Chapter 53 - 22: TDI Dream Net Protocol

Chapter 53: Chapter 22: TDI Dream Net Protocol

After a few seconds, the garbled text gradually resolved into orderly lines of information, becoming neat, black characters floating against a white background.

"Greetings, Experimenter. Welcome to the TDI Phase Three Dream Net Login Page."

As this line of text appeared, a voice sounded in Yu Xian’s ear.

Or more accurately, it resounded deep within his mind, perfectly in sync, just like the "Where am I?" he had been about to ask.

Yu Xian froze. That voice...

It wasn’t the voice of anyone he knew.

The voice was both incredibly familiar and yet completely strange.

It was...

’My own voice?’

No, to be precise, it was the voice he heard in his head when he read books, papers, or thought about problems—his inner reading voice.

Everyone has an "inner voice" when they read. It has no actual auditory form; it’s simply a manifestation of thought.

In his twenty years of life, Yu Xian had never so clearly "heard" this voice given physical form.

Suddenly, large blocks of text appeared before him, with the words "Dream Net Protocol" at the very top.

This voice, originating from his subconscious, began reading the "Dream Net Protocol" before him in an absolutely rational tone.

"Article One: Dream Net Login Rules."

"The audio file used to initiate login is called a Session Key. This key is valid for a single use only. Therefore, you must use your bound device to log in to the official website daily and download the latest audio file to be able to log in again."

Yu Xian frowned. ’Single-use? What’s the reason for that? Is it to prevent people from sharing the file with others?’

’That doesn’t seem right. The audio file isn’t deleted from the phone, so even if it’s single-use, it can still be shared. What is this supposed to restrict?’

’When I wake up, if I still remember this, I’ll send the audio file to Shi Zuozhou and see if he can get into this Dream Net too.’

"Article Two: Hardware Device Binding."

"The audio must be played aloud through the built-in speakers of the bound physical terminal. Do not use any external devices such as headphones or speakers. Do not perform hardware repairs or replace parts on the bound terminal, including but not limited to the speakers, screen, battery, or casing. Doing so may cause the login to fail."

’These requirements are a bit too harsh.’

Yu Xian could somewhat understand not being able to use other devices for playback.

’But I can’t even get my phone repaired? That sounds too far-fetched.’

’But then again, I’m already inside a dream and can still think this clearly. I don’t really have a choice but to believe it. I’ll just have to figure out the principles behind it after I wake up.’

"Article Three: Dream Memory Mechanism."

"In the current Phase Three experiment, 99% of what test subjects experience in the Dream Net, including scenes, conversations, and plot points, will be forgotten upon waking. Only content marked by the system as ’Key Information,’ as well as the rules of this protocol, will be retained in your memory after you awaken."

’Forgotten...’

’The seller did mention this before: "After you wake up from this thing, it’s just like a normal dream; you can’t remember much." That makes sense. People usually don’t remember much from their dreams anyway, because of MCH neurons—’

As he thought of this, he suddenly had a realization. MCH neurons... that was the human mechanism for forgetting dreams. Senior Sister Yiyi had told him about it just last Monday when he was at the South Gate buying something.

’I wonder if Senior Sister Yiyi’s research is connected to TDI. Could the academic exchanges between their teams be focused on this very subject?’

"Article Four: Behavioral Habit Reshaping."

"The core research focus of TDI Phase Three is ’real-world behavior correction’ based on the subconscious. In the dream state, you can set a behavioral habit that you wish to cultivate or improve in reality. After multiple dream experiments, you will achieve behavioral correction for that habit in the real world, and the behavior will become ingrained as an instinct."

The voice stopped. On the white background, a simple option box appeared:

"I have read and understood the above TDI Dream Net Protocol."

Below it was a flashing "Confirm" button.

Next to the "Confirm" button was another button: "Wake Up."