Rose Scrambled Eggs

Although Xia Libing did not wake up immediately after the dream ended, she also did not sleep until noon the next day as Xiang Kun had hoped; instead, she woke up before dawn.

To be precise, I woke up from hunger.

So, on Xia Libing's suggestion, Xiang Kun looked up some recipes online, then used some of the roses from that box to make a big pot of rose-fried eggs.

Before giving it to Lao Xia, Xiang Kun also tasted a few bites to check the flavor, but didn't swallow it.

Although it was his first time making it, and he didn't make many specific adjustments to the flavor, basically just following the recipe, I must say, it tasted pretty good. It was nice to try something new.

He never imagined that roses could have such a "practical" use; he wouldn't have known that before if it weren't for Lao Xia's suggestion.

However, using roses bought for Valentine's Day to fry eggs is really expensive; one bite costs tens of yuan.

After finishing a large bowl of rose-flavored scrambled eggs in three minutes, Xia Libing glanced at the still overcast sky outside the window and said, "That was Officer Zhao's dream."

Xiang Kun nodded. "I know, it's Officer Zhao was in charge of our case before the New Year. If I remember correctly, his name is Zhao Feng."

Xia Libing asked, "Was the thing in his dream related to the emotional projection of your wooden carving?"

"You noticed it too?"

"I guessed it," Xia Libing said.

So Xiang Kun told Xia Libing about his intuition in his dream and how Officer Zhao might have learned about the emotional projection of the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving".

To Xiang Kun's surprise, after thinking for a while, Xia Libing shook her head and said, "He probably heard about this image from more than just the car thieves in the abandoned warehouse in Yungang District. Otherwise, when such a virtual image from a single source of information appears in dreams through the subconscious, there would be some related scenes or elements."

Xiang Kun nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, the scene in the dream where the "giant" was located, as well as some of its characteristics, did not seem to be derived from the hallucinations seen by those car thieves in Yungang District.

Xiang Kun quickly tried to recall who, so far, had interacted with Officer Zhao through dreams or hallucinations.

Xia Libing continued to analyze Officer Zhao's perception and judgment of the "multi-armed giant" based on the scenes she observed in her dream, helping Xiang Kun to analyze the origin of the monster image in Officer Zhao's dream.

Xiang Kun was initially unsure, but after Lao Xia's analysis, he immediately found the source of his suspicion.

The focus of the experience differs between seeing Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster in a dream due to the fear of "Emotion-Infused Object" and seeing Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster hallucination created by "emotional projection" in reality.

The physical characteristics and movement patterns of the "giant" in Officer Zhao's dream prove that the description of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster to him was likely a hallucination from reality.

Therefore, there are only three possibilities: first, the three suspects who were frightened by the illusion created by Little Apple on the night of the Lunar New Year; second, the three car thieves who were frightened by the illusion created by Xiang Kun in the abandoned factory area of Yungang District; and third, Qi Haoguo was "Projection Manifestation" by Xiang Kun on the national highway outside Tongshi Town before the Lunar New Year.

According to Lao Xia's analysis, the scene shown in Officer Zhao's dream proves that the source of the description he obtained was not, or not only, the car thieves in the abandoned factory area. So it was either the three suspects whose illusions were created by Little Apple, or Qi Haoguo.

Judging from his identity, Officer Zhao seems to have had contact with both parties and ways to obtain information.

However, narrowing the scope to these two parties makes the subsequent investigation much easier. And there's an even simpler way—just another "Dream Within a Dream," where Lao Xia can directly "question" Officer Zhao.

What was originally intended as a one-time "dream-based alarm" has now turned out to be a potential "long-term follow-up."

Xiang Kun also wanted to investigate the extent to which the "eight-armed, eight-eyed" urban legend he had created had spread, and how many people associated it with him.

He thought back to his dream that night. If Officer Zhao followed the guidance in the dream to the Purple Huan Mountain and found the cave and the corpses, his curiosity about the "multi-armed giant," or rather, the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster," would probably intensify even further.

"Everyone's original dreams carry a lot of subconscious information, which is very helpful in understanding a person's psychology, spirit, and memory," Xia Libing added. "Many psychological theories and tools can be used more effectively in dreams."

Xiang Kun understood what she meant. In reality, it's difficult to get someone to be completely honest with you. Even if someone is willing, it takes effort to judge how much of what they say is true and how much is false.

Often, people's true thoughts differ from their subjective perceptions. Some memories, which we think we've forgotten and can't recall even when actively trying, are actually still deeply hidden in our minds and will clearly surface under certain stimuli.

But in dreams, especially in "Dream Within a Dream" guided and edited by Lao Xia, the dreamer is like a fortress with all security systems turned off. How many secrets this fortress can uncover and how much control it can gain depends on the explorer's own abilities.

Xia Libing's series of theories made Xiang Kun vaguely feel that he had grasped something again.

Currently, within the dream world, he and Lao Xia have achieved horizontal expansion—establishing dream fusion with Little Chubby Girl; and vertical expansion—deepening into other people's "Dream Within a Dream."

