399. Dreamscape

Ruined City at night, in the ruined city, on the streets where the rich and poor meet, the sounds of factories still echo.

After a long silence, there was a dull thud, followed by the sounds of pistons and gears, then a series of faint noises, and finally silence. After a while, the cycle would repeat itself.

Lu Ban thought of trains. When he traveled overnight on a sleeper train, he could hear the noisy and rhythmic sound of the wheels hitting the rails.

He lay on the ground. The blanket that Trist had borrowed wasn't very warm, but fortunately the weather in the Ruined City city wasn't cold. The smoke that permeated the poor areas acted as a greenhouse effect, making the air warm and humid. However, living here for a long time would definitely cause lung-related diseases and severely damage one's health.

After praying past midnight, Xiya fell into a deep sleep, and her snoring could even be heard, which surprised Lu Ban.

It's probably because I ate too much during the day.

Lu Ban temporarily blocked out what he had seen and heard during the day from his mind and closed his eyes.

Trist also fell asleep, lying on the sofa, the soft sofa that had taken on his own shape perfectly supporting his body, allowing Trist to sleep peacefully.

Of course, another reason he was able to sleep peacefully was the pistol he kept under his pillow, which he could take out at any time.

Trist was soon immersed in a dream.

He felt as if he were sitting somewhere.

It was cold, damp, and dark here, with a foul stench that made my skin crawl.

"Wake up."

A voice woke Trist.

He saw that he was sitting in the corner of the alley, unable to use his hands and feet, and next to him was a disheveled girl.

"That's great, I thought you weren't going to wake up."

The girl said, and took out another piece of bread that was a little dirty, but it was clear that it had been wiped clean.

"This is all I could find. I'm sorry, let's eat together."

The girl broke the bread in half and handed the larger half to Trist.

Trist took a bite; it tasted slightly bitter and he couldn't tell it was bread. Even knowing it was a dream, he still felt an urge to vomit.

But the girl ate very seriously, even licking the crumbs off her fingers clean.

"Once you get better, we can go to work together at the factory. I heard they offer free soup there. Aunt Jenny told me to start working in a couple of days. Once I can work, we'll definitely have money to treat your illness."

She spoke with anticipation, her dirty face adorned with eyes that shone with hope.

Trist was momentarily stunned.

"What's wrong? Don't worry, I won't leave you. We'll be together forever."

The girl smiled at Trist.

He felt a little dizzy.

When Trist woke up, he found that it was still dark.

Thump—

The sound of factory machinery could be heard in the distance; when a person is tired enough, even such noise can become a lullaby to help them fall asleep.

Trist felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was pressing down on it. He tried to move, but found himself unable to move.

Twisting his neck and looking down, Trist saw the Big Orange Cat lying on his chest, its heavy body curled up in a ball, fast asleep.

"Go!"

Trist patted the Big Orange Cat's butt, and the cat only twitched its ears, showing no intention of moving.

Only after he sat up did the orange cat, having lost its soft paw pads, jump down and disappear somewhere else.

Trist licked his lips, the bitter taste of the bread seemingly lingering in his mouth. He felt as if he had become that guy slumped in the dark alley, waiting for his companions to come to his rescue.

That feeling of powerlessness made Trist clench his fists tightly.

He saw that Xiya and Lu Ban were both asleep, and a few blades of grass were still growing out of Lu Ban's hair, bathed in moonlight.

Trist picked up the homemade wine and gulped it down.

He only realized what was happening after he sobered up from the alcohol.

What did I just dream about?

Trist did not have such an experience. Compared to the current Ruined City, his upbringing was actually quite good. This was clearly not a dream created from his own memories.

What is this?

Trist knew that in foreign lands, sometimes it wasn't people who pursued knowledge, but rather knowledge that pursued people.

The dream I just had might have been caused by some tainted knowledge getting into my head.

"Is this related to this case?"

Trist decided to wait until his two teammates woke up before discussing the matter.

He drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, sat for a while, and when the effects of the alcohol took hold and his consciousness became blurred, he lay down again.

This time, Trist slept soundly until dawn, undisturbed by anyone.

Early in the morning, the Ruined City had already awakened.

The sounds of the factory echoed through the streets, and newspaper deliverymen rode their dilapidated bicycles through the alleys, making a jingling sound.

Trist got up and rubbed his head, which was throbbing from falling asleep drunk. He saw that Lu Ban and Xiya were already up. Lu Ban seemed to be making breakfast, while Xiya was staring at the Big Orange Cat, Motionless at all.

I had a strange dream last night.

Trist recounted what he had seen.

Do you remember what that girl looked like?

"Xiya asked."

"I do remember, but her face was very dirty back then, so I might not recognize her even if I saw her."

Trist shook his head.

"This is not a dream."

Lu Ban said something else.

"I've read some books about dreams and psychoanalysis. Dreams generally don't have such specific visual images. A lot of information isn't actually conveyed to you through visual images. What you just said, Old Cui, is like the scene that the sick person saw. It's possible that a memory was directly injected into your head."

". really."

Trist closed his eyes, and the scene from the dream appeared vividly before him, even clearer than his own memories—something no ordinary dream could achieve.

"Based on what you said you felt yesterday, you might already be being targeted by the murderer."

Lu Ban said earnestly.

"Don't scare people."

Trist chuckled dryly twice.

"No, this is no joke. If you are really being targeted by the killer, it's actually a good thing for our mission. We just need to wait for them to come to us."

Xiya also looked very serious.

"Don't say that. What if he comes to my door and forces me to bloom flowers? What if you can't stop him?"

Trist waved his hand.

"Then I'll bring you some delicious food on the anniversary of your death."

Lu Ban solemnly assured him.

"I don't want you to do that! Go find the murderer!"

Trist slammed her hand on the table.

"However, there is also a possibility that you and the murderer became connected for some reason, and he involuntarily transferred a part of his memories to you."

Xiya attempted to analyze it.

Lu Ban's expression suddenly turned serious, making Trist's eyelids twitch.

Immediately, Lu Ban reached out and gently brushed aside the hair on Trist's forehead.

Trist didn't know what Lu Ban was going to do, and dared not move, so he could only let Lu Ban examine him carefully.

Lu Ban stared for a long time before moving away and sighing.

"What's wrong?"

"Trist asked cautiously."

"I was just looking for a lightning bolt-shaped scar."

"?"

Trist was puzzled.

Thank you to "Wolf Turns Back" for the 100-coin reward!