Upon entering Dream Zero, Renji opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. Finally, he looked up at the sky, devoid of sun and moon, filled with a blood-red hue like a river of blood, and shook his head as if he had expected this.
Both Kael Technology and the members of the Black Fire Gang were right.
Dream Zero indeed was the old world.
The scene before Renji, almost identical to the game’s depiction, was filled with oppression and silence. The beings of this era were like drowning people in the Sea of Miasma.
Once they stopped struggling to rise, the thick Miasma red fog around them made it difficult to breathe, twisted hallucinations appeared before their eyes, and whispers from the abyss echoed in their ears, leading to an inevitable end as the game’s name suggested.
Fallen.
Falling into the deep sea, becoming part of the Miasma.
Ideally, ‘dreams’ should be beautiful.
They represent what people cannot obtain in reality, thus fulfilling their desires through ‘dreaming.’ .
However, there is no doubt that the ‘old world’ before him bears no connection with the word “beautiful.”
The only reason Renji could think of for ‘Zero’ to have such a dream was:
Even the most beautiful world becomes cruel and merciless when one loses something precious. Conversely, even the worst world can still be beautiful if the people around are still there.
Renji’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted, as not far ahead, an old man in tattered clothes appeared. He was limping with a rough crutch, walking with difficulty, occasionally glancing back in panic as if afraid of something catching up to him.
This character type was all too familiar to Renji from the game – the common refugee of the old world.
Although Dream Zero is a dream, it is nearly real. Naturally, in addition to the old world itself, there are many beings struggling within it.
Renji immediately set off. These natives of Dream Zero were undoubtedly the quickest source of information about this dream.
The sudden sound of footsteps nearby startled the old man. Before Renji could get closer, the old man, in a panic, tried to flee.
Already struggling with mobility, his attempt to run only caused him to trip over a stone and fall with a thud, crying out in pain.
“Don’t come near, please don’t kill me… I have nothing left… please, spare me…”
The fallen old man, realizing he couldn’t escape, curled up miserably, burying his head in his arms like an ostrich, continuously pleading in the direction of Renji’s approaching footsteps.
“Old man please get up, I am not a scavenger.”
“Not a scavenger?” The old man’s cloudy eyes peered through the gaps in his arms, timidly glancing at Renji.
“I am a Fire Holder from a nearby settlement, just patrolling this area. You seem panicked; did something happen around here?”
A Fire Holder is a term used in the old world for a warrior from a settlement. Seeing Renji’s gentle appearance and calm tone, unlike the cruel and brutal scavengers, the fleeing old man gradually let go of his fear and shakily stood up from the ground.
“No, nothing… nothing matters anymore. Just let me leave. Let me go.”
Renji’s words seemed to trigger the old man, reminding him of something painful he didn’t want to recall. However, his expression of pain quickly turned to numbness. In his dull eyes, it seemed that only the instinct to “survive” was keeping him going. He continued leaning on his crutch, aimlessly attempting to flee into the distance, like a walking corpse, beyond the reach of any communication from Renji.
However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred. Not far from the two of them, the Miasma red fog in the air began to stir violently. Following this, a terrifying shadow, as large as a small hill, emerged from the distant horizon.
Seeing this enormous shadow, the old man froze in place, but the shadow didn’t stop. It seemed to have noticed the old man and Renji and started moving towards them rapidly.
Its body, almost as large as a big truck, caused the ground to tremble. Within a few breaths, it had already closed in to a mere ten or so meters. It resembled a massively enlarged elephant, with sharp tusks stained with blood, as if it had just been in a bloody fight. Its decaying and rotten skin, along with the agitated red fog surrounding it, all indicated its identity as a Tainted Beast.
“Terror Beast. It’s a Terror Beast. Haha, is this how it ends? I knew it would end… Finally, it can end. Hahaha.”
Facing the Terror Beast, the old man, seemingly knowing he had nowhere to escape, no longer showed fear but instead let out a crazed laugh. He threw away his crutch and opened his arms, seemingly waiting for the beast’s sharp tusks to pierce through his body.
Then…
*Buzz*
The old man first heard a sound from behind, like a weapon charging up, followed by a blaze of azure light, strikingly visible in this dark red world, filling the corner of his eye.
The next moment…
[Command: Shoot]
The cold, unemotional mechanical voice sounded, and a pale blue beam of light flashed from behind the old man. Then, with a loud “boom,” the Terror Beast, as large as a small hill, had its head pierced by the azure laser and fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“This power…”
The old man was initially bewildered, but as he realized what had happened, his eyes widened. The dull light in his eyes sparked with color. Trembling, he turned around and, upon seeing the maid 86 with a smoking barrel of a floating cannon next to Renji, stared intently at 86, his murky eyes filled with excitement and trembling.
“A Mech Servant. It’s a Mech Servant!”
But after his initial excitement, the old man quickly began shaking his head, muttering to himself, “No, no, this isn’t right. Mech Servants should all be on the front lines, they should have all been killed by the witches.”
“Mech Servants always move in groups, why would there be a solitary one? And Mech Servants don’t interact with us, but why… why this Mech Servant.”
Not sure if he had fully recovered from the madness induced by the Terror Beast, the old man ran up to Renji, or rather, to 86.
He kept muttering rapidly, casting shocked and incredulous glances at 86.
[Detecting unstable mental state in target individual, vital signs rapidly declining. Recommendation: immediate anesthesia procedure] 86 advised Renji.
Before Renji could respond, the old man, as if hearing something utterly unbelievable, staggered backward several steps, then finally shifted his gaze from the maid to Renji.
“What… did you… call him?”
[Master?] 86 tilted her head, asking as if it were the most natural thing.
𝘪𝘳.𝒸𝑜𝑚