Ch104 – Infection
Yu Hao approached Ou Qihang carefully, and he had just touched his arm when Ou Qihang raised his head. He woke up.
“Which period is it?” Ou Qihang said, then immediately realised something, “Oh, it’s a dream.”
“You slept in a dream?”
At this moment, Zhou Sheng wasn’t surprised at Ou Qihang’s injury but was instead inquiring about him sleeping in a dream, looking very puzzled.
“Un……” Ou Qihang didn’t look very good. Yu Hao sat next to him and removed his bandages, seeing deep bite marks underneath.
Chen Yekai said, “Qihang got bit while protecting me.”
“It’s nothing.” Ou Qihang said wearily.
“I wanna kick you.” Zhou Sheng said, “Why couldn’t you just wait for a bit?”
Yu Hao looked at Zhou Sheng. Ou Qihang said, “I thought you guys had already arrived but were trapped outside and didn’t enter my safe haven. I thought something happened, so I went out to look for you guys.”
Ou Qihang’s fair chest was bare. He had broad shoulders , a narrow waist, and clearly worked out often; his figure resembled that of a sports student’s, lean but without exaggerated muscles. Yu Hao thought, Xiao Yujun often teased him by saying he was like a puppy, but Ou Qihang was more like a puppy.
Zhou Sheng, “What did you dream of when you fell asleep in your dream?”
Ou Qihang was extremely bewildered. “Can’t really describe it. I dreamt of Dunhuang murals, and a lot of impressions were really clear at first, but gradually changed into lines……”
“Zhou Sheng.” Yu Hao gave him a reminder, to mean that now wasn’t the time to talk about that.
Zhou Sheng looked out of the landing windows. There was a densely packed crowd of zombies outside the flower cafe. They were blocked by the glass wall, and their ferocious faces were plastered onto the glass, which was actually kind of amusing.
Chen Yekai said, “When I entered his dreamscape, I appeared in the hospital. I bumped into him not long after I left, and we encountered a particularly big one that was even carrying an iron hammer. I cut off its head with my scalpel, Qihang helped me guard the rear and got bit.”
Chen Yekai’s tone was very calm, but Ou Qihang said, “I was careless.”
Zhou Sheng looked at the mountain of zombies outside. Yu Hao gathered his strength and a silvery white light emitted from both his hands. He pressed them against Ou Qihang’s wound, staring at him seriously.
His wound began to heal, but Ou Qihang’s complexion didn’t improve. Not long after, dark bruises reappeared on his shoulder and back, and his complexion turned pale again.
Yu Hao touched his forehead —— Ou Qihang had a fever, his forehead was boiling hot.
“I can heal his wound.” Yu Hao said, “But after getting bit by a zombie, his wound still remains. Qihang, you need to change the impression you hold……”
Ou Qihang struggled to shake his head, “I’m better now, do we go now?”
Yu Hao looked at Zhou Sheng and Chen Yekai, “What would happen once he turns into a zombie?”
Zhou Sheng didn’t answer, Chen Yekai’s expression turned grave.
Yu Hao never thought that it would be too serious. In fact, ever since he entered Ou Qihang’s dream and followed Zhou Sheng, he has always regarded it as a game. After all, Zhou Sheng was really adept, and it felt like they were playing a game as they made their way to the flower cafe. He didn’t expect such a serious problem to occur.
If it was him, Zhou Sheng, or Chen Yekai who got bit, they could still be sent out of the dreamscape and postpone dealing with the dream. But now, the one who got infected by a zombie is the dreamscape’s owner, Ou Qihang.
In other words, even if the three of them left now, Ou Qihang would still remain in the dream, and his infection will spread……at this moment, a hint from the Golden Crow Wheel suddenly surfaced in Yu Hao’s mind.
What would happen if we leave Ou Qihang alone?
He would suffer from the infection of his self-suggestion and lose control of his conscious world, leading to the collapse of his consciousness on the surface, then he would fall into his subconscious bit by bit.
These impressions made it seem like Yu Hao had just answered his own questions in his mind, but he keenly grasped the word ‘self-suggestion’.
He immediately said to Ou Qihang, “Have you ever thought that, one day, you would become one of them?”
Ou Qihang’s gaze looked a little dazed. Yu Hao said, “That’s the self-suggestion you’re giving yourself.”
“Yes.” Ou Qihang admitted it quite frankly and answered, “I have thought about that before, about whether I would become someone like them after stepping into society.”
Yu Hao explained to Zhou Sheng and Chen Yekai, “His self-suggestion has already taken form, the outcome of getting bitten by zombies was foreordained. It’s the vague, indistinct ‘hope’ in his heart.”
Zhou Sheng said, “The Golden Crow Wheel told you that?”
Yu Hao nodded. He didn’t know why he would obtain the Golden Crow Wheel’s prompt at this time.
