Chapter 124 - 119: Lost Camp

Chapter 124: Chapter 119: Lost Camp

By this time, night had fallen over Baijiang City, but the Safe Zone was bustling with activity.

The members had mostly returned to reality. In the short term—at least for today—they wouldn’t and couldn’t descend into a Nightmare again in such quick succession.

However, there was no shortage of ordinary prospective members making their dream descents and bringing news from the outside world.

Some Dream Descenders had narrow information channels and had only just heard about the disaster. Others couldn’t resist passionately discussing it with the crowd the moment they arrived at the Safe Zone. They had endless things to say.

The Safe Zone’s mission hall was the absolute best place in the entire Dreamfall Circle for chatting, shooting the breeze, and exchanging intel. There was no close second! The so-called Dream Descender gatherings couldn’t even begin to compare.

"The senior members are seriously powerful!"

"Indeed. This disaster happened so suddenly and affected such a wide area. It was obvious that the Countermeasures Bureau lacked enough strong fighters. If it weren’t for the return and forceful intervention of so many senior members from our Safe Zone, Baijiang would definitely be in deep trouble."

"I also want to make a flashy entrance like those experts, save the people from suffering, and play the hero for once!"

"Actually, we do have that chance. First, we need to acquire a membership. That’s the foundation of everything."

Many people had grown accustomed to being background characters in life, looking up at the majestic figures of geniuses and big shots. All they could do was discuss things passionately and brag from time to time. If they were lucky enough to witness the experts in combat with their own eyes, it would serve as rare conversation material. When boasting to outsiders, it was as if they, too, were heroes on the battlefield.

But ultimately, they weren’t.

It seemed they were always going to be extras—extras forever. Would they be forced to stand in the corner their entire lives, gazing at the experts bathing in the spotlight?

"No! If it weren’t for the Manager and the Safe Zone, perhaps we’d just be nobodies our whole lives, destined to die one day in some unknown corner. But now, we’re lucky. We’ve made it to the Safe Zone, and we still have a chance to become members.

"Wolf King, Power King, Locust Wood Man—didn’t all these powerful members walk the same path and rise up step by step?"

If they could do it, so could they!

Inside the hall, the Dream Descenders grew increasingly excited and thrilled as they spoke.

Some of the more rational Dream Descenders understood that joining the ranks of the strong wasn’t that simple. Just like studying in the Training Ground—some made rapid progress in two or three hours, while others only gained a little. There were even those who gave up halfway because the training was too bitter and exhausting.

For people like Wolf King to rise to prominence, talent, perseverance, and bravery were all indispensable. But no matter how many thorns lay ahead, their path was at least clear now that they were in the Safe Zone. They had a path to walk; the rest depended on their own hard work.

"Let’s give it our all!"

"I’ll set a small goal: clear three Nightmares within a week!"

"Charge!"

***

With the disaster perfectly resolved, the Ordinary Dream Descenders in the Safe Zone were filled with high fighting spirit, eager to challenge the Nightmares one by one.

However, inside the Countermeasures Bureau, the expressions of the higher-ups remained solemn.

Thanks to the efforts of many civilian experts, top-tier Dream Descenders like Long Niu, Bai Yu, and Lu Qing hadn’t needed to risk their lives or overload their Curse Objects. Their conditions remained at their peak.

Yet, Bai Yu spoke up, "This Nightmare invasion was too coincidental. Someone must be pulling the strings from the shadows! And this ’someone’ isn’t those Cultists."

Although Cultists were like cockroaches that could never be fully exterminated, they had nothing going for them other than their tenacity. Most Cultists were simply a group of Dream Descenders with mental illnesses. They had destructive power, but their abilities were limited. Means like triggering a Nightmare invasion were far beyond the capabilities of the Countermeasures Bureau and the Baijiang Research Institute, let alone Cultists who were merely pests.

"But the Ghost Race can," he said, frowning. "They are born from Nightmares and possess an innate connection to them. We originally thought the Ghost Race was only active around Baijiang City, but looking at it now, that might not be the case. It’s highly likely they have already infiltrated the city."

Long Niu asked, "The Ghost Race... hasn’t it been said that it’s very difficult for powerful supernatural entities to truly enter Baijiang? Our city still falls under the category of the Present Realm."

Bai Yu replied, "In theory, yes. But what if there are Cultists leading the way? In the past, before Baijiang fell and when Nightmare incidents were still sparse, evil cults worshipping Nightmares had already begun to rise within Great Xia. It’s even more plausible now."

Lu Qing said, "Captain Xia was already investigating this matter. With the outbreak of this disaster, Captain Xia might be able to use the opportunity to catch a tail of the Ghost Race."

The captains and deputy captains discussed it for a while.

After the disaster was resolved today, they had indeed taken the opportunity to weed out some Dream Descenders who used the chaos to cause trouble. There were Cultists among them. However, they hadn’t managed to catch any big fish.

Lu Qing suddenly brought up another matter. "The fact that today’s disaster was resolved without any real danger is all thanks to the members of the Safe Zone."

She had noticed the Safe Zone early on and had heard about its situation multiple times. She thought she had already estimated it highly, but she still hadn’t expected to underestimate the changes the Safe Zone would bring. In the blink of an eye, it had nurtured so many civilian Dream Descenders.

As a higher-up in the Countermeasures Bureau, she had to wonder if there was a problem with their own strategies, leading to so many civilian talents being overlooked. If that were true, it would be their fault.

"Perhaps the Bureau needs to invest another batch of resources into the Newcomer Guidance Department to unearth even more talent," she concluded.