An idea took root in Zhou Kai's mind.
Go back and rip out the surveillance cameras.
But Zhou Kai immediately crushed the foolish idea and slipped into the shadows at the street corner without looking back.
He hailed a taxi, gave the driver an address, and climbed into the back seat.
"That piece of cloth..." Zhou Kai leaned against the window, propping his head up with one hand, his brows furrowed.
The scene of the car accident kept replaying in his mind.
A small, ragged scrap of fabric hung from the edge of the crumpled bumper.
The instant his gaze focused on it, white vapor rose from its edges, and it dissolved like dry ice.
A chill crawled from his tailbone up to the back of his neck.
His instincts warned him that he had stepped into another unfathomable quagmire.
If he stayed at the scene, he'd end up spending the day at the police station—and, with bad luck, the night too.
He couldn't afford that tonight.
"I was just a passerby. I didn't leave any loose ends."
The bus's surveillance system wasn't connected to the internet. In theory, destroying the hard drive could erase any trace of him.
But that was only in theory.
Under Red Star's Sky Net, did he think he could simply vanish?
Dream on.
If he left the footage alone, he'd just be an unfortunate witness.
If he destroyed it, he'd become the prime suspect.
Zhou Kai let out a breath, and a layer of white mist instantly clouded the car window.
He hoped this mess wouldn't come knocking too soon.
After he got home, Zhou Kai locked the door from the inside.
As usual, he twisted the broom and mop handles together to imitate the weight of a Two-Handed Sword.
He began with the opening stance of Soraka Swordsmanship.
As he continued practicing, fatigue washed over his body in waves, battering his will.
The handles rubbed his palms raw and hot, and sweat ran down from his brow.
With every thrust, his deltoids, triceps, forearm flexors... all protested under the strain.
It wasn't until nine thirty that night that a line of cold text finally appeared at the edge of his vision.
[Soraka Swordsmanship Experience Points +1]
"Senior Brother Chen was right. You really have to train like your life depends on it."
Zhou Kai dismantled his precious broom-sword and warily scanned the house.
He checked the window gaps, the locks, and the dust on the floor. Once he was satisfied, he lay down and began to meditate.
The buff's effects were fading, and fatigue had dragged his body to its limit. At last, his mind yielded to his flesh.
Zhou Kai set an alarm and sank into sleep as he meditated.
The 6 Universal Experience Points sat unused on his status panel.
After weighing it over and over, Zhou Kai decided to leave them alone for now.
At a critical moment, upgrading an item could turn the tide more effectively than upgrading a skill.
"Xiao Chu, don't be afraid."
"Here's my badge... You can think of us as... special cops."
Huang Zhang waved a black leather badge wallet in front of Chu Siwen.
Her eyes were full of wariness and disbelief.
"The Bureau of Anomalies? Do you think I've never read web novels?"
"Let go of me! You bunch of kidnappers!"
"I have to go to work! I'll get docked for being late! Aaaaaah!"
Chu Siwen screamed until her voice was hoarse.
One day absent meant two days' pay docked. How was she supposed to afford food this month?
She'd only been working for a few days!
In Chu Siwen's bedroom, Ding San, Huang Zhang, and several others stood around the girl, who was tied to a chair.
A young woman named Ye Zi sat in the living room, her fingers flying over a laptop keyboard. A document was open on the screen.
[Records of Nightmare Syndrome Patients in Xishan City, July, Number Eleven:]
The contents above it were densely packed.
There were at least two cases every month, sometimes dozens.
Ding San scoffed and folded her arms. "That's enough, Old Huang. Save your breath."
"If she won't sleep, give her sleeping pills. She won't die."
"Come out. We need to talk."
Ding San glanced at Park Hyo-yoon beside her.
The young man's eyes were sharp. He understood at once. "Don't worry, Third Sister. I'll notice even if she just blinks."
Ding San pulled Huang Zhang, who was still hesitating, out of the bedroom and said coldly, "It's normal not to believe us the first time. After you die a few times in a dream, even Jesus will believe."
"We've done everything we can and taught her the rules for staying alive... If she wants to get herself killed, no one can stop her."
"Life and death are up to fate."
Huang Zhang's voice was muffled, as if his throat were clogged with grease. "I understand."
Ding San looked out the window. Her gaze paused for half a second on a black shadow flashing across the roof of a distant apartment building. Then she abruptly drew the curtains.
She turned around, her voice even colder. "Honestly, I wish every Nightmare Syndrome patient would die before becoming a Walker."
Huang Zhang, Ye Zi, and Park Hyo-yoon all turned to look at her.
If the Bureau heard her say that, Third Sister's career would be over.
Ding San explained, "When patients die in their dreams, their bodies remain intact, and there are no repercussions."
"But once they become Walkers... no one knows what their deaths might bring."
Huang Zhang knew Ding San was bringing up that internal paper again—"The Truth About Nightmare Walkers: The Hypothesis That They Are a Source of Infection for Anomalous Invasions."
"That's still only a hypothesis."
"A hypothesis?"
Ding San's alluring red lips took on a cold purple sheen in the warm light.
"Then guess why we 'assist' patients we discover, but coordinate with the enforcement agencies to 'contain' wild Walkers?"
"Those things are more dangerous than you can imagine!"
"How can you be sure the way they became Walkers was harmless? How can you be sure... that the person who comes back from a dream is still the same person?"
Ding San flicked a finger and tore off the annoying cartoon sticker on the hem of Huang Zhang's shirt.
The rip sounded like the last shred of warmth being torn away from him.
"Do I have to remind you every day?"
"Think of your daughter... You joined Dreamless so this plague wouldn't claim another victim."
"If I were you, that ridiculous bottom line of yours would've been buried with Wenwen the day she died!"
"Stop playing house with the little girl. Get to work, understood?"
Ding San grabbed Huang Zhang by the collar and shoved him back into the bedroom.
Huang Zhang stumbled and nearly fell in front of Chu Siwen.
Frightened, Chu Siwen shrank back. "Uncle, d-don't come any closer."
Huang Zhang shook his head. The last trace of hesitation in his eyes went dark.
He took a deck of playing cards and an old-fashioned Pocket Watch from his coat.
None of the core members of Dreamless were ordinary people.
Ye Zi was a top-tier hacker, and Ding San was a madwoman forged in underground boxing rings across Southeast Asia.
And him?
"I'm a detective, and a hypnotist."
Huang Zhang drew an ace of diamonds.
He gently pressed the playing card to Chu Siwen's forehead. His voice grew low and soothing.
"Nightmare survival rules... Now, remember every word I say."
"First, stay away from light sources. If you can see the light, so can the monsters."
"Second, don't flip through books. Knowledge is a cursed eye."
"..."
"Find your Identity... activate a node... only by finding an Anchor Point can you become a Walker and survive!"
"Chu Siwen, go to sleep."
"To the sleepless dream that will one day end."
Bzzzzzz!
At exactly midnight, Zhou Kai's phone gave off a faint electric shock.
But Zhou Kai didn't react. He lay flat on his back, sleeping like a corpse, yet breathing with an uncanny steadiness.
A chill seeped up from beneath the mattress, spreading through the room like vines.
His consciousness was already somewhere else.
[The long night... begins] [Summoned, welcome... back]
At No. 777, Soraka Town, the fireplace, and the Nursery, dialogue boxes appeared simultaneously.
They heralded the beginning of a sleepless night for his frail figure.
Before you continue