Build an ancient-level power in the nightmare world

"Who?" The young man wearing a monocle felt like he heard something, and he saw the other person open their mouth.

"...▊▊▍▊...▊▍▊"

The young man being interrogated suddenly had his dilated pupils shrink to the size of a pinhead. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but to the young man opposite him wearing a monocle, it appeared that the other man was not making any sound at all.

"……▊▊▍▊……▊▍▊" "……▊▊▍▊……▊▍▊" "……▊▊▍▊……▊▍▊"

Suddenly, the young man wearing a monocle's eyes widened; he seemed to have indeed heard something.

The next moment, he quickly pressed his right thumb onto the brooch on his chest, which was made up of geometric shapes of different sizes and shapes.

A stinging sensation came from my thumb, and thin streams of blood flowed along the edges of the geometric patterns on the brooch.

Suddenly, dozens of gray-white stripes of light appeared around the young man wearing a monocle. These rays combined to form geometric patterns, which overlapped to form a unique geometric shape that enveloped the young man.

The young man sitting opposite him revealed a highly sarcastic smile. His eyes were no longer as listless and unfocused as before; a dark, sallow color covered his entire eye sockets.

In the center of those dim yellow eyes, deep within the tiny pupils, was reflected the pattern of an ancient key.

……

In late autumn, the strong winds of the past few days brought a rare sunny day to Rom, a city that is usually shrouded in industrial smog.

Chris had just finished his afternoon tea at an upscale restaurant on Enclave Street and was walking timidly toward apartment 037 Nottingham Street.

A month ago, he inherited the apartment building at 037 Nottingham Street from his distant uncle named Belon, and quickly rented out most of the rooms, successfully becoming a landlord.

Freed from financial pressure, he began to enjoy life in this strange world.

Having been reborn into this world for over twenty years, this was the first time he had felt so relaxed.

As Chris entered the alleyway outside apartment 037 Nottingham Street, a young man brushed past him.

Because the other person was wearing a distinctive monocle over their right eye, Chris couldn't help but take a second look at them.

Just as Chris's gaze fell upon the other person's monocle, the other person also looked towards Chris.

Seeing this, Chris gave the other person a polite smile and nodded slightly to show his friendliness.

Although Chris had no recollection of the young man in front of him, the fact that the man was able to come out of this alley meant that he must be a neighbor of building number 034 or 033 next door.

We might meet again in the future, so naturally I should show my gentlemanly manners.

Chris has now truly dressed himself up as a gentleman, and the formal suit he usually couldn't bear to wear has become one of his everyday outfits.

The other person looked at Chris and smiled, but the smile seemed to contain some other emotions.

But Chris had already looked away and didn't notice the change in the other person's emotions.

……

Inside a café on Nottingham Street.

A young man wearing a monocle in his right eye slowly sat down, while across from him, a middle-aged man with graying temples leisurely savored his steaming coffee.

The young man lightly tapped the table with his finger, and a transparent ripple, imperceptible to ordinary people, spread out, enveloping him and the middle-aged man opposite him.

In an instant, all the sounds from the street and the café disappeared, the ripples cutting off the transmission of sound from inside and outside.

"It's been a month, and we haven't gotten any useful intelligence. Captain, shouldn't we try something special?" The young man pushed up his monocle on his right eye, his brow furrowed slightly as he suppressed his inner frustration and suggested in a very restrained tone.

"Hmm." The man he called captain slowly swallowed the coffee in his mouth. The feeling of the smooth, warm liquid with a hint of milk as it slid down his throat made him hum softly.

"Hmm, it's time to use some methods." He picked up a tissue from the side, dabbed it lightly on his lips twice, and then said, "Among our Torchbearer squad, you are the most suitable for interrogation. Get ready, and if you have any needs, just tell me. I'll apply to the higher-ups for a venue and the necessary relics to ensure your safety, depending on the situation."

Upon hearing that the other party had agreed to his proposal, the young man wearing a monocle immediately smiled, his eyes revealing excitement.

"However, Lawrence, I must remind you that for us Torchbearers, the most important thing is intelligence gathering. Don't be too aggressive in your actions, and always prioritize your own safety."

"clear."

……

After passing the young man, Chris walked briskly to the entrance of apartment building number 037.

Just as Chris was about to take out his apartment key and open the door, his hand suddenly stopped moving.

The image of an antique key flashed in Chris's eyes.

A hazy, stuffy feeling, like immersing one's head in warm water and the warm liquid entering the ear canal, enveloped Chris. He felt like a drowning person, with all the sounds and images around him distorted by the "water," becoming unreal.

But the next moment, the pattern of the key became completely clear in Chris's eyes, and Chris himself, like a rescued drowning person, was given a chance to breathe again, and began to inhale the cold autumn air deeply.

The cool air passed through his nasal cavity and into his lungs, restoring clarity to Chris's mind.

His gaze was fixed on the familiar yet unfamiliar building in front of him. Suddenly, his eyes glanced to the side and saw the apartment number next to the main entrance on the first floor.

"Is this apartment number 037?"

"When did I... no, I didn't..."

At this moment, two different memories began to intertwine in Chris's mind.

That intense sense of unreality returned, but the next moment, the image of that ancient key reappeared in Chris's mind.

Moreover, this time, the image of the key was much clearer than Chris had imagined before; the key had already taken on a three-dimensional shape in Chris's mind.

Chris's eyes cleared again. He carefully examined the memories in his mind that did not belong to him and finally realized that he might no longer be in the original world.

At the same time, those experiences that Chris had long forgotten in his nightmares began to gradually become clear.

"So, I'm dreaming right now?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Chris's eyes, and at the same time, a snapping sound, like a tough piece of cloth being torn apart by a tremendous force, suddenly came from above his head.

Chris sensed something and looked up at the sky.

The once clear sky was now split in two by a dark rift that stretched across the horizon.

Within the pitch-black crack, there seemed to be a lot of viscous black liquid, and something was constantly churning inside.