Chapter 60 - 57: This Camp Still Has a Long Way to Go

Chapter 60: Chapter 57: This Camp Still Has a Long Way to Go

The camp was not large, covering only about forty square meters.

Torches were erected along the perimeter. Inside, at the very core, stood a black crystal structure resembling a small pyramid. Orange flames burned within the crystal pyramid.

Evade! Expel! Defend!

These were the three essential elements for building a camp in the Nightmare World. Evading was the most crucial, followed by expelling, and finally defending—though the latter was still absolutely indispensable.

Inside the camp, besides Old Cai’s team, there were two other teams consisting of six Dream Descenders in total. Everyone had their own duties. Some groups were responsible for defense, some for construction, and others for monitoring.

Old Cai was in the construction group. He wasn’t particularly good at combat, but ever since the last large-scale Nightmare, he had broken through to the Control Stage. Now, he was considered a prominent figure within the Countermeasures Bureau.

After the three of them entered the camp, they opened the black suitcases they carried. The suitcases looked small, but they held a space far larger on the inside. Old Cai and his teammates took out a large amount of supplies from within: drinking water, compressed biscuits, and some bandages and ordinary medicine.

These items were all ordinary, things that could be seen everywhere in the real world. However, bringing them into a Nightmare was extremely difficult. And if Dream Descenders wanted to survive in the Nightmare World long-term, the number one priority was supplies!

Old Cai couldn’t help but think of the Safe Zone. At the Manager’s place, supplies didn’t seem to be anything rare. Moreover, what they ate there wasn’t dry, hard compressed biscuits, but all kinds of exquisite cookies and small breads.

Shaking his head, Old Cai focused on the construction. First, he inspected the perimeter torches one by one and refilled their oil. Then, he took out several Curse Objects he had specifically brought along, assembled them, and nailed them into the camp.

By fusing the Curse Objects with the camp and the current Nightmare World, the camp’s existence would become more natural, making it less likely to attract the Nightmare’s attention. The process was complex, and he didn’t understand the underlying principles. Old Cai simply followed the steps in the operation manual.

Suddenly, the camp’s alarm bells rang.

The other team responsible for guard duty and defense quickly sprang into action. They stepped out of the camp, using Curse Objects and special items to expel certain monsters from the Nightmare World.

In the distance, there seemed to be rolling rumbles. It was a terrifying sound.

Fortunately, after a while, the commotion died down, and the camp’s alarm was soon lifted. Old Cai and his two teammates continued their construction work, not needing to keep an eye on their surroundings. As long as the camp didn’t face a real breach, they had nothing to worry about.

After all, besides providing supplies, this camp also possessed numerous defensive and investigative abilities. Even certain strange entities that excelled at stealth and moving without a trace would be instantly exposed the moment they stepped into the camp’s perimeter.

The two team members assigned to Old Cai’s group were merely Fusion Stage Dream Descenders. They marveled as they worked.

"Is this what a camp is like? To be honest, if it weren’t for the time limits on camp construction and the items consumed to locate this Nightmare, I’d really love to stay here and build camps every day."

"Yeah, building a camp is hard work at most, but we don’t have to be on edge or worry about some strange entity suddenly popping out. Days like this are way more relaxing than our usual routine of hiding everywhere in the Nightmare World."

"Don’t you agree, Brother Cai?"

"I suppose... so?"

Old Cai was a bit dazed. He wondered if this camp was really considered safe and reliable. There would be disturbances every half hour or hour, and even inside the camp, they could still sense the ominous, chilling aura from outside.

The camp did provide some safety, and it did have some supplies. But... Old Cai couldn’t help but think of the Safe Zone again.

He had only been to the Safe Zone once, yet it was an experience he would never forget. The comfortable environment, the warm lighting, the soft music. And most importantly, it was completely safe and reliable. Even if a strange entity was just a wall away, they could still rest leisurely without a single worry.

The camp built by their Countermeasures Bureau at a massive cost seemed... still lacking by far too much!

Meanwhile.

After navigating through various locations, the Hair Ghost had crossed three Nightmare Areas in just a few short hours. The Nightmare Street, the Nightmare Hospital, and the Nightmare Subway.

Shi An memorized the map, comparing it to the dozens of Nightmares he had glimpsed from his "high-level perspective" back then. The dozens of Nightmares he had glimpsed were still just a minuscule corner of the vast Sea of Nightmares. Moreover, the Nightmares constantly shifted, making them difficult to locate.

But this corner was definitely near his current area. As long as he explored more of the map, he would eventually be able to match it with the memories in his mind.

After crossing three Nightmare Areas, Shi An finally discovered a rather unique Nightmare. He named it the "Netherworld Marriage Nightmare"!

"Fa, let’s conquer this Nightmare," Shi An said.

Of course, before that, the Hair Ghost needed to rest. After all, the Hair Ghost had been exploring and surviving in the Nightmare World for several hours. Even though Shi An used the Witchcraft Flying Eye as support to evade numerous dangers, the Hair Ghost’s spirit remained completely tense.

When a person’s spirit was tense for a long time, their condition would inevitably decline. Going to conquer a Nightmare and facing strange dangers directly in this state carried far too great a risk. He needed to rest.

The Nightmare World was fraught with peril, but for the Hair Ghost, who originated from the Safe Zone, resting was the simplest of tasks.

He took out his Member Card and activated it.

Instantly, in Shi An’s eyes, another layer of thick fog outside the Safe Zone parted. Through the floor-to-ceiling window, he could see the outside world. Opposite him, large "Double Happiness" characters were pasted on an old courtyard wall. The characters looked as if they had been written in blood, with crimson liquid slowly dripping down the wall.

In the Hair Ghost’s eyes, a guiding line visible only to him floated forward like Piaoxu in the wind, continuously extending. Following this guidance, the Hair Ghost found the door to the Safe Zone’s small shop in just a few minutes.

He pushed the door open, returned inside, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Shi An continued to control the Witchcraft Flying Eye, sweeping through this Nightmare World area by area. The large "Double Happiness" characters! Courtyards! Altars! Burial mounds! In this Nightmare, there were quite a few special areas that might hide crucial clues.

The more he explored this Nightmare, the more confident Shi An became that it would yield rare treasures.

However, he thought, "It doesn’t look like it’ll be easy to conquer this Nightmare."

There were too many clues and too many areas. Although the difficulty definitely couldn’t compare to a large-scale Nightmare, he estimated it would be much harder than the likes of the Nightmare Dormitory. Even with his help, it wouldn’t be easy for the Hair Ghost to conquer this Nightmare.

Shi An frowned in thought while continuously controlling the Flying Eye in hopes of finding a weak point to break through. The Hair Ghost only needed to follow orders, but he, Manager Shi, had far more things to consider.

Shi An explored as he pondered.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

In a corner of this Netherworld Marriage Nightmare, gray fog surged, revealing the figures of two Dream Descenders.

It was rather arduous for the Hair Ghost to conquer the Nightmare alone. With the assistance of other Dream Descenders—even just ordinary Senior Dream Descenders—things would be much easier for him.

Moreover, Shi An could tell at a glance that these two Dream Descenders were not weak. They possessed a composure that Ordinary Dream Descenders lacked. Upon falling into this place—which was even more grotesque and dangerous compared to an ordinary Nightmare—they instead showed looks of intrigue.

"This Nightmare is special. Since the higher-ups are currently researching the patterns of Nightmare invasions, our Baijiang University has to produce some results as well."