Nightmare Assault

It was deep in the night. There were always people missing sleep. A figure stood beside the large window. Outside the window was a city covered in rain. From the man's perspective, the city was under his feet.

He held a black coffee cup. The inside shone with a metallic glow. The cup gave off a delicious smell. He took a small sip. The silver spoon touched the cup, creating a crisp sound. It was like a bell from one's memory.

His gaze remained outside the window, but his thoughts returned to several hours before. In that simple parking lot, there was a man in a pencil grey suit, heavy as a knife.

An Xuan had never felt such pressure before. It was so imposing that he didn't dare to fight back. It reminded him of when he faced the elders in the penance room. There was more than one person in the penance room. There were more in the dark.

Even though he couldn't see them, he could sense the gazes aimed at him. They were knives trying to cut him open. They were clearly studying him.

Gong Zhe. The man told him his name. He didn't know whether it was real or not. Actually, he didn't care. He only cared about Deep Red and the truth hidden behind Deep Red. Gong Zhe didn't spell out everything, as if worried that An Xuan might cause him trouble. However, An Xuan didn't think that was the case. The gaze that was reflected in the rear-view mirror didn't belong to someone afraid of trouble.

During their short conversation, the man brought up the shelter. A few days ago, he had been there. He went to visit his barely-surviving teammates who had once fought by his side but had been corrupted. He couldn't tell how many of his former teammates were there. However, he knew the place was split into thirteen zones. The prisoners were arranged based on their corruption level. The people at Zone One suffered the lightest corruption, and the people in Zone 13 were the most corrupted. Visitation was not allowed after Zone Nine.

As for Zone 13…

Rumours said that it was a place like hell. Those who were sent there would not have their sins forgiven even after death. They represented the most extreme evil. No one could confirm the exact location of Zone 13. Some said they were on the deepest floor of the shelter. Others said Zone 13 was just a legend.

An Xuan's eyes blurred as the question echoed in his mind. Of course, he had pondered that question before. However, the answer only came after he met Gong Zhe. The culprits were not fully Deep Red. Some came from… the inside. Or the night guardians.

To deal with Deep Red and the nightmare, Night Guardians conducted experiments on their own people. Night Guardians cut open their hands while they were unconscious to force them to sign contracts with the devils, to try to control the power behind the door. To fight devils, one has to become a devil. It was a tactic. After all, they were agents of justice. Eliminating Deep Red and its followers was only one of their goals. There was one ultimate goal behind Night Guardians' creation, and that was to end the nightmares, to halt the nightmares' corrosion of this world.

Over the years, many seniors in the Night Guardians had been born and died for this reason. Their pictures could fill up all the walls in the conference room.

He was not afraid of death. He also believed his partners were not afraid of death. However, they were afraid of being lied to. And the betrayal after one's value was exhausted.

An Xuan managed to glean information from Gong Zhe's words. First, the majority of the people at the shelter were not, as the Night Guardians claimed, victims of Deep Red. They were failed experimental products. Not everyone could sustain the curse of the door. Only a small part of them was qualified. Many people lost their minds once they signed the contract. They gave this a beautiful name called corruption.

He asked Gong Zhe how high the possibility was. Gong Zhe was silent for a few seconds before claiming that he didn't know. It was a weak excuse. An Xuan noticed that the man's face was cold and dark. It sounded like the possibility was very high. Someone like An Xuan was extremely rare.

Second, those who survived only represented the door's first acceptance. This was a qualification. He didn't get this at first, but Gong Zhe explained that it was a double-sided choice. It was similar to… a date.

On this date, the door had the power of choice. After someone signed the contract, they would be limited by the door. You could use the power behind the door, but at the same time, you would be cursed by the door. The curse couldn't be undone. The only way to delay the curse was to consume new doors. However, the curse would deepen. This was similar to an addict.

Third, if one didn't fight for new doors and caused the curse to explode, the disciples who signed the contract would face a horrible end. They would be fully corrupted by the power behind the door. They would end up like zombies.

At this point, Gong Zhe's tone changed. An Xuan had a bad feeling.

"They would lose their sanity." Gong Zhe said slowly, "And become… a walking door. They'll start invading this world we're in."

…

The morning sun shone bright. He was alone in bed. He put on clothes and went downstairs. The sun shone in through the window. The place smelled amazing.

A woman sat on the couch. A few paper bags were in front of her. The bags were oily.

"Good morning," Lin Wan 'Er greeted him.

Jiang Cheng raised his brow. As if reading his mind, Lin Wan 'Er held her chin and explained lazily, "Pi Wan is sick."

Then, Jiang Cheng nodded as if understanding something. Since Pi Wan was sick, Lin Wan 'Er didn't go to his hotel to grab breakfast even though the secretary told her that breakfast had been prepared. Pi Wan was someone who liked to put on airs.

Jiang Cheng thought he was similar to Pi Wan in that sense.

He went to the bathroom to clean himself. Then, he walked back and opened the bags. He took Lin Wan 'Er's portion out. He looked at the herbal eggs. He rolled up his sleeves and peeled them for her.

Then, he started on his portion.

Lin Wan 'Er watched him quietly. Her tapered fingers tapped her cheeks. Pretty glow shone in her eyes.