American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

“Dear friends, I think you don’t need to worry.” Kant suddenly revealed a self-satisfied smile, his smooth chin trembling slightly.

“I happen to have a key in my hand that can unlock this predicament.” He raised his voice, adopting the affected manner of those wealthy and famous people, striking a pose.

"He is an exceptionally talented young ability user. His talent in the realm of dreams is astonishing, even to me. I believe he will be able to catch the mastermind behind the scenes and rescue poor little Catherine."

Nick raised an eyebrow and recalled with a puzzled look, "Are there such superhumans within the Federation? I don't seem to recall anything like that in the Special Investigations Bureau's records."

"That's because, firstly, he was born in the Maple Leaf Republic and is not a citizen of the Federation at all."

Secondly, he's only eighteen and not very famous, or rather, he has virtually no presence in mainstream circles. After all… the business he's involved in is somewhat taboo.

"Could it be that they're using sleep hypnosis to prey on innocent young women in the throes of first love?" Zhu Mingyao chuckled.

Kant's lips twitched stiffly: "You're really joking. He just took some valuable little information from other people's dreams. You could say he only stole money, not people..."

Dom Cobb, a "Dream Thief"!

……

……

Waves of eerie weightlessness jolted her nerves, and Catherine groaned as she awoke from her unconsciousness.

A fleeting memory flashed through her mind, and before her eyes were fully open, she reflexively opened her mouth.

Between her full, red lips, a surge of scorching air was about to erupt, and a terrifying dragon breath technique was about to be unleashed.

The Dragon Girl, who inherited a powerful bloodline, possesses both strength and combat skills that are top-notch, unlike her delicate appearance that suggests she is weak and helpless.

However, the next moment, the woman's beautiful eyes widened to their maximum size.

In a vast space without up, down, left, or right, the bluish-white hurricane mixed with the thunder and lightning, forming an endless ocean. The thunder and storm roared incessantly, spreading in all directions.

She herself was floating in this "ocean".

To Catherine's surprise, neither the serpentine lightning nor the fierce gale passed through her body without causing any harm, as if they were just false illusions.

She looked around blankly, and in the distance, five or six young men and women in pajamas were floating in the void.

They were of varying ages, some as old as seventeen or eighteen, others only eleven or twelve, but without exception, they were all exceptionally beautiful and outstanding, truly one in a hundred.

"I... I was sleeping, and it seems I was suddenly attacked? Where am I?"

Just as her mind was in a state of confusion, thousands of warm golden rays shone down.

A bright sun leaped out from the sea of ​​wind and thunder, scattering its light and heat with abandon.

In an instant, the thunder stopped and the wind died down, and the scene suddenly changed.

Huge steel behemoths soared through the sky, casting large shadows.

Fishing boats, yachts, cargo ships—Catherine recognized their appearances and felt as if she were watching an absurd drama.

Before she could figure it out, a few faint sounds of arguing suddenly rose from afar.

"I...can't...let go..."

Chapter 445 Beautiful Dreams and Nightmares

A fleet of massive warships sailed across the sky and sea, with dappled golden and red sunlight streaming through the gaps between them, illuminating a wondrous scene of fish and dragons spreading out below.

The truck-sized blue crabs, boiled until bright red, leisurely paddle-like hind legs, carry the sweet aroma of the sea breeze.

The tentacles, as thick as telephone poles, waved back and forth, pulling the round octopus head around. Inside its dark eye sockets, instead of eyeballs, were two five-pointed star-shaped balloons.

Countless fish, shrimp, and sea creatures, far larger than their counterparts in reality and interspersed with obvious fantasy elements, shimmered with mesmerizing colored light as they rolled and chased each other.

While they are playing happily, they often burst and disappear without warning, just like fragile soap bubbles that burst in an instant.

Meanwhile, in the surrounding void, even more colorful bubbles appeared out of thin air, transforming and wriggling into new living beings.

Surrounded by these colossal skyscrapers, two tiny figures floated closer and closer.

The intermittent noise grew clearer, and upon closer listening, it turned out to be two voices arguing fiercely.

"I'll say it again, that girl is too hot to handle. Quickly think of a way to throw her out discreetly." A hoarse voice rang out, like the cold, damp wind of winter.

"I'll say it again, that's the kind of goods that the higher-ups specifically requested, and it was a really hard-won prey to find..."

Another younger man retorted, his tone full of impatience.

"Don't take it for granted and give orders. There's no superior-subordinate relationship between us."

"Is that... referring to me?"

Catherine opened her eyes a crack and twitched slightly before quickly closing them again. In an instant, she fell into complete stillness, all her bodily functions and even her mental fluctuations subsided to the extreme.

Even the most meticulous examination at this moment would lead to the only conclusion—she is still in a deep sleep.

The so-called "Sleeping Dragon, Do Not Disturb"!

In Western legends, the fire dragon can sleep for months at a time and maintain a mysterious sensitivity to the outside world, waking up in time when danger is approaching. Those who inherit its bloodline naturally possess similar abilities.

The astute young woman maintained her disguise, carefully receiving the subtle feedback that changes in the external environment stirred deep within her heart.

The dim points of light around them were seemingly ordinary young men and women who were also victims, while two powerful spiritual entities in the distance rapidly approached and arrived in front of them after a few breaths.

The young voice's retort made the hoarse man's tone even more somber, like dark clouds gathering in the night sky, foreshadowing an approaching storm.

"Hmph, do you think I want to meddle? It's all because of you!" He suppressed his anger, a hint of sarcasm in his words.

"Now that everything is ready, we can simply transport the goods away quietly. Why go to the trouble of using dream manipulation to scare that survivor from back then? What are you thinking!"

Now look what's happened! Thanks to this third-rate, cheesy humor, the hounds have smelled the stench, know you're probably not dead, and are relentlessly chasing after you! You can't shake them off.

