Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

The teardrop-shaped crystal is systematically known as Rupert's Tear.

Rupert's Tears

Black Iron 3-star extraordinary items

Passive: Blocks one powerful attack for the wearer.

"The sins I have committed cannot be washed away. I am sorry."

Note: A tear of remorse from a sinner who has gone astray.

The sheriff went to Rupert the Butcher's house, feeling very upset.

……

"Alright, children, have you all put on the amulets I gave you? Do you remember how I taught you? Okay, come with me, this way."

Zhao Hao, along with the seven children and Elena, headed towards the lower reaches of the river.

That's where they found the abandoned wooden house.

That's where the barrier is located, but it's not in the surface world.

It should be a secret realm, but not the kind that can connect the two worlds; it's more like a small bubble in the space between the two worlds.

It's probably an upgraded version of Zhao Hao's Crystal Manor.

The one who tied the knot must untie it; ultimately, we must return there and have these seven children break the seal once more. Or rather, confront that clown-like evil spirit.

Zhao Hao originally didn't want to bring Elena along, but Elena disagreed.

She felt that if he wanted to leave her in the town, Zhao Hao would have to leave the orange trees and the others behind to protect her, which would distract him from his power.

Of course, that's not what she said. She said, "I don't feel safe staying here. I'm safest with you."

Zhao Hao thought about it and realized she was right. If something really happened to him, things wouldn't be any better for her. It was better to face it together. It was just an evil spirit, right? Let's get it!

Furthermore, in horror movies, characters often split up and their heads are separated.

Although the seven children readily agreed to Zhao Hao's request, they grew increasingly frightened as they approached the river bend. They were practically supporting each other to continue.

Zhao Hao didn't have any good solutions to this, after all, fear is not something that can be solved with a few words, otherwise what would humans be afraid of?

Fear is one of the guarantees of survival; species that fear nothing will soon become extinct.

“The cabin we encountered earlier is over there…” Bill pointed to a clearing in front of the forest by the river.

The area was overgrown with weeds, taller than knee-high, and there were no wooden houses to be seen.

But Zhao Hao knew what was going on. That cowardly clown was no longer able to face him and preferred to hide in the turtle shell that trapped him.

Zhao Hao had already come up with a plan before he even arrived. "Listen, I'm going to put you to sleep now..."

The seven children were completely bewildered: What did you say? What are you talking about? We're still children!

Sophie, the only girl among the seven children, blushed: "That's too direct, I'm not ready..."

Zhao Hao tapped the head of the chubby boy, Ben, who was closest to him: "What are you all thinking? Shut up and listen to me. Sit on the ground and hold hands..."

Zhao Hao, Elena, and the seven children sat in a circle, holding hands.

"Now listen to me, relax, okay? I'm going to take you into a dream..."

After forcibly opening the door to the Crystal Room by breaking through the mountain last time, Zhao Hao also studied this method of concealing oneself in the surface world in his dreams.

To be honest, there were some gains.

The real world has three layers: the surface world, the inner world, and the psionic sea.

Sometimes the outside world and the inside world are not connected, but one can hide in the space between them.

However, this hiding place is not foolproof, because both the inner and outer worlds are connected to the psychic sea.

In other words, as long as one passes through the psionic sea, one can always reach a hiding place in a crevice.

Of course, there are conditions. First, you have to find this place in the psionic sea, which means you need to find the crevice in the surface world or the inner world. Second, you need to have a certain skill. It's like, "Turn left three times, turn right three times, and shout 'Open!'"

Zhao Hao, however, found another way by utilizing his own resources.

If the previous method was used to unlock the door, you would first find the lock, then get the key, and finally open it.

Zhao Hao's method is a universal key; as long as you are skillful enough or brute enough, you can break through it!

That is through dreams!

Dreams are the "surface" of the psionic sea. After Zhao Hao found the lock, he directly used the dream to break it!

Zhao Hao dispersed the barrier to envelop everyone, played some soft music, and to increase the efficiency of getting all seven children into a dream, he also lit the last bit of incense he had left.

In just over a minute, everyone began to drift off to sleep.

When the children opened their eyes, they were already dreaming. Looking around, everything was blurry and indistinct, as if they were seeing the scenery through a lot of water vapor.

Elena was more experienced with this, and this time it was a lucid dream, so her consciousness was clearer.

She recalled her experience in the dream and blushed, glaring fiercely at Zhao Hao...

You don't actually get hurt in dreams, so many attempts can be made appropriately... right?

Alina used to remember things only vaguely after waking up, but this time she remembered everything!

