Chapter 399: 399 Acquired a Music Player

"Kill me!"

The Snow Woman, lying in her sleeping bag, gazed blankly at the chaotic night sky over Wang Gong:

"My nightmares were destroyed by you, the root of nightmares crushed by the Nightmare King—now I can no longer be… what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

Removing his thick gloves, Li Ang poked the Snow Woman's face, then sighed with faint regret.

【Name: Damaged Nightmare (Nightmare, Element,?)】

【Appearance: A beautiful woman clad in a thin white dress; apart from her immunity to cold, she is indistinguishable from an ordinary human woman, but this state cannot be sustained—once the overlap between Dream Realm and Reality detaches, she will vanish entirely under true sunlight】

【Abilities: Dream Emissary, Storm Snow Summoning,?】

【Cost: Knowing she is certain to die, she utterly rejects being used by you】

【File: A powerful nightmare born from folk legends of the Ice Plain Kingdom, possessing her own unique snow mountain nightmare. Once she dominated a region within the Dream Realm, but after being defeated and captured by the Nightmare King, she was forced to surrender the core of her snow mountain nightmare and submit to him.】

Thereafter, alongside six other nightmares—the Sand Dune Colossus, the Green Tide Leviathan, the Faceless Forest Spirit, the Plague Maiden, the Blood Carmine, and the Swamp King Serpent—she was appointed as a Dream Emissary, tasked with handling all affairs within the Nightmare King's domain.

After the Abyss of Fallen Souls reached the convergence point, she followed the Nightmare King's orders and sought out Level-3 Clearance Officer Li Ang, attempting to eliminate him; instead, she failed miserably and was captured, forcibly dragged out of her snow mountain nightmare.

【Evaluation: A formidable and rare special nightmare, personally appointed and granted partial authority by the Nightmare King, she can traverse any nightmare at will.】

Furthermore, she can open a unique nightmare realm; if an intruder's infection value is lower than hers, she easily erases their memories. If deceived into the depths of her snow mountain, all beings below the level of True God are instantly frozen to death.

But after encountering Level-3 Clearance Officer Li Ang, being contaminated by his chaotic memories and behavior, and having her nightmare core destroyed by the Nightmare King, her nightmare realm suffered severe damage.

She has lost the ability to erase memories, her storm-summoning power has been drastically weakened, she can no longer summon blizzards, and all who enter her snow mountain nightmare now hear an unnaturally cheerful, strange tune echoing in their ears.

【Infection Value: 35】

Too bad the Nightmare King acted too quickly—if her nightmare core hadn't been destroyed, turning her over to the Bureau might have yielded an excellent nightmare-class anomaly.

But now, wounded and weakened, she has lost her two most vital abilities; aside from still being able to traverse nightmares, she is merely a humanoid music player, and she only plays that one song…

Recalling the earworm melody of the Snow King that echoed across two worlds, Li Ang shook his head in disbelief, temporarily banishing the tune of "Sweet Sweet" from his mind, then glanced around, eager to find the hardworking dog.

Though the snow mountain nightmare had been perilous yet unharmed—even though he'd dragged the Snow Woman out—the true MVP was still that dog. Without it suppressing the blizzard, he might not have survived the deep snows, let alone dared descend under the storm.

In the snow mountain nightmare, without his memory of the sheep's heart, his immortality might not have functioned properly—this dog had genuinely saved his life. If the savior dog wasn't nearby, he had to check on it immediately.

Moreover, beyond saving his life, the dog carried part of the Scorpio Director's will—the only channel he had to reach him.

With the Scorpio Director trapped by the other six Dream Emissaries and unable to emerge anytime soon, finding the dog first to maintain contact was undoubtedly the wisest choice.

…

"Wang~"

As if sensing Li Ang was searching for her, the dog, who had vanished earlier, barked from afar.

Confirming the dog's location by its bark, Li Ang pulled the rope again, dragging the sleeping bag with the despairing Snow Woman inside toward the sound.

"Wang wang!"

Seeing her "familiar" approach, the obedient dog spun its tail like a propeller, sniffing Li Ang's shoes and barking incessantly.

"Wang wang wang~ Wang wang wang~ Wang Wang Wang~"

"…"

What a tragedy!

Hearing instantly what the dog was "singing," Li Ang's lip twitched. He dropped the Snow Woman, who had suddenly burst into tears mid-song, and crouched down to place the thorned crown he'd just found onto the dog's head.

Back in the snow mountain nightmare, when his memoryless self had knocked off the crown, the Scorpio Director had immediately gone silent. Considering the Director himself wore an identical crown, this must be his "antenna" for projecting his will.

"Wang wang wang~ Wang wang wang~ Wang wang… Damn it! Finally, something's happening!"

As Li Ang had predicted, the moment the thorned crown settled on the dog's head, the dog's version of the "Snow King March" ceased, replaced by the Scorpio Director's irritated voice.

"Didn't I tell you not to leave this dog?"

Seeing Li Ang's strange attire through the dog's eyes, the Scorpio Director exhaled slightly in relief, then snapped angrily:

"I told you! The Snow Woman's strength rivals a Level-1 Clearance Officer! You're not her match yet! As long as your infection level hasn't surpassed hers, she can kill you outright!

I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier—in the Bureau's records on dream beings, she has a documented kill of a Clearance Officer carrying an Immortality Anomaly. Don't think your immortality makes you invincible… Huh? You've already left the dream?"

Blinking his bright yellow dog eyes, taking in the surroundings, the Scorpio Director realized they'd returned to reality. His dog face visibly flushed with embarrassment, then he hastily salvaged his dignity:

You escaped quickly enough. But still, be careful. Even if you barely escaped the dream, don't let your guard down—the Snow Woman's power remains formidable.

"…"

"By the way, how did you escape? Where's the Snow Woman?"

"The nightmare she created wasn't large—I left it as soon as I descended the mountain. As for the Snow Woman…"

Here, Li Ang shifted slightly, revealing the sleeping bag and sled he'd been blocking, and nodded toward them.

"There. The one lying on the ground crying."

"…"

What the hell did you do to her?

Watching the Snow Woman, bound in the sleeping bag, silently weeping, her spirit clearly shattered, the Scorpio Director's dog mouth opened and closed twice, utterly at a loss for words.

This was a nightmare that had lived for at least several centuries—older than the Ice Plain Kingdom itself!

You've only been dealing with anomalies for two months—you haven't even lived a fraction of her lifespan! You managed to escape her alive? Fine. But you actually captured her?