Nightmare

"I can accept being called a 'swimming fish,' but calling me a 'stirring stick's shit'? Is that appropriate?" Lin Xiaoxiao glared at Ye Wan. "It's one thing for the boss to insult me, but why are you joining in?"

"Just speaking the truth," Ye Wan replied calmly. "Let's talk business. How do you plan to test that kid?"

Lin Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, then smiled meaningfully. "Let's give him a nightmare first."

Ye Wan frowned. "Don't push it too far."

"Don't worry."

Just then, a commotion broke out behind the prisoners' mess line. Lin Xiaoxiao looked over.

Prison 18 was like a giant, empty metal box. During meal times, 21 robot guards, each heavily armed, were stationed around the perimeter.

They lacked human emotion and handled all emergencies within the prison.

21 robot guards were few compared to the over three thousand inmates, but every prisoner here knew that the drones embedded in the high ceiling and the six-barreled metal storms were the real threat.

Cold and powerful.

At lunchtime, all prisoners lined up punctually outside the dining hall, forming columns and proceeding to get food by floor.

Not only that, but each prisoner had to stand in their designated spot.

If a newcomer couldn't remember their place in line, they would immediately be surrounded by robot guards for a warning. If they still couldn't return to their spot after the warning, they would be subjected to an electric shock punishment by the robot guards and then escorted to their correct position.

The new prisoners had endured a "welcome ceremony" that morning. Dazed and disoriented, how could they possibly remember where they were standing? Thus, they were all subjected to electric shock punishment by the robot guards.

The older prisoners, meanwhile, waited like spectators enjoying a show, watching them make fools of themselves. This seemed to be the standard entertainment whenever new prisoners were brought in.

At this moment, the older prisoners suddenly felt something was off. Why wasn't the young man who played chess with Uncle Li this morning being punished?

Their gazes swept through the crowd, and they were shocked to find Qing Chen standing in his correct position, calmly observing everything.

It was strange. Each line had at least five hundred people. With so many unfamiliar faces standing together, how could this young man find his spot?

Qing Chen, meanwhile, was sizing up the "newcomers" who had been imprisoned with him.

He saw that the newcomers had no visible injuries on their faces, but their gait was very strange, as if they were enduring pain.

It seemed the prisoners had some restraint; they didn't hit the face and didn't aim for fatal blows.

He walked forward with his plate, but a hand suddenly pulled him out of the mess line.

Qing Chen froze. He turned to see Lin Xiaoxiao pulling him along and saying, "You don't have to queue with them anymore. Someone who can play chess with the boss doesn't need to queue."

Qing Chen instinctively glanced at the robot guards, fearing he would be electrocuted for stepping out of line.

To his surprise, he found that the robot guards completely ignored him and were urging other prisoners to fill his vacated spot!

Qing Chen couldn't understand. Even if Li Shutong and others had special identities, they shouldn't be that special, should they?!

Lin Xiaoxiao pulled him through the long rows of queues, got him food, and sat him down opposite Li Shutong to eat. The actions were all done in one smooth sequence.

The prisoners on both sides watched this scene silently, all eyes fixed on Qing Chen.

The previously noisy environment fell silent in an instant, as if everyone had held their breath.

At that moment, they realized that Qing Chen was no longer like them.

Lin Xiaoxiao squatted on a chair beside Qing Chen and said with a smile, "Don't be surprised. People who can play chess with the boss naturally get some special treatment. Hurry up and eat. Although the food in Prison 18 is really not good."

Qing Chen looked up at Li Shutong opposite him. The latter was slowly eating, showing no intention of talking to him.

He then looked back into the crowd. Lu Guangyi, standing in line, was secretly giving him a thumbs-up...

Qing Chen didn't understand. In the morning, Li Shutong had merely been willing to play chess with him. How could his attitude change so drastically after just one morning?

Was it because of his identity in this world?

At 8:40 PM, Qing Chen returned to his cell at the designated time.

As others were lining up to return to their cells, he attempted to leave the queue and move freely. As expected, the robot guards no longer bothered him.

As long as he was walking in the direction of his cell, the robot guards wouldn't focus their attention on him.

The prisoners watched him with envious eyes. Qing Chen walked down the long corridor, like a lone wolf.

