Chapter 81: Here We Go Again
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Fortunately, the nightmare was not a series. It did not divide into part one and part two. Hao Ren just happened to appear at the same place where he left the last time. The wolf pack that attacked him previously was not there anymore. This unfortunate kid did not have to go through the same unfortunate incident where he was attacked by a pack of wolves when he entered the dream last time.
However, the howling of the wolves still came from all directions. Although the wolves did not sound like they were nearby, it was enough to frighten the green hand. Hao Ren was deeply aware that he was in a land without any rule of law. The animal protection organization and rangers were in another world. Therefore, neither the wolf nor Hao Ren were protected here. And frankly speaking, that was the wolf's territory while he was an outsider.
As the only outsider on the prairie where wolves were entrenched, Hao Ren tightened his clothes around him to ward off the chill. The chill crept from his body to his heart. He walked forward, wondering whether his brain had degenerated because he spent too much time with Lily. Why did he put on his pajamas just now?
Based on the previous experience, one’s physical condition in The Plane of Dreams was exactly the same as in the reality. It included the clothes on the body and physical state of fitness. However, Hao Ren had forgotten about it. Vivian, Y’zaks and Hao Ren messed up preparations in the living room. As a result, he almost had insomnia and was unable to get into the dream plane. To add, he was wearing pyjamas!
Hao Ren walked across the prairie with uneven footsteps. He looked at his feet and sighed. "Damn, I actually forgot to wear shoes… The psycho will most probably laugh at me if she finds out."
A voice suddenly echoed from the side. "She’ll have a good laugh at you and then post it on the message board of the Local Universe Channel. But, I can’t tell how many likes she’ll get in the end. She is a well-known, spamming monster in the universe. She has to repeatedly post oracles for her followers because nobody reads her posts."
Hao Ren was startled by the sudden sound. He looked around carefully and found a small piece of metal, the size of a hand. It was floating beside him and had been silently following him. He was surprised and asked, "Terminal?! What are you doing here?"
"Why can't I come in?" The MDT said lazily. "Didn't you hear what Raven 12345 said? I need to guide you when you can't get into The Plane of Dreams. If I can guide you into the dream, why can't I come in then?"
"But don't you need to dream to come in here…" Hao Ren looked at the superb, little device in astonishment and asked, "Have AIs become so advanced to the extent that they can even dream?"
"Dreaming is a boring and inefficient way to maintain the system. I don’t need it," the MDT replied loftily. "Who told you one had dream in order to enter The Plane of Dreams? It’s just you who has to dream to come in here. When your control over your mental power reaches a certain level, you will have access to The Plane of Dreams. However, it’s still too early for you to think about it."
Hao Ren knew that this device would find a way to quarrel with him whenever it started talking. So, the smartest way to deal with it was to ignore it. He glanced at the vast prairie and felt it was good to have a companion to talk with.He thought perhaps the device would play an unexpected role. "Can you conjure up a set of clothes?" he asked tentatively.
The MDT paused and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Isn’t this a virtual world? Aren’t you a supercomputer? In science fiction movies, people in the virtual world use data to organize a―"
Before Hao Ren could finish his sentence, the MDT rudely interrupted. "Who gave you such false insight? The Plane of Dreams is a virtual world? Then why can you take something out of here and why do people actually die in this place?"
Hao Ren opened his mouth but could not find the right word to say. He admitted that he had carelessly made assumptions about this unknown field again. In fact, Raven 12345 had briefed him on the "authenticity" of The Plane of Dreams before. Nevertheless, Hao Ren just had a very limited understanding of it at the time. He never fully understood the problem. Now... well, he still did not really understand it but he had learned to ignore it.
"I don’t even have shoes…" Hao Ren walked along and sighed. "I can’t keep on walking without shoes. Is there anything that can act as replacement?"
"There is," the MDT said calmly. Just as Hao Ren’s spirit was lifted, the MDT slowly uttered the latter part of its sentence, "...tenacious spirit."
"…LOL"
A man and a device (isn’t this combination strange?) were walking under the dim light of night. Hao Ren did not want to stop randomly. Even if his physical state was not good at that moment, he decided to go on. After all, the purpose of entering The Plane of Dreams was to temper himself. If he just stayed there until he woke up naturally, the trip would have been meaningless. Anyway, he would force his way out (thanks to the little pill Raven 12345 gave him) whenever he was caught in a deadly threat. Besides, he was not worried about really dying in that place. He was just curious about what kind of place it was.
Hao Ren set his sights far ahead. The last time he left, he saw something like a house in the distance. This time, it was still there. This meant it was not an illusion. Therefore, he aimed for that ‘house’.
A man and a device (isn’t this combination strange?) traveled under the dim light of night silently. When Hao Ren was feeling a little bored, the MDT suddenly spoke, "I need to remind you of three things."
"Go ahead," replied Hao Ren.
"First, totally abandon the idea that this place is a ‘virtual space’. Although The Plane of Dreams isn’t the real world, it has great influence on the real world. If you die here, it also means you die in the real world. Also, you can take things out of here. But you have to figure out the specific mechanism of ‘taking out’ by yourself. Of course, you should’ve known."
"Second, whatever you see here, don't be surprised. Just accept it. Wait until you return to the real world and you can take your time to analyze the situation. Your intense confusion here will weaken your connection with The Plane of Dreams rapidly. It's not a good thing to finish the journey ahead of time."
"Third, don't you think it’s stupid to let your Mobile Data Terminal float beside you? I’ve seen people walking their cats and dogs but never a PDA! Keep me in your pocket now, do you hear me!?"
Hao Ren was once again speechless.
"Hey, wait! Don't go! I’m talking to you. Do you hear me! Hurry up and put me in your pocket. I’m a mobile device but I’m not a self-moving device. Do you know what a mobile device means… Don’t go! At least, tie me to a rope and drag me along. The floating function is for emergency use only, not for casual use…"
Hao Ren totally ignored the MDT which was a little neurotic like Raven 12345. He just kept his head down and continued walking. The annoying noise from the MDT went on for half an hour in his ear. Hao Ren found that the physical strengthening of his body was highly effective. He did not even gasp for breath after walking for so long in the wilderness without shoes. Also, the soles of his feet were much brawnier than usual. After walking for a long time, the cottages in the distance looked closer. However, just before he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, something frightening happened.
He clearly heard a rustling sound coming from some nearby bushes and then he smelled a faint odour of blood in the air. It was the smell of the beasts.
They were wolves and they were unique, incredibly gigantic black wolves which only existed in The Plane of Dreams!
The wolves had not come near yet but they had obviously smelled their prey. The beasts were carefully laying siege to Hao Ren and preparing to make him a hearty meal with their usual ambushing tactics. However this time, Hao Ren was aware of the danger in advanced. The last time he was aware of the wolves, he was already completely surrounded by them and there were faint gazes within the bushes. This time, he already sensed it when the wolves just started to make their move.
Hao Ren deeply admired the Bioenhancement and Reconfiguration Chamber. He silently wondered what the use of this little progress was. He was already surrounded by the wolves when he reacted!
"I recommend you don’t run." The MDT’s voice appeared in Hao Ren’s mind. The device also knew that they needed to hide immediately. "You can’t outrun the wolves. You can only get rid of part of the siege with your current level of bio-enhancement but you can’t rush out of it."
"Fighting head-on?" Hao Ren tried to calm his heartbeat. He knew that the wolves did not realize that he already knew they were approaching. "I'm not sure."
"Were you confident when hundreds of armored wraiths ran after you in the palace?" mumbled the MDT. "Don’t worry. I will pull you out when you start dying. Now... Get ready!"