“I have a blurry memory of that world. I merely remember that I’ve died there many times. There are people there who are very important to me. No. I can’t even be sure if they are living people.” Gao Ming rambled, “The living and the dead are reversed. All the ghost stories became true. The night, death and rain poured everywhere…”
Gao Ming’s rambling grabbed the attention of the voice in the walkie-talkie. He appeared to be shocked.
“Your descriptions make the dream sound like the deeper world, but it is not the same either. You were at the edge of the dream. However, when you took the last step at the junction, you stepped into reality instead of the abyss.” The voice knew many things. Gao Ming agreed with his analysis.
“How can I return to that nightmare?”
“It is very difficult. At least I can’t help you now… unless you can find my sealed brain inside Immortal Pharma’s lab.” The voice tossed out a bait. “If you are willing to help me, you can place this walkie-talkie near your heart. It should be able to enter the other dreams with you and I can aid you through it.” There was no free lunch in the world, and everything came at a price. Gao Ming knew that, but he was willing to give it a try. Gao Ming placed the walkie-talkie near his heart. “Deal.”
“Aren’t you afraid that I’m lying to you? Aren’t you afraid of revenge by Immortal Pharma?” Gao Ming’s determination surprised the voice. He was curious about what Gao Ming had experienced in the nightmare.
“I still haven’t fully trusted you, but that doesn’t conflict with my helping you. I just need an answer.” The confusion in Gao Ming’s eyes was gone.
“What a special character.” The voice smiled. “The founder of Shanghai Mental Asylum is called Tang Ling. The higher-ups at Immortal Pharma didn’t know what she did. If you face any trouble, you can go to her. Alright. It’s time for you to leave. Remember to take the kid in the toilet away with you.”
“Wait. I still have one more question.” Gao Ming didn’t move. “Shanghai Mental Asylum is split into two parts. The outer layer is the body zone, and the core is the soul zone. Am I in the soul zone? Is this your nightmare or someone else’s?”
Gao Ming had a basic understanding of the voice at his full power, but he still had no idea what the voice was. Was he a human? A computer? Or a ghost? He didn’t feel like any of them.
Gao Ming left the classroom. He saw the corridor collapsing. A mysterious force was forcing him out. Gao Ming raced to the toilet and kicked down the cubicle door. “We’re leaving!” He grabbed Doctor Ce by his arm and prepared to run. However, he was dragged back by Doctor Ce. His body was torn apart by the dream. Pain came from everywhere.
Gao Ming’s eyes flew open. Gao Ming realised he was inside the lab chamber. Dong Guo and two workers slammed on the door repeatedly.
“It’s fine.” Gao Ming opened the door. He was surprised by the amount of people around him.
“The tour is over! There’s an issue with our equipment. We’ll refund you the ticket price. We’re so sorry about the trouble we’ve caused you.” The senior worker sighed in relief when he saw that Gao Ming was fine.
“Problem with the equipment?” Gao Ming looked around. “Are you talking about this hidden room?”
“There should only be two bottles to enter the dream. I don’t know who placed an extra red bottle here.” Dong Guo didn’t see the hints from her colleagues, and she revealed the truth.
“I’m sorry. You’ve triggered a really rare easter egg.” The two workers pulled Dong Guo behind them. “The chance of triggering is less than one percent so we rarely practice this plotline. Plus, Dong Guo is new, so there was a small issue.” They quickly pushed the blame on Dong Guo.
Seeing how wronged Dong Guo was, Gao Ming said, “I don’t think the girl did anything wrong. She was in full character and climbed on the ground non-stop. If you ask me, you should reexamine your equipment.”
Dong Guo didn’t think Gao Ming would stand up for her. She was touched.
“I won’t pursue this matter, and there’s no need to refund me. Please continue the tour.” Gao Ming tried to sit up. He could feel there was something new inside his clothes. He lowered his head and noticed a bloody walkie-talkie. There were a few copies of old newspapers stuck to his back. They were all articles on murders.
“The other visitors have left. This tour has to be cancelled. We will refund your ticket.” The two workers kept apologising. They only hoped that Gao Ming wouldn’t sue them. The other visitors knocked the blood onto Gao Ming, and Gao Ming scared them back. Both parties were affected. If this were brought to court, the business would be in big trouble.
“Okay then.” Gao Ming picked up the newspaper and pretended to use it to wipe down the blood on his body. He kept them with him. The lights came on. With the workers leading him, Gao Ming left Shanghai Mental Asylum.
When Gao Ming, who was covered in blood, appeared, the visitors instantly became alert. They couldn’t match Gao Ming to the madman who was crawling outside the director’s office.
“Did the place hire an extra this time?” Zhe Zhi’s legs were still shaking. He was closest to Gao Ming, and he almost fainted.
Gao Ming didn’t wait for the compensation and walked to the elevator. The lady from the Ninth Sense Sensory Centre probably had left from waiting for too long.
He returned to the seventh floor. He heard the familiar voice when the elevator doors opened.
“Why do you look so dreadful? You’re not going to get high marks with the boss .” The lady lost her cap. Her black hair landed around her shoulders and covered the strange tattoo around her neck.
“I found the person you wanted me to look for.” Gao Ming handed the old newspaper to the lady, “His consciousness is trapped in the dream. He should have escaped with me, but I couldn’t see him when I woke up.”
The lady scanned the newspaper, and her lips curled up. “It looks like I’ll need to find another helper.”