Chapter 4: Dreamland (End)
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The little car finally stopped in a hidden valley, where the rest of the journey required them to walk.
They thought they had successfully escaped from the mental hospital and that it would take the staff some time to find any clues about them.
But to their surprise, as soon as they walked through a patch of woods, they heard the deafening roar of helicopters overhead.
Looking up, they counted a full ten helicopters!
And in the distance, police sirens echoed in a chaotic wave.
“They’re coming after us!”
“No way, how can they be so fast!” Lin Nan exclaimed.
Shiyuan said coldly, “It’s easy to lock onto your position. Just see where in this world is currently unsealed.”
Lin Nan had an epiphany.
From that point on, they almost sprinted, determined to reach the fugitive’s cave before their pursuers caught up with them.
Panting like mad, Lin Nan didn’t even think to question Shiyuan’s reasoning.
It was as if this was just a matter of course—he just had to follow orders without asking why.
Shiyuan pointed to a shadow hidden among the grass ahead. “There it is, hurry!”
They could clearly feel the helicopters above had caught their scent. A few attack helicopters even revealed their machine guns, spraying bullets where they passed.
Behind them, about two to three kilometers away, there were several hundred guards in black uniforms, armed to the teeth, with a dozen police dogs leading the charge.
The head of security sensed urgency and immediately ordered his guards to follow the dogs as they chased the scent of the targets.
“As long as we’re alive, that’s all that matters. Get biting, boys!”
Lin Nan and Shiyuan dashed into the narrow cave, and before long, they heard the sound of police dogs running and breathing behind them.
“cr*p!”
Shiyuan grabbed Lin Nan by the collar. “There’s only one way to escape now—you have to enter the game!”
Lin Nan was taken aback. “Enter the game?”
“Exactly! You only have one choice now: either enter the game, or go back to the mental hospital.”
Shiyuan shoved Lin Nan forward and turned back, brandishing a dagger as he shouted at the approaching police dogs.
“Thwack, thwack…”
That was the sound of blade meeting flesh.
A few hunting dogs twitched and fell at his feet, but soon, more dogs charged at Shiyuan, ripping apart the already exhausted opponent.
“b*stard, run!”
Even at that moment, Shiyuan still shouted back.
Lin Nan jolted, clenched his teeth, turned around, picked up a brick from the ground, and lunged at the foul beasts.
Shiyuan’s heart swelled, and he quickly regained his composure, shoulder to shoulder with Lin Nan as they fought and retreated.
“Looks like we’ve been waiting for you.”
A deep voice boomed beside them, and a massive, round guy appeared, carrying a flamethrower and mowing down the pesky dogs in pursuit.
The narrow cave immediately erupted into flames.
“Quick, time’s running out! If they get desperate, they might just blow this place up.”
The Fatty waved at them.
Lin Nan helped the limping Shiyuan deeper into the cave.
To his surprise, this place resembled a small workstation, with a roaring generator on one side and flashing servers on the other.
And right in the center, there lay a game pod flat on the ground.
Though the pod’s exterior looked badly worn, the inside was surprisingly tidy—no clutter, no dirt.
“If you’re ready, just get in.”
For some reason, starting from earlier, Shiyuan had kept a firm grip on his hand, his eyes blazing with intensity.
Lin Nan felt a jolt of inspiration, a warm feeling reminiscent of the days when he dated Wang Xue washing over him.
What was happening to him?
Lin Nan shook his head, trying to push those strange thoughts aside, and with the sounds of gunfire and explosions drawing near, he quickly dove into the game pod.
Through the hazy glass, he saw Shiyuan grabbing the Fatty’s flamethrower, howling as he engaged in battle with the relentless enemies.
Meanwhile, the Fatty sat at a computer, fingers flying like a hacker on a caffeine high.
Suddenly, Lin Nan felt a tremor and then plunged into an endless, boundless darkness.
What about Shiyuan? What was going to happen to him?
That was the last thought swirling in his mind.
He had no idea how much time had passed—perhaps just a minute or maybe a whole century.
The moment Lin Nan opened her eyes, familiar sensations coursed through her, and she realized she had returned.
Fifteen years as a male in another world felt like a strangely vivid dream, and even now, she couldn’t help but ponder whether everything was real or just a figment of imagination.
Sure enough, she was adapting better to her current female form.
The thought of having returned to a male persona, of marrying and having children with women, felt a bit off—it was never her intention.
Absolutely, she was the Cold Moon Witch, and that had never changed.
Shiyuan, the Fatty?
And the little wooden carving she had gotten from Firefly.
If it weren’t for them, she might have forever been lost in a blissful dream of a successful career and a happy family.
The enemy’s plan was probably to keep her in a happy life within a dream to slowly erode her powers.
“Isn’t that right, Wang Xue?”
Lin Nan naturally tucked her messy bangs behind her ear, lifting her head to gaze at the nearly ten-meter-tall stone statue of the witch in Sighs Temple.
“You figured it out.”
The statue seemed to come alive, smiling slightly. “I’m not Wang Xue; I’m the true Cold Moon Witch. You, the soul from another world, have occupied my rightful body, and I just want to take back what belongs to me.”
Lin Nan suddenly burst into laughter.
Her bright, crisp laughter echoed through the empty Sighs Temple, while the statue’s smile faded, turning cold as stone.
“A counterfeit thinks it can replace the real thing—how laughable! Don’t think that after a thousand years of worship, you can just turn the tables overnight?” Lin Nan sneered.
If she wasn’t mistaken, that lotus flower keeping her trapped was, in fact, the true essence of this faux Sighs Temple.
It was colluding with the Man in Black Robe, not merely aiming to strip her of her powers, but to take her place entirely.
Finally, the statue couldn’t hold back any longer. “d*mn it! You’re the counterfeit! I’ve waited so many years for an opportunity like this, yet who knew the real Cold Moon Witch was already gone? You’re just an imposter—a disgusting man.”
“Ha, it really must feel wrong for you to have been with a disgusting man for so long. Your disguise as a virtuous wife and mother is indeed charming. Too bad, though, your powers aren’t strong enough, which allowed me to spot your loopholes.
I guess your method of absorbing energy requires me to d*e before it all takes effect.
What a harsh ability you have.”
The statue suddenly swung its sleeve and shouted fiercely,
“I won’t k*ll you in your dreams. Don’t think I’m afraid of you!”
With a piercing scream, the statue sent countless ice and snow plummeting from the sky.
