Infinite Nightmares

Faced with this situation, Zhang Wenda tried to find another exit, but he couldn’t. No matter how he searched, he would always end up looping back to face Lakov.

There was no inside or outside. It was all the same place.

The third time he found himself facing Lakov, despair welled up inside Zhang Wenda.

’He’d never imagined it. This place wasn’t just Lakov’s Inner World; it was his very stream of thought. Trying to attack it from the start had been completely pointless.’

Just then, amid a chorus of cat cries, Song Jianguo’s giant Black Cat Godzilla was swarmed by Angels. Enveloped by the Holy Sound and bathed in the Holy Light, the Black Cats began to crumble.

Their eyes glazed over. Mimicking humans, they knelt on the ground and pressed their paws together, praying to the angels that filled the sky. Song Jianguo was among them.

With a sharp wave of Lakov’s hand, the Jesus puppet behind him raised a massive hand and brought it crashing down on Song Jianguo.

In a flash of red light, Zhang Wenda, who was holding Song Jianguo, barely dodged the massive palm as it grazed past them.

He quickly set Song Jianguo down. With his brow furrowed, Zhang Wenda stared intently at the approaching Lakov.

Hu Maomao quickly floated to Zhang Wenda’s side. She reached out and gently tapped Song Jianguo’s forehead, and the vacant look in his eyes vanished.

Then, Hu Maomao’s voice sounded next to Zhang Wenda’s ear. "I just remotely contacted our allies via brain control, but I’m not sure if they can get here before we’re killed."

"They’ll make it!" Zhang Wenda said, trying to reassure her. He knew he was no match for Lakov, but he absolutely could not give up. If he lost, it wouldn’t just be him who died!

Easier said than done. They were trapped inside Lakov’s personal stream of thought. Escaping was next to impossible. He had to find a way to stall for time.

Zhang Wenda’s mind raced, searching for one last glimmer of hope in this fatal trap.

Lakov seemed to have no intention of speaking further. He just wanted to finish off his enemies as quickly as possible.

As he extended his right hand, the sky full of Angels and the hundred-meter-tall giant Jesus puppet descended upon them. They brought with them the ethereal Holy Sound and brilliant Holy Light, crashing down with overwhelming force.

At that critical moment, just as the brilliant white light closing in from all sides was about to consume him, a blue light flared from within Zhang Wenda. He shot out his right hand, swiped it through the air, and a door to his own Inner World instantly appeared.

The very instant the attacks were about to land, Zhang Wenda pulled the others through the doorway, becoming a blur as they dove inside, narrowly escaping the onslaught.

Seeing the familiar Little Black Cats again, Zhang Wenda couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. He could finally breathe.

’Okay, so my Inner World can be opened inside his thought stream. It can serve as a temporary shelter.’

But his relief didn’t last long. A few meters behind him, a massive, blue key several meters tall materialized in mid-air and began to turn slowly.

Zhang Wenda’s expression turned grim at the sight. It was obvious. As the one who had originally given him the blue key, Lakov also had the ability to open his student’s Inner World.

"Go! Deeper in!" At Zhang Wenda’s urging, the three of them started through the forest, heading toward the Hippocampus.

Along the way, the Little Black Cats came over to greet them enthusiastically, but Zhang Wenda urged them to flee his domain and avoid a direct confrontation with Lakov at all costs.

Just as they crossed the suspension bridge connecting two islands, Zhang Wenda’s expression suddenly changed mid-stride. He staggered and would have fallen if Hu Maomao hadn’t been there to catch him.

"What’s wrong?" Hu Maomao asked anxiously.

All his emotions spiraled out of his control. Zhang Wenda knew Lakov was inside and was rapidly destroying the forest.

Zhang Wenda shook his head, forcing himself to focus. He knew luring the enemy into his Inner World was a terrible plan; any damage done to this place would inflict direct harm upon him.

But he had no other choice. His only option was to stall for as long as he could, buying whatever time he could, and hope that nearby allies would arrive to help.

When they reached the domain of the Hippocampus, Zhang Wenda gazed into the distance and saw that the forest behind them was already engulfed in a raging inferno.

A low rumble of thunder filled the sky, and it began to rain. But the rain couldn’t extinguish the distant fire; on the contrary, it seemed to make the flames burn even brighter.

Roughly wiping the rain from his face, Zhang Wenda turned to the Hippocampus beside them. "Quick, give us tickets! We need to go to the Old Cortex Layer! You come with us, hurry!"

The Hippocampus quickly drew tickets for all of them, but it didn’t make one for itself.

After everyone had boarded the train, the Hippocampus spoke. "You go on. I am the Hippocampus. The fringe is where I belong. Remember to give my regards to the hypothalamus."

After it spoke its last words, Zhang Wenda leaned anxiously out the window, about to say something, but the train plunged into a pitch-black tunnel. When they emerged, the Prefrontal Strait lay before them.

There was no time to worry about what had happened. Zhang Wenda didn’t dare to hesitate, leading everyone onward and downward.

But as he descended beneath the waters of the Prefrontal Strait, a horrified look crossed Zhang Wenda’s face. He realized he couldn’t form memories. He was unable to recall what he had just seen or thought. All he could hold onto was the present moment. The Hippocampus was dead.

"What is it?" Hu Maomao asked, her voice tight with tension.

Zhang Wenda managed a weak smile. "It’s fine. It’s nothing. The Old Cortex Layer has six levels, as I recall. It’s vast and deep. We should be able to hide here for a while."

After speaking, he led them further down. But when they reached the Dream Circus, Zhang Wenda froze. He realized he had forgotten how to walk. The fundamental memory of how to take a step was gone.

And it wasn’t just walking. Zhang Wenda realized that more and more of his memories were constantly vanishing. He understood now: Lakov was destroying the Prefrontal Strait.

He knew there was no point in running anymore. The moment Lakov entered his Inner World, the others might have had a chance to escape, but he had already been handed a death sentence.

He stopped and looked calmly at Hu Maomao, Song Jianguo, and the Little Black Cats.

"You all go on ahead. This is the third level, I think. There are three more below. Hide as best you can. Don’t let them find you. Just stall until our people arrive."

Song Jianguo looked at Zhang Wenda, surprised. "What about you?"

Hu Maomao, however, didn’t ask. She just looked at him, her eyes turning red.

Hearing the words in his mind, Zhang Wenda shook his head. "No, I don’t regret my choice. I came here not just to help you, but also in search of Yellow. It’s what guided me here."

"Blue is still influencing me. I’m still weighing the costs and benefits. Even though I’m aware of it, I can’t change it."

With so much of him gone, Zhang Wenda’s thoughts were clearer than ever. Things he hadn’t understood before now made perfect sense.

"Maybe this so-called guidance from Yellow was a trap all along. It has only ever led me into danger. If there’s a next time, I definitely won’t listen to it."