Chapter 789: Bloodshed Approaches

After saying my piece, I turned and left. Just as I stepped out of White Rose, the middle-aged Daoist's voice suddenly called out from behind me.

"Wait!"

Wearing the mask, I turned my head slightly, the streetlamp illuminating my coat.

"Jinghai is where Huaxia's will of the people gathers. The so-called will of the people is the collective desire of all living beings. By defying the will of the masses, you are defying the heavens! You are destined for a terrible end!" The middle-aged Daoist stood stubbornly amid the shattered glass, his half-white hair making him look much older than he actually was.

"The will of the masses is not my will. So what if I defy the heavens?" Without looking back, I stepped into the darkness.

The cold wind brushed against my cheeks. Walking down the street, I could clearly feel the atmosphere Outside Jinghai Customs growing tense.

Police cars sped by from time to time, rushing toward a specific direction for reinforcements, and multiple checkpoints had been set up along the roads.

'The fire still hasn't gone out, and it even looks like it's spreading. What exactly happened at Hongqiao Port?' Thinking of my agreement with the Black-Robed Anchor, I took out the Black Phone to check it. The device was incredibly basic, with its inbox and contacts completely blank. It could only maintain a single-line connection and passively receive information.

'In my memory fragments, the Butcher didn't kill the other live show streamers. His reaction back then was mostly shock and confusion. Clearly, in his eyes, killing a live show streamer was an act of sheer madness.'

Back in the Deep Dream Layer, A had mentioned that the Butcher was the enforcer of the Live Show's rules. Why would someone like that end up universally betrayed and abandoned, branded as the Butcher by other streamers, saddled with a terrible reputation, and even treated coldly by the Live Show itself?

What role did he play during the battle between the Traitors and the Live Show in the Deep Dream Layer?

What I couldn't understand most of all was why he would actively hunt down the Black-Robed Anchor. Was it merely for amusement, or was he scheming to steal the items the Black-Robed Anchor had redeemed from the Live Show?

Had I not seen that memory fragment, I would have unconditionally chosen to stand on the Black-Robed Anchor's side. But now, my stance was wavering.

The Black-Robed Anchor himself had mentioned that every live show streamer had their own unique area of expertise. It was impossible for the Butcher to completely sever ties and fight to the death against a live show streamer of equal strength just for a Dream Dao Secret Art he couldn't even use.

Therefore, the Black-Robed Anchor was hiding something from me. The Butcher wanted to kill him for another reason altogether.

'Although the Butcher is a cruel and twisted psycho, he's definitely no fool. For him to make a move against Black Robe, it can only mean one of two things: Black Robe possesses one or more treasures he covets, or Black Robe did something that crossed his bottom line.' I leaned against a utility pole, in no rush to move on.

Everyone believed the Butcher was a madman. Black Robe had exploited that very fact to give me a sense of impending crisis, easily convincing me to join him.

'He was the one plotting around the Red Building from the very beginning. After I arrived in Jinghai, he never showed his face. He just hid in the shadows and steered me toward the Red Building, making me unintentionally sabotage the Butcher's plans. His intention from the start was to drag me down with him. He's just using me.' Jinghai was the Black-Robed Anchor's territory. He had operated here for a long time, and with his strength, he was fully qualified to be the one moving the chess pieces.

'He's laying out a board, but unfortunately for him, I'm no longer a chess piece that can be easily manipulated. I can't completely trust Black Robe when we enter the dream this time. I have to leave myself a few escape routes.' Hesitating for a moment, I took out Yan Shengnan's phone and dialed a number from a business card etched into my memory.

The phone only rang twice before it was answered. Both of us fell silent simultaneously, seemingly waiting for the other to speak first.

"Chu Men, long time no see." I didn't mask my voice; doing this was a gamble in itself.

After a two- or three-second pause, a sharp intake of breath echoed through the receiver. "I knew you weren't dead!"

"My next broadcast is in Jinghai, and I'll be entering the Deep Dream Layer. Are you interested?" Hearing Chu Men's voice, the tension in my chest finally dissipated, though even I didn't know why.

"Of course! Entering the Dream Realm with you last time was a huge help to my research! I'll catch a flight over tonight. Where should we meet?"

"Don't rush, let me finish first. This broadcast is extremely dangerous. Other than me, everyone in this city is an enemy." I thought for a moment and ultimately decided to tell him the truth. "Furthermore, some monsters beyond the imagination of ordinary people have also arrived in Jinghai. From the moment you meet up with me, your life will be in constant danger."

Silence stretched over the line for a long time. Just as I thought Chu Men had gotten scared and backed out, I suddenly heard a soft thump. "My luggage is packed. Where in Jinghai are we meeting?"

"You aren't afraid?" I hadn't expected him to agree so decisively.

"I grew up in a psychiatric hospital. I've definitely seen more monsters than you have, even if... they were all wearing human skin." His voice over the phone came in fits and starts. "Current medical science can't completely cure them, so I took a different approach. I want to use the Dream Realm for treatment. Entering dreams to trace the fragmented parts of a patient's memories and finding the root cause of the illness is the only way to prescribe the right cure. You promised me last time that if the chance arose, you would take me into the Deep Dream Layer to have a look. I've always suspected that the ultimate secrets of human emotion are hidden there. Perhaps it is a world overlooked by God."

