Chapter 105: Midnight Nightmare

A father who died because of "justice", yet was buried by "justice" itself.

A soul that harbors a deep‑seated hatred toward the entire "order".

That's far more interesting than those vengeful spirits who simply died for revenge.

They only want to kill a certain person.

And you......

What you want to kill is the entire rule.

As the words fell, Chu Che's Shadow Clone's thought flickered.

In front of him, a virtual panel that only he can see materialized out of thin air.

【Weird Editor】

【Usable 'Karma': 15250 points】

Chu Che's gaze lingered on that number for a moment.

He manipulated the Shadow Clone, clicking on the panel without hesitation to create a Weird.

【Please name the Weird: ____】

"Let's call you 'Midnight Nightmare'."

The Shadow Clone's finger pressed the confirm button.

【Weird 'Midnight Nightmare' created successfully, please set Murder Rule】

"First rule."

Chu Che whispered, while the Shadow Clone's fingertips continued to tap the panel.

"Medium of propagation—cognition."

"Any method, whether text, image, sound, or verbal recounting, as long as one becomes aware of the existence of 'Midnight Nightmare', even aware of its Murder Rule, or merely aware of its former form of existence, can be instantly marked."

"Cognition is a curse."

He paused, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes behind the lenses.

"Compared to the crude method of 'Smiling Dummy' that still requires seeing a specific photo, this is true meme contamination."

"Knowledge brings a curse."

"The pursuit of knowledge leads to death."

"The elite of the Federal Weird Investigation Bureau will surely love this setting."

He continued to set the second rule:

"Second rule, method of killing—entering dreams."

"When a marked target enters sleep, 'Midnight Nightmare' will descend upon its dream."

"In the dream, it will manifest as the target's deepest fear in concrete form, killing them completely."

"Death in the dream equals death in reality."

"The only way to resist?"

Chu Che's smile deepened.

"Do not sleep."

"It's simple, isn't it?"

How could a human possibly not sleep?

Finally, the most core rule.

"Third rule, the target of the Murder Rule—any 'minor' that 'Midnight Nightmare' deems guilty and in need of judgment."

The Shadow Clone's fingertips fell again.

"Physiologically, individuals whose bone lines have not yet fused and whose bodily functions are still in developmental stages are defined as 'minors'."

"As long as they meet the physiological definition of 'minor' and the 'Karma' surrounding them exceeds the threshold."

"Then, the nightmare descends."

【Rule setting complete】

【Generating Weird......】

As the panel data shifted, the corpse on the dissection table began to undergo a Weird transformation.

The white cloth covering him moved violently on its own, as if without wind.

Beneath the white cloth, something seemed to be wildly writhing, proliferating, reshaping!

"Crack... crack crack..."

The sour‑tasting sound of bones shattering and recombining came densely from beneath the cloth.

Gao Zhiyuan's corpse was twisting into an indescribably horrific form in a manner that defied life and physics.

Thick, ink‑black vapors surged wildly from the corpse's seven orifices, shrouding the entire morgue in impenetrable darkness.

Chu Che's Shadow Clone watched all of this quietly, as if appreciating a grand performance.

Finally, all the anomalies settled into calm.

When the darkness faded, the dissection table was empty.

Gao Zhiyuan's corpse, along with the white cloth, vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Only the bone‑deep resentment lingering in the air testified that an unprecedented horror had descended upon the world.

Chu Che's Shadow Clone's figure gradually faded, finally dissipating into the corner's shadows.

Jiang Hai City, inside a high‑end apartment.

Chu Che slowly opened his eyes.

He lifted the coffee cup on the table, gently swaying it, as the brown liquid traced graceful arcs along the cup's interior.

"Midnight Nightmare" fundamentally does not need to be spread by human means.

Anyone who knows Gao Zhiyuan is considered to have become aware of the former existence form of the "Midnight Nightmare".

Those neighbors and coworkers who once had dealings with him, and even those netizens who have eaten his daughter's "human blood steamed bun"...

If there is any qualified minor among them, the cursed seed will immediately take root and sprout.

And the strange deaths of those children will inevitably draw the attention of the Federal Weird Investigation Bureau.

They will investigate, analyze, summarize patterns, and write reports...

Then, every officer who comes into contact with this report, and everyone who learns the rules of the "Midnight Nightmare", will become a new node of transmission.

Their families, their friends, every person in their social circles...

This is a perfect closed loop.

A self-propagating labyrinth of despair that spreads faster the more one resists.

Chu Che drained the coffee in his cup, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Then, the show begins."

"Let me see how the elites who claim to be humanity's guardians and incarnations of wisdom will respond to a... plague sparked by knowledge itself."

At the same time.

Another part of Jiang Hai City's luxury villa district.

Liu Ya angrily tossed her phone onto the soft sofa.

"Damn annoying! Will these online losers ever stop!"

Beneath her delicate makeup, she was full of the impatience and sharp-tonguedness typical of adolescent girls.

"It's just a girl dying, isn't it? She fell from the building herself, what's it to me! And her crazy dad deserves to be beaten to death!"

In the living room, Deputy Detachment Chief Liu Jianjun of the Criminal Investigation Team was peeling an apple for his daughter with a worried look.

Hearing his daughter's complaint, he not only didn't utter a word of blame, but instead indulged her, comforting:

"All right, all right, Ya Ya, don't stoop to the level of those online trolls."

"Your dad has already had someone take care of it; soon, there won't be any more of this messy nonsense online."

"That Gao Zhiyuan, daring to brandish a knife and commit violence at school, is a thug! I struck him down on the spot—it's upholding public safety, fulfilling police duty; no one can say a word against it."

Liu Jianjun handed the peeled apple to his daughter, his tone full of unquestionable authority.

"Just remember, Ya Ya, no matter what you do, Dad will always stand behind you, settling everything for you."

"Mm, got it, Dad."

Liu Ya absentmindedly took the apple, took a bite, but her eyes kept glancing at the phone screen.

The night grew deep.

Liu Ya yawned as she returned to her princess-like bedroom.

After washing up, she flung herself onto the soft big bed and soon fell asleep.

But she didn't notice.

At the moment she closed her eyes.

The deepest darkness in the corner of the room seemed to... sway slightly.