Dream Ghost

The moment the training room door closed, Lin Ye regretted it.

It wasn't out of fear, but because he realized he had made an extremely foolish decision—facing more than a dozen page-level creatures at the same time, at his current level, was tantamount to suicide.

But the door was already closed.

The glass walls of the bio-vault emitted a faint blue light in the darkness. The dream creatures sealed within the transparent containers sensed his presence and began to stir. The black matter pounded wildly against the inner walls of the containers, producing dull thuds like the heartbeat of some kind of hunger.

Lin Ye walked up to the first container.

Inside was a fragmented creature, shaped like a flattened spider, its eight legs clawing wildly at the container walls. Its rule was simple—fear paralysis. Anyone targeted by it would temporarily lose their mobility, leaving them at its mercy.

Lin Ye opened the container.

The spider lunged at him.

He didn't dodge. His crack in the rules found a weakness in the spider—the joint of its eighth leg, where there was a tiny loophole in the rules. He reached out, grabbed the leg, and twisted it gently.

【Rules Broken - Fragment Level: Fear Spider】

[Devouring—]

[Fragment Evolution: Page (68%) → Page (69%)]

The spider transformed into a wisp of black smoke and vanished.

Lin Ye walked to the second container.

He spent two whole hours devouring all the fragment-level creatures in the bio-bank. Eleven in total, raising his fragment level from 68% to 79%.

Then he opened the container of the first page-level creature.

That was an "echo monster".

Its rule is imitation—it reads the most terrifying sounds from Lin Ye's memory and repeats them over and over until he suffers a mental breakdown.

The moment Lin Ye opened the container, the entire training room was filled with sound.

It wasn't noise. It was the sound he least wanted to hear.

It was his mother's voice.

"Lin Ye, why are you having nightmares again? Can't you be normal for once?"

It was the voice of an elementary school teacher.

"Is Lin Ye talking in his sleep again? Is this child sick?"

It was the voice of a psychologist.

"Your hallucinations are a sign of abnormal brain function. We recommend long-term medication to control them."

Lin Ye closed his eyes.

He had been listening to these voices for over a decade. As a child, he thought there was something wrong with him. Later, he learned to remain silent, to pretend to be normal, and to smile and say "I slept well" when others asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"

But now he knows it wasn't an illusion. It was the price he paid for always being able to see things that others couldn't.

Perception extends to its full potential.

He found the Echo Monster's "root"—it wasn't in the training room, but in Lin Ye's consciousness. It invaded his senses through sound, and then planted its "root" in his most vulnerable memory.

Lin Ye did not pull out that root.

He interfered with the rules, creating a wall in his own consciousness. Not a wall blocking the sound, but a wall blocking "meaning." The sound was still there, but it no longer represented "mother," "teacher," or "doctor"; it was merely the vibration of air.

The Echo Monster lost its target.

Its "roots" detached from Lin Ye's consciousness and were exposed.

Lin Ye reached out and grabbed it.

[Rule Breaking - Page-Level Echo Monster]

[Devouring—]

[Fragment Evolution: Page (79%) → Page (84%)]

The training room fell silent.

Lin Ye leaned against the wall, panting heavily. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his heart was pounding as if it would explode. But he didn't stop. He walked to the container of the second page-level creature.

This time, it's a "shadow snake".

Its rule is entanglement—it creates a shadow trap under the target, then emerges from the shadow and entangles the target's limbs until suffocation occurs.

Lin Ye opened the container, and the shadows on the ground immediately came to life.

A black shadow, like a snake, crept up from his feet, coiling around his ankles, calves, and knees. He tried to move, but the shadow tightened its grip.

He did not struggle.

He closed his eyes and used his senses to "see" the Shadow Serpent's true form—not in the shadow, but in the light source. The Shadow Serpent's rule is "there is no shadow without light," and if it wants to control the shadow, it must attach itself to the light source.

The training room is lit by four rows of fluorescent lights on the ceiling.

Lin Ye raised his head.

On the second tube of the fourth row of fluorescent lights, there is a tiny black substance stuck tightly to the back of the tube.

He used the rule cracks to lock onto the mass of matter.

[Rules Broken - Page-Level Shadow Serpent]

[Devouring—]

[Fragment Evolution: Page (84%) → Page (88%)]

The shadows dispersed. Lin Ye's legs were free again.

He continued.

The third one. The fourth one. The fifth one.

Each page-level creature has its own set of rules—some rely on visual illusions, some on scent, some on temperature changes, and some on distorted time perception. With each one Lin Ye devours, his ability to analyze these rules improves.

By the time he got to the seventh one, he was able to find the weaknesses in the rules within half a second.

By the time he got to the ninth one, he was able to find its weaknesses and interfere with the rules at the same time.

By the time of the eleventh creature—the last page-level being in the bio-bank—he no longer needed to use his "eyes" to see. His extended perception and the cracks in the rules had merged into a new ability: he could "feel" the existence of the rules as naturally as he could feel the flow of air.

