Night hung low over the Bureau headquarters, yet the meeting hall remained brightly lit. When Ethan and Karl were summoned, fully armed guards stood at the entrance, their expressions cold and vigilant.
"Not a word out of place in today's meeting," the lead agent warned in a low voice.
Ethan felt a sinking weight in his chest. This was no ordinary briefing.
—
Inside the meeting hall, the atmosphere was tense. Around the circular table sat not only senior Bureau officials, but also several unfamiliar faces: middle-aged men and women in dark suits, adorned with special insignias. They offered no introductions, but Ethan could already guess their identities from their eyes and demeanor—government officials.
The Director spoke first, voice as cold and firm as ever:"Regarding the spread of Nightmare Syndrome, we need new containment measures."
A suited man pushed up his glasses and spoke in a calm, detached tone:"The measures have already been drafted. We will expand quarantine zones, conceal the truth, and tell the public this is a 'neurological infectious disease.' Public opinion must be controlled."
Another official added:"Your task is to ensure nightmare energy does not leak to the media or independent organizations. Any leaks—will be eliminated."
The word eliminated dropped like ice in the hall.
Ethan felt his chest tighten. He suddenly realized that these so-called "containment measures" were not meant to protect civilians—they were meant to maintain control.
Karl frowned, probing cautiously:"And the infected? Do they still have a chance of being saved?"
The official's face flickered with impatience:"Infected individuals are threats, not patients. Stop wasting resources. Nightmares cannot be 'cured.'"
Silence fell over the hall.
Ethan's fingers tightened under the table, struggling to contain the rage rising within him. Those crying mothers, those dragged-away children—they were merely "threats" in their eyes.
The Director added calmly:"This is the agreement we have with the government. The Bureau's existence was never about saving the world—it was about maintaining order from the very beginning."
Ethan's head snapped up, a storm raging in his mind.
—From the Bureau's inception, they had secretly collaborated with the government? Their claims of protecting humanity were just another form of control?
His breathing grew heavy, his vision blurred. Deep in his mind, Xirei's voice rang out once more:
"Nightmares are not the enemy. We are."
—
After the meeting, Ethan and Karl walked out of the hall together. The long corridor was empty, the dim lights stretching overhead.
Karl's face was stern, his voice low:"You nearly lost it just now."
"You heard them, right?" Ethan whispered, his tone sharp."They've known the secrets of nightmares all along, and told us nothing. The people caught in the middle—they never intended to save them!"
Karl sighed, his eyes dim."I know. But right now, all we can do is survive. If you let your emotions show, the next one to be eliminated will be you."
Ethan stopped in his tracks, staring at Karl, voice low and tense:"If that's the case, then who are we really fighting for? Humanity—or their order?"
The wind whistled down the corridor, like an invisible hand choking the air.
Karl did not respond. He turned his back, slowly lighting a cigarette. The smoke curled upward in the dim light, shrouding a fleeting expression of complexity.