Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Resentful Eye (First Update)
"Alright, Younger Brother Yang is truly decisive!" Kuang Hongyi nodded with satisfaction, "With your talents, the sky’s the limit."
Yang Xiao could naturally distinguish which words were mere pleasantries and smiled at Kuang Hongyi, "I’ll be working under Brother Zhao in the future and hope for his continued support."
"Not at all, it’s a pity we’re not in the same area; you’ll be joining the Patrol Defense Bureau in Lin’an District. However, I know their director, and when I return today, I’ll get in touch with him to assist you with the onboarding procedures early tomorrow morning," Kuang Hongyi said, looking at Yang Xiao with a hint of regret in his heart.
"I thank Brother Zhao for that."
Once Yang Xiao had confirmed his position with the Patrol Defense Bureau, Kuang Hongyi felt less concerned. The two chatted merrily until Kuang Hongyi changed the subject and asked mysteriously with a smile, "Younger Brother Yang, after leaving the Nightmare World this time... did anything strange happen to you?"
Yang Xiao knew in his heart that Kuang Hongyi must be aware of some insider information, so he told him honestly about the incident with Ms. Chun’s costume entangling itself around him.
Kuang Hongyi’s face brightened, "Then there’s no mistake, I should have thought of this earlier. The Resentful Eye from the Fengmen Town Old Factory must be in your possession."
"Resentful... Resentful Eye?" This was the first time Yang Xiao had heard the term.
"You can understand it this way: the Resentful Eye is the core that triggers the supernatural event. Every supernatural event is caused by its Resentful Eye. The Resentful Eye for the ghost play in Fengmen is this costume, and now that you have taken the Resentful Eye, the supernatural events at the Fengmen Town Old Factory will naturally disappear, and no one else will go missing," Kuang Hongyi sighed in relief.
Yang Xiao seemed to understand but not quite, "But... but I didn’t take it on purpose. The costume latched onto me, and no matter how I throw it away, it always finds its way back."
"Naturally, we were able to break out of the Nightmare World and return to reality, and Younger Brother Yang, you played an indispensable role. Put simply, this object could be considered a reward from the Nightmare World for you," Kuang Hongyi explained patiently. "After successfully escaping from the Nightmare World, the Resentful Eye corresponding to that particular nightmare appears as a reward to one of the survivors. The higher someone’s contribution and importance, the greater the probability of obtaining the Resentful Eye, though it’s not absolute."
"If you don’t seal the Resentful Eye using a special method within a very short time, it will latch onto you, hmm... we’re not used to using the term ’latch on,’ a more professional term would be ’acknowledge a master.’"
The concept wasn’t hard for Yang Xiao to grasp, and he quickly came to understand, "So now that I am the master of this costume, how should I use it?"
"I don’t know about that, Resentful Eyes are varied and strange, each with different abilities. If used right, they can save your life. You’ve read infinite stream novels, right? You can think of it as an artifact."
At this point, a more serious expression came over Kuang Hongyi’s face, "However, I must warn you, this thing is sinister. Avoid using it if possible."
"So, the next time I enter the Nightmare World, I can bring this costume with me?" Although he didn’t know what abilities the costume possessed, based on Ms. Chun’s actions, it must be powerful.
Unexpectedly, Kuang Hongyi shook his head, "No, you can’t bring it in. The Nightmare World is a very special place; it blocks all external things except for yourself."
Yang Xiao was confused, "If I can’t bring it in, what use is it to me?"
"Of course, it’s useful. It’s not just the Nightmare World that can claim lives, supernatural events in the real world are also terrifying."
Yang Xiao realized, "You mean, if I encounter a supernatural event in reality, this thing can be put to use?"
"Exactly, in the Apostles Team, there are not a few who possess items of the Resentful Eye. These people form the backbone of resolving supernatural events," Kuang Hongyi spoke with conviction, his eyes burning, "And you, my friend, you are about to become one of these honored members!"
Since the costume had acknowledged its master and others could not use it, Kuang Hongyi’s advice was to try it out on a low-difficulty supernatural event to understand its functions better.
"By the way, the wound on my hand disappeared after I left the Nightmare World. Was it the same for you?" Yang Xiao was still thinking of Su Tingting’s severed leg; for a university girl majoring in drama to suddenly lose a leg would be a devastating blow.
Fortunately, Kuang Hongyi nodded and then took out some photos from the inside pocket, featuring Su Tingting. Su Tingting stood up animatedly, speaking with fear, her hands gesturing as though she was learning to swing a hatchet, but thankfully, all her limbs were intact.
"Look at the time on it," Kuang Hongyi prompted.
Yang Xiao noticed the photo was taken at 3:55 PM the previous day, with a background resembling a hospital. There were people in white coats around, but the details were unclear. Aside from Su Tingting herself, everyone else’s faces had been blacked out.
"She called the police immediately after coming out. It was our guys who responded to her, and now she’s receiving treatment from a psychologist," Kuang Hongyi said with a half-smile looking at Yang Xiao, "Do you know what she told the officers?"
Yang Xiao suddenly had a bad feeling, "What did she say?"
Kuang Hongyi laughed and said, "She urged the police to rescue people quickly, saying that Mr. Chu was still trapped inside Feng Family Manor and told them to bring more guns because there were ghosts."
"So she only mentioned me and not Brother Zhao?" Yang Xiao laughed along.
Having his sore spot poked, Kuang Hongyi’s smile faded, and with a sigh, he said, "That’s why you should never use your real name in the Nightmare World. Otherwise, even if you survive, you’ll have a whole heap of trouble waiting for you."
Seeing Su Tingting lively and bouncing around, Yang Xiao’s mood brightened too. Although she was not the brightest, her character wasn’t bad.
After saying what needed to be said, Kuang Hongyi was ready to leave. Yang Xiao stopped him, "Wait, Brother Zhao, I have one last question."
Kuang Hongyi looked at him, "What’s the question?"
"Why did Shi Dali want to kill us, and the deaths of Shi Guanming and Ke Long, they must be related to him as well." This question had troubled Yang Xiao for a long time; they were all in the same boat, and Yang Xiao couldn’t see any benefit for him in killing his teammates.
Having stood up, Kuang Hongyi sat down again upon hearing this, his gaze complex as he stared at Yang Xiao. Instead of answering, he asked, "What do you think?"
"Was he trying to kill us all to get the Resentful Eye from the Nightmare World by himself?" Yang Xiao asked himself before shaking his head, "But that seems too far-fetched."
"What you mentioned is one reason, but not the most important one," Kuang Hongyi spoke in a lowered voice, his expression as serious as if he had changed into a different person, "By exploiting the rules in the script to kill teammates, you can delay the time before you receive the next script. There’s even a rumor that if you kill enough people and betray all your teammates in 10 consecutive tasks, you can escape the Nightmare."
