Shen Yao?
Upon hearing this familiar name, Shen Ge was immediately stunned, because this was precisely the “father” who had transformed into an octopus monster and devoured his mother.
“Mom, I think you’re getting confused again. This is my apprentice, Shen Ge, not Shen Yao. Don’t you remember I mentioned him to you before, and even showed you his photo?” Jiang Jing helped the elderly woman sit down on the sofa, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
The old lady already had old injuries, and after falling seriously ill last time, her condition had worsened further. Although she seemed physically sturdy, it was actually more like a final rally. Besides her physical state, her mind had also become less clear. She might seem to be having a normal conversation with you, but it was often like talking past each other, completely on different wavelengths. Mistaking people was even more common.
Clearly, the old lady didn’t think so. Hearing her daughter say she had mistaken the person, she angrily thumped the floor with her cane, making loud bam bam sounds. “How could I possibly mistake him? He is Shen Yao! When he was a naughty boy, I even hit him with my cane. Born into a military family, he had the makings of a great soldier, yet he ran off to do some kind of research! What a waste of talent, truly a pity… Shen Yao, have you finally come to your senses now?”
“Sorry, Xiao Shen, my mom’s mind is a bit…” Jiang Jing gave Shen Ge an apologetic look, about to explain, but was interrupted by Shen Ge.
“Master’s wife, Shen Yao is my father,” Shen Ge stated directly.
Shen Ge used to think his childhood memories were hazy because of those three years of “advanced study” at Rongshan Psychiatric Hospital. Now, having realized his “memories” fell into two categories — clear and fuzzy — he was certain it wasn’t that he had forgotten memories related to his parents; rather, that part of his memory belonged to the “fuzzy” category.
The appearance of the Dream World had gradually brought these “fuzzy” memories back to mind. Yet, dying in the Dream World had also caused originally “clear” memories to become fuzzy.
Fortunately, Shen Ge’s memory of his father hadn’t faded to the point of forgetting his name.
“Shen Yao is your father?” The old lady stared at Shen Ge, the scrutiny in her gaze growing increasingly severe. It felt like she had caught a mischievous child red-handed, but he stubbornly refused to admit it.
Hearing that the “Shen Yao” the old lady kept mentioning was actually Shen Ge’s father, Jiang Jing was also slightly taken aback. She then said, “Mom, look at how old I am. Shen Ge is so young, how could he possibly be the Shen Yao you’re talking about?”
“Shen Yao got married? And had a child?” The old lady seemed to still be processing the information before her, murmuring something under her breath.
Shen Ge’s memories of his father were very “fuzzy,” or rather, his memories from before the age of ten were in a very hazy state. Therefore, not to mention the military family “Shen Family” the old lady spoke of, he wasn’t even clear on whether he had grandparents on either side.
“Madam, could you tell me about the Shen Family that Shen Yao belonged to?” Shen Ge thought perhaps he could find some clues about his father from the Shen Family. Following this line of inquiry might lead to uncovering the truth of what happened back then.
The old lady seemed still immersed in the surprise of “Shen Yao having a child.” It was Jiang Jing who spoke up: “The Shen Family my mom talks about, I heard my grandfather mention it when I was little. You could say they were a family of loyal patriots through and through. The men in the family, from officers down to soldiers, were all military men. But later, due to a war with heavy casualties, the family declined. As the senior elders above stepped down, they gradually withdrew from the capital.”
“When I was little, I met Grandfather Shen. He brought his young grandson to visit our home back then. I remember that child was named ‘Shen Yao.’ He loved reading. Later, I heard he went abroad for studies, came back, gave up the military officer path originally arranged for him by the family, and chose to enter national research instead. Because of this, Grandfather Shen was so angered he fell ill and eventually disowned him from the Shen Family.”
Hearing Jiang Jing’s account, Shen Ge felt complicated. In his fuzzy memories, his dad and Uncle Ming were just employees at some medical equipment company, at most “doctors.” How did they suddenly become national-level researchers?
And if Shen Ge’s memories of his own father were “fuzzy,” then he knew even less about this Shen Family and the Grandfather Shen who, in a fit of anger, disowned his father.
However, this outcome for his father wasn’t entirely unexpected. For a military family, they’d naturally hope their descendants were iron-blooded, stalwart men, walking the path of a soldier to the very end. Who would have thought an “outsider” would appear, abandoning martial pursuits for scholarly ones, preferring to bury his head in research.
