Yu Hao asked how his work was going, but Fu Liqun only answered simply, “It’s still okay, I’m going for a meeting now.”
Yu Hao uttered an “un” and hung up. After returning home that night, Zhou Sheng didn’t say anything after hearing about it. He felt a little rueful.
“This is the first time Gege’s borrowing money from us.” Zhou Sheng said, “That’s not easy.”
Yu Hao suddenly realised that that was true. Fu Liqun had never borrowed money from anyone when he was in college.
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Several days later, Lin Ze said to Yu Hao, “Why don’t I just transfer you to a full-time post in advance?”
Yu Hao had noticed that Lin Ze had something on his mind these days, and it turns out it was because he was concerned about this. He quickly said, “Don’t! Let’s do it how we agreed to ba.”
Yu Hao was only a little worried about choosing his topic; what if he just goes to Khunjerab pass to do an investigation? But what about his manuscripts? He could only get Jin Weicheng to take pictures of his notes and send it to him, then write it on the train before sending it back through email…That day, while he was quarrelling with the head office about the manuscripts, he suddenly received Fu Liqun’s call.
“Yu Hao.” Fu Liqun said, “Um…Are you at home?”
Yu Hao, “I’m at the company, why?”
Fu Liqun said, “When you get back at night, help me sell that pair of blue sports shoes ba?”
Yu Hao, “???”
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Yu Hao walked out of the editorial office and stood in the corridor. A few reporters were smoking. Yu Hao nodded, “Which pair?”
Fu Liqun said, “The AJ pair, blue with a white sole. Help me post it as a salted fish, tag it as ‘secondhand,’ mark it saying that it’s 80% new, and sell it for 1,200. If there’s any bargaining, don’t let it go over ten yuan, don’t yield too much. Once it’s sold transfer it to my bank card ba.”
Yu Hao, “Oh…”
That pair of sports shoes was the birthday gift Yu Hao had given Fu Liqun several years ago. Fu Liqun asked Yu Hao to help him sell it as a secondhand……Yu Hao suddenly felt like something was a bit wrong. After he hung up, he immediately called Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng picked up and said, “Wait for me at the office.”
“Those were the ones I gave him.” Yu Hao said, “He only has that one pair that’s blue with a white sole!”
Lin Ze and Situ Ye were baffled, listening to Yu Hao’s phone call. Yu Hao said, “Did he get into some sort of trouble?”
Zhou Sheng said, “It’s a job introduced by Yangming, it shouldn’t be that bad……wait, 1,200, and ten yuan, isn’t that 1190? Crap, where is he? Don’t tell me he bumped into a pyramid scheme ba?”
“Please don’t let it be a pyramid scheme.” Yu Hao frowned.
Lin Ze understood as soon as he heard, “Where did your friend go? I’ll ask around for you.”
Not a moment later, Lin Ze had already gotten news from his information network, “Yu Hao, it’s a pyramid scheme. I’m very sure.”
Yu Hao went over to look. Lin Ze had asked in a reporter group, and quite a number of people had answered him in the affirmative. In recent years, pyramid schemes have been rampant in cities in the south. The local public security and pyramid scheme companies were colluding, and they advised Lin Ze not to go over.
Lin Ze said, “Don’t worry, think about it first. Where exactly in the south is he, do you have any information?”
“No.” Yu Hao smoothed his hair and began recalling what Fu Liqun said to him. He doesn’t even know when Fu Liqun had gone there.
“I don’t know.” Yu Hao said, “He didn’t tell me anything.”
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“Jbcajma atf oglfcv ktb ijra rjk tlw.” Olc If rjlv.
Te Ljb qbcvfgfv obg j wbwfca, atfc mjiifv Jfc Vtjc. Ktfgf kjr j alwf hbcf vloofgfcmf bo rlz tbegr, rb la kjrc’a alwf ab ub ab yfv bnfg atfgf sfa.
Qtfc Jfc Vtjc tfjgv, rtf lwwfvljafis jrxfv, “Qtja’r ublcu bc? Te Ljb, wjxf la mifjg.”
Yu Hao thought that this definitely couldn’t be hidden from her in the end, “I……un, it’s nothing, he seems to be in a bad mood recently. Did he say anything to you when the two of you met on New Year’s?”
Cen Shan answered, “I got off the plane while he got on one. We met at the airport.”
Yu Hao, “He left on the 1st of January?”
Cen Shan said calmly, “Yes. He had already bought his ticket that night and was waiting at the airport. We only met for 15 minutes. He told me that he wanted to go to the coast to find Yangming and said that he had told them that he would report there on the 2nd. He didn’t want to change his flight and give a bad impression to the leaders. I sent him to the security checkpoint, then stayed overnight at the airport hotel.”
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Yu Hao, “……”
Cen Shan said, “What’s wrong? I also want to ask, did he change his phone number?”
Yu Hao answered, “Un……seems like it. I want to look for him and give him a surprise, then have fun with him for a few days.”
Cen Shan said, “Yu Hao.”
Both sides fell silent for a moment. Zhou Sheng arrived at the office. When he saw that Yu Hao was talking to Cen Shan, his expression changed in an instant.
“Tell me the truth, what exactly did he……”
“I’ve something to do on my side, I’ll talk to you again at night.” Yu Hao quickly said and hung up first.
“You called up sis-in-law?” Zhou Sheng said.
Yu Hao said, “I just wanted to ask if Gege mentioned…”
Zhou Sheng said, “Why did you go to her? Who else did you inform?”
Yu Hao said, “Gege’s asking for my help! Zhou Sheng! It’s not the time to worry about his face right now!”
Zhou Sheng said, “Do you know why he went to the south? That’s the reason, don’t you get it? Now that you’ve let sis-in-law know, what do you want him to do in the future?”
Yu Hao, “His life is already in danger now! When comparing one’s so-called dignity versus safety, which is more important?”
“For him, dignity is more important.” Zhou Sheng said, “Yu Hao, you don’t understand.”
“Then forgive me for not agreeing with you this time, Zhou Sheng.” Yu Hao said, “You have to tell Xue Long and let Xue Long inform his parents. This isn’t a responsibility we can afford to bear!”
“I can bear this responsibility!” Zhou Sheng said, “Don’t call anyone else!”
Yu Hao looked at Zhou Sheng. The two of them drew their swords and nocked their bows. Situ Ye helped smooth things over, “Don’t fight now, finding him should be of the utmost priority.”
Yu Hao let out a prolonged breath and frowned silently.
Yu Hao had thought that they would give each other a little support and strength, but he didn’t expect that that night, Cen Shan only met Fu Liqun for 15 minutes at the airport. Yu Hao couldn’t guess what they talked about in those 15 minutes; the only thing he could guess was that the meeting that time probably wasn’t too happy, and may have been even more painful instead.
