Chapter 807: The Butcher's Abnormality

The flow of time was abnormal in the area covered by the tear in the sky—it moved even faster than in the real world. If I wanted to complete the Live Show broadcast task, I couldn't linger within its range.

'I need to end this quickly.' I was a decisive person. If I couldn't save the Butcher, I would leave immediately.

Night in the Dream Realm was peculiar. The sky wasn't entirely pitch-black; large clusters of halos cast mottled shadows below, bringing a hazy sense of beauty.

Stepping out of my hiding place, I had just pushed the door open when my hand froze in midair.

Looking out through the crack of the door, I saw a massive spider shadow moving between the buildings.

It looked like a fictional monster straight out of a sci-fi movie. Slender legs several meters long supported its body, and it seemed to walk on thin air. The spinnerets at its rear constantly spat out massive amounts of pale white silk, sealing off the entire street.

'It's twice as big as the one I saw during the day.' I wasn't sure what had produced this monster. Logically, all living creatures in the Deep Dream Layer were linked to memories abandoned by humanity, but I really couldn't think of anything that could mutate into such a massive spider-like creature.

The spider shadow I had seen during the day was killed using Dream Dao methods. This new spider had rushed over from the outskirts of the block, highly likely seeking revenge for that monster.

I didn't act rashly. In fact, a few minutes later, I was grateful for that decision.

A layer of white mist seemed to drape over the buildings on the edge of the block, and giant spider shadows faintly began to appear, one after another!

'These things actually move in groups!' In the real world, apex predators usually hunted alone, but clearly, that rule didn't apply in the Deep Dream Layer. I quietly retreated back inside and shut the door tight. Dealing with a single spider shadow would be no pressure at all, and handling two at once would be fine as long as I was careful, but if there were three or more, escaping with my life would become a real question.

Observing from behind the door, the Judging Eye allowed me to clearly track every monster's movement trajectory. 'They're all heading in the same direction. This doesn't look like they're avenging their companion. What's attracting them?'

Looking closely, time flowed at a blistering pace beneath this torn patch of sky. Once the spider shadows entered it, their bodies underwent subtle changes.

The bristles on their bodies were losing their luster. As time passed, their spider silk slowly faded in color, mixed with a discordant streak of black.

'These monsters are getting weaker; their lifespans are constantly draining away!' Most monsters in the Deep Dream Layer lived very short lives. After all, some existed in the real world, while others were simply born from a fleeting human thought, destined to vanish a fraction of a second later. Only in the Dream Realm could they exist eternally.

'Risking heavy injuries just to get inside—these monsters are acting completely out of character.' A creature's basic instinct was to seek advantage and avoid harm. There was nothing in this rift-covered block attractive enough to draw them in. Thinking about it, there could only be one reason they would risk their lives to enter: they were being driven in by some other power!

The Butcher and the Black-Robed Anchor were fighting here. Aside from those two, the only faction in the Deep Dream Layer capable of driving monsters into a siege was the Live Show Traitors.

'Are those guys getting involved too?' The Traitors had destroyed the Live Show's branch in the Deep Dream Layer, and the price they paid was permanent exile here, never daring to return to reality. Now that two live show streamers were slaughtering each other in the Deep Dream Layer, they absolutely wouldn't pass up this perfect opportunity to weaken the Live Show's power.

To be honest, I didn't want to clash with the Live Show Traitors, but judging from the optional tasks the Live Show had issued me—whether it was saving other live show streamers or hunting the Traitors—the Live Show was actively encouraging us to slaughter each other. This was likely one of the Live Show's tests for me.

The importance of this live broadcast was on par with the one at the Lanjiang Dam. The main objective seemed vague, but the underlying tone had been set from the start: prevent the loss of the Live Show's forces as much as possible.

I rubbed my aching head. Whether it was the live show streamers or the Traitors, neither side was someone I could afford to provoke right now.

