Seizing Dreams

Hanging Gardens Dreamscape.

Yu Hao, Chen Yekai, Huang Ting, Ou Qihang, and Fu Liqun stood on the platform.

“Then, I’ll have to trouble you.” Yu Hao said.

Huang Ting nodded. “All right, wake me up ba.”

Chen Yekai put one hand on Huang Ting’s shoulder and said, “You must be careful, brother.”

Yu Hao drew a circle in the air; the moonlight shone down, and traces of a silver Golden Crow Wheel lit up. A flash spread across the entire dreamscape, amidst which his voice could be heard, “Good night.”

Everyone was ejected from Huang Ting’s dream.

Chen Yekai, Ou Qihang, and Fu Liqun opened their eyes almost at the same time. The car was still on the road.

“Yu Hao?” Fu Liqun shook Yu Hao, but Yu Hao didn’t wake up. Ou Qihang got up from the back seat and observed Yu Hao; Yu Hao breathed evenly — he was still in a dream.

Chen Yekai said, “He’s still searching for a way to enter Zhou Sheng’s dream…Where are we?”

The colleague who was driving said, “We’ll arrive outside the enemy’s base in 20 minutes.”

Xiao Jian’s voice travelled over from a walkie-talkie, “How’s the situation on your side?”

Chen Yekai said, “We’re awake. We’ve contacted Huang Ting. Yu Hao’s still doing his best, hopefully it’ll work out.”

Xiao Jian said, “Take a short rest. We might need to forcefully breakthrough later. You guys mustn’t try to be heroes then.”

“I’m still dizzy.” Ou Qihang responded.

“It’s the effects of the drug.” Chen Yekai drank some water and looked at his watch — 3 AM. He rolled down the window, and the cold wind outside assaulted his face. The dark clouds in the sky gradually retreated, revealing a full moon.

Huang Ting woke up on the sickbed; there were two rooms in the ward, and one was empty. Only one nurse was on duty beyond the screen. The monitoring devices were all active.

Huang Ting endured the discomfort of his coughs and pulled out the cannula from his arm. He looked up at the infusion bag, got up, and noticed that the freezer had tranquilizers. He opened one box and drew out the drug with a syringe from the shelf.

A nurse on duty heard sounds from inside, and craned his head out to look around. However, a hand suddenly reached out from behind him and covered his mouth, and a needle was stabbed into his neck. Dozens of seconds later, he collapsed to the ground bonelessly. Huang Ting patiently prepared a number of syringes, put on a cap and a mask, changed into a medical gown, took the nurse’s ID, and pushed a cart as he left.

“What’s wrong?” A guard heading to the hall passage asked.

“Delivering medications.”

The guard picked up his walkie-talkie and notified the security guard in the hall. Huang Ting had already prepared a syringe in his hand, and he was just about to stab the other party when he was actually allowed to pass.

Huang Ting went to the elevator, pressed a button, and went down. At this moment, all medical staff and researchers were gathered in the hall, staring anxiously at the scene in front of the computer set up. But Huang Ting didn’t stay in the hall. After leaving the cart behind, he turned around and left.

The motorcar stopped outside the abandoned factory. Nearly twenty people got out of the cars and retrieved weapons from the trunks. Qin Guodong personally oversaw the operation; he looked into the distance with infrared binoculars. Ou Qihang went over quickly. Amidst the cold winds, Xiao Jian held a display screen and tapped on the map of the surroundings.

“There are more guards at the side door, and no infrared remote sensing devices were found there.” Xiao Jian said, “They’ve contacted Huang Ting, but it’s still unclear how useful it would be.”

“We can’t wait for his support.” Qin Guodong said, “Barging in forcefully won’t work either. Be patient, try to think of a way.”

Ou Qihang said, “Yu Hao asked us to inform everyone that once the power inside gets cut, Huang Ting will find a way to get Zhou Sheng out.”

Xiao Jian was a little surprised. Qin Guodong fell silent for several seconds before saying immediately, “Okay, we’ll be responsible for drawing their fire!”

