Return and the Ambusher

The Dream Realm had no strict up, down, left, or right. Even distance itself was profoundly false, unreal.

If the Solar System were placed in the Dream Realm, Earth might be orbiting the sun one moment, only to have run beyond the Solar System the next.

Hawkins opened the chat group with a slight headache. Ai Miye was comforting Asmodeus in the group.

Ai Miye: Asmodeus, you've already done very well. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't dare go again.

Asmodeus: Mm, but I hope I can do more. At the very least... I have to make sure you and Brother Hawkins leave the Dream Realm safely!

He genuinely wanted to be of help. In the past, something like resurrection had been beyond anything he dared imagine. If Hawkins had not been the one to resurrect him, he would never have believed anyone possessed such an ability.

Because of that hand, he had become deeply afraid of the Dream Realm. But now that he had entered it again for some time, it no longer seemed quite so terrifying.

Moreover, after observing it carefully, he discovered that the Dream Realm was extraordinarily wondrous, filled with scenes he had never seen before.

He fell into an endless Nebula and reached out to pluck the stars, only to find that he could not touch them at all. They seemed close enough to reach, yet in truth were separated by a thousand miles.

This place had everything, yet it also seemed to have nothing.

From time to time, he seemed to hear someone whispering by his ear, but when he listened closely, he found that perhaps there had been nothing at all.

If he had to describe it, he felt as if he had fallen into an illusion, where everything was a hallucination—until he saw a sun, and then his body was burned to death by it.

When Hawkins resurrected him again, he emerged with lingering fear written all over his face. "I'm never basking in the sun again."

"Asmodeus, are you okay?" Ai Miye looked at Asmodeus worriedly.

Asmodeus's body was trembling. He had experienced another new way to die. Whether being killed by pirates, crushed to death by a hand, or burned alive by the sun, he never wanted to experience any of them a second time.

But he knew very well that there was no choice. Of the three of them, only he could keep dying again and again.

Although Ai Miye could also be resurrected if she dared go out and died, the problem was that she had never died before, and she was still only a child. Asmodeus could not possibly let her go.

Therefore, this was a responsibility he could not shirk.

After comforting Ai Miye for a few moments, he discussed things with Hawkins. Once they had confirmed Hawkins's Curse Power recovery speed, he left Eternal Space again.

Because only if Hawkins did not die could he truly be resurrected, rather than merely remain alive for a short while.

After dying again and again, Asmodeus found that his fear of death was gradually fading. At first, he had trembled and cried in terror, but he slowly became numb. He could even chat in the group while calmly facing death.

Falling from the starting point, he had experienced every direction at least ten times. Hawkins gradually figured out the situation around them.

Falling upward led to the sun. Falling downward led to the black hand. Falling left led to a mass of black mud. Falling right led to a black hole.

The other directions each had their own dangers. In the end, falling downward was actually the safest route.

Although that black hand was enormous and terrifying, it was the only attack that could be dodged.

Through Asmodeus, Hawkins conducted several more tests and confirmed that Curse Power had extremely strong disruptive properties in the Dream Realm. He merely injected a portion of Curse Power into Asmodeus's body, and after Asmodeus left Eternal Space, the Curse Power inside him caused him to veer off course once.

This meant that as long as he possessed Curse Power, Hawkins could move through the Dream Realm.

After making thorough preparations, it was finally Hawkins's turn to act.

He stood before the exit of Eternal Space. Ai Miye clutched his hand tightly and worriedly said, "Hawkins, you have to come back!"

"Don't worry. I'll take you out of the Dream Realm. I promise!" Hawkins rubbed her head with his other hand and smiled faintly.

Asmodeus gritted his teeth. "Brother Hawkins, how about I go too? If we run into trouble, you can push me out. Even if I can only block it for a moment, that would be enough."

"No. Stay here and keep Ai Miye company," Hawkins refused.

He knew very well that once he left Eternal Space, Ai Miye would definitely be extremely worried. If someone stayed behind with her, she would not be so afraid.

Hawkins was not someone who dragged his feet. After refusing Asmodeus, he stepped directly into the spatial passage.

In an instant, he felt as though he had gone from a space with gravity into one without gravity. Then he saw the Dream Realm, but before he could use Curse Power to move, his body seemed to be repelled by some force and was abruptly ejected from the Dream Realm into the real world.

Bang!

Hawkins appeared in midair and immediately adjusted his posture on instinct. Then he landed heavily on the ground with a tremendous crash.

He quickly surveyed his surroundings. Once he confirmed there was no threat nearby, he gave a bitter smile. "So real living people are directly rejected by the Dream Realm..."

Inside Eternal Space, Asmodeus stared blankly at the video. Recalling what he had gone through earlier, if Ai Miye had not been beside him, he would have burst into loud sobs.

"Asmodeus, you're the bravest!" Ai Miye looked at him sympathetically and comforted him kindly.