Yu Hao kept scouring his mind for the words that Fu Liqun had said to him before.
“Li Yangming’s mother is playing mahjong.” Zhou Sheng said, “And asked me to mind my own business. I don’t think his family’s going to care.”
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Yu Hao roughly understood Li Yangming’s family situation from Fu Liqun. After he came out of the closet, his parents hardly seemed to care about him, gave birth to another kid, and treated everything as if they didn’t have a gay son like him. After he finishes college, they’d pull some strings for him and get him to move someplace else so that he could quickly become independent, and they could wash their hands of him. They didn’t expect him to give much money to the family either. Zhou Sheng used the excuse of Li Yangming owing him money to make some inquiries for half a day. The other party’s parents knew nothing, didn’t have the time to pay attention to him, and told him to ask someone else. Li Yangming hadn’t returned home in nearly half a year, and they didn’t know anything either.
Zhou Sheng threw his phone onto the table. The four people in the office didn’t speak.
Sunlight streamed in through the window. Zhou Sheng flipped his wrist slightly, the Golden Crow Wheel on his wrist reflecting the sunlight and landing between Yu Hao’s eyebrows.
“From now on, listen to me.” Zhou Sheng’s tone carried an air of unquestionable authority.
“Okay, okay!” Yu Hao said, “I’ll listen to you!”
Yu Hao was a little angry now. Lin Ze tossed him a glance, signalling for him to keep his calm.
“I have to think of a way to find him.” Yu Hao said, “Ah Ze, I need your help.”
Lin Ze said, “Go ba, keep in contact through your phone.”
Yu Hao immediately packed up and went home. Zhou Sheng called his company to ask for leave and explained his situation. The other side was rather easygoing and asked him not to worry, and if he needed it, the company could also offer their help and charge according to the time spent.
At home, Zhou Sheng ordered take out and looked down at his phone.
“You don’t understand, Yu Hao.” Zhou Sheng said, “For Gege, going over there this time means that he’s already gambling with the last bit of dignity, and he has none left. If you notify the college, his family, and tell sis-in-law, you’ll only turn him into a laughingstock! It’s not difficult to bring him back from the South, what’s difficult is what comes after that, what would you want him to do?!”
Yu Hao said, “I understand, I understand it clearer than you do. But what obstacles can’t be overcome?”
Zhou Sheng was a little tired and seemed a little too impatient to explain it to Yu Hao any further. However, Yu Hao said, “He can withstand it! He’s tougher than you think! I believe he can get back up! I’ve experienced his kind of despair before…”
Zhou Sheng said, “He’s not you! If someone can really get up after facing any kind of obstacle, would you still have that day?”
Yu Hao couldn’t say anything to that. He knew that he couldn’t win against Zhou Sheng in an argument, and rather than using the term ‘win,’ it was more appropriate to say that Zhou Sheng was able to see through things more clearly than he could.
At this time, news from Lin Ze arrived.
Yu Hao scrolled through the introduction of the destination that Lin Ze had sent him, which was information sent over by other reporters. Pyramid schemes had been prevalent in the southern region for nearly 15 years. The local government and pyramid marketing organizations were in collusion with each other, from social matters to political ones. The situation was rather complicated.
And what was even more troublesome was that most of these pyramid marketing organizations were legal. The locals relied on such companies to boost GDP and provide them with protective umbrellas.
Lin Ze sent him a screenshot of a group chat, showing the animated discussion of a group of reporters.
【Are you going to mess up their nest?】
【Male god, don’t sink into that much despair please.】
【They can sue you to death with their lawsuits alone. Those organizations are all legal hooligans, you must be careful.】
Yu Hao looked at the screenshot. Lin Ze sent him a few pieces regarding the huge “direct sales companies,” and they were all suppressed after the reporters wrote them.
【Don’t think of them as illegal organizations.】Lin Ze sent Yu Hao a text,【These companies are all completely legal, or at the very least, they’re legal on the surface. If you say they’re restricting the personal freedom of their employees, they’ll tell you that it’s an enclosed, military-style management during training. Employees have all signed the contract. If you say that they beat people up, they’ll say that it’s a personal dispute and has nothing to do with the company. Also, most companies don’t beat people inside now, they’ll just lock you up and brainwash you.】
【You can question their business model, but they have products.】Lin Ze said,【They all use the guise of selling medicine and health care products, and then get their employees to take items mixed with dextrin to develop downlines. This is different from the battery plant. Before setting out, you must think it through.】
Yu Hao looked at Zhou Sheng again. Zhou Sheng responded with a simple “un,” both of them were thinking.
Huang Ting also started sending messages in the group. He had been so busy the whole day that he hadn’t even eaten yet. He asked them:【Has Liqun been brainwashed yet?】
Yu Hao:【I don’t think so.】
Huang Ting:【Do you only want to save him, or all the people who are also being locked up?】
Yu Hao hadn’t figured it all out yet. Zhou Sheng bit a cigarette and answered for him:【Bring Gege back first, then we’ll save however many we can. Aside from the guy who brought my brother into that pyramid nest.】
Chen Yekai:【Have you informed the college?】
Zhou Sheng:【No. I have the final say in this matter.】
Huang Ting:【You can’t afford to bear this responsibility. Fu Liqun is still a student right now; you must inform the college and his family as soon as possible.】
Chen Yekai:【The college can’t do anything, I support Zhou Sheng. But, are you sure he’ll come back with us?】
This ‘us’ had leaked out quite a bit of information at once.
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Yu Hao answered:【I’m sure.】
Zhou Sheng:【Not sure.】
These two texts were sent out at the same time. Zhou Sheng looked up and glanced at Yu Hao, then withdrew his text.
Chen Yekai:【Okay, the two of you make the call ba. Call me at any time.】
Huang Ting:【I strongly recommend that you communicate with Fu Liqun’s parents. You two have to think of every possible means to find clues right now. When he calls you next time to ask for money again, see if you can find out where he is. I’ll do my best to provide assistance for you both.】
Ou Qihang:【I got some information, look at this document.】
In the group, Ou Qihang sent a word document that marked the approximate areas where the pyramid scheme companies were located. It included each company’s general name and listed its scope of business. At first, Yu Hao thought that these companies were places that would lock people up, beat them, and force their employees to give them money. However, from the looks of this, each and every one of them had proper scopes of business.
【Twelve companies in total.】The contents sorted out by Ou Qihang were even more detailed than what he got from Lin Ze. Lin Ze’s piece was better at summarising the situation, while Ou Qihang’s clues were important intelligence provided by what the local people knew.
Ou Qihang sent a picture of his own ID:【I finished all my final exams today. I’m on standby at school. If you’re buying tickets to go over, remember to call me too.】
Chen Yekai:【There’s no need now, go home and accompany your mother first.】
Ou Qihang stopped talking. Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng printed out the information and read it page by page, each of them immersed in their own thoughts as they frowned.
