Infinite Nightmares

At first, Zhang Wenda was completely clueless when he heard about "finding the three colors of his self." He had no idea where to even begin.

But now that he had found "red," he had some idea of how to approach the other two colors.

First, he was certain that "finding oneself" was really about the true emotions that surfaced from within when he had to make a choice.

Everything about finding his self originated from within. Therefore, to find his true self, he had to identify the true emotions represented by the other two colors.

’Is blue rationality? Does that even count as an emotion? How am I supposed to find it? And what about yellow? What does that correspond to? A child?’

When he thought about it, out of the three colors within him, the "red" emotion had been the simplest and easiest one to find. The other two were going to be a real challenge.

However, since rediscovering "red" had drastically increased his speed and strength, and even given him the ability to manipulate the "red" within others, he was incredibly excited to see what new powers he would gain after finding the remaining two colors.

’The trial for blue is red, so the reward for the red trial must be blue. Where should I even start looking for blue?’ Zhang Wenda wondered, becoming lost in thought.

On the sofa nearby, Song Jianguo, who was happily munching on a hamburger, saw this and couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong? Spacing out again?"

After she spoke, she pulled an egg tart from a scuffed-up paper bag, stuffed it into her mouth, and took a bite. The smooth texture instantly made her cat-like eyes narrow in pleasure.

"No point in telling a moron like you. You wouldn’t get it anyway," Zhang Wenda said, flopping onto the bed. "Just remember to brush your teeth when you’re done."

Although he didn’t have any leads on the remaining two colors yet, he was sure of one thing: he had to experience more. Only by going through more events and making more choices could he hope to find the other two colors faster.

’Tomorrow, I’ll go see what Tan Yougen’s plan is.’

With these thoughts on his mind, Zhang Wenda gradually closed his eyes.

When Zhang Wenda woke up the next day, he felt a heavy weight on his chest. He looked down and saw Song Jianguo curled up in a ball, sleeping there.

Ever since he’d turned back into a monster, the Black Cats were no longer willing to lie on him. Only Song Jianguo maintained the old habit.

Noticing a thin scratch on her forehead, Zhang Wenda gently brushed it with the back of his hand. The scratch on her forehead vanished, reappearing on the back of his own hand.

’Huh? The transfer ability still works?’ Zhang Wenda said, genuinely surprised. He’d thought that since the rabbit jacket was gone, the ability to transfer things like this was gone too.

Just then, Song Jianguo’s eyes fluttered open, and she and Zhang Wenda locked gazes.

After a few seconds, Song Jianguo rolled over, grabbed two cats to bury her head under, then turned her backside to Zhang Wenda. "What time is it? So noisy. If you’re not going to sleep, I still am."

"Go back to sleep, then." Zhang Wenda shifted her onto the blankets beside him, then turned and walked out the door, heading for Tan Yougen’s office.

The moment he pushed the door open, he saw Tan Yougen’s secretary glaring daggers at him. Tan Yougen himself was eating his usual breakfast: soy milk, fried dough sticks, and a meat bun.

Besides the two of them, a hulking man stood off to the side. He wore camo pants and a tight, black, short-sleeved shirt that showed off his blocky, chiseled muscles.

’Is he afraid I’ll beat him up again, so he hired a new bodyguard?’ Zhang Wenda thought. He seemed to recall this man being there when he went to Tide of Thought No. 6.

"Ahem. You’re here?" Tan Yougen put down the half-eaten dough stick. His expression was perfectly calm, showing no hint of any negative feelings about being publicly punched by Zhang Wenda.

Zhang Wenda didn’t know how strong the man was, but he was certain his regenerative abilities had to be impressive.

Yesterday, his face had been swollen up like a pig’s head, but today it was completely back to normal without a single mark.

"I asked you here today to discuss something with you." Just as Tan Yougen began to speak, Zhang Wenda cut him off.

"Old Tan, hold your horses. Before we get to your business, I’ve got something I need you to help me with." As he spoke, Zhang Wenda pointed to the dagger embedded in his chest.

Before Tan Yougen could respond, the nearly two-meter-tall giant behind him spoke. "Estimated to be a Level 6 tide of thought object. It carries the aura of a tide of thought god."

Zhang Wenda shot the man a surprised glance before turning his attention back to Tan Yougen. "Whatever plan you’ve cooked up, I obviously can’t participate with this thing sticking out of me, can I?"

Tan Yougen rubbed his temples as he looked at Zhang Wenda. "You’re just trying to use me, aren’t you?"

"Takes one to know one. Compared to you, what I’m doing is nothing, right?"

Tan Yougen lowered the hand that was rubbing his temples. "You would never have said something like that before. It really is true that people who complete the path of Trial No. 2 become completely different."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda was startled for a moment. ’Is it that obvious?’ But he quickly shook off the self-doubt. ’Why do I always assume the problem is with me? Why can’t it be that other people are wrong? This old bastard is probably trying to mess with my head again!’

With that thought, he took a step forward. "Cut the crap. Just tell me if you’re going to help or not."

After hearing Zhang Wenda’s words, Tan Yougen didn’t reply. He simply gave a slight wave of his hand. The giant behind him gave a subtle nod, and his right hand shot out.

Zhang Wenda was already fast, but even he could barely track the man’s movement. Before he could react, the man was in front of him, his hand reaching directly for the hilt of the Sacrificial Knife.

No, he wasn’t grasping the hilt. His five fingers phased right *into* it, as if he were grabbing something from within.

In that instant, the feeling of being watched by Kopan returned, and this time, the gaze was filled with intense fury.

With a KRAK, the Sacrificial Knife shattered. The man squeezed a black mass in his hand, and it instantly exploded into a puff of black smoke. The feeling of being watched vanished.

When Zhang Wenda looked down at his chest, he saw that aside from the wound left by the blade, the troublesome problem had been resolved with shocking ease.

Zhang Wenda touched the wound, staring at the man in disbelief. He never would have imagined Bureau 507 had an operative of this caliber.

This was the gaze of Kopan, a being that could temporarily negate all the rules of the tide of thought. And yet, the Mayan god was nothing before this man.

"Thanks. And you are?" Zhang Wenda asked, still amazed.

"People call me Big Circle Leopard," the giant said, then returned to his post with a stone-cold expression.

"Big Circle Leopard? You have some connection to the Big Circle?"

Just then, Tan Yougen, sitting behind his desk, spoke slowly. "Let’s put it this way. In the beginning, he was the one who founded the Big Circle."