Infinite Nightmares

"I really did see Haozi. I’m not kidding you guys, I really, really did."

"He’s all grown up now. A total adult."

Juggling all kinds of snacks, Pan Dongzi chatted with his classmates as he hurried home. By the time he reached the entrance to the apartment complex, he was all alone.

He was just about to take the key from around his neck to go upstairs when Zhang Wenda blocked his path.

Pan Dongzi’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Zhang Wenda. "Haozi, you’re here! C’mon! Let’s go to my place and watch cartoons!"

But Zhang Wenda didn’t move. Instead, he pointed at Pan Dongzi’s unzipped backpack and asked, "Can I see what’s inside?"

’That’s where I saw that flash of yellow just now.’

Pan Dongzi glanced down, then quickly reached out to zip his backpack shut. He said, flustered, "Hey, there’s nothing to see! It’s just stuff you used to have in your backpack too."

However, with a sudden flash, Zhang Wenda moved, and the backpack in Fatty’s hands was instantly in his own.

He excitedly opened the backpack, but what he found inside left him deeply disappointed. The yellow he had seen was just an award certificate. On it were written the two large words, "First Place."

Pan Dongzi, looking a bit awkward, quickly snatched the backpack back. "Heh heh, you found it. How embarrassing."

"It’s fine. You can go on home. I’ll skip the cartoons." Feeling embarrassed for making a scene over nothing, Zhang Wenda turned to leave.

However, he had only taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped. His body once again vanished from the spot.

Fatty, who was just about to head into the stairwell, was blocked by Zhang Wenda again. This time, Zhang Wenda’s expression was much more serious than before.

"Are you sure that was a first-place certificate?"

"What’s wrong with that? Is there a problem?" Pan Dongzi’s expression was a little unnatural.

"Fatty, do you remember the bet we made? If you ever got first place, I said I’d eat a table."

"In elementary school, we were always the two biggest dunces in our class. So tell me, what did you win an award for? Finding an award certificate in your bag is even more unbelievable than finding something yellow in it."

Hearing this, Pan Dongzi lowered his head, clutched his key, and dashed toward the apartment building. "Can’t I just like studying now?"

But this time, Zhang Wenda blocked him again. Zhang Wenda pulled the Bureau 507 badge from his pocket and, for the first time, pinned it to his chest.

When he saw the shocked expression on the other’s face at the sight of the Bureau 507 badge, it seemed no explanation was necessary. A wave of pain washed over Zhang Wenda. ’If this were still the Pan Dongzi from before, he would never have recognized the Bureau 507 insignia.’ "Why did it have to be you? What on earth happened?"

At these words, Pan Dongzi hung his head even lower. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he choked out, "Haozi! Do you know? Growing up is just too fast. You’re grown up in the blink of an eye. It’s just too fast!"

With a subtle flick of his finger, Zhang Wenda signaled for Song Jianguo and his Black Cats to surround the area. "I haven’t told my colleagues yet. Come here and tell me what’s going on."

Watching Zhang Wenda walk toward him, Pan Dongzi frantically pulled the certificate and some test papers with perfect scores of 100 out of his backpack. His voice was pleading, "Haozi, I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. I’ll study hard this time, I promise. I won’t be naughty, and I won’t be greedy anymore. Please don’t take me back to the adult world, okay? I don’t want to grow up!"

Zhang Wenda took a deep breath, looked at his childhood friend, and said reassuringly, "Fatty, just tell me what’s going on. We can settle this between us, privately. Some things, once they’re on the record, weigh a ton. If the Bureau 507 combat team gets involved, things will be completely different!"

Pan Dongzi kept his head down, his hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes. He bit his lip, looking incredibly wronged. His round body began to swell and shrink.

"Why? Why am I still just a kid, not even ready, and suddenly I’m pushed into the adult world? I’m not going back!"

Zhang Wenda shot Song Jianguo a look, telling him to stand by, then cautiously approached Pan Dongzi. "Fatty, look at me. Who am I? I’m Zhang Wenda, your friend. Your good friend. Remember that time at the Youth Palace? We’re friends who’ve been through life and death together."

However, Pan Dongzi’s state began to grow unstable. Barbs faintly emerged from his skin, and his emotions turned volatile, as if he couldn’t hear a word Zhang Wenda was saying.

"I don’t like it there! Everyone there has to work, and no one is happy at all!"

"Why can’t you be happy after you grow up? Why do you have to be put in shackles when you become an adult? I don’t want to become that kind of person!" Pan Dongzi’s voice began to roughen, gradually changing into that of a grown man, and a faint stubble appeared on his chin.

As Zhang Wenda reached out and slowly drew the red energy from Pan Dongzi’s body, he tried to soothe him in a low voice.

"Don’t worry, Fatty. These are the rules of Thought Wave Two. Since we’ve grown up, we have to adapt to the rules. Calm down. I’ll guide you in adapting to the rules of Thought Wave Two, step by step. You’ll definitely be able to survive in Thought Wave Two!"

Strangely, however, the red energy seemed endless; no matter how much he drew out, it wouldn’t deplete.

Hearing this, Pan Dongzi lifted his head and looked at Zhang Wenda with tear-filled, utterly disappointed eyes. "Haozi, you’ve changed."

"I haven’t changed. I’ve just grown up."

"Yeah, you’ve become a grown-up. But the old you would never have said something like that!"

"The old me?"

Pan Dongzi looked at Zhang Wenda angrily. "Back then, the rules tortured you until you were covered in wounds. You could have just gone to class on time, so why did you fight back?"

Zhang Wenda was taken aback for a moment, then he sighed. "Fatty, it’s really not the same thing."

"No! It is the same thing! Why is even being happy a crime once you’ve grown up?! Why must you be put in shackles just because you’ve become an adult?!"

Pan Dongzi wiped the tears and snot from his face with his sleeve, his voice trembling.

"So if I don’t wear shackles, I don’t even deserve to live? Why do they laugh at me? Just because I’m different from them? Do I have to live by their rules just because I grew up? I won’t!"

After this nearly hysterical outburst, Pan Dongzi stared at Zhang Wenda and said with dead seriousness, "Haozi, I’ve always remembered what you once said! The rules are the ones that are wrong, so why should we have to obey them?!"