Chi Shu didn’t stay in the room for long; after getting the information he wanted, he quickly left. The bloodshot eyes and the dark shadows beneath them were impossible to conceal, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding. At least, when he left, aside from the bloodshot eyes and dark circles, there was a new kind of fiery brilliance in his eyes.
Once Chi Shu left, only Mo Yang, Wan Mei, and Song Kefeng remained in the room. The man whose neck Wan Mei had slashed had long been taken away by others from the research institute. Of course, while Wan Mei could have easily ended his life with a single stroke, having an additional research subject wasn’t a bad idea. She was quite interested in the mind of this man completely controlled by the leader of the dream world.
Song Kefeng had been silent since entering the room, as if he were a motionless figure inside a house.
It wasn’t until Mo Yang gave him a look that seemed to say, ‘Are you out of your mind standing here without saying anything?’ that Song Kefeng, as if under immense psychological pressure, finally uttered a sentence.
“You’re the one who’s been relaying messages to the country, right?”
Upon hearing this, Mo Yang narrowed his eyes, then slowly, somewhat arrogantly, smirked: “Ah… of course, it’s me. Or was it you? If we had to rely on you to relay messages, I might as well join Wan Mei and jump into a river to maintain our innocence.”
Song Kefeng froze instantly, wearing a profoundly complex and conflicted expression on his face. His mood grew even more somber. It was like having one’s favorite food mixed with their most detested dish and served before them, or realizing that their most liked food was made from their least favorite ingredient. That feeling of extreme discomfort combined with a reluctance to let go was indescribable.
Had Song Kefeng not been involved in the dream world, he wouldn’t have been this shaken facing Mo Yang. When he discovered that Mo Yang, much like himself, had been doing everything in his power to resist the invasion of the dream world, the impact he felt was beyond words.
When Mo Yang, in the world engulfed by Heavenly Fire, suddenly spoke those words, Song Kefeng had to admit that, in that instant, he felt both admiration and pride. Whatever this man might have done before, everything he had done during the invasion of the dream world was entirely deserving of others’ admiration and pride. Without him, perhaps everything would have been different.
Song Kefeng stood there stiffly, attempting several times to praise or express concern for Mo Yang as a comrade or companion. Yet, he found himself unable to open his mouth.
It wasn’t until Mo Yang had enough of Song Kefeng’s agonizing expression that he burst into laughter: “Hey, old dog, are you idle? The world still needs you to lead everyone to salvation. What are you wasting your time here for? Or do you have something to say to me? Ah, are you planning to throw me into prison? Old dog, can’t you be kinder? I just shed blood for the country, nearly turned into an idiot, and still thought about relaying messages. I almost got blown up just now. You should at least arrange probation for me, right?”
Song Kefeng just stared straight at Mo Yang without speaking. Mo Yang, looking at his expression, twitched his lips: “Are you really going to arrest me? I advise you not to be so stubborn. My boyfriend is right here; you might end up dissected. Life’s short, old dog. We’re comrades from several worlds within the dream world. Can’t you be less stubborn?”
Song Kefeng glanced at Wan Mei, who seemed to be browsing through research report materials nearby. Despite the experience of almost being dissected by Wan Mei earlier, Song Kefeng feared nothing. He had lived for more than thirty years, and the only person who could make him so conflicted and hesitant was this man in front of him. However, he suddenly smiled.
“You’re right, life’s short. Being overly concerned about something leads to losing more important things. So, I’ve made up my mind.”
Mo Yang exclaimed but couldn’t hold back a chuckle. Before he could articulate any thoughts, the old dog who had just praised him as a friend and comrade spoke again.
“I, Song Kefeng, hereby acknowledge you as a friend and comrade!! You’re an extraordinary person.”
Mo Yang let out an ‘Ah’ sound, unable to contain laughter. But before he could respond, the old dog, who had just praised him as a friend and comrade, continued.
“So, let’s team up to overturn the dream world. If we both unfortunately sacrifice ourselves in that final battle, we’ll be friends in the next life. But if we both survive, I’ll proactively apply above to reduce your sentence and then accompany you in prison! Trust me, with your significant meritorious service, you’ll only have to spend a maximum of five years in jail!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Mo Yang’s smile froze on his lips, feeling terrible at the moment. He flashed an overly touched fake smile at Song Kefeng and firmly declined, “Goodbye, the door is right there, please close it from the outside.”
Song Kefeng burst into laughter, finally finding the right attitude to face Mo Yang. He admired Mo Yang’s character, appreciated his courage, and was proud that they could fight side by side. But mistakes, no matter how small, were still mistakes, and one must admit them and face the consequences. Even if the punishment might become insignificant after this incident.
