Chapter 8 | Embers of the Past

Xiao Jie's crying stopped abruptly.

It seemed the script wasn't playing out the way he had expected.

Looking at the dark muzzle of the gun barely twenty centimeters from his forehead, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.

“W-Will I die?”

“No,” Yu Jin comforted. “You're the Dream Core. Dying will only shatter this nightmare; your life won't be in any danger.”

Xiao Jie paused, suppressing the fear in his heart as he asked with a trembling voice, “And what if I'm not the Dream Core?”

“Then you will die.”

“...”

Xiao Jie's small face crumpled, and he burst into tears again.

“I don't want to die, Brother. Let's wait for the Special Response Squad, okay? They're professionals. They can find the Dream Core, and they'll definitely come save us!”

The kid was right. Firing a shot on a whim as a member of the Post-Disaster Investigation Team would require writing a self-statement report and going through an internal procedural investigation afterward, even if he did manage to hit the correct Dream Core.

Although it wouldn't have any major consequences, the paperwork was incredibly tedious. This was also why he preferred to use the red-haired Yu Jin to quickly resolve the Nightmare Disaster before the Special Response Squad arrived.

But on the off chance that he chose wrong, resulting in a citizen's death in the Nightmare Disaster, then even the fact that the Yu family had given two lives to protect Haicheng wouldn't be enough to secure Yu Jin's current job and freedom.

So after weighing his options, Yu Jin decided to wait a little longer.

His base persona couldn't afford to have any mishaps.

Time flowed differently in a dream than in reality. Although it felt like a day and a night had already passed in here, to the Special Response Squad in the real world, they might have only just received the report, or the Nightmare Disaster might not even have been detected yet.

Until they arrived, all he needed to do was stay close to Xiao Jie and ensure he could find the boy at any moment, which would be considered completing the ultimate support role.

With that in mind, Yu Jin relaxed and lowered his gun.

Xiao Jie also breathed a sigh of relief. The moment Yu Jin put the gun down, he felt as if his heart palpitations had completely cured themselves.

He wiped his tears, muttered a thank you, and crawled closer to Yu Jin. Staring at the revolver covered in painted smirks, he asked excitedly, “Um... Brother, can I touch it?”

As expected, guns held an irresistible allure for young boys.

Having gone through that phase himself, Yu Jin understood how important satisfying a young boy's small wish was for his growth. Without a second thought, he tossed the gun to Xiao Jie.

Xiao Jie caught it excitedly, stroking the frame over and over.

“Wow, is this a revolver? So cool! Brother, what does this smiley face painted on the gun mean?”

“I don't know,” Yu Jin shook his head, recalling the mysterious woman in the cemetery once more.

Not minding Yu Jin's lack of an answer, Xiao Jie continued to ask eagerly, “Brother, why won't the cylinder open?”

“I don't know.”

“Brother, how far can this gun shoot?”

“I don't know.”

“Brother, how do you shoot this gun?”

“I don't know.”

“Brother, what do you know?”

“I...”

Yu Jin choked. He had wanted to say, “Aside from this gun, I know a bit of everything.”

But before he could say it, he noticed that the seemingly innocent Xiao Jie had suddenly changed into a completely different person. The boy stared at him with a mocking gaze and raised the gun.

The muzzle was now barely twenty centimeters from Yu Jin's head—a perfect mirror of how Yu Jin had aimed at him just moments before.

The scene was so absurd that Yu Jin froze, failing to react immediately.

Then, he heard Xiao Jie sneer, “You absolute blockhead. You don't know anything. But do you know you're going to die today?

“Ha! What an idiot. How does the Bureau have a stupid pig like you?

“Honestly, if I kill you, I'd be too embarrassed to tell anyone I've taken a life. But what can I do? You're the one who kept such a tight eye on me.

“Before the Special Response Squad gets here, I have to set some things up. Otherwise, how am I going to wipe them all out in one go?

“Oh, oh, oh, I love your expression right now! Are you shocked? Are you flustered? Are you scared?

“Tsk, take your fear and go to hell. When you reach the Court of Yama, remember to give them my name: Xia Jie.

“A disciple of the Disciples of Eternal Night... Dammit, they won't let me join yet, so a Disciples of Eternal Night Reservist, Xia Jie.

“Bye-bye, stupid pig.”

With that, Xiao Jie pulled the trigger.

Click.

The muzzle emitted a hollow sound that seemed to press pause on the world.

No smoke.

No bullet.

Nothing.

Only a bead of cold sweat dripping from Xiao Jie's forehead.

“...”

The scene froze.

Expressionless, Yu Jin quietly watched Xiao Jie's face turn from arrogant to panicked, from panicked to terrified, from terrified to resentful, and from resentful to crazed.

He pulled the trigger again, squeezing it with all his might, clicking it continuously.

Click, click, click, click, click—

No matter how many times he pulled the trigger, the gun refused to spit out a single bullet.

The smirks painted on the gun seemed specifically designed for this moment. As Xiao Jie grew more and more frantic, those painted smirks seemed to shine even brighter with mockery.

“How is this possible?!

“Why won't it fire?! That's not what they said on TV! They said you just have to pull back the hammer and pull the trigger!

“Why won't it shoot?! Why?!

“Where did you get this gun? Do you even know it's broken?!

“No, you don't. You don't know anything, you stupid pig!”

Xiao Jie's face was distorted as he continuously pulled the trigger, never giving up. However, Yu Jin had already grown tired of the spectacle.

He suddenly realized he really was stupid—stupid enough to never suspect that a child could harbor such profound malice toward a stranger.

If he hadn't brought the gun gifted by the mysterious woman today, he might very well be dead.

Yu Jin laughed self-deprecatingly.

Xiao Jie looked up, his face flushed with embarrassment and anger. “What are you laughing at?”

Yu Jin spared him a cold glance.

“I'm laughing at myself. Why did I try to show off when this job was never mine to begin with?”

Before his voice even faded, Yu Jin's entire aura abruptly shifted. A flash of crimson spread like wildfire, completely dyeing his hair as his gaze instantly grew razor-sharp.

He spoke, his voice dripping with disdain: “Tsk. You really are stupid.”

Xiao Jie instinctively sensed danger and retreated in a hurry.

But it was already too late.

Because the moment his hair was dyed completely red, Yu Jin moved like lightning. Hooking his fingers, he clawed onto Xiao Jie's head, lifting him up entirely, and slammed him toward the wall by the bed without a single word.