He opened the last container.

There was nothing inside.

No, it's not that it doesn't exist. It's that it's "transparent".

Lin Ye's senses extended and swept over the inside of the container—there was a creature, its shape, temperature, and movement trajectory were clearly visible in his senses, but he could not see it with his naked eye.

"The Stealth".

Rule: Visual invisibility. But it's not true invisibility; it merely bends light. This trick is meaningless in the face of perceptual extension.

Lin Ye reached out and grabbed the unseen creature.

[Rules Broken - Page-Level Stealth]

[Devouring—]

[Fragment Evolution: Page (99%)]

Lin Ye looked at the mark on his palm.

99%.

It's only 1% away from reaching the chapter level.

But there are no more organisms in the biobank.

He leaned against the wall, soaking wet as if he'd been pulled from the water. His fingers trembled, his knees buckled, and countless voices screamed in his mind—the remnants of the dozen or so creatures he'd devoured. He hadn't had time to digest them; he'd simply swallowed them roughly.

[Residual consciousness: 0.4% → 3.7%]

[WARNING: Residual debris exceeds the safety threshold; immediate cleansing of consciousness recommended]

Lin Ye turned off the system notification.

He walked out of the training room, bought a bottle of water from a vending machine in the corridor, and drank half of it in one go. He poured the remaining half over his head, and the cold water cleared his muddled mind somewhat.

He went to the monitoring room and turned on Chen Xuan's vital signs monitoring.

Heart rate: 48.

It's still declining.

Su Wanning's signal—he switched to another screen. Each dream-enterer in the association had a locator; Su Wanning's locator displayed—

Not in service area.

This means she has entered the Dream Continent.

Lin Ye stared at the "Out of Service Area" message and remained silent for a long time.

He took out his phone and dialed Su Wanning's number again.

The number you dialed is currently switched off.

He put down his phone and took the black anchor from his pocket.

Gu Yan said that this anchor point could carry an ordinary person into the Dream Continent. But he was not an ordinary person; he was a Dream Enterer. He could enter without an anchor point—he had simply never tried.

Chen Xuan had said that two conditions are required for a dreamer to enter the Dream Continent: first, they must reach the level of a Dream Weaver; second, they must have a stable "coordinate." Lin Ye isn't even a Dream Controller yet, let alone a Dream Weaver. Forcing his way in might result in him getting lost in the sea of ​​subconsciousness and never returning.

But he has an anchor point.

Anchor points are coordinates.

Three days later, on the Misty Coast.

Lin Ye held the anchor point in his palm and closed his eyes.

He did not enter the Dream Continent. It's not the right time yet.

He needs to prepare.

The remaining 3.7% of the debris needs to be digested.

The fragment level needs to be increased from 99% to 100%.

You need to learn to fight in your dreams.

The need is to become stronger.

Lin Ye opened his eyes and walked towards the medical room.

"Dr. Jiang," he pushed open the door, "I need you to perform a consciousness cleansing for me."

Dr. Jiang was reading a book when she heard his words and looked up.

"Didn't you say you'd handle it yourself?"

"It's too late," Lin Ye said. "I don't have time to process this slowly. I need to wash away all the residue and stay conscious."

Dr. Jiang looked at him for a few seconds, then put down her book.

"Lie down."

Lin Ye lay on the bed in the medical room, and Dr. Jiang placed more than a dozen sensor patches on his head. The cold metal against his skin made him more awake.

"The process of cleansing consciousness will be very painful," Dr. Jiang said. "I will use instruments to 'strip' away the remnants of your consciousness. You will feel those fragments leaving your body, and at the same time, you will feel... who they once belonged to. Those people's fears, pain, and memories will all pass through your consciousness."

"I know."

"Are you ready?"

Lin Ye nodded.

Dr. Jiang pressed the button on the instrument.

Lin Ye's world instantly turned white.

It wasn't light. It was "blank space." He felt his body disappear, his consciousness floating in nothingness. Then, fragments began to appear—

He saw the memory of the terrifying spider. It had been a nightmare of an insomniac who hadn't slept a full night for three months, eventually suffering a mental breakdown and being admitted to a mental hospital.

He saw the Echo's memories. It was once a little girl's fear, a little girl who was yelled at by her father every day, and the sound she feared most was "Why don't you listen to me?"

He saw the Shadow Serpent's memories. It was once the shadow of an old man who lived alone in a nursing home, staring blankly at his shadow on the wall every day, because the shadow was the only person he could "talk" to.

Each fragment represents a piece of pain.

Each fragment represents a person consumed by fear.

Lin Ye witnessed twelve lives, twelve fears, and twelve breakdowns.

Tears streamed down his face.

It wasn't because he was afraid.

It's because he understood.

Those creatures aren't "monsters." They're man-made—the Dreamweaver created them using human fear. But they aren't inherently malicious; they're simply following their own "rules." Just like the Echo Monster didn't intentionally harm the little girl; it was simply "made" that way.

