373: Chapter 374 Spread

"@Mirthi, what kind of picture did you post? I just had a nightmare. That post was absolutely terrifying; I really shouldn't have been so curious as to click on it."

"I've never had a dream in my life, but after seeing this picture, I actually had three dreams, all of them nightmares. It's too eerie."

"Damn it, delete it quickly!"

"Don't you guys think this is interesting? This picture is clearly not that simple. If we can research some clues, we might receive a reward from the Empire."

"Bah, who would want to research this ugly thing..."

Mirthi saw that more of her kin were still clicking on the picture she posted, making her feel even more flustered.

No, I can't let this picture stay up any longer.

Mirthi rushed to delete the picture she had posted, but it was too late. Many people had already downloaded it or even forwarded it to more Polyphemus kin.

The news of "the picture that gives you nightmares" exploded and spread rapidly.

Seeing this, Mirthi felt deep regret. She shouldn't have let this picture appear in reality; it was far more bizarre and terrifying than she had imagined.

—

In the library of a higher education institution.

A Polyphemus with sixteen eyes looked in amazement at the picture on his portable smart-brain.

"Why was it deleted? Luckily, I downloaded it in advance."

Serentias looked over the picture. Could it really make people have nightmares? Serentias didn't believe it. As the president of the Anomalous Phenomena Research Club at school, he had seen too many strange things. Some were rumored to be extremely absurd, but most turned out to be disappointing—just pranks by fellow kin.

This one is probably the same.

After looking at the picture, Serentias, who was eager to know the result, simply went back to his dormitory and lay down on his bed to rest.

Slowly closing his eyes, he prepared to sleep to verify if the news was accurate—whether it was real or just a useless farce.

...

Serentias found himself standing in a gray mist. Visibility was very low; even with all sixteen of his eyes wide open, he couldn't see his surroundings clearly.

Beneath his feet was a somewhat familiar path. A dark figure stood quietly ahead.

"Who are you?"

Serentias was startled, his heart rate quickening.

The other party didn't answer but gradually approached Serentias. Serentias could only retreat until he hit a wall and could go no further.

"Speak! Who are you?!" Serentias asked in terror.

The sound of footsteps continued to come from the mist. Serentias tried to run to the side, only to find his feet stuck as if in mud, unable to move.

Serentias could only watch helplessly as this entity approached him step by step...

Ten meters... eight meters... six meters...

Finally, when it was three meters away, Serentias finally saw her face clearly.

It was a slender, gentle figure. Beautiful patterns floated on her eye membranes. Twelve eyes gazed at him tenderly, and even her breath carried the most familiar scent from the depths of his memories.

Serentias's sixteen pupils suddenly contracted. He froze in place, all his defenses collapsing in an instant.

Serentias reached out with a trembling hand, his voice so hoarse he didn't even recognize it:

"...Iselia? You're still alive?"

Iselia was held tightly by Serentias's tentacles. "I have been waiting for you. You finally came to see me."

"Uh..."

The exaggeratedly eerie arc on Iselia's mouth hadn't even finished rising before she looked a bit bewildered by this scene.

Serentias's tentacles still held her tightly, tear-like fluid swirling in his sixteen eyes, his voice shaking uncontrollably: "I've been looking for you for so long... They all said you were gone, but I didn't believe them. I never believed them. I won't lose you again..."

Seeing him like this, "Iselia" softened again, gently stroking his body with her tentacles.

Her tone carried a perfectly measured amount of grievance and dependence:

"I knew you would come... Only you still remember me."

...

After an unknown amount of time, the dream was about to end.

Iselia's figure vanished into the mist. No matter how Serentias tried to pursue her, he couldn't catch up.

"Iselia!"

The next second, Serentias snapped his eyes open.

It was already night. The room was dim. Serentias stared blankly ahead, brown tear stains still hanging from the corners of his sixteen eyes.

His mind was in total turmoil...

Iselia's voice seemed to still echo in his ears. This wasn't a nightmare; this was his most precious treasure.

Serentias turned his smart-brain back on, and the weird face picture appeared once more.

Now, he no longer thought it was ugly or disgusting. Serentias even printed it out, stroking it over and over with his tentacles as if this face were Iselia.

A hint of fanaticism gradually appeared in his eyes...

—

The next day at school, Mirthi still hadn't recovered from her hesitation and self-reproach. Her face was pale. She had had another nightmare last night, and it was even more terrifying than the previous one.

Mirthi could only force herself to pull it together and return to school.

But the moment she stepped onto campus, Mirthi's twelve eyes suddenly widened, and the tentacles all over her body trembled violently from extreme fear.

To her horror, she found that the campus was covered with that terrifying face picture.

On the bulletin boards, the outer walls of the teaching buildings, the dormitory hallways, the club recruitment boards—everywhere was densely packed with that eerie image that triggered nightmares, glinting coldly in the morning light.

On the main road, fellow kin were handing out printed flyers of the picture to passersby. On many students' smart-brain screens, that face image was playing on a loop. The sounds of discussion flooded into Mirthi's perception like a tide.

"Serentias, what are you doing!"

Mirthi rushed over and pushed aside Serentias, who was handing out flyers, questioning him loudly.

Serentias wasn't angry. He picked up the flyer that had accidentally fallen to the ground and carefully wiped away the dirt.

Seeing Mirthi, he smiled and said, "Oh, it's Mirthi. Come help me hand out flyers. We need to let more of our kin see the ones they miss."

"Also, I remember you were the one who first posted this picture on the forum. Thank you so much."

"You're crazy!"

Mirthi shouted excitedly.