Hao Ren hid in a bunker and watched the activity outside. Although he had yet to see any enemies appear, the sound of gunfire and artillery in the distance made it clear that this was no peaceful place. Staying hidden until he figured out the situation was crucial.
He saw that the surrounding streets were in ruins, with buildings mottled and collapsed. Bullet holes were scattered across the walls and roads, while twisted metal fragments lay piled up at the street corners. Everywhere bore the marks of wartime destruction. The sky was gray and hazy, as if it were about to rain, but the dry, chilly air reminded him that these were not storm clouds, but some kind of persistent high-altitude dust cloud. A breeze swept past, carrying the smell of gunpowder from afar, along with a pungent, strange odor that resembled chemical pollution.
"What's going on? Did the Third World War really start?" Hao Ren muttered as he concentrated and checked the condition of his brain, discovering that he was not dreaming.
"It can't be a dream either..." he muttered to himself. "The details are too complete... Could I have been transported to somewhere in the Dream Plane again?"
After ordinary people sank into dreams, it was difficult for them to recognize their situation, because the brain would naturally process every detail in the dream and deceive itself into constructing the required sensations. However, Hao Ren had undergone physical modification and had specifically trained his mental strength. He could remain lucid in dreams, distinguish reality from extreme sleep, and even resist various powerful illusions to a certain extent. Yet even after confirming that he was in reality, Hao Ren was still puzzled. He felt that he might have entered the Dream Plane again, but this time, an indescribable sense