Nightmare Despair

Chapter 102: Postponement
Zhou Kai temporarily hid all his equipment in the car, planning to put it back into his inventory the next time he entered the dream.

To be honest, the "storage" mechanism is a bit clunky, but fortunately, "retrieval" is relatively easy, so it's not a big deal.

People can't be too greedy.

Back home, Lu Yan was already fast asleep, completely unaware of the bloody storm that had raged in Xishan that night. Zhou Kai crept back to his bedroom in the dark.

The door hinges turned silently, without making the slightest unnecessary noise.

He walked to the window, lifted the curtain, and glanced downstairs.

The black limousine with one-way windows was parked quietly in the parking lot.

A full-time driver who eats and lives in the car and is always on call.

"From now on, my life will finally become truly convenient."

Zhou Kai drew the curtains, lay down on the bed, and began to take stock of what he had gained that night.

The description of the slime mold strain revealed by the occult was vague, and Zhou Kai did not intend to bring it to life in reality; he planned to study it after entering the nightmare.

He focused his attention on the two most crucial sections of the panel.

Progression in engraving and general experience points.

【Scars: Chariot - Part 1 (35/100)】

[General Experience Points: 77]

A sweeping nightmare brought his general experience points up to 77.

He can feed an experience point to create a second-tier engraving whenever he wants.

In comparison, the natural growth rate of the engraving itself is somewhat lacking.

Zhou Kai glanced at the experience gain record and discovered the problem. Those monsters were too weak, so weak that the system determined that he had to kill dozens of them in one go to count as a victory.

"As expected, advancing a mark is not so simple. You either have to find a tough nut to crack or engage in a fierce battle with a worthy opponent."

Zhou Kai wasn't in a hurry. From the time he obtained the mark until now, it hadn't been more than a few days.

He has already completed one-third of the task. Based on the analysis of the memories he absorbed, this speed would probably be considered exceptional even within the Twilight Knights.

Even if he slows down and takes a steady approach, it won't take him more than a week to advance to the second tier.

drip.

The phone screen lights up, and a message pops up.

It's Lin Sheng.

"The time has come. The surveillance cameras near Xishan Hotel have been restored... Zhou Kai, I'm glad you're still alive and have cleaned up all the trouble."

Zhou Kai smiled calmly.

Lin Sheng's cooperation was crucial to tonight's resounding victory.

From any perspective, it was a great help.

Zhou Kai genuinely appreciated this favor.

"Thank you so much for your help."

"If you ever have any trouble in the future, feel free to contact me anytime. I will never refuse!"

Lin Sheng readily accepted the gratitude, but he didn't take Zhou Kai's verbal promise to heart for the time being.

What could she possibly need Zhou Kai's help with?
Moreover, as a nightmare sufferer of the Traveler, Zhou Kai himself is probably too busy taking care of himself.

Even if he really reaches a dead end, as long as there is another way to go, he will not ask for help.

"By the way, Zhou Qing has already been sent home by the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs after signing the confidentiality agreement. She is safe now."

After sending the last message, Lin Sheng went on to do other things.

As Zhou Kai stared at the line of text on his phone screen, a huge weight lifted from his heart, but the thought of finding his sister a safer job resurfaced.

With this incident at Xinhui Pharmaceuticals, Zhou Qing will most likely be unable to continue working there. This is the perfect opportunity for him to intervene.

As for what to do...

Zhou Kai remembered the Morning Star Club, which he hadn't paid much attention to.

"Reality is not safe. There are things like nightmares and mirages... If I can keep them closer to me, I'll have a chance to act if something really happens."

Zhou Kai's eyes flickered; he had made up his mind. He would find an opportunity to mention it to his sister in a few days.

The eldest sister is like a mother.

Over the years, Zhou Qing has taken meticulous care of him. Now, it's his turn to repay her kindness.

……

As time passed, the sky outside the window changed from dark blue to pale white.

Lu Yan, who got up early, walked into the living room and was surprised to find that Zhou Kai had already prepared breakfast, with the aroma of fried eggs wafting from the table.

"Hey? You're home? When did you get back?"

She looked Zhou Kai up and down suspiciously: "You seem to be getting more and more mysterious. How many times have you come back in the middle of the night now?" "Come on, tell me honestly, what have you been up to lately?"