Perhaps we can build upon this foundation to create a more complex, powerful, and efficient dream system?

Just as she was pondering this, Xia Libing said again, "Are the 'Mutated Creature' around that Rabbit Woodcarving still awake?"

Xiang Kun said, "No." He paused slightly, then shook his head and said, "It's possible they were asleep, but it coincided with my blood-drinking slumber, so we missed each other and I didn't have time to sense them. Or perhaps when they were asleep, I couldn't trigger their dreams through the Rabbit Woodcarving, my 'Emotion-Infused Object.' I've been using various cognitive information under my 'Hyper-Sensory State' to determine their location. But unfortunately, all I know so far is that it's a huge building made of a lot of metal; I don't know anything else."

"Among those 'Mutated Creature,' is there a 'Mr. Liang'?" Xia Libing asked again.

"I can't be sure," Xiang Kun shook his head.

Xia Libing gently stroked the softcover notebook she had named "CAKE01" and said, "We can continue to 'inquire' about Mi Qiao to first determine the whereabouts of 'Mr. Liang'."

Xiang Kun naturally knew what she meant by "inquiry". Last time, he and Lao Xia influenced Mi Qiao's dream through Dream Within a Dream and asked for some information. However, because it was the first time using this method, Lao Xia was worried that overly complicated and sensitive questions would easily arouse Mi Qiao's subconscious vigilance and would not be conducive to erasing or covering up this dream. Therefore, he did not ask for information directly related to "Mr. Liang's " identity.

But clearly, as Lao Xia becomes more proficient in her understanding of Dream Within a Dream and gains a deeper understanding of the meaning expressed by the original dream within Dream Within a Dream, her ability to interpret dream information and guide the subconscious mind within dreams will also become stronger.

"However... she may not know much either." Xiang Kun recalled the conversation he had overheard between Mi Qiao and that "Mr. Liang".

Xia Libing said, "She may know more than she thinks. At the very least, we can learn from her how to investigate."

Xiang Kun knew that Lao Xia's main target was still "Mr. Liang." What she really wanted to peek at through the "Dream Within a Dream" was "Mr. Liang"—or rather, the research progress of the secret department of "Shenxing Technology," as well as other information about "Mutated Creature."

Xiang Kun and Lao Xia are now like a hacker duo, except they don't infiltrate other people's computers through the internet, but rather explore their memories through dreams.

When Zhao Feng arrived at Purple Huan Mountain, it was almost nine o'clock. However, it was Saturday, and he was already off work, so he didn't need to ask for leave.

After getting off the bus, he followed the route he had taken in his dream, riding on the Many-Armed Monster, and compared it with the terrain on the map app after waking up, and headed into the mountains.

Purple Huan Mountain itself is a scenic area, with both winding mountain roads and several trails and stone steps for tourists to climb.

But judging from the route in the dream, the cave was located very deep in an area where almost no tourists would go and there were few attractions.

He could only follow the route planned by the map app on his phone, first walking along the road, then cutting into the mountains and forests, keeping his direction correct while trying to find the most convenient route.

Zhao Feng naturally didn't have Xiang Kun's climbing ability, which was even more ferocious than a monkey's, nor did he have that superb athleticism and endurance. He walked from nine o'clock to three o'clock in the afternoon and still hadn't found the cave that appeared in his dream.

Breakfast was bread and milk I bought casually from a breakfast stall outside the branch office while waiting for the bus. I only brought a bottle of mineral water with me after entering the mountains. Now that the water is gone, I am starving and exhausted.

However, he had no intention of giving up the search or returning home early.

Because along the way, although we haven't found the cave yet, we've seen many places with scenery and environments exactly the same as those we discovered in the mountains and forests in our dreams.

And he was quite certain that he had never been to these areas before.

These discoveries made him realize that perhaps the dream he had last night was different from his previous dreams?

This feeling was like scratching an itch, but constantly scratching around the itchiest spot, always feeling like "almost there, just a little bit more," making it impossible for him to give up. He was determined to see if the cave really existed.

In some of the places he passed through, there were obvious traces of lightning strikes and scorched trees, and they were very dense; you could see one every short distance.

He immediately thought of the small but extremely intense thunderstorm that occurred in certain areas of Purple Huan Mountain the night before last, or rather, early yesterday morning.

There's been a lot of discussion about this thunderstorm online, especially on local social media platforms in Citong. All sorts of unreliable speculations are circulating, some of which sound like something out of a fantasy novel—and they're the most clichéd and outdated kind.

The video he saw about the "Fire Phoenix's tribulation and rebirth" was also filmed that night, and the content creator mentioned the same thunderstorm.

Seeing the online discussions, Zhao Feng found it amusing and worried about the wildfires, but didn't have any other thoughts.

But walking in the mountains and forests that had witnessed that thunderstorm, looking at the traces left around him, recalling the thunderstorm footage that some netizens had posted online, taken from afar in the city, and the descriptions from some residents living near Purple Huan Mountain, he truly imagined the terror of that short-lived, small-scale thunderstorm and marveled at the power of nature.