This matter was extremely complicated, and it began to seem more and more chaotic. However, Zhou Sheng still had ample patience. He finished reading all of the information and verified it with Yu Hao, “What about this, let’s enter his dream to look for him first and see Gege’s situation. That’s the first step.”
“Un.” Yu Hao had no objection to restarting the Golden Crow Wheel. They had to use it for this matter no matter what.
Zhou Sheng drew out a mindmap of action steps, “After we find him, there are two possible situations.”
“One, he has been brainwashed. Waking him up in the dream first, that’ll be very troublesome.”
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Yu Hao said, “If he has been brainwashed, he wouldn’t have asked me to sell the shoes and would have just asked to borrow money from me, right? Since he could transmit the warning signal ‘119,’ it proves that he hasn’t given up.”
Zhou Sheng said, “But don’t forget one thing — people’s perseverance can be used up.”
“Two, that kid’s still normal. After we ask him where he is, get there immediately to find him.” Zhou Sheng said, “Use your identity as an intern reporter to pay them a visit for an interview.”
Yu Hao, “I’ll be locked up.”
Zhou Sheng said, “Developing the local economic infrastructure, providing self-employment to lift oneself out of poverty –will that be okay to write about?”
After thinking about it, Yu Hao said, “Okay.”
Zhou Sheng said, “Then find an opportunity to take him away, collect information, then come back and publish a piece to expose them. Expose them as much as possible; that’s roughly it, we’ll think about the specifics as we go along.”
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Yu Hao nodded. At 11:30, they lay in their bed. Zhou Sheng raised his hand and looked at Yu Hao. Yu Hao was still a little upset. Zhou Sheng didn’t press his hand down, and instead said, “Wife, do you still remember Gege’s evaluation of you?”
“He said so much.” Yu Hao said, “How could I remember?”
Zhou Sheng thought for a bit and wasn’t in a hurry to enter the dream. Instead, he closed his eyes with his brows set in a deep furrow, “He said that you’re a strong guy. I think you’re very clear on what you want, and you won’t be easily held back by self-esteem.”
“In the past, there was a period of time when I was held back by self-esteem; it was before I knew you.” Yu Hao answered wearily. It has been a long time since he got angry with Zhou Sheng, but after careful consideration, it wasn’t a matter of principle or anything. The most important thing at hand was to save Fu Liqun.
Zhou Sheng held Yu Hao’s hand and whispered, “Good night.”
The Golden Crow Wheel released a faint light and brought them into the dream.
“There’s a signal!”
In the north of Yanqing, deep in an abandoned factory, the detection lights in an abandoned factory lit up. There was a radar scan, and data optical cables began transmitting signals.
“Call the boss!”
In the center of the underground factory building, on a screen that was over a thousand inches wide, signals began to be analyzed one after another. A program jumped to life, resulting in extremely indistinct, abstract lines and sound wave frequencies.
A middle-aged man wearing a black suit came in with an assistant. All the researchers got up and stared at the data scrolling on the big screen.
The middle-aged man asked, “Can you analyze the conversation in their dream?”
C gfrfjgmtfg jcrkfgfv, “Rba obg atf alwf yflcu, atf rlucji lr abb kfjx.”
Ktf wlvvif-jufv wjc ogbkcfv.
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“Zbnf atf gfmflnfg j ilaaif mibrfg.” Ktf wlvvif-jufv wjc rjlv ab tlr jrrlrajca.
Ktf jrrlrajca rjlv, “Itbe Vtfcu lr fzagfwfis rwjga; lo kf ufa abb mibrf ab tlw, la’ii fjrlis jgberf tlr nlulijcmf.”
The middle-aged man said, “Try band interference.”
Another researcher said, “We’re adjusting it now.”
The middle-aged man walked to one side, took off a helmet from a chair, and put it on.
The researcher said, “Director Zong! The frequency band is extremely difficult to analyze, right now we don’t have any way to……that chair is……Director Zong!”
The man called ‘Director Zong’ put on the helmet, closed his eyes, and asked, “What’s the simplest and most direct way?”
“If we bring either Zhou Sheng or Yu Hao to the laboratory.” The research supervisor came over to adjust the circuit and explained, “And let them start the brainwave integrator here. In that way, we can intercept the data directly and analyze it.”
Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng closed their eyes. A burst of light erupted, and with a “whoosh,” Yu Hao woke up on the Great Wall.
His world had changed once again. Long-range crossbows of all sizes were erected on the Great Wall, while cheval de frise and other fortification weapons were placed under the Great Wall. Yu Hao though, had no time to take a closer look and immediately spread his wings out to fly toward the Golden Crow Wheel.
In the colosseum dream world, cracks in the cloud layers were growing wider and wider, and the sun shone down on the arena below the clouds. On the sky altar, Zhou Sheng wore a black suit and sunglasses and looked like a bodyguard. He looked up, and there was a golden circlet on his head. His legs were slightly parted as he looked up at the Golden Crow Wheel in front of him.
“Why did your image change again?” Yu Hao said.
“There’s a change in the understanding of my ‘self’ ma.” Zhou Sheng said, “Is it very strange?”
Yu Hao landed. Zhou Sheng raised his hand and established a connection with the Golden Crow Wheel. The Golden Crow Wheel started shining and revealed many strange images. Yu Hao said, “A lot of people have dreamed about you, looks like you’re the lover of everyone’s dreams.”
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Many dreams came from strangers; sometimes in the subway, sometimes in the mall. Zhou Sheng was both tall and handsome, and after working for just half a year, he had matured quite a bit. When he went out for investigations with his colleagues, he was often the most conspicuous one.
Logically speaking, it wasn’t a good thing for private detectives to be too eye-catching. Zhou Sheng though, could effectively play the role of attracting people’s attention, and let his colleagues take pictures and follow their targets while he was in charge of diverting the attraction of the target.
“Didn’t dream of me.” Zhou Sheng said, “Your turn.”
Yu Hao raised his hand. The Golden Crow Wheel began to fluctuate, revealing several scenes. Some were of the head editorial office, while some belonged to people who Yu Hao didn’t even know. Zhou Sheng watched patiently.
“This one.” Yu Hao said.
There was an endless desert in the dream. The sky was overcast, and sandstorms had gathered into a massive cloud that covered all the other scenes in it. Only a few mountains in the Gobi desert stood outside the wall of air, while sand and stone were swirling everywhere.
“Why? Think about it clearly, don’t enter the wrong one.” Zhou Sheng said.
Yu Hao said, “Gege said last time that he felt like he was walking in a desert. He kept looking for an oasis, but all he saw were mirages. But this is too exaggerated ba!”
Both of them observed it for a moment. Zhou Sheng said, “Pay attention to it, this world is quite dangerous.”