Lin Ye lay on the bed in the medical room, tears streaming down his face, but his hands remained calm.

The fragments were leaving his body.

3.7%. 2.1%. 0.8%.

0%.

Dr. Jiang turned off the equipment.

"It's over," she said.

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

The ceiling was lit by white fluorescent lights, bright yet cold.

He sat up and wiped the tears from his face.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Dr. Jiang looked at him. "You were crying just now."

"I know."

"Very few people who enter a dream cry during the process of consciousness cleansing," Dr. Jiang said. "Most people just feel pain, scream, and struggle. You are the first one to cry."

"Because those fragments aren't monsters," Lin Ye said. "They're people. People trapped by fear."

Dr. Jiang remained silent for a few seconds.

“Chen Xuan said something similar,” she said. “Five years ago, after his first consciousness cleansing, he said, ‘Those creatures are not enemies we need to kill, but hostages we need to rescue.’”

Lin Ye got out of bed and put on his shoes.

"What else did Captain Chen say?"

"He said that one day he would find a way not just to eliminate the dream creatures, but to 'heal' them," Dr. Jiang said. "Then he went to the Dream Continent and never came back."

Lin Ye walked to the door.

"He will come back," he said. "I will bring him back."

He walked out of the medical room and into the corridor.

The morning sunlight streamed in through the window at the end of the corridor, casting golden dapples on the floor.

Lin Ye stood in that patch of light, looking at the mark on the palm of his right hand.

Crescent-shaped pupils, faintly glowing.

[Fragment Level: Page (99%) → Page (99%)]

[Residual consciousness: 0%]

All fragments have been digested; current status: optimal.

Lin Ye clenched his fist.

tomorrow.

Tomorrow he will enter the Dream Continent.

Before that, there was one more thing he needed to do.

He took out his phone and dialed Zhou Zhou's number.

"Zhou Zhou, I need you to help me investigate someone."

"Who?"

"Shen Yutong. The second sacrifice. A primary school teacher. I need to know where she lives and who else lives in her family."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Found it. In the east of the city, in Cuiping Residential Area, Building 7, Room 302. Her parents are still alive, and so is her cat."

"Thanks."

Lin Ye hung up the phone and walked out of the association headquarters.

On the streets in the early morning, breakfast stalls were already open for business. Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk rose in the morning light, filling the air with the aroma of food.

Lin Ye bought two cups of soy milk, a bag of steamed buns, and hailed a taxi.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"Cuiping Residential Area".

The car started moving.

Lin Ye sat in the back seat, looking at the city outside the window. People began their new day: going to work, going to school, buying groceries, walking their dogs. They were unaware of the existence of the dream world, unaware that someone was clearing away their nightmares, and unaware that a disaster might occur in thirty days.

They don't need to know.

Lin Ye lowered his head and looked at the soy milk in his hand.

It's still warm.

He suddenly remembered Su Wanning. She had said that after she almost died in her dream for the first time, she was afraid to sleep for two whole weeks. Later, Captain Chen told her, "Fear is not your enemy; ignoring fear is."

Su Wanning is currently in the Dream Continent.

Is she afraid?

Lin Ye didn't know.

But he said to himself: Wait for me.

The car stopped.

Cuiping Residential Area.

Lin Ye walked into Building 7, climbed to the third floor, and stood in front of Room 302.

He knocked on the door.

The door opened a crack, and an elderly man with gray hair peeked out.

Who are you looking for?

"Are you Shen Yutong's parents?" Lin Ye asked.

The old man's eyes reddened.

"Who are you?"

"I am...her former student," Lin Ye said. "I heard she was sick, so I came to see her."

The door opened.

The old man let him in.

The house wasn't big, but it was very clean. The living room walls were covered with photos—photos of Shen Yutong from childhood to adulthood: as a baby, in kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, university, and at work. She was smiling in every single one of them.

A chubby white cat was lying on the sofa, sleeping.

"Rice cake?" Lin Ye asked.

The old man nodded: "Yutong raised it. After her accident, Nian Gao has been here ever since. It seems to know its owner is gone; it lies on the sofa every day and doesn't eat much."

Lin Ye squatted down and patted Nian Gao's head.

The cat opened its eyes, glanced at him, and then closed them again.

Lin Ye stood up and handed the soy milk and steamed buns in his hand to the old man.

"I've come to see you," he said. "Yutong will get better."

The old man took the bag, and tears streamed down his face.

"Thank you for your kind words."

As Lin Ye walked out the door, he glanced back at the photos on the wall.

Shen Yutong. Twenty-eight years old. Elementary school teacher. Likes to draw. Owns a cat named Nian Gao (Rice Cake).

She shouldn't become an empty shell inside a container.

Lin Ye walked down the stairs and out of the residential area.

He stood at the entrance of the residential compound, took out his phone, and glanced at the time.

Nine o'clock in the morning.

There are 39 hours left until we enter the Dreamland.

He put away his phone and walked towards the nearest subway station.

He wants to go home.

Take a nap.

Then, go to the Dream Continent.