Asmodeus wanted to cry but had no tears. He forced a smile. "Mm, thank you."

At this time, Hawkins also figured out where he was. He was currently on a beach near House Town, and it would take about fifteen minutes to walk back to House Town.

He opened the chat group and asked Ai Miye whether she wanted to come out. However, knowing that Asmodeus would not come out, Ai Miye temporarily declined.

Once Asmodeus left Eternal Space, Hawkins would need to continuously output Curse Power to maintain his existence. Therefore, unless necessary, Asmodeus had to remain in Eternal Space.

Hawkins understood Ai Miye's choice, so he said nothing. After closing the chat group, he headed straight toward House Town.

Meanwhile, inside a house in House Town, Mark and the others were hiding in a storeroom. Mark carefully treated Arthur's wound, occasionally covering his mouth with his sleeve to take deep breaths.

Five days had passed since Hawkins and Ai Miye disappeared.

But just an hour ago, they had been attacked by an unknown enemy.

Mark did not know where the attack had come from. Qiao Si had been the first to be attacked. Her brain had been blown apart, and she died aboard the Black Knife. Then the two children, because they had stood in front of him, had their abdomens pierced through on the spot and died beyond any hope of recovery.

He had flown into a rage at the time, but he had not discovered any trace of the enemy. After Arthur's arm was struck, he had no choice but to lead everyone away and evade the enemy's attacks.

He was not afraid of the enemy's attacks.

After all, it was not so easy to break through the Curse Power protecting his body. But Arthur, Jennie, and the others could easily be targeted.

He could not wait for Hawkins to return only to find him alone amid a ship full of corpses. When that happened, he would have no way to explain himself to Hawkins.

"Waaah... Qiao Si is dead. She's dead."

In the corner of the storeroom, Jennie was filthy and disheveled, hugging her knees as she cried quietly.

In truth, she had always been grateful to Qiao Si. Back then, in order to survive, she had betrayed Qiao Si's loyalty. Yet Qiao Si had not only refused to be angry with her, but had instead continued to protect her wholeheartedly.

Only at the instant of Qiao Si's death did she realize that Qiao Si was not merely her guard, but also her best friend—and even the sister closest to her.

"Stop crying. If you really want to avenge Qiao Si, find the enemy's location. Can't you dream? Hurry up and dream!" Mark had grown impatient from the crying. He raised his head and snapped at Jennie.

Jennie's sobbing immediately quieted. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but the scene of Qiao Si being shot in the head kept replaying in her mind.

She opened her eyes and said softly, "I can't fall asleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see Qiao Si being killed."

"..."

There had never been any reason to place expectations on a pampered young lady like this. He let out a long breath, then stood and paced back and forth.

To be honest, the enemy's blow this time had hit him hard. The Meteor Hammer incident had already taught him that there were always greater heights beyond the heavens. This time, however, made him understand just how powerless he was.

If the captain were here, what would he do?

A thought involuntarily surfaced in Mark's mind, but his pride immediately forced him to throw it out.

The problem was that the enemy was in the shadows while they were out in the open. So long as they showed themselves, the enemy could attack them, yet they would not even know whom to strike back at.

Drawing his sword and looking in all directions, his heart was lost in bewilderment.

Meanwhile, Hawkins returned to House Town. The moment he reached the harbor, he smelled blood. He quickened his pace slightly and returned to the Black Knife, the smile on his face gradually fading.

Qiao Si's corpse was not much of an issue. The problem was the corpses of those two children, which made him angry.

"Mark and the others aren't here. They should be hiding."

Hawkins looked around and quickly reached that conclusion. At the same time, he found no signs of fighting.

The enemy, like the previous attacker, should have used a long-range attack. And Mark had not found the other party, so he had no choice but to take everyone into hiding in House Town.

Following the footprints on the ground, he quickly determined where Mark and the others were hiding.

However, he did not immediately enter that house. Instead, he continued searching for the enemy.

Since the enemy had attacked, there would definitely be traces left behind.

Hawkins returned to the Black Knife and, through the corpses of Qiao Si and the other two, determined the angle of the enemy's attack. Yet when he looked in that direction, he found no enemy at all.

The enemy was not a piece of wood. He would certainly move.

Suddenly, Hawkins sensed something approaching. He sidestepped, and a barrel not far behind him instantly exploded.

Atop a house thirty meters away, the pupils of a long-haired middle-aged man abruptly contracted. His body was completely transparent, and he held a long blowpipe in his hand.

This was the first time he had encountered an enemy capable of evading his attack.

In the past, he had only ever missed his target. No enemy had ever dodged his attacks.

Because his attacks were actually air. He could compress air in his mouth into a cannonball, then fire it at his target through the blowpipe.

Air left neither shape nor trace. Enemies were often hit before they could react, dying without even knowing what had killed them.

"Son of Pirates... more troublesome than the intelligence suggested!"

The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and gently inhaled, preparing for a second round of attacks.