Chapter 281

Chapter 264: Black Dragon

In the Dream Realm, amidst the forest.

The sudden ambush caught Gregor off guard, as he faced Jed, who was absorbing Thomas’s spirit. With a fierce gaze, he gritted his teeth tightly.

In the Dream Hunters’ realm, the spirits hunted from the Dream Realm do not immediately return to the entity; instead, they are stored within the mimicry. Only when the mimicry returns to the Dream Cocoon does the absorbed spirit truly accumulate within the human body. Should the mimicry be killed and destroyed in this process, the collected spirits would scatter, allowing other mimics capable of dream hunting to absorb them.

What Jed was doing at this moment was exactly that. Facing Jed, who was consuming Thomas’s spirit, Gregor shouted sternly.

“Are you crazy? Jed! How can you attack a comrade!”

“Comrade? No, no, no… Don’t get it wrong, I’ve never considered you as comrades. You are all just prey. In this hunting ground of the forest, the only relationship is between hunter and prey.”

With a tone of disdain, Jed slowly replied to Gregor, his expression calm, as if everything he had done was entirely justified. Seeing Jed’s reaction, Gregor was infuriated and spoke again.

“You are also a member of the An Yin Bureau! Aren’t you afraid we’ll report you?”

Gregor mentioned this, knowing that in the Dream Realm, the d*ath of a mimic does not lead to the d*ath of the entity itself; it only results in a month of mental trauma spent bedridden. In other words, even if Jed killed his and Thomas’s mimics here, Gregor could still report him upon waking.

Gregor questioned Jed as such, hoping to intimidate him into restraint, but to his surprise, Jed responded with a light laugh.

“Report? What will you use to report? Report Jed of the North Yild Bureau? Do you really think I am Jed? Or does Jed even exist? Or am I truly a member of the An Yin Bureau?”

“Even if you want to report, you must remember the situation on site. The destruction of a mimic causes psychological harm that can easily result in short-term amnesia. Whether you remember what happened here after you wake up is another matter.”

Jed’s series of questions caused Gregor’s heart to chill. He suddenly realized that the claim of being Jed from North Yild was merely his word; in this forest where everyone appeared in similar mimics, he could not ascertain Jed’s true appearance. If Jed were using a false identity, there would be no way to verify it.

“You’re not afraid we’ll call Mr. Flandy?”

“You can try calling him and see if Flandy can hear you. I’ve already led you far enough away from the main team, moving eastward for quite a distance. I can guarantee that there is no one from the Bureau nearby who can hear your call.”

Jed continued with pride. After hearing his words, Gregor’s heart grew heavier. He realized that this time, his lack of experience in the Dream Realm had led him into a trap.

With intimidation failing, battle was unavoidable. However, Gregor, injured, found it nearly impossible to defeat Jed; he couldn’t even escape.

Finally, after absorbing Thomas’s spirit, Jed crouched down and launched a forceful attack toward Gregor. Faced with Jed’s onslaught, Gregor anxiously dodged, straining his injured body to evade Jed’s initial ambush.

Gregor’s dodge freed Little Fox, who had been struggling under Jed’s claw.

“You bunch of black dogs can fight among yourselves; I’m getting out of here!!”

Just as Little Fox prepared to escape, Jed had no intention of letting her go. He swiped at her, but she was caught off-guard, and his attack left a gash on her hind leg. She rolled away in pain to a distance.

Although he didn’t know where this fox mimic came from, being in Jed’s sight meant she wouldn’t be let off easily. What if she also had spirits on her?

Without pausing, Jed’s subsequent attack followed. He lunged at the fallen Little Fox, but as another shadow flashed by, she vanished instantly. Jed looked closely, only to see Gregor carrying Little Fox away.

With Little Fox in his mouth, Gregor tossed her onto his back and fled deeper into the forest. Seeing this, Little Fox exclaimed in surprise.

“Black Dog, you actually thought to save me?”

“This is a matter for our An Yin Bureau. I accidentally pulled you into it, so I naturally won’t leave you behind.” Gregor responded to Little Fox, who was injured on his back. He thought that if he hadn’t grabbed her, she wouldn’t have been caught up in this situation, hence his sense of duty to save her.

Thus, the black dog mimic Gregor carried Little Fox as they fled deeper into the forest while Jed closely pursued them, unyieldingly chasing after.

Having been ambushed at the beginning, Gregor was injured, affecting his movement and stamina. Under Jed’s relentless pursuit, he wouldn’t last long.

“Hey, hey… Black Dog of the An Yin Bureau, you seem to be slower than your colleague.”

Sitting on Gregor’s back, Little Fox looked back at the closing Jed and remarked, while Gregor panted as he ran, responding.

“I’m trying to head back… After running a distance, I’ll call for help. As long as they can hear me, we’ll be safe.”

“Running back? You mean heading towards the hunting ground? Don’t be foolish! You’ll never make it there!” Little Fox urged, knowing the Dream Realm better than Gregor.

“Listen to me, Black Dog! If you try to get back to the hunting ground, it will be too late. Run left, towards the east! If you go that way, we still have a chance!” Little Fox insisted from Gregor’s back. Hearing her words, Gregor hesitated.

“Going east? Our leader said that area is a restricted zone!”

“Forget about what’s restricted or not! If you don’t want the spirit you’ve worked so hard to collect to be lost, then listen to me. I know this area a hundred times better than you, Black Dog!”

With a firm tone, Little Fox pushed Gregor, making him ponder. After deliberating, he decided to follow her advice, turning sharply to run eastward, while Jed momentarily hesitated before accelerating to chase them down.

Thus, in the quiet forest, the chase between the two black dogs commenced, racing towards the east, where countless animals had been driven. Due to Gregor’s injuries, the distance between them continued to shrink.

Lying on Gregor’s back, Little Fox looked back at the approaching Jed, revealing a sinister smile. She urged Gregor again.

“Now, Black Dog, call out! Call out loudly! Make sure your voice reaches the farthest places!”

Following Little Fox’s words, Gregor paused momentarily. Then while running fast, he raised his voice.

“Awoo!!!”

Gregor’s call spread broadly through the surrounding forest. The black dog mimics of the An Yin Bureau had a unique feature: their calls could travel exceptionally far, which was beneficial for coordinated action in the forest. All black dog hunters could understand the call and would rush to provide support upon hearing it.

Behind them, Jed heard Gregor’s call and couldn’t help but snort coldly, thinking disdainfully.

‘Want to call for others, huh? Hmph… No one will come to this restricted zone. Here, they can’t hear your voice, and even if they did, it would be too late.’