Chapter 95 - 90: Foggy City

Chapter 95: Chapter 90: Foggy City

Inside the large-scale Ancient Village Nightmare.

Just moments before, the Dream Descenders had been gritting their teeth and running for their lives, using every trick they had. The fastest among them had already escaped the village and were racing toward the distant entrance passage.

But now, regardless of their speed, they had all stopped in their tracks, gazing in a daze at the slowly dissipating specks of golden light on the horizon.

The golden radiance had torn through the black fog and gloomy clouds, as if it had sliced away the haze veiling the entire sky—the entire world.

Now, as the Nightmare Core shattered and the Nightmare dissipated, rays of sunlight began to shine down upon the Ancient Village.

They fell upon faces filled with dazed astonishment.

"Was that golden light just now... was that the Manager?"

A Dream Descender murmured.

He was a veteran of the Safe Zone. Having visited three times, he had met the Manager before.

He knew, of course, that the Manager was some kind of mysterious expert.

But who could have imagined he was *this* strong!

A single sword strike cleaved through the black fog, the giant black spear, and the vortex of dark clouds.

Was he even human?

Could a Dream Descender really possess such incredible power?

Most Dream Descenders had no concrete understanding of the Safe Zone’s many wonders, like its ability to open multiple Nightmare Passages. They knew such feats were impressive, but they never knew to what extent.

They knew he was strong, but how strong?

As strong as a three-story building? A four-story one? Or five?

Now, they all understood. He was at least dozens of stories tall.

"I’ve met the Manager a few times. I even played Gwent with him once. He acts just like an Ordinary Dream Descender when he’s with us, without any of the arrogance you’d expect from a powerful expert!"

"The Manager is just so approachable that we all subconsciously never dared to estimate his strength too highly."

The Hair Ghost gazed at the heavens. ’It seems I’m following a truly extraordinary being.’

Li Wei watched the golden light dissipate, an irrepressible fanaticism burning in the depths of his eyes.

Xi Xue’s jaw dropped. After a moment, she roared, "HOLY SHIT, THE MANAGER IS FUCKING AWESOME!"

Peaches’ eyes gleamed. ’This Manager... what Tier is he, exactly? I know a lot about even the Extraordinary Third Tier, but I still wouldn’t dare to speculate about him.’

’I have to latch onto the Manager and never let go!’

A look of reverence appeared on Profound Sword’s face. ’The Manager is just like my master—a great man who, despite his immense power, still cares for the weak.’

Rakshasa Sword: ’I have to latch onto the Manager and never let go!’

’But I don’t know the Manager at all... Hmm, I’ll just start by latching onto my junior martial brother’s leg for now.’

Returning Stream Chen Baichuan: ’I’ll have to find more ways to visit the Safe Zone in the future.’

Long Niu: ’I’m certain the Manager isn’t actually here. His real body must be in the depths of the Nightmare, somewhere very, very deep.’

’So that attack just now was...’

’A world-cleaving slash that locked onto our coordinates and crossed an immeasurable distance through Nightmare Space?’

’Could a High Tier Extraordinary do that? I doubt it.’

’Damn! If that’s the case, the Manager’s power is even more unfathomable!’

He thought he had already estimated on the high side, but now Long Niu felt he had still gravely underestimated the mysterious Manager.

He couldn’t even be sure if that had been just a casual strike from the Manager.

But one thing he was sure of was that the Manager was definitely not from Baijiang City.

Fortunately, this powerhouse cared about them and Baijiang. That was a blessing.

Long Niu suppressed his shock and addressed the people around him. "Since the Nightmare Core has been destroyed, we must make use of this golden six-hour window. Instruct the Guidance Squad to begin clearing the Nightmare immediately. Returning Stream, Rakshasa Sword... all of you, lead your own teams and clear the Nightmare swiftly. We must maximize our gains."

"Understood!"

"Got it!"

"Roger that, Niu Team!"

After replying, Returning Stream suddenly asked, "Niu Team, what about you?" ’It seems Niu Team didn’t assign himself a task?’

However, with Niu Team’s strength, he didn’t really need help from teammates. He could clear the Nightmare efficiently all by himself.

But just as he had that thought, he heard Long Niu say matter-of-factly:

"I, of course, am going to pay a visit to the Manager. He saved our lives. Don’t I need to express our Countermeasures Bureau’s gratitude?"

Returning Stream: "Is that so? You’re right, Niu Team. I’d also like to go thank the Manager."

Long Niu: "Time is tight and the mission is critical. You all go carry out your tasks. It’s enough for me to go as the representative."

