Infinite Nightmares

Zhang Wenda's heart leaped into his throat when he heard 2826's words. "Is there really no other way?"

"There might be, but I'm sorry. We're already swamped with domestic matters, and the Bureau has no records of something so obscure and foreign."

After delivering this grim news, 2826 quickly followed up with some reassurance for Zhang Wenda.

"But rest assured, Director Tan has already given the order. You're a member of Bureau 507, and one who's made major contributions at that. He's currently using some channels to contact our liaison point in America to find a solution."

Whether Tan Yougen was just saying what was expected of him or not, Zhang Wenda had no intention of just sitting around and waiting for someone else to save him.

He'd rather place his hope in his own hands than in someone else's.

"Well, thank Old Tan for me, but I've thought of another way," Zhang Wenda said, jumping off the bed.

"What is it?"

"'Let the one who tied the bell untie it.' This thing came from him, so I'll go find that Mayan!" An image of the slick-tongued, pointy-headed Ahava surfaced in Zhang Wenda's mind.

However, before he went looking for the Mayan, Zhang Wenda had a few things to prepare, like that Brass Band Curse from before.

"This one only requires the Yellow Core to cast, but the sequence is very long: one short, two long, three long, four short…"

With 2826's instruction, Zhang Wenda finally managed to learn the Brass Band Curse, albeit with some difficulty.

With this, he could temporarily buy himself a little time.

As for the other Spectral Magic spells, Zhang Wenda didn't have time to learn them right now. He just saved the instructions for most of them on his phone.

It wasn't that he couldn't learn them; he could certainly cast them by just copying the motions. But using something like this required real proficiency.

Being able to use it was one thing; being able to use it when fighting someone was another. After all, this wasn't an anime. No one would be stupid enough to just stand there and watch you cast a spell.

Before you could even flash your light a few times, someone would be right in your face.

"Oh, right. And these. You can requisition these from the armory every month." 2826 handed Zhang Wenda two sticks each of the Red, Blue, and Yellow Tri-Core Energy.

The items looked like glowing chalk. Zhang Wenda knew how to use them; they could increase his Tri-Core limit. Back then, he had gone through a hell of a lot of trouble just to get a single Blue Core.

"For combat missions, you can also apply for them in advance. This is considered a perk for Bureau 507 field personnel."

"Thanks," Zhang Wenda said, stuffing them into an enamel mug.

This stuff was worth a fortune on the black market, yet Bureau 507 handed it out as a monthly ration. It just goes to show, it's nice to have powerful backing.

Seeing Zhang Wenda ready to go, 2826 asked with some concern, "Do you need my help with this?"

Zhang Wenda glanced at him. "Forget it. If you came along, I'd have to babysit you."

"…"

2826 fell silent, but it was clear he was angry.

"What about me?" Hu Maomao asked from the side.

"You?" Zhang Wenda looked at Hu Maomao, thought of his exceptional abilities, and immediately agreed.

"Of course, you're welcome. If you're really willing to help, that would be a huge help to me. Thanks. I'll owe you one."

"Forget about owing me. You're my junior, so it's only right that I look after you."

At the side, 2826 saw this exchange and grew even angrier.

"So, Haozi, where are we going to find that Mayan now?" Song Jianguo asked after putting down his empty bowl.

"The dark web! He seemed desperate for oil. I told him before that there's an Oil Bab at the very bottom of the dark web. He definitely went there."

"Even if Ahava isn't there, we'll definitely find a lead on him!"

As a visibly annoyed 2826 opened the door to the dark web, everyone immediately dove in.

The dark web was still the same place, and yet, it seemed somewhat different.

It seemed that too much sideways rain had fallen, because the place had completely transformed into an ocean. Strangely, they could still breathe freely. Then again, in the Internet World, anything, no matter how bizarre, could be considered normal.

Looking at the large and small floating islands all around, above and below, Hu Maomao asked, "This area is huge. Looking for one person here is undoubtedly like finding a needle in a haystack. How do you plan to search?"

Zhang Wenda stared at the transformed dark web, pondered for a moment, then turned to Song Jianguo.

"Have your cats spread out. Find people, people we can communicate with. Ahava's head is elongated; it's very distinctive. If he's really been here, then people should remember him."

"Okay!" As Song Jianguo put his fingers in his mouth and blew a sharp whistle, the Black Cats instantly scattered.

The Black Cats were numerous and surprisingly efficient. They quickly found some people who were making a living on the dark web.

However, the people here were usually not very friendly, but Zhang Wenda was no longer the little punk he once was.

Now, between him, Hu Maomao, and Song Jianguo, they could basically make anyone they met… very friendly.

Take, for example, the sleazy-looking Fatty before them. The black and blue marks on his face indicated that he was very willing to share information.

"Half a month ago, I saw that Mayan you're talking about. Heh, just as you'd expect from a true-blue American. Wherever there's oil, you'll find them."

"I know you've seen him. The question is, where did he go? Is he still at the lowest level?"

"That I don't know, I really don't. I just get by in the shallow layers, picking up some Virtual Currency that others leave behind."

After parting ways with the Fatty, Zhang Wenda continued downward. But he didn't forget to be on guard against the dark monsters that treated the floating islands as food, and he was on high alert.

As they continued to descend, they encountered fewer and fewer people. The one or two they did run into occasionally were significantly more powerful.

After all, people who managed to make a living in such a dangerous place were no ordinary folk.

They skipped anyone who looked obviously tough to deal with, since their goal was to find information about Ahava.

Just as they were about to reach the bottom of the dark web again, they came across another "enthusiastic person" willing to share.

"I'll talk, I'll talk, alright? I had contact with him. He said he wanted to go west to try his luck," an old man who was half machine said.

"West? Do you know the specific location?"

"That I don't know. He didn't say. I reckon he won't make it to the Mountain of the Recycling Station."

"Why?"

"Because he's sick. I scanned him," the old man said, pointing to his mechanical eye.

"Sick? You mean like a computer virus?"

When he saw that Zhang Wenda didn't get his meaning, the old man elaborated, "No, I mean sick in the physiological sense. You might not be familiar with the No. 13 Ideological Tide Internet World, but here, getting sick always means a terminal illness—cancer or a tumor, at minimum. There's no such thing as a minor sickness in the Internet World; they're all major diseases."

"So if you really want to find that Mayan, you'd better go quickly. Otherwise, I'm afraid he won't last much longer."

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