Nightmare Despair

Chapter 18 Malice
"What...am I doing?"

"If I hadn't broken free just now..."

Zhou Kai felt a chill run down his spine.

This isn't the first time I've experienced a dream within a dream, but this feeling of being out of control has completely permeated reality for the first time.

That indescribable eeriness, and the suffocating feeling of powerlessness...

Zhou Kai felt inexplicably annoyed.

However, at that moment, Chen Ping's words exploded in his mind.

"The key to wielding greater power is learning to control your own body."

Perhaps strengthening every muscle and every nerve would help to get out of this state.

Whether in dreams or in reality.

"Get some rest, sis."

Zhou Kai stared at Lu Yan's face and hands.

In a daze, he seemed to see Lu Yan's palms covered in sticky, cold sweat...

But upon closer inspection, there was nothing on her fair and flawless skin.

A few minutes later, Zhou Kai covered Lu Yan with a blanket and turned to leave.

On the sofa, Lu Yan's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

……

A taxi drives through the quiet streets at midnight.

The driver was a chatterbox. From the moment he got in the car, he started complaining about company layoffs and bringing up the so-called "employment winter."

Normally, Zhou Kai might have chimed in with a couple of comments on this topic.

But at this moment, he was thinking about how to squeeze every second out of himself to become stronger, and he really didn't have the energy to chat.

The driver talked to himself for a while, but received no response. Feeling bored, he shut up.

Only a moderate vibration remained inside the car.

As they approached their destination, the driver clearly couldn't hold back any longer.

He glanced curiously at Zhou Kai through the rearview mirror: "Young man, going to the boxing gym to practice martial arts in the middle of the night?"

There was a hint of hesitation in his words, as if he wanted to say something but dared not.

Zhou Kai hummed in agreement: "Is there a problem?"

The driver chuckled dryly, "Hey, practicing boxing is a good thing, it's just..."

He pondered a few words before lowering his voice and saying, "In the past two years, quite a few people have gone missing in Xishan City. You've heard about it, haven't you? It's best not to wander around alone at night."

Zhou Kai took these words to heart and retorted, "And what about you? Aren't you out running errands in the middle of the night?"

The driver laughed and said nonchalantly, "I have a car. If there are really criminals, it's easier to catch someone on the roadside than to catch me, the driver. I'll step on the gas, who can catch me?"

Zhou Kai raised an eyebrow and asked calmly, "Is it possible that your guest is that criminal?"

The driver's smile froze instantly, as if he had been called "the world."

He couldn't help but steal a glance at the rearview mirror and saw a face with no expression, its eyes as still as a deep well.

In an instant, my hands gripping the steering wheel were covered in cold sweat.

"Young man, you, you must be joking... ha... ahahaha..."

The driver quickly chuckled.

Zhou Kai said casually, "Just kidding. Master, take care of yourself. You should rest tonight if you can."

"I've arrived, so I'll park on the side of the road."

……

At 1:30 a.m., Zhou Kai pushed open the door to Chen Ping's training room.

Chen Ping is practicing his swordplay.

An ordinary steel knife, in his hands, seemed to come alive.

The blade sliced ​​through the air with a resounding hum, each slash generating an invisible wind pressure.

Zhou Kai stood at the door for a while, then couldn't help but ask, "Does the boxing gym also teach weapons?"

Chen Ping didn't even lift his eyelids, and instead flicked his wrist with his sword: "You've arrived?"

"If a boxing gym wants to establish itself, fists and feet alone are not enough. There are a few weapon skills that are worth learning... But we'll talk about that after you become an apprentice."

Zhou Kai nodded and changed into his training clothes: "My stamina has recovered. Coach Chen, please give me your guidance."

Chen Ping casually tossed the knife upwards, and before it could fall, his right toe flashed and touched the end of the hilt.

call out!
The steel blade transformed into a streak of silver light, spanning the entire training room and firmly anchoring itself to the bullseye of the distant target.

Buzz!
The hilt of the knife vibrated violently and emitted a buzzing sound.