Yu Hao noticed that in the center of the sandstorm, there was a structure that one wouldn’t notice unless they paid close attention to it. It was like a spire, but also like the top of some kind of sculpture building.
Zhou Sheng pondered for a moment, “Let’s discuss with Kaikai first. We need to ask him for help in this dream; otherwise if we separate once we enter it, we wouldn’t even be able to find anyone.”
Yu Hao changed the dreamscape, revealing Chichén Itzá. Zhou Sheng took Yu Hao across the Golden Crow Wheel and flew into the Chichén Itzá world. Chen Yekai was waiting at the top of the pyramid.
Zhou Sheng described Fu Liqun’s dreamscape to Chen Yekai. Chen Yekai frowned as he listened to the whole description.
“A sinking desert,” Chen Yekai answered, “symbolises his sinking will. It’s quite dangerous, and there’s a sandstorm that blots out the sky……un, the sun can’t be seen. Or rather, the sun is there, but it’s being covered by the sandstorm.”
Chen Yekai frowned as he thought, then said, “I don’t have much resonance with him, but all I know is that Fu Liqun is a very kind kid. On the surface, he appears to not take many things to heart, but he’s actually someone who dwells a lot on problems with no solutions.”
If this were in the past, Yu Hao would have likely entered the desert dreamscape with Zhou Sheng straight away to fight the boss. However, Chen Yekai’s analysis was really necessary. He still remembered the three-man basketball match more than a year ago. Fu Liqun agreed with Zhou Sheng’s view on the surface, that leaving precious memories was the most important thing, but in the depths of his heart, he had hoped to win the championship.
“We need to help him regain his self-confidence.” Chen Yekai said in the end.
“Wu.” Zhou Sheng said, “Otherwise it will be of no use to just bring him back.”
Yu Hao sat down at the dining table on one side. Chen Yekai seemed to have sensed that the atmosphere between the two of them was a bit off. He looked at Yu Hao and didn’t say anything.
Yu Hao tried to create a coffee pot in Chen Yekai’s dream, as well as a full set of utensils to make pour over coffee. Zhou Sheng frowned and pondered for a moment. Yu Hao brewed three cups of coffee. He took one cup himself and looked down from the top of the pyramid.
“Get ready to save him ba, how do you plan on taking me into his dream?” Chen Yekai said.
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Zhou Sheng said, “There are a lot of problems that I don’t think we’ve figured out completely. It’s too complicated.”
Chen Yekay looked up at the blazing sun in the sky, “Unless the Golden Crow Wheel takes the initiative to communicate with you, we won’t be able to truly understand its purpose. Speculation will just remain as speculations most of the time.”
Zhou Sheng said, “But we’d still have to find a time to analyze it properly.”
“That day’s not too far away.” Chen Yekai looked into Zhou Sheng’s eyes and said slowly.
Yu Hao said, “But how do we take Chen Laoshi into Gege’s dream?”
“Connection.” Zhou Sheng said, “Connection between the consciousness, just like in Ou Qihang’s dream. As long as a connection is established, he can go in.”
“I don’t have too deep of a connection with Fu Liqun.” Chen Yekai frowned.
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Zhou Sheng motioned for Chen Yekai to look at Yu Hao. Yu Hao didn’t understand. He walked over, and Zhou Sheng pointed at the weapon on Chen Yekai’s waist. Yu Hao instantly remembered ——
—— the weapon that Chen Yekai once held, that was briefly confiscated by Yu Hao, but had returned to him in the end — the scalpel!
Chen Yekai immediately patted the holster he wore at his waist. The scalpel flew out and turned into a warm light that flew to Yu Hao’s hand. Zhou Sheng whistled, leapt onto the Golden Crow Wheel, and took Yu Hao with him as he flew towards the sun in Chen Yekai’s world.
The flickering light in Yu Hao’s hand turned into a heavenly path that plunged into the sun, like a path of light connecting the two worlds. Chen Yekai whistled, and the Feathered Serpent god flew over and carried him into the sun. Light burst out in all directions, and they appeared in Yu Hao’s dreamscape.
Zhou Sheng stepped on the jindouyun. He felt that Yu Hao’s hands wrapping around him from the back weren’t holding him as tightly as usual. He patted him casually and pulled him up to cling to his back.
“Still angry?” Zhou Sheng turned his head sideways and asked.
Yu Hao answered, “Not anymore.”
This was an agreement they’d established long ago — no matter how upset they were at home, they’d try their best not to quarrel in front of outsiders. Zhou Sheng said, “Okay, let’s go save him.”
Chen Yekai leapt through the Golden Crow Wheel and appeared in Yu Hao’s world, but the Feathered Serpent was left behind in Chichén Itzá. He nearly overbalanced and fell in a flustered state. Zhou Sheng shook his jingubang, “You haven’t permitted his mount to come in……” As he spoke, he lifted up Chen Yekai by his waist with the jingubang and continued, “Open sesame!” Then his whole body burned up with a golden fire that enveloped him and Yu Hao.
Chen Yekai shouted, “Hold on a minute……”
“The objective is to find Gege! Ask around to figure out where he is!” Zhou Sheng said, “Set off! Once we enter, find Kaikai and gather!”
After he spoke, a desert scene appeared in the Golden Crow Wheel. Chen Yekai was the first to be thrown in, followed by Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao who were stepping on the jindouyun.
At the moment Yu Hao crossed through the Golden Crow Wheel, he suddenly understood Zhou Sheng’s words:
In a sense, was the scalpel that he had confiscated also a totem that Chen Yekai — who had put up a fierce resistance that night — had regarded as the only thing he could rely on in the past?!
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A flash of light burst out in front of them. Zhou Sheng shouted and abruptly fell into the sand!
“Zhou Sheng!” Yu Hao shouted.
They were separated again. Yu Hao had just yelled when the omnipresent sand began surging towards him madly, choking him so much that he was coughing incessantly. He looked down and realised that he was wearing a basketball tank and shorts, as well as a pair of sports shoes. He had returned to his appearance several years ago, when he joined the three-man basketball competition with Fu Liqun and Zhou Sheng.
“Zhou Sheng!” Yu Hao looked around him. The sky and earth were enveloped within sand and a violent gale. It was pitch-dark — he couldn’t see the sunlight or any scenery in the distance either. After entering the dreamscape, the first task was to meet up with Zhou Sheng and Chen Yekai as soon as possible.
A gunshot could be heard in the distance.
It was Chen Yekai! Yu Hao turned around to look. He immediately understood why Zhou Sheng was so insistent on Chen Yekai’s participation in this. Their weapons couldn’t send out any signals for the other party to come forward and rendezvous, but Chen Yekai’s gunshot was the best signal in this sandstorm.
Yu Hao raised his arm, put it in front of him, and struggled to cross through the sandstorm as he headed towards the gunshot.
