Xiao Zhou was a Dream Explorer at Fengdu Prison. He had just been here for one year after he graduated from the Police Academy.
In fact, he was here at Fengdu Prison to sit in the office and build up his resume, rather than being a Dream Explorer.
If nothing went wrong, Xiao Zhou would be able to apply for transfer to the police force in the city. He'd be a free clerk after staying one more month in Fengdu Prison.
This was under the premise that nothing went wrong… And today, the biggest accident in the history of Fengdu Prison happened!
A student who came for a visit changed the sealed Level S Nightmare Seed, causing the Nightmare Seed to be at risk of collapse.
"C-Chief, are you kidding me? There's no way I can handle such a dangerous incident with my current level."
Xiao Zhou drew his head back and really wanted to become a turtle.
He and two other Dream Explorers were chosen for the job…
Moreover, he had to be the vanguard. He needed to head into the Nightmare Dungeon built by that student for exploration.
This was almost like a death sentence to Xiao Zhou.
The mental capacity of Dream Explorers was divided into nine levels. Xiao Zhou belonged to the worst.
When he first started this job, he had already experienced the feeling of death in the Nightmare Dungeon once. That time, he had fallen into a mincer-like trigger. He still remembered clearly how he felt when his blood, flesh, and bones were mashed inch by inch.
It took him more than six months to gradually recover from the mental and physical trauma.
Since then, Xiao Zhou swore to himself that he would never get into that damn Nightmare Dungeon again, even if he had to die! Quit the job! Or jump from the top of this prison!
The most horrifying thing was that Dream Makers of the master level would usually show Dream Explorers more or less a little "compassion" when they were responsible for creating the nightmares.
The most intuitive part was the death tower. There were two to three safe houses on each floor.
Such a design could reduce the mental trauma of the Dream Explorers a bit.
However, Xiao Zhou didn't think the high school senior would create such places of "compassion!"
"We don't want to send you dawdler in there either. But you're the only one among us who has been rested for more than six months!" As the Chief of the Dream Explorers, Kan Shaoni said to Xiao Zhou. "The mental condition of the others has already been overwhelmed. At least you can still withstand one more death."
While Kan Shaoni was talking, Xiao Zhou noticed her bleeding nose.
Every time that Level S Nightmare Seed ate, it didn't only eat the energy and life of the death row prisoners. Even those Dream Explorers stationed at Fengdu Prison weren't spared.
Fengdu Prison would send a couple Dream Explorers to go inside with the death row prisoners every time they explored a nightmare.
This had caused most Dream Explorers to suffer from "mental trauma" diseases with varying symptoms.
If it wasn't that Kan Shaoni had just entered the Nightmare Dungeon yesterday, she wouldn't have sent the dawdling newcomers like Xiao Zhou inside.
"I… I…"
Just as Xiao Zhou was about to say "I quit," Kan Shaoni directly took out a transfer application form and flashed it in front of him.
"This will be your last job in Fengdu Prison! Once you complete it, you'll be able to go to the best unit in the city to be a clerk…"
Noticing that Xiao Zhou was a bit convinced, Kan Shaoni continued, "Besides, we'll send a specialized person to protect you in the nightmare. If there's a danger, you can leave forcefully!"
"A specialized person to protect us?" Xiao Zhou was more concerned about the previous guarantee.
In that perilous nightmare, even well-trained soldiers couldn't guarantee that they would survive the nightmare 100%!
"He's here. You should meet him," Kan Shaoni pointed at the door and said.
Xiao Zhou followed her finger and found that the person who came in was wearing prisoner clothes.
He was a death row prisoner imprisoned in Fengdu Prison!
However, Xiao Zhou knew this death row prisoner. He was even his fan.
"Captain Zhao!" Xiao Zhou subconsciously yelled.
Zhao Yanqing, the former Captain of the SWAT team.
The guy carried thirteen lives on him, but he didn't regret it at all.
Once on a mission, Zhao Yanqing's wife and daughter died at the hands of a criminal gang. After knowing everything, he refused to listen to his superior's order and "brought that criminal gang to justice" with the cruelest means in private.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment afterward. Zhao Yanqing could have stayed in a more leisurely prison.
But he applied to come to this… hell.
He could protect this country in another way.
Xiao Zhou also applied for the job in Fengdu Prison after hearing about it.
Zhao Yanqing wasn't a talkative person. After he glanced at Xiao Zhou, he quietly found a seat and sat down.
If Captain Zhao was here to protect them…
Even though Xiao Zhou was thinking about this in his mind, he still couldn't overcome his fear of the nightmare.
"Chief… I still think—"
Before Xiao Zhou finished talking, his arms were lifted by the other two Dream Explorers.
"You've never had the right to resist ever since you started the job." Kan Shaoni looked at Xiao Zhou with a smile and suddenly said with a deep voice, "Sacrifice yourself for the country! If you die, we'll take your place!"
"Huh? I don't want to get into the Nightmare Dungeon created by that high school student! I'll definitely not be able to survive for long! I… I still don't want to die! Let me go! Let me go!"
Xiao Zhou shouted something that'd have definitely gotten him shot by a commissar in the former Soviet Union in fear.
However, Xiao Zhou indeed didn't have the right to resist. The two Dream Explorers pressed him down on the machine that would take him into the Nightmare Dungeon forcibly!
They forced him to enter that Nightmare Dungeon which had taken countless people's lives.
Before Xiao Zhou's consciousness was swallowed by the Nightmare Dungeon, his only thought was… When he survived—no, when he died, whatever!
As long as he came out of that damn Nightmare Dungeon, he would immediately apply for transfer and leave this damn Fengdu Prison.
The Dream Explorer's job wasn't meant for humans at all. He would rather starve on the street and would never enter this nightmare once again!
While Xiao Zhou was thrown into the nightmare, Kan Shaoni wiped off the blood on the tip of her nose. She also got ready to head into that Nightmare Dungeon together.
However, Zhao Yanqing stopped her first.
"If you die in the nightmare, you won't be able to wake up anymore. Go take some rest. We got this."
Even though Zhao Yanqing was a death row prisoner here, the Dream Explorers seemed to be more willing to listen to him.
"Alright… Also, that student built this nightmare in a short time. It's probably still simple and dull…" Kan Shaoni paused for a second and continued. "However, if the Lord of the Nightmare Seed, Tapir, had approved the nightmare built by that student, the level of danger wouldn't be lower than the previous Nightmare Dungeon… We can now only hope that Tapir is just letting that student change the dream on the spur of the moment."
Dream Explorers at their level, like Kan Shaoni, knew the name of the Lord of Nightmare living in that Level S Nightmare Seed.
At the same time, Kan Shaoni also knew the preferences and tastes of the Lord of Nightmare.
She only hoped that the nightmare built by that student didn't fancy the Lord of Nightmare and that it would revert the Nightmare Dungeon back to the death tower after tasting it a bit.
Thinking more carefully, this was the most realistic situation.
Because no matter what, it was impossible for a fight in a nightmare created by a high school senior to be more thrilling than the one built by a famous Dream Maker.