Gray-blue haze hung in the air. It was now deep into the night. The film Romeo and Juliet was set in late-sixteenth-century England, and the city did not yet suffer from severe light pollution, so moonlight flowed like clouds and water, illuminating its streets.
Returning from the lost domain to the second-layer dream, Xie De had barely opened his eyes when he heard 455 whisper nervously through his earpiece, "Don't make a sound! We're in serious danger right now."
455's nervousness pulled Xie De's already taut nerves even tighter. He carefully kept quiet as he looked around.
Night had fallen, yet the residents who had treated him as invisible during the day were still wandering the city. Their eyes were vacant, and they groped around like zombies, swarming toward even the slightest sound.
Clearly, they were blind-and they were also the deadly threat that lurked in the film's night.
Xie De was in the same spot where he had entered the lost domain during the day, at the corner of a wall beneath an overhanging roof. Two meters to his left, an old woman with vacant eyes crawled along the ground, drawing closer and closer.
It was not as cold here as it had been in the lost domain.
Yet Xie De felt chilled all over. He moved forward cautiously, staying alert as he avoided the old woman's searching hands.
Hu Songlin had probably returned too, but he was not here. According to the rules of Inception, he had died in the lost domain. Although Xie De had shot him, his special superpower would cause the instance to classify his death as suicide, and committing suicide in the lost domain meant returning to reality.
Returning to reality had its advantages and disadvantages. For ordinary players, the disadvantages naturally outweighed the advantages, because there was no way to tell whether something even more dangerous than what was in the film existed in reality. Besides, they had not found all the clues in the film yet, so returning to reality was not a good choice.
But for Hu Songlin, reality or the film probably made no difference, did it?
That lucky bastard.
Xie De gritted his teeth. If he gave me even half his luck, I wouldn't be surrounded by so many ghosts, facing mortal danger the instant I opened my eyes. Damn him.
Fortunately, the silence around him made the distant commotion stand out clearly. Amid the silver wash of moonlight and the hazy darkness, one conspicuously bright patch shone. All the residents groping their way through the town kept their distance from that mansion.
Clearly, that was where the plot was unfolding. Now, all Xie De had to do was inch his way over, taking care not to make a sound or let any of them touch him.
T^T
While Xie De struggled to survive, Wei Yanchi opened his eyes inside the mansion he was trying to reach.
The first thing he saw was Beiwei watching him solemnly, ready to wake him at any moment. Seeing him awake, she hurriedly asked, "How did it go? Did Mr. 39 get out? You were asleep here for eight minutes. By now, nearly everyone downstairs has probably been killed. That woman's been searching everywhere for us. She almost found us, but Yue Xiamo went out to lure her away. Mr. 39..."
"He got out."
Wei Yanchi spoke softly, then lowered his head and fell silent. He thought about the presence deep within his mind that he had unexpectedly discovered this time, then about the bullet piercing a human body, the sensation of blood splashing onto his face, and Mr. 39's cold eyes.
Mr. 39 did not seem to need his help.
Beiwei rambled on, "Then where is he? It's incredibly dangerous outside, and the lost domain is dangerous too. Though this time, thanks to you bringing him out..."
Wei Yanchi turned his jade-like eyes toward her and said again, "It wasn't me. Mr. 39 got out on his own and brought me out along the way. He's very powerful, Beiwei. You shouldn't discuss him in such a pitying tone, and we shouldn't take it for granted that he's someone who needs protecting. That's an insult to Mr. 39."
"I..." Beiwei immediately froze, then shot him a fierce glare. "I was just too worried to think straight. Keep what I said to yourself. Don't you dare tell Mr. 39, or you'll regret it."
While they were talking, Juliet, who was hiding nearby, suddenly spoke up in terror. "You two, you two! There's a lion coming this way."
Her frightened gaze was fixed on the gap in the window. Sure enough, a large, imposing lion was pacing outside the door, staring at it suspiciously.
