Chapter 779: Take on a Big Job

"You… you've gone too far!"

Seeing the veteran investigator curled up on the carpet like a shrimp, clutching his thighs tightly, the female investigator who rushed in at his scream instantly turned her still-attractive face pale with rage.

"Senior Jamieu was such a kind person—he endured your offenses multiple times without holding a grudge, and even told me not to let personal feelings interfere with work. Yet you… you treat him like this?!"

"…"

Could it be… I misread the signs just now?

Looking at the veteran investigator writhing on the ground after a heavy blow to his groin, Li Ang hesitated slightly, then reached out to haul him up, his face tinged with regret as he said:

"I'm sorry… I might've misunderstood. Are you alright?"

Am I alright? Don't you know exactly how bad I am?

Hearing Li Ang's sincere inquiry, the veteran investigator, drenched in cold sweat, managed a weak eye-roll, his lips trembling but saying nothing; beside him, the female investigator hurried over, helped him up, and glared at Li Ang with fury:

"Get away! I'll report everything that happened today to headquarters!"

"…"

It really was my mistake… I misread the signs.

Looking at the veteran investigator whose legs were trembling uncontrollably and who couldn't even stand from the pain, Li Ang opened his mouth slightly, then bowed deeply to him with sincere apology.

Sorry, I kicked a bit too hard. But your parting remark just now sounded exactly like something a Muhouheishou would say—if I hadn't tested you, I wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight.

Also, even though I misjudged you, you shouldn't have faked being some villainous boss in the first place.

"What happened? What's wrong with him?"

The earlier scream and subsequent commotion had been loud enough to draw not only the cleaners who hadn't gone on duty, but even the red-haired director herself, who stepped out of her office curiously to ask.

"You're just in time!"

Seeing the red-haired director emerge from her office, the female investigator snapped angrily:

"Your Virgin Division has gone too far this time! You kicked Senior Jamieu in… that place! Just wait! When we get back, I'll demand justice for Senior Jamieu!"

Hmm? Threatening me?

Hearing the female investigator's words, the red-haired director, who had been about to ask for details, raised an eyebrow, then nodded casually:

"Fine. Don't let us keep you."

"You?!"

"If you're leaving, go now. We're busy and don't have time to waste on you."

Turning his gaze away from the two investigators, the red-haired director clapped his hands sharply, drawing everyone's attention, then announced solemnly:

"Everyone who hasn't been assigned a mission, come with me to the second-floor meeting room. We've got a big job!"

…

"Headquarters just sent word: the Dream Realm's position has shifted. The Abyss of Fallen Souls is about to overlap with the Kingdom."

Taking out a dozen marked maps from the veteran investigator's folder, the red-haired director pinned them one by one onto the briefing board, then spoke gravely beside it:

"When the Abyss of Fallen Souls overlaps with the physical world, the connection between body and soul will be infinitely weakened, while dream realm creatures and their abilities will be massively amplified. According to the Watchtower's warning, the Black Cult of Nightmare will perform a descent ritual to help the Nightmare King invade the physical world and spread nightmares throughout the entire Kingdom. Our mission is to stop that descent!"

The Nightmare King?

Hearing this vaguely familiar name, Li Ang paused slightly, glanced around at the serious faces of the veteran cleaners, then reached out and gently gripped Emma's slightly tensed handback.

【Senior Emma, is the Nightmare King attempting to descend the same one who was banished by the royal ancestors and cursed the royal bloodline?】

【Yes.】

Hearing Li Ang's mental inquiry, Emma nodded slightly, aware of his gaps in common knowledge, and quickly explained while holding his hand:

【The Nightmare King, also called the Lord of Nightmares, is one of the three Dream Deities worshipped by the Black Cult of Nightmare. He has no true physical form and has resided long-term in the Dream Realm—his dwelling there is the Abyss of Fallen Souls.】

【Compared to the stable physical world, the mental realm of dreams is unstable, so its location isn't fixed—and neither is the Abyss of Fallen Souls.】

【Think of it like the moon drawing too close to the ocean and affecting tides: when the Abyss of Fallen Souls drifts too near the physical world, it causes disturbances—and at such times, the Black Cult of Nightmare and the Nightmare King act, attempting to invade reality and spread nightmares.】

Spread nightmares?

Li Ang fell silent for a moment, then asked further:

【If someone has a nightmare during this time, will the consequences be severe?】

【Extremely severe!】

Emma nodded, her expression grave:

【If you have a nightmare during this period, you enter the Nightmare King's domain—afterward, every time you sleep for the rest of your life, you'll be trapped in endless nightmares, feeding him power until death.】

【Spirits with exceptional compatibility with the Dream Realm may even be directly captured by the Nightmare King, dragged into the Dream Realm himself. When their physical bodies die, they'll become permanent dream realm creatures, eternally serving him as servants.】

【And our cleaners' souls are generally far stronger than ordinary humans—we're far more likely to be targeted and forcibly dragged away in nightmares!】

If the soul is taken, the body becomes just a shell?

Li Ang pressed further:

【How powerful is the Nightmare King? Compared to the Goddess of Wealth?】

【It's not about power—it's about existence.】

Emma shook her head:

【The Nightmare King won't descend physically like the Goddess of Wealth. He exists only within the dreams of sentient beings. When you see his true form, it usually means you've already entered his domain.】

【And you know what happens when you enter a true god's domain—you've faced the Goddess of Wealth. Without a comparable or higher-tier power to resist, you have zero chance to fight back. So no matter his raw strength, he's far harder to deal with than the Goddess of Wealth.】

【The Goddess of Wealth, Olivia, could handle three or five of her kind easily—but if the Nightmare King succeeds in descending, he'll slip endlessly through countless human nightmares. Even if Olivia risks entering dreams, she can't catch him.】

Even the director can't handle him?

After hearing Senior Emma's explanation, Li Ang frowned slightly, understanding why the cleaners of the Virgin Division looked as if facing imminent doom.

Though occasionally unreliable, the red-haired director's immense power had always been the Virgin Division's greatest assurance—even if a mission failed and a true god slipped through, the director could still clean up the mess.

But this opponent? He's the kind the director can't handle. If anything goes wrong and the Nightmare King succeeds in descending, everyone will be left to fend for themselves.

(End of Chapter)