Dream Ghost

Lin Ye waited in the alley for less than ten minutes before Su Wanning's white SUV pulled up at the alley entrance.

When she got out of the car, she was already holding a metal plate in her hand, with silver threads faintly visible at her fingertips. She glanced around to make sure there was nothing unusual before walking up to Lin Ye.

"Where are the people who were following you?"

"I'm leaving." Lin Ye handed her his phone. "I sent this before I left."

Su Wanning's expression changed when he saw the text message.

"The Mohist... that's Gu Yan's code name." She looked up at Lin Ye. "Are you sure this isn't a prank?"

"The number is not in service, I can't get through," Lin Ye said. "But I received that text message immediately after the person who was following me left. The timing is too coincidental."

Su Wanning returned the phone to Lin Ye, crossed her arms, and frowned.

"If it really is Gu Yan... why would he be following you?"

"He said he wanted to see what kind of person Chen Xuan had his eye on," Lin Ye said. "Maybe he's been keeping an eye on the association all along. Maybe he's never really left."

"That's impossible." Su Wanning shook his head. "Gu Yan has been missing for three years. The association has used all its resources to find him, even searching the Dream Continent several times. If he has been in the real world all along, there's no way there wouldn't be any trace of him."

"Unless someone helps him hide it."

Su Wanning remained silent.

Lin Ye put away his phone. "Let's go back first. We need to tell Chen Xuan about this."

When the two returned to the association headquarters, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening.

Chen Xuan was still in his office, several maps of the Dream Continent spread out on the table in front of him, covered with markings. He heard footsteps, looked up, and frowned slightly when he saw Lin Ye and Su Wanning's expressions.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Ye handed him the phone.

After reading the message, Chen Xuan's expression didn't change much, but his fingers tightened slightly.

"You saw him?" he asked.

"No. He used his sensory extension to track me from a great distance. I could only sense his presence, but I couldn't see his face," Lin Ye said. "But he could precisely control his physiological signals, keeping his heart rate very low and his breathing almost imperceptible. His level is at least at the Dream Weaver level or higher."

Chen Xuan put his phone on the table, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for a while.

"Gu Yan," he said softly, "you're really still alive."

"Captain Chen, do you think it's him?" Su Wanning asked.

"Lin Ye's analysis is correct. There are no more than five people in the East China branch who can suppress others to that extent using extended perception." Chen Xuan opened his eyes. "And among these five people, only Gu Yan would call himself a 'Mohist'."

"But why is he hiding?" Su Wanning said. "If he's still alive, why doesn't he return to the association?"

"Because he can't come back." Chen Xuan's voice was deep. "Not his body, but his identity. When he disappeared three years ago, the association declared him dead. If he suddenly reappeared, how would you explain where he'd been for the past three years? How would you explain the mission he failed to complete? How would you explain... that he might no longer be the Gu Yan he once was?"

"You mean he was corrupted by dreams?" Lin Ye asked.

"It's possible," Chen Xuan said. "It's also possible that he voluntarily became something. His last words—'Become it'—have never made sense to me. But if he 'became' a part of that thing, then he really can't go back to the association."

The room was silent for a few seconds.

"The fact that he sent you this text message means he's interested in you," Chen Xuan said, looking at Lin Ye. "This might not be a bad thing. Although Gu Yan is stubborn, he never harms his own people. If he takes the initiative to contact you, maybe he wants to tell you something."

"Tell him what?" Su Wanning asked.

"I don't know." Chen Xuan stood up. "But one thing is certain—Gu Yan's appearance is related to that organization. He is the fourth sacrifice, and you are the third sacrifice. There is some kind of connection between the two of you."

He walked to the window and looked out at the pitch-black night.

"I'm leaving for the Dream Continent the day after tomorrow. Before I leave, I need you to do one thing."

"What is it?" Lin Ye asked.

"Find Gu Yan."

Lin Ye was taken aback.

"He contacted you first, which means he wants you to find him." Chen Xuan turned around. "His use of his senses to track you and send you text messages is no accident. He's testing you and sending you signals. Find him, find out what he's been through in the past three years, find out what that organization is, and find out—what you'll face in thirty days."

"I don't even know what he looks like, how am I supposed to find him?"

"He'll let you find him," Chen Xuan said. "If he didn't want you to find him, you wouldn't even be able to detect his extended senses tonight. His level is much higher than yours; the reason you were able to find him is because he did it on purpose."

Lin Ye was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Then I'll wait for his next move."

Chen Xuan walked up to Lin Ye, took out a black metal piece from his pocket, which was smaller than the one he had used before, and had intricate patterns engraved on it.

"Here, take this," he said. "An emergency communicator. If you're in danger, crush it, and I'll know your location immediately. No matter where I am in the Dream Continent, I'll come back."

Lin Ye took the metal piece and held it in his hand.

"Don't use it." Chen Xuan patted him on the shoulder. "It's best not to use it."

He picked up the map from the table, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his bag.

"Go back and rest. There's training tomorrow."

Lin Ye and Su Wanning walked out of the office.

In the corridor, Su Wanning suddenly grabbed Lin Ye's sleeve.

"Are you really planning to go find Gu Yan?" she asked.

"If he wants to see me, he will," Lin Ye said. "I don't want to reach out to him. It's too dangerous."

"What if he doesn't want to see you?"

"Then he won't be following me today."

Su Wanning released his grip and sighed.

"You can be really worrying sometimes."

"I know."