Returning Stream: "Niu Team, how about I go as the representative? Someone as strong as you should be clearing the Nightmare."

Long Niu: "You? You’re not qualified. I’m the commander-in-chief."

Returning Stream: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!

...

Shi An paid no mind to the commotion outside.

He was still immersed in that profoundly mystical state.

’Marvelous. Simply marvelous~!’

’To wield the Power of Faith and cleave the darkness from the sky.’

’So, I was this strong all along?’

But that last strike wasn’t cheap. It had burned through 200 units of Belief Value.

Two hundred for a single strike!

Shi An didn’t know if he had overdone it.

Just a moment ago, the entire Nightmare had seemed to come alive, the black fog forming a giant spear. The scene was so absurd and terrifying that he hadn’t dared to be careless, pouring in Belief Value as if it were free.

If 200 units hadn’t been the peak of what he could channel into a ’single strike,’ Shi An might have burned through 300 or 400 units.

He never expected that two hundred units would be enough to be invincible.

It was like a strike from a higher dimension against a lower one, meeting no resistance as it tore the black fog and the Nightmare Core to shreds.

Shi An wasn’t sure when he’d be able to enter this state again, so he had to seize the moment to comprehend its profundity.

At this moment,

In the eyes of the Dream Descenders, the golden light had already vanished, with not a trace of its astonishing power remaining.

But Shi An’s consciousness remained elevated, looking down upon the entire Nightmare.

After destroying the Nightmare Core and letting the dust settle, Shi An cast his gaze elsewhere. As expected, his sight instantly pierced the Nightmare’s barrier—the supposedly ’unbreakable’ and ’impenetrable’ wall that was like a law of reality itself.

Though he was in the Ancient Village Nightmare, his gaze could easily see Black Street and beyond.

Shi An tried to elevate his perspective even higher.

In the next moment, the residual power lifted his consciousness. The Nightmare Areas shrank in his vision, gradually resembling individual puzzle pieces.

It was just like the bird’s-eye view he had accidentally glimpsed after the Safe Zone had upgraded.

Except this time, he could linger for longer, and he could see even farther.

Shi An cast his gaze even farther.

He saw other ’Nightmare Puzzle Block Regions’—dozens, even hundreds of small, bubble-like Nightmares clustered around a core, forming an even larger, giant Nightmare bubble.

Shi An tried to pull his perspective higher and farther still.

The Nightmare bubbles continued to shrink in his vision, becoming like individual droplets that formed a vast and terrifying ocean.

The Nightmare Mist Sea!

Gray fog drifted, and gray tides surged.

In the depths of the Nightmare, there were existences beyond his imagination.

And above the Mist Sea, Shi An thought he saw something.

The tide crashed against a reef, and gray droplets seeped into it, bit by bit.

Only, the droplets weren’t water. They were Nightmares.

And the reef wasn’t stone. It was...

It was as if some barrier in his mind had been shattered.

Shi An was jolted by a realization.

Sealed memories were uncovered.

His first contact with Nightmares hadn’t been just two weeks ago.

He remembered. He remembered everything!

All the things that had vaguely felt wrong before now clicked into place!

—Even though the Countermeasures Bureau’s forces were stretched thin, to the point that this operation had nearly failed, why had they never requested aid from a higher authority?

—Baijiang City had top-tier organizations like the Countermeasures Bureau, the Wizard’s House, the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall, and the Baijiang Research Institute, so why were they all only considered city-level?

—Why were Nightmare incursions into reality becoming more and more frequent? Why were more and more ordinary people having Fallen Dreams?!

—Why was it so imperative to seal the Nightmare memories of ordinary people?!

—Why had he never once considered the world outside Baijiang?!

—Why, when Old He had two living parents and a younger sister in college, had his family never come looking for him after he died?!

—Why, when he had clearly heard where Old He’s hometown was, could he not for the life of him remember it that one time?!

—Why had the only Dream Descenders to ever arrive at his Safe Zone been from Baijiang City?!

—Why! Why! Why!

Before, Shi An had vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but it was as if his thoughts were shrouded in a fog. He couldn’t think it through, so he didn’t even try.

Until now. Now, the fog had completely dispersed.

’Perhaps this is a form of self-preservation. Or maybe it’s a mental block constructed by some powerful force, allowing the millions of ordinary people in Baijiang City to continue living their unremarkable lives as usual.’

But,

there was no going back.

Shi An cast his final gaze into the distance.

The tide of fog churned like an endless sea.

A magnificent, modern city loomed within it, constantly suffering the erosion and assault of the Nightmares.

Baijiang had never been in the real world.

Baijiang City,

was in the fog!

An isolated island!