Chapter 164: Virtual Dream World

Chapter 164 -69: Virtual Dream World

“These past few days… has Professor Mo contacted you at all?”

Yang Yiyi shook her head, a few loose strands of hair swaying across her forehead. “No. Aside from the official announcements sent to the group chat, there haven’t been any private messages.”

“Could it be that no one has noticed the anomaly in the login logs yet?” Yu Xian pondered aloud.

“Probably not yet. It’s the first week back to classes, and everyone is busy restoring order.” Her tone carried a hint of relief.

Yu Xian nodded in agreement. Even so, it was better to be safe than sorry, lest they walk blindly into a trap and be caught like rats in a barrel. Moreover, the emergence of the two technical enigmas—the “Hijacked Spindle Wave” and the “Dream Net Project”—had enveloped them like a fresh, thick fog. If they couldn’t figure out the other party’s next course of action and implementation plan, they would forever be stuck as sitting ducks.

“Senior, about this ‘resonance’ and ‘online connection’ technology…” He hesitated for a moment before speaking up. “Could I take this portion of the data and ask my friend who studies computer science about it?”

Yang Yiyi paused, raising her eyes to look at him.

“It’s the same friend who helped us do the reverse audio analysis before,” Yu Xian explained. “Even though it’s hard for us to understand the mechanics of this ‘shared dream’ from a neuroscience perspective, I figure if this audio is a kind of ‘code,’ just like before, someone in the computer science field might be able to make heads or tails of it.”

He pointed to the English text in the paper on the screen. “‘Connection Established.’ Compared to neuroscience, this phrase feels much more like internet engineering to me.” ℯ

Yang Yiyi fell silent for a moment, pulling her oversized shirt tighter around herself. “Give it to her. Since we already gave her the original MCH audio files, we’re essentially in the same boat now, so there’s no point in hiding anything.” Her expression grew serious as she added, “Our top priority is to figure out what exactly Professor Mo is researching, and what this ‘Dream Net’ is really trying to achieve. Having one more person thinking about it is always a good thing. But… please ask her to keep this a secret.”

“Okay. I’ll make sure she maintains strict confidentiality,” Yu Xian nodded earnestly.

Yang Yiyi rested the laptop back on her thighs. Her fingers swiped across the trackpad, dragging several folders into the black USB drive. The flash drive’s writing speed was slow, making the progress bar crawl at a snail’s pace. Growing a bit bored, Yang Yiyi absentmindedly dangled a slipper from her foot above the floor.

Yu Xian kept his eyes fixed straight ahead on the folder icons on the screen, his mind churning over the purpose of the Dream Net Project.

“All done.” Yang Yiyi unplugged the flash drive. Tilting her head up slightly, she held it out to Yu Xian. “Everything is on here.” She pulled her hand back and gently tucked a few loose strands of long hair behind her ear.

“Great. It’s getting late, so I should head back to the dorm,” Yu Xian said as he slipped the flash drive into his bag and zipped it shut. He stood up and walked to the entryway, glancing around the small apartment. His gaze landed on the empty water glass on the coffee table and the half-eaten bag of bread next to it. “Senior, are you short on anything here? Food, drinks, medicine—do you have enough?”

Yang Yiyi paused for a second before shaking her head gently. Standing under the warm light of the entryway, her hands gripping the hem of her shirt, she followed Yu Xian’s gaze and looked back at the living room. “I have enough of everything. It’s really easy to get delivery here, and my daily needs are pretty simple, so there’s nothing to worry about. But you…” She looked out at the dark night beyond the window. “It’s still raining. It’s so late, so be careful on your way back to the dorm.”

Yu Xian nodded, gripping his umbrella tightly. He pushed the door open and stepped out into the hallway, bracing against the draft.

…

In the vast, rainy night, Yu Xian held up his black umbrella as he walked from the West Gate toward the South District Dormitory. It wasn’t a short walk; it required crossing more than half the campus. The rainy night was quiet. Puddles beneath the streetlamps reflected a dim, yellow glow, mirroring the silhouettes of the few pedestrians hurrying past.

Yu Xian pulled out his phone and, out of habit, tapped on the pixel rabbit icon. The interface refreshed. Surprisingly, there was still a signal connection in his current area, indicated by a flashing green light.