Chen Ping had already turned around and beckoned to Zhou Kai with his finger.

"Come!"

……

[Mixed Martial Arts Experience +6]

[Light Steps Experience +8] [Your skill: Light Steps has been upgraded!]

As dawn broke, a few beads of sweat appeared on Chen Ping's forehead, and he finally seemed to be showing signs of fatigue.

He looked at Zhou Kai, who was staring blankly into thin air, and thought that the kid was finally starting to lose focus due to exhaustion.

Chen Ping waved his hand: "Alright, go and rest."

"Thank you, Coach Chen!"

Zhou Kai turned off the panel in front of him and bowed solemnly.

Chen Ping yawned and waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Alright, stop bothering me. I need to get some sleep too."

Zhou Kai nodded and turned to leave the training room.

After he left, the weariness on Chen Ping's face vanished instantly, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"I thought he was just a weak and useless guy, but I never expected him to be such a gem."

"Exceptional physical coordination...and inexhaustible energy, like an animal."

"This kid is a natural-born martial arts practitioner."

"Even I, Chen Ping... can be wrong sometimes."

Chen Ping's gaze passed over the weapons rack and landed on the row of dusty trophies.

He smiled enigmatically and looked away.

……

[Character: Zhou Kai]

[Status: Erosion, Clear Mind]

【技能：综合格斗lv2（18/25），轻盈步伐lv3（3/50），索拉卡剑术lv1（3/15），神秘学lv1（0/15）】

[Items: Residence permit, bloodstained axe, rusted chef's knife, Morning Star Notebook, Moonlit Orchid Seed (full), nearly dried-up oil lamp, rusty two-handed sword]

[General Experience Points: 7]

"The first level three skill."

As Zhou Kai left the training room and headed towards the first floor, his steps were strangely light.

Upon reaching level three, the skill finally revealed its extraordinary nature.

His light steps seemed to be welded into his muscles, becoming an instinct of his body, maintaining his best condition at all times without deliberate effort.

This made his thoughts drift back to his nightmare.

As far as I can remember, the chain-wielding warrior who smashed himself into a pulp with a chain hammer wasn't actually that fast.

With his light and agile movements at level three, he should be able to hold his own against him for a while.

"Make way! Make way!"

"Damn it, are you blind?"

Just as I reached the second-floor stairwell, several students surrounded a short, stocky guy as they walked towards me.

The short, stocky student was the loudest, and when their eyes met, he charged straight at them like a bull.

Are you deliberately picking a fight?

Zhou Kai's eyes turned cold, and he instinctively tensed his muscles, preparing to confront them head-on. But then, a thought crossed his mind, and with a cold smile, he swayed and gracefully stepped aside.

Boom!
The short, stocky trainee lost his balance and slammed headfirst into the wall with a thud, causing the plaster to flake off the wall.

His henchmen immediately bristled: "Damn! You dare to bump into Brother Wang? You don't want to live anymore?"

Zhou Kai spread his hands and shrugged: "You hit the wall, what does that have to do with me?"

"Grass!"

One of the henchmen glared at Zhou Kai and reached out to grab his collar.

But in Zhou Kai's eyes, who had been tormented by Chen Ping all night, the movements were so slow that he could even strike a pose of touching his head while dodging at the last second, leaving him vulnerable all over.

"Could you... please not cause trouble?"

Zhou Kai turned to the side, and the other person's fingers brushed against his clothes, pressing on nothing.

Just as that person lost their balance.

Zhou Kai's right hand shot out like lightning, twisting his wrist like an iron clamp.

In an instant.

The man felt as if his wrist was about to be crushed, and his body was pulled uncontrollably by Zhou Kai, causing him to stagger forward.

"You son of a bitch! My hand is going to break!"

"Go get him! Are you watching the show?"

He screamed for help.

But Wang Jinquan and the others stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move.

The man endured the excruciating pain and looked up, following his companion's gaze. He saw a cold, stern face slowly emerging from the shadows of the stairs behind Zhou Kai.

"You infighting cowards, get out!"

(End of this chapter)