Zhou Sheng said, “We better get moving.”
Ou Qihang said, “I can still hold on for awhile.”
Zhou Sheng threw a gun to Yu Hao, and the two of them shared their weapons. Chen Yekai took out his silver pistol and spun it around his fingers, indicating that his weapon was a gun. Just as he was about to lend Ou Qihang an arm to support him, Ou Qihang got himself together and stood up by himself.
“I’m okay, look. There’s nothing wrong.” Ou Qihang put on his jacket and picked up his gun. “I’ll open up a path for you guys.”
Chen Yekai, “Follow behind! Stop being impulsive!”
Chen Yekai’s tone was extremely imposing, and Ou Qihang immediately said, “Got it, Laoshi.”
The atmosphere lightened up instantly and Yu Hao couldn’t help himself from laughing. Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao took charge of the front while Chen Yekai supported the rear. Ou Qihang suddenly said, “Ting Ge didn’t come?”
“He doesn’t know.” Yu Hao explained.
Chen Yekai said, “Don’t ask anymore, behave yourself.”
So Ou Qihang could only follow behind Yu Hao. Yu Hao looked back at Ou Qihang and smiled. Everyone was like a student in front of Chen Yekai, you just had to comply.
They couldn’t go outside, there were zombies everywhere in the shopping mall. Zhou Sheng went underground from the first floor, took off an emergency flashlight from the railway platform, then observed the subway tracks. Ou Qihang said, “My house is in the small area beside the subway station, we’ll reach it as long as we walk along the tracks.”
Yu Hao said, “Walk along the subway tracks?”
Zhou Sheng shone the light towards the end of the dark track and said, “Don’t be afraid, there shouldn’t be any zombies here.”
Their surroundings were so quiet that it was frightening. Zhou Sheng led the way and walked into the tunnel. Yu Hao was still thinking — this was the first time he so clearly felt a direct hint from the Golden Crow Wheel, it always used to be hazy impressions. Why did it especially give him the hint, and not Zhou Sheng?
“What are you thinking about?” Zhou Sheng said, “Sing something?”
Yu Hao said, “Quit it. I’m thinking about the consciousness exchange with the Golden Crow Wheel.”
Zhou Sheng said, “It will appear suddenly sometimes and give me a hint, then disappear just as quickly.”
Yu Hao frowned deeply, “Perhaps it’s because of the scope of permissions? If Ou Qihang isn’t cured, he’ll fall into the subconscious. According to Kaikai’s analysis, the subconscious world is under my supervision……”
“Wu.” Zhou Sheng answered, “Just like how Kaikai and I were helpless in the ruins of the depths of Liang Laoshi’s subconscious, you were the only one who wasn’t affected. You turned into the only luminous body in the area of absolute darkness — that is, the moon.”
Did the binary star system refer to the sun and the moon? The more Yu Hao thought about it, the more he felt a vague truth gradually surfacing, but he couldn’t see it clearly.
“I asked if he was dreaming in his dream,” Zhou Sheng said, “Because of that. Usually, very few people will fall asleep in their dreams. Once they leave the dreamscape consciousness on the surface and continue downwards……” As Zhou Sheng spoke, he pointed below his feet and explained, “Then it’s possible to approach the subconscious.”
Yu Hao wanted to say that he had dreamt before in a dream. In fact, the world of a dream within a dream exists, and you wouldn’t fall straight into the subconscious once you dream in a dream.《Inception》had mentioned that dreams were made up of many layers, and only the last layer would be the subconscious.
But now that he thought about it carefully, the dream on the surface was the clearest, and the one that was most easily recalled after waking. It was also the world where control over your own consciousness was most easily obtained. However, once you fall into a dream while you’re in the surface dream, your consciousness would become blurrier and blurrier, and your world will be thrown into even more abstraction and chaos.
In that case, the birth of a dream within a dream is indeed the establishment of a channel that draws closer to the subconscious region layer by layer.
Yu Hao held a flashlight while Zhou Sheng wore his infrared goggles and walked right in front. Zhou Sheng casually said, “If we can master the required technique, could we go into the subconscious world without the collapse of the dreamscape on the surface?”
Yu Hao though, that is one way of doing it……but dreaming within a dream may be even more difficult.
Chen Yekai walked right at the back and kept a careful eye on Ou Qihang’s every move. Ou Qihang was gasping for breath a little. Chen Yekai said, “If you don’t feel well let us know, don’t be so stoic.”
Ou Qihang answered, “I’m alright.”
The tunnel fell into a long period of silence. The sound of footsteps and the whispers of Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng travelled over from the front.
“What are we going to do now?” Ou Qihang asked Chen Yekai, “Save my dream world?”
“Get your totem back. Something you once held fast to, but thought that you had already lost.” Chen Yekai asked, “Zhou Sheng never told you?”
