Chapter Fifty-Nine: Three Rewards
“I think there must be some misunderstanding between us.”
Lu Yuan smiled awkwardly.
People should live in harmony.
Lu Yuan had always