Huang Ting stopped and stood on the high wall. He said seriously, “Where do you guys want to go now? Help me seize my totem back? I won’t cooperate, and you guys won’t be able to get there. Leave immediately, right now!”
“Hei.” Zhou Sheng found it amusing instead. He carried his jingubang on his shoulder, then turned his head sideways to shoot a provocative glance at Huang Ting.
“What’s the meaning of running over so recklessly?” Huang Ting said, “Just to save someone like me who’s about to die? To tell you guys the truth…”
“Aplastic anemia,” Chen Yekai said, “Acute. We already know.”
Huang Ting suddenly fell silent. Yu Hao said, “Can’t you treat it as palliative care? Also, you might not necessarily die. You’re still waiting for a bone marrow match, right?”
Huang Ting still wanted to insist, but Zhou Sheng said, “What’s in the centre of the maze? Let me guess?”
“You guessed right.” Huang Ting said, “My fear of death.”
Yu Hao said, “Keep walking. Don’t stop. The longer this gets dragged out, the more dangerous it gets. If you’re really concerned about our well-being, then please face the fear in your heart and seize your totem back.”
Zhou Sheng laughed. “He’s right. Huang Ting, I don’t want to go through the experience of getting arrested while sleeping again.”
“Will we be suddenly awakened?” Yu Hao asked.
Zhou Sheng said, “Not necessarily. We still don’t know what Zhao Liang wants to do.”
Yu Hao was guessing as well. Although he had deduced that Zhou Sheng must know— perhaps Zhao Liang wanted to observe and analyse the entire process of them entering Huang Ting’s dream, obtain detailed information, and even try to crack the secrets of the Golden Crow Wheel. No matter what though, Zhao Liang had already discovered that the Golden Crow Wheel was still in Zhou Sheng’s hands, and since he hadn’t come over to wake them up, perhaps letting them deal with Huang Ting’s dream as they pleased was also one of their means in achieving their goal.
“Go,” Chen Yekai said, “Listen to them. At this moment, your situation is what’s most important. Don’t roll around tossing and turning over this problem anymore.”
The gales were gradually settling down. Huang Ting could only lead the way ahead, while Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao followed behind. Yu Hao glanced at Zhou Sheng with an inquiring gaze, yet Zhou Sheng showed him a mischievous smile and mysteriously winked at Yu Hao.
Yu Hao, “?”
Huang Ting said from the front, “Nicky, do you remember? We used to discuss how we would die in the future, and what kind of place we would die in?”
“I remember.” Chen Yekai said, “Three days after Ryuusei passed away, when you caught wind of the news, you called me from abroad.”
“I thought that I might die under the gunshot of a hoodlum, or in a car accident while chasing after a fugitive…” Huang Ting raised his head and looked at the thick dark clouds in the night sky. He said, “But I never thought that I would die in such a way.”
Chen Yekai said, “I have already said that you may not necessarily die. No matter how much money you need, I can fork it out for you, as long as you can keep on living well.”
“I don’t believe in luck.” Huang Ting said, “Waiting for a donor is like buying lottery tickets. Nicky, we need to learn to face reality.”
“I’ve never been fucking willing to face reality!” Chen Yekai suddenly said, then seized Huang Ting’s collar, twisted his head over, and violently forced him to look under the high wall, “If this world is as realistic as you said it was, then why would we meet in a dream? Would you have the opportunity to ask such a question?”
Yu Hao wanted to go up to separate them, but he was stopped by Zhou Sheng. Chen Yekai pushed Huang Ting and almost pushed him off the wall that was ten metres high. He made him face the ground and said, “Say something ah! Talk!”
Huang Ting didn’t reply. Zhou Sheng wielded his jingubang, signalling to Yu Hao that he could separate them now.
Chen Yekai dragged Huang Ting back a little and pushed him forward. He said, “There’s no inherent difference between dying from a bullet or while lying on a sickbed. Whether or not you die sooner or later, it’s all the same in the end.”
Huang Ting said, “Just now, when I saw you, what I thought wasn’t that I was saved, but to…use the gun on you, to shoot me, like this.”
Huang Ting pulled Chen Yekai’s hand up and made him hold the gun against his forehead.
Chen Yekai said, “Don’t do this!”
Huang Ting laughed. “On the contrary, I don’t feel any torment or fear at all in this dream.”
Yu Hao said, “Because in the spiritual world, most emotions have been concretized and separated from one another. It’s only when you come into contact with the boss before fear will appear. Right now, you should be very calm.”
“Why don’t I take the chance to end everything while I’m this calm?” Huang Ting said, “It’s only at times like this that I won’t fear death.”
Chen Yekai said, “Even if I were to shoot you, you wouldn’t die in reality.”
Zhou Sheng explained, “The entire dreamscape will collapse and fall into the subconscious. Your consciousness will dissolve and merge with the subconscious world, while the you in reality…”
“Will fall into a vegetative state?” Huang Ting said, “Just like Liang Jinmin.”
“Yes.” Chen Yekai shrugged, “And it’ll become even more troublesome instead.”
“It won’t be.” Huang Ting said, “There’s no need to prolong my life. At that time, I won’t be able to feel the pain of my organs failing on me. It can be considered euthanasia in another sense? I’d rather leave this world unwittingly than suffer through the ordeal.”
“Your suffering is given to you by yourself.” Yu Hao said, “As long as you’re not afraid, you won’t suffer.”
Huang Ting said, “You’ve never experienced this kind of feeling before.”
“I have.” Yu Hao answered, “How could I not?”
