Chapter 168 Let’s dream together after work
Luohun is dead.
Unharmed, unbeatable, even the Blood Knight couldn't break through the Mistbringer. The tax collector, long a symbol of fear, was defeated instantly by the new assassin in his proud close combat...
Shattered into dust!
This fact, along with the image of the Silver-Armed Killer, was deeply imprinted in the monsters' minds. They sobbed, cried, and laughed unconsciously, and the voices of all merged into an excited roar that stretched across the sea of sand.
"He won!" "Well done!!" "Luohun is dead!!"
"That man defeated the bringer of fear!"
Another messenger, walking at night, appeared at the entrance of the valley, his masked gaze sweeping over the excited monsters. Ji Huaisu immediately built an ice wall and stood guard in front of it, holding the Infinity Sword.
"The situation isn't looking good for you," Ji Huaisu said. "It's now two against one."
Ye Xing put away the black knife.
"My assigned job is to assist in collecting taxes. The current tax collector is dead, so there's no point in me staying here alone."
His figure disappeared like a phantom, leaving only a faint voice in the fog.
"See you on the battlefield."
There was no trace of Night Walkers anywhere, so the messenger decisively left. Ji Huaisu dispersed the ice wall and finally relaxed. The monsters cheered even louder: "Even that Night Walker has retreated..." "The newcomers are stronger!" "What an unprecedented victory."
That's simply not the case, Ji Huaisu thought. The Night Walker was incredibly powerful. Unlike the Fallen Soul, who relied on the mists of history, his swordsmanship revealed the spirit of a warrior who had once reached the pinnacle of his skill. In his prime, he was likely a highly ranked Canxin. Even now, with only a shattered body left, he would need to bring his full strength to bear to determine the outcome.
She turned around, a healing flame ignited in her palm. Chu Hengkong still maintained his decisive stance, not moving an inch.
"Akong." Ji Huaisu was a little anxious, "Hold on!"
The killer blinked. "Not bad..." he said slowly. Then his face was stained with blood. The Immortal Technique he had barely managed to use stopped. The injuries inside and outside his body erupted simultaneously, and a large amount of blood poured into the sky.
"——Akong!"
It wasn't for show that he held off on using Yiqi Qianqiu. Rather, the killer's condition was already dire before the fight even began. The monsters only remembered his effortless dispatch of Luohun, forgetting that just minutes earlier, Chu Hengkong had been on the brink of death thanks to the old man's gift. Any punches he could throw were forced through the power of his prosthetic hand; using his secret technique would have been fatal. Therefore, he fought solely with his left hand for the second half of the battle, and only used his secret technique at the crucial moment.
But Luohun didn't know this. He probably thought he was being played around by his opponent the entire time...
Does this count as a way to save face?
The cheers around him stopped abruptly, and the figures of the people blurred before his eyes. Chu Hengkong smiled silently as he fell into the murky darkness.
He knew that he would fall into a dream again, but he didn't know what kind of nightmare he would face this time.
·
When he opened his eyes, he saw pure white: white clothes, white bed, white room, even the window screens were white. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and the drips from the IV drip fell drop by drop, occasionally brushing against the rustling of newspaper pages.
He reluctantly turned his head and saw the only unusual color. A man in a suit sat beside the bed. The spread-out newspaper was like a black and white wall, obscuring half of the man's body and blocking Chu Hengkong's sight. Everything seemed so familiar that he was stunned for a long time before he spoke in a daze:
"Good morning, boss."
"I'm not okay," the man in the suit said. "It's a rare dream to meet you. I hope it ends soon."
“………………”
Chu Hengkong closed his eyes. Then he opened them again. The time on the front page of the newspaper was exactly the same as he remembered. This dream took place the day after Shax had sniped him.
"That's not what you said," he protested feebly.
"You actually still remember what you said back then. The dream at the border of Heavenly Prison was more realistic than I imagined."
“Indeed, it seems to be true.”
The newspaper flipped a page. The boss took a sip of tea. Chu Hengkong wanted to wipe his face, but the same terrible situation in his dream made it impossible for him to lift his hands. He stared blankly at the ceiling.
"This is a dream, isn't it?"
"You ask even though you already know the answer."
"I don't think this makes sense," he said, trying to explain. "If this was my dream, you should at least show some concern for me, instead of acting so... indifferent."
"Is this your dream?" The boss laughed. "Akong, how did you come to this conclusion?"
"Because I was sleeping."
"What I want you to realize is how to prove that you are the master of this dream, rather than just a character in it?" the boss said playfully. "Perhaps this is my dream, reminiscing about the time I visited the killer. Or perhaps this is the dream of some unimaginable, incomprehensible creature, and you and I are just fleeting illusions in that dream."
