Nightmare Dust/Spores

Ma Ran waved his hand, signaling Song Chu to follow his pace.

The two walked through the quiet forest.

"I came to Area A3 because I want to deal with an alien creature called 'Nightmare'."

As Ma Ran led the way, he said in a deep voice, "Six days ago, through my Limited Precognition ability, I saw some scenes and heard some sounds."

Song Chu nodded, not interrupting, and listened quietly.

As one of the two current Nation Supporters-level superpower users in China, he had long heard of Ma Ran's name and brief ability information.

"Nightmare can manipulate dreams, causing people to fall into an irreversible sleep, devouring human brainwaves to grow and evolve."

"My judgment is that it has the potential to grow to a level capable of destroying the world."

As he spoke, Ma Ran's eyes turned slightly grim, "That guy is very special."

"Only those with a high life level and firm conviction are qualified to harm it."

"No matter how many ordinary soldiers come, they can't truly harm it; they will only become its food."

"So, I came personally."

High life level and firm conviction.

These were two conditions.

For the former, members of various academic societies cultivating the Black Rock Martial Way might barely meet it.

As for the latter, there were many in Area A3.

However, the number of people who could satisfy both conditions simultaneously was very few.

The threshold for causing effective damage to 'Nightmare' was too harsh!

"No wonder..."

Song Chu connected Ma Ran's previous strange behavior and nodded slightly, "This makes sense now."

His gaze inadvertently swept over the lock of white hair at the front of Ma Ran's forehead, and his expression changed slightly.

When he was at Fulan Academy, he already knew that Ma Ran paid with his lifespan to change the future through his Limited Precognition ability.

Seeing it described in text was completely different from witnessing it in person!

Before joining Caolu Academy, Ma Ran was just an ordinary high school student.

But his kindness and selflessness made Song Chu feel somewhat ashamed.

Song Chu felt that if he had awakened a similar ability to Ma Ran's, he would never have been able to achieve this level.

He had always considered himself a very ordinary person.

He would save other people's lives within his capabilities.

But to harm his own interests, or even his lifespan, was unlikely.

"Although it's a bit cold, he's indeed a person worthy of admiration..."

Song Chu sighed and quickened his pace, staying by Ma Ran's side.

Precisely because he couldn't do it himself, he admired those who could even more.

Even though Ma Ran wasn't boasting about his achievements, just standing beside him, Song Chu could feel a kind of human brilliance.

Having only interacted with Ma Ran for three minutes, Song Chu felt a sense of purification.

Deep in his heart, the fear of alien creatures still lingered.

But at the same time, standing beside Ma Ran, Song Chu felt a strange emotion and impulse growing in his chest.

It was something called courage!

Fighting alongside someone with such a pure heart, even if he were to sacrifice himself in Area A3, it would be a proud thing, wouldn't it?

Just as Song Chu was lost in thought, Ma Ran suddenly raised the Elephant Hunt in his hand and fired a shot behind Song Chu's head.

In an instant, Song Chu's mind went blank, and he couldn't even form a thought.

Bang!

A muffled sound, like rolling thunder, echoed through the forest.

The smell of gunpowder smoke reached his nostrils.

Song Chu suddenly turned around, only to see a pool of viscous, dark green liquid splattered on the poplar trees behind him.

A strong, sweetish smell wafted over, overpowering the gunpowder, cloyingly sweet.

"Elephant Hunt is really good..."

"It's not as bad as people say; it's clearly been unfairly criticized."

"Without it, I would have had to expend a lot of inner energy."

Ma Ran lowered the smoking Elephant Hunt gun with satisfaction, pointed at the viscous green liquid, and calmly explained, "This thing, I call it 'Nightmare Spores'."

"Normally, they are invisible and cannot be captured by the naked eye. Thermal imaging systems are also ineffective against them."

"The Nightmare Spores only become visible the moment they attack."

"Do not make direct contact. This substance is highly toxic to animals."

Song Chu subtly stepped back two paces.

He hadn't intended to touch the thing in the first place.

After hearing Ma Ran's words, he was even more eager to avoid it, wanting to get as far away as possible.

"Contact will cause skin to fester."

"Even its vapor can corrode the respiratory system, causing alveoli to rupture and turn into pus."

"It's worth mentioning that inner energy can provide a decent protective effect."

Speaking of which, Ma Ran said leisurely, "In the past six days, I've crushed a total of seventy-five Nightmare Spores."

"Although I haven't been able to find the Nightmare Mother to finish it all in one go, but..."

"I have an idea now."

In his previous life, because everyone in Area A3 had died, many situations were reconstructed by investigators based on various traces left at the scene. It wasn't detailed or accurate enough.

Ma Ran had to gather information himself and deduce the Nightmare Mother's activity patterns.

Song Chu was stunned for a while before finally snapping back to reality, "So, where are we going now?"

Ma Ran said calmly, "To the two areas where the Nightmare Mother might appear."

"To save people, we must eliminate that thing."

"Remember, stay with me and don't get separated."

This calm demeanor gradually restored Song Chu's composure, as he had been somewhat panicked.

"I'll stick close to you."

He nodded fiercely and pointed at the dark green viscous liquid on the tree trunk. "What about these things? Should we get rid of them?"

Ma Ran's tone was calm. "No need to worry about it."

"It will naturally dissipate in just five minutes."

Afterward, under Ma Ran's lead, the two of them simply organized and distributed the equipment and items they had.

Gas masks, adrenaline, high-concentration caffeine, smelling salts...

Ma Ran had prepared them very thoroughly, perfectly fitting the current situation and demonstrating the demeanor of a Prophet.

"You knew I would come to Area A3 long ago?"

Song Chu carefully noticed that most of the items Ma Ran had prepared were in pairs.

"In the [Limited Precognition], you were indeed present."

Ma Ran began to talk nonsense without any psychological burden. "If I hadn't stopped you just now, that Nightmare Spore would have parasitized your brain, trapping you in the dream world."

"Dying in the dream world means your brainwaves will be devoured by the Nightmare Mother, and your physical body in reality will also die."

"Do you know about Gu cultivation?"

Song Chu nodded vigorously.

It's like putting various poisonous insects in a jar without food, letting them bite each other. The only one that can crawl out alive is the Gu.

This process is also called Gu cultivation.

"Everyone in Area A3 will get everything they desire in a virtual dream."

"And then die."

"And you, as the final survivor, gained the right to become the Nightmare Mother's host."

"In order to prevent the Nightmare Mother from becoming the ultimate disaster that destroys human civilization, at the last moment, you chose to commit suicide, taking it down with you."

Ma Ran said softly at this point, "What I saw through [Limited Precognition] were only fragmented images, and the sounds I heard were chaotic and disordered."

"What I've told you just now, the details are my logical completions, but the general direction should not be wrong."

Song Chu lowered his head, pondered for a long time, and then spoke with difficulty, "Are the other unconscious people all parasitized by that thing?"

"No."

Ma Ran's eyes were calm. "Creating things like Nightmare Spores is not easy for the Nightmare Mother."

"It released a large amount of substance, which I named 'Nightmare Dust,' enveloping the entire Area A3."

"The vast majority of people will be affected by it and trapped in dreams."

Thanks to Shi Xue Yi Yun for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to Chao You Jiu for the 100-point tip of Ma Ran's little chicken leg!

Thanks to Mo Yu Xing Yuan for the 100-point tip!

Thanks! (▽)

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Hehe! Update complete!

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See you all tomorrow, little buddies!