He stared in surprise. Even along this long, desolate route, were there little rabbits diligently digging holes? These tiny, inconspicuous specks of light had truly linked together to form a galaxy in the dark.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows; a single spark can ignite a prairie fire.

The feeling of being surrounded by nameless comrades-in-arms gave Yu Xian a long-lost sense of reassurance.

Back in the South District, the main lights in the dorm were off. Only the desk lamp on Shi Zuozhou’s table cast a halo of warm, yellow light. The blackout curtains around Zhang Yang and Li Boxue’s beds were drawn shut as immovably as ever, the two of them blissfully lost in dreamland.

“Oh ho, back from a date at those luxurious North District Apartments, are we?” Hearing the commotion, Shi Zuozhou took off his headphones and spun his chair around. The lamp’s light illuminated his face, casting his meaningful, wicked grin in stark relief. “What kept you out so late while it’s pouring rain outside?” Shi Zuozhou winked suggestively. Setting down his tablet, he gossiped with a cheeky expression, “Tsk, tsk. Where exactly did the two of you go for some ‘deep interaction’?”

Hanging his dripping umbrella behind the door, Yu Xian was still preoccupied with the Dream Net Project and replied casually, “It wasn’t a date.” He paused. Thinking about his senior’s situation, he figured it was better to let her speak for herself instead of running his mouth. “I went to handle some other business. I made some… discoveries. I’ll tell you about it later.”

The wicked grin on Shi Zuozhou’s face only widened. “Understood, fully understood. You were just discussing academics! Pure, unadulterated academic exchange! How could affairs of intellectuals be considered sneaking around?”

Yu Xian smiled but didn’t say anything, simply grabbing his washbasin and turning to head to the washroom.

Splashing cold water on his face sobered his mind considerably. The reflection in the mirror showed faint, dark circles under his eyes. Working around the clock at such high intensity these past few days had indeed taken a toll on him.

But he couldn’t stop. The torrential rain, the floods, the prophecies of an apocalyptic disaster. Professor Gao’s suicide, Professor Shu’s evacuation, Professor Ning’s scandal. That wildly reckless Midnight Bus, the dreamscape that turned people into walking corpses, the suicide victims who died with smiles on their faces… And the massive, eerie Dream Net Project lurking behind the scenes, which they had only just learned about today.

Was all of this really just a coincidence?

Tomorrow afternoon, Shao Yiyi had scheduled a call with Su Mingyuan. This would be their first direct contact with the suspected mastermind behind the scenes, and he was the key they had at hand to potentially unravel this entire mystery.

If Professor Ning’s words were true, Su Mingyuan had mentioned the Torrential Calamity Water over half a month ago. If he was referring to this great flood… where did he learn about it? Did he calculate it using the Yi Jing Trigrams, just like Shao Yiyi did? But how could this ancient, esoteric practice make such precise predictions, akin to AI models and fitted curves? And why would Su Mingyuan risk himself to persuade physicists to quit their research? Could this great flood actually be some sort of far more terrifying man-made disaster?

The parting words Su Mingyuan had left with Professor Ning echoed over and over in Yu Xian’s mind like an ominous prophecy: “I’ve said all I can. The rest is up to you.”

Yu Xian felt a dull ache beginning to throb at his temples again. Ever since he started taking the melatonin his older cousin bought, his insomnia had improved drastically, and he hadn’t experienced a headache in a long time.

He had to be completely prepared. Tomorrow’s call was not just a probe; it would be more like a silent battle of wits. They needed to try and extract clues about the truth behind this disaster from Su Mingyuan. He had to find out exactly what kind of trump cards Su Mingyuan was holding.

By the time Yu Xian walked back to the dorm with his washbasin, Shi Zuozhou had already gone to bed.

No matter how cruel the truth was, and no matter whether an abyss or a cliff awaited him, he had to face it head-on. Because he felt as though he had no way back. Because in this storm-tossed world, there were still people he cared about and needed to protect. And because within this massive shadow, there were still mysteries he had to solve and someone he needed to find.

Harboring a heart full of unease, Yu Xian lay down in bed, took his melatonin, and gradually lost consciousness amidst the sound of the falling rain.