However, Song Kefeng felt that this way, he wouldn’t be betraying his own heart and beliefs.
Hmm, when they end up in prison together, he could tell this cunning fellow Mo Yang about his days as an undercover agent in prison.
Mo Yang watched as Song Kefeng, seeming relaxed yet spirited, left the room and turned to his boyfriend with a puzzled look, “Do you think he’s gone mad?”
Wan Mei lifted his head amiably and asked him with utmost tenderness, “Should I dissect him, Ah-Yang? Don’t worry, I’ll make him disappear without a trace.” To be honest, from the very beginning, Wan Mei had quite disliked him. To someone like Song Kefeng, who blatantly disregarded the principles of the law, he was the complete opposite. He lived in a world of rules, and clear distinctions between right and wrong.
Mo Yang sighed, “…Forget it, let’s find a chance to rough him up a bit. That’s my last bit of kindness for this old dog.”
Saying so, even he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Not only had Song Kefeng never imagined that one day he would consider a fugitive he chased as a friend and brother, but even Mo Yang himself had never thought he would become mutually acknowledged friends with someone like Song Kefeng.
The dream world didn’t only bring death, anger, fear, and plunder. In its senseless chaos, people who had no connection before became tangled threads in this mess.
And now, this tangled mess was working hard to entwine each other, forming a force to strangle their enemies.
“Just one month left, do you have any good suggestions? If not, I’m off to play the role of a crime-fighting Batman,” Mo Yang joked to Wan Mei. He hadn’t walked this world seriously, without any psychological burden, for a long time. Truthfully, he didn’t even know if he would survive that final battle, so he somewhat wanted to take one last look at the world he lived in, even if it was facing death.
Wan Mei’s deep, pitch-black eyes gazed directly at him.
He straightforwardly dismissed Mo Yang’s idea.
“Didn’t Batman just leave? He’s leading a group of Batmans. You’re not needed.”
“There’s nothing appealing in the world now. It’s filled with crazed, destructive people who’d even eat a blade of grass if they could. There are heaps of brain-dead animals on the streets, left unattended, rotting under the sun. You won’t feel any nostalgia or beauty when you see it; you might even want to die voluntarily.”
Mo Yang’s eyelids twitched. He was about to retort when he saw his usually expressionless boyfriend flash a smug yet dangerous smile, saying, “So, come experiment with me. Let’s research a world-ending weapon.”
Mo Yang: “…” For some reason, he felt that his boyfriend’s expression was quite excited, as if the Dark Lord had finally found an opportunity to study the end of the world.
Heh, that must be an illusion!
One month’s time is short.
It’s short enough for Mo Yang to witness Wan Mei’s most fervent research state for the first time. In this month, he and a group of research veterans averaging over sixty years old barely slept for more than three hours a day. Wan Mei even went without sleep for seven consecutive days, only quietly sitting to rest at the most exhausted times until Mo Yang couldn’t bear it anymore and pressed him into bed to make him sleep.
Yet, one month’s time is long.
The day after the conclusion of the ‘Descent of the Heavenly Fire’ game, Zheng Zhiqiang’s father, Zheng Zhiqiang, stormed into the house with bloodshot eyes.
By then, Zheng Zhe, as a player in the Dream World, had already received the mandatory command from the Guide, requiring him to provide sufficient energy to the Guide every day. Otherwise, the Guide would start actively absorbing the host’s body energy until the host died.
He wasn’t sure if all Dream World players had received this command, but just in case, he earnestly informed his mother about it, advising her not to go out. It was at this moment that Zheng Zhiqiang burst in.
At the sight of Zheng Zhiqiang, Zheng Zhe knew that the mandate forcing hosts to provide enough energy wasn’t meant for him alone. Every one of the ten million or more players in the Dream World had received such a mandatory order. He immediately stood up to shield his mother, and as he moved, his mother spoke up.
“Why have you come back? Haven’t you already left this house?! What are you trying to do in this state?! You—”
Before Zheng Zhe’s mother could finish her sentence, Zheng Zhiqiang roared and lunged towards them. His first target wasn’t her; her life energy and mental strength were quite low. Solely in terms of life energy, she might not even match that of a healthy cow. But Zheng Zhe was different. Though his constitution was fragile due to chronic illnesses, his mental strength surpassed the vast majority of players and humans.
This was what Zheng Zhiqiang’s Guide had told him.
When Zheng Zhiqiang dared not roam the streets to forcibly seize various foods and feared his life energy being absorbed by the Guide, the Guide whispered to him incessantly like a demon, telling him that his son had also entered the Dream World. His mental strength was incredibly strong, and if Zheng Zhiqiang devoured his son’s mental strength, it would be sufficient to sustain him for a day.
