This matter was extremely complicated, and it began to seem more and more chaotic. However, Zhou Sheng still had ample patience. He finished reading all of the information and verified it with Yu Hao, “What about this, let’s enter his dream to look for him first and see Gege’s situation. That’s the first step.”
“Un.” Yu Hao had no objection to restarting the Golden Crow Wheel. They had to use it for this matter no matter what.
Zhou Sheng drew out a mindmap of action steps, “After we find him, there are two possible situations.”
“One, he has been brainwashed. Waking him up in the dream first, that’ll be very troublesome.”
Yu Hao said, “If he has been brainwashed, he wouldn’t have asked me to sell the shoes and would have just asked to borrow money from me, right? Since he could transmit the warning signal ‘119,’ it proves that he hasn’t given up.”
Zhou Sheng said, “But don’t forget one thing — people’s perseverance can be used up.”
“Two, that kid’s still normal. After we ask him where he is, get there immediately to find him.” Zhou Sheng said, “Use your identity as an intern reporter to pay them a visit for an interview.”
Yu Hao, “I’ll be locked up.”
Zhou Sheng said, “Developing the local economic infrastructure, providing self-employment to lift oneself out of poverty –will that be okay to write about?”
After thinking about it, Yu Hao said, “Okay.”
Zhou Sheng said, “Then find an opportunity to take him away, collect information, then come back and publish a piece to expose them. Expose them as much as possible; that’s roughly it, we’ll think about the specifics as we go along.”
Yu Hao nodded. At 11:30, they lay in their bed. Zhou Sheng raised his hand and looked at Yu Hao. Yu Hao was still a little upset. Zhou Sheng didn’t press his hand down, and instead said, “Wife, do you still remember Gege’s evaluation of you?”
“He said so much.” Yu Hao said, “How could I remember?”
Zhou Sheng thought for a bit and wasn’t in a hurry to enter the dream. Instead, he closed his eyes with his brows set in a deep furrow, “He said that you’re a strong guy. I think you’re very clear on what you want, and you won’t be easily held back by self-esteem.”
“In the past, there was a period of time when I was held back by self-esteem; it was before I knew you.” Yu Hao answered wearily. It has been a long time since he got angry with Zhou Sheng, but after careful consideration, it wasn’t a matter of principle or anything. The most important thing at hand was to save Fu Liqun.
Zhou Sheng held Yu Hao’s hand and whispered, “Good night.”
The Golden Crow Wheel released a faint light and brought them into the dream.
“There’s a signal!”
In the north of Yanqing, deep in an abandoned factory, the detection lights in an abandoned factory lit up. There was a radar scan, and data optical cables began transmitting signals.
“Call the boss!”
In the center of the underground factory building, on a screen that was over a thousand inches wide, signals began to be analyzed one after another. A program jumped to life, resulting in extremely indistinct, abstract lines and sound wave frequencies.
A middle-aged man wearing a black suit came in with an assistant. All the researchers got up and stared at the data scrolling on the big screen.
The middle-aged man asked, “Can you analyze the conversation in their dream?”
A researcher answered, “Not for the time being, the signal is too weak.”
The middle-aged man frowned.
“Move the receiver a little closer.” The middle-aged man said to his assistant.
The assistant said, “Zhou Sheng is extremely smart; if we get too close to him, it’ll easily arouse his vigilance.”
The middle-aged man said, “Try band interference.”
Another researcher said, “We’re adjusting it now.”
The middle-aged man walked to one side, took off a helmet from a chair, and put it on.
The researcher said, “Director Zong! The frequency band is extremely difficult to analyze, right now we don’t have any way to……that chair is……Director Zong!”
The man called ‘Director Zong’ put on the helmet, closed his eyes, and asked, “What’s the simplest and most direct way?”
“If we bring either Zhou Sheng or Yu Hao to the laboratory.” The research supervisor came over to adjust the circuit and explained, “And let them start the brainwave integrator here. In that way, we can intercept the data directly and analyze it.”
Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng closed their eyes. A burst of light erupted, and with a “whoosh,” Yu Hao woke up on the Great Wall.
His world had changed once again. Long-range crossbows of all sizes were erected on the Great Wall, while cheval de frise and other fortification weapons were placed under the Great Wall. Yu Hao though, had no time to take a closer look and immediately spread his wings out to fly toward the Golden Crow Wheel.
