The Mysterious Resurrection at the Beginning of Infinite Terror

Chapter 54 Zhang Jie and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4

"He's alive."

Four words, like four nails, firmly pinned a certain unresolved, unsettling reality to the dim light of Elm Street. There were no cheers, no embraces, only a near-exhaustion-like silence, a mixture of immense weariness and a deeper sense of relief, flowing among the crowd.

Zhang Jie stood there, his figure seemingly more upright and also more somber than the "Zhang Jie" of his memory. The lazy, carefree air of a soldier hadn't vanished, but it seemed to be enveloped by something harder, more restrained, settling deep within his eyes. He stretched his neck, his knuckles making a slight cracking sound, his gaze sweeping over familiar faces before finally settling on Wang Lin, who was practically being supported by Zhan Lan and Ling Dian, his face ashen, but his eyes still clear.

"Wang Lin." He spoke, his voice still hoarse, but without the previous raw electronic quality; it was clear, steady, and carried an undeniable weight.

Wang Lin forced a smile, wanting to say something, but first coughed twice, coughing so hard his lungs ached, and a sense of emptiness on his soul washed over him like waves. The "spiritual forging" he had just experienced had almost drained him of everything.

"Don't speak." Zhang Jie walked a few steps to him, ignoring Wang Lin's slight resistance, and extended his right hand, gently pressing his palm against Wang Lin's forehead. There was no light, no energy fluctuation, but Wang Lin instantly felt a gentle, resilient power with strange qualities of "order" and "stability," like the finest warm jade, slowly seeping into his almost dried-up spiritual sea. This power was not repairing, but more like "soothing" and "anchoring," forcibly stabilizing his spiritual essence, which was turbulent due to overdraft and the impact of rules, soothing the most intense pain, and isolating it from the slightest erosion of the remaining nightmare energy from the outside world.

"In the Guide Protocol... there's a 'stability maintenance module' that's a bit of a scrap," Zhang Jie seemed to know what Wang Lin wanted to ask. While continuing to output that gentle power, he explained in a low voice, his tone as calm as if he were talking about what he ate that day. "The God's system, with its patchwork repairs, always has some leftover 'bandages.' Although it can't cure the root cause, it can tie up your almost falling-off spirit and keep you going for a while."

He paused, then looked at Zhan Lan and Zheng Zha, who were also weak but in slightly better condition: "You two, don't push yourselves too hard. My 'territory' was just cleaned up, and it still has some 'warmth' left, which can ward off the eerie winds of this godforsaken place. Come over here and rest on the side."

There was no command in his tone, yet it carried a natural, unquestionable sense of responsibility befitting a former core member of the team. Ba Wang and Li Shuaixi immediately helped Wang Lin, and Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan, retreating to a relatively dry, sheltered spot under the eaves by the roadside. Ling Dian, Ming Yanwei, and Zhao Yingkong tacitly dispersed, forming a perimeter of alert. Chu Xuan remained stationary, the light from his portable terminal illuminating the rapidly flowing data behind his glasses. He was clearly analyzing every detail of Zhang Jie's recent actions—his new state—and the changes in the Elm Street environment.

O'Connor and his two companions stood a little further away, somewhat bewildered, looking with awe at the group of "veterans" who had just experienced something they couldn't understand and whose aura had completely changed, especially the Eastern man who had just "come back to life" and was now exuding an aura that made them feel both instinctively at ease and fearful.

Zhang Jie didn't look at them. His gaze returned to the depths of the dark street. His eyes, which had regained their human color, narrowed slightly, as if he were "looking" at something that ordinary people couldn't perceive.

"I scattered Freddy's 'main consciousness' 'inside'," he said slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears. "But this hellhole has accumulated nightmares and resentment for who knows how many years, as well as the 'seeds' he spread out and attached to all sorts of fearful thoughts. It's not so easy to clean it up. It's like a pot of soup that's been simmering for decades. Even if you take out the biggest bone, the soup is still murky, but the flavor is still there."

