Chapter 36 - 33: It’s Time for the Blood Hand Seal to Appear

Chapter 36: Chapter 33: It’s Time for the Blood Hand Seal to Appear

Actually, Shi An wanted to say that they really didn’t need to risk their lives like this.

Even though the Nightmare invasion was imminent, according to Profound Sword, Old Cai, and the others, still...

"If the sky falls, shouldn’t there be some big shot to hold it up?" he wondered. "Don’t tell me I have to hold it up myself?"

The Control Stage and Refining Stage Dream Descenders were indeed experts, but as far as Shi An knew, there was still a massive gap between them and the true heavyweights. For example, the captains of the Countermeasures Bureau’s field teams were the main force for clearing Nightmares that invaded reality. Then there was the Hall Master of the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall, the Director of the Countermeasures Bureau, and the Chief of the Wizard’s House. Those were the true powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of Baijiang City.

His Safe Zone did have divine properties that could ferry people across the endless gray sea of suffering in the Nightmare World, but the Dream Descenders here were too few and too weak. He hadn’t fully developed his strength yet.

"Then again, why did I suddenly realize the sky was falling the moment I awakened my past life’s memories and started running the Safe Zone?" he wondered. "Well, that’s not quite right. The sky has been showing signs of falling for a few months now. Put another way, maybe I awakened my past life’s memories *because* the sky is falling?"

Shi An felt that the more he thought about it, the more philosophical he became.

Originally, as far as he was concerned, it didn’t really matter whether everyone cleared the Nightmare World or not. If they didn’t clear it, he could just collect the "guaranteed" Belief Value. Today, there were a full ten Dream Descenders in the Safe Zone, and it was said that large-scale Nightmares trapped Dream Descenders for an even longer time. He could already imagine how abundant the Belief Value would be when it was tallied up at the end.

Clearing the Nightmare was akin to rolling the gacha. They might obtain rare and precious items, but they could also end up completely wiped out.

However... Shi An sighed, glancing at Little Blood not far away, who had turned invisible and was pretending to be a statue. Everyone else was ready to risk it all. He, Manager Shi, of course, would also... let Little Blood take action.

The expedition didn’t start blindly. Among the group, Profound Sword was the strongest and possessed a wealth of experience. Even Xi Xue didn’t fight him for the position of captain. She was very pure in her intentions; she simply wanted to clear the Nightmare.

"Alright! Since everyone trusts me, I won’t decline," Profound Sword declared.

During the hour or so they had spent resting earlier, he had already devised a strategy on where to begin their expedition. He looked around. "Since we have the Manager’s strong support, I suggest we first explore the surroundings with the Safe Zone as our center to gather more information about this large-scale Nightmare.

"Also... as it stands, the biggest danger in this Nightmare is the Ghost Shadow monsters lurking in the gray fog. There might be a specific mechanism at play here. There are a lot of them, and the longer we stay in the fog, the easier it is to attract their attention."

But Profound Sword had discovered that simply stepping into the Safe Zone shop felt like being completely isolated from the outside world. In here, they truly wouldn’t attract the Nightmare’s attention! The Manager had completely shielded them from the Nightmare’s gaze! No wonder he could shelter so many of them.

Using this to their advantage, they would have much more "safe time."

"The Ghost Shadow monsters are powerful, barely inferior to true anomalies," Profound Sword continued. "Therefore, there is a high probability that something exists within this Nightmare that can help us evade them.

"We can only proceed to the next step of the plan once we find it."

The plan wasn’t complicated. Profound Sword was the first to walk out of the shop. The moment he crossed the threshold, the cold, ominous, and uncomfortable aura that filled every corner of the Nightmare World washed over him. Instead of frowning, a smile appeared on his face. This was the reality of the Nightmare World, but the comfort and warmth inside the shop weren’t illusions, either.

The Manager was just that badass.

As expected of someone who could survive long-term in the Nightmare World. Since such a person hadn’t lost their mind, they were undoubtedly a renowned powerhouse in Baijiang City.

Shi An didn’t know what Profound Sword was thinking. It was just that Profound Sword’s expression seemed to be a mix of three parts admiration, three parts resolve, and four parts pity.