In the dark, the chilly wind was bitingly cold. It was pitch dark inside the factory with only the security booth having lights on. From the outside, it was impossible for people to discover that there was a research laboratory in the underground area. However, once infrared imaging was used, active human figures at the bottom and the guards in the factory could all be seen at a glance.

Chen Yekai held Yu Hao’s hand and waited beside him. He closed his eyes, listening to the breathing sounds Yu Hao made while sound asleep.

Night had already fallen on the Great Wall world. Yu Hao stood on the platform high in the sky and gazed at the moon in his dreamscape that had already changed. The sun no longer existed, only the bright moon shone brightly upon the earth. The army in the capital was assembled in a square-shaped formation outside the city. Yu Hao nervously searched for Zhou Sheng’s dream, but he never dreamed of Yu Hao.

“Zhou Sheng, dream of me,” Yu Hao gasped for breath, “This is our last chance.”

The Golden Crow Wheel’s voice could be heard, “Search for the whereabouts of the Overseer.”

Colosseum dream world. Ren Chong smiled as he faced the giant Golden Crow Wheel, then raised one hand.

Seawater was spreading out continuously; the entire world had already turned into a vast ocean. The flares on the Golden Crow Wheel were being sucked into Ren Chong’s whole body, and his body underwent strange changes, as if it was burning fiercely within the golden light!

Zhou Sheng lay sideways as he hugged his last totem and slowly sank to the bottom of the sea. He was submerged by the indigo blue water, falling completely into the darkness.

The convulsing him sitting in the chair finally quieted, his clenched fist loosened and his head drooped forward.

Suddenly, the entire underground research room went pitch black — the power supply had been cut, and the world went dark.

“What happened? Not enough energy again?”

“We haven’t started the connection yet, that shouldn’t be the case!”

The blackout once again triggered the researchers’ panic and another round of discussions.

“Turn on the reserve power supply…quickly!”

“Someone shut off the electricity!”

“There are invaders outside!”

Within the dark, only the core chip of the Golden Crow Wheel radiated a soft, blue light; Huang Ting’s figure suddenly appeared in front of the researchers, and a few muffled groans could be heard. The security guards rushed forward, and gunfire broke out.

“He has a gun!” Someone shouted, “Don’t let it hit Director Ren!”

Huang Ting wielded a fireman’s hatchet in his left hand that he used to chop at the connecting wires of the helmet on the chair a few times. He dragged Zhou Sheng off the chair, then fired a shot at the cover box on the computer set up. However, the cover box was made of bullet-proof glass. He was thinking of a way to get to the Golden Crow Wheel when a dagger swung over from his side; someone shouted, “Who are you?! Watch out for any other invaders!”

The security guards had already taken their places to guard Ren Chong. Huang Ting decisively made the decision to give up on the Golden Crow Wheel and Ren Chong. He dragged Zhou Sheng and escaped toward a corner, went to the safe passage, angled the fireman’s hatchet into the door handle of the safe passage, then picked Zhou Sheng up and rushed to the third floor.

“Zhou Sheng!” Huang Ting patted Zhou Sheng’s face and shouted, “Wake up!”

Huang Ting fished out a stimulant and injected it into Zhou Sheng. He lifted his eyelids and shone his torchlight on it, but Zhou Sheng’s eyes were glazed over, and his pupils contracted slightly under the light.

In the Colosseum world, the world was destroyed, and the Golden Crow Wheel had lost all of its flames. The platform collapsed, bringing along with it a dark and dull Golden Crow Wheel as it fell toward the sea. All buildings were turned into bricks that collapsed into the deepest part of the ocean.

Ren Chong’s body burned with raging flames, and he hovered in the air above the ocean, laughing loudly. He released the flares on his body and formed a passage in front of him. Before leaving Zhou Sheng’s consciousness, Ren Chong looked back to take a glance and sneered, “I’ve finally succeeded. Hope I’ll never see you again.”

Huang Ting quickly ran up with Zhou Sheng in his arms. When he passed the corridor, shouts could be heard inside.

“Help me! Help me!” Someone shouted, “Huang Ting! Is it you? Let me out, quick!”

Huang Ting turned his head and suddenly saw Zhao Liang’s face appearing in the window of one of the prison cells, seeming quite anxious.

