078 Nightmare Returns

"Of course, it's me and the Shadow Wraith."

"Zheng Wei?" I frowned. I had always thought it would be Nightmare. After being attacked by Nightmare last time, I had become particularly sensitive to its presence.

I hadn't expected it to be the Shadow Knight, Zheng Wei—the wraith who had participated in the last trial with us.

Thinking about it, it made sense. In terms of real combat ability, Nightmare might not match up to the Shadow Knight. But if we were talking about overall strength, I doubted Nightmare would fall far behind.

"You know him?"

"It seems you took part in the last trial as well," Zhou Zitong remarked, not at all surprised by my familiarity with the Shadow Wraith. If anything, her interest in me seemed to deepen.

"You actually survived him. Seems you have some potential."

"Shadow Wraith doesn't like to kill those with potential."

During Zheng Wei's duel with Hu Xing'er last time, it seemed that was the reason he clashed with the game administrators.

Truly an enigmatic faction.

"So, do you know the content and timing of the next trial?"

Zhou Zitong waved her hand dismissively. "Even if we're resourceful, we can't possibly know the game's inner workings."

"Well, until next time."

Her figure slowly faded before our eyes, vanishing altogether.

"She's an Awakened too," Li Ergou said with a sigh of relief. "I might be able to take her in a fight, but protecting you all at the same time would be tough."

"Luckily, Lin Wan's awakening makes her a bit wary."

"Ergou, why did you agree to their terms?" I asked in confusion, patting Lin Wan's cheek. She was still fast asleep; I'd probably have to call Chen Hao to carry her back.

"They said on the surface that we could take the relic, but in truth, they're unable to find it themselves—they just want to sabotage us the moment we do."

"Then why agree?" Li Xinxin shot me a look full of disdain. "Are you stupid?"

"As long as we don't actively search, won't we just have two extra teammates—or bodyguards—for the next trial?"

"But isn't that a bit too obvious?"

Li Ergou turned and patted my shoulder.

"Do you really think you can find the scroll fragment or the ancient gun's hiding place?"

"Never mind the scroll, split into eight parts—you couldn't even find the buried gun. Only those compatible with the ancient gun can sense its presence."

"I see." Meeting Li Xinxin had resolved many of the mysteries I'd been struggling with. Li Ergou's knowledge of relics far surpassed my expectations. If she ever decided to share everything with us, I believed it would immensely help our chances of leaving D University.

Li Ergou read my expression, but all she gave me was a resounding slap.

"Wake up, Zijian."

"Someone as weak as you shouldn't know too much."

I didn't respond to Li Xinxin's derision. Instead, I quietly pulled out my phone and messaged Chen Hao.

"Chen Hao, come to the artificial lake, quick."

Tricked into being my porter, Chen Hao vented his anger and complaints the whole way, but I ignored him, jogging back to the dorm for some rest.

Even though I'd escaped Chen Hao's taekwondo training today, the muscle soreness from yesterday's intense activity still hadn't subsided.

Lying on my bed, I closed my eyes and fell instantly into dreams. I thought that with Li Ergou around, my days would be much smoother.

Though she couldn't reveal many secrets, her presence would surely help us avoid many pitfalls.

Unfortunately, reality has a way of smacking you down just when you think everything is under control.

No sooner had I drifted into sleep, my body not yet fully relaxed, I suddenly felt weightless, plummeting once again into a world of darkness.

Recognizing the familiar surroundings, I shook my head helplessly. Why was I back here again?

Could it be that I enter this dream every time I sleep? If that's the case, I must never fall asleep when there's no one else around. Once more, I found myself in the same operating room as last time.

But this time, the window wasn't sealed. I could see the dark, oppressive clouds outside and the endless stretch of forest.

I now knew this must be an abandoned hospital, but I hadn't expected it to be built deep within a forest.

A hospital in such a desolate place surely wasn't up to anything legitimate. It made me think of those black market deals—the buying and selling of organs for profit, perhaps carried out here.

Or perhaps it was the haunt of unorthodox experiments, gathering grounds for scientists shunned by the academic world for their bizarre theories.

My imagination ran wild: mummies wrapped in bandages coming back to life, human-octopus hybrids created by grafting tentacles through surgery, or the separation of conjoined monster infants.

But I immediately regretted these thoughts—for in this dream, anything I imagined could very well come true. Cold sweat broke out all over me.

I had to get out of this place, and quickly.

I hurried out of the operating room, and when I saw the familiar light at the end of the corridor, I smirked.

Trying to trick me again?

Last time, that lamp had lured me into Nightmare's dreamscape. I wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Without looking back, I strode off in the opposite direction.

But after only a few steps, I regretted it.

I'd just passed a room labeled "Human Experimentation Lab."

A surge of terror made me quicken my pace.

A low, guttural moan issued from the room, making the hairs on my neck stand on end.

If it were a ghost, I might not be afraid anymore. By now, I'd become accustomed to fighting ghosts. But humans always fear the unknown. Whatever was making those sounds in the laboratory, I was sure it wasn't a ghost.

There wasn't a trace of ghostly presence—it could only be a creature from my own imagination, a horror born from my dreams.

I sped up, my footsteps echoing through the empty corridor.

But as I continued, I noticed something off about the sound.

With each step, there were two footfalls. At first, I hadn't noticed. But as I quickened my pace, the second set of steps couldn't keep up and the sounds no longer overlapped. That was when I realized something was wrong.

I didn't look back and kept walking quickly forward.

The footsteps behind me gradually fell out of sync, the distance between us growing.

Finally, I began to relax.

"Big brother, don't go," a child's voice suddenly whispered right behind my neck, accompanied by a cold breath that sent a chill across my skin.

My nape tingled, the stiffness and ache shooting straight into my brain.

I didn't panic or speed up, keeping my pace steady.

The corridor seemed endless; no matter how far I walked, there was still no exit in sight.

I regretted not heading toward the lamp—at least there, I'd have had two possible paths to choose from.

"Big brother, it seems he can't hear you," another little girl's voice whispered in my ear.

"Two children?"