Yu Hao asked how his work was going, but Fu Liqun only answered simply, “It’s still okay, I’m going for a meeting now.”
Yu Hao uttered an “un” and hung up. After returning home that night, Zhou Sheng didn’t say anything after hearing about it. He felt a little rueful.
“This is the first time Gege’s borrowing money from us.” Zhou Sheng said, “That’s not easy.”
Yu Hao suddenly realised that that was true. Fu Liqun had never borrowed money from anyone when he was in college.
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Several days later, Lin Ze said to Yu Hao, “Why don’t I just transfer you to a full-time post in advance?”
Yu Hao had noticed that Lin Ze had something on his mind these days, and it turns out it was because he was concerned about this. He quickly said, “Don’t! Let’s do it how we agreed to ba.”
Yu Hao was only a little worried about choosing his topic; what if he just goes to Khunjerab pass to do an investigation? But what about his manuscripts? He could only get Jin Weicheng to take pictures of his notes and send it to him, then write it on the train before sending it back through email…That day, while he was quarrelling with the head office about the manuscripts, he suddenly received Fu Liqun’s call.
“Yu Hao.” Fu Liqun said, “Um…Are you at home?”
Yu Hao, “I’m at the company, why?”
Fu Liqun said, “When you get back at night, help me sell that pair of blue sports shoes ba?”
Yu Hao, “???”
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Yu Hao walked out of the editorial office and stood in the corridor. A few reporters were smoking. Yu Hao nodded, “Which pair?”
Fu Liqun said, “The AJ pair, blue with a white sole. Help me post it as a salted fish, tag it as ‘secondhand,’ mark it saying that it’s 80% new, and sell it for 1,200. If there’s any bargaining, don’t let it go over ten yuan, don’t yield too much. Once it’s sold transfer it to my bank card ba.”
Yu Hao, “Oh…”
That pair of sports shoes was the birthday gift Yu Hao had given Fu Liqun several years ago. Fu Liqun asked Yu Hao to help him sell it as a secondhand……Yu Hao suddenly felt like something was a bit wrong. After he hung up, he immediately called Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng picked up and said, “Wait for me at the office.”
“Those were the ones I gave him.” Yu Hao said, “He only has that one pair that’s blue with a white sole!”
Lin Ze and Situ Ye were baffled, listening to Yu Hao’s phone call. Yu Hao said, “Did he get into some sort of trouble?”
Zhou Sheng said, “It’s a job introduced by Yangming, it shouldn’t be that bad……wait, 1,200, and ten yuan, isn’t that 1190? Crap, where is he? Don’t tell me he bumped into a pyramid scheme ba?”
“Please don’t let it be a pyramid scheme.” Yu Hao frowned.
Lin Ze understood as soon as he heard, “Where did your friend go? I’ll ask around for you.”
Not a moment later, Lin Ze had already gotten news from his information network, “Yu Hao, it’s a pyramid scheme. I’m very sure.”
Yu Hao went over to look. Lin Ze had asked in a reporter group, and quite a number of people had answered him in the affirmative. In recent years, pyramid schemes have been rampant in cities in the south. The local public security and pyramid scheme companies were colluding, and they advised Lin Ze not to go over.
Lin Ze said, “Don’t worry, think about it first. Where exactly in the south is he, do you have any information?”
“No.” Yu Hao smoothed his hair and began recalling what Fu Liqun said to him. He doesn’t even know when Fu Liqun had gone there.
“I don’t know.” Yu Hao said, “He didn’t tell me anything.”
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“Jbcajma atf oglfcv ktb ijra rjk tlw.” Olc If rjlv.
Te Ljb qbcvfgfv obg j wbwfca, atfc mjiifv Jfc Vtjc. Ktfgf kjr j alwf hbcf vloofgfcmf bo rlz tbegr, rb la kjrc’a alwf ab ub ab yfv bnfg atfgf sfa.
Qtfc Jfc Vtjc tfjgv, rtf lwwfvljafis jrxfv, “Qtja’r ublcu bc? Te Ljb, wjxf la mifjg.”
Yu Hao thought that this definitely couldn’t be hidden from her in the end, “I……un, it’s nothing, he seems to be in a bad mood recently. Did he say anything to you when the two of you met on New Year’s?”
Cen Shan answered, “I got off the plane while he got on one. We met at the airport.”
Yu Hao, “He left on the 1st of January?”
Cen Shan said calmly, “Yes. He had already bought his ticket that night and was waiting at the airport. We only met for 15 minutes. He told me that he wanted to go to the coast to find Yangming and said that he had told them that he would report there on the 2nd. He didn’t want to change his flight and give a bad impression to the leaders. I sent him to the security checkpoint, then stayed overnight at the airport hotel.”
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Yu Hao, “……”
Cen Shan said, “What’s wrong? I also want to ask, did he change his phone number?”
Yu Hao answered, “Un……seems like it. I want to look for him and give him a surprise, then have fun with him for a few days.”
Cen Shan said, “Yu Hao.”
Both sides fell silent for a moment. Zhou Sheng arrived at the office. When he saw that Yu Hao was talking to Cen Shan, his expression changed in an instant.
“Tell me the truth, what exactly did he……”
“I’ve something to do on my side, I’ll talk to you again at night.” Yu Hao quickly said and hung up first.
“You called up sis-in-law?” Zhou Sheng said.
Yu Hao said, “I just wanted to ask if Gege mentioned…”
Zhou Sheng said, “Why did you go to her? Who else did you inform?”
Yu Hao said, “Gege’s asking for my help! Zhou Sheng! It’s not the time to worry about his face right now!”
Zhou Sheng said, “Do you know why he went to the south? That’s the reason, don’t you get it? Now that you’ve let sis-in-law know, what do you want him to do in the future?”
Yu Hao, “His life is already in danger now! When comparing one’s so-called dignity versus safety, which is more important?”
“For him, dignity is more important.” Zhou Sheng said, “Yu Hao, you don’t understand.”
“Then forgive me for not agreeing with you this time, Zhou Sheng.” Yu Hao said, “You have to tell Xue Long and let Xue Long inform his parents. This isn’t a responsibility we can afford to bear!”
“I can bear this responsibility!” Zhou Sheng said, “Don’t call anyone else!”
Yu Hao looked at Zhou Sheng. The two of them drew their swords and nocked their bows. Situ Ye helped smooth things over, “Don’t fight now, finding him should be of the utmost priority.”
Yu Hao let out a prolonged breath and frowned silently.
Yu Hao had thought that they would give each other a little support and strength, but he didn’t expect that that night, Cen Shan only met Fu Liqun for 15 minutes at the airport. Yu Hao couldn’t guess what they talked about in those 15 minutes; the only thing he could guess was that the meeting that time probably wasn’t too happy, and may have been even more painful instead.
