We were supposed to be doing horror movie guides, but what the heck is this "mysterious resurre

Chapter 157 Dreams Invade Reality (5.2k)

The three-minute time difference created by the advance rune can put the defending team at a disadvantage, but if used properly, it can at least provide some useful information, so it's not all bad.

Moreover, Lu Ming already knew about Freddy, so he could take this opportunity to explain it to his four teammates.

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Springwood City.

Elm Street.

Night fell over the street, and the soft moonlight shone on the small houses, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

It was very late at night, and everyone on the street was lost in their dreams.

However, the tranquility and peace are merely a fabricated illusion.

Danger has already silently descended upon the dream.

In a room, a curly-haired boy named Bennett turned off the movie that was playing, turned his head, and fell into a deep sleep.

Young men in their early twenties, full of vigor and vitality, often stay up late, but once they get tired, they can quickly fall asleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a sudden, urgent phone call woke him up.

"Fuck, what kind of time is this to call me...?"

Disturbed from his dream, Bennett was in a bad mood. He impatiently answered the phone, about to offer a warm greeting to the caller's family, when a rather sweet female voice came from the other end.

"Honey, is anyone home right now?"

Bennett immediately recognized the voice as that of his ex-girlfriend, Susie.

His ex-girlfriend Susie was a stunningly beautiful woman. The two broke up due to some conflicts, which Bennett later regretted.

Hearing Susie's voice again, Bennett felt somewhat incredulous, even experiencing a slight sense of unreality, but his long-dormant heart still stirred with an irrepressible flutter.

“Oh, Susie, my grandmother is home too, but she’s sleeping in her room downstairs. I don’t think she’ll mind if you come over directly.”

Soon, with the sound of an engine shutting off downstairs, the blonde bombshell Susie arrived on the second floor where Bennett was.

In the dim light, after a few flirtatious words, the two gradually relaxed from their initial slight restraint.

But just as their passion was building and their feelings for each other were intensifying, in the darkness, Susie suddenly said to Bennett, "Honey, my head is so itchy, can you scratch it for me?"

Bennett gazed affectionately at Susie's delicate face in his arms, and of course had no reason to refuse. He immediately began to gently stroke his ex-girlfriend's soft, long hair.

Susu!

A strange scene happened.

Bennett hadn't used any force, but Susie's hair still fell out in clumps from her scalp.

Countless jet-black women's long hairs were tangled together, with bright red bloodstains at the roots. After the hairs fell out, they seemed to have come to life, slowly twisting and writhing.

"Susie, what's wrong?!"

Bennett looked at Susie in front of him with a sense of existential doubt.

To his surprise, the stunning blonde bombshell was gone; instead, a man was lying in his arms.

More accurately, it was a vengeful ghost.

The ghost wore a bowler felt hat and a striped sweater with alternating shades of matte red and green. Its face was distorted and twisted with blood and flesh, resembling a burn that had not been fully repaired.

Because of Bennett's touch, most of Freddy's scalp fell off, like a tattered rag doll that hadn't been mended in a long time. The exposed brain tissue was charred black and was still crackling.

If Lu Ming were here, he would recognize him as Freddy Krueger, the terrifying ghost from A Nightmare on Elm Street.

"Surprise!"

Freddy burst into a grotesque laugh, writhing as he wriggled out of Bennett's arms and raised his hands in an exaggerated gesture.

The sound it produced was rough and hoarse, giving the impression of the harsh noise of an old engine starting up.

He wore blood-stained steel claw gloves on both hands, or rather, he had no hands; these two gloves were Freddy's left and right hands.

The long, sharp steel claws scraped against the wall, making a piercing scraping sound.

"what!!!"

Bennett was stunned for a moment, then immediately shouted.

"Shh, it's too noisy. Kids are such a hassle."

Freddy held one of the steel claws upright to his mouth, gesturing for silence.

"Since that's the case, then let's go to hell! Hahahaha!"

Freddy, who had been looking serious just a moment ago, seemed to have thought of something very exciting, and immediately started dancing with joy.

Bennett tried to shout for help to wake his eighty-year-old grandmother who was sleeping downstairs, but when he opened his mouth, he found that all his teeth had fallen out, and his mouth was full of tooth fragments mixed with blood, which he could spit out in one go.

Stab it!

Seeing that Bennett had been so frightened that he had a mental breakdown, Freddy finally lost the last bit of interest in toying with his prey.

He casually raised his right steel claw and swung it in front of Bennett, causing blood to splatter.

The young man in his twenties was immediately disemboweled and died in his own bed.

······
What just happened wasn't reality, but Bennett's dream, which is why it seemed so bizarre, absurd, and illogical.

He was brutally murdered by Freddy in his dream, and in reality, his body also bore the same gruesome wounds.

A deep claw mark was etched into Bennett's chest, and blood gushed out of the wound like a fountain, splattering everywhere in the room.

However, from an outsider's perspective, no outsiders had ever been to Bennett's room.

This shocking wound seemed to have appeared out of thin air; it was simply unbelievable.