Zhao Hao pulled Elena to her feet. "Get up, everyone. Stay close to me and don't fall behind, or I don't know if I'll be able to find you!"

Zhao Hao was just trying to scare them. After all, his true form was right next to him, which meant his dream was also next to his dream world, making it easier to find.

Zhao Hao suddenly had a talisman in his hand, which caught fire with a flick of his wrist, but it burned very slowly.

After the talisman burned, the surrounding dreamscape became even clearer.

Bill suddenly pointed into the distance: "That's it!"

Not far away, on the edge of the riverbank woodland, a two-story abandoned wooden house appeared.

Zhao Hao took the lead and walked ahead, while the others pulled him along, worried that they would be separated once they entered the house.

Upon entering the room, it was indeed unusually large, and the surroundings were pitch black and extremely empty.

There was clutter everywhere: tables, chairs, benches, discarded plastic, branches, withered grass, planks, building materials, and so on. It was a jumble of things, like a large garbage dump.

In the distance stood a very tall, withered tree, its branches laden with corpses.

“Listen, you mustn’t be afraid, because that thing will exploit your fear. Hold on until I find him,” Zhao Hao warned.

Suddenly, a huge head popped out from the second floor. It was deformed, like an upside-down ladle, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. Its face was painted with a deathly pale base, and curved, blood-colored lines ran from the corners of its eyes to its mouth. It was bald, with dry, curly hair.

The clown grinned, his mouth splitting open to the corner of his eye; he was both ugly and disgusting.

"What are you looking for, friend? I'll help you find it."

In the next instant, a shadow beneath Zhao Hao's feet darted out and transformed into a dog shape, rushing along the surface of the cluttered wall.

It leaped up from the second-floor railing, transforming into a black and white striped husky in mid-air, and pounced on the clown.

"Oh, damn it, damn dog! How annoying!" Wangcai pounced on the clown and rolled around in the second-floor corridor, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Zhao Hao did not give chase, but instead cautiously guarded his surroundings.

As a seasoned schemer, he felt this place had the air of luring the enemy deep into their territory or diverting their attention away from the mountain.

The clown's forehead practically screamed "I'm plotting something."

------------

Chapter 183 The Best Way to Overcome Fear

The clown floated in this space like an invisible ghost.

Even Zhao Hao's demon-hunting senses and fate-inducing eyes couldn't grasp it. It was everywhere.

This includes the clown clone that lured Wangcai away.

The clown was furious that he had failed to deceive Zhao Hao despite expending some of his spiritual energy.

It lurked in the shadows, casting a sinister gaze upon the group.

A strong sense of unease and fear began to spread in the air.

Zhao Hao sensed something unusual about the psionic energy; the clown had made his move, and his methods were extremely subtle.

"Listen, focus, concentrate. Don't try to hear any sounds, and don't let your attention be drawn to that strange shadow. Keep your mind on me."

Zhao Hao wasn't worried about himself or Elena, but he was worried about the seven children.

They even carry their own handmade amulets, which can protect them from physical damage from the clown for a short period of time.

However, Zhao Hao could not guarantee that they could withstand such pressure.

In a dreamlike state, one's mental state can easily be compromised and lead to a breakdown.

Unfortunately, what I feared most came to pass.

To reiterate, fear is an emotion that needs to be overcome from within, not by the words of others. This isn't a comic book or a movie.

Suddenly, a thin layer of mist began to spread, which increased the sense of fear.

Then Bill heard some noise, and in his nervousness, he forgot Zhao Hao's advice not to pay attention to those sounds.

He glanced around instinctively and noticed a corner of a yellow raincoat peeking out from around a pile of trash.

That's his brother's raincoat!

He let go of his partner's hand without hesitation and ran over...

A small corpse lay behind the garbage heap, its skin swollen and pale from being soaked in water. It clutched a paper boat in its hand, the one Bill had folded for his brother.

My younger brother went missing because he was playing with this paper boat on a rainy day.

"No! Oh my God! No..." Bill knelt down in front of the corpse, covered his face, and wept uncontrollably.

Then the corpse opened its eyes and began to speak, "I lost it, don't be angry with me."

Bill was incoherent, feeling a sharp, piercing pain in his heart. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should have stayed with you. I shouldn't have given you the paper boat. I'm so sorry..."

The corpse sat up, facing the kneeling Bill. "Yes, you should say sorry. That's why I was dragged into the sewer and drowned. Brother, the water is cold. Rats are gnawing at my fingers. Brother, look..."

……