Lin Ye walked out of the association headquarters, and the night wind rushed towards him.

Instead of calling a car immediately, he stood at the door, closed his eyes, and pushed his senses to their limits.

There were no abnormalities within 100 meters.

But at the edge of his perception—about ninety meters away—there was a roadside tree. Behind the tree, there was a faint, almost imperceptible heat source.

That person came again.

Lin Ye didn't move. He stood still, pretending to look at his phone, but actually using his senses to lock onto the heat source.

This time, he wanted to see things clearly.

His senses slowly extended, gradually approaching the heat source. Not by scanning directly, but like water, seeping through the ground, passing through the gaps in the tree trunk, getting closer little by little.

He "saw" it.

A man. Approximately 1.82 meters tall. Slim but muscular build. Long hair, tied back. A scar on his left cheek.

He looks exactly like Gu Yan in the photo.

The man seemed to sense Lin Ye's extended perception. He tilted his head slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched—not a smile, but more like an acknowledgment that said, "You've finally found me."

Then he raised his right hand and made a gesture.

He pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then at Lin Ye.

"I'm watching you."

Then he turned and walked into the darkness.

This time, his pace wasn't deliberately synchronized. He walked naturally and quickly, as if he had completed a task and no longer needed to hide it.

Lin Ye stood still, looking in that direction.

The mark on my palm felt slightly warm.

He didn't chase after them.

Because he knew he couldn't catch up. Gu Yan's level was far higher than his; if he didn't want to be caught, he could simply turn around and disappear into the night.

But he doesn't need to chase after him.

Because Gu Yan has already given the answer—he will come again.

When Lin Ye returned to his rented apartment, it was already past midnight.

He didn't turn on the light, but sat down at his desk, turned on his computer, and searched for "Gu Yan" and "Mo Zhe".

Search results were scarce. Several old news items, all from three years ago—"Young Dreamer Missing, Association Launches Large-Scale Search," "Gu Yan Case Suspected to be Related to the Rift in the Dream Continent," etc. No new information was found.

Lin Ye turned off the computer and lay down on the bed.

He took out the black metal piece Chen Xuan had given him and examined it closely in his hand. The patterns were intricate, resembling an ancient rune, somewhat similar to the runes he had seen in the basement, but simpler and more powerful.

He placed the metal sheet under his pillow and closed his eyes.

In his consciousness, that 0.6% residual fragment was still there. He tried to "digest" it using the method Chen Xuan taught him—without resistance, without fear, just observing.

The images from the fragments reappeared.

Photo wall. Thirty-day countdown. Gu Yan's name.

But this time, he saw something new.

In the far corner of the photo wall, there is a very small photo, almost completely obscured by the others. It shows a little girl, about seven or eight years old, with two pigtails, smiling beautifully.

Below the photo was a line of small print:

"Chen Zhihan - Not a sacrificial offering - Accidental contact - Status: Consciousness dormant"

Chen Zhihan.

His surname is Chen.

Lin Ye suddenly opened his eyes.

Chen Xuan's daughter.

Chen Zhihan's case wasn't an "accident" of being corrupted by dream creatures. She was also on that organization's list. She just wasn't a "sacrifice," but rather an "accidental encounter."

What does this mean?

This means that the grudge Chen Xuan had been pursuing for five years was related to that organization.

This means that the "creature" he has been investigating may have been created by that organization.

This means that he entered the Dream Continent not just to avenge his daughter—he was going to find the root of that organization.

Lin Ye sat up and picked up his phone.

He hesitated for a long time about whether to send a message to Chen Xuan.

In the end, he didn't send it.

Because he knew that Chen Xuan must have had a reason for not telling him.

Perhaps it was to prevent him from getting involved in something deeper.

Perhaps they felt he wasn't strong enough, and that knowing more would be dangerous.

Perhaps—even Chen Xuan himself didn't fully understand it.

Lin Ye put down his phone and lay back down.

But he couldn't sleep that night.

The next morning, when Lin Ye arrived at the training room, he found that Chen Xuan was not there.

Su Wanning stood in the center of the training room, his expression somewhat solemn.

"Team Leader Chen set off ahead of schedule," she said. "He entered the Dream Continent at three o'clock this morning."

"Why earlier?"

"I don't know," Su Wanning said. "He only left me one message: 'Take good care of Lin Ye. If I don't return within a week, activate the emergency plan.'"

Lin Ye remained silent for a few seconds.

"What is the emergency plan?"

"Seal all the rifts in the Dream Continent and prohibit anyone from entering," Su Wanning said. "At the same time, request reinforcements from headquarters to prepare for a possible large-scale dream invasion."

"Is it that serious?"

"Captain Chen would never say something like that," Su Wanning said, looking at him. "He's serious."

The training room remained quiet for a long time.

"What about today's training?" Lin Ye asked.

"Continue." Su Wanning put away his serious expression and adopted the focused look he had during training. "Captain Chen isn't here, but your countdown is still going on. Thirty days, and one day has already passed."

Lin Ye nodded.

He walked to the center of the training room and closed his eyes.

Perception extends to its full potential.

But this time, he "saw" more than just the training room.

His senses, aided by that 0.6% remaining fragment, seemed to have become even more acute. He could sense something awakening in a very, very far place, in a place beyond the reach of the real world.

It's very slow. It's very heavy.

It's like the heartbeat deep within the earth.

One, one, another.

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

Thirty days.

No, it's been twenty-nine days.