Chapter 755: The Dream Master

Lin Dongxue said, “Chen Fengde couldn’t have seen that little girl. She’s not even ten years old. Kids change a lot, and this soap carving looks like her current self. He shouldn’t know what she looks like now.”

Chen Shi responded, “That’s common sense. But since this thing is in front of us, we should consider what connection they might have… Of course, maybe the soap carving isn’t of her, but someone else, like her mother.”

“Miss Gu, has he mentioned the Dream Master to you?” Lin Dongxue asked.

Gu You replied, “He mentioned it once. He spoke with great respect, like talking about a deity. He said the Dream Master lives in other people’s dreams. Usually, people wake up from their dreams, so the Dream Master constantly has to change ‘places.’ Therefore, it often stays in the dreams of vegetative patients because they don’t wake up.”

“Why does that sound more like a creature’s habit?” Chen Shi remarked. Seeing Xin Bai taking notes, he asked what he was writing. Xin Bai replied, “Material for my stories!”

After examining Chen Fengde’s belongings, they left. As they walked through the courtyard, Lin Qiupu noticed a guard carrying a metal bucket toward the factory, with some powder leaking from the bottom. He made a mental note and stepped on the powder.

Once out of the prison, Lin Qiupu took off his shoe and asked Lin Dongxue for an evidence bag. He rubbed the powder from his shoe sole with his finger, saying, “Never mind, it’s just cement.”

“Why would they need cement? There didn’t seem to be any repairs needed in the factory,” Lin Dongxue wondered.

Lin Qiupu shook his head.

Back in the city, Xin Bai and Gu You went home, while the others had lunch together. Reflecting on their prison visit, Lin Qiupu commented, “The prison is definitely hiding something. Not a conspiracy, just negligence regarding the escape. These things are hard to investigate. Prisons are very closed-off; once the doors are shut, no one outside knows what’s happening inside.”

“Speaking of closed-off, Chen Fengde is the most closed-off. He can dream anywhere, so there’s no need for him to escape. I think someone coerced him to finish some unfinished business,” Chen Shi said.

“Unfinished business? Do you think he’ll kill again?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“Let’s check the connections between the victims this afternoon.”

Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi visited Lu Ming’s parents. After his death, the loan sharks came to his parents demanding repayment. When they arrived, they saw several debt collectors spraying paint on the door while the elderly couple cowered behind it.

Chen Shi taught the debt collectors a lesson and drove them away.

From Lu Ming’s parents, they gathered some information. Whether it was valuable would depend on connecting it with other clues. Xu Xiaodong was already at the hospital checking records from ten years ago, though finding them was uncertain.

When they left Lu Ming’s parents’ house, it was late. Chen Shi said, “I need to pick up Tao Yueyue. We didn’t buy groceries today. Can you get some braised dishes from Huai’an Road?”

“What’s so great about braised dishes? They all taste like spices. How about crayfish instead?” Lin Dongxue’s mouth watered at the thought of crayfish.

“Those things are unsanitary.”

“It’s fine once in a while. What’s the big deal?”

“Alright, alright. Take my keys and go to my place. Make sure to cook the rice this time and don’t forget to plug in the cooker.”

“Go to hell!” Lin Dongxue shook her fist playfully.

When Chen Shi brought Tao Yueyue home, he saw Gu You and Lin Dongxue chatting in the living room, with a large bag of spicy crayfish on the table. Lin Dongxue seemed uneasy.

Sensing the tension, Tao Yueyue whispered, “I’ll go do my homework.”

“I’ll call you for dinner.”

After Tao Yueyue went to her room, Gu You told Chen Shi, “I told Officer Lin about what we discussed this morning.”

“What thing?” Chen Shi asked.

“The fact that Chen Fengde is my father. There’s no need to keep it secret from Officer Lin. I trust her. Plus, she saw me cry this morning, and I didn’t want her to misunderstand.”

“You’re very considerate.”

Lin Dongxue, clearly shocked by the revelation, said, “Miss Gu, I’m sorry for talking about Chen Fengde in front of you.”

“No, it’s fine. I never call him ‘father’ anyway. I always just used his name.”

“If we catch him, would you want to see him?” Lin Dongxue asked.

Gu You, feeling sorrowful, said, “If possible, that would be best. Don’t worry about my relationship with him. If you need any help, just ask, and I’ll do my best.”

Then, Gu You left. Lin Dongxue, feeling sympathetic, said, “She’s even more unfortunate than me. My parents are just dead, but her father became like this. It must be heavy on her heart.”

Chen Shi was about to respond when he suddenly walked to the bedroom door and yanked it open. Tao Yueyue stumbled out. “I knew you were eavesdropping, little spy!”

“What’s wrong with Sister Gu? I’ll go check on her!” Tao Yueyue said.

“Go ahead… By the way, there’s a lot of crayfish. Take some to her.”

As Tao Yueyue left, she said, “I’ll be back by nine. Enjoy your crayfish.”

“Make it nine-thirty,” Chen Shi replied.

“Got it!”

That evening, after dropping Lin Dongxue home, Chen Shi surfed the internet briefly before going to bed. As he lay down, his mind replayed the various clues from the case.

In his dream, he became Song Lang again, standing in a shabby room with a TV in the center playing “The Ring.” Eerie music flowed from the TV speakers.

“Damn!”

He realized immediately that he was dreaming and thought it would be nice to dream of something else for a change.

On the flickering TV screen, a well appeared, with Sadako’s head emerging. Chen Shi tensed, hoping she wouldn’t crawl out.

But dreams have a way of manifesting your fears, so he turned and ran.

He opened a door and found himself in an interrogation room—not the one at the police station, but the one in the prison.

Two guards sat at a table, one with a cigarette in his mouth. Across from them was Chen Fengde.

Chen Fengde seemed to be looking at Chen Shi, speaking to him: “To you, dreams are just dreams, but to me, dreams and reality have long been indistinguishable. I can wake up from a dream into reality, or wake up from reality into a dream, just like this…”

As he spoke, Chen Fengde disappeared. The two guards were stunned, searching the room, while Chen Fengde’s laughter echoed in the air. “I have awakened. You continue to struggle in the dream, mortals!”