In the eyes of the older generation who had been through the battlefield, this was an act of great defiance. That he was disowned from the family wasn’t all that strange, then.
Of course, what Shen Ge cared about wasn’t his father being disowned, but how much the Shen Family knew about his father’s “research.” Was he one of the founding members of the Haiya Research Institute back then?
If so, Shen Ge felt his “System,” and perhaps the Dream World, might all be somewhat related to his father. Even if he wasn’t directly responsible, he should know some clues.
Thinking of this, Shen Ge couldn’t help but recall what Ye Jingwen had told him before. If he was indeed that infant from back then, in whose body the “Primordial Anomaly” appeared, and if his father gathered talents from various fields to form the first batch of anomaly researchers, then gradually awakened the slumbering anomalies in this world…
“Master’s wife, do you know the address of the Shen Family?” Shen Ge asked.
Jiang Jing shook her head: “After Grandfather Shen stepped down, almost no one in the Shen Family could uphold the family’s reputation. You know how it is in the capital—throw a brick and you might hit a few officials. The Shen Family was quite a prominent figure in the capital back then. Once Grandfather Shen passed, the tree fell and the monkeys scattered… At least, among the few Shen-surnamed officials I know in the capital currently, none should be related to that Shen Family.”
Shen Ge sighed, somewhat regretful about not being able to find information on the Shen Family. Fortunately, he hadn’t pinned his hopes on uncovering much from his father’s line.
Just then, the old lady spoke: “Oh, isn’t this the Shen Family kid? I remember you, Shen Yao, right? What, have you finally listened to my advice and come to learn Ba Ji Quan from me?”
Shen Ge: ?
Jiang Jing: …
“Madam, you’ve already said that. I’m not Shen Yao. I’m his son, Shen Ge, also your daughter’s apprentice…”
Before Shen Ge could finish, the old lady exclaimed with sudden realization: “Oh! Shen Yao, you got married! Your partner is that girl surnamed Yang, right? I say, back then you gave up going to military academy, ran off to study abroad learning some kind of biological research… was it all for that girl?”
Hmm?
Shen Ge was startled, not expecting to gain a lead here too. He was just about to follow up on this topic when he saw the old lady start nodding like a chick pecking at rice, seemingly… falling asleep.
“?”
“…”
The others present immediately fell into an awkward silence. Jiang Jing said apologetically, “Xiao Shen, I’m really sorry. My mom has been like this lately, often getting drowsy while talking. How about you stay here tonight? After she wakes up, you can continue asking?”
“Master’s wife, then I’ll be imposing.” Shen Ge cared deeply about his parents’ situation. Having finally encountered someone who might know some clues from back then, he naturally wanted to learn as much as possible.
Jiang Jing had a maid prepare a room for Shen Ge, then helped the old lady upstairs to rest with the servant. Shen Ge had lunch with Jiang Jing, chatted for a while about matters at the Rong City Branch, and then returned to his room to rest.
Strangely, when Shen Ge lay down on the bed in the room, his consciousness briefly blurred, followed by a wave of eerie drowsiness.
This strange drowsiness again?
Shen Ge was startled. He sat up, had Little Seven control the Corrupted Blood Tentacles to lock the doors and windows, instructed it to imitate his voice if anyone came looking for him, then fully clad himself in the Red Mist Armor and lay down on the bed, falling asleep.
Soon, Shen Ge once again entered that muddled, floating and sinking state, as if adrift in an endless sea, gradually carried towards the horizon.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when Shen Ge was jolted awake by a strange noise. He found himself with his hands tied behind his back, a cloth stuffed in his mouth, and several layers of adhesive tape wrapped around it.
“Mmph, mmph mmph.” Shen Ge struggled forcefully. His hands and feet were both bound, his hands tied behind his back with several loops, making it impossible to exert any strength.
While struggling, he bumped into someone next to him, and then heard a deep male voice curse: “We’re almost there. If you move again, I’ll throw you out of the vehicle.”
Hmm?
Shen Ge felt this scene was somewhat familiar. It seemed like his first experience entering the Dream World, being trapped in a car and sent to Rongshan Psychiatric Hospital?
Shen Ge tried calling out to Little Seven and the System, but there was still no response.
However, this time, facing the angry cursing of the deep male voice, he didn’t struggle again or try to provoke the other party to gather more information, because he already knew what would happen next.
