The abandoned district still reeked of burnt remnants. Last night's nightmare incursion had left wide cracks across the area; building facades seemed hollowed out by invisible hands, and a faint, unsettling low-frequency vibration lingered in the air.
Ethan crouched on the ground, prodding a glob of dark, viscous substance with an iron rod. The thing resembled a semi-solid shadow, flickering with faint purple specks of light.
"This thing," he wrinkled his nose, "looks like coffee grounds left overnight."
Karl's face turned grave as he pulled out a specially designed collection vial."Careful. That's not ordinary residue—it's condensed nightmare energy."
"Fantastic." Ethan slowly nudged the substance into the vial, speaking at a deliberately lazy pace."Good news for the Bureau's budget. Think about it—we could open a café: specialty 'Nightmare Brew.' One sip, and your heart stops. A real immersive experience."
Karl shot him a deadly glare."Can you act serious for once?"
"Serious?" Ethan shrugged."Right now, I'm crouched in ruins, stirring a glowing puddle with an iron rod. If that counts as serious, my mom should be proud."
Suppressing his exasperation, Karl focused on the collected residue. His eyes fixed on the pulsing light points."Notice that? It's pulsing."
Ethan leaned closer. Sure enough, the substance inside the vial quivered slightly, almost like a living heart.
"Wonderful," Ethan dryly commented."A little monster in a jar. Add some background music and we could start a kids' show."
But the joke didn't mask the truth—the residue was releasing energy. Within minutes, tiny cracks began forming on the vial's surface.
Karl immediately raised his spirit gun, pointing it at the vial. Runic inscriptions along the bottle glowed, and the substance gradually settled.
"See?" Karl exhaled sharply."The Bureau's weapons are essentially made from this residue. The purer the energy, the deadlier the weapon."
Ethan blinked and paused for two seconds."So… what you're saying is, our gear is basically recycled monster remains?"
"More or less," Karl murmured.
Ethan held up his spirit gun, examining it as if for the first time."Great. I thought I was a righteous investigator. Turns out, I'm basically a waste management worker, specializing in nightmare recycling."
"Stop joking." Karl furrowed his brows."Don't you see the problem? If we can use this residue, so can someone else."
Silence fell. The wind swept through the broken streets, raising dust in its wake.
Ethan let go of his casual grin and exhaled slowly."So those monsters last night… maybe they weren't just acting out of control. Someone's harvesting the residue."
Karl's expression stiffened."You mean… someone inside the Bureau?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow."I didn't say it's the Bureau. But someone's conducting dangerous experiments in secret. Honestly, I really don't want to walk down the street one day and see someone tossing a 'nightmare grenade' for fun."
Karl remained silent, eyes locked on the vial, a shadow flickering across his gaze.
Then, from not far off, a faint "click" echoed. Ethan and Karl immediately looked up. A blurry figure flitted through the shadows of the ruins, vanishing in an instant.
"Looks like we're not the first ones on site," Ethan murmured.
He stood, a faint, enigmatic smile curling on his lips."Perfect. Now I don't have to worry about today being boring."