"Pity for what? So weird!" he thought. "Perhaps there are just a lot of weirdos among Dream Descenders."

The expedition went smoother than expected. Just an hour and a half later, Hair Ghost, an expert at the Control Stage, made a crucial discovery.

"It’s a special type of green plant with a hint of purple at the tips of its leaves," Hair Ghost explained. "It’s a native plant of the Nightmare World, not some Dream Material, but... I’ve confirmed it. As long as you crush this plant and smear it on your body, you can evade the attacks of the Ghost Shadow monsters!"

Hair Ghost added, "As long as you stay more than twenty meters away, you definitely won’t be spotted."

And twenty meters... Although this Nightmare World was shrouded in gray fog, there was still a few dozen meters of visibility. With this green plant to mask their aura, they no longer had to worry about suddenly being attacked by the Ghost Shadow monsters.

"The second phase of the expedition plan can now begin," Profound Sword announced.

"Manager, the latest news. This is a rough map we’ve drawn based on the action team’s exploration."

"Manager, a report from the front line. They’ve discovered a source of danger. It’s a dilapidated Wizard’s Hut, and there’s a ninety percent chance an anomaly exists inside."

"Manager, an urgent report from the front lines. The action team was attacked by an anomaly... Fortunately, the big shot Hair Ghost used a Ghost Object to cover their rear just in time, allowing the action team to retreat."

Inside the shop, the college student held an item resembling a walkie-talkie, constantly receiving updates from the front lines. The item had been provided by Profound Sword. He had already been prepared to clear a Nightmare and had brought along many precious items for that exact purpose. This set of walkie-talkies consisted of three pieces. They looked and functioned much like normal walkie-talkies, but they were actually dream creations.

Beside him, the woman in pajamas was drawing the map. She had a background in fine arts. As the expedition deepened, the Dream Descenders had split into two groups.

The first group was the main force. It consisted of the three experts—Profound Sword, Xi Xue, and Hair Ghost—along with two other Dream Descenders who possessed scouting abilities.

The second group was the logistics team. Their tasks included drawing maps, communicating and assisting, as well as continuing to explore the area around the Safe Zone in search of valuable materials or key items.

One hour...

Two hours...

Three hours...

TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK. Time slipped by.

In the blink of an eye, six hours had passed since Profound Sword and the others fell into the Nightmare World.

Such a long period of survival would cause the physical and mental state of any Dream Descender to drop to freezing point. Under normal circumstances, Dream Descenders would be fraught with anxiety, or even despair, by now. More likely, they wouldn’t have even lasted this long.

"Has it really been six hours already? That’s ridiculous, I barely felt it!"

"Nonsense, we’re in the logistics group after all. We don’t have much pressure on us."

"But even the big shots in the action team seem to have their combat strength mostly intact. Their spirit doesn’t look like that of someone who has been trapped in a Fallen Dream for so long."

"Yeah..."

Profound Sword, Xi Xue, and the others returned for the third time to resupply. At this stage, the Safe Zone had no functional areas like a lounge; it could only offer the most basic shelter. But that was more than enough. Dream Descenders, who had struggled time and time again in the Nightmare World, knew exactly how important a haven like this was!

If a Safe Zone could exist in every Nightmare World... If everyone had the chance to reach a Safe Zone... Then the long-term survival rate of Dream Descenders would increase by more than tenfold!

"It’s time to set out," Profound Sword said.

Profound Sword and his group embarked on their fourth sortie. This time, combining various clues, they had finally found the source of this large-scale Nightmare.

"A Pollution Spring located in the dense forest to the west!" the college student reported, conveying the front-line updates. "The Ghost Shadows, the anomaly in the Wizard’s Hut, the strange noises in the dense forest, and so on... the root cause of them all is this Pollution Spring! However, there are at least several Ghost Shadows lingering near the Pollution Spring!"

Shi An tapped his fingers against the table. Profound Sword and the others wouldn’t be able to handle that many Ghost Shadows on their own.

It seemed it was time for the Blood Hand Seal to make its entrance.