Chapter 218 - 88: Dream Net User Guide

Chapter 218: Chapter 88: Dream Net User Guide

"Yeah, right..." Wen Xiao sounded a little sheepish.

"The escape room was really well-designed. It was called *Mirror’s 205 Ward*."

The steady CHOP CHOP of a knife on a cutting board came from the kitchen. Yang Yiyi seemed intrigued. She asked,

"The name alone sounds interesting. Tell me more?"

"Okay, so the set was an abandoned hospital," Wen Xiao explained earnestly, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"In the hallway, across from every patient room, there was a large, full-length mirror. The room numbers on the doors were all in that blocky, digital-style font."

"You mean like on a digital watch?"

"Exactly, something like that. So, when we got to Room 202, the number reflected in the mirror became 505. Because in that font, 2 and 5 are perfect mirror images of each other. But for a room like 204, its reflection in the mirror was just a garbled mess; you couldn’t tell what it was at all."

Yu Xian neatly arranged the washed chopsticks on the dining table.

"But..." Wen Xiao paused, a hint of mystery in her tone.

"When we got to Room 205 at the very end of the hall and looked at its reflection, everything around it—the walls, the floor tiles, the posters—was perfectly mirrored, but the room number itself..."

Yu Xian looked over. With a conspiratorial look, Wen Xiao said to Yang Yiyi,

"It still clearly read ’205,’ exactly the same inside the mirror and out!"

Senior Sister Yiyi paused her prep work.

"Still 205?" she asked, a little surprised.

"Yes, yes!" Seeing Yang Yiyi’s puzzled expression, Wen Xiao said excitedly,

"I got this intense feeling that something was off!"

Two or three seconds later, a light laugh from Yang Yiyi drifted out of the kitchen.

"I get it. A mirrored 5 becomes a 2, and a mirrored 2 becomes a 5, so ’205’ flipped is still ’205’."

Yang Yiyi exclaimed in genuine admiration,

"What a brilliant design, so clever!"

"Well... we should go to an escape room together sometime!" Wen Xiao said, also smiling.

The SIZZLE of hot oil hitting a pan came from the kitchen, immediately followed by the WHIRR of the range hood starting up, making the rest of their conversation hard to hear.

The aroma of scallions and garlic instantly wafted out. After clearing the table, Yu Xian prepared to organize his conclusions from today’s test and plan the next one.

He created a new Word document on his desktop, organizing his thoughts and tapping rapidly on the keyboard. He named the file:

*Dream Net User Guide White Paper 1.0*

The cursor blinked. Yu Xian recalled everything that had happened in the tumultuous few hours since two in the afternoon. He broke down today’s three high-intensity dream-entry tests into five core conclusions:

1. "Handshake Protocol" (i.e., the connection phenomenon).

After achieving a specific frequency by using audio to create a Hijacked Spindle Wave, a "connection channel" can indeed be created. This is a universal and replicable phenomenon, allowing subjects to enter the same natural dream and interact with each other.

2. "Safety Locks" (i.e., Time Compression and Logical Anchor Points).

Time Compression and Logical Anchor Points, these two safety nets, can largely counteract the risk of "source memory confusion" caused by the suppression of MCH neurons, preventing the dreamer from being unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

3. "Host" (i.e., the first person to enter the dream).

The Dream Net is built based on the memory bank of the first person to enter the dream, who is called the "Host." If the original Host wakes up, a new Host is selected, but the rules for this are unknown. The dream depends on the Host’s existence; without a Host, the dream is cleared and reset.

4. "Blueprint and Hot-Swapping" (i.e., inability to interrupt or update the script).

Overlaying a blueprint script on the Dream Net can create a controllable, shared-scene effect. However, the blueprint begins to execute when the first "Host" connects. Subsequent subjects who connect cannot interrupt or update the script, meaning they cannot perform a "live update."

5. "Objective Persistence" (i.e., the dream’s state is stored and synchronized for everyone who enters it).

The Dream Net has a "state storage and synchronization" function that is independent of any single person’s brain. Objective changes within the dream are saved in real-time and synchronized for everyone connected to that frequency. In other words, the departure of the "original Host" does not alter the state of objects they created or destroyed while in the dream.

These were the conclusions from the tests so far. In addition, there were several hypotheses to be verified, which Yu Xian also recorded one by one:

Hypothesis 1: Maximum Distance.