“Zhao Laoshi?” Huang Ting immediately snapped out of his daze.

Zhao Liang peered out and saw Huang Ting holding Zhou Sheng. He asked, “Who’s that?”

Huang Ting put Zhou Sheng down and walked to the prison cell. Zhao Liang asked, “What on earth happened? I was pulled down from a chair by someone, and for some reason, Ren Chong didn’t explain anything to me before detaining me here…my memory’s all muddled up, did someone do an experiment on me?”

Huang Ting, “I don’t know.”

Zhao Liang stared at Huang Ting with a blank face, and Huang Ting didn’t know how to answer him for a moment either.

“Have you ever been here?” Huang Ting asked.

Zhao Liang said, “I know this place; it’s an underground chemical experimental base I discovered a very long time ago. But why…do I feel like I just had a dream…?”

After Huang Ting fell silent for a moment, he said, “Step back.”

Zhao Liang took a few steps back. Huang Ting opened fire on the door lock and kicked the door open. Zhao Liang was wearing a singlet and a pair of undershorts as he ran out like a gust of wind.

Huang Ting said, “Do you know where the exit is? We’ll talk after we find a way to get out of here.”

Zhao Liang said, “There’s a secret passageway on the fourth floor, it’s a vent; follow me!”

Huang Ting picked Zhou Sheng up and followed Zhao Liang. Zhao Liang extended a hand and said, “Is this kid okay? Was he used for an experiment too? Give me the gun.”

“Screw the fuck off.” It was still okay when Zhao Liang didn’t ask, but Huang Ting turned indignant once he did and cursed for once. He kicked Zhao Liang and rebuked, “You almost got us killed! Lead the way!”

Zhao Liang, “……”

Zhao Liang and Huang Ting looked at each other, then murmured, “What’s happening?” Then they heard the sound of people giving chase at the end of the corridor.

“Don’t let him get away!”

So Zhao Liang could only go forward and lead the way in a hurry.

In the hall of the research room.

“The power is back on!”

The hall regained its brightness. Ren Chong took off the helmet and glanced at the surroundings, as well as Zhou Sheng’s destroyed seat. He said in a low voice, “Huang Ting woke up?”

The security guards were still extremely vigilant. The leader said to Ren Chong, “We were caught completely off guard…”

“Never mind.” Ren Chong answered, “They’re not important anymore.”

“There are people attacking outside.” The leader said, “What should we do? Ask for instructions from the top?”

“No need.” Ren Chong answered, “Is the transferred energy ready?”

“Everything is ready to go at any time.” A researcher said.

Ren Chong answered, “Guard the outside and prepare to charge the apparatus.”

The researchers were still checking several parts of the computer that Huang Ting had wrecked. Ren Chong said, “It’s all right. The analysis set up is useless now.”

“Immediately get ready to start up the high-voltage power supply. We’re already connected to North China’s power grid.” A researcher said to Ren Chong.

“How much longer does it need?”

Great Wall World.

“Overseer can’t be found, Colosseum dreamscape has already collapsed and integrated into the subconscious world.” Golden Crow Wheel said, “Begin searching subconscious worlds…”

Muddled chaos appeared in the scene displayed by the silver Golden Crow Wheel. Yu Hao nervously stared at that chaos as he searched for Zhou Sheng’s figure, ready to enter at any time.

Outside the factory, Fu Liqun and Ou Qihang practically had nothing they could do. Xiao Jian and the rest wielded **, each with one gun, and nearly all the people they brought along charged straight in. Most employees in the office were military veterans and operated with ease; they had occupied the periphery of the factory within a short period of time.

“They’re underground!”

“There aren’t many guards! That’s strange…”

“Don’t shoot! They’re on our side!”

“Zhou Sheng has been saved!”

Huang Ting and Zhao Liang each carried one of Zhou Sheng’s arms and dragged him out of the underground exit. Fu Liqun and Ou Qihang immediately went forward, shouting, “Zhou Sheng!”

“We’re on the same side, the same side…”

“Who the fuck is on the same side as you!” When Ou Qihang saw Zhao Liang, he was instantly enraged and went forward to kick him to the ground.

