Even though the girl had been tortured terribly, she was still very kind. She personally explained to Gao Ming what had happened in the past and revealed to him many things about the nightmare.
Every nightmare in the world was unique. They were constructed using the dreamer’s life. Their most despairing moment was consolidated, and reality was carved into the illusory.
Perhaps it was the sedimentation of pain. The illusory despair accumulated into a palpable truth, becoming an invisible but present deep sea.
The girl said that the nightmare was generally split into three layers. The first layer was the most common, and it was also known as the surface layer. It was the projection of reality. No matter how absurd things were in this layer, they could find their counterparts in the real world.
The building the testers were in was the surface layer. The burned home, the mutated adoptees and the silly brother who insisted on shielding his little sister… Those were all real.
When the negative emotions in the surface layer accumulated to a certain level, the shadow would appear. The shadows couldn’t be eliminated, but they could be limited at first.
The girl didn’t know what the shadow represented. Afraid that her brother might be harmed, the girl had been trapping the shadow inside her body. Eventually, she slumbered in her nightmare and fell into the second layer.
The second layer was enveloped by the shadows. The second layer was filled with things that terrified her the most. Her greatest wish after she was adopted was to escape. Therefore, the nightmare became her cage. She had to pay the price whenever she used something inside the house. That was the conundrum the girl faced. Her adoptive family didn’t treat her like a person. Their adoption had ulterior motives.
“Due to the variation in human fears, every nightmare is different. You’re unlucky to have encountered me. The nature of my nightmare is entrapment.” The girl explained kindly. From her perspective, Gao Ming and her brother would eventually join her.
“There are two doors in each nightmare. One door represents escape, and the other door represents salvation. The ‘escape’ door exists at the surface level. Once you finish my brother’s wish and play all the games with him, he would have let you go back to the real world.” The girl looked at Gao Ming with annoyance, “Who knew you’d do something ?”
“Where is the door of salvation?” Gao Ming was more curious about that.
The girl tapped on the ground and pointed down, “The second layer of the nightmare is the middle layer. As despair festers, the middle layer will sink into the deeper dream realm. Once you’re there, you can’t return to the real world. The door that represents salvation leads to the other world.” The girl held her brother and sighed sadly, “I’m getting sleepy. If I fall asleep in the middle layer, I might be able to reach the nightmare deep inside the heart.”
The girl’s words inspired Gao Ming greatly. He was reminded of his state of unconsciousness. “When I almost died, did I accidentally enter the deep dream realm? But how did I wake up? The hospital said they used the latest technology to save me. Is there a connection there?”
“You don’t seem worried at all.” The girl didn’t want to harm Gao Ming. She was merely annoyed that Gao Ming led her brother to the middle layer.
“It’s pointless to worry.” Gao Ming stood before the girl. “Do you think I’ve been to the deep dream realm before? Do I have anything that suggests I’ve been there?”
The girl didn’t expect this. She frowned as she studied Gao Ming. She didn’t notice anything. She merely thought Gao Ming was sick.
The girl ignored him and turned in the other direction, “You can come out now. There’s no need to hide.”
There was shuffling. Soon, a sad Xu Deyi crawled out of the bed. He regretted not being killed by Tang Qing.
“Based on what you said, we were all tricked by Immortal Pharma. The test started a long time ago, and there was no one to fetch us?” Since he hid under the bed, there were more lines on Xu Deyi than Gao Ming.
“They are bandits that steal other people’s lives, and you are their accomplices.” The girl harrumphed. “Isn’t it too late to feel regret now?”
“You still haven’t answered me.” Gao Ming took another two steps forward. He almost bumped into the silly man. “You reside in the nightmare. You should be able to tell I’m different from the other testers. Perhaps you can find clues related to the other nightmares on me!” Gao Ming removed his backpack and took everything out. “These are all the things that were on me when I fainted. The hospital kept them for me. I believe I’ve used them in the nightmare.”
Gao Ming even placed the band before the girl.
“You are not only different from the other testers. You are also very different from a normal person.” Gao Ming’s group’s arrival lightened the pressure of despair on the girl. It was why she was willing to talk to them. “You were lured by the bandits to force your consciousness into my nightmare. Your clothes and backpacks are made from false technology. You can’t bring anything from the real world into the nightmares.”
“So, these are all fake?!” Gao Ming shook his bag harder. The things fell out and shattered into the shadow.
“Yes. Just give up.” The girl confirmed, “Nothing in the real world can affect the nightmare.”
Just as she said that, there was a soft click. Everyone turned to the sound. Three strange seeds fell out of Gao Ming’s backpack. The three seeds didn’t disappear into the shadow. After they touched the shadow, their dry shells started to absorb the surrounding shadows.
“What are those?” The girl believed she knew the nightmare well, but she hadn’t seen seeds that could absorb fear.
Gao Ming was confused too. He bent down to pick up two of the seeds. When he moved to grab the third seed, a crack spread through its seed. A small, red root poked out of the shell and drilled into the ground.