Bella suddenly had an epiphany—everything became clear!
Elm Street. This place was fairly well-known. It was home to the demon who could kill people in their dreams—Freddy.
Freddy really wasn't all that formidable. When he was alive, he was a scumbag who abused children and documented his crimes. After death, he could only bully a few women and children in dreams—truly scum of the scum.
"You've got a lead? Did this town produce some famous figure in your line of work? Tell me about it?"
Natasha hadn't yet reached the level of the future Black Widow, but her ability to read people was indeed outstanding. Coupled with the mutual understanding between the two, she had roughly seen through Bella's thoughts.
"Are you a mind reader? Don't ask what you shouldn't ask." Bella curled her lips, neither admitting nor denying.
She was simply pondering Freddy's abilities.
When this guy had 'killed' the big vampire Emmett, he could only create illusions, making Emmett stab himself to death.
But when it came to killing Amanda, his attacks could extend from the dream world into reality. The massive wound from throat to lower abdomen was clear proof—this guy was growing stronger at a rapid pace.
Against this kind of enemy, firearms were useless. Raw strength, speed, and endurance were also useless. Magic was the key.
"Let's go to Amanda's house and take a look."
Bella didn't use time retrospection at Amanda's house, because she detected a faint sulfur smell indoors. This further confirmed her suspicion: Freddy's powers were transforming from the dream world into the real one.
Amanda was unquestionably dead beyond doubt, but Emmett could still be saved.
Bella took out her phone and called the Cullen family in Canada, telling them to hurry over and take away the vampire who had traveled a thousand miles just to deliver himself to death.
Otherwise, if this guy suddenly crawled out of his grave in a day or two, she was afraid he'd scare the townsfolk to death.
The one who answered was Edward Cullen—the lover of the original Bella. Hearing that Emmett was in trouble, he was genuinely startled and said he would immediately rush over to Oregon.
Though they seemed to be in different countries, the straight-line distance wasn't far at all. North of Oregon was Washington State—Bella's former "newbie village"—and north of Washington was Canada.
It looked like the Cullen family had gone abroad, but in reality, they had merely crossed the border.
Bella began preparing for battle, and Natasha didn't intend to let herself be idle either.
"Listen to me. This guy has a pattern when he kills. Find someone who shares similarities with Emmett and Amanda—that person will be the next victim."
"A killing pattern, huh? Following you really is exciting. I'll go look for clues!" Natasha's words made Bella's face darken.
"What do you mean, following me is exciting? That's clearly a problem with your constitution. Let me tell you, the people I met in New York last month were all refined types! Nothing happened at all…"
"Alright, alright, I get it—I was wrong! I'll go investigate the clues!"
Natasha waved her hand. In truth, she felt a bit guilty herself. The whole incident seemed—probably, maybe—to have been brought about by her. If she hadn't joked about a 'naked woman,' the two of them might already be in Portland by now.
Edward Cullen arrived very quickly. While Bella was meditating and sharpening her skills before battle, he drove a Volvo C30 into town.
His sense of smell was extremely sharp, and he had plenty of strength as well. He wielded the shovel with speed and proficiency, no worse than the Winchester father and son. It didn't take long for him to dig up Emmett Cullen's 'corpse' along with the coffin.
After loading the 'corpse' into the car and properly handling all traces left at the scene, Edward Cullen finally asked:
"What's going on? Do you need my help?"
Bella shook her head in refusal.
Freddy was definitely a demon-type enemy. Demons excelled at manipulating the mind, while vampires lacked souls; when facing mental attacks, they were essentially helpless.
"Hurry back. I'll handle things here."
After sending Edward Cullen away, Natasha also tracked down the crucial lead.
"That big guy and Amanda were classmates. There's still another one of their classmates in town. Coincidentally, it's the girl we saved—Nancy Ingram."
Bella froze for a moment and quickly asked, "Is Nancy still in surgery?"
"I heard the surgery was very successful, but she still hasn't woken up."
"That's bad!"
Bella grabbed Natasha and rushed to the town hospital. Using their FBI credentials, they secured a bed in Nancy's ward, officially claiming it was to protect a victim from the Shark Beach incident.
…
Nancy Ingram was gripped by terror. Most of her memories were still stuck at the moment when she was frantically attacked by a great white shark, then left lying on the reef waiting for rescue.
She vaguely remembered that two women had saved her. One of them beat the great white shark until it howled, and the other seemed to have a gun.
Operating tables, shadowless lamps, and all kinds of instruments flashed before her eyes. She worried only about her leg—if she lost it, would she still have a future?
Her consciousness drifted through a void, before being engulfed by a silent darkness that concealed indescribable terror.
"One, two, Freddy's coming for you…
Three, four, better lock your door…
Five, six, grab your bedsheets tight…"
A childish nursery rhyme suddenly echoed in her ears. She looked dazed, feeling as though she had been placed in a murky, unknown space, surrounded on all sides by darkness.
Nancy's expression twisted in extreme pain. Her mouth opened wide, yet not a single sound came out.
Relying solely on instinct, she groped forward bit by bit through the darkness.
In a daze, she passed through a veil of mist and seemed to return home. Looking at her collection of CDs and her soft, large bed, she felt utterly exhausted, wanting only to lie down and never wake up again.
"Nancy… stay strong… I'm here… to save you…"
A voice even more ethereal than the nursery rhyme echoed in the room, badly distorted, impossible to tell whether it was male or female. She felt utterly confused—what was she doing? What had happened to her?
Without her physical body, without the brain as a vital organ, fragments of past experiences were scattered and forced into her soul. Chaotic memories slammed into her consciousness. One moment she was attending class at school; the next, she saw the great white shark biting into her leg.
Perhaps the impression left by the shark was too deep. She abandoned the thought of resting on the bed and stumbled toward the outside.
The moment she opened the door, the scene before her eyes changed drastically. Chairs turned into rust-covered pipes, and the once-bright room became dim and gloomy. Water flowed through the pipes, occasionally venting bursts of hot steam.
Realizing how strange and eerie everything was, Nancy screamed wildly, trying to force herself awake.
"Clang, clang—"
From not far away came the sound of metal scraping against pipes.