Ou Qihang was slightly baffled. Along with his ragged breathing, his footsteps were also a bit staggered.
“What would that be?” Ou Qihang asked.
Chen Yekai shrugged slightly, “You’ll have to ask yourself that.”
Zhou Sheng should have been the one to tell Ou Qihang all this, but for some reason, Zhou Sheng seldom told Ou Qihang about the dream world in detail. Perhaps it was because there were now too many people who knew about it.
Ou Qihang couldn’t help but ask, “Are you guys real, or just images in my dream?”
Chen Yekai said, “I thought you already had the answer.”
Ou Qihang said, “I don’t know why, but I’m starting to feel like all of this is becoming more and more unreal.”
“If you believe that this is all true, then it is.” Chen Yekai casually said, “Conversely, memories that we sometimes believe to be true might not actually be.”
“Yes, yes!” Ou Qihang suddenly got excited and said to Chen Yekai, “I’ve seen that in a lot of science fiction stories……sometimes I even feel like the entire world is false, that everyone is just a figment of my imagination……that they all exist because of me……”
“Including me, who’s standing here right now.” Chen Yekai said, “So, that’s all that matters.”
Ou Qihang stopped and looked at Chen Yekai for some reason. Chen Yekai stopped not far from him. At the end of the dark tunnel, a faint light appeared and that light was cast upon his back.
He slightly turned his head sideways, as if taking the late Eurydice away from the underworld as the handsome bard, Orpheus of the Lyra constellation. However, he still didn’t spare Ou Qihang a second glance.
“Since the whole world was born for you and will die for you,” Chen Yekai said, “Then it should be like what you want it to be. Why yield to it?”
Ou Qihang stood up straight, and at this moment, the sound of a gunshot rang in the distance. The two of them began dashing at the same time and rushed to the end of the tunnel.
Yu Hao wielded a gun, Zhou Sheng said, “You’re too nervous! That’s just a cat! Are you trying to murder your husband?!”
“How would I know?!” Yu Hao became frantic, “It suddenly lunged over from the top of the train just now! I was afraid that you’d get scratched!”
There were two trains in front of them. Zhou Sheng was about to climb up when a cat suddenly jumped down from the top of the train. Yu Hao was extremely tensed up in the first place, so when he saw that dark figure, he immediately shot it in its head and startled Zhou Sheng.
Chen Yekai said, “Let’s walk from the side ba, it’ll be easier to take our guns out if something happens on the side.”
This tunnel had two parallel tracks, and only one person could pass through the narrow space. Zhou Sheng wanted to walk along the top of the train, but it wasn’t possible. Walking in between the two trains was their best choice right now.
Zhou Sheng pondered for a moment before nodding in the end. Chen Yekai said, “I’ll cover the rear.”
One by one, they walked through the gap between the two trains. After a few steps, Yu Hao saw that the lights were turned on in the train, so he looked inside. A pale white light shone throughout the carriage — this was the light they had seen before when they were in the tunnel, the faint glint was shining from the carriages.
“Don’t shoot.” Zhou Sheng instructed, “Stay your gun.”
Yu Hao kept his gun, Zhou Sheng carried his jingubang and held Yu Hao’s hand as he walked in front. Ou Qihang walked behind Yu Hao.
Their surroundings were so quiet it was a little scary.
Yu Hao whispered, “Look ahead, entrust the surroundings to me.”
Zhou Sheng said, “Just take note of the overhead.”
Ou Qihang and Chen Yekai who were at the back didn’t talk at all. Yu Hao turned around to see how Ou Qihang was doing and suddenly glimpsed a hanging broken hand that was grabbing onto a door’s iron pole.
Yu Hao, “……”
In the next moment, a zombie slammed into the train window with a “bang”!
Yu Hao’s heart nearly halted. Ou Qihang turned sharply and restrained himself from shouting, his back knocking onto the other train’s door. Chen Yekai said, “There’s some behind you! Don’t get close!”
Zhou Sheng immediately said, “Calm down a little! They can’t come out! Speed up!”
Hundreds of zombies in the carriage all broke out into an uproar and began surging towards them in a crowds from both sides. They dragged their rotten bodies, their blood and some yellowish white liquid stained the train windows. Zhou Sheng took the lead in opening up a path, but Chen Yekai said, “Don’t worry! Keep going!”
Ou Qihang couldn’t stop gasping for breath. Yu Hao immediately locked onto his wrists and dragged him along as they sped up to follow Zhou Sheng. Chen Yekai kept looking back as he ran and took out his pistol.
In the next moment, the train window panes were smashed into smithereens; hundreds of zombies squeezed out of the window and onto the narrow gap between the two trains, then began pursuing them relentlessly. Chen Yekai said, “Hurry and go!”
“Shoot!” Zhou Sheng ordered.