Afterward, he could keep him, absorbing his mental strength every day. Let him do things Zheng Zhiqiang didn’t want to do, let him compete for energy with those crazy players on the streets. He’s your son, your own flesh and blood; he wouldn’t resist you. What could be better and more convenient than obtaining energy from him?
Zheng Zhiqiang was almost instantly convinced without any hesitation. He rushed from his lover’s home toward his own. However, on the way, he encountered several extremely ruthless players with high mental and physical strength, who devoured his mental and life energy, just as he intended to absorb his son’s mental strength. By the time he reached his own doorstep, he felt the extreme fear of his rapid weakening.
Therefore, his eyes turned bloodshot as he directly gripped Zheng Zhe’s neck with both hands.
“Don’t resist! Don’t resist me!! Let me absorb some of your mental strength! Don’t worry, I won’t devour all of it. I’ll only consume half, not three-quarters of your mental strength. After I’ve absorbed it, you can still use other methods to replenish your energy! Don’t struggle! Why are you struggling?! I’m your father! If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even exist right now! I raised you, and you can’t even spare me some of your mental strength?! I’ve told you not to resist!!”
As Zheng Zhiqiang angrily shouted these final words, Zheng Zhe, who had been choked to the point of turning purple, almost fainting, suddenly emitted an intensely cold light from his eyes. His own mental strength condensed into the sharpest spike, piercing viciously into his father’s brain. Simultaneously, unable to tolerate her husband’s insane behavior any longer, Zheng Zhe’s mother shouted and directly slammed a chair onto Zheng Zhiqiang’s entire back.
Whether the chair was too heavy or the attack on his brain was too painful, Zheng Zhiqiang’s eyes widened to their fullest, and then he collapsed to the ground, staring blankly.
Zheng Zhe’s mother froze in place.
Zheng Zhe, too, stared at the fallen figure in a daze. Suddenly, he came to his senses and swiftly crouched down to check Zheng Zhiqiang’s breathing. He exhaled, “Mom! He’s still breathing.”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhe’s mother finally sighed in relief and then sat heavily on the ground. Her eyes were teary, yet there was no trace of sorrow. She said to her son, “Call his lover and ask that woman to come get him.”
Zheng Zhe remained silent, and after a while, he said, “Mom, let’s go to the shelter? The one the country announced on the news a month ago, for Dream World players.”
Zheng’s mother looked surprised. “Why? Weren’t you concerned before that it’s under surveillance and unsafe? The country might even conduct experiments on you.”
Zheng Zhe thought of the man in the game wearing a white coat, expressionless, dissecting other players.
“…A month ago, I didn’t know how the country would choose. I desired freedom more than being monitored. But staying at home now will lead to more people like my father breaking in and attempting to harm us. In the shelter, even if it’s not free from surveillance, at least we’ll be safe from the chaos, and, both you and I will be secure.”
Zheng Zhe’s mother silently observed her son for a moment, then glanced at her husband, who lay on the ground with a ghastly expression.
Finally, without saying a word, she rushed into the house to pack.
Zheng Zhe thought that reaching the designated shelter wouldn’t be too difficult, but he hadn’t expected that it would take him and his mother a full week to get there.
During that week, they encountered attacks by other Dream World players more than ten times. Three times, they were severely injured, almost dying, forcing his mother to hide them in various places. There were no people on the road anymore; occasionally, they’d come across many dead cats and dogs, withered trees and plants, and sometimes even the corpses of people with no visible wounds but a terrified expression.
Even soldiers walking on the roads could be attacked by invisible mental forces. Therefore, the country only stationed heavy guards in the designated military shelter areas; other places couldn’t be looked after. Due to insufficient energy supply, Zheng Zhe rapidly lost weight during that week.
Although he was extremely repulsed and nauseated, he absorbed the life force of small animals, including cats, dogs, and mice, that his mother brought back. In just a week, the world he was once familiar with had completely changed. The once thriving landscape had vanished, replaced by chaos, disorder, and the looming signs of death.
After cautiously evading and hiding for seven days, he and his mother finally barely arrived at the shelter in the western suburbs.
The moment Zheng Zhe saw the group of armed soldiers standing outside the shelter gates, he finally couldn’t hold on any longer and passed out. He thought this had been the most difficult and longest road he had ever traveled.
When he woke up again, he received an invitation to join the military.
Considering the hellish world outside, without hesitation, Zheng Zhe agreed.
He became a temporary soldier, doing what soldiers do, until the evening of May 27th.
I’m so glad Zheng Zhe survived 😨
the poor animals🥺
shit really hit the fan huhdeath to the mother planet! (¿)