His single-occupancy cell was empty. After the alloy gate closed, he walked to the sink to brush his teeth and wash his face.

After only a couple of steps, Qing Chen suddenly felt an intense wave of drowsiness.

This drowsiness was extremely abnormal. Even if he had overused his brain during the day, it wouldn't make him so sleepy that his willpower couldn't support him.

Something was strange!

Without time to think further, Qing Chen collapsed onto the floor.

In his dream, Qing Chen stood awake in the living room of a dimly lit villa.

At first, he knew it was a dream and was well aware that his body was still in the prison cell.

But after two seconds, he forgot everything, as if he was supposed to be there all along and no longer remembered it was a dream.

There was a fire burning in the fireplace in the villa's living room. The room had a unique damp smell, and the moisture in the house was being baked and evaporated by the fireplace, condensing on the ceiling.

A crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling. Qing Chen looked around but couldn't find its switch.

The house was filled with a strange feeling.

Qing Chen's pupils contracted sharply.

There were bloodstains on the stairs leading to the second floor.

On the sofa in the living room, there were cat scratch marks, the leather ripped open by sharp claws, creating one crack after another.

A photo frame sat on the mantelpiece, its glass shattered, and the photo inside was gone.

There were grayish-blue knife marks on the walls. As the fireplace flames flickered, the marks on the walls and the cracks on the sofa seemed to twist eerily.

On the carpet lay a bloody dagger.

Someone had used bloodstains to write two prominent characters on the floor next to the carpet: "Ghost."

Knock, knock, knock. There was a knock at the door.

Qing Chen took a deep breath. Without touching anything in the house, he walked to the door. "Who is it?"

A relaxed voice came from outside: "Police, badge number 27149. Did you call the police? Please open the door."

Qing Chen frowned. The voice sounded very familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had heard it before.

Strange, is my memory failing me?

He hesitated before opening the door. Outside stood a young police officer holding a case file.

As soon as the officer opened the door, he saw blood flowing down the stairs to the second floor. He quickly walked up the stairs, saying as he went, "Complainant, please stay put and lock the door!"

Qing Chen was a little confused. This officer's conduct didn't seem to follow procedure, and he wasn't even carrying a gun.

But for some reason, he subconsciously obeyed the officer's instructions.

The young officer went upstairs, and Qing Chen remained by the door.

Not even half a minute passed before another knock came from outside the door.

Qing Chen asked, "Who is it?"

"Police, badge number 27149. Did you call the police? Please open the door."

Qing Chen froze. Didn't badge number 27149 already go upstairs? Then who was outside?

At that moment, a sinister voice seemed to ask him subconsciously: What will you do now? Which one do you think is real, the one inside or the one outside? Or perhaps neither is real.

The police officer outside urged him, "Hello, please open the door."

Qing Chen took another deep breath and walked back into the house. He wanted to bend down and pick up the bloody dagger from the carpet, but it felt like there was a transparent barrier between him and the dagger.

He was only one step away from the dagger, yet he could never touch it.

Someone didn't want him to take the knife.

Someone wanted to trap him here.

But the return countdown on his arm was still ticking, and his heart and blood were still beating and flowing.

He had come to this cold, mechanical world alone, with nothing to hold him back, and there was no turning back.

"Get lost," Qing Chen said coldly. His pupils narrowed again, as if all his courage had transformed into a sharp blade, cutting through something.

An inexplicable sound of glass shattering echoed through the villa's empty living room. The barrier between him and the dagger broke.

Someone let out a soft "Hmm?"

Qing Chen picked up the knife and turned towards the stairs.

Suddenly, a voice from somewhere asked him, Why are you taking the knife? Aren't you going to open the door for the police officer?

Qing Chen replied coldly, "I'll open it after I kill the one inside."

Lin Xiaoxiao: "???"

It was then that Qing Chen finally remembered. When he broke through the barrier while reaching for the knife, he had also broken through the nightmare's suppression of his memory.

He recognized the voice as Lin Xiaoxiao's, and the young police officer was also Lin Xiaoxiao's appearance.

He was in a nightmare created by Lin Xiaoxiao.

This world seemed to be getting more interesting.