He withdrew his hand from Wang Lin's forehead, and Wang Lin's complexion visibly improved slightly. Although still weak, at least the excruciating pain that felt like his soul was being torn apart was suppressed. Zhang Jie himself also let out a slight breath, a fine layer of cold sweat seeping from his forehead. Clearly, the "stability maintenance" he had just done was a considerable burden for him in his newly "welded" state.

"However," he changed the subject, a cold, sharp glint in his eyes, "the soup may be muddy, but I've already extinguished most of the fire. What remains are embers simmering slowly, good for scaring ordinary people and causing a little trouble, but to think about brazenly crawling into someone's head and having a wild party like before... that won't be so easy."

He looked at Chu Xuan: "Colonel Chu, what's the data?"

Chu Xuan didn't even look up, his fingers leaving afterimages on the virtual keyboard: "Environmental monitoring supports your judgment. The active dream erosion energy index has decreased by 92.7%, which is below the danger threshold. However, in the environmental background, the concentrations of 'fear resonance' and 'low-intensity nightmare factor' are still significantly higher than normal world levels, about 370 times the baseline value. These residual energies have the basic ability to passively erode, induce nightmares, and amplify negative emotions, but they pose a limited threat to individuals with strong will and robust mental defenses. Freddy's core consciousness node signal has disappeared, but his 'legend' and 'fear concept' themselves seem to still be bound to this land, forming a kind of low-activity 'rule residue.' Complete eradication may require more complex rituals or a long period of natural dissipation."

"In other words, this hellhole is safe for now, but not exactly 'clean' yet." Zheng Zha leaned against the wall, panting as he summarized. Although exhausted, the fierce glint in his eyes remained. "The main god gave us seven days to survive. It seems that as long as we don't get dragged into the deeper nightmare, getting through it shouldn't be a problem. But the second main quest and the optional quests..."

"Find out the truth, obtain the token, or even completely destroy or banish it." Zhang Jie interjected, his tone calm yet carrying an air of self-assured control. "I've pretty much seen Freddy's 'truth' inside. A sadist burned at the stake, his resentment lingering, has become this thing through the fear of the inhabitants of this land and the remnants of some... ancient, evil ritual. The so-called 'token'..."

He raised his right hand, his five fingers slowly spreading and then closing. In the palm of his hand, a tiny, yet incredibly concentrated, dark red light, radiating coldness, resentment, and a hint of dreamlike distortion, appeared faintly, like a living spark.

"When I crushed his last vestiges of consciousness, I casually... scooped up some 'scraps'." Zhang Jie looked at the chilling dark red spot in his palm, his eyes calm and unwavering. "This thing can probably be considered a 'token of faith.' As for completely destroying it or banishing it..."

He looked up and gazed into the depths of Elm Street, towards the Kruger family home, where Freddie Mercury once lived and is now a haunted house.

"His 'anchor' is still there. There's probably something even 'older' buried under that house and this land. If we don't get rid of that thing, even if Freddy's main consciousness is gone, in a few decades, new 'nightmares' might crawl out from the same resentment and fear."

"You know the location?" Chu Xuan finally raised his head and looked at Zhang Jie.

"Probably." Zhang Jie nodded. "When we were 'inside,' we could sense that it was the source of the 'sewage pool.' And..." He paused, a very strange expression appearing on his face, like disgust, or perhaps some kind of knowing mockery, "In the God's 'Guide Knowledge Base,' there seem to be some scraps of records about 'ancient nightmare rituals' and 'aggregates of land resentment.' Although not detailed, they are very indicative."

A chill ran through everyone. The Guide's Knowledge Base! It was a core database bestowed upon the Guides by the Main God, containing information about the cycle of reincarnation, the world of horror movies, and even some of the essence of the rules! Although Zhang Jie was in a special state, he clearly still possessed it, and perhaps, due to the "melting" just now and the confrontation with Freddy's consciousness, he had unlocked or activated some information highly relevant to the current world!

"You... can access that knowledge?" Wang Lin couldn't help but ask, his voice still weak.

"I can 'see' a part of it," Zhang Jie didn't hide it, "but it's like looking through frosted glass. A lot of key information is blurry and incomplete, and there's a strong sense of... 'access restriction.' It's like the main god deliberately left some clues, but didn't want the 'tool' to know too much. However, combining what I 'saw' myself, piecing together a rough outline is enough."