Yu Hao kept scouring his mind for the words that Fu Liqun had said to him before.
“Li Yangming’s mother is playing mahjong.” Zhou Sheng said, “And asked me to mind my own business. I don’t think his family’s going to care.”
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Yu Hao roughly understood Li Yangming’s family situation from Fu Liqun. After he came out of the closet, his parents hardly seemed to care about him, gave birth to another kid, and treated everything as if they didn’t have a gay son like him. After he finishes college, they’d pull some strings for him and get him to move someplace else so that he could quickly become independent, and they could wash their hands of him. They didn’t expect him to give much money to the family either. Zhou Sheng used the excuse of Li Yangming owing him money to make some inquiries for half a day. The other party’s parents knew nothing, didn’t have the time to pay attention to him, and told him to ask someone else. Li Yangming hadn’t returned home in nearly half a year, and they didn’t know anything either.
Zhou Sheng threw his phone onto the table. The four people in the office didn’t speak.
Sunlight streamed in through the window. Zhou Sheng flipped his wrist slightly, the Golden Crow Wheel on his wrist reflecting the sunlight and landing between Yu Hao’s eyebrows.
“From now on, listen to me.” Zhou Sheng’s tone carried an air of unquestionable authority.
“Okay, okay!” Yu Hao said, “I’ll listen to you!”
Yu Hao was a little angry now. Lin Ze tossed him a glance, signalling for him to keep his calm.
“I have to think of a way to find him.” Yu Hao said, “Ah Ze, I need your help.”
Lin Ze said, “Go ba, keep in contact through your phone.”
Yu Hao immediately packed up and went home. Zhou Sheng called his company to ask for leave and explained his situation. The other side was rather easygoing and asked him not to worry, and if he needed it, the company could also offer their help and charge according to the time spent.
At home, Zhou Sheng ordered take out and looked down at his phone.
“You don’t understand, Yu Hao.” Zhou Sheng said, “For Gege, going over there this time means that he’s already gambling with the last bit of dignity, and he has none left. If you notify the college, his family, and tell sis-in-law, you’ll only turn him into a laughingstock! It’s not difficult to bring him back from the South, what’s difficult is what comes after that, what would you want him to do?!”
Yu Hao said, “I understand, I understand it clearer than you do. But what obstacles can’t be overcome?”
Zhou Sheng was a little tired and seemed a little too impatient to explain it to Yu Hao any further. However, Yu Hao said, “He can withstand it! He’s tougher than you think! I believe he can get back up! I’ve experienced his kind of despair before…”
Zhou Sheng said, “He’s not you! If someone can really get up after facing any kind of obstacle, would you still have that day?”
Yu Hao couldn’t say anything to that. He knew that he couldn’t win against Zhou Sheng in an argument, and rather than using the term ‘win,’ it was more appropriate to say that Zhou Sheng was able to see through things more clearly than he could.
At this time, news from Lin Ze arrived.
Yu Hao scrolled through the introduction of the destination that Lin Ze had sent him, which was information sent over by other reporters. Pyramid schemes had been prevalent in the southern region for nearly 15 years. The local government and pyramid marketing organizations were in collusion with each other, from social matters to political ones. The situation was rather complicated.
And what was even more troublesome was that most of these pyramid marketing organizations were legal. The locals relied on such companies to boost GDP and provide them with protective umbrellas.
Lin Ze sent him a screenshot of a group chat, showing the animated discussion of a group of reporters.
【Are you going to mess up their nest?】
【Male god, don’t sink into that much despair please.】
【They can sue you to death with their lawsuits alone. Those organizations are all legal hooligans, you must be careful.】
Yu Hao looked at the screenshot. Lin Ze sent him a few pieces regarding the huge “direct sales companies,” and they were all suppressed after the reporters wrote them.
【Don’t think of them as illegal organizations.】Lin Ze sent Yu Hao a text,【These companies are all completely legal, or at the very least, they’re legal on the surface. If you say they’re restricting the personal freedom of their employees, they’ll tell you that it’s an enclosed, military-style management during training. Employees have all signed the contract. If you say that they beat people up, they’ll say that it’s a personal dispute and has nothing to do with the company. Also, most companies don’t beat people inside now, they’ll just lock you up and brainwash you.】
【You can question their business model, but they have products.】Lin Ze said,【They all use the guise of selling medicine and health care products, and then get their employees to take items mixed with dextrin to develop downlines. This is different from the battery plant. Before setting out, you must think it through.】
Yu Hao looked at Zhou Sheng again. Zhou Sheng responded with a simple “un,” both of them were thinking.
Huang Ting also started sending messages in the group. He had been so busy the whole day that he hadn’t even eaten yet. He asked them:【Has Liqun been brainwashed yet?】
Yu Hao:【I don’t think so.】
Huang Ting:【Do you only want to save him, or all the people who are also being locked up?】
Yu Hao hadn’t figured it all out yet. Zhou Sheng bit a cigarette and answered for him:【Bring Gege back first, then we’ll save however many we can. Aside from the guy who brought my brother into that pyramid nest.】
Chen Yekai:【Have you informed the college?】
Zhou Sheng:【No. I have the final say in this matter.】
Huang Ting:【You can’t afford to bear this responsibility. Fu Liqun is still a student right now; you must inform the college and his family as soon as possible.】
Chen Yekai:【The college can’t do anything, I support Zhou Sheng. But, are you sure he’ll come back with us?】
This ‘us’ had leaked out quite a bit of information at once.
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Yu Hao answered:【I’m sure.】
Zhou Sheng:【Not sure.】
These two texts were sent out at the same time. Zhou Sheng looked up and glanced at Yu Hao, then withdrew his text.
Chen Yekai:【Okay, the two of you make the call ba. Call me at any time.】
Huang Ting:【I strongly recommend that you communicate with Fu Liqun’s parents. You two have to think of every possible means to find clues right now. When he calls you next time to ask for money again, see if you can find out where he is. I’ll do my best to provide assistance for you both.】
Ou Qihang:【I got some information, look at this document.】
In the group, Ou Qihang sent a word document that marked the approximate areas where the pyramid scheme companies were located. It included each company’s general name and listed its scope of business. At first, Yu Hao thought that these companies were places that would lock people up, beat them, and force their employees to give them money. However, from the looks of this, each and every one of them had proper scopes of business.
【Twelve companies in total.】The contents sorted out by Ou Qihang were even more detailed than what he got from Lin Ze. Lin Ze’s piece was better at summarising the situation, while Ou Qihang’s clues were important intelligence provided by what the local people knew.
Ou Qihang sent a picture of his own ID:【I finished all my final exams today. I’m on standby at school. If you’re buying tickets to go over, remember to call me too.】
Chen Yekai:【There’s no need now, go home and accompany your mother first.】
Ou Qihang stopped talking. Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng printed out the information and read it page by page, each of them immersed in their own thoughts as they frowned.
