Just Treat It as a Beautiful Dream

[Game Objectives:]

[One Star: Successfully escaped the Old Building of Tenth Middle School, Completed]

[Two Stars: While escaping, uncover what exactly happened at the Old Building of Tenth Middle School, Completed]

[Three Star Hidden Objective: Save those who deserve to be saved, Completed]

[Game Rating: Three Stars]

[Countdown Refreshed: Current Death Countdown—'Fifteen Days', Timer Stopped]

[Ability Gained: Night Cultivation Law (If you can't sleep at night, why not continue cultivating Spiritual Energy (Night cultivation +40%))]

[Bonus Ability Gained: Mental Shock]

[Note: I shall prove that only actions that are noble, kind, and honest will allow one to endure hardship.

—Ludwig van Beethoven]

This game was finally over.

Su Wen saw the final prompt light up on the computer screen:

[Extraordinary Appendage (Painting) has been stored in the Storage Box, available for use at any time]

The Dead Zone existed on the edge of reality and illusion.

Which meant.

That little girl he saved really did leave him a gift in the end.

He took the thin sketch from the Storage Box.

Outside the window.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the late summer trees into the room.

It also shone on the drawing in his hand, covering it with a soft, gently swaying halo in the light breeze.

It felt very warm.

This was a gift worth cherishing.

He decided to act on it immediately.

Su Wen looked at the certificates and letters of commendation framed on the walls of the old house.

In the end, he chose to take down his precious certificate for placing 378th in the 'Round-the-Island Cycling Race'.

After all, there were a total of 380 participants at the time.

Excluding the two unlucky ones who had flat tires.

He won 'champion'.

It was indeed very precious.

It was also after that 'battle' that.

His old bicycle gained a modifier, becoming a dilapidated bicycle.

Su Wen replaced the 378th place certificate with this simple sketch.

He placed it where the sunlight could shine through the window.

Then he leaned against the bed and fell asleep.

Until three hours later.

At 3:30 PM.

The door to his house was gently knocked on by the only young woman who would visit.

Su Wen felt like he had slept very well, as if his soul had been nourished.

He opened the door.

Before he could even speak.

He got his answer.

"You didn't reply to my message, so I came to check on you on the way."

The girl said in a clear, cold voice.

"I've decided on the topic, a force model analysis of the Lighthouse Number Forty-Three storm.

It fits perfectly with the fluid mechanics proposal you did before."

"Not a bad idea.

The problem is, the hurricane season is less than two months away, and you might not encounter a meteorological disaster as terrifying as 'Ewiniar' again."

He replied calmly:

"I'll have to apply to the school for a wind tunnel simulation environment to conduct the model analysis."

"You don't have to worry about that, there's still a large part of the Deep Sea Ruins that hasn't been conquered, so resources will be directed there for now."

"Come in and sit down, I just woke up and haven't tidied up, so it might be a bit messy."

Hearing this, a faint smile appeared in the girl's eyes:

"I already knew because you hadn't replied to my messages."

"Isn't there another possibility, like… a dream I didn't want to wake up from?"

"A nightmare?"

Su Wen shrugged.

After helping the girl brush a fallen leaf from her hair, He smiled gently:

"Never mind, let's just pretend it was a sweet dream."

Five days passed.

Ten o'clock at night.

After the tide had smoothed the white sand, erasing the footprints of the day's travelers, A tranquil moonlit night quietly arrived.

Along the shoreline, barely visible ripples gently lapped at the sand, creating an almost inaudible echo of soft murmurs.

It was as if everything was asleep, Submerged in peaceful dreams.

Three law enforcement officers in neat dark blue uniforms pushed open the glass doors of the Schlote Heavy Industries office area.

During these past few days of investigation, The Mental Review Bureau had confirmed the source of the Lighthouse Number Forty-Three shelter's infrastructure materials.

The vast majority of them came from the exploration machinery that had been destroyed during the Deep Sea Ruins electromagnetic explosion.

After rigorously comparing data from the database, Officer Zhu Yu arrived here under the cover of night.

At first, he was stopped by the security guard at the entrance.

But after showing the Mental Review Bureau's credentials, The process became incredibly easy.

After all, to some extent, the terror of the Mental Review Bureau was comparable to hearing strange noises behind you while walking alone on a deserted road at night.

The middle-aged manager of the BHX District wiped the incessant sweat from his balding head, And immediately connected to Mars-William, the head of the Asia-Pacific region.

On the screen, Bathed in soft, light-yellow lighting, Mars-William was leaning back on a leather sofa.

In front of him was a Victorian-era 'Palm Pavilion' double-layered carved silver platter, From which he occasionally took delicate food, And fed it to a cheetah with Extraordinary Characteristics that he had specially brought from Africa.

Ever since the Einstein-Rosen Bridge warped from Congo to the Tree Realm, It had become somewhat easier for Extraordinary life in the African rainforest to sprout First Order potential.

But even so, Mars-William's actions were enough to prove how wealthy Schlote Heavy Industries was.

"Schlote Heavy Industries is conducting illegal construction operations in violation of Border Regulations ETR-03, and I will report this fact truthfully."

Zhu Yu said calmly:

"It seems that Schlote's recently focused Mars Exploration Project and Lunar Surface Project will need to be reassessed."

"Mr. Interrogator, I think there must be some misunderstanding between us."

Mars-William said with a smile.

He waved his hand.

Detailed personnel charts for the BHX District appeared in the teleconference.

"I had someone investigate the database, and there was indeed an apparent phenomenon of the outgoing allocation of recovery data.

But after checking the identities of the relevant operators and the surveillance footage, all data showed 'blank' exactly within the twenty-four hours that 'Ewiniar' attacked."

"You mean, there is a higher authority erasing evidence in the dark."

Zhu Yu sneered, "Do you really think that after I've read your employee regulations, I'd believe such an incredibly 'coincidental' testimony that just so happens to heavily favor you?"

"I admit, the BHX District recycling center has procedural flaws."

Mars-William took a sip of his coffee, then continued with a smile:

"But at least, the result is good, isn't it?"

At that moment, an investigator standing next to Zhu Yu interrupted:

"The Night Watch has discovered the spread of 'Dead Zone' contamination.

The medium is the [Dreamscape].

But only a momentary ripple appeared within the 'Hecate Lantern'.

After that, no further changes in the shallow Dreamscape were detected. Because of this, the Photon|Cullen Edge Array can only lock onto a general area."

"'Dead Zone' involvement makes this matter more important. Let's go."

He made a decisive decision.

But just before leaving, Zhu Yu calmly glanced at the elegant European gentleman on the other end of the video conference and left one last sentence:

"Mr. William, I'm just here to give a warning.

This matter involves the Abyss Border and the Deep Sea Ruins. A higher-level administration will render the final judgment."

At the same time, accompanied by the dissipation of a very small number of Dreamscape fragments, Lin Xiqing also mistakenly entered a Dreamscape.

At the edge of the Dreamscape, she saw a dilapidated school sign:

[Binhai City Tenth Middle School]