···········
Lu Ming's team, still in a void, witnessed a scene in the dungeon that defied common sense and fell into a brief silence.

Now, from God's perspective, they can see Bennett's dream and naturally witness Freddy's terrifying ghost that dominates the dream.

The passage of time in Bennett's dream is not the same as the passage of time in the real world.

Many people have had this experience: they feel like they've had a very long dream, but when they wake up, they find that not much time has actually passed.

From the start of the instance, when Bennett fell asleep, to his murder, only half a minute had passed.

The ability to silently kill someone by entering a dream is chilling just to think about.

As long as one is human, it is impossible not to sleep or rest.

Even a high-level challenger like Chen Xin couldn't possibly stay awake forever.

Falling asleep means entering Freddy's world. Freddy can enter anyone's dreams and use those dreams to influence the real world...
Having people take turns keeping watch at night is also not feasible.

Once asleep, even if only a very short time has passed in reality, the person who fell asleep will be killed by Freddy.

Surviving such a vengeful ghost is already difficult enough, let alone the fact that their team not only has to kill Freddy in the dream, but also compete with another team of fifth-tier challengers to protect the residents of Springwood City as much as possible.

Can it really be done?

The four of them looked at Lu Ming simultaneously.

He is the backbone of the team. In this situation, instead of panicking, it's better to listen to what Captain Lu has to say.

Lu Ming did not turn around. Holding hands with the ghost bride, he continued to observe the situation in Springwood City.

He began, "Through certain means, I have obtained some information... This vengeful ghost is named Freddy, and he can control dreams to kill people, as you have all witnessed."

"If we can control him in the dream and then escape the dream, we can bring Freddy out. This is the only way that might kill Freddy."

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Ming continued, "However, as you have seen, excluding the team competition mission, the original mission of the dungeon has added a restriction: you must kill the vengeful ghost Freddy in the dream."

"Furthermore... I'm still not sure what changes will occur after Freddy pulls us into the dream, or whether the high-level abilities we exchanged in the Main God Space will still be usable."

Jiang Zi raised an eyebrow after hearing this: "Isn't this making things difficult for someone?"

Lu Ming did not deny it, but nodded and said, "It's just asking the impossible. Without some difficulty, how could it be worthy of a six-star difficulty? You'll only know how to do it once you're inside. I can only remind you of one thing: Freddy's power comes from fear. As long as he can't make you feel fear, his supernatural abilities will fail."

The more fearful the prey is, the more excited the hunter becomes.

So one of Freddy's favorite things to do was to tease his prey in his dreams like a cat playing with a mouse, thereby generating fear.

Simply avoiding fear sounds easy, but most people can't achieve it. Fear of death, fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of fear itself...

"In short, once we enter Springwood City, everyone must follow my instructions and commands. One minute has passed, and Freddy's killing pace is accelerating; the death toll has already reached three..."

Gao Mingzhe has always been good at analyzing problems. After thinking for a moment, he put forward his idea: "Based on my experience from playing so many horror movie scenarios, most of the time, you can resolve the resentment of an unsolvable ghost like Freddy by playing the emotional card, or by gradually learning about his background and helping him to rebury his ashes so that he can rest in peace underground."

Lu Ming shook his head upon hearing this.

In most cases, this approach can actually be effective, since vengeful spirits like those in the mysterious resurrection world who kill purely according to the rules and have no emotions of their own are still a minority.

Playing the emotional card can be helpful to some extent.

But Freddy was the exception.

"Don't try to reason with this devil, he's a complete scoundrel... Before he became a devil, Freddie had some strange fetishes and did bad things to children. When his deeds were exposed, he was taken to court, but due to the chaotic state of the United States in the 80s, Freddie bribed the judge and was acquitted."

"Later, Freddy was privately and justly executed by the children's parents, burned to death. Before his death, he was possessed by a nightmare demon, which is how the terrible ghost before us came to be."

After hearing Lu Ming's words, Chen Xin and the others understood just how wicked this ghost was.

There was no reversal, no whitewashing; he was simply a thoroughly evil seed.

------

In the [A Nightmare on Elm Street] instance.

A deserted street in Yumu Street.

Four burly men in suits appeared out of nowhere. Their appearances were very different from those of the residents of Springwood City; they had distinctly Asian features and were clearly outsiders.

Judging from his temperament and attire, he bears some resemblance to members of the Yamaguchi-gumi from Japan.

Lu Ming and the others were observing the actions of the group in the void of darkness. They were the attacking team that had entered the [Nightmare on Elm Street] instance, consisting of five high-level challengers.

What's not easily noticed is that behind these four challengers, there is also a girl in a uniform. The girl has sharp eyes, classic long black hair, and a long knife for self-defense at her waist. Lu Ming's first impression of her is that she is a Japanese yakuza heiress.

It's more accurate to say that the four people were escorting a fifth-tier challenger named Horita Yumi, rather than saying that the girl was with four others.

It's not hard to guess that this person is the core of this team.

"Miss Yumi, it was originally just a spur-of-the-moment attempt, but I never expected to actually find an opponent to enter this instance with..."