He put away the dark red light in his palm and glanced at everyone: "Let's find a place to stay and rest tonight. Wang Lin, Zhan Lan, Zheng Zha, the three of you, especially Wang Lin, need deep recovery. My 'weld joint' also needs to be reinforced. Tomorrow at dawn, let's go check out that haunted house, 'Kruger's House.' Once we pull out the 'anchor,' this nightmare on Elm Street will truly be over. As for the optional quests from the Main God..."

He grinned, a smile brimming with the fierce confidence characteristic of "Zhang Jie," and also carrying a hint of eagerness, as if he had just "come back to life," and was impatient to test his own strength.

"A-level side quest, might as well take it."

The plan was thus finalized. Led by Zhang Jie (who seemed to have a strange familiarity with the layout of Elm Street, perhaps due to the map function of the Guide's knowledge base, or perhaps the "memories" left behind by Freddy's fragments of consciousness), the group found a relatively tidy, seemingly uninhabited, two-story detached house, but whose lock was in Zero's hands like a toy. After cleaning, setting up defenses, and establishing a simple warning and purification barrier (assisted by Zhang Jie using his "order" power), the group finally gained their first chance to catch their breath since entering this world.

Wang Lin, Zhan Lan, and Zheng Zha were forced to undergo deep meditation and rest. Ba Wang, Li Shuaixi, and Zhao Yingkong took turns on guard duty. Ling Dian, Ming Yanwei, and Chu Xuan began to take advantage of this rare peace to further analyze the remaining threats on Elm Street and the potential dangers lurking in the "Kruger Family" old house, combining the fragments of information provided by Zhang Jie. O'Connor and the other two were finally able to sit down and tend to their minor scrapes, still shaken by the events of the night, filled with an indescribable awe for the man named "Zhang Jie."

Night had fallen. Elm Street remained eerily quiet, but the ever-present, suffocating sense of being watched and the chill had largely dissipated. Only the occasional, more distorted shadows of trees flitting past the window, and the faint, mournful sound of wind whistling through broken windows from the direction of the old houses in the distance, reminded people that this was no paradise.

Zhang Jie wasn't asleep. He sat cross-legged in the corner of the first-floor living room, leaning against the wall, his eyes slightly closed, but everyone could sense that he wasn't relaxed. An invisible yet solid sense of power emanated from him, subtly enveloping the temporary stronghold, like the most loyal sentinel, quietly dispelling and purifying the remaining nightmare whispers and negative emotions from the outside world that were trying to get close.

In deep meditation, Wang Lin's mental energy slowly recovered. He could "feel" Zhang Jie's presence—a strong and stable presence, carrying the warm aftertaste of fragments from the "Sun Sutra," as well as Zhang Jie's own unique fluctuations, a mixture of human resilience and a guide's sense of order. The two blended perfectly, forming a new, powerful, yet subtly "unnatural" sense of completeness in the soul.

"Welded shut..." Wang Lin pondered Zhang Jie's description deep within his consciousness. Was it truly "welded shut"? That fragment, the will of the crowd, Freddy's impact, the possible covert interference of the Main God... could this "completely human form of Zhang Jie," born from the collision of all these factors, truly last? What exactly was the Main God's purpose in "adjusting the emotional suppression module"? Was it tacitly accepting this outcome, or...?

These questions remain unanswered for now. But at least for this moment, Zhang Jie has returned. He has returned with a more powerful presence, carrying half the knowledge and authority of a guide, as well as all the emotions and will that belong to "Zhang Jie."

This is undoubtedly a huge boost for the Central Continent Team, and also... a new beginning full of variables.

The night outside the window remained dark. But the pale moon in the sky above Elm Street, which had been shrouded in clouds and the aura of nightmares, seemed... to have become slightly clearer and brighter.

There are still several hours until dawn. And there's still a long way to go before the nightmare of Elm Street is completely over.

But this time, their team has an extra weapon—a newly forged, sharp, and gleaming "human"-shaped murder weapon.