Star Abyss Walker

Chapter 378 Nightmare Enters the Dream
"Little Love."

"Ok?"

Xiao Ai stepped forward, blinked her beautiful big eyes, and waited for instructions.

I spread my five fingers over the top of her head, gently turned her face away, then pressed Xiao Ai's head with one hand and put my other arm around Lin Qingying's slender waist.

Her face flushed, she reached out and hooked her arm around my neck, then gave me a deep kiss.

"Woo~~"

Xiao Ai was struggling, and this guy was still trying to peek.

After the kiss ended, Xiao Ai finally turned around.

"Xiaoying and I went out to eat and have a date. Xiaoai drove Xiaoying's car home first to wait for us."

"Aren't you taking me with you?" Xiao Ai asked.

"When I'm around, I'll protect Xiaoying."

"is it?"

Xiao Ai, her eyes red-rimmed, asked, "Am I useless to President Lin now?"

"Get the hell out of here and go home!"

"Oh!"

Xiao Ai turned and left, but after a few steps she cheered, "Time to get off work! Time to get off work!"

They went straight to the elevator without stopping at all.

……

So, I accompanied Lin Qingying to a meal at Shudao Mountain. Unfortunately, there was no movie showing, and she also had some work to do that evening, so we took two cups of milk tea home.

When we got home, Xiao Ai was watching cartoons. She said she was learning human language and behavior, but she just wanted to watch.

Otherwise, are we going to watch Crayon Shin-chan and learn some chicken-like language and behavior, or imitate elephants and the butt dance?
A night of silence.

The next day, early morning.

I had breakfast downstairs with Lin Qingying.

"Xiaoying, you don't look too good today. Didn't you sleep well?" Grandma Li stopped and asked as she passed by.

"Hmm, I'm having a little insomnia."

Lin Qingying glanced at me and laughed, "It's all because of your Bo Ya breaking the string..."

I immediately stood at attention, as if being hit: "It's my fault, it's my fault!"

Grandma Li, with a beaming smile, carried a cloth bag and headed to the early market.

……

In the morning, at Xicheng No. 1.

After checking the revenue figures for a few days, I was speechless. It seemed like business was even better when I wasn't there; the tables added to the outdoor terrace were almost spilling into the lake.

It must all be thanks to Lu Xiaobei. Last time someone was eating at Xicheng No. 1, they actually ran into Lu Xiaobei serving the food. This incident spread like wildfire on platforms like Weibo and Douyin, causing the Xicheng No. 1 brand to quickly gain popularity. Diners flocked to check it out, and the business was booming.

When business is good, don't get carried away; instead, treat your employees well.

So I told the finance manager that bonuses would be distributed at the end of the month, with each person, from chefs to waiters, receiving at least 5000 yuan, and that the monthly bonuses would be directly linked to the profit.

"drop!"

At 11 o'clock, a message came from Lu Xiaobei: "Ding Han, have you finished defeating the BOSS?"

Goodness, he really holds a grudge!

Is she upset that I didn't tell her after defeating the BOSS?

"It's over..."

"Then come over to the e-sports hotel. Treat me, Sister Xiaoman, and Zhao Yihang to lunch."

"Why are you back again?"

"Come back when you have time, it's none of your business!"

"Alright, alright, I'll be right there."

"Wait for you!"

After driving 100 meters, I stopped in front of the Feiyang Chain E-sports Hotel.

Lu Xiaobei was sunbathing on the terrace, dressed very fashionably and wearing sunglasses, while Chen Xiaoman and Zhao Yihang chatted with him.

"Ding Han, please sit down."

Chen Xiaoman handed over a plastic chair.

I sat down next to Lu Xiaobei and stared at her for a moment: "We're all on the same side, who are you trying to impress with those sunglasses?"

"Pah, you talk too much!"

Lu Xiaobei took off his sunglasses, and then...

He had panda eyes!

"Huh? Hahahaha~~~"

I couldn't help but point at her and burst out laughing.

For a moment, Chen Xiaoman and Zhao Yihang, who had been holding back for a long time and had been working very hard, also started to laugh.

"Stop laughing, don't you have any conscience?"

Lu Xiaobei glared at me: "I didn't sleep all night, and it's all because of you. You, the culprit, still have the nerve to laugh at me. Shouldn't your conscience be hurting?"

"Wait a minute, why am I being blamed for this? I'm not having it."

"You still have the nerve to complain?"

Lu Xiaobei said, "I had nightmares all night yesterday. As soon as I fell asleep, I was immediately woken up by nightmares. It kept happening over and over again, and the dreams could even connect with each other. It scared me to death."

What kind of dream was it?

I'm interested.

"About you..." Lu Xiaobei pouted, "The scene in the dream was very chaotic. I only remember that there was a bad guy in the dream. I couldn't see his face clearly, but I could see that he was carrying two blood-dripping daggers, wearing a cloak that blended into the background, and a bell tied around his waist. I don't know why, but I felt that this person was particularly terrifying. The bell was also very loud, and it kept drilling into my ears and wouldn't go away..."

Immediately, Chen Xiaoman and Zhao Yihang, who were standing to the side, both showed surprise.

"besides."

