Chapter 288: Chapter 284: Sword Holder [1]

「At the same time.」

「On the outskirts of the Happiness Garden District.」

Cold, fine strands of rain fell like a dense beaded curtain from the thick, oppressive clouds above. Ravaged by the wind and rain, withered yellow leaves drifted helplessly to the ground.

A strange chill seemed to envelop the world, a cold that seeped into one’s bones when it blew against them.

A thin layer of fog even began to form on some car windows, obscuring the view of the interiors.

Downstairs from Building 18, the area had been cordoned off with police tape, creating a tense and solemn atmosphere.

Before long, a black sedan slowly pulled over to the side of the road.

CLICK!

The car door opened, and a middle-aged man of about fifty stepped out.

He was dressed in a white suit, his hair combed back, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He exuded an unusual air.

What was rather strange, however, was that despite not looking particularly old, he already had several patches of varying sizes on his neck.

These patches were completely different from common age spots, which are dark brown or black. Instead, they were a disquieting purplish-red.

They bore some resemblance to livor mortis. As is known, livor mortis occurs after death when blood circulation ceases and gravity causes the blood to settle in the vessels of the lower parts of the body.

This then becomes visible through the skin as discolored patches.

It generally begins to appear two to four hours after death, starting as small, cloud-like patches that gradually merge, expand, and darken over time.

Because of this, medical examiners sometimes use livor mortis to determine the time of death.

Yet now, such marks had appeared on a living person.

But the man seemed to feel no discomfort from it whatsoever.

He held a yellow cane. Upon closer inspection, one would find it covered in fine lines that looked unsettlingly like human skin.

Seeing the man get out of the car, a fully armed man in a helmet with an earth-yellow visor, who had been waiting nearby, hurried forward.

He opened a black umbrella he was holding and said respectfully, "Lord Zhou Ze, you’ve arrived!"

Zhou Ze nodded slightly, his gaze turning toward Building 18 of the Happiness Garden District.

The building’s exterior was exceptionally dim and lifeless, as if shrouded in a massive shadow or steeped in a thick fog that obscured its appearance.

Zhou Ze’s brow furrowed slightly as he asked, "What’s the situation?"

Hearing this, the man shook his head helplessly, his voice low. "The situation is dire. The local neutrino index is still climbing. Although it’s currently confined to this one building, the concentration is already three times that of the Nightmare codenamed ’Granny Cat’!"

As he spoke, he held up an object that resembled a cellphone, the only difference being a long, antenna-like component on top.

This was a device developed specifically to detect the intensity of a Nightmare.

It could perform statistical analysis based on the special fluctuations emitted by the Nightmare.

Although its readings weren’t always completely accurate, they still held some reference value.

Their helmets and visors were similar; this equipment could, to some extent, shield them from the interference of Nightmare Power, allowing them to see some of the conditions at the site of the Nightmare.

"It’s that high?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ze’s brows knitted together tightly.

The Nightmare codenamed ’Granny Cat’ was an incident that had occurred previously in the neighboring Taiyuan City.

The Nightmare’s external manifestation was that of a gaunt old woman dressed in white.

At night, she would appear randomly on various city streets, stopping people to ask if they had seen her cat.

Regardless of how the passersby answered, they would ultimately be eaten by her in their sleep in the middle of the night.

He had also read the detailed file on that Nightmare incident.

In the end, the person in charge from Da Yuan City had to sacrifice an arm to finally resolve it.

Thinking of this, he then asked,

"Has anyone made it out?"

"No. From the beginning until now, we’ve tried everything, but we can’t get in. It’s like we’ve run into a ghost wall.

There hasn’t been any sign of activity from inside so far. The people in there are probably..."

His voice grew heavier as he trailed off.

The building has two wings, with ten households per floor. By that count, even with only one person per household, there would be at least three or four hundred people in there. Those are all living, breathing people.

"You all wait out here. Don’t let anyone get near this place. I’m going in to take a look! If I’m not out in half an hour, evacuate everyone within a five-kilometer radius and report to headquarters immediately!"

Zhou Ze ordered with a grave expression.

"You mean... this Nightmare could continue to spread?"

The man paused for a moment, then asked, his face filled with horror.

"We can’t rule out that possibility!"

Zhou Ze shook his head. With that said, he started walking toward Building 18 of the Happiness Garden District.

Soon, as he came within twenty meters of Building 18, an invisible force seemed to appear out of thin air.

It forcefully obstructed his path, causing his forward movement to gradually slow.

Seeing this, Zhou Ze’s expression remained indifferent.

He unhurriedly raised his cane and tapped it lightly on the ground.

The next moment, the ink-black fog slowly parted to both sides.

A fissure appeared before him.

At the same time, the livor mortis-like patches on Zhou Ze’s neck turned an even deeper purplish-red, and their area expanded in an instant.

This was the price he had to pay for using the cane—his Dream Eye. Each time he used it, the patches on his neck would expand.

Once these patches covered his entire head, the only thing awaiting him was certain death. At that point, he would become a true corpse.

’If I can resolve this mission successfully, I should have accumulated almost enough points to apply for headquarters to help me attempt to master a second Dream Eye!’

Zhou Ze subconsciously touched the patched area on his neck, a complex look flashing in his eyes. Then, with resolute determination, he stepped into the fog.

After he passed through, the fog behind him instantly converged again.

It quickly and completely enveloped the path behind him once more.

And with that, Zhou Ze vanished from everyone’s sight.

Witnessing this, the man who had spoken first looked even more grave. He unhesitatingly pulled out his phone and pressed the timer button.

Since Lord Zhou Ze had given his orders, he had to follow them strictly.

...

「On the dim rooftop.」

A cold wind, laced with icy raindrops, battered the rooftop floor, making a PITTER-PATTER sound that echoed in the open space, adding to the desolate chill.

Suddenly, a figure vaulted over the exterior wall from the side, landing on the rooftop.

It was Hu Qi.

After appearing, he just stood there quietly.

As if waiting for something.

Not even a few seconds had passed.

Just a few meters in front of him, the old, dilapidated iron door let out a loud BOOM.

It had been violently struck by a powerful and brutish force.

The iron door flew right off, smashing into the nearby railing with a loud CLANG.

The next moment.

A figure emerged from the pitch-black stairwell.

It was the Butcher in its black raincoat, its right hand tightly gripping a massive hammer that was still dripping blood.

Its glowing red eyes paused for a moment as they fell upon Hu Qi, who stood a half-head taller than it.