I created a safe zone in the nightmare world.

Chapter 148 People from Two Cities (4.6K)

"Hint: Contract Employee's Undergarment Awakens Innate Talent: Red Ribbon Ritual."

"Red Silk Ritual"

"Note ①: A Surplice can construct a ritual that suits it perfectly. All characters and items within the ritual must be crafted by hand. When the Surplice activates its ritual, its magical power and inherent abilities will be greatly amplified. Furthermore, all the Surplice's inherent power can be extended through the ritual."

"Note 2: The more standardized, orderly, and uniform the ritual, the stronger the power that the Surplice can exert. However, if the ritual is disrupted, the power of the Surplice will be weakened."

"Note ③: A ritual for the underworld procession is currently in place."

The extraordinary rituals that Hades had previously undergone seem to have become part of its innate talent.

Its talent is completely different from that of Zhuo Ling and Li Feng Ji Gui.

It was vastly different from the extraordinary human talents that Shi An had heard about.

The art style is completely different now.

"Or is it a rare, hidden talent?"

Shi An stroked his chin, and he could guess at this moment that "the awakening of extraordinary talent is not only related to one's own abilities, but also to the ritual during the advancement."

And now—

The fighting style of the Surplice has changed drastically.

"It's somewhat similar to Zhuo Ling, except that the Mingyi is a tool for controlling paper figures. Paper figures, paper horses, or other props and items can all be extensions of its power."

"But at the same time, it needs to maintain proper decorum? The more dignified the demeanor, the stronger the extraordinary talent? Is there really such an extraordinary ability?!"

Shi An had never heard of such a thing.

He guessed that the same was true for Long Xingzhou and his associates in the Countermeasures Bureau.

The nightmare world is so vast and mysterious that even humans, these extraordinary beings, probably have very limited understanding of it.

The innate talent of the Surplice may seem complicated, but it is not. This talent is derived from the "Crimson Silk of the Netherworld" skill, which inherently possesses the ability to store objects.

The funerary garment can summon paper figures anytime, anywhere to begin rituals.

"However, the preparation of various paper figures, props, and armored soldiers for the ceremony is quite complicated."

"Although the Surplice awakened its extraordinary talent and also received some crafting inheritance in the unseen realm," it still needs to study it slowly on its own.

"Yes, these paper figures and armored warriors also need to be of uniform size. If they are of different heights and builds, the power of the red silk ceremony cannot be truly exerted."

This doesn't seem to be a problem.

Surplice suits are inherently quite obsessive-compulsive. Perhaps it's precisely because of this obsessive-compulsive tendency that such extraordinary talents have emerged.

After advancing to the extraordinary realm, the changes in the three mysterious beings, Mingyi, Zhuomiao, and Xiaoxue, are not limited to their abilities.

Zhuo Ling was already able to transform into human form, but now it has gone a step further and can use the turbid flow it controls to disguise blood.

Little Blood is no longer limited to only switching between his chubby normal state and his Blood Demon giant form.

It can transform into a normal human body—covered in blood red, like a severely burned patient—and then wrap itself in bandages, wear a mask and hat, just like a normal person.

Shi An: "You call this a normal person?"

Shi An: "But it's true, he's at least a human being."

-

Small blood: (work;)

It's not that it's inherently weird and insists on being human, but it has to pretend to be human.

"Either pretend to be human, or you can only pretend to be a monstrous creature." How could a dignified Blood Lord pretend to be a mere creature? At the very least, it must control itself.

Shi An just let things be.

And so, the "bandaged man" appeared in the safe zone.

Fortunately, there are quite a few unconventional outfits among the Dreamers, so Xiao Xue's bandaged men's clothing doesn't stand out too much.

The funerary garments have also changed.

Its main body is a piece of clothing. Originally, the inside of the clothing was empty, so Shi An could wear the entire wedding dress on herself.

But now, a faint, 90% transparent figure has appeared inside this wedding dress.

But the ghost clothes are a bit of a problem.

It is famous for its gestures.

This means that the boss can no longer wear his clothes.