Amidst this amazement, around four o'clock in the afternoon, Zhao Feng actually found a cave in the mountains that was almost identical to the one in his dream.

Seeing the cave entrance hidden among the branches and dense grass in the distance, Zhao Feng didn't know if it was because he was too hungry, too tired and had low blood sugar, or because of fear and excitement, or both, but his hands started to tremble slightly.

He took out his phone, recording a video as he climbed towards the cave.

Although the cave was very hidden and remote, it wasn't on a cliff; it was just a small hill. As long as you weren't afraid of getting dirty, it wasn't difficult to climb up.

However, Zhao Feng, holding his phone in one hand and climbing with only one, almost tumbled down halfway up the mountain. He had to put the phone in his pocket and only took it out to continue recording when he reached the edge of the cave.

On the way here, he had actually made many predictions.

For example, if you search for a long time but don't find such a cave, you can just treat it as a holiday hike to exercise and breathe in the fresh air of nature.

For example, you might find a similar cave that's empty inside, and then ponder why you had such a dream and what the significance of that cave is.

He even imagined that he might actually find an injured hiker in that cave who was asking for help, and that he, with his psychic abilities, was born to be a policeman;

But no matter what, he never imagined that when he finally found the cave and shone his phone's flashlight on it, this would be the scene he saw.

Zhao Feng has been working for several years and has seen his fair share of bloody scenes and photos, so he has developed a certain level of resistance and adaptability to certain images.

But the sight of so many highly decomposed corpses with bones visible in the cave still startled him. He took two steps back, his hand trembled, and he almost dropped his phone and tumbled down the slope.

He grabbed a nearby tree branch to steady himself, took a few deep breaths to calm himself, shone his phone light on the cave again, observed for a few seconds, and then started making a phone call.

But there was no signal here, so Zhao Feng spent another ten minutes or so finding a spot where he could finally make a call.

Zhao Feng contacted his partner, senior colleague, and leader Old Xu, directly, explained the situation and his location, and then waited for his colleagues to arrive.

Perhaps it was because the sun was about to set and the temperature difference in the mountains was large, but Zhao Feng began to feel a bit cold. Plus, he hadn't eaten lunch or dinner, so he was both cold and hungry.

But right now he couldn't care less about his physical sensations; his mind was filled with last night's dream and the cave scene he had just witnessed.

If he had received a report and witnessed such a scene, Zhao Feng wouldn't have reacted so strongly. Or if he had accidentally seen the cave in the wild, he would only have been shocked by the event itself.

But today... he found this cave following the guidance of his dream last night, and that had a huge impact on him.

Why?

Why did the Many-Armed Monster in my dream "guide" me to these corpses?

Did it kill these people?

No, that's not right.

Those who saw the "Many-Armed Monster" were all suspects, and they had all experienced "hallucinations." After seeing the "monster," they either surrendered, repented, or were terrified, as if they were a spiritual judge punishing evil.

Therefore, in Zhao Feng's intuitive judgment, if the "monster" guided him to these corpses through the dream, it was to help him discover the corpses and find the murderer.

After it got completely dark, Zhao Feng finally saw Xu Zhao and his other colleagues.

While the forensic experts and other technicians were conducting their on-site investigation, Zhao Feng took the eight-treasure porridge that Xu Zhao had brought him and finished the whole can in three bites, barely suppressing the hunger in his stomach and making his hands less shaky.

"Xiao Zhao, how did you end up here? You didn't get a report from an informant, did you? Don't worry, if it's an informant with a special identity, you don't need to tell me their identity." Xu Zhao frowned, looked around, and couldn't help but ask.

Although they had Zhao Feng's location, it still took them a lot of effort to find their way here. This desolate place didn't seem like a place anyone would normally go.

Zhao Feng hesitated for a moment, then said, "I just came out for a hike during the holidays and stumbled upon it by chance. I saw that video of the 'Purple Phoenix Mountain' yesterday, so I was a bit curious and came to check it out."

Xu Zhao had actually asked this question before when they talked on the phone, and he gave the same answer.

But it was clear that Old Xu didn't quite believe this answer.

Hiking and strolling around? Only a fool would stumble upon this godforsaken place while hiking and strolling around!

Moreover, you can't find the cave entrance at all unless you climb up the hillside and get close enough to push aside the weeds!

Zhao Feng knew that Old Xu wouldn't believe him, but what could he do? He couldn't very well say that he had been sent a dream by the "Many-Armed Monster" he had been investigating, which was why he had come here.

It was past 3 a. m. when I got back to the station.

The forensic examination results are not yet available, but the on-site investigation has yielded some preliminary findings.

There were three people in the cave: one man and two women.

Based on the scene, it appears the man stabbed the two women to death before committing suicide; there were no signs of a struggle.

None of the three people had cell phones or identification documents among their belongings, but a cell phone that was turned off was found at the bottom of the man's backpack.

After charging, powering on, and hacking the device, the police confirmed the identities of the man and two women and learned why they were there.