Infinite Nightmares

’The apples... were they real? Were they all real? Were their feelings real?’ In that instant, Zhang Wenda’s heart felt as if it had been choked off. At that very moment, his longing for them reached its absolute peak.

In that instant, emotions from the deepest recesses of his heart—ones even Zhang Wenda himself hadn’t been aware of—surged forth. He really, truly missed them. He desperately wanted to see them again!

This feeling peaked the very moment he left. Tears streamed uncontrollably from Zhang Wenda’s eyes. He shoved everyone aside and dove back toward the pool.

An overwhelming wave of emotion washed over him. ’I have to go back. I have to go back and find them!’

The emotion took hold of nearly everyone around him. Red, Yellow, the Little Black Cat, and the Clown all scrambled to dive into the drain in the pool. But there was one exception: the Blue Rabbit. The embodiment of absolute rationality, he was the only one unaffected by the powerful feelings.

After a quick assessment, he didn’t try to stop Zhang Wenda. Instead, he rushed back to the Inner World. He had realized the core of the problem wasn’t Zhang Wenda’s current emotional breakdown, but the experience itself.

As Zhang Wenda and the others swam toward the bottom of the pool, the Blue Rabbit raced toward the Prefrontal Strait. It was a race against time.

Just as Zhang Wenda charged back into Area 1, the rabbit finally reached the Prefrontal Strait. He leaped high into the air, quickly located the right memory, and pulled every memory related to Area 1 down from the bookshelf.

Once the translucent books sank into the water, it was all finally over.

By the time he reemerged, Zhang Wenda, who had been completely controlled by his emotions, had finally calmed down. He stared blankly at the Blue Rabbit standing before him. "What’s going on? How did I get here?"

His mind was a chaotic mess, a complete blur. He had a feeling he’d just been about to do something extremely important, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember what it was.

Seeing that Wenda, Red, and Yellow had all returned to normal, the Blue Rabbit finally breathed a sigh of relief. He took out the Hippocampus’s report and handed it over. "See for yourself. That place is too bizarre. You were almost pulled back in again."

Zhang Wenda took it, and the words materialized before him.

"Area 1: Midsummer. Area 1 is an endless, Chinese, Millennial-style six-story residential complex, perpetually locked in midsummer. Everything remains normal for the first eight hours. After eight hours, Area 1’s assimilation effect begins, attempting to assimilate the Explorer in 30-minute cycles. The initially deserted complex will begin to show signs of life."

"When the conditions for four assimilation cycles are met, Assimilation Derivative 1 will appear. They will manifest as people of critical importance in the Explorer’s life. They will not attack the Explorer; instead, they will care for the Explorer wholeheartedly, providing non-toxic food and water and offering their full support, even if the Explorer’s goal is to leave."

"However, the appearance of Derivative 1 does not stop the assimilation effect. It continues to intensify in 30-minute intervals, steadily affecting the Explorer’s mind. It uses various emotions to lure the subject into staying in Area 1. The derivative’s unconditional kindness is, in fact, the most dangerous trap. Please be advised: this influence is permanent. Even after leaving Area 1, the assimilation effect persists, constantly tempting the Explorer to return."

"Exit Method: The Explorer must, after eight assimilation cycles, find Apartment 310 and the quilt hanging out to dry. Passing through the center of the quilt will lead to Area 2."

After Zhang Wenda finished reading the report, he looked at the Blue Rabbit in disbelief. "Are you sure? You’re sure you didn’t just make this up?"

"Wild flights of fancy are Yellow’s department. I only deal in facts." The rabbit offered no further explanation, simply handing the memories he’d retrieved to Zhang Wenda. "I’ve redacted some parts to keep you from being affected again. You’ll understand once you see it."

Zhang Wenda took them and began reviewing his own memories as if watching a movie. The more he saw, the more horrified he became. Even watching as a mere outsider, he could see how perilous the situation had been.

He wasn’t afraid of monsters he could fight head-on, but he was terrified of something that couldn’t be fought with brute force. It wasn’t just him; nobody could withstand that kind of assault.

Zhang Wenda had no idea what happened to those who were assimilated, but he knew one thing for sure: anything that falls into your lap that easily is never a good thing.

Zhang Wenda took the Hippocampus’s pen and added another line to the entry for Area 1. "Warning: Explorers are prohibited from entering alone without companions. Unless you possess the ability to delete your own memories while your cognition remains unaffected, entry into Area 1 is strongly discouraged!"

After he finished writing, Zhang Wenda studied the complete record for Area 1 again. "Why would a thought-stream like this even exist? And with such dangerous rules?"

He’d been to plenty of thought-streams, but even the most hostile ones were at least habitable. Area 1 was different. This place was a trap that devoured you whole, bones and all.

Even he had barely made it out; what chance would a defenseless person have? He was even beginning to suspect that Area 1 was a living entity and that the lives it assimilated were its food.

"I think instead of worrying about the last place, we should be more concerned about where we are now." The rabbit gestured toward the distance with his chin.

Frowning, Zhang Wenda looked up at the vast, empty pool before him. There was no exit and no one in sight. It seemed he hadn’t escaped the danger yet.

He never would have guessed that passing through a quilt would lead him into a swimming pool. ’All this water... Had the quilt just been washed or something?’

Regardless of where this place was, his first priority was to get out.

"Hippocampus, record."

"Area 2: The Pool. Area 2 is a conventional swimming pool with shallow, medium, and deep ends. There is no discernible light source, but there are distinct echoes. It is roughly the size of three football fields. The walls, ceiling, and pool floor are all covered in 20x40 white tiles..."

Although he could see a few doors nearby, Zhang Wenda decided not to take the conventional route this time. He went straight to the wall. With a wave of his right hand, a sharp scythe appeared and easily gouged several scratches into the wall’s surface.

With a series of rapid swings, he quickly broke through the wall. But behind it was yet another pool. In the center of the empty water, a few lonely green lotus leaves floated.

Zhang Wenda paid it no mind and kept digging. He broke through one wall after another. A continuous stream of different pools and bathhouses appeared before him—square ones, round ones, even some with concrete water slides.

But no matter how many walls he shattered, there was always another pool on the other side. Some contained bizarrely shaped objects, like various pillars, but the one constant was that everything was covered in the same white tiles.

The pools were chaotic, yet possessed a strange kind of order. As far as the eye could see, there was only blue water and gleaming white tiles. Nothing else. The sheer emptiness was unnerving.