The air in the multinational conference room was thicker than Nightmare mist. Human government representatives and Bureau executives filled both sides of the long table, their expressions stiff and rigid, as if blinking first would mean losing a world-class psychological showdown.
I sat in the corner, holding a cup of suspiciously warm coffee, silently observing this "high-end bickering convention."
"You operatives of the Bureau acted without authorization, crossing borders and capturing targets! Not only did you violate national sovereignty, you caused the city's reality to overlap with the Nightmare!" a European diplomat slammed his fist on the table, his voice echoing against the hard walls.
The Bureau director, wearing a "I'm a rogue—what are you gonna do?" expression, replied nonchalantly,"Reality overlapping? Please. That's your government secretly running experiments. If we hadn't intervened, you'd all be taking a permanent nap by now."
The room turned instantly frosty.
I muttered under my breath,"If this gets any colder, the next second will probably be a United Nations boxing match."
Beside me, the new ally Erin shot me a sharp glance."Shut up. This is a historic moment."
"Right, the first diplomatic deadlock in history, and I'm witnessing it firsthand. Humanity's regression never looked so glamorous," I shrugged, sipping my coffee.
At the far end of the table, the American representative spoke:"We demand the Bureau fully disclose all research on Nightmare energy, or your existence constitutes a global security threat!"
The director sighed, tossing a document onto the table."You governments have already been using Nightmare energy to train soldiers. Stop pretending to be saints. Don't think we don't know about Project Black Raven."
A low murmur swept through the room. Diplomats paled as if someone had just stripped them naked in public.
I quietly scored the scene in my mind: spectacular. Full marks for a melodramatic live show.
An Eastern European delegate couldn't hold back and shouted,"Is this the Bureau's attitude? We can immediately suspend all your domestic operations!"
The director smirked coldly,"Do as you please. Nightmare won't play nice because of your paperwork. Either cooperate, or wait to die in your own nightmares."
I looked up at these suited "big shots" and suddenly felt they resembled a group of penguins having tea on a volcano, frantically shouting, "Don't get too hot! Don't get too hot!"
The deadlock grew ever more apparent. The conversation shifted from cooperation to accusation, from accusation to threat, and nearly reached the stage of table-slamming and document-throwing.
I mentally noted:"If it actually comes to blows, I'm grabbing the nearest exit first."
Finally, the meeting ended in an absurdly anticlimactic way: no agreements, no collaboration—only mutual suspicion and blame.
As we left the conference room, Erin whispered,"The situation is worse than I expected."
I stretched and yawned,"Worse than expected would be strange. After all, this is a worldview battle between humanity and the Nightmare—contracts aren't going to solve it. But hey, at least the coffee's decent."
Erin rolled her eyes."Can you really maintain this attitude in any situation?"
I smiled."What choice do I have? Either humor, or go insane. I pick the former."
Deep down, I knew—this diplomatic deadlock didn't just signify widening cracks between governments and the Bureau. It also foreshadowed a far larger, far more dangerous conspiracy quietly taking shape in the shadows.