In the colosseum dream world, cracks in the cloud layers were growing wider and wider, and the sun shone down on the arena below the clouds. On the sky altar, Zhou Sheng wore a black suit and sunglasses and looked like a bodyguard. He looked up, and there was a golden circlet on his head. His legs were slightly parted as he looked up at the Golden Crow Wheel in front of him.
“Why did your image change again?” Yu Hao said.
“There’s a change in the understanding of my ‘self’ ma.” Zhou Sheng said, “Is it very strange?”
Yu Hao landed. Zhou Sheng raised his hand and established a connection with the Golden Crow Wheel. The Golden Crow Wheel started shining and revealed many strange images. Yu Hao said, “A lot of people have dreamed about you, looks like you’re the lover of everyone’s dreams.”
Many dreams came from strangers; sometimes in the subway, sometimes in the mall. Zhou Sheng was both tall and handsome, and after working for just half a year, he had matured quite a bit. When he went out for investigations with his colleagues, he was often the most conspicuous one.
Logically speaking, it wasn’t a good thing for private detectives to be too eye-catching. Zhou Sheng though, could effectively play the role of attracting people’s attention, and let his colleagues take pictures and follow their targets while he was in charge of diverting the attraction of the target.
“Didn’t dream of me.” Zhou Sheng said, “Your turn.”
Yu Hao raised his hand. The Golden Crow Wheel began to fluctuate, revealing several scenes. Some were of the head editorial office, while some belonged to people who Yu Hao didn’t even know. Zhou Sheng watched patiently.
“This one.” Yu Hao said.
There was an endless desert in the dream. The sky was overcast, and sandstorms had gathered into a massive cloud that covered all the other scenes in it. Only a few mountains in the Gobi desert stood outside the wall of air, while sand and stone were swirling everywhere.
“Why? Think about it clearly, don’t enter the wrong one.” Zhou Sheng said.
Yu Hao said, “Gege said last time that he felt like he was walking in a desert. He kept looking for an oasis, but all he saw were mirages. But this is too exaggerated ba!”
Both of them observed it for a moment. Zhou Sheng said, “Pay attention to it, this world is quite dangerous.”
Yu Hao noticed that in the center of the sandstorm, there was a structure that one wouldn’t notice unless they paid close attention to it. It was like a spire, but also like the top of some kind of sculpture building.
Zhou Sheng pondered for a moment, “Let’s discuss with Kaikai first. We need to ask him for help in this dream; otherwise if we separate once we enter it, we wouldn’t even be able to find anyone.”
Yu Hao changed the dreamscape, revealing Chichén Itzá. Zhou Sheng took Yu Hao across the Golden Crow Wheel and flew into the Chichén Itzá world. Chen Yekai was waiting at the top of the pyramid.
Zhou Sheng described Fu Liqun’s dreamscape to Chen Yekai. Chen Yekai frowned as he listened to the whole description.
“A sinking desert,” Chen Yekai answered, “symbolises his sinking will. It’s quite dangerous, and there’s a sandstorm that blots out the sky……un, the sun can’t be seen. Or rather, the sun is there, but it’s being covered by the sandstorm.”
Chen Yekai frowned as he thought, then said, “I don’t have much resonance with him, but all I know is that Fu Liqun is a very kind kid. On the surface, he appears to not take many things to heart, but he’s actually someone who dwells a lot on problems with no solutions.”
If this were in the past, Yu Hao would have likely entered the desert dreamscape with Zhou Sheng straight away to fight the boss. However, Chen Yekai’s analysis was really necessary. He still remembered the three-man basketball match more than a year ago. Fu Liqun agreed with Zhou Sheng’s view on the surface, that leaving precious memories was the most important thing, but in the depths of his heart, he had hoped to win the championship.
“We need to help him regain his self-confidence.” Chen Yekai said in the end.
“Wu.” Zhou Sheng said, “Otherwise it will be of no use to just bring him back.”
Yu Hao sat down at the dining table on one side. Chen Yekai seemed to have sensed that the atmosphere between the two of them was a bit off. He looked at Yu Hao and didn’t say anything.
Yu Hao tried to create a coffee pot in Chen Yekai’s dream, as well as a full set of utensils to make pour over coffee. Zhou Sheng frowned and pondered for a moment. Yu Hao brewed three cups of coffee. He took one cup himself and looked down from the top of the pyramid.
“Get ready to save him ba, how do you plan on taking me into his dream?” Chen Yekai said.
Zhou Sheng said, “There are a lot of problems that I don’t think we’ve figured out completely. It’s too complicated.”