Zhou Kai placed the plate in front of Lu Yan and said with a smile, "Have breakfast first, sis. Can't an egg shut you up?"

"I just went out for a walk."

Zhou Kai casually brushed it off.

Lu Yan opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to ask more questions, but ultimately chose to remain silent and began to eat her breakfast.

After breakfast, Zhou Qing made a video call, and the four of them chatted for a long time.

She suggested having a small gathering that evening, just the few of them.

Lu Yan didn't like Sui Die very much, and when she heard that Sui Die would be there, she instinctively wanted to refuse, but under Zhou Kai's persuasion, she reluctantly agreed.

Of the four faces in the video call, only Zhou Kai and his sister Zhou Qing knew what thrilling events had occurred in the early hours of the morning.

Looking at his sister's slightly pale face and her eyes that occasionally flashed with a hint of fear in the video, Zhou Kai felt a pang of pain in his heart.

Fortunately, she was rescued in time and did not suffer any real harm. But the psychological impact of such a terrifying experience would be too much for an ordinary person.

At this moment, Zhou Kai even began to understand why the authorities had concealed the existence of Nightmare.

So far, the impact of the nightmare invasion and the mirage event has only affected a small number of people.

Once made public, it will inevitably trigger widespread social panic. Although it may be a good thing in the long run... no one can bear the short-term pain.

The only way to get the authorities to publicly acknowledge the existence of Nightmare is for an even greater crisis to occur...

For example, an unprecedented S-level reality nightmare? Or perhaps, nightmares of all levels erupting globally...

Whether from an emotional or rational perspective, that kind of future is something no normal person wants to see.

After hanging up the video call, Zhou Kai stared blankly into thought for a long time.

His thoughts were pulled back when his phone vibrated again.

The sender was Sui Die, and the message was very brief: "Xiao Kai, I got what you wanted, I'll give it to you tonight."

Zhou Kai replied, "Thank you, Sister Die."

Military-grade night vision goggles... but after he got his hands on the sniper rifle and the wolf-hair brush, their usefulness became limited.

However, something is better than nothing.

Zhou Kai never thinks he has too much equipment.

……

Falcon Wing Boxing Gym.

Chen Ping, unusually, did not practice martial arts. Instead, he knelt in front of the portrait of the patriarch and closed his eyes to rest.

To be honest, he was a little confused.

First, in the middle of the night, some lunatic sent him a threatening text message saying he would kill him. He tried to reply, but found that he had been blocked.

Full of doubt, he investigated and discovered that the Wang family of Xishan had put a reward on his junior brother whom he valued a few days ago.

They intended to find someone to handle the situation, but before they could even take action, news came that the entire Wang family of Xishan, from Wang Yuanzheng to Wang Jinquan, had vanished without a trace.

The bounty seemed to have been erased, disappearing without a trace.

what the hell?

Have I missed something important because I haven't been out for so long...?

Chen Ping felt that something was wrong with everything.

Could it be that Zhou Kai has some background that he doesn't know about?

Realizing this, he immediately followed that direction in his investigation.

The result surprised him greatly.

Zhou Kai had a close relationship with the heiress of the Vitas Group. This notorious playboy in Xishan even personally helped Zhou Kai obtain a business license.

"If the Vitas Group is behind this, then everything makes sense. Zhou Kai... this kid is no ordinary person."

Chen Ping shook his head, forcing himself to stop thinking about Zhou Kai. The more powerful Zhou Kai's background, the better it was for his martial arts path, not a bad thing.

Moreover, there are more important things to worry about than Zhou Kai right now.

An hour ago, news came from the Broken Wing Gate that an unidentified Blue Leopard Stream Wolf-type Realm expert had infiltrated Xishan City.

This may involve a struggle over the Dao, and even more so, it relates to a major event within the Broken Wing Gate that will occur in a little over a month, or even earlier.

Therefore, their major boxing gyms must be on high alert.

Among these boxing gyms, Nishiyama Hayato, whose master-level masters are mostly elusive, faces particularly immense pressure.

After all, Chen Ping, who was temporarily assuming the duties of the academy master, was actually just a Zhen Jin.

(End of this chapter)