“Wan Jie?” Gao Ming recited the name in his heart. He was sure this was the first time he met the man in real life. However, he had a blurry expression of Wan Jie in his mind. “Since we haven’t met in real life, we must have met in my nightmare. Once I figure out which nightmare Wan Jie has entered, I might be able to find out what has happened to me.”
Gao Ming didn’t reveal these things to outsiders.
“You’re not bad to be able to escape from a middle-layer nightmare for your first time in a brain realm game. In the future, you should have the chance to join the Level 5 confidential experimental lab.” The old man’s face didn’t change. However, he looked at Gao Ming with light anticipation.
“What is the requirement to enter the level 5 experiment?” Gao Ming’s question made the old man admire him even more. Most people would be scared once they left the game. People like Gao Ming were too rare.
“After surviving ten middle-layer experiments or successfully escaping from the deep-layer nightmare.” The old man explained, “We have a lot of testers in the surface and middle layers. However, every tester who can enter the deep layer is a valued treasure of the company. They have level 5 access level.”
“Gao Ming, why did you come here?” Tang Qing rushed over. When he saw the old man, he quickly apologised, “I’m sorry for the disturbance, Director Lee.”
“It’s fine. We had a great chat.” Director Lee sat on his chair. He held Gao Ming’s brain scans.
“Then, we’ll leave for now.” Tang Qing quickly dragged Gao Ming away. After they were out of Director Lee’s earshot, he whispered to Gao Ming, “That elder is one of the leaders of this lab. When he was young, he participated in Immortal Pharma’s tests to remove his emotions. He only has the company in his heart. You better stay away from him.”
They returned to the room with Silly. Silly was aggressive after he woke up. He attacked everyone around him. However, when he saw Gao Ming, he made a lot of Ah sounds like he was questioning Gao Ming.
Gao Ming walked to the bed and looked at the man. Silly’s wrists were filled with needle wounds. He was extremely skinny. His eyes were filled with fear and hatred for real life. If possible, he wished to stay with his little sister forever in the dream.
Gao Ming bent down to whisper into his ear. “I can bring you to meet your sister, but the premise is you have to listen to me obediently. Can you do that?”
Silly’s eyes cleared when he heard about his sister. He nodded vehemently. If he were not bound by the straps, he’d get up to hug Gao Ming.
“This is our secret with your sister. Do not tell anyone else.” Gao Ming didn’t lie. The blood plant had brought the girl into a deep nightmare. That was Gao Ming’s destination. He was the only person who could help the man.
“Tang Qing, when will the next game start?” Gao Ming told Silly to stay put before turning around to face Tang Qing.
“None of the test is forced. The new test can be initiated at any time. However, we suggest having three days of rest between each test to give your body and mind ample time to rest.”
“Are there any tests related to the deep layer?” Gao Ming asked. Tang Qing shook his head.
“I only have access to this lab. At most, I can help you join the tests of a middle-layer experiment. That is actually more than enough for you.” Tang Qing hoped Gao Ming could calm down. “The deep nightmare and the middle nightmare are two completely different things. You still don’t know enough about the brain realm games. If you enter the deep dream now, it’s no different from seeking death. You don’t want to go back into a coma so quickly, right?”
“I have my own considerations.”
“Think about your family. Don’t regret after you lose them.” Tang Qing had read Gao Ming’s file. He sighed. “The biggest difference between Director Lee and me is that I will not urge you to do anything dangerous. Go back and rest. I’ll try my best to select the best middle-layer test for you as soon as possible. I’ll contact you.”
“Will I join the test with other testers every time?”
“Yes. We exhaust a lot of materials every time we initiate a test.” Tang Qing knew what Gao Ming wanted to use. He pointed at Xu Deyi and Silly. “The other testers have already formed fixed groups. If none of you have any objections, I can arrange for the three of you to join the next test together.”
“Ah? Do you need more from me?” Xu Deyi didn’t want to participate in more tests.
“I will not force you to do so, but…” Tang Qing smiled darkly, “You shouldn’t give up so easily. This is a rare opportunity.”
After saying everything he needed to, Tang Qing finally let them go.
After they were sent 500 metres away from the lab, Gao Ming’s phone started to vibrate. He received a lot of messages.
“Were our signals blocked earlier? Immortal Pharma sure is careful.”
Gao Ming noticed that Liu Yi had called and messaged him many times. His short disappearance must have worried her.
Seeing the concern in the words, Gao Ming quickly drafted a reply. However, after finishing the draft, he deleted it. He couldn’t let go of reality, but the nightmare influenced him. If he chose one over the other, his other self would be left with a shell.
Gao Ming called Liu Yi’s number. It was answered instantly.
“Gao Ming! Where are you? Are you injured? I’ll go fetch you now!” Liu Yi spoke quickly.
“I went for an interview. I’ll be home soon.” Gao Ming saw the 2000 RMB that had just been added to his account. Perhaps the plant had intervened. It caused their rewards to be very low.
Amidst Liu Yi’s kind grumblings, Gao Ming returned to the old apartment. He was used to the place. The warm decorations slowly overlapped with his image of a home.
Gao Ming took out the key. He hadn’t opened the door, but Liu Yi had already rushed over when she heard his footsteps. The warm light shone into the dark corridor to chase away the shadow around Gao Ming.