The kitten realized it was dreaming.
Space and time shattered in an instant.
The view swept down from high above, following a yellow sedan along an empty mountain road.
The road twisted and wound through vast forests and rolling mountains, with almost no sign of human activity anywhere. There was only an endless natural landscape, and the car was a tiny speck within it, small and alone.
The car headed toward a hotel deep in the mountain forest.
"Host, wake up!"
Xie De opened his eyes in a hotel room to the sight of a pristine white ceiling. He propped himself up and looked around. The room reminded him a little of his manor, though the decor was Indian style.
Coal Ball was curled into a tiny ball on the blanket, still asleep.
455 was shouting again. "Host, we've ended up in the movie The Shining! It's an absolute horror classic, and this place is haunted!"
Xie De blinked blankly and sat up in bed, rubbing his forehead.
455's terror turned to concern, and it earnestly tried to reason with him. "Host, what's wrong? Are you okay? Did that Batman movie mess up your head? I told you Joker was manipulating you. You should've just let his words go in one ear and out the other. Why take them to heart? Look at how down you are now..."
"No."
"◔ ‸◔?"
Xie De sat up in bed and said listlessly, "I'm just hungry. I barely ate anything yesterday."
455 ventured, "Really?"
"455, do you know what the first lesson I learned at university was?"
455 shook its head.
"Learning to make peace with myself. Study philosophy long enough, and sooner or later it'll drive you mad. The most common problem is falling into nihilism, feeling like nothing in the world