Chapter 762: Pre-Sleep Exercise

“Have you heard about the strange deaths of people who bullied Han Meng?” Chen Shi asked.

“I know, Gao Lei’s death was really bizarre!” Du Zilin’s agitated mood shifted to a more subdued tone. “I believe Han Meng was a vessel for misfortune. She was too small to contain all the bad luck, so it spilled over to those around her.”

“Isn’t it more likely that it was hatred?” Lin Dongxue interjected. “A girl treated so terribly must have harbored deep resentment.”

“By the way, how did Lu Ming and the others die? Was Han Meng the killer?” Du Zilin asked nervously.

“We’re still investigating,” Chen Shi replied.

“If you need any help, let me know. I don’t want to be killed without understanding why,” Du Zilin said, shivering.

Chen Shi noticed an envelope on the table labeled “Class Reunion Invitation.” He asked if he could take a look, and Du Zilin agreed.

Reading the invitation, Chen Shi raised an eyebrow. “Your middle school classmates are having a reunion the day after tomorrow?”

“Yeah, but I’m not going. Too many people want to kill me. I’m not stepping foot outside,” Du Zilin said.

“Is Han Meng on the guest list?”

“Haha, no way…” Du Zilin took out his phone. “This is our class group chat. Everyone except her is in it.”

Chen Shi glanced at the chat. The old classmates were chatting excitedly about the reunion, unaware of Lu Ming’s murder.

Lin Dongxue pulled Chen Shi aside and whispered, “We can’t let this reunion happen. They could all be targets, and if the killer strikes there, we’ll be in big trouble.”

Chen Shi looked at the chat. “It seems like the class president is organizing it. Let’s find them tomorrow and cancel the reunion.”

“Alright!”

Back in the room, Du Zilin guessed what they were discussing and chuckled, “If Han Meng really shows up at the reunion and starts killing people, let me know. These people just want to show off how great their lives are. What a joke!”

“You think you’re safe here?” Chen Shi asked.

Du Zilin spread his arms wide. “This place is a fortress. I don’t let anyone within ten meters of me. Han Meng can’t kill me, haha!”

“I have to clarify, we don’t have any evidence that Han Meng is the killer.”

“Haha, who else could it be? Just because she was bullied as a child? So what! People who are pitiful must have done something to deserve it!”

“I won’t comment on your values. Can you add me to the group chat?”

“Take my phone. No one contacts me anyway. Return it after you’re done.” Du Zilin waved dismissively. “If there’s nothing else, leave. I have games to play.”

Leaving Du Zilin’s house, the sky had darkened. Chen Shi said, “Come to my place.”

“Dinner at your place again? Let me treat you for a change!” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“No, stay at my place tonight.”

“What? So suddenly. Are you scared someone might break in again?”

“Someone did sneak in last night. It’s pretty unnerving to think about.”

“Didn’t know you could be scared.”

They returned to Chen Shi’s home. After dinner, Tao Yueyue asked, “Should I go to Gu’s place for a while?”

“No need to be so considerate. It’s not like we’re doing anything. Stay here,” Chen Shi said.

“Oh… Looks like you two are past the honeymoon phase,” Tao Yueyue teased.

“Nonsense!”

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Gu You entered. Seeing Lin Dongxue, she smiled and said, “Officer Lin, are you staying here now?”

“No, I have my own place. He just asked me to keep him company,” Lin Dongxue complained.

Gu You had a few old books with her. She spread them out. They were all written by Chen Fengde and of an academic nature, unlikely found in bookstores.

“I reread Chen Fengde’s works today and found a mention of a group that practices controlling dreams. It’s just a brief mention, but I thought it might help you,” Gu You said.

Chen Shi read the short article at the back of one book titled “Do You Believe Dreams Can Be Shared?”

“In a group dedicated to dream research, members shared their nightly dreams. Two members, subjected to hypnosis together, had the same dream. Using the hypnotist as a medium, they could converse in the dream and recall it upon waking. As the experiments progressed, they could communicate directly in dreams without hypnosis. Communication has a medium. The author believes that human unconsciousness is interconnected and, with training, everyone could communicate in dreams…”

Chen Shi looked at the cover. “This book was self-published?”

“It was originally a paper. The academy found it too subjective to publish, so Chen Fengde paid to print a thousand copies himself,” Gu You explained.

“Can hypnosis really control someone’s dreams?”

“Easily. Dreams protect sleep by transforming stimuli into non-disruptive dreams. If you hear someone shout ‘fire’ while asleep, your brain processes it into a dream so you can keep sleeping,” Gu You explained.

“Haha, that’s an extreme example,” Lin Dongxue laughed.

Gu You said, “Officer Lin, you could try a sleep aid device, like an earphone playing soothing music to help you dream.”

“No, my sleep is fine,” Lin Dongxue replied.

Chen Shi asked, “Can someone stay in a dream for three days? I mean, one night of sleep feeling like three days in the dream.”

“Theoretically, the brain works faster during dreams, making dream time longer than real time. But this has limits unless external forces enhance neural connections.”

“What kind of external forces… Oh, I get it, stimulants!”

“Exactly. Or, like Chen Fengde, through extensive dream training… Dreams and drugs are cheap ways to transcend reality. These illusions can trap people, making them escape from life,” Gu You sighed.

Chen Shi abruptly stood up and inspected his pillow and blanket. Recently plagued by strange dreams, he feared someone had tampered with them.

Finding nothing, he returned and asked Gu You, “Do you have any sleeping pills? I’ve been having nightmares and feel drained.”

“I’m just a counselor, no prescription authority or drugs. I suggest doing some exercise before bed for better sleep.”

“Gu You, that’s dirty!” Lin Dongxue laughed.

“I meant regular exercise. What did Officer Lin think I meant?” Gu You smiled.

“I… I thought you meant regular exercise too,” Lin Dongxue said, blushing.