Insomnia

Are you sure? You're not just confused from sleeping?

If he were just a detective, the Needle Stab and Snake Pupil would basically confirm that he was driven mad by his Obsession Item. But if even Qing Jin, a veteran Dream Guardian, says so, then it's a completely different story.

As for the two's confirmatory questions, looking at the detective standing to the side with an expression that seemed to say, "Quickly come up with a matching pair to crush him," Qing Jin nodded and said:

"I did see it. Actually, it's still a bit early. Wait a little longer, until the excitement wears off and those ordinary people fall asleep. You should be able to get information from them then."

"Yes, yes, and ordinary people too. With such a large-scale operation, there must have been quite a few ordinary people who witnessed it!" The detective, seemingly frustrated from being suspected earlier, immediately repeated himself like a broken record.

Snake Pupil and Needle Stab Thorn exchanged a glance, and after a brief silence, Needle Stab Thorn spoke:

"Could it be that someone has brought their Obsession Item into reality?"

"The Obsession Item' has been around for more than a year or two, and so far we haven't had any way to take Obsession Item out. Moreover, even if we could take Obsession Item out, I don't think its Obsession Item characteristics fit the scenario of being struck by lightning Sword Flight."

The Qing Jin spoke with maturity and composure, while the detective was more direct:

"If there's even Dream World, then it's not surprising that there's a cultivator or something like that, is it?"

"That's strange." Needle Stab shook his head and explained to the newcomer who had only been in the industry for a few years:

"So far, all extraordinary abilities have been confined to dreams. The root cause is fate. In reality, everything is predetermined, even technology is completely locked down."

"You may not understand what this means, but let me put it this way: according to the intelligence gathered from various laboratories last year, the alloy formula that the Dream World had researched twenty years ago is still completely unknown in reality."

"It's not that there's no theoretical basis, but that so far, all the experiments have just happened to bypass the correct path that we know, and may even have bypassed the correct path that we don't yet know. Even the kind of exhaustive trial and error method will miss some things or simply fail to complete the task due to various reasons or unexpected events."

Even if you don't understand the technology, you should have heard that Material Science requires a lot of luck. In the Real World, Material Science can no longer be attributed to bad luck; it can only be described as 'fate'.

"In other words, given that even technology is locked down, why do you think systems like cultivation can be free from being locked down?"

Hearing Needle Stab's words, the detective was speechless for a moment. Qing Jin for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"Not necessarily. After all, in the various literature about cultivation and immortality that circulates in our reality, there are descriptions similar to defying the heavens. In the oldest novels, there are even 'fates' that are so precise that they can determine who will get each treasure when it appears."

"Are you talking about that unfinished book?" The detective had heard of the book, but because it was unfinished and because of its oppressive worldview, he had never read it.

Qing Jin nodded in agreement and responded:

"Because of the concept of Fated Death, there has been no research on this topic. In fact, many senior scholars believed that the author of that book was actually a Dream Guardian, using terms like Heavenly Dao, Destiny, and Magic Treasure from cultivation to represent various imagery in the Dream World. However, it was later confirmed that the author could not remember the events of the dream upon waking, thus refuting this view."

"But what if it's true? Is there really a way to retain memories of dreams after waking up? Is there really a way to defy fate through cultivation?" the detective asked tentatively, to which Needle Stab only responded with indifferent words:

"There are no 'what ifs,' because if you assume it really exists, you'll find many inexplicable loopholes. For example, why is modern technology still locked down even though there's dream technology as a guiding principle?"

"What if it's a constraint imposed by fate? Or perhaps one must avoid the gaze of fate and not reveal anything?" The detective tried to find a plausible explanation, but was interrupted by Needle Stab's raised hand:

"Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily. If every assumption must be explained by a new assumption, then even the most absurd impossibilities can become taken for granted."

"We don't need to pay too much attention to this matter." Qingjin, who had witnessed someone undergoing Qing Jin, suppressed the slight unease in his heart and offered a rather bland solution:

"Many people have seen this, and there will definitely be new developments. Both the Dream World and the Real World should react accordingly. Let's just wait and see."

The conversation ended there, and even the most agitated detective calmed down. But as time went on, they suddenly realized that something seemed amiss.

Because today, this small town seems a little too quiet.

"What's going on? Is it a problem with your sense of time?" Snake Pupil immediately thought of a common occurrence in the Dream World. The detective reached for the alarm clock on the table and said:

"Although there was indeed a slight imbalance, it only lasted for about ten minutes. In reality, it should be past midnight by now, and normally there should be a large-scale rollout at this time."

"I'll contact the branch and ask." Needle Stab immediately stood up, pulled out a phone, and began communicating with the branch in the provincial capital. A moment later, he returned to the Living Room with a strange expression and said:

"There's no problem in the provincial capital; it seems like the only issue is here."

"Could it be that cultivator from before?" The detective frowned, his initial excitement beginning to be replaced by a faint fear.

Qing Jin for a moment before saying:

"I'm going back to reality."

"I'll go," the detective said, raising his hand to stop Qing Jin.

"I live in a busy downtown area, so I can get information about the surrounding area more quickly. Also, I'm the type who wakes up in the middle of the night and walks around for a bit before going back to sleep. If it were you, you might just turn over and go back to sleep, right?"

Hearing the detective's words, Qing Jin fell silent for a moment. After all, it was a fact that one couldn't remember things from a dream after waking up. He nodded, and the detective immediately lay back on the sofa and quickly fell into a deep sleep...

"Tsk... I only slept for less than three hours? Is it because I slept for too long before?" The detective, returning from his dream, glanced at the clock on the wall above his bed, sat up with a slight puzzlement, but since he was already awake, he habitually put on his slippers, went to the Living Room, poured himself a glass of hot water, and then stared blankly at the night view outside.

To his surprise, this small town, which had little nightlife, was unusually vibrant at 2 a. m. The lights outside the window and the occasional noise from downstairs seemed to indicate that no one wanted to sleep tonight.

It's hot and I'm sleepy, so I'll only write one chapter today.