led him to a stir-fry stall. The people eating there were all owners of the nearby stalls. "Want some noodles?"

"I’ve never liked noodles," Zhang Wenda, who had been silent the whole way, shook his head.

"If you don’t like noodles, let’s have egg fried rice then." The rabbit pulled Zhang Wenda down onto a long bench. Then it took out a wallet from its pocket, pulled out the single dollar coin it had left, and handed it to the owner. "Boss, two orders of egg fried rice. One spicy, one not."

"You got it."

Seeing this, Zhang Wenda felt a pang in his heart. He let out a deep sigh and lowered his head, burying it in his arms.

The egg fried rice was cooked quickly, and in no time, a steaming plate of it was placed in front of Zhang Wenda.

"Hurry up and eat before it gets cold." As the rabbit spoke, it picked up the jar of chili oil from the table, dumped several heaping spoonfuls into its own already-spicy portion, and stirred it quickly. The plate of egg fried rice ended up looking like rice soaked in red chili oil.

Looking at the steaming fried rice, Zhang Wenda picked up his spoon and began to eat, one bite after another. The rice was leftover from the day before, the oil was lard, and the onions were scallions. It tasted amazing.

Meanwhile, Song Jianguo and the Lamp God sat beside them, staring at each other blankly. They held their chopsticks and looked at the empty tabletop, completely bewildered.

The rabbit didn’t even spare them a glance, as if they didn’t exist.

Although the fried rice was delicious, Zhang Wenda had no appetite in this atmosphere. He ate half and put his spoon down.

The rabbit, its three-lobed mouth covered in red oil, saw this and promptly picked up Zhang Wenda’s half-eaten bowl, dumping the rest onto its own plate.

Noticing that Zhang Wenda had put down his spoon, the rabbit chewed the fried rice in its mouth and said, "Don’t blame Teacher Ouyang. She didn’t want to be like that either."

"That was at school. She’s a teacher. When you asked her that, she had to act that way."

"Why? Is there some kind of barrier at the school? Do you have to be an impostor to be a teacher there?" Zhang Wenda recalled Ouyang’s horrifying appearance.

Hearing this, the rabbit’s long ears twitched. "Wenda, you need to understand something. Only in your world is there a ’why.’ In the adult world, the word ’why’ doesn’t exist. There are rules, and you just have to follow them. That’s the rule for adults."

Zhang Wenda shook his head. "I don’t care what happens to her. I don’t know her well anyway."

After the rabbit finished the last bite of rice on its plate, it finally got to the point. "She wasn’t wrong, you know. This place is dangerous. It’s not for you."

Zhang Wenda sat up straight, his expression turning serious. "I’m not blind. I know it’s dangerous here, but I have no choice. I’m being tormented by the rules every single day. It’s unbearable, you understand?"

"I can’t find a solution anywhere else. My only option now is to look for one here."

The rabbit turned to the side, looking down at Zhang Wenda earnestly. "Let’s leave here first, okay? I’ll help you with your problem."

Zhang Wenda couldn’t take it anymore. "Help with what? You said yourself you can’t help with this. How are you going to help? You’re so broke, why are you still meddling in other people’s business?"

The rabbit answered calmly, "Because I’m your teacher."

While Zhang Wenda was frozen in place, the rabbit once again pulled him into an embrace. "Come with me. I don’t want to see you get into even bigger trouble just to solve your current one."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda felt a flicker of emotion, but he ultimately began to push the rabbit away forcefully. "I appreciate the sentiment. You’re a good teacher, but unfortunately, I’m not a student. Everything I’ve encountered on my journey, I’ve always handled myself."

Steeling himself, Zhang Wenda stood up and started to walk away.

If the rabbit really tried to stop him, he wouldn’t hesitate to fight. With Song Jianguo and the Lamp God, he was confident he could escape from the rabbit’s grasp.

From the moment he saw the rabbit’s wallet, Zhang Wenda no longer wanted to involve it in his affairs.

’It’s not a superman. As strange as it is, it’s still just a rabbit. It’s already helped me so much; there’s no need to make it suffer for my sake.’

Beside them, Song Jianguo shrugged at the Lamp God, then stood up and followed.

Just as Zhang Wenda stepped back into the flea market, the rabbit’s voice came from behind him. "I work at the Youth Palace. I see students every day. I can tell if someone is a real student or not with just one look."

Zhang Wenda stopped in his tracks, looking at the rabbit in shock. ’He figured it out?’

The rabbit said as it walked out, "If—and I’m just saying if—you really do solve the rules in the Internet World, what do you plan to do afterward?"

"What?" Zhang Wenda thought he had misheard. After figuring out his secret, the rabbit was just asking him this?