### Chapter 3: Dreamland (16)
Staring at the pale, worn-out ceiling, Lin Nan suddenly realized that he might just spend the second half of his life in this room.
As long as he didn’t make a peep, no one would disturb him. They’d just bring him three meals on schedule.
But the moment he showed any hint of emotional upheaval, he’d be met with a slew of harsh punishments.
Lin Nan figured that one day he’d inevitably crack and end up living like a bona fide nutjob in his own little world for the rest of his days.
Surprisingly enough, though,
Two months had gone by, and he was still clear-headed and painfully aware.
At this point, he actually wished he could forget everything about his past, like a complete idiot with a blank slate. Only then could he endure the monotonous daily grind of imprisonment.
With the leaves falling, the cold winter was creeping in.
Wearing thin clothes, Lin Nan lay in bed, wrapped in a flimsy blanket to fend off the occasional chill.
“Creeeak…”
The door opened.
Weird—dinner time wasn’t for a while. Why was someone coming in?
Moreover, he hadn’t had any emotional fluctuations for nearly a month, so the staff surely didn’t plan to bother him.
Lin Nan lifted his head slightly.
As the visitor’s face came into view, he froze in disbelief.
“Sh-Shiyuan?”
“Shh…”
Shiyuan was decked out in blue work coveralls, pushing along a little cart loaded with cleaning tools.
Under Lin Nan’s amazed gaze, he casually picked up a broom and dustpan and started tidying up the room.
The whole process took less than two minutes.
Before leaving, Shiyuan slyly tossed him a small paper ball and then slipped out of sight without a word.
Seeing him made Lin Nan happier than he’d have been if he’d just spotted his long-lost family.
Since the last time he ran into Wang Xue and Lin Xiao, he hadn’t seen his wife or daughter again. Now, finally spotting a familiar face sent him through the roof!
But even so, he had to play it cool.
After all, there were cameras in the room, and any untimely actions would get him into hot water in no time.
So, Lin Nan just lay back down, pulled the blanket over his head, and cautiously opened the note.
“Midnight, 12 AM.”
What did this mean? Was he planning to rescue him?
Having experienced the highs and lows of life, Lin Nan couldn’t quite believe his eyes, but he was willing to wait.
Even if there was just a one-in-ten-thousand chance to escape, he had to give it a shot.
It was still morning, but despite his exterior calm, Lin Nan was internally bubbling with excitement and even ate more than usual. Finally, when night fell, the room’s lights cut off, leaving him in a pitch-black void.
Huddled in his bed, he waited for midnight to strike.
Who knew how long it passed? Just when he was all curled up, he suddenly heard the faint sound of a lock turning outside the door.
The door swung open.
Shiyuan poked his head in, glaring fiercely as he hissed, “Get over here!”
Lin Nan’s heart raced. Although he had no idea what scheme Shiyuan had concocted, the fact that he was here meant he had to have a detailed escape plan.
He jumped out of bed and hurriedly dashed out of the prison that had been his gilded cage.
No sooner had he stepped outside than he was hit by a strong metallic smell of bl**d.
Lying in the hallway were several bodies jumbled together, bl**d pouring from their necks, while Shiyuan gripped a bloodied kn*fe in his right hand.
Had this been the past, seeing so many corpses would have stirred something inside Lin Nan.
But this time, those dead bodies looked as inconsequential as old rags to him. All he wanted was to get the hell out of this wretched place.
Shiyuan held a bl**d-soaked key.
Clearly, he had spent some time here and knew the ins and outs of the mental facility like the back of his hand.
The duo encountered little resistance as they bolted toward the small building’s exit.
But then, just when they thought they were home free, a surprise awaited them—two guards happened to be patrolling, and they ran smack into the pair.
The guards immediately whipped out their guns, yelling, “Get down, hands on heads! If you don’t raise your hands now, we’ll sh**t!”
Another guard blew a sharp whistle, and suddenly over twenty armed guards came crashing from all corners of the courtyard, surrounding them completely.
“d*mn! Just yesterday, there were only four armed guards! How are there so many today…”
Shiyuan ground his teeth in frustration.
They had no choice but to comply with the guards’ orders and kneel on the ground, hands raised high.
Four guards rushed up beside them, pulling out handcuffs.
Lin Nan’s heart plummeted.
He had almost escaped, nearly returning to normal life, and now it seemed destined to end like this.
He glanced at Shiyuan and murmured, “Thanks.”
Shiyuan’s fists trembled, seemingly overwhelmed with regret for almost pulling it off.
Just as the guards reached for the handcuffs to bind their hands, Lin Nan closed his eyes, feeling utterly defeated.
At that critical moment,
A warm, white light suddenly enveloped Lin Nan, and the light erupted outward like a wave from his center, pushing everyone away.
The guards touched by the light froze as if time had momentarily stopped.
Lin Nan was taken aback and quickly looked down at the source of the light. The little wooden carving he hadn’t seen for months reappeared in his pocket, radiating unfathomable power.
But there was no time to ponder its meaning now; after all, nobody knew how long this frozen state would last.
The two of them bolted into the garage, jumped into Shiyuan’s little car, and sped downhill.
They kept driving until dawn broke, with Shiyuan showing no sign of stopping.
“Where are we going?”
Feeling much better after temporarily escaping their predicament, Lin Nan didn’t appear weary, despite having gone all night without sleep.
Shiyuan replied, “I’ve located that fugitive.”
“Oh?”
“The place we’re heading to is where he’s hiding.”
“Alright.”
Lin Nan didn’t probe further. Suddenly realizing he had no attachment left to this world.
Especially as the wife and daughter he had once cherished like treasures had callously left him in the mental hospital just when he needed care the most. Clearly, they wanted him to fend for himself.
Combined with everything the little wooden carving had shown him, he had reason to suspect that this so-called world was nothing more than a bigger cage, trapping him solidly here. If not for the little carving and Shiyuan, he might never have uncovered the world’s darkest secrets.
As he began to test the rules of this world, it was like breaking a taboo,
And that’s how he ended up in the mental hospital, with his freedom stripped as an end to all his philosophical musings about the world.