"If you enter the Deep Dream Layer, there's a very high chance you won't make it back. Also, when did I ever promise you that?" I stood in the cold wind, holding the phone, with absolutely no one around me.

"Regardless, I have my own reasons for needing to enter the Deep Dream Layer. Domestic technology is barely capable of breaching the Middle Dream Layer, so don't even think about shaking me off this time."

I didn't know if calling Chu Men was a good idea or a terrible mistake. Originally, I only intended for him to stay in the Middle Dream Layer or the Shallow Dream Layer. Because I would be entering a dream within a dream alongside Black Robe, I was afraid I might not be able to wake up. I was even more terrified that I would lose the ability to distinguish between reality and illusion. That was why I wanted him to act as a beacon, someone to remind me when it mattered most. But clearly, Chu Men had other plans.

"Can you tell me why you absolutely have to enter the Deep Dream Layer?"

The other end of the line suddenly fell silent. I could only hear his faint, shallow breathing.

"I was born in a psychiatric hospital. I don't know who my father is. My mother's mind is fractured; she suffers from a severe panic disorder and has been locked in a ward, and she is still locked in there today. Everything I've done has been so that one day, I can get her out of there." Chu Men's voice sounded somewhat hoarse. "It's laughable, isn't it? What kind of doctor am I if I can't even save my own mother?"

Everyone had their own story, their own reasons for pressing on. I didn't try to refuse Chu Men again. "The moment you arrive in Jinghai, call this number. I'll tell you where to meet."

"Alright. Is there anything else I need to look out for?"

"There is one favor I need to ask of you." I spoke slowly, articulating every word. "Chu Men, can I trust you?"

My voice was heavy. I truly didn't have a single friend left by my side to help me. Blind Liu and Tie Ningxiang had originally been the people closest to me, but because of a single sentence Xia Chi had once said, I could no longer trust them. I had no idea who the Live Show's spy hiding near me was. Therefore, for what I needed to do next, my only option was to entrust it to a stream viewer I had met only once.

"Tell me, what do you need me to do?" Realizing the shift in my tone, Chu Men immediately became dead serious.

"Starting right now, don't alert a single soul. Take your luggage and go to a certain place." My voice turned cold as I hardened my resolve.

"Where to?"

"The Central Bank of Jiangcheng. When you get there, someone will lead you into the underground vault to retrieve an item." I was revealing my greatest secret to Chu Men. "That item is wrapped in black cloth. Don't look at it, and don't touch what's inside. The moment you have it, head straight to Jinghai and contact me. You must deliver that item directly into my hands."

"How could the bank possibly be open at this hour?"

"The password is . You need to remember two points. First, the person receiving you is extremely dangerous. Do not converse with them under any circumstances. Second, whether the person is a man or a woman, memorize their every movement, as well as the smile on their face—and then learn to maintain that exact smile."

My demands were bizarre. Had it been anyone else, they would have likely bombarded me with countless questions by now. However, Chu Men remained completely composed. "Understood. I will learn their every movement and expression perfectly."

"Be careful on the way. If anything happens, contact me immediately." After delivering my final warning, I hung up. I took the Underworld Live Show Phone from my pocket, my finger hovering over the screen for a long time before slowly pressing down.

"Redeem merchandise, select Reincarnation Mirror Fragment!"

"Confirm redemption?"

"Confirm!"

"Redemption successful. One hundred points deducted. Remaining points: 0."

Receiving the confirmation message on the Live Show Phone, I silently pocketed the device and stared down the empty street.

The Black-Robed Anchor had sent me to the Red Building to antagonize the Butcher and force me to stand on his side. The strange thing was, the Live Show had also assigned me to do a broadcast at the Red Building.

That was the Butcher's territory, yet the Live Show had ordered me to stick my nose in. This meant the Live Show was dissatisfied with something the Butcher had done.

Besides the obsession, the most important things in the Pig Cage Apartments were the entrance to the Animal Realm and the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment.

I held the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment I had brought out from the Animal Realm and the Reincarnation Mirror the Black-Robed Anchor had given me. The edges of the two couldn't fit together; a large piece was still missing from the middle.

The Black-Robed Anchor didn't know about the Animal Realm, but Zhu Li, who had been controlled by the Butcher's Will, did. Had he truly stayed in the Red Building just to devour obsessions? Or had that madman's goal been the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment from the very beginning?

When the Butcher attacked Black Robe half a year ago, could it have been for the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment in Black Robe's hands as well?

I suddenly felt a deep sense of crisis. The Butcher was absolutely not that simple. It was precisely because of this gnawing unease that I had taken a gamble and redeemed the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment from the Live Show's product catalog.

I had no way of knowing whether this item had also appeared in the Butcher's product catalog.

'In those memory fragments, did I kill the other two streamers to complete the Reincarnation Mirror?' I didn't know what had once happened to me, but my intuition told me it was definitely connected to this broken mirror. After all, this mirror could reflect the entire world, yet it exclusively failed to cast my own reflection.

The distant wail of police sirens interrupted my train of thought. Breathing out a faint puff of white mist, I rubbed my stiff fingers together and turned into a back alley.

"Winter is coming."