In the nightmare, Shang Qingbei had lost track of how many cycles he had gone through.
Every time he thought he had woken up—whether he bolted out the door or curled up beneath the covers and pretended to sleep—the scene around him would always collapse after a while.
Again and again, he opened his eyes, only to see the exact same ceiling and Xi'er's horrifying face on the bed beside him.
He mechanically ran out the door over and over, repeating the process of encountering the ghost disguised as Qi Si, escaping, and waking up. His fear grew ever more rampant.
[When Zhang Sheng fell into a nightmare, he withered to skin and bones, dazed and unaware of how he had come to be there.]
The strange tale had long foreshadowed how the danger worked, yet it had never told the Players how to solve it...
"Shang Siyuan." When Shang Qingbei woke up yet again, he heard a genderless voice whispering in his ear, speaking his real name.
It had been a long time since he had heard that name in the game... Who was it? Why did it know him?
Shang Qingbei abruptly turned toward the source of the voice, but saw nothing.
"You were meant to slumber forever in an endless dream, but I may be able to help you awaken from this nightmare," the voice murmured temptingly in his ear.
Shang Qingbei asked, "Who are you? You say you want to help me—what price do I have to pay?"
The voice continued as though it had not heard him. "I will offer you help within The Rules. In return, you must do one thing for me."
Two lines of text appeared on the system interface at just the right moment.
``` [Side Quest Updated]
[Side Quest (Optional):