Chen Yekay looked up at the blazing sun in the sky, “Unless the Golden Crow Wheel takes the initiative to communicate with you, we won’t be able to truly understand its purpose. Speculation will just remain as speculations most of the time.”
Zhou Sheng said, “But we’d still have to find a time to analyze it properly.”
“That day’s not too far away.” Chen Yekai looked into Zhou Sheng’s eyes and said slowly.
Yu Hao said, “But how do we take Chen Laoshi into Gege’s dream?”
“Connection.” Zhou Sheng said, “Connection between the consciousness, just like in Ou Qihang’s dream. As long as a connection is established, he can go in.”
“I don’t have too deep of a connection with Fu Liqun.” Chen Yekai frowned.
Zhou Sheng motioned for Chen Yekai to look at Yu Hao. Yu Hao didn’t understand. He walked over, and Zhou Sheng pointed at the weapon on Chen Yekai’s waist. Yu Hao instantly remembered ——
—— the weapon that Chen Yekai once held, that was briefly confiscated by Yu Hao, but had returned to him in the end — the scalpel!
Chen Yekai immediately patted the holster he wore at his waist. The scalpel flew out and turned into a warm light that flew to Yu Hao’s hand. Zhou Sheng whistled, leapt onto the Golden Crow Wheel, and took Yu Hao with him as he flew towards the sun in Chen Yekai’s world.
The flickering light in Yu Hao’s hand turned into a heavenly path that plunged into the sun, like a path of light connecting the two worlds. Chen Yekai whistled, and the Feathered Serpent god flew over and carried him into the sun. Light burst out in all directions, and they appeared in Yu Hao’s dreamscape.
Zhou Sheng stepped on the jindouyun. He felt that Yu Hao’s hands wrapping around him from the back weren’t holding him as tightly as usual. He patted him casually and pulled him up to cling to his back.
“Still angry?” Zhou Sheng turned his head sideways and asked.
Yu Hao answered, “Not anymore.”
This was an agreement they’d established long ago — no matter how upset they were at home, they’d try their best not to quarrel in front of outsiders. Zhou Sheng said, “Okay, let’s go save him.”
Chen Yekai leapt through the Golden Crow Wheel and appeared in Yu Hao’s world, but the Feathered Serpent was left behind in Chichén Itzá. He nearly overbalanced and fell in a flustered state. Zhou Sheng shook his jingubang, “You haven’t permitted his mount to come in……” As he spoke, he lifted up Chen Yekai by his waist with the jingubang and continued, “Open sesame!” Then his whole body burned up with a golden fire that enveloped him and Yu Hao.
Chen Yekai shouted, “Hold on a minute……”
“The objective is to find Gege! Ask around to figure out where he is!” Zhou Sheng said, “Set off! Once we enter, find Kaikai and gather!”
After he spoke, a desert scene appeared in the Golden Crow Wheel. Chen Yekai was the first to be thrown in, followed by Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao who were stepping on the jindouyun.
At the moment Yu Hao crossed through the Golden Crow Wheel, he suddenly understood Zhou Sheng’s words:
In a sense, was the scalpel that he had confiscated also a totem that Chen Yekai — who had put up a fierce resistance that night — had regarded as the only thing he could rely on in the past?!
A flash of light burst out in front of them. Zhou Sheng shouted and abruptly fell into the sand!
“Zhou Sheng!” Yu Hao shouted.
They were separated again. Yu Hao had just yelled when the omnipresent sand began surging towards him madly, choking him so much that he was coughing incessantly. He looked down and realised that he was wearing a basketball tank and shorts, as well as a pair of sports shoes. He had returned to his appearance several years ago, when he joined the three-man basketball competition with Fu Liqun and Zhou Sheng.
“Zhou Sheng!” Yu Hao looked around him. The sky and earth were enveloped within sand and a violent gale. It was pitch-dark — he couldn’t see the sunlight or any scenery in the distance either. After entering the dreamscape, the first task was to meet up with Zhou Sheng and Chen Yekai as soon as possible.
A gunshot could be heard in the distance.
It was Chen Yekai! Yu Hao turned around to look. He immediately understood why Zhou Sheng was so insistent on Chen Yekai’s participation in this. Their weapons couldn’t send out any signals for the other party to come forward and rendezvous, but Chen Yekai’s gunshot was the best signal in this sandstorm.
Yu Hao raised his arm, put it in front of him, and struggled to cross through the sandstorm as he headed towards the gunshot.
—
Juurensha: Oh boy, we finally get FLQ’s dream, but he’s in such a bad situation…Also who are these weird researcher ppl????