Yumi smiled nonchalantly: "They probably had similar thoughts, but unfortunately, once they're in, they can't get out. But it's perfect, once this dungeon ends, I can become a sixth-tier challenger."

The man in the suit walking at the front shook his head and said, "No matter what, I admire those people I've never met before. Their courage is commendable, but their strength is too weak."

Even on paper, Lu Ming's team's overall strength is not weak in the low-dimensional main god space.

However, two fifth-tier and three fourth-tier individuals are indeed not enough in the eyes of these people.

Countless challenger teams at the fifth rank have been wiped out by them, let alone Lu Ming and his group.

Therefore, having this mindset is not underestimating the opponent, but a very normal thought.

The group walked forward along the street. The moon was covered by dark clouds, and the only light source on the entire street was the street lamps.

They arrived at a detached villa. Yamamoto, who was walking in front, waved his hand, and a strange scene unfolded.

The five people appeared inside the villa in an instant.

However, this advanced ability is different from ordinary teleportation. Yamamoto did not change his own position, but objectively changed the space.

A section of space between them and the villa was magically removed. After removing the removed section, the remaining two parts were reassembled, resulting in the current situation that resembles instantaneous teleportation.

There is only one elderly person living alone in the villa.

boom!
Gunfire rang out.

The old man was killed in his sleep, and blood splattered everywhere, covering the walls.

For these challengers, killing is something they have no psychological burden about.

These fifth-tier challengers all possess advanced abilities, making them fundamentally different from ordinary people.

Ordinary people are probably like ants that can be crushed with a single step in their eyes.

Not to mention, according to the rules this time, if they don't help Freddy kill people, the Main God Space will kill them.

"Yamaguchi, you're so stupid. That's not how you use the ability to cut through space. The advance talisman only buys us three minutes. We must kill as many people as possible within those three minutes."

Yamaguchi remained expressionless: "The outcome won't change. Even if another team comes in, it won't affect us."

At this moment, Yumi, the only girl in the group, spoke up: "Yamaguchi, don't be careless, do as Sato says."

This time, Yamaguchi did not continue to refute, and respectfully replied, "Yes, Miss Yumi."

He then used his ability to cut space twice, removing two of the surrounding houses.

The death toll in Springwood has risen by eight.

After doing all that, the group returned to the street. It wasn't that Yamaguchi didn't want to use his ability again; it was simply because the ability to cut through space could only be used three times in a short period of time.

Because he didn't care, he used it casually the first time.

···········
"It can directly cut away space? That's too unfair."

Jiang Zi couldn't help but complain.

This ability has many uses, and with a bit of imagination, its potential is very high.

Lu Ming said in a deep voice, "There are only twenty seconds left. Get ready. The moment we enter the instance, I will pull Springwood City into a world within a painting together with the bride."

Even if it's not a complete ghost story, it wouldn't be difficult for it to cover Haruki City in an instant.

This was also Lu Ming's plan from the very beginning.

Compared to the other team, his advantage lies in knowing important information in advance and controlling several terrifying ghosts.

Twenty seconds passed quickly.

As a melodious bell rang, everything went black before the eyes of the five people. When they opened their eyes again, they had arrived in Springwood City, Elm Street, within the instance.

Their birthplace is different from that of Yumi and the other four.

Therefore, after entering the instance, Lu Ming had no idea what had happened to the other team.

In fact, unexpected situations also arose on Yumi's side.

The streetlights along the street flickered with a hiss and then plunged into darkness.

"Why can't I use my ability? Something must be affecting it."

Sato was still complaining when he looked up again and saw a man with bloodstained steel claws in front of him, wearing a felt hat and a red and green striped sweater.

It's quite obvious from its appearance that this is a genuine ghost.

"Freddy?"

Sato was taken aback, remembering the mission issued by the Main God Space.

He laughed and said, "Brother, we've finally found you! Are you going to kill everyone here? We'd be happy to do your bidding."

Freddy was also pleased to hear this, and a hoarse, unpleasant chuckle came from his throat.

"If that's the case, then I admit you guys are really interesting. Thank you, my brother."

He spread his steel claw-like fingers, stretched out his arms, and gave Sato a hug.

Sato was somewhat surprised; he hadn't even finished explaining when the vengeful spirit in this instance was so cooperative.

Before he could even speak, a scraping sound came from between the metal plates. A steel claw glove, which appeared out of nowhere, pierced Sato's chest cavity, splitting him in two. He was completely lifeless and clearly beyond dead.

Freddy, seemingly oblivious to everything, continued chuckling, "My friend, what's wrong with you? Why have you suddenly gotten so cold?"

Until his death, Sato had a look of surprise and disbelief on his face, as if he had seen a ghost.

Unbeknownst to him, from the moment he stepped out of the villa, he had been forcibly pulled into a dream by Freddy.

From Yumi's and the others' perspective, Sato had simply fallen into a deep sleep when a terrifying steel claw suddenly pierced through his body.

Only Sato entered the dream.

　Here's the first chapter, and another one will follow later. Today's update is still 10,000 words. It's the last day of the month, so please vote with your monthly tickets!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)