Qin Guodong pushed people aside and came in, roaring angrily, “Stop fighting! Talk after getting into the car! Xiao Jian, send someone here to examine him…Huang Ting, tell me what’s happening inside!”

Huang Ting gasped for breath and coughed several times, and spat out a mouthful of blood. He looked at Qin Guodong, and after they looked at each other for a moment, he only said three words at last, “I don’t know.”

Qin Guodong said, “What is Ren Chong doing underground?”

Everyone looked at one another. A colleague from the office reported, “Boss, they have shrunk the scope of their defences to the center of the hall, and all of them have guns. What should we do?”

Qin Guodong motioned for Ou Qihang and the others to go first. Fu Liqun immediately carried Zhou Sheng on his back, Ou Qihang took care of him at the side, and they quickly ran to the car parked outside the factory.

“Follow me in to take a look.” Qin Guodong said in the end. He wore a gun holster vest and led the rest to enter through the entrance to the underground research room.

Chen Yekai was observing Yu Hao’s situation in the car. Fu Liqun carried Zhou Sheng into the car, then Xiao Jian brought someone over to give them a check-up. As soon as Chen Yekai saw Zhou Sheng, he instantly shouted, “Wake up!”

Zhou Sheng remained unconscious. Chen Yekai asked about Huang Ting, and after knowing that Huang Ting was safe as well, he finally felt relieved.

“He’s in a coma.” The examiner said, “Not sure about the cause; it’s best to send him to a local hospital.”

“We’ll go now.” Chen Yekai said.

Xiao Jian said, “It’s up to you guys now. Go back to Beijing, don’t stay here any longer. Wait for our news tomorrow morning.”

Chen Yekai uttered an “un“, then went to the driver’s seat to drive.

Huang Ting caught up and got into the passenger seat, saying, “Wait for me!”

Chen Yekai looked at Huang Ting. Both of them stared at each other quietly, then leaned towards the other and hugged each other fiercely.

Fu Liqun placed Zhou Sheng beside Yu Hao, reclined his seat and fastened his seat belt. He patted Zhou Sheng’s face, whispering, “Young Master, nothing must happen to you.”

Ou Qihang got on the car as well and pulled the sliding door close. Huang Ting said, “Everyone’s here, let’s go.”

Chen Yekai turned the steering wheel. Everyone was finally saved, but they didn’t know what was happening in the dream. He drove the car onto the national highway and asked Huang Ting, “How is the situation underground?”

“I don’t know.” Huang Ting answered. The words he said the most today were “I don’t know”.

“Which step have they progressed to?” Ou Qihang answered, “How’s Zhou Sheng now?”

Huang Ting shook his head, his brows furrowing deeply. He coughed violently again. Chen Yekai suddenly slowed down and when they passed by a town, he stopped by the roadside.

“What’s wrong?” Huang Ting asked, “Let’s go ah.”

“Hold on.” Chen Yekai said, “Zhou Sheng’s unconscious, and Ren Chong is still sitting in that chair?”

Huang Ting said, “From what I last saw, that was the case.”

Underground research room.

“Stop being so obstinate about getting your way!” Qin Guodong’s voice resounded through the hall as he led his men to the bottommost floor. “Ren Chong, your desire for power is practically manic!”

Yet Ren Chong couldn’t hear Qin Guodong’s words. He sat quietly on the chair, the core chip of the Golden Crow Wheel shimmering beside him. The experimental chair was just like a throne that led to the temples of the gods. All the security guards wielded guns that they pointed at Qin Guodong and everyone else; both sides had their weapons drawn, ready for a confrontation.

“Put down your weapons!” Xiao Jian commanded in a stern voice, “We’ve already called the police!”

Both sides fell silent; even the drop of a needle could be heard.

“The power grid has been connected. Begin supplying energy.” A researcher’s voice broke the silence. Qin Guodong held his gun up and immediately pointed it at Ren Chong, and just when he was about to shoot, the hall darkened in an instant again with a ‘buzz‘, plunging into darkness.

At the same time, Yanqing County, in the town, and even the whole area of North China’s power grid, Beijing, and all of their power supply equipment — all their energy had been completely drained!