Infinite Nightmares

Wiping the blood from the corner of the other man's mouth, Zhang Wenda reached out and evenly distributed the wound to the others nearby.

Then, after returning the red to the man, Zhang Wenda gently patted his cheek. "Hey, Fatty, it's me, Haozi. Remember me?"

Pan Dongzi, now with the red, staggered to his feet. He didn't look at Zhang Wenda, instead muttering unconsciously about contracts, Party A, Party B, and the like.

Zhang Wenda moved in front of him again and said, "Fatty, don't you like to eat? How about this, I'll apologize and treat you? Order whatever you want."

But Pan Dongzi smoothly slipped past Zhang Wenda. His world was now completely consumed by work; he couldn't remember his old friend at all.

The backpack he was brought in with lay discarded on the ground, spilling snacks that were once his greatest treasures. Now, he didn't even give them a second glance.

Just then, 2826 descended from the sky, the propeller on its head spinning. Its voice held a complicated tone as it said, "Give up. He's beyond saving."

Zhang Wenda didn't answer, simply watching Pan Dongzi's retreating back as a repressive atmosphere settled over the area.

"I..." 2826's voice trembled. "I had a family member who slipped into another Thought Wave, too. You can still find him, but I can't even begin to look for mine."

"This is why I joined the Third Line. People shouldn't be turned into prefabricated humans. They shouldn't become machines with nothing but work in their eyes."

It reached out and patted Zhang Wenda's shoulder. "No one else cares about these people. It's as if everyone thinks they deserve to be turned into disposable material, that it's only natural. But we've never thought that way. We're always working to save them."

Just then, Zhang Wenda's eyes caught something. He shot forward, once again appearing before Pan Dongzi, this time holding an orange-flavored lollipop.

Zhang Wenda unwrapped the lollipop and stuck it in the man's mouth, bringing him a joy that Thought Wave Six had never known. Fatty had said before that he needed to be happy.

The moment the lollipop touched Pan Dongzi's tongue, he froze. Light gradually returned to his dead, listless eyes.

The suit on his body rapidly transformed into a blue school uniform, and he began to shrink. Finally, the Pan Dongzi with an orange lollipop in his mouth appeared before Zhang Wenda once more.

"Haozi!! What are you doing here?!" he shouted in delighted surprise.

Zhang Wenda breathed a small sigh of relief at the sight and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair.

"You were right. Everyone gets to choose their own life. If you want to be a kid forever, and that makes you happy, then so be it. I'll send you back to Thought Wave One."

"Really? That's amazing!"

Behind them, Shuisheng frowned when he heard this, but he ultimately held his tongue and said nothing.

"Let's go. We're heading back." Zhang Wenda led the boy, lollipop still in his mouth, toward the helicopter.

'If he had to live his whole life in a place like this, he'd be better off in Thought Wave One.'

For safety's sake, however, when Zhang Wenda returned to Thought Wave One this time, he deliberately chose a more remote town.

Only after confirming there was no danger inside did he bring Pan Dongzi in.

"Haozi! You're the best! You're my best bro for life!" Pan Dongzi said happily.

Back in Thought Wave One, the joy in his eyes instantly and visibly grew.

Pan Dongzi was happy, but Zhang Wenda knew this wasn't over.

'The whole thing felt bizarre and strange. If it really was a trap, wasn't it a little underwhelming for someone of my caliber?'

'Besides, was Pan Dongzi even worthy of being bait? I fought my way through one round, at least. Just how little do they think of me?'

'If it wasn't a trap, then what the hell was all this about?'

Zhang Wenda took Pan Dongzi to a park and had him sit down by a rockery. He ordered Song Jianguo to stand guard, then patiently asked, "Fatty, can you tell me what happened, from beginning to end?"

"I don't know either. I suddenly grew up, and after that, they suddenly said I had to work. After work, I had to get married. It was awful. I just wanted to come back," Pan Dongzi said, his head hanging low and his brow furrowed.

"And then? How did you get back to Thought Wave One? Did the Big Circle say they'd help you? What were their conditions?"

Hearing this, Pan Dongzi looked confused. "What's the Big Circle? I don't know them."

Zhang Wenda's jaw dropped. "You don't know the Big Circle?"

"Yeah, I don't know them."

"Then who sent you back?"

"One day, I was surfing the web when someone suddenly added me as a friend. I told him about all my pain, and he said he could send me back."

"Do you know his name?" Zhang Wenda asked.

Pan Dongzi shook his head. "I don't know. His screen name is Tan Yougen. He also gave me some things to eat and told me to use them to resist if anyone gave me trouble."

"Fuck!" Zhang Wenda couldn't help but curse when he heard the name.

'And here I was, on high alert and ready for anything. Turns out, after all this, it was just Old Tan messing with me using Pan Dongzi! All for one lousy punch? Does he hold a grudge that bad?'

Just then, Shuisheng walked over and said, "Not necessarily. Everyone in the bureau knows Director Tan can't use the internet."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda immediately recalled Maomao's earlier intel. 'If this really is Tan Yougen messing with me, then why mobilize so many people before?'

A thought suddenly struck Zhang Wenda. He quickly said goodbye to Pan Dongzi and rushed toward his old home.

When he returned to the familiar place, he found everything calm and peaceful. Nothing had happened. It seemed all his previous assumptions were wrong.

This time, Zhang Wenda was truly baffled. 'Did I get it all wrong? Was Old Tan not planning to sell me out?'

Zhang Wenda found himself growing more and more confused about the whole affair.

Just then, he got a call from Shuisheng. "Why don't you come back first? There might be a problem with the intelligence department."

"Alright. Have the helicopter come pick me up."

During the flight back, Zhang Wenda expected something to happen, but nothing did. He returned safely to the Bureau 507 headquarters.

Upon his return, Zhang Wenda immediately rushed to Tan Yougen's office without a moment's rest. He pushed the door open, only to find the room empty.

'Strange, where is he?' Zhang Wenda turned to leave but then suddenly stopped.

He began to search the office frantically for that chessboard.

The commotion quickly attracted others. "Zhang Wenda, what are you doing?"

Zhang Wenda ignored them, searching desperately for what he was looking for. He finally found it in a drawer: the chessboard, set up with an endgame position.

But this time, the board had changed. Zhang Wenda saw that the red horse representing him hadn't been captured, and he couldn't help but scratch his head.

'This proved Old Tan hadn't sold me out after all. It's just... I don't understand this move at all. Wasn't my idea the optimal play?'

Zhang Wenda tried moving the red horse one space to the side. Immediately, a direct, open line appeared on the board, leaving the black general facing his own red general.

General versus general! The moment he saw this, Zhang Wenda's pupils shrank to pinpricks. Seeing this board state, he understood instantly. Old Tan's play was far more aggressive than he had ever imagined.

'My own value wasn't nearly enough. This time, Tan Yougen was using me as bait!'