Chu Hengkong opened his mouth and closed it again several times, like a salted fish thrown ashore.
"This dream is too real," he said finally.
"You realize you can't prove it. This is the core contradiction at the border of Heavenly Prison. The people in the fog are like illusions in a dream, unable to verify their existence. The survivors of the war are outside the black box, unable to provide evidence of the truth within. Ultimately, the only ones who can 'prove themselves' are the gods who rely on outsiders..."
The boss talked endlessly, as if he was explaining his own papers and patents. Whenever Chu Hengkong heard this, he would feel dizzy and wanted to jump out of the window.
"Look, boss, let's both take a step back," the killer said desperately. "I just finished a tough fight, and now I'm almost falling apart. I don't have the strength to testify. This is your dream, and I'm the character in your dream. Can you say something else?"
"Okay." The boss said straightforwardly, "Then please disappear as soon as possible. I don't want to waste any more energy in dreams."
"You're mad at me."
"I don't."
"Then you shouldn't say such things beside the bed." Chu Hengkong pointed out the key point, "I am seriously injured now."
"You could have solved the problem in a more efficient way, but you ended up like this."
"...Which time are you talking about?" Chu Hengkong tried his best to think. According to the situation, the boss in the dream should be talking about the time when Shax was killed on Earth, but the previous conversation also contained content based on the information of Shendongjie. The content of this dream was a mess, and he couldn't tell which one the other party was talking about.
"Every time."
Chu Hengkong had nothing to say.
"I'm not as smart as you-" he tried to defend himself.
"Aha, Chu Hengkong, the first thing you did after waking up was to try to provoke me." The boss said coldly.
"I just..." Chu Hengkong sighed, "I'm just happy to be able to talk to you again, even though it's just a dream."
"I must remind you that only those who despair of reality will be emotionally invested in dreams." The boss turned another page. "Have you ever considered what's behind the newspaper? Imagine a twisted nightmare imitating your old boss's voice behind the newspaper. It keeps flipping through the pages to mask its own noise, gloating over its deceptively controlled dream. It's waiting for you to slack off and give in so it can rip out your heart and brain."
"If that's the case, I'll kill Fansalar." Chu Hengkong said, "I mean what I say."
"You have to make me furious before you're satisfied, right?"
"What's there to be angry about?" Chu Hengkong tried to sit up. "Honestly, I don't understand. Or maybe it's unfair. I've taken care of you for nine years. Why do you have the patience to negotiate with your mortal enemies for three months, but you always lose your temper with your killer?"
"You got emotional in your dream," the boss said. "You lose."
Chu Hengkong tried hard to get up but failed. He gritted his teeth and said, "OK, I don't care. This is my dream. Give me a cigarette. I want to smoke."
"No, you quit smoking."
The killer emphasized loudly: "This is, my, dream!"
"I can break my promise even in my dreams." The boss shook the newspaper. "What a flexible standard."
“…”
Chu Hengkong felt like he was about to wake up from his anger. He suddenly said, "Put the newspaper away."
"You can't wait to meet Nightmare."
"right."
"It's time to wake up from the dream."
Chu Hengkong sighed loudly and once again tried to reason with his old boss, even though he never made sense.
"Boss, listen to me. I'm fucking tired lately. I'm fucking exhausted. I ended up in a place full of psychopaths for no apparent reason. I just fought a terrible battle, and now I'm facing a ton of tough problems I don't know how to solve. Any poorly handled decision could cost the lives of those around me."
“Sounds like our every day,” the boss commented.
"Yes, that's right," the killer said. "This dream is probably my only official holiday in the near future. I desperately need a break and really don't want to argue with my old boss anymore. I'm about to wake up. It's only a few seconds away. Can we just do it like before?"
"I think you're more fragile than when you were a child."
"I'm awake."
"If you need Nightmare's false affection so much."
"goodbye."
The boss put down the newspaper. Her face was as beautiful as ever, and her eyes held the smile he missed so much.
"You will definitely be invincible. You are my killer."
Chu Hengkong closed his eyes contentedly and left the gradually blurry dream.
Good, had a good sleep.
·
When Chu Hengkong woke up, he stared at the pale, low ceiling. It took him a moment to realize he was still in the deep valley beneath the sea. Ji Huaisu slept on an ice bed beside him. The girl's face was peaceful, as if she were sleeping soundly.
He sat on the bed, dazed for nearly half a minute, and met Vander's eyes on the bedside table. The Eye Demon spoke dryly, "It is said that those who defeat the Dreadbringer will receive a reward from the Nightmare King, such as a short period of freedom from nightmares."
"Oh, I see."
Vander kept staring at him with a look that made him uneasy: "Dude, did you sleep well this time?"
"What's wrong?"
"You were laughing like an idiot just now," said Vander.
(End of this chapter)
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