Infinite Nightmares

Staring at the drone head before him, Zhang Wenda couldn’t help but feel surprised.

He wasn’t surprised that they had kept their word, but that they had arrived so quickly.

He had figured it would take them at least two or three days to come looking for him.

"It’s only been a day. Are you already okay?" Zhang Wenda asked in surprise.

"Let’s skip the pleasantries. I took special leave to come to Thought Wave One. Just tell me what you need help with. I’m very busy," 2826 replied.

Seeing that they were getting straight to the point, Zhang Wenda didn’t waste any words either. "We’re going to the dark web."

Once he went to the dark web and collected Oil Bab, he would only need three drops to exchange for a Blue Core and finally be free of his affliction.

However, hearing this, 2826 seemed exceptionally shocked. "Are you kidding me? Do you know what that place is? It’s extremely dangerous!"

"Yeah, I know." Zhang Wenda nodded again and again. "That’s why I’m looking for a professional like you to help—because I know how dangerous it is."

"No. That place is too dangerous. Think of something else."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda immediately changed his request. "All right, fine. I’ll ask for something else. Lend me 600 yuan. I’ll pay you back as soon as I have money."

After hearing this, 2826 fell silent for several seconds. "Let’s make a plan," he said, speaking again. "What are you going to the dark web for? How long do you need to be there?"

"To find Oil Bab. Three drops."

After listening to Zhang Wenda explain the whole situation, 2826 sighed. "If I had known *this* was the favor you were talking about, I would’ve rather you not saved me."

"Heh, it’s a little late for that now. So, shall we get going?" Zhang Wenda said, grabbing Song Jianguo, who was rubbing her stomach and enjoying the show from the sidelines.

"You’re going just like that? Do you know what you need to prepare for a place like the dark web?" 2826 asked.

"I don’t know. Isn’t that what you’re for?"

"Then do you know how to get to the dark web?"

"I don’t know. Isn’t that what you’re for?"

Although 2826 had no face, Zhang Wenda could see the anger in his eyes—the kind of anger that made him want to fly over and punch him.

Zhang Wenda gave him a big, bright smile. ’This guy is a real stick-in-the-mud, but he’s pretty easy to handle.’

Faced with Zhang Wenda’s utter shamelessness, 2826 finally gave in. He turned and headed down the alley to the left. "Keep up."

"It’s so late. Why don’t we go tomorrow? I’ve been working all day," Song Jianguo protested, but no one paid her any mind as Zhang Wenda dragged her along.

"Where are we going? This doesn’t seem like the way to get online," Zhang Wenda asked, looking at their surroundings.

’This path is getting more and more familiar... Fatty’s house is right next to us.’

"We’re going to a place to stock up on supplies. Plus, you need to prepare some things for a place like the dark web."

Zhang Wenda had thought they were heading to some mysterious location, but after a few twists and turns, they arrived in front of the Xinhua Bookstore.

The staff was as leisurely as ever, with no intention of drumming up business.

walked past them and up to the second floor. He signed an IOU for a hyped-up staff member, then started methodically inserting rows of bullets from the shelves into a magazine.

His pistol seemed to have no limit, swallowing several rows of bullets without getting full.

"You’re... Holy crap, this is Third Line territory?" Zhang Wenda was floored, watching the familiar, hyped-up staff member nod in his direction.

’Then again, it made sense,’ he thought. ’How could they be qualified to sell Superpowers without a powerful backer?’

glanced at him, neither confirming nor denying, and simply said, "Classified."

Zhang Wenda had heard "classified" so many times that he wasn’t even annoyed anymore. He knew that was just 2826’s way.

"Well, information on the dark web isn’t classified, is it? Can you tell me what that place is like?"

At Zhang Wenda’s question, 2826’s hands froze. "You don’t even have this basic intelligence, and you dare go to the dark web looking to die? Are you insane?"

"Isn’t that what you’re for?" Zhang Wenda’s words left 2826 utterly deflated.

His voice tinged with annoyance, he answered, "What you call the Internet World is Thought Wave Seven. It’s a new Thought Wave that only appeared recently, but it has developed rapidly by virtue of its ability to link to most other Thought Waves, and it has encroached upon the space of many of them."

"With more people comes a dark side. The dark web is the darkest and most dangerous part of Thought Wave Seven. There are no rules and no rationality there—only the law of the jungle, where the strong devour the weak."

Zhang Wenda listened in silence. ’This is all crucial information. Missing even a single word could get me killed there.’

"We can’t go there as we are. We need some kind of ability to hide ourselves. Otherwise, going to a place like that is like a lamb to the slaughter; we could be targeted by anyone at any time."

After saying this, 2826 walked directly into a room on the second floor. When he came back, he was holding two bottles of colorful mosaic.

Zhang Wenda thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. But after rubbing them, he confirmed that they were indeed two bottles of colorful mosaic. As he shook them slightly, the mosaic sloshed around in the bottles like liquid.

"Drink this. The cat has to drink it, too. For the next 24 hours, it will reduce the chances of you being noticed. More importantly, as long as you don’t move and hold your breath, other people won’t be able to find you. This will significantly increase our survival rate."

Zhang Wenda took a bottle and looked at the mosaic in his hand with feeling. He realized he had made the right choice in finding this guy; he had thought of everything. This was much better than fumbling through on his own. ’This bargain was definitely not a loss.’

’Just as I thought,’ he mused. ’When you go to a new place, you absolutely have to find a local to show you the way.’

Unscrewing the bottle, Zhang Wenda took a big gulp of the mosaic. His face instantly contorted. It was an indescribable taste, a mix of sweet and salty with a trace of bitterness that traveled from the tip of his tongue all the way to the root. As it went down, the sharp edges of the mosaic scraped his throat.

"Damn, that’s disgusting." Eyebrows knitted, Zhang Wenda passed the remaining mosaic in the bottle to Song Jianguo’s cat.

Once everyone had finished drinking, they all looked unwell. However, when Zhang Wenda looked at Song Jianguo, he saw that although she was still moving, she was different from before.

It wasn’t that she was completely invisible, but more that you would find yourself unconsciously ignoring her, even though she was right there.

"This stuff is incredible. How much for a bottle?" Zhang Wenda asked in surprise.

"It’s for internal use only; you can’t buy it on the outside. Let’s go. You lead."

Zhang Wenda gave him an innocent look. "Lead the way? Lead where? I don’t know how to get to the dark web."

"You don’t even know how to get in? Then what made you think you could find Oil Bab on the dark web?"

"Isn’t that what you’re for?"