Chapter 9

"Sure, I admit to being a slacker, but does it make sense for a stick to be covered in shit?" Lin Xiaoxiao glared at Ye Wan, "It's one thing for the boss to belittle me, but why are you making a fuss?"

"Only speaking the truth," Ye Wan replied calmly, "Let's get to the point. How do you plan to test that kid?"

Lin Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, then smiled meaningfully, "Let's start by giving him a nightmare."

Ye Wan frowned, "Be moderate."

"Don't worry."

At this moment, a commotion broke out at the back of the line where the prisoners were getting their meals. Lin Xiaoxiao looked over.

Prison No. 18 was like a huge, empty iron box. During meal times, 21 robot guards were distributed around, each armed with real weapons.

They had no human emotions and handled all emergencies in the prison.

The 21 robot guards were few compared to the over 3,000 prisoners, but every prisoner knew that the real threat came from the drones embedded in the high ceiling and the six-barreled metal storms.

Cold and powerful.

At noon, all the prisoners lined up outside the dining hall in a single file and got their meals in order by floor.

Not only that, each prisoner had to stand in their designated spot.

If a new prisoner couldn't remember their spot, the robot guards would immediately surround them and issue a warning. If they still couldn't get back in line after the warning, they would be electrocuted and escorted to their spot.

The new prisoners had just gone through a welcoming ceremony in the morning and were still dazed, so they couldn't remember where they were supposed to stand. As a result, they were all electrocuted.

The old prisoners, on the other hand, watched the new ones make fools of themselves, as if it were a fixed form of entertainment every time new prisoners were brought in.

At this moment, the old prisoners suddenly felt something was off. Why wasn't the young man who played chess with Uncle Li punished this morning?

They looked around and found Qing Chen standing in his designated spot, calmly observing everything.

It was strange. Each line had at least 500 people, and with so many unfamiliar faces, how did this young man find his spot?

Qing Chen, meanwhile, was sizing up the "newcomers" who were locked up with him.

He noticed that the newcomers had no visible injuries on their faces, but their walking posture was very strange, as if they were in pain.

It seemed the prisoners had a certain degree of restraint, not hitting the face and not causing fatal injuries.

He moved forward with his tray, but a hand suddenly pulled him out of the line.

Qing Chen was taken aback. He turned to see Lin Xiaoxiao pulling him along, saying, "You don't need to queue with them anymore. Someone who can play chess with the boss doesn't need to queue."

Qing Chen instinctively looked at the robot guards, fearing he would be electrocuted for leaving the line.

However, the robot guards completely ignored him and urged the other prisoners to fill his spot!

Qing Chen couldn't understand. Even if Uncle Li and others had special status, it shouldn't be to this extent!

Lin Xiaoxiao pulled him through the long lines, got his meal, and sat opposite Uncle Li, all in one smooth motion.

The other prisoners watched silently, their eyes fixed on Qing Chen.

The noisy environment suddenly fell silent, as if everyone had held their breath.

At that moment, they realized that Qing Chen was no longer like them.

Lin Xiaoxiao squatted on the chair next to Qing Chen and said with a smile, "Don't be surprised. Someone who can play chess with the boss naturally gets special treatment. Eat quickly, even though the food in Prison No. 18 isn't good."

Qing Chen looked up at Uncle Li, who was eating slowly and showed no intention of talking to him.

He looked back at the crowd and saw Lu Guangyi in the line giving him a thumbs up...

Qing Chen couldn't understand. This morning, Uncle Li had only been willing to play chess with him. How did his attitude change so much by the afternoon?

Was it because of his identity in this world?

...

At 8:40 PM, Qing Chen returned to his cell as scheduled.

When everyone else was lining up to return to their cells, he tried to move freely and, indeed, the robot guards no longer paid attention to him.

As long as he was heading to his cell, the robot guards wouldn't focus on him.

The prisoners looked at him with envy as he walked down the long corridor, like a lone wolf.

The single-occupancy cell was empty. After the alloy gate closed, he went to the sink to brush his teeth and wash his face.