This matter was extremely complicated, and it began to seem more and more chaotic. However, Zhou Sheng still had ample patience. He finished reading all of the information and verified it with Yu Hao, “What about this, let’s enter his dream to look for him first and see Gege’s situation. That’s the first step.”
“Un.” Yu Hao had no objection to restarting the Golden Crow Wheel. They had to use it for this matter no matter what.
Zhou Sheng drew out a mindmap of action steps, “After we find him, there are two possible situations.”
“One, he has been brainwashed. Waking him up in the dream first, that’ll be very troublesome.”
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Yu Hao said, “If he has been brainwashed, he wouldn’t have asked me to sell the shoes and would have just asked to borrow money from me, right? Since he could transmit the warning signal ‘119,’ it proves that he hasn’t given up.”
Zhou Sheng said, “But don’t forget one thing — people’s perseverance can be used up.”
“Two, that kid’s still normal. After we ask him where he is, get there immediately to find him.” Zhou Sheng said, “Use your identity as an intern reporter to pay them a visit for an interview.”
Yu Hao, “I’ll be locked up.”
Zhou Sheng said, “Developing the local economic infrastructure, providing self-employment to lift oneself out of poverty –will that be okay to write about?”
After thinking about it, Yu Hao said, “Okay.”
Zhou Sheng said, “Then find an opportunity to take him away, collect information, then come back and publish a piece to expose them. Expose them as much as possible; that’s roughly it, we’ll think about the specifics as we go along.”
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Yu Hao nodded. At 11:30, they lay in their bed. Zhou Sheng raised his hand and looked at Yu Hao. Yu Hao was still a little upset. Zhou Sheng didn’t press his hand down, and instead said, “Wife, do you still remember Gege’s evaluation of you?”
“He said so much.” Yu Hao said, “How could I remember?”
Zhou Sheng thought for a bit and wasn’t in a hurry to enter the dream. Instead, he closed his eyes with his brows set in a deep furrow, “He said that you’re a strong guy. I think you’re very clear on what you want, and you won’t be easily held back by self-esteem.”
“In the past, there was a period of time when I was held back by self-esteem; it was before I knew you.” Yu Hao answered wearily. It has been a long time since he got angry with Zhou Sheng, but after careful consideration, it wasn’t a matter of principle or anything. The most important thing at hand was to save Fu Liqun.
Zhou Sheng held Yu Hao’s hand and whispered, “Good night.”
The Golden Crow Wheel released a faint light and brought them into the dream.
“There’s a signal!”
In the north of Yanqing, deep in an abandoned factory, the detection lights in an abandoned factory lit up. There was a radar scan, and data optical cables began transmitting signals.
“Call the boss!”
In the center of the underground factory building, on a screen that was over a thousand inches wide, signals began to be analyzed one after another. A program jumped to life, resulting in extremely indistinct, abstract lines and sound wave frequencies.
A middle-aged man wearing a black suit came in with an assistant. All the researchers got up and stared at the data scrolling on the big screen.
The middle-aged man asked, “Can you analyze the conversation in their dream?”
C gfrfjgmtfg jcrkfgfv, “Rba obg atf alwf yflcu, atf rlucji lr abb kfjx.”
Ktf wlvvif-jufv wjc ogbkcfv.
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“Zbnf atf gfmflnfg j ilaaif mibrfg.” Ktf wlvvif-jufv wjc rjlv ab tlr jrrlrajca.
Ktf jrrlrajca rjlv, “Itbe Vtfcu lr fzagfwfis rwjga; lo kf ufa abb mibrf ab tlw, la’ii fjrlis jgberf tlr nlulijcmf.”
The middle-aged man said, “Try band interference.”
Another researcher said, “We’re adjusting it now.”
The middle-aged man walked to one side, took off a helmet from a chair, and put it on.
The researcher said, “Director Zong! The frequency band is extremely difficult to analyze, right now we don’t have any way to……that chair is……Director Zong!”
The man called ‘Director Zong’ put on the helmet, closed his eyes, and asked, “What’s the simplest and most direct way?”
“If we bring either Zhou Sheng or Yu Hao to the laboratory.” The research supervisor came over to adjust the circuit and explained, “And let them start the brainwave integrator here. In that way, we can intercept the data directly and analyze it.”
Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng closed their eyes. A burst of light erupted, and with a “whoosh,” Yu Hao woke up on the Great Wall.
His world had changed once again. Long-range crossbows of all sizes were erected on the Great Wall, while cheval de frise and other fortification weapons were placed under the Great Wall. Yu Hao though, had no time to take a closer look and immediately spread his wings out to fly toward the Golden Crow Wheel.
In the colosseum dream world, cracks in the cloud layers were growing wider and wider, and the sun shone down on the arena below the clouds. On the sky altar, Zhou Sheng wore a black suit and sunglasses and looked like a bodyguard. He looked up, and there was a golden circlet on his head. His legs were slightly parted as he looked up at the Golden Crow Wheel in front of him.
“Why did your image change again?” Yu Hao said.
“There’s a change in the understanding of my ‘self’ ma.” Zhou Sheng said, “Is it very strange?”
Yu Hao landed. Zhou Sheng raised his hand and established a connection with the Golden Crow Wheel. The Golden Crow Wheel started shining and revealed many strange images. Yu Hao said, “A lot of people have dreamed about you, looks like you’re the lover of everyone’s dreams.”
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Many dreams came from strangers; sometimes in the subway, sometimes in the mall. Zhou Sheng was both tall and handsome, and after working for just half a year, he had matured quite a bit. When he went out for investigations with his colleagues, he was often the most conspicuous one.
Logically speaking, it wasn’t a good thing for private detectives to be too eye-catching. Zhou Sheng though, could effectively play the role of attracting people’s attention, and let his colleagues take pictures and follow their targets while he was in charge of diverting the attraction of the target.
“Didn’t dream of me.” Zhou Sheng said, “Your turn.”
Yu Hao raised his hand. The Golden Crow Wheel began to fluctuate, revealing several scenes. Some were of the head editorial office, while some belonged to people who Yu Hao didn’t even know. Zhou Sheng watched patiently.
“This one.” Yu Hao said.
There was an endless desert in the dream. The sky was overcast, and sandstorms had gathered into a massive cloud that covered all the other scenes in it. Only a few mountains in the Gobi desert stood outside the wall of air, while sand and stone were swirling everywhere.
“Why? Think about it clearly, don’t enter the wrong one.” Zhou Sheng said.
Yu Hao said, “Gege said last time that he felt like he was walking in a desert. He kept looking for an oasis, but all he saw were mirages. But this is too exaggerated ba!”
Both of them observed it for a moment. Zhou Sheng said, “Pay attention to it, this world is quite dangerous.”