Lu Xiaobei continued, "I saw you die, in a desolate wilderness, with wild grass and vines growing on your body. The scene was terrifying. I woke up and cried for a while, then went back to sleep. But the dream continued. In the second dream, you died in a different way, and then in the third dream, you died in yet another way. All night long, the villain with the bell around his waist, your death, and the sound of the bell tormented me!"

I frowned and remained silent.

This is not good.

"Xiao Bei, you might not believe it, but my dream was almost exactly the same as yours!"

Chen Xiaoman looked pale and said, "I also dreamed of the villain with a bell around his waist. He was also carrying two short knives. The sound of the bell disturbed me all night. But I didn't dream of Ding Han. I woke up once at two in the morning, but after that I slept quite soundly."

"boss……"

Zhao Yihang gritted his teeth: "It's so strange. I dreamt of someone carrying a short knife, just like you. The sound of that bell tormented me for half the night. What's going on?"

Lu Xiaobei was shocked.

"Ding Han, did you have this dream?" Zhao Yihang asked.

"No."

I shook my head.

Previously, the players' dreams were invaded by the Chaos Lord of the subspace, who then judged and killed a group of players. This time, the power of the subspace has already taken action against the ordinary people in the Star Abyss, invading their dreams.

The evil spirit wielding a short knife and with a bell hanging from its waist was none other than Nightmare, one of the five Chaos Demon Lords, known as the Dream Eater!

Thinking about this, I recalled that Lin Qingying's complexion was also particularly bad that morning.

She must have had a similar dream to Lu Xiaobei's, perhaps even dreaming that I died at the hands of Chaos. However, Lin Qingying is resilient and patient, so she didn't tell me about the dream so as not to distract me.

Get up immediately and call her!

"Hey, Ding Han..."

When she answered the phone, Lin Qingying's voice was still a little muffled, probably because she had just dozed off.

"Xiao Ying".

I frowned and said, "Did you have a nightmare last night? In your dream, there was a person carrying a short knife and a bell hanging from his waist. The sound of the bell disturbed your sleep and you didn't sleep well all night."

"How...how did you know?" She was utterly shocked.

"Also, in your dream, did something bad happen to me?"

"Um……"

Her voice trembled slightly: "I woke up in the middle of the night and cried for a long time, but thankfully... it was just a dream, and I finally fell asleep again."

"It's not just you."

I whispered, "Xiao Bei, Chen Xiaoman, and Zhao Yihang, they also dreamed about the villain and the bell. If I'm not mistaken, everyone has been affected by this thing in their dreams!"

"what!?"

This time, Lin Qingying was truly panicked.

"Ding Han, what exactly happened?" she asked.

I think she should know the truth, and I shouldn't hide anything from her.

He then took a few steps forward to the lakeside, avoiding Zhao Yihang and the others, and whispered, "After the subspace storm, subspace life began to invade the home planet. There are five very strong subspace life forms known as Chaos Lords, one of whom is called Nightmare Eater, also known as the Dream Eater. He has the ability to invade other people's dreams, so don't worry, I'll definitely be fine."

"Ding Han, I'm a little scared. The scenes in the dream were too real," she said softly.

"Don't be afraid."

I comforted her, saying, "It's just a dream, an illusion the other party is giving you. Don't worry, Xiaoying. We players will defeat this Nightmare sooner or later, and then no one will be tormented by nightmares anymore. Just bear with it for a while..."

"Ah."

Shen Man called for a meeting, and Lin Qingying immediately went to the meeting.

……

After hanging up the phone, she sat back down next to Lu Xiaobei.

She looked at me with a puzzled expression, but didn't want to ask directly. After all, Chen Xiaoman and Zhao Yihang didn't know that I was a player, and it was better for them not to know such things to avoid trouble.

Shortly after, the receptionist called Chen Xiaoman, and Zhao Yihang went with her.

His girlfriend, Xiaohui, also works at the front desk, and as the deputy manager, he pays close attention to everything that happens there.

On the terrace, only Lu Xiaobei and I remained.

"So, what exactly happened?" she asked. "Ding Han, I know this might be confidential, can you tell me?"

"can."

I said in a deep voice, "It's the subspace causing this. One of the strongest people in the subspace is called Nightmare, also known as the Dream Eater. Simply put, his superpower is to invade dreams. The villain that everyone dreamed about this time is Nightmare. I've seen him in a dream once before, so don't panic. He can only enter dreams and can't hurt you yet."

"But……"

Lu Xiaobei said softly, "I feel he has the ability to hurt me because everything in the dream was too real. He entered the dream again and again, warning me with various ways you died. Is he asking me to tell you that if you continue to be his enemy, he has a million ways to kill you?"

"..."

I was stunned for a moment: "Xiao Bei, how did you become so smart?"

"You're joking! I was worried sick!"

"Don't worry, evil people live a long life, and someone like me is very hard to kill!"

I waved my hand dismissively and laughed, "The entire human population on our home planet is weakened and their mental energy is scattered, so there's nothing to worry about. Besides, he has a knife and I have a knife too, so who knows who will kill whom."

Lu Xiaobei sat in the recliner with her knees drawn up to her chest, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes.

"Xiao Bei, what's wrong?"

"Ding Han..."

She looked at me with teary eyes: "I know this monster must be very powerful. If all else fails... when the time comes, just back down, apologize to him, or even become his underling. I just want you to live well, nothing else matters."

(End of this chapter)