Sweet Dream (1)

When she saw the two weathered-looking elderly people in their sixties, Zheng Wuyou silently cursed, "What a rotten dream, screw this!"

To be honest, most of the old people here only had one ending...

"This is inhumane, they've tied up the elderly!"

Although the man in the checkered pattern didn't specify who he was talking about, his gaze was fixed on Yuan Ling next door.

"..."

"That's enough respect for you, your current task is to grow a brain."

Yuan Ling, who was about to engage in a verbal battle with the scholars, had her rhythm interrupted by the youth with the lip piercing, who was trying to probe the substance beneath the raft.

He had, at some point, reclined on the raft, legs crossed, letting it sway back and forth.

"Grandma, I've only participated once before you, so I don't know the specifics of this situation. I have a sofa here, and the raft isn't far. Why don't you and Grandpa come over and sit?"

Displaying her limited politeness, Zheng Wuyou stood up with a smile, intending to offer her sofa to the two white-haired elders opposite them.

To her surprise, the two elders waved their hands, refusing her kind offer.

The grandfather, dressed in a loose silver Tai Chi uniform, stroked his short beard and said with a solemn expression, "We heard the young lady say this should be your reward. Don't worry about us, I lead the Wu Family Class every day, we're as tough as can be."

This statement drew the attention of everyone present, all eyes turning to the solemn old man.

The Wu Family Class...

Zheng Wuyou realized she might have underestimated the old man...

"Then what was this re-examination you just mentioned?"

The old woman gently nudged her husband beside her and said helplessly, "This old man doesn't listen to advice. He got into a fight with that young man a few days ago and pulled something."

Knowing she had jumped to conclusions, Zheng Wuyou stood on the raft, scratching her head sheepishly, preparing to tell the old man next to her about yesterday's precautions.

Just then, another raft slowly drifted out from where they had just emerged.

It once again attracted everyone's attention.

And on it sat someone Zheng Wuyou knew, yet didn't quite know.

It was Miao Laisheng's friend...

Ben Yu, the artist.

Following him, another raft floated over, carrying a man with no hair on his head, smooth like a boiled egg.

This man had dark, shiny skin, either from soaking by the sea year-round or definitely being a sports enthusiast.

"Welcome, Dream Experience Officers. I am an NPC from the Countdown Nightmare. As the name suggests, Countdown Nightmare..."

It seemed this NPC's dialogue was automatically triggered once everyone arrived.

Listening to the unchanging NPC introduction, Zheng Wuyou couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.

At least, based on what was happening now, things were unfolding step by step according to last night's progression.

But why was Ben Yu assigned to her group?

Where had Yun Ting, Wushen, and... Miao Laisheng been assigned?

Yuan Ling looked at Ben Yu, who had floated out of the void, with disbelief and a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Seeing that not all the familiar faces were present, a question arose in her heart.

If they truly abided by the agreement in the suite, choosing the same option despite being in different voids, what would be the outcome?

Would it mean they would meet in the same dream?

Or would it be like the zoned servers in a game, where even if they were in the same dream, they would be separated into different "rooms,"

unable to truly see each other?

This question plunged Yuan Ling into thought.

It was like a game's setting, and she combined it with the games she had played to deduce various possibilities.

"Please choose your dream shard."

This time, it seemed that because Yuan Ling had warned them beforehand the moment she entered the dream, no one questioned the so-called NPC or the bizarre scene.

There was also no NPC present.

Something seemed different.

The NPC's set speech was like a listening comprehension test, proceeding step by step.

Until the last sentence.

"Considering compatibility, the Nightmare has assigned the first batch of senior experience officers to the teams. Please, first batch of dream experience officers, enter the dream and state your situation truthfully."

The last four words were like bolded text in a document, the NPC tossed them out.

Each word pressed down on Zheng Wuyou's heart...

Damn!

These few sentences clearly tell everyone.

Whatever happened to you inside, it's not the fault of any high-level player for not telling you!

Ben Yu also understood the meaning of these words, shook his head, and looked meaningfully at the ostentatious sofa.

"10..."

"9..."

The countdown appeared as promised...

This time, Zheng Wuyou wouldn't let what happened last time happen again.

She exchanged a look with Yuan Ling and they both pressed their hands towards the second split screen.

Although it was only two seconds, it was enough for her to remember the introduction on the split screen.

This is a beautiful and dreamy world, where anything is possible, a world full of love and dreams.

Then, another dazzling white light split open the split screen in front of her, as if dispelling all the darkness.

It was so bright that everyone couldn't open their eyes.

They were plunged into chaos once more.

Everyone landed on the ground steadily.

That's right, everyone landed on the ground. Zheng Wuyou looked at the hard white chair beneath her butt that had replaced the pink sofa, and mentally cursed a thousand times.

My butt!

This dream didn't mention that we would enter here in our original positions!

Damn it!

The worst off was the youth with lip piercing lying on the bamboo raft. His head hit the floor, which seemed to be inlaid with tiles, with a loud thud.

It also made him let out a pig-like howl.

Zheng Wuyou looked at everyone. At this moment, they were all too preoccupied to care about the environment, and were anxiously rubbing their heavily injured parts.

Only the wavy-haired woman, who had landed on the only bed, kept complaining and tidying her hair, as if her image was always the most important thing.

Zheng Wuyou didn't know where she had ended up this time. The moment she opened her eyes and saw the world clearly, she knew they had left their original world...

All she could see was black and white...

Black lines like sharp blades divided the white space, forming various scenes, including the one they had just entered.

The desk, the cabinet, every object was just lines.

This place was like a messy draft on a drawing board that had been repeatedly erased and redrawn.

It was full of chaos and uncertainty.

The black and white lines intertwined, forming complex and distorted patterns that made one's eyes dizzy.

The shadows on the walls, floor, and ceiling were covered in black lines, as if the entire world was a simple sketch.

Those who entered this place seemed to have been assimilated, rendered in black and white, losing their original colors.

Their once three-dimensional figures were reduced to mere lines representing shadows and human outlines in this black and white world.

Here, facial expressions couldn't be hidden, because the lines would reveal them.

It was as if they had intruded into a realm that did not belong to them.

This stark contrast made Yuan Ling feel a sense of novelty and unease, as if she were in a surreal dream.

Zheng Wuyou frowned speechlessly. In the middle of her brows, formed by brushstrokes, appeared two vertical lines -_-||.

She looked at her left arm, which only had two lines no matter how she turned it.

Isn't this what they call dimensional reduction!

If they had to describe their current state, It would be like they had all turned into stick figures on a white piece of paper...

This dream was completely beyond her scope of understanding. In this stark black and white room, every corner seemed to hide danger.

The others also gradually adapted to the bright light and opened their eyes, only to be so startled by the sight before them that they froze on the spot.

"What the hell, how did I become like this??"

"What is this thing??"

As if seeing that everyone had adapted to the bright light, a lively argument broke out.

Several colorful fonts in different styles gradually appeared on the ceiling, seemingly wanting to join their argument.

Sweet Dream