Huang Ting suddenly remembered and actually couldn’t refute Yu Hao for a moment. He kept silent for a long time, then continued, “Your frame of mind at that time is different from mine.”
“It’s very similar.” Yu Hao said, “I understand how you feel now. At this time, there’s a kind of faint resonance between our souls. But, Huang Ting, we can also continue walking forward, until the moment you seize your totem back. If you’re still this insistent after finding yourself, I will respect your decision.”
Huang Ting fell silent again. In the end, he nodded. “Okay, then let’s go.”
The four of them avoided almost all of the mechanisms and arrived at the deepest part of the maze. But on the last high wall that surrounded them, there was a multi-coloured, fantastical light that enveloped the most central part of the courtyard like a barrier. There was a massive pond in the courtyard, and a white mist spread across the surface of the pond. It was surrounded by a meadow on all sides.
They couldn’t cross through the barrier and enter the deepest part of the maze, so they could only come down from the wall. In front of them was a giant iron door. Yu Hao went forward and tried it, but the iron door didn’t budge an inch.
“Rest a little first ba.” Zhou Sheng said.
Chen Yekai went forward to try as well. The iron door didn’t open.
“It must be the person himself?” Chen Yekai asked.
“Yes.” Zhou Sheng said, “It’s no use no matter how strong you are otherwise. Wu, Huang Ting…”
Zhou Sheng looked at Huang Ting and seemed to be thinking about how to get him to push the door.
Yu Hao said to Huang Ting, “You’re in a very dangerous state of mind right now. Can someone who’s not even willing to challenge their totem be able to seize back this dream?”
“He can.” Chen Yekai said, “Huang Ting, think about it carefully. You shouldn’t be in this state of mind right now.”
Huang Ting said, “What can I do? What can I do?”
No one answered for a moment.
“There are many times when I’ve dreamed of myself blundering about in this maze.” Huang Ting said in a low voice, “I couldn’t find the exit. I could see the glints of cold steel everywhere, and there was no end in sight.”
“I even thought you liked your job a lot.” Yu Hao said, “Aren’t there any moments worth to be happy about?”
“There are.” Huang Ting looked up at the gate and said, “But when the examination report came out, everything didn’t matter to be anymore. Sometimes, I would always wonder how meaningful it is for me to be doing all this. Zhou Sheng, I’ve always owed you an apology.”
“Never mind,” Zhou Sheng answered casually, “I forgive you.”
Yu Hao said, “I also thought that you should be the one who would understand what you wanted the most. I didn’t expect…”
Huang Ting shook his head and answered, “I have no way of answering that question if you were to ask me now. I can’t defeat the unknown in the face of death, and I can’t open the door in the deepest part of my heart. Go, Zhou Sheng. The next time we meet I promise you that I will untie this knot of mine.”
Zhou Sheng just stood. A kind of anger that Yu Hao was familiar with was evident on his face as he scrutinised Huang Ting. Yu Hao had really seen this expression too many times — this was a clear signal that would appear every time before Zhou Sheng wanted to forcibly take action and resolve the issue with violence.
“Okay.” Yet Zhou Sheng said in the end, “We’ll come and save you very soon.”
Huang Ting’s expression changed. “Don’t come! Once you come, you’ll fall into their trap!”
Suddenly, Yu Hao heard something and turned around to face the door at the deepest part of Huang Ting’s maze. In a circumstance where Huang Ting didn’t push the door open, the door automatically opened by itself! Everyone stopped talking at once and looked at the giant iron door together. They retreated slowly, and Huang Ting revealed a doubtful expression.
“What’s happening?” Chen Yekai said, “This door can open by itself?”
It was Yu Hao’s first time encountering a situation where the door in the depths of one’s inner heart would automatically open in front of them as well. Zhou Sheng immediately shielded Yu Hao, who was behind him. He raised one hand, where a golden light appeared, ready to wake the rest up at any moment.
The door opened inward, and it was empty inside — as if it had always been waiting for this moment, waiting for Huang Ting’s arrival.
“Fuck.” Zhou Sheng muttered, “It opened by itself? Something like that can happen? There’s no safe haven, and the door to where the totem lies even opened by itself?”
“Criminal detectives have no safe havens.” Huang Ting answered, “What does it mean for the door to open by itself?”
No one understood why for a moment and just stood outside the door. Huang Ting said, “We can only go in now?”
“Welcome, welcome.” A voice said, “It truly was a wonderful experience. Come in for a chat?”
Yu Hao, “……”
That voice belonged to one of the three members of the original investigation team! And the only possibility was——
“Zhao Liang?” Huang Ting could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Within the underground research laboratory, Zhao Liang was sitting on a chair. He was already wearing the brainwave sensor helmet. Both his eyes were closed, a needle inserted into his wrist. He had been injected with a tranquiliser. The data lines on his helmet were fed into the central computer. On the other chair sat Huang Ting, whose whole body was already drenched in sweat.
“All indicators appear to be normal.” A researcher said, “Director Zhao has entered.”
Another researcher said, “From the looks of it, it’s possible for the consciousness of two people directly interfere and communicate with each other through the machine.”
A group of researchers stood in front of Zhao Liang and exclaimed in admiration as they observed the scene. All sorts of data were being displayed on the huge screen in the center.
“There must be integrator repeaters,” someone said, “Otherwise, their mutual interference will be very weak. If only the repeaters could be brought here.”
“Increase the stimulant ba.”
“Entering REM phase, intense neuronal activity detected…”
—
Juurensha: Omg, so it’s the real Zhao Liang in there??? Defeat him, guys!