Shen Ge calmed down. Seemingly curled up motionless in the corner of the back seat, he was actually focusing his mind, attempting to concentrate his mental energy.
Soon, he felt a stone appear in his palm. This was a stone he tried to materialize using the “Manifestation” ability, condensed from mental energy.
The Manifestation ability was still there. It was indeed the Dream World.
But what puzzled Shen Ge was that whether it was his previous exploration leading to the high tower in the apocalyptic Rong City, being devoured by the dark room full of eyes, or falling into the Dream World at the Capital’s Peace Hotel and finally entering the spire causing the Dream World to collapse, all signified the “destruction” of a “Dream World.” So why was he entering again now?
Shen Ge thought of the mirrored fragments he saw when the Peace Hotel’s Dream World collapsed—countless scenes overlapping, just like what “Celestial Stem” called an “ending”!
Did this mean the collapses of the Dream Worlds, whether the high tower in apocalyptic Rong City or the spire at Peace Hotel, were merely the collapse of one “ending,” the collapse of one fragment of the dream, not the collapse of the entire Dream World?
So, is this a new fragment of the dream?
Every time Shen Ge entered the Dream World, he gained many clues, and his control over the “power” within the dream became more proficient. This time, he was determined to see what the Dream World had in store for him!
Just as Shen Ge was pondering, he heard the vehicle stop, followed by the sound of a door opening. Then a large hand grabbed his shoulder and dragged him out of the vehicle.
Consistent with the previous situation, the moment he was dragged out, the person who pulled him threw him heavily to the ground, the pain almost making him black out.
Having experienced the previous times, Shen Ge also knew that all sensations in the Dream World were identical to reality. Precisely because of this, he would subsequently endure several months of living hell through human experiments.
This time, he didn’t struggle or make a fuss. The man beside him didn’t curse either, simply pulling him up from the ground and yanking off the tattered cloth covering his eyes.
Then, the man pointed at the rusted iron gate ahead and the sign with peeling paint above it, saying: “This will be your home from now on. If you behave, we guarantee you can live like a normal person. If you don’t… we have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead!”
Boom!
The thunder this time came a bit earlier, rumbling just as the man was speaking. In the flash of lightning, the blood-red letters on the peeling sign beside the iron gate appeared particularly eerie—
Psychiatric Hospital.
“Did the details shift because I didn’t struggle this time, so the man had fewer curses to utter, changing the timing slightly?” Shen Ge’s eyes narrowed slightly as he considered a question.
If he made choices completely opposite to the last time in this Dream World journey, would it lead to a completely different ending?
For example, cooperating with the experiments from the start, even trying to actively join and become a member of Rongshan Psychiatric Hospital, just like in his originally “clear” memories of the place?
“Okay, I understand,” Shen Ge obediently stood up, appearing very docile.
His compliant demeanor also made the man pause briefly, but the other didn’t say anything, simply dragging him straight into the psychiatric hospital.
Walking through the large courtyard, Shen Ge curiously observed the surroundings. The layout was somewhat different from his originally “clear” memories of Rongshan Psychiatric Hospital. Instead, it resembled the scenery he saw after defeating the director and escaping from the inpatient building in the previous Dream World.
After being taken inside by the burly man, a group of doctors and nurses in white coats approached, took him over from the burly man, and exchanged a few words with him.
This time, Shen Ge cooperated fully with the white-coated individuals during the preliminary check-up, mainly wanting to quietly listen to what the burly man was saying.
Unfortunately, he only caught a few sentences before being taken to a sealed room.
The room was small, only about ten square meters, containing nothing but a bed, not even a ventilation window, resembling an isolated prison cell.
Strangely, this time, with his clear “subjective consciousness,” Shen Ge did not experience the uncontrollable body from his first arrival in the Dream World—the frantic struggling, screaming, yelling “I’m not sick, let me go,” “I’m not mentally ill,” “They framed me,” “Let me go,” and similar phrases.
Because of this, the white-coated individuals didn’t inject him with sedatives this time, merely giving a few casual instructions before leaving.
After they left, Shen Ge’s gaze turned to the small, palm-sized observation window on the left side of the closed door. Peering out through the window, it was as if several pale faces were pressed together, staring at Shen Ge inside the room.
This time, he saw clearly. Those pale faces belonged to the white-coated individuals who had just left!