What is the maximum distance for a dream connection? Can the consistency of visuals and objects still be maintained?

Hypothesis 2: Maximum Occupancy.

What is the maximum number of people a dream can accommodate?

Hypothesis 3: Host Authority Transfer Rules.

What are the rules for transferring Host authority? When the previous Host goes offline, how does the dream select a new one?

Hypothesis 4: Object Construction Process.

How are objects constructed in the dream? Was that flash of grayish-white an illusion or something else?

Hypothesis 5: Memory Gaps.

When the Host’s memory bank lacks content described in the script, how is the dream constructed?

After typing the last line, Yu Xian stopped and rubbed his slightly sore knuckles.

The text in the document was clear, organized, and logically rigorous, outlining a precise, cold, and massive system.

It could not only connect people, share memories, and objectively preserve states, but it even faintly showed the beginnings of a complete "virtual world."

But the root cause behind all of this was hidden behind layers of fog, unseen and untouchable.

’What is it, really? Where does it exist? And who is maintaining its operation?’

Yu Xian turned to look out the window. The sky was completely dark. Dense sheets of rain beat against the glass, like an insurmountable black wall.

The roar of the range hood in the kitchen gradually died down.

"Yu Xian, stop spacing out! Come grab a dish, it’s time to eat!" Senior Sister Yiyi’s voice called from the kitchen.

Immediately after, Wen Xiao came out carrying a steaming plate of braised tofu with scallions.

Her cheeks were flushed from the kitchen’s heat, and she shuffled carefully across the floor in her pink slippers, afraid of spilling the dish in her hands.

"It smells so good! Senior Sister, you’re such a great cook!" Wen Xiao shouted toward the kitchen as she placed the braised tofu on the table.

She glanced at Yu Xian beside her, stuck out her tongue, and whispered,

"Mission ’steal the recipe’ was a success! Hehe."

"Coming." Yu Xian quickly closed his laptop, walked to the kitchen doorway, and took the plate of steamed shrimp with garlic and vermicelli and the plate of braised pork ribs that Yiyi handed him.

Yu Xian placed the dishes on the table, his tense nerves gradually relaxing.

"Go on, try some. See if you like it," Senior Sister Yiyi came out with two bowls of rice, calling out with a smile.

The rain outside was heavier than it had been in the past few days, its streaks crisscrossing the windowpane, but inside the small apartment, it was warm and steamy.

Under the warm yellow light were the savory aroma of braised tofu, the fresh scent of steamed garlic shrimp, the rich fragrance of braised ribs, and the clean perfume of freshly steamed rice.

The scents intertwined, filling every inch of the air.

Yu Xian picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of the braised tofu. It was fried golden-brown on both sides and coated in a rich sauce, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

He then took a piece of rib. The sauce was thick, and the meat was firm and springy to the bite.

"Delicious," Yu Xian said with genuine appreciation.

"If you like it, eat more," Yang Yiyi said with a smile, using the serving chopsticks to place a bright red steamed shrimp in Wen Xiao’s bowl.

"Xiaoxiao, try this. The garlic isn’t spicy."

"Thank you, Senior Sister..." Wen Xiao took the bowl with both hands and ate in small bites. She looked at Yang Yiyi, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"I’m going to try making this steamed garlic shrimp when I get home. It’s so good!"

"Okay, I’ll teach you other things later. I’m sure you’ll be a fast learner!" Yang Yiyi placed another plump, tender shrimp in Wen Xiao’s bowl.

She put down the serving chopsticks, a smile playing on her lips. She picked up her phone from the side, swiped it a couple of times, held it up, and said,

"Okay, look at the camera."

Yu Xian and Wen Xiao looked up at the sound. CLICK. The flash went off.

The scene was captured on the screen.

In the foreground, Yiyi was beaming, her face turned slightly to the side, revealing her sharp jawline and defined features.

Yu Xian had a relaxed smile on his face, his eyes fixed greedily on his bowl of rice.

Beside them, Wen Xiao had a look of slight bewilderment on her small face, her big eyes staring innocently at the camera, a half-eaten steamed shrimp still caught in her chopsticks.

The food on the table was tantalizingly colorful, with white steam rising in wisps.

At that moment, Yu Xian had the strange feeling that he was a lone boat adrift on the ocean, having found temporary shelter in a calm, storm-free harbor.

He shook his head. ’No matter what, this hot food, this warm soup, and the vibrant people beside me... this is what real life is all about.’