'I can't just sit and wait for death. I have to find the Butcher or the Black-Robed Anchor first and tell them what's happening here.'

Compared to the monsters outside, I had one advantage they lacked: the black hair that could sense Zhu Li's approximate location.

Once the spider shadows passed, I slipped out of the room. I wrapped my will around every inch of my body, carefully avoiding the black-tinged spider webs.

'Time waits for no one. If I drag this out any longer, these spiders will seal off the entire block and turn it into a giant web.'

I channeled Yin energy from my yin aperture into the Faceless Woman's black hair. Her long strands swayed in the air, pointing toward the southeast of the block.

'She was pointing northwest at first. It seems Zhu Li and the others realized something was wrong and started moving.'

Eerie beams of light drifted across the fractured sky. Down on the twisted streets, shadow monsters that fed on dream memories scurried back and forth, weaving their webs.

I stayed low, keeping my absolute attention as I pursued them toward the southeast. After dodging two more giant spider shadows, I stopped outside a grayish-white building.

The Faceless Woman's hair reacted as I passed this building. It wasn't tall—only three stories—and looked completely inconspicuous.

'The webs those monsters are weaving will cover this place soon. Staying put is just a slow suicide, and the Butcher definitely knows that.' Regardless of who was hiding inside, they had to be on a hair-trigger right now. To avoid friendly fire, I pushed the building's door open very slowly.

Every house in the Deep Dream Layer was a traveler's dream, a person's memory. Opening a door was the equivalent of stepping into their mind.

Beneath the ordinary grayish-white exterior lay exquisite, luxurious decor. Very few buildings in the Deep Dream Layer looked like this one.

The walls were freshly painted, and every piece of furniture brimmed with artistic flair and bold stylistic choices. Even someone like me, who knew completely nothing about art, couldn't help but stop and marvel at its beauty.

Spreading my will outward, I summoned the Fate Ghost to follow behind me. I wasn't sure how much of its strength the Fate Ghost could actually exert in the Dream Realm.

The staircase was paved in marble, polished so brightly it held a reflection. I didn't linger and headed straight up to the third floor.

The wooden door gave off a pleasant fragrance. When I pushed it open, the scene inside caught me off guard.

The massive third floor was entirely empty save for a single sofa in the center. A colossal composite mural covered a wall two or three meters high.

It depicted an endless sea of canola flowers, shimmering like a golden ocean, radiating hope and a warm sense of love.

'Isn't the scene in this mural that old man's dream?!'

I tore my gaze away from the mural and looked at the back of the sofa. Wrapping my will tightly around every inch of my body and activating the Nether Runes on my palm, I finally dared to approach.

When I walked around to the front, I saw a withered old man sitting there. His cloudy eyes stared blankly at the mural, his soul seemingly lost within it.

"Why is it you?"

The old man was merely one of the Butcher's thought hosts. For him to appear in this form right now was highly likely connected to me hunting down his other hosts in the real world.

I was surprised in my heart, but I kept my composure on the surface.

Sensing my presence, the old man stiffly turned his head. As his body moved, the jacket draped over his chest fell to the ground. That was when I saw it: two deep, bone-exposing gashes, one on his abdomen and one on his chest.

The hideous wounds gleamed with a dark light. No blood flowed out; instead, countless thread-like insects gnawed at his flesh from the inside.

The old man saw me. His initially blank expression slowly changed. His eyes widened, his mouth fell open, and his fingers began to tremble: "You... you're actually still alive!"

I narrowed my eyes. In a split second, countless thoughts raced through my head.

The memories that surfaced after unlocking my aperture lock told me that my past self in those memory fragments wore the Good and Evil Asura Mask every time he appeared. No one should know what my true face looked like.

'Did the Butcher see my face? Does he know my true identity?' This unfathomable live show streamer was the most formidable existence aside from the First Anchor; it was entirely normal for him to know some hidden secrets.