A gunshot was heard, Chen Yekai’s gun was like a laser that could clear the heads of four to five zombies with one shot. Ou Qihang looked back as he wanted to help, but he was dragged away by Yu Hao in a mad dash. Zhou Sheng darted through at full speed, Yu Hao said to Ou Qihang, “You’re the master of the dreamscape! You must go first!”
Yu Hao successfully pushed Ou Qihang out. Zombies had taken hold of Chen Yekai, Yu Hao took out two daggers and shouted, “Lower your head!”
Chen Yekai abruptly threw his head backwards; a dagger flew over and brushed the side of his face. Zhou Sheng shouted, “Both of you, get down!”
Then Yu Hao grabbed onto Chen Yekai’s arm and pushed him to the ground. The jingubang whooshed as it stretched out, and this one rod penetrated through dozens of zombies, stringing them together like Chinese hawthorn on a stick. Yu Hao supported Chen Yekai up to get out of the gap between the trains, Ou Qihang threw a grenade into the gap, and all of them flew onto the railway platform before running out of the subway exit.
An explosion could be heard coming from underground. The head of the train was deformed from the explosion. Zhou Sheng struck the first fire damper with his rod, and a steel door suddenly fell with a loud rumble. The four of them sat on the railway platform, utterly breathless.
Chen Yekai’s left hand was now bloody from being bitten by zombies. Yu Hao immediately knelt down on one knee, and his hands glowed as he treated Chen Yekai’s wounds.
Zhou Sheng said, “And now we have two who are infected.”
“It’s okay.” Chen Yekai said, “We still have time. If I can’t hold on, just kick me out of the dreamscape, and the rest will be up to you guys. What about you? How’s it going?”
Yu Hao checked Chen Yekai; his injuries were even worse than Ou Qihang. Ou Qihang’s forehead was covered in sweat, and his breathing was getting more ragged.
Ou Qihang nodded. Yu Hao examined his pupils, and they showed slight signs of diffusion.
“Let’s go.” Chen Yekai said, “We’re almost at the end.”
Zhou Sheng looked up at the exit, “We still don’t know if it’s the end yet.”
Zhou Sheng’s original question was whether or not Ou Qihang’s father had left him a key to “overcome himself,” just like Yu Hao’s chess set that turned into his soldiers, or the shield that had sealed his inner heart. Ou Qihang thought that it could exist in his house — that meant that both the totem and the boss were waiting in his house.
Yu Hao stood at the exit and said, “I think this is the end.”
Not far from the exit of the subway station, under the dark backdrop of the sky, a small area was covered with sticky bio-tissue. There was a twisted high-rise in the middle, and black, strange runes were suspended in mid air above the top of the building. A dark mist emanated from those ruins that blotted out the whole sky.
“You’re here.” A deep and resounding voice said.
Ou Qihang had already fallen into a state of deliriousness, but he instantly sobered up when he heard that voice.
“Dad?”
“Come ba.” Ou Weihong’s voice echoed in the sky, “Qihang, you said that you would listen to Dad.”
The other three listened quietly. Ou Qihang’s voice trembled, “I, I can’t.”
Chen Yekai said, “Remember what I said.”
Ou Qihang immediately recalled and gasped, “This is my world, Dad.”
Zhou Sheng filled up his magazine and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds packed the sky, it was raining. Yu Hao reached out to catch a rain droplet — it was bloody red.
In front of the castle where Ou Qihang lived, a strange and shining flower appeared.
“What’s that?” Zhou Sheng said.
“That’s the place my Dad landed after jumping from a building.” Ou Qihang said, “When I got home that day, his blood covered the ground below the building.”
The huge flower took root in the earth and spread the zombie virus throughout Ying City. Chen Yekai said, “Zhou Sheng, it’s time to start.”
“There’s no sun, this fight will be a little difficult.” Zhou Sheng murmured but still whistled, and his jindouyun appeared. Yu Hao spread his wings open. The two of them took Ou Qihang and Chen Yekai to fly towards the platform at the top of the castle.
A door appeared at the end of the platform, and the huge door was open.
“No gatekeeper?” Yu Hao said.
Zhou Sheng unlocked the gun’s safety bolt and said, “The gatekeeper has already been gotten rid of in reality. After we go in, Ou Qihang will summon his totem, while we hold him down.”
Yu Hao understood in an instant why the one waiting here was Ou Qihang’s father! Not long ago, the officials were sacked one by one, so it had in a sense undone the first knot in Ou Qihang’s heart. However, his father’s death was still a shadow in his heart that he couldn’t face.
That shadow didn’t lie in his father’s acceptance of the bribe, but in Ou Qihang’s steadfast belief that Ou Weihong had taken that money for the sake of his only son — Ou Qihang himself!
Zhou Sheng, “We’ll hold the boss down, Kaikai protect Qihang while he seizes his totem back! Go!”
—
