Nightmare

It felt as if someone were shoving him around violently.

It felt as if he were being cornered at the back door of a classroom, kicked, beaten, and insulted.

It felt as if he couldn't pay his tuition, had been kicked out of school by his teacher, and was wandering the streets like a dog—crying, powerless, and desperate—until, after realizing the reality of his situation, he bowed his head and went door-to-door, begging for work and shelter.

It felt as if he had been sent to a foster family, forced to endure their cold glares.

It felt as if he had been sent to a hospital, covered in severe burns, as if he were about to die.

It felt as if... suddenly, once again, he had returned to ten years ago!

The nightmare's regression never ceased, crashing forward, brutally excavating every fragment of the past until, finally, it broke through all obstacles and, with effortless ease, grasped the core of despair!

"Found you."

The Nightmare Demon grinned, reopening the true nightmare hidden within the memories!

In that instant, the blue sky turned into a scorched canopy, scarlet firelight reflecting off clouds as black as lead; the earth cracked, and sparks rose and fell upon the charred soil.

Wailing and mournful cries were extinguished amidst the ruins.

Raging flames burned upon the wreckage of the carriage.

Ji Jue was once again swallowed by his memories.

It was so calm.

It made the Nightmare Demon unable to comprehend.

This was not a Lucid Dream that could be broken by realizing one's own identity, nor was it some illusion that could be dispelled simply by seeing through it. This was a genuine source of agony, a vicious technique designed to push an opponent completely into the abyss.

Yet, at this moment, he could see no terror or despair on Ji Jue's face.

Only a calmness that made him feel a faint chill.

It was as if he had returned to his own home, back to his soft bed; he looked around at everything with indifference, letting the painful memories swallow him whole.

He strolled forward and sat down upon the ruins.

"Ah... how embarrassing."

Ji Jue scratched his cheek and sighed softly: "I only said a few days ago that I might not come back, but I didn't expect that I'd be sent back here again."

No one responded; only in the distance, a faint song echoed, endless and eternal.

In that instant, the formless Tapir actually lost its power and fell into the dust.

A cold wind whistled past, carrying the mournful cries of countless deaths.

Stunned and shocked, the Nightmare Demon bowed his head, looking at the dust and ashes on his own hands. He instinctively took a step back, only to collapse onto the ground.

He looked around in a daze.

His control over the dream had been stolen!

"What is happening?!"

He instinctively rose, wanting to seize back his control, only to see silver light gradually brightening upon the earth. The solemn outlines, complex as electrical circuits, acted like an invisible net, enclosing him within!

Tick, tick, tick, tick...

In his ears, an illusory sound rang out.

It was so crisp.

And so, the stagnant time flowed backward, and everything sealed in dust appeared once more.

Right there amidst the scorched earth and ashes, blurred silhouettes and agonizing bodies gathered again, returning from death—wailing, screaming, praying, or roaring.

In the end, they—no, it—turned their heads.

They looked toward the stunned Tapir.

On their shattered, charred faces, there were no eyes, only two pitch-black hollows, like caves leading to the abyss. Yet, within those hollows, Blazing Light suddenly surged.

It was as if the mountains were ignited, the oceans boiled, and the firmament and the earth fell apart from the tides of destruction.

That was, in every sense...

--A Natural Disaster!

Amidst the final, terrified scream of the intruder, the Natural Disaster that had destroyed everything ten years ago appeared once again from the edge of the earth.

Genuine despair and destruction swept forward in a mighty wave!

When a nightmare shatters, it is like a bubble.

When a soul is Burned to ashes, it is the same.

This was the final ending for the Dream Eater.

"Sir? Sir?"

Late at night, outside the private lounge at the airport, the attendant knocked on the door once again, reminding him softly: "Your flight is about to take off, sir. Can you hear me? Sir?"

No one responded; there was only dead silence.

When the door was pushed open, a terrified scream suddenly rang out, and chaos spread. Soon, the area was cordoned off, and isolation lines were set up.

The police who arrived raised their cameras and captured the scene inside the room.

The man on the sofa had long since stopped breathing.

His stiff expression was completely twisted, frozen in a state of terror and despair from the moment of his death, unable to be smoothed away.

"Likely sudden death in his sleep."

The forensic examiner who arrived removed his gloves and delivered the verdict, though before leaving, he couldn't help but look back one last time at the curled, contorted corpse. It was truly incomprehensible.

Why did the body look as if it had been burned to death?

When Ji Jue opened his eyes again, he saw the sunlight streaming in from outside the window—warm and gentle. Birds sang on the branches, spread their wings, and flew toward the sky.

In this indescribable tranquility, he lay on the floor, slowly stretched his body, and let out a comfortable groan.

It had been a long time since he'd slept this soundly.

He was so tired.

He didn't even know when he had fallen asleep last night. He had slept on the floor all night, yet he didn't feel any discomfort or back pain; instead, it felt as if his entire being had been thoroughly restored.