But after just a few steps, Qing Chen suddenly felt an intense wave of drowsiness.

This drowsiness was very abnormal. Even if he had overused his brain during the day, it shouldn't have been so overwhelming that his willpower couldn't sustain him.

Something was off!

Before he could think more, Qing Chen collapsed on the ground.

In his dream, Qing Chen stood in the dimly lit living room of a villa.

At first, he knew it was a dream and was aware that his body was still in the cell.

But after two seconds, he forgot everything, as if he was supposed to be there and no longer remembered it was a dream.

The living room had a fireplace with a fire burning, and the room had a unique damp smell. The moisture in the air was being evaporated by the fireplace and condensed on the ceiling.

A crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, but Qing Chen couldn't find its switch.

The room felt eerie.

Qing Chen's pupils narrowed sharply.

Bloodstains were on the stairs leading to the second floor.

The sofa in the living room had claw marks, with the leather torn by sharp claws.

A photo frame on the mantel was broken, and the photo was missing.

The walls had grayish marks from knife slashes, which twisted strangely as the flames in the fireplace flickered.

On the carpet, there was a bloody dagger.

Someone had written "Ghost" in blood on the floor next to the carpet.

Knock, knock, knock. There was a knock at the door.

Qing Chen took a deep breath and walked to the door without touching anything inside, "Who is it?"

A relaxed voice came from outside, "Police, badge number 27149. Did you call the police? Please open the door."

Qing Chen frowned. The voice was familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before.

Strange, was there something wrong with his memory?

He hesitated and opened the door. Outside was a young police officer holding a case file.

As soon as the door opened, the officer saw blood flowing down the stairs to the second floor. He quickly walked up the stairs, saying, "Complainant, please stay where you are and lock the door!"

Qing Chen was puzzled. The officer's behavior didn't seem to follow procedure, and he wasn't even armed.

But for some reason, he subconsciously followed the officer's instructions.

The young officer went upstairs, and Qing Chen remained at the door.

Less than a minute later, there was another knock at the door.

Qing Chen asked, "Who is it?"

"Police, badge number 27149. Did you call the police? Please open the door."

Qing Chen was taken aback. Badge number 27149 was already upstairs, so who was at the door?

At that moment, a sinister voice in his subconscious asked, "What would you do now? Do you think the one inside or the one outside is real? Or neither?"

The police officer outside was urging, "Hello, please open the door."

Qing Chen took another deep breath and walked back into the room. He tried to bend down to pick up the bloody dagger, but there seemed to be an invisible barrier between him and the dagger.

He was only a step away, but he could never touch it.

Someone didn't want him to get the knife.

Someone wanted to trap him here.

But the countdown on his arm was still ticking, and his heart and blood were still beating and flowing.

He had come to this cold, mechanical world alone and had no way back.

"Get out of my way," Qing Chen said coldly, his pupils narrowing again, as if all his courage had turned into a sharp blade, cutting through something.

In the empty living room of the villa, a mysterious sound of breaking glass echoed, and the barrier between him and the dagger shattered.

Someone softly exclaimed, "Hmm."

Qing Chen picked up the knife and turned toward the stairs.

Suddenly, a voice from somewhere asked, "What are you going to do with the knife? Aren't you going to open the door for the police officer?"

Qing Chen replied coldly, "I'll open it after I kill the one inside."

Lin Xiaoxiao: "???"

At this moment, Qing Chen finally remembered. When he picked up the knife and broke the barrier, he also broke the nightmare's suppression of his memory.

He recognized the voice as Lin Xiaoxiao's, and the young police officer was also Lin Xiaoxiao's appearance.

He was in the nightmare created by Lin Xiaoxiao.

This world seemed even more interesting.

...

Please vote for the monthly ticket, I feel that my new book can make it to the top ten! It all depends on you!

Also, starting tomorrow, I will update every day at 6 PM!

...

Thank you:

Penguin in the North Pole

Garden Keeper Loves Tea

Shy Actor

Ashes Falling Silently

These four patrons have become Silver Alliances for this book!

Patrons, you are generous! May you have a long and prosperous life!