It was indeed impossible to put it on. Shi An tried it on and found some resistance.

However, Shi An is no longer the same Amon he once was. In the past, he was so weak that he couldn't even withstand the aftershocks of a slightly strange battle, which is why he needed to wear the Underworld Armor.

Now, as the shopkeeper, he wields two exceptional magical artifacts and is protected by shadows and insect armor; he's not lacking a wedding dress.

Although Shi An still carries the ghost clothes when he goes out in real life.

He was afraid of being ambushed.

The human body is too fragile; even if he possesses near-superhuman strength, he will still die from a bullet.

If a fake superhuman were to ambush him from the shadows, he might not be able to react in time.

Although Shi An was just an ordinary staff member in the Countermeasures Bureau in reality, nothing special, he was just taking precautions.

Now that his Underworld Robe has been upgraded, he has to carry it with him at all times when he goes out.

After the Underworld Robe was promoted, it stayed in the Alchemy Workshop during the Dream of Shi An, using the equipment and tools there to make various props needed for its rituals.

It produces mostly paper figures.

Paper figures are highly malleable and can easily bear the weight of others.

But it didn't just make paper figures; it also started learning how to make paper horses, wooden figures, bronze chariots, and so on.

During this period, the safe zone developed in an orderly manner.

New members are being formed in batches.

Even the Nightmare Shallow District, which is adjacent to Baijiang City, has been conquered in two places under the organization of the Safe Zone.

However, neither of these two strategies yielded any superior-grade cursed items.

It only includes some premium membership cards, watchtower blueprints, or blueprints for potions and items.

It's just like a nightmare deep inside a strategy game.

Shi An was also unsure about the rules involved.

Even after these two regions were conquered, new Nightmare regions continued to emerge in Nightmare Shallow Sea.

It cannot be eradicated.

This kind of strategy can only curb the invasion of nightmares, but cannot eradicate them.

After that, Shi An stopped organizing guides for such shallow areas because the cost-effectiveness was too low.

The number of premium members has now grown to ten.

However, the only high-level team that was truly fully staffed was Chen Baichuan's team.

The remaining members of Xuanjian's team totaled eight.

Xi Xue's team consists of seven people.

Some squads even consist of just one person.

These squads have tackled quite a few nightmares.

Xuan Jian, Xi Xue, Cheng Ping, and other veteran members had all long since cultivated to the peak of the Second Refinement Realm.

Some of the veteran members may have already entered the third level of the Refinement Realm?

Shi An couldn't directly see the members' cultivation levels; he only knew that more and more Dream Fallers were beginning to fuse their third natal curse artifact.

Now that auctions are no longer needed in the safe zone, there are twenty or thirty rare-grade cursed items available for sale or exchange in the trading area.

Choosing the right spell item is no longer a challenge for members.

During this period, the fourth team leader of the Countermeasures Bureau, Team Leader Lu Qing, made extraordinary breakthroughs by taking advantage of the safe zone.

The whole process was not easy, but we made it through safely in the end.

Lu Qing has advanced to the extraordinary level.

Thus, three of the twelve captains of the Baijiang City Countermeasures Bureau are now extraordinary.

"On the surface, Baijiang City has gained two more Transcendent Realm experts."

"But actually, there are four more!"

They are not lost souls.

They are indeed eerie.

However, Chen Jianghuai and Luo Susu, being lost souls, cannot return to reality, but they can freely move in and out of the world of reality and nightmares along with Shi An.

Shi An tapped the table, lost in thought.

"During this period, the swindlers seemed to have completely disappeared. But all indications suggest that the swindlers could not have simply vanished."

The birth of a pseudo-human must depend on human beings.

Humans and pseudo-humans are locked in a life-or-death struggle!

"Perhaps the fake man is planning something big?"

"But human understanding of the mysterious nature of intelligence is limited, and we cannot predict what methods the other party will use."

It is said that in the deepest recesses of nightmares, there exist camps, tribes, and even cities built with bizarre wisdom.

But those things are far removed from the human world today.

The countermeasures bureau chose to meet force with force and water with earth.

Shi An is certainly no exception.

