Infinite Nightmares

On the plane, Zhang Wenda carefully examined the Obsidian Sacrificial Knife in his hand. He had finally gotten his hands on one.

It had cost him 300,000, but when he thought about its powerful and peculiar abilities, he knew it was worth it. ’Isn’t this what money is for, after all?’

As he kept staring at the dagger, a thought inexplicably surfaced in his mind. ’Besides sacrificing myself, can I use this knife to sacrifice others?’

Zhang Wenda had never tried it, but if he really could, that would be a game-changer.

It would mean that as long as he carried a supply of sacrificial offerings, he would essentially have a constant rule-blocking field around him.

’If only Ahava were here,’ he thought, ’I could ask him directly.’ But Ahava had stayed behind in his homeland, claiming he needed to perform pious sacrifices to fully appease the god’s wrath.

Hu Maomao, who was sitting beside him, seemed to read his mind. "I wouldn’t get your hopes up," she said. "If the cost were that low, everyone in the Big Circle would have one by now."

"And I’d advise you not to recklessly use a powerful force you can’t control. All power comes at a price."

"I know. I don’t plan on using it recklessly. If I use it again, I doubt I’ll be able to turn to the Moon God for help. I won’t use it unless it’s a life-or-death situation."

Zhang Wenda gave the dagger a little shake, slipped it back into his enamel mug, and stuffed the mug into a pocket in his white fur coat.

"Tang Xingxiong tried to kill me in secret before, right? Well, at least now I have this thing. If she dares to try again, I’ll make sure she faces some serious consequences."

As they were talking, a powerful feeling of weightlessness washed over them. When Zhang Wenda looked out the window and saw the inverted ocean, he knew he was finally back.

The plane had just landed, and the group was walking out of the upside-down airport. Before Zhang Wenda could even catch his breath, he heard Agent 2826, who was lowering his phone, say, "Director Tan wants to see you. It’s about Tang Xingxiong."

"Hah." The thought of Tan Yougen’s old face made Zhang Wenda’s own face twitch. He stepped onto the upside-down streetlights and sprinted toward the Bureau 507 headquarters.

Tan Yougen’s office looked just as it always had. The only difference was that Tan Yougen himself was wearing a pair of reading glasses, poring over a stack of files.

"Ahem." Tan Yougen removed his reading glasses with one hand, looking up at Zhang Wenda in surprise. "What are you standing around for? We know each other well enough. Sit, sit."

"Director, you wanted to see me?" Zhang Wenda asked calmly.

"I heard that while you were over in America, Xiaotang came looking for you? And that she nearly got you killed?"

Zhang Wenda had no idea what this old fox was getting at with all this nonsense, but he was certain the old man hadn’t called him in just to make small talk.

"That’s right. What are your instructions regarding Tang Xingxiong, Director?"

"Ahem... well, on behalf of Bureau 507, I apologize. After all, Biaozi entrusted you to our care, yet we allowed you to fall into danger. That was our failure."

"Look, what are you really getting at? I have things to do. If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving," Zhang Wenda said, gesturing to the door.

"There is, of course there is. It’s about your job assignment. As a new recruit, you should have been assigned to a work unit as soon as you joined, but things got delayed because of the attack on Shanghai. That’s why you’ve been left in limbo."

As if oblivious to Zhang Wenda’s urgency, Tan Yougen continued in a slow drawl. "To be honest, given your talent, strength, and combat experience, our initial decision after several meetings was to assign you to the combat division, focusing primarily on combat missions."

"However, after this incident, we’ve decided to revise that plan. I made a promise to Biaozi, and I’m a man of my word—I can’t go back on it. So, I am now officially informing you that you are a member of Bureau 507’s Armory Division."

"What the hell do you mean? What’s this about the ’Armory Division’?" Zhang Wenda felt a flash of anger at the director’s long-winded explanation.

"It means exactly what it sounds like. I’m giving you a cushy post. From now on, you’ll watch over the warehouse and handle clerical duties like inventorying armaments. Don’t worry, your salary will remain the same."

"This way, even if Xiaotang decides to cause trouble for you later, she’ll have no opportunity to make a move. You’ll be completely safe. No more danger whatsoever."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda’s anger flared. He started to raise his right hand to point at Tan Yougen but stopped himself. The fury in his eyes was swiftly replaced by a cold calm.

"This is all just a pretense, isn’t it? Just say it outright. What do you really want?"

Tan Yougen frowned. He put his reading glasses back on, pulled a cigarette from a drawer, and lit it. "What do I want? I’m settling you in, of course. I’d rather not have people saying I cast others aside once they’ve served their purpose, or that Bureau 507’s methods are even worse than the Big Circle’s."

The old Zhang Wenda would have jumped at an offer like this without a second thought, but his goals were no longer a cushy nine-to-five job with high pay and little work.

"Thank you for the arrangement, but I don’t need this kind of quiet life. If you really want to help me, then transfer me to whichever department will allow me to grow stronger."

TAP. TAP. TAP. Tan Yougen’s fingers rapped heavily on the desk three times. For once, he adopted the stern air of a deputy director.

"You don’t need it? Do you think this is a child’s game? You think you can just refuse? That you can just go wherever you want?"

"This is an order from the Bureau! You have two choices: accept or resign. Now take your file and get your ass over to the Armory Division to report for duty tomorrow!"

Seeing the director’s suddenly severe attitude, Zhang Wenda decided against a direct confrontation. He picked up the thick file folder and walked toward the door.

He didn’t know why, but Zhang Wenda had a strange feeling about all this. He needed to ask someone else to get a clear picture.

If anyone in Bureau 507 understood the inner workings of the organization, it was Hu Maomao, a veteran of over ten years. She was undoubtedly the best person to ask.

When Hu Maomao opened the door, she saw Zhang Wenda and Song Jianguo standing outside. A childlike voice spoke, laced with annoyance. "Don’t you guys know I’m on leave? And why do you always come over when I’m trying to eat?"

As if he didn’t hear the resistance in her voice, Zhang Wenda nonchalantly pushed the door open and walked inside.

"Maomao, something really strange happened, and I need to talk to you about it. Jianguo’s an idiot, so there’s no one else to ask."

"It’s ’Auntie’ to you!" Hu Maomao slammed the door shut.

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