Beiwei dragged Juliet into the corner behind her and covered her mouth. Wei Yanchi moved swiftly, hauling a cabinet over to barricade the door.
The two exchanged a glance and chose the best positions from which to attack.
At last, after an eternity of pounding heartbeats, the large lion stopped hesitating and slammed into the door. Just two blows smashed the cabinet apart, and it charged inside with a savage gleam in its eyes.
Wei Yanchi immediately struck first. He had kept an enchanted dagger strapped to his waist, its hilt traced with intricate patterns in gold wire. Even under the light, it gleamed with a chilling edge. Clearly, it was an instance item.
Wei Yanchi was agile, and with the item's support, he needed no help from Beiwei. In just a few moves, he drove the dagger through the head of the lion conjured within the dream.
Neither of them relaxed in the slightest. Instead, their expressions grew even graver.
"Jump off the balcony," Wei Yanchi said decisively.
Beiwei glanced at Juliet. "We're on the third floor. What about her?"
"She either jumps with us or stays here."
As he spoke, Wei Yanchi had already reached the balcony. He was about to climb over when he saw that lions had surrounded the area below. They stared at him hungrily, their eyes glowing a vicious green, terrifying growls rising from their throats.
Wei Yanchi pushed himself backward with both hands and stepped back into the room. "They've found us."
Sure enough, the lion's death had drawn more lions... along with that deranged woman.
There were no lions at the door, only Pearl. She was actually very pretty, like the girl next door, and looked about the same age as Beiwei. She simply stood there holding a pitchfork, smiling at them.
"You two, you two! Why are you hiding here? Why won't you come out and dance with us?"
Pearl was, of course, speaking German. She twirled with the pitchfork in her hands, then skipped happily over to Wei Yanchi. Tilting her head, she waited maliciously for this composed man to betray a weakness.
But Wei Yanchi did not shriek in terror like the others. Instead, much to Pearl's liking, he answered in German with a touch of gentlemanly grace. "We were just a little tired, so we came here to escape the bustle for a while. Perhaps we could go out for a drink now."
Pearl narrowed her eyes and leaned closer. "Little gentleman, weren't you just about to climb out?"
Wei Yanchi answered without betraying anything. "No. As I said, we were just a little tired, so I was admiring the view and enjoying the night breeze."
His flawless answer irritated Pearl a little. She stared hard at Wei Yanchi, trying to find even the tiniest trace of fear in his eyes.
She was a little too close. Wei Yanchi smiled, but inwardly, he was surprised. He could smell Mr. 39's cigarette scent on this instance boss.
39 must have run into her.
Seeing that the boy would not budge, Pearl switched targets. Having learned her lesson, she skipped the pleasantries this time and viciously swept her pitchfork past the corner of Beiwei's eye. Beiwei held steady. Aside from a slight trembling of her lips, she raised her chin proudly, looking rather like a Western European aristocrat.
Pearl said theatrically, "Madam, did I frighten you just now?"
"No, but you're exceptionally rude. I was merely angered by your rudeness."
Pearl tilted her head from side to side, watching her like a snake. Then she suddenly noticed something and rushed over, pretending she was about to drive the pitchfork into Juliet's head.
Juliet did not have their composure. She could not stop herself from screaming on the spot.
Pearl immediately burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! So you're all that afraid of me!"
We're done for. Wei Yanchi and Beiwei realized at the same instant that their movements had become restricted and slow.
The pitchfork seemed to possess some kind of magic. Pearl approached them, laughing wildly.
There's still a way. Wei Yanchi's gaze darkened.
A creak sounded.
"What are you doing?"
A low, husky male voice reached their ears. Beiwei jerked her head up and cried out in delight, "Mr. 39!"
Pearl's movements also faltered. She actually put away her pitchfork and looked over like a little animal.
39 was nowhere near as bedraggled as they were. Not a speck of dust marked his clothes as he calmly regarded them with amusement in his dark green eyes.
Before you continue