Yu Hao noticed that in the center of the sandstorm, there was a structure that one wouldn’t notice unless they paid close attention to it. It was like a spire, but also like the top of some kind of sculpture building.
Zhou Sheng pondered for a moment, “Let’s discuss with Kaikai first. We need to ask him for help in this dream; otherwise if we separate once we enter it, we wouldn’t even be able to find anyone.”
Yu Hao changed the dreamscape, revealing Chichén Itzá. Zhou Sheng took Yu Hao across the Golden Crow Wheel and flew into the Chichén Itzá world. Chen Yekai was waiting at the top of the pyramid.
Zhou Sheng described Fu Liqun’s dreamscape to Chen Yekai. Chen Yekai frowned as he listened to the whole description.
“A sinking desert,” Chen Yekai answered, “symbolises his sinking will. It’s quite dangerous, and there’s a sandstorm that blots out the sky……un, the sun can’t be seen. Or rather, the sun is there, but it’s being covered by the sandstorm.”
Chen Yekai frowned as he thought, then said, “I don’t have much resonance with him, but all I know is that Fu Liqun is a very kind kid. On the surface, he appears to not take many things to heart, but he’s actually someone who dwells a lot on problems with no solutions.”
If this were in the past, Yu Hao would have likely entered the desert dreamscape with Zhou Sheng straight away to fight the boss. However, Chen Yekai’s analysis was really necessary. He still remembered the three-man basketball match more than a year ago. Fu Liqun agreed with Zhou Sheng’s view on the surface, that leaving precious memories was the most important thing, but in the depths of his heart, he had hoped to win the championship.
“We need to help him regain his self-confidence.” Chen Yekai said in the end.
“Wu.” Zhou Sheng said, “Otherwise it will be of no use to just bring him back.”
Yu Hao sat down at the dining table on one side. Chen Yekai seemed to have sensed that the atmosphere between the two of them was a bit off. He looked at Yu Hao and didn’t say anything.
Yu Hao tried to create a coffee pot in Chen Yekai’s dream, as well as a full set of utensils to make pour over coffee. Zhou Sheng frowned and pondered for a moment. Yu Hao brewed three cups of coffee. He took one cup himself and looked down from the top of the pyramid.
“Get ready to save him ba, how do you plan on taking me into his dream?” Chen Yekai said.
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Zhou Sheng said, “There are a lot of problems that I don’t think we’ve figured out completely. It’s too complicated.”
Chen Yekay looked up at the blazing sun in the sky, “Unless the Golden Crow Wheel takes the initiative to communicate with you, we won’t be able to truly understand its purpose. Speculation will just remain as speculations most of the time.”
Zhou Sheng said, “But we’d still have to find a time to analyze it properly.”
“That day’s not too far away.” Chen Yekai looked into Zhou Sheng’s eyes and said slowly.
Yu Hao said, “But how do we take Chen Laoshi into Gege’s dream?”
“Connection.” Zhou Sheng said, “Connection between the consciousness, just like in Ou Qihang’s dream. As long as a connection is established, he can go in.”
“I don’t have too deep of a connection with Fu Liqun.” Chen Yekai frowned.
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Zhou Sheng motioned for Chen Yekai to look at Yu Hao. Yu Hao didn’t understand. He walked over, and Zhou Sheng pointed at the weapon on Chen Yekai’s waist. Yu Hao instantly remembered ——
—— the weapon that Chen Yekai once held, that was briefly confiscated by Yu Hao, but had returned to him in the end — the scalpel!
Chen Yekai immediately patted the holster he wore at his waist. The scalpel flew out and turned into a warm light that flew to Yu Hao’s hand. Zhou Sheng whistled, leapt onto the Golden Crow Wheel, and took Yu Hao with him as he flew towards the sun in Chen Yekai’s world.
The flickering light in Yu Hao’s hand turned into a heavenly path that plunged into the sun, like a path of light connecting the two worlds. Chen Yekai whistled, and the Feathered Serpent god flew over and carried him into the sun. Light burst out in all directions, and they appeared in Yu Hao’s dreamscape.
Zhou Sheng stepped on the jindouyun. He felt that Yu Hao’s hands wrapping around him from the back weren’t holding him as tightly as usual. He patted him casually and pulled him up to cling to his back.
“Still angry?” Zhou Sheng turned his head sideways and asked.
Yu Hao answered, “Not anymore.”
This was an agreement they’d established long ago — no matter how upset they were at home, they’d try their best not to quarrel in front of outsiders. Zhou Sheng said, “Okay, let’s go save him.”
Chen Yekai leapt through the Golden Crow Wheel and appeared in Yu Hao’s world, but the Feathered Serpent was left behind in Chichén Itzá. He nearly overbalanced and fell in a flustered state. Zhou Sheng shook his jingubang, “You haven’t permitted his mount to come in……” As he spoke, he lifted up Chen Yekai by his waist with the jingubang and continued, “Open sesame!” Then his whole body burned up with a golden fire that enveloped him and Yu Hao.
Chen Yekai shouted, “Hold on a minute……”
“The objective is to find Gege! Ask around to figure out where he is!” Zhou Sheng said, “Set off! Once we enter, find Kaikai and gather!”
After he spoke, a desert scene appeared in the Golden Crow Wheel. Chen Yekai was the first to be thrown in, followed by Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao who were stepping on the jindouyun.
At the moment Yu Hao crossed through the Golden Crow Wheel, he suddenly understood Zhou Sheng’s words:
In a sense, was the scalpel that he had confiscated also a totem that Chen Yekai — who had put up a fierce resistance that night — had regarded as the only thing he could rely on in the past?!
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A flash of light burst out in front of them. Zhou Sheng shouted and abruptly fell into the sand!
“Zhou Sheng!” Yu Hao shouted.
They were separated again. Yu Hao had just yelled when the omnipresent sand began surging towards him madly, choking him so much that he was coughing incessantly. He looked down and realised that he was wearing a basketball tank and shorts, as well as a pair of sports shoes. He had returned to his appearance several years ago, when he joined the three-man basketball competition with Fu Liqun and Zhou Sheng.
“Zhou Sheng!” Yu Hao looked around him. The sky and earth were enveloped within sand and a violent gale. It was pitch-dark — he couldn’t see the sunlight or any scenery in the distance either. After entering the dreamscape, the first task was to meet up with Zhou Sheng and Chen Yekai as soon as possible.
A gunshot could be heard in the distance.
It was Chen Yekai! Yu Hao turned around to look. He immediately understood why Zhou Sheng was so insistent on Chen Yekai’s participation in this. Their weapons couldn’t send out any signals for the other party to come forward and rendezvous, but Chen Yekai’s gunshot was the best signal in this sandstorm.
Yu Hao raised his arm, put it in front of him, and struggled to cross through the sandstorm as he headed towards the gunshot.