Such a somewhat sharp accusation, if it were in the past, might have already prompted the young person to invite the other party to taste the delicacy called fear.

However, now that he has been "remodeled," he has largely shed his chaotic and evil demonic nature, or at least the chaotic part of it.

"That was indeed something I hadn't considered. Little Nancy was supposed to forget everything after waking up, but who knew she had such a deep impression of me? She was even able to break through the hypnotic suggestion." He reluctantly admitted.

"Human reason and logic are the cornerstone of the development of brilliant civilizations, but a sudden whim can also ruin everything."

The young voice abruptly changed its tone, shirking responsibility:

"As for the problem with this weirdo girl, it's not my fault."

Those disgusting fellows were pushing hard. To be honest, the filth and depravity hidden beneath their sanctimonious facades are something even I, a former demon, would find astonishing.

The young man, speaking with a hint of helplessness, criticized his boss without any psychological barriers:

"Their greedy appetite is growing ever larger, their perverse tastes are becoming more and more distorted, and they can no longer derive pleasure from ordinary goods; they need something more exciting."

A dragon-blooded woman is far rarer than any common werewolf or vampire; she should satisfy them for a long time.

He paused, then grunted through his teeth.

"Do you think I want to cause trouble? If the Nosferatu family in southern Mexico hadn't exposed themselves, completely destroying the smuggling routes and bases, and causing a temporary shortage of goods, why would I risk searching for targets within the Federation's borders?"

Although he offered a clean excuse, the hoarse male voice was not about to let it go and insisted on his own opinion:

"Then you can take these ordinary people to complete the task first, and leave the girl behind."

"Absolutely not! I've already sent the list back to the island." After his firm refusal, seeing his companion's expression as if he was about to explode, he quickly changed his tune.

"I have a plan. Aren't those hunting dogs trying to find out the truth? Let's give them the answer!"

"What do you want to do? First of all, let me remind you that neither [Fire Dragon] Rek nor Green and his companions are people who can be easily fooled."

"Perhaps that's true outside." The young voice chuckled softly with self-satisfaction.

"And in the dream world, I write the rules... Hmm?"

"A dream... I see! No wonder the fleet and the sea creatures were so strange; they must have been the dreams of the sailors and other creatures!"

Catherine's eyes were closed, her body hovering silently, but a sudden thought struck her: the truth behind the eerie environment was about to be revealed.

However, at this very moment, in the fantastical ocean, two figures stood facing each other. One of them, shrouded in colorful light and with a blurred face, suddenly turned around and looked at the seemingly unconscious red-haired woman not far away.

"Let me teach you something common sense, dear lady: when someone is truly asleep, their thoughts and logic aren't always so clear!"

Feeling an evil, indifferent, and kaleidoscopic power suddenly descend upon her, Catherine realized that her surprise had given her away. Her mind raced, and in an instant, she assessed the relative strengths of friend and foe, making the most rational choice.

A thick, red, viscous aura, like magma, flowed and spread, completely enveloping the woman's beautiful body.

A flood of psychedelic, colorful light swept past, leaving only a single, crystal-clear, red egg, about the height of a person, standing motionless.

"Heh, that's quite clever."

The young man, whose face was indistinct, gave a half-hearted "tsk tsk" of praise.

"Stop talking nonsense, get her under control right now!" In the shadowy darkness, his colleague, filled with frustration, urged him repeatedly.

“Uh… this is a bit troublesome.” The young man tried, “Her mind and body are both stuck at the lowest level of stagnation. We can’t tamper with her dream consciousness, we can only slowly wear her down and forcibly break through her defenses.”

He looked up at the gradually thinning ship shadows, then casually waved his hand, causing everything present to float upwards toward the "sea surface".

"Just deliver the goods, leave the rest to others. Let's think about how to give the story a reasonable ending..."

A hazy, golden expanse emerged at the edge of the field of vision, revealing various magnificent buildings that resembled a divine kingdom cast in pure gold.

Above that magnificence, however, a layer of murky clouds churned, with dried, purplish-black blood mixed with stark white bones, forming faces contorted in agony.

Where there are beautiful dreams, there are also nightmares. What's more, there are always people in this world who build their beautiful dreams on the nightmares of others...

Chapter 446 Dream Thief

Thanks to Portland’s strong growth in recent years, some of the surrounding scattered settlements have been incorporated into the expanding city and, after renovation and redevelopment, have become part of it.

Pierre-Irish was destined for the same fate, but due to a financial setback, and with the situation improving and a more suitable development area emerging, the reconstruction plan was put on hold indefinitely.

However, as the urban siphon effect kicks in, most people head to the city center to look for work, leaving the permanent residents increasingly scarce.

Several pairs of feet stepped onto the bluish-gray cement steps, crossed a cracked gap, and arrived at the gate of an old four-story residential building.

The ochre-red bricks, weathered by sun and wind, have become brittle and dented; the ivy that once entwined them has completely withered, and even under the warm sunshine of early summer, it is difficult to conceal the lingering sense of desolation.

Compared to its old and shabby exterior, the interior of this small building is surprisingly not cramped. The long wooden handrails from the mid-20th century still firmly cling to both sides of the staircase, and although the yellowed walls have faded somewhat, they are wiped quite clean.

The tiled floor is clean and tidy, and even the small gaps are free of the grease and grime often found in old buildings, showing that the homeowner has taken great care in maintaining it.

In the corridor, one can occasionally catch faint footsteps and the creaking of door hinges coming from distant rooms, adding a touch of lively life to this tranquil space.

"The place you're staying is quite down-to-earth. I thought it would be more... luxurious. It seems that Mr. Cobb doesn't care about material desires." Zhu Mingyao looked slightly surprised.