Chapter 141 The City in the Fog

Chapter 141: City in the Fog

As the sun rose, the fragile, temporary nightmare space—formed by the overlapping of Honghuai No. 1 Middle School and Honghuai Ghost School—began to collapse. Zheng Mingliang and the other two players vanished from the library, presumably having completed the administrator's task and been sent out of the nightmare game through the standard exit process.

Su Bai and Zhang Pan’s immediate goal was to escape the school before the overlapping space fully collapsed, as no one knew what horrors might unfold if they remained within the crumbling confines.

Perhaps it was the power of the red moon, or perhaps Su Bai’s "what you think by day, you dream by night" brainwashing method proved remarkably effective. Zhang Pan and the others, having successfully scaled the wall to leave the school, quickly lost consciousness and fell into a deep slumber. Upon waking, the three students' memories were muddled, leaving them unable to discern whether the previous night's events were a dream or reality.

After observing the school security guards approach the trio lying outside the wall, Su Bai turned and departed.

By the time Su Bai left the school, the sun had already risen above the horizon. Though the sky was still dim, the bustling district where Honghuai No. 1 Middle School was located was already vibrant with life. Shops on both sides of the street were illuminated, and the roads were busy with vehicles and pedestrians.

Strolling leisurely along the clean sidewalk, Su Bai could even discern dewdrops on the tender green leaves in the nearby flower beds, reflecting the morning glow in the sky with pristine clarity.

The air and temperature around him were a stark contrast to the nightmare world under the red moon. Though not warm, it carried the crisp freshness of a real-world dawn. With each breath, he seemed to inhale and exhale a cool, thin mist, bringing a refreshing and invigorating sensation.

Unlike the comfort imbued by the red moon, the cool morning air of Honghuai City cleared the haze from Su Bai’s mind, which had been clouded throughout the night.

The young man, still clad in the uniform of Honghuai No. 1 Middle School, stretched wearily. The jumbled, superfluous thoughts in his mind gradually dissipated in the morning breeze. Though his eyes still showed traces of fatigue, they had regained their clarity.

"Perhaps even I was affected," Su Bai mused, glancing at the bracelet on his left wrist, which had absorbed the ghost school's shadow, before turning to look back in the direction of Honghuai No. 1 Middle School.

Although he had previously decided to return to school to prepare for exams, Su Bai had indeed worried that after being away from school for over a decade, he might not be able to take the exams normally. After all, most of the knowledge required for exams was something he had absolutely no use for in the nightmare world—it was knowledge he had completely forgotten for more than ten years.

But it was merely a worry.

Yet, after entering Honghuai No. 1 Middle School, Su Bai, who had only harbored this "worry," unexpectedly transformed into a fanatic, mechanically grinding through exam problems in the library late into the night. Recalling that sensation, even Su Bai himself found it somewhat unbelievable.

Su Bai could sense a peculiar presence within the campus of Honghuai No. 1 Middle School, but it had nothing to do with the supernatural. It was an indescribable, intangible something. This presence seemed to have existed originally in Honghuai No. 1 Middle School, and even in many places in the real world, but under the red moon of the overlapping space, it became more influential and even more tangible.

Perhaps those shadows were the physical manifestations of that something?

However...

The more he pondered, the more Su Bai admired Zhang Pan, Ai Xiaojia, and Zhou Qingshou—the three students who remained completely unaffected throughout. Their seemingly carefree happiness felt oddly out of place among the entire student body.

"Next time, maybe I should assign them some practice problems?"

With this same mischievous thought, Su Bai slowly made his way toward the hospital. Although, as the owner of the Mist Shop, Su Bai could access the shop from any doorway and then return to his mother’s hospital room via the door in the shop’s rest area.

On this rare and pleasant morning, Su Bai chose to walk the entire way back.

Thanks to the nightmare world player forum in the real world, Su Bai didn’t have to worry about the temporary closure of the Mist Shop or his mother’s medical expenses. Compared to his previous life, in this current life, as long as Su Bai possessed sufficient strength to survive in the nightmare world, he could pursue anything he desired.

Yes, the prerequisite was possessing the formidable strength to survive in the nightmare world, no matter the odds!

Even with the "Evil Ghost Puzzle," for Su Bai, who was perpetually accumulating and concealing his trump cards, the power he sought might forever remain a bottomless abyss.

However, just as the red cross emblem of Honghuai First People’s Hospital appeared in the distance, a profoundly familiar voice resonated in Su Bai’s ears—

"Fortunate dweller of the nightmare world, may the blessing of the red moon always be with you. The game you are about to participate in will once again be a thrilling adventure. You will gain more experience and stronger power from the game. May you one day become a true citizen under the protection of the red moon."

"The game is about to begin."

"Four... Three... Two... One..."

Su Bai’s steps continued to move forward slowly, but the sidewalk beneath his feet and the flower beds on both sides stretched into infinity. The originally beautiful, cool morning was gradually swallowed by boundless darkness.

In the blink of an eye, Su Bai had left the clean sidewalk and found himself in the familiar darkness.

Su Bai looked around. Although he always paused briefly in this darkness before entering the nightmare world to listen to the smarmy administrator narrate the background and rules of the next game, this was the first time Su Bai truly observed this dark space.

Despite everything around him being consumed by absolute blackness, with no discernible light source, Su Bai could still see his own hands and body in the dark. Upon reflection, this sensation felt even more peculiar than the red moon of the nightmare world.

"Could this be... the gap?"

Su Bai suddenly recalled Luolimasi. The mermaid who had dissolved into foam once said that there are gaps between worlds, and her race’s abilities were related to these gaps. When Luolimasi shared this information, she had already accepted her impending demise, so Su Bai chose to believe the authenticity of this information.

Moreover, when leaving Luolimasi Hotel, that strange administrator had also said—"Her pain has echoed through the Void Sea within the gaps."

So Su Bai could confirm that this dark space before entering the nightmare world was related to the "gap." Could this darkness be the "Void Sea"?

Was he currently immersed in an extremely dark "sea"?

Su Bai had too little information about the "gap" and the "Void Sea" in his mind, and the pieces of the puzzle couldn’t coalesce into a complete picture. Before he could draw any conclusions, the administrator’s voice sounded again.

"The game begins."

"Lucky human, dear resident of the nightmare world, congratulations. Your next destination will be the most modern neon-lit city in the nightmare world—Fog City."

×

"Fog City, named for the perpetual thick fog surrounding this modern metropolis. This is a mysterious city that, once entered, offers no escape. The people of Fog City cannot step into the mist, destined to spend their entire lives unable to leave this fog-enveloped city. Conversely, rarely can outsiders penetrate the fog to enter Fog City."

"However, now, after being sealed by the fog for ages untold, Fog City has finally welcomed a group of outsiders."

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to—Fog City!"

"Your arrival has brought hope to the residents of Fog City. Your arrival may dispel the thick fog that has sealed Fog City for ages untold. Your arrival... is for the purpose of leaving this city that traps all who enter!"

"Dear residents of the nightmare world, there is only one way to leave Fog City: dispel the thick fog surrounding it. And there is only one way to dispel the fog: light ten special ever-burning lamps within Fog City."

"As long as all the ever-burning lamps are lit, the fog surrounding Fog City will completely disperse, and you will become the heroes of Fog City, the brave ones who dispelled the eerie fog!"

"So, brave ones, do not fear, march forward with chests out. As long as... as long as you fulfill a few simple conditions, you will be able to ignite the flames of hope in Fog City!"