The imposter might be waiting for some opportunity or making some kind of arrangement.

But for Shi An, she could just wait.

The longer he waits, the more significant the changes will be in his safe zone.

For example, the lighthouse camp.

The Lighthouse Camp has gained three new members in the past few days, all of whom are newly lost Dreamers.

Once these people who have fallen into dreams lose their way, they will not be able to find a safe place and will naturally die soon.

But perhaps the lighthouse had the ability to "guide," because they wandered around like headless flies and eventually found themselves at the lighthouse camp in a daze.

After observing the breakthroughs of Captains Bai Yu and Lu Qing, Luo Susu also began preparing for her own extraordinary breakthrough.

Luo Susu now serves as both the patrol captain of the lighthouse camp and the head of the medical clinic in the safe zone.

Shi An naturally gave her full support for the ceremony.

"They're one of us, after all."

"Although Zhuo Ling and Xiao Xue are strong, human superhumans are often more useful."

Meanwhile, in the suburbs of Baijiang City, a four-person team arrived from outside the fog zone.

The countermeasures bureau quickly sent someone to greet them.

The leader was a captain from the General Administration, who showed great respect to the visitors.

"Director Zhou, welcome to Baijiang. Please. Chief Wang from Chongshan City arrived a few hours ago."

"Okay, thank you for your trouble."

The group drove and soon arrived at Baijiang Hotel.

On behalf of Baijiang City, Director Yan hosted a welcoming banquet for the guests from afar.

One of them is Director Zhou, the deputy director of the Lin Dong City Countermeasures Bureau!

A transcendent realm expert, one of the most powerful and influential figures in the entire Lin Dong City.

The other one is Wang Tieshan, the chief of the Chongshan City Countermeasures Bureau!

He was also a transcendent realm expert, and one of the most powerful and influential figures in the entire city.

The two made a special trip to Baijiang for two reasons.

One of them was the "Nine Cities Exercise" that Tiannan had notified them of. Since it concerned an extraordinary opportunity, they naturally took it seriously.

But there is another matter that both cities value more.

Fake!

They had already heard about the imposter from the letter props.

Moreover, there seem to be traces of pseudo-humans in their city and the foggy area surrounding it.

Director Zhou and Chief Wang exchanged a glance.

"I've heard that your Baijiang City has a method for identifying imposters?"

Lindong City, Chongshan City, and Baijiang City are not far apart.

With exceptional leadership and a precise route, it only takes a few days to travel from one city to another.

But being strangely familiar with the environment of the nightmare world, they can only move through it faster.

Given this situation, and given the "false human calamity" that has occurred in Baijiang City, the higher-ups of Lindong and Chongshan cities cannot guarantee that their own cities are free of such calamities.

-

There are false people.

False people are like cockroaches; they may exist before you see them, but by the time you actually see any signs of their presence, there may already be nests of them.

The two city countermeasures bureau immediately launched an investigation and indeed discovered several cases that seemed very much like those of imposters.

Not necessarily.

It's just like that.

But it was already terrifying.

Once the existence of a fake person is confirmed, it can cause widespread panic and erode trust between people.

Director Zhou and Chief Wang were eager to find out if Bai Jiangcheng truly had the means to distinguish between imposters.

Yan Xiangtian understood their urgency.

He took a sip of tea and said slowly, "To identify a fake person, you must first understand their characteristics—although fake people are terrifying, upon closer inspection, they also have many weaknesses."

"I have two methods for judging and identifying fake people."

"One method is observation, listening, questioning, and judgment!"

"Although the fake human possesses the memories of the substitute, some of their common sense and logic are different from those of humans."

Director Yan provided several approaches to making the judgment.

For example, by continuously asking questions, the imposter can be made to reveal his or her flaws.

The common sense of a pseudo-human differs from that of a human; its instinctive answers will inevitably be wrong.

"But—" Director Zhou frowned, "This method might be feasible, but it would be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and difficult to promote on a large scale. This judgment is more likely to be flawed."

"right."

Director Yan said, "Therefore, our Baijiang General Bureau has developed a more direct and effective method called the counterfeit detection agent."

"6

The fact that this medicine was developed in such a short time was because it referenced the purification medicine used in the safe zone.

The powers of purification and extermination have a restraining effect on false people or most strange beings, and can be used to pierce their disguise.

The only drawback of this counterfeit detection agent is that its manufacturing cost is not low, making it impossible to promote its use throughout the city.

And after all, it's not a vaccine, but just a phenotype agent.

Even if the drug is used throughout the city, ordinary people and those who have experienced dream-induced delusions may still be corrupted by the fake person.

Therefore, the Baijiang General Bureau is preparing a third plan.

It involves building a structure similar to a lighthouse in a safe zone.

They wanted to create a low-end version of the lighthouse, one that only needed to be visible.

Director Yan pushed the vials of medicine forward, saying, "Gentlemen, please give them a try."

"Um?"

Director Zhou raised an eyebrow, and Captain Wang also frowned slightly.

They weren't Yan's subordinates.

The chief captain and the deputy director are of equal status to Deputy Director Yan, but they are not subordinate to each other.

To put it bluntly, the relationship between the three cities is merely one of cooperation and alliance.

They were nominally under the jurisdiction of the capital of Tiannan Province, but now only in name.

Of the three cities, Chongshan City is the weakest in overall strength, but its power is also the most centralized. The only large-scale organization of Dreamers in Chongshan City is the Countermeasures Bureau.

All the powerful figures have joined the Countermeasures Bureau.

Wang Tieshan, the captain, could even slightly control extraordinary experts, which shows how much power he wielded.

He is truly among the top three in Chongshan City.

but----

This time, they needed Baijiang City's help, and thinking about the matter of the fake people, Captain Wang's furrowed brows relaxed.

He picked up a bottle of medicine.

His two teammates also picked up the medicine at his signal.

At this moment, a Dreamer from Lin Dong City spoke up, "Director Zhou, the effects of this potion are unclear, and we don't know if it will have any side effects. How can we drink it casually when we're out and about?"

Director Yan didn't say anything, but simply picked up one of the medicines and drank it on the spot.

"Everyone, please. The calamity of the false humans is spreading, and we must be very careful."

97

"understand."

Director Zhou and Chief Wang both drank the medicine.

The medicine transformed into a warm current within the body, causing not only minimal side effects but also a feeling of complete comfort, as if some long-standing injuries had been relieved.

But at that moment, the Dreamer from Lin Dong City who had just spoken began foaming at the mouth, as if he had been poisoned.

He vomited up the medicine.

Director Yan grabbed a vial of medicine, unscrewed the cap, and splashed it directly at the target.

It was as if covered by strong acid, making a sizzling sound.

The dreamer's eyes, eyebrows, nose, and ears all melted away, leaving only a faceless face.

A chilling and eerie aura emanated from this dream-fallen individual—this imposter.

"Is this what a fake person is?"

The fake person was right next to me?!

It's unclear when this fake person replaced the Dreamer, but the fact that it could replace a captain-level powerhouse suggests that it must be at least a leader-level anomaly.

It quickly ran towards the door.

When Director Zhou and Captain Wang first saw the fake man, they were stunned for a moment, a beat too slow.

Director Yan sat at the opposite corner of the table.

This is the city center.

If this imposter escapes, it could cause great losses!

Director Zhou suddenly stood up, spilling all the wine on the table.

But even faster than him was Bai Yu, who was sitting on the path of the fake man's escape.

He stretched out his hand.

The private room became damp and cold.

The fleeing fake man froze inch by inch, eventually turning into an ice sculpture.

Bai Yu's hand rested on the ice sculpture.

"This is----"

"Extraordinary power?"

"When did your second team from Baijiang City advance to the extraordinary level?"

"No, that's not right, it's more than that!"

Director Zhou and Chief Wang suddenly noticed that Lu Qing, who was not far away, was also exuding an extraordinary aura.

She was about to make a move, but it wasn't in time.

His extraordinary strength was undeniable.

And the extraordinary?

No, when did Baijiang City have so many Transcendent Realm experts?

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