Chapter 750: Dream, Dream, Dream

Chen Shi dashed out of the room in one breath, constantly looking back to check if Sadako was chasing him out of the TV. With a loud bang, he burst through a door, only to find that outside wasn’t “outside” but a huge abandoned warehouse. The air was thick with the smell of blood, and he knew that somewhere ahead lay the corpses of Han Luoxi and Li Mu. This was the starting point of his nightmare.

“Stop this! Stop this!”

Since this was a lucid dream, he thought he might as well end it without any danger by changing the scene. Closing his eyes, he silently chanted for a change.

When he opened his eyes again, he was sitting in a dirty, messy little internet café. His hands were on a yellowed, ash-covered keyboard, and the computer was running Red Alert, his favorite game from his younger days. He had once been addicted to it during times of confusion and loss. Seeing a swarm of bombers attacking his base, he instinctively directed his anti-air units to defend.

After a flurry of commands, his side won the game. Chen Shi was ecstatic, picked up a pack of Hongmei cigarettes on the table, and lit one up. As he reached for it, the entire pack appeared directly in his hand.

Though he had cigarettes, he lacked a lighter. Just then, the person next to him handed him one. Chen Shi lit his cigarette, thanked him, and looked over at the guy. He was an incredibly ordinary man, dressed in an unremarkable white shirt buttoned up neatly, with meticulously combed hair and plain-framed glasses.

The man’s computer was also running Red Alert. He was the one Chen Shi had just beaten.

“I haven’t seen you before,” Chen Shi said.

“You have, but you forgot,” the man replied. “I am a human observer.”

“Observing what?”

“Observing you humans!”

“Haha, you’re funny. Is that what peeping Toms call themselves now?”

“I’ve been observing you for a long time. The evil brewing in this city has surpassed its self-cleansing capabilities. It’s time to take action and break this vicious cycle.”

“By action, you mean killing people?”

“You have to admit, killing is the most effective way to solve most problems in this world.”

Chen Shi suddenly stood up, knocking over the chair behind him with a loud clang. “You’re crazy! I’m a cop. How can you say such things in front of me?”

“Cops can only handle things that have already happened. For things that are about to happen or are happening, you’re as powerless as ordinary people.” The mysterious man lit a cigarette from the pack on the table.

“I’ve heard enough of this self-righteous talk. No one can be above the law, for any reason!”

“Justice in law is a belief to you, so you never dare to question it. Even in your dreams, you unconsciously uphold it… Song Lang, I am not your enemy. I’m not here to persuade you. This is merely a notification. I will take action to correct the evil in this city. You can try to stop me if you can find me.”

He smiled mysteriously, stood up, and left. Chen Shi shouted at his back, “Hey, you took my cigarettes!”

“I’ll return them next time,” the man waved.

Chen Shi thought it was absurd. He sat down, planning to continue playing Red Alert. Playing games in a dream was pretty cool. He’d just play until he woke up and hoped nothing else weird would happen.

At that moment, a window popped up on the screen: “Do you want to experience someone else’s dream? YES/NO”

“Sigh, this damn dream!” Curiosity drove Chen Shi to click YES.

The computer screen turned into a vortex that sucked him in, and then he found himself in front of a familiar door. Inside, he heard a man and woman having a suggestive conversation—

“Do you like this?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Let me try from behind… Ah!”

Driven by curiosity, Chen Shi pushed the door open and saw Xin Bai struggling to move a chest of drawers. His pretty neighbor stood by, watching. Xin Bai, with his thin frame, was sweating profusely from the effort. The neighbor said, “Mr. Bai, if it’s too hard, I’ll call a moving company!”

“No need, no need. Why bother? I can handle this… Hey, go on!” He gave a hard push, and the chest slid a little.

Chen Shi found it amusing and walked over, saying, “Weakling, let me help you!”

He put his hands on the chest of drawers but couldn’t move it at all. He thought to himself, “Damn, is this thing that heavy?”

Then he noticed that neither Xin Bai nor the neighbor seemed aware of his presence. They continued their conversation.

Chen Shi tried to pick up an apple from a plate, but it was as if it were welded in place. He couldn’t pull it up. This was someone else’s dream, and he couldn’t interfere with the physical laws here.

Exhausted, Xin Bai sat down. The neighbor took out a towel to wipe his sweat and asked, “Feeling hot? Want a drink?”

“Cola, please!”

“I don’t have any cola. I’m afraid the baby will get cavities from drinking it. Mr. Bai, aren’t you too old for cola?”

“No, no, I don’t really like it either. Anything is fine.”

Though the conversation was ordinary, the two were constantly exchanging glances, sending out electric waves. Chen Shi thought, “This can’t be real. This is just a dream. This scene definitely didn’t happen in reality.”

At that moment, the window exploded. Yes, it exploded!

A man stepped through the flying shards. It was Xu Guolong, who had imprisoned Xin Bai. He smiled coldly, “Dear writer, did you miss me?”

“Ah, run! I’ll protect you!” Xin Bai bravely shielded the neighbor.

But the neighbor didn’t move. Her face slowly melted like wax, turning into someone else—Lan Xiao, who had bullied Xin Bai as a child.

Lan Xiao put a hand on Xin Bai’s shoulder and grinned, “Hey there, little tuft, I’m back.”

“Ah!”

Xin Bai screamed, pushed open the door, and fled. Chen Shi followed. It wasn’t his choice; his body moved on its own.

He pondered the reason behind this. The perspective of the dream always focused on the dreamer, so he was forced to move along.

They ran into the residential area with the two thugs chasing them, now wielding knives. Looking into the distance, Chen Shi realized there was nothing there, just a void.

As they ran further, even the buildings behind them disappeared.

The stage of the dream always remained within a dozen meters around Xin Bai.

Xin Bai jumped into a bush, trembling with fear. Suddenly, he looked up at Chen Shi, eyes filled with surprise. Chen Shi wasn’t sure if Xin Bai was looking at him or something behind him.

The ground under his feet suddenly started to soften, turning into a quagmire. Both began to sink. Chen Shi had a strong feeling that Xin Bai was about to wake up.

Wait, if this was Xin Bai’s dream, what would happen if he woke up with Chen Shi still inside…