Comfortable and peaceful.

It felt like he had a very long dream, but it was all a jumble and he couldn't remember any of it. However, such a sufficient rest made him certain it must have been a good dream.

Only, when he raised his hand, he couldn't help but pause.

On the dial's progress bar, the [1] had actually been half-filled with gold!

Over fifty percent?!

It had only been at thirty percent before he went to sleep, so how did it jump so much just by opening his eyes? Was the effect of balancing work and rest really that top-tier?

Ji Jue scratched his head in confusion.

It couldn't be that some fierce ghost had actually entered his dreams to perform an empowerment ritual, could it?

The progress bar jumped twenty percent just from one sleep—was there really such a good thing in this world?

It was too absurd, but I like it. Give me more!

Humming a tune and swaying his waist, he finished washing up and tidying, then looked outside. The sun was bright, the sky was cloudless; it was truly a great day for Tightening Screws, scavenging, and grinding progress!

The happy grind was about to begin again!

However, not long after stepping out, he saw someone not far away—scruffy and pale, the type who looked like he didn't have long to live. The moment the man saw him walk out, his expression looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Maybe he's sick?

Ji Jue gave him a pitying look, shoved his hands into his pockets, and strolled away leisurely.

Only after they brushed past each other did Qi Qin, who had been frozen in place, remain standing there, staring blankly as Ji Jue's back disappeared into the distance, doubting if he was hallucinating.

An opponent targeted by a Nightmare Demon, after being tortured for so long, should be in a private room at a mental hospital the next day. How could he still be alive and kicking, out to Tightening Screws?

Something's wrong!

He felt like something had gone awry. He looked down at the messages on his phone—dozens of inquiries sent out that remained unread, and not a single reply to this moment!

Something's wrong, something's wrong, something's wrong... something is definitely wrong!!!

What the hell is going on?

He wanted nothing more than to pin that bastard down and whip him with a copper-headed belt until he spun like a top: Damn it, I've waited for you all night! Did it work or not? Say something!

But no matter how he urged, called, or sent emails, there was no response.

It was as if he were dead.

"You'd better be fucking dead, you son of a bitch." Qi Qin's eyes were bloodshot.

At this point, seeing the other party playing dead and not replying, how could he not understand?

That bastard probably dug up something last night and had likely already run for his life!

If he had really run away, that would be one thing, but he feared the other party thought his information was a rare commodity and was planning to find a more generous employer to sell it for a Large Sum of Money!

But what kind of hellish Things did he dig up?

Nobody knows!

But the time left for him was running out...

"So that's how you want to play, you bastard. Just Wait for Death!"

Qi Qin dialed the number without hesitation. "Boss, something happened. The Nightmare Demon has run off!"

After reporting the specific situation, the old man on the other end of the line was also stunned, suppressing a rage with nowhere to vent, followed only by the sound of something shattering.

"You useless piece of trash! If you want to die, just go buy an urn; why drag me down with you? Why are you only telling me now?!"

Qi Qin's expression twitched, his mouth opening and closing.

He hadn't expected that a casual cast of his line would actually hook such a Something Big. Not only was the rod about to snap, but he was about to be dragged into the sea!

What was even more bizarre was that after the Nightmare Demon ran off, they had no way to confirm what was actually hooked under the line. It could be worthless ocean trash, or it could be a man-eating shark that wouldn't stop until it tasted blood!

Whether it was the theory that "Ji Jue might be the Chosen Summoner who has been turning most of Haizhou upside down lately," or that "he has been secretly hooking up with the one surnamed Wen for years and they even have a child who just finished its first month," they could no longer afford to drag their feet.

If Wan Yi Yan sold the information and let Wen Wen catch wind of it, causing her to become vigilant, there might never be another chance.

Even if it were only a "possibility," if something were to go wrong, would "those people" really let him off the hook?

Don't make him laugh!

Rats like them, scavenging for leftovers in the gutters, spent most of their days doing the dirty work for those big shots. If they were useful, they'd keep being used; if they weren't, wouldn't they just be replaced?

A chamber pot is sometimes just like a Pal.

If you don't do it, there are plenty of others who will!

"Take action directly."

Jiang Jin took a deep breath. "Find someone to grab that kid first! I'll go contact the Chosen One from the Heart Pivot side and dig up his background completely!"

Qi Qin hesitated for a moment. "But he stays in Ye Xian's Workshop every day. What if Ye Xian finds out..."

"He's just an apprentice, not her own son. If we give her face, we call her a master, but if we don't, so what? Does she dare to make a move?!"

Jiang Jin could no longer restrain himself and roared, "Besides, can't you lure him out? Is this your first day working in the field? Do I have to teach you how to do your job?!"

Click!

The call was disconnected.

Amidst the harsh busy signal, Qi Qin shuddered instinctively, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Immediately after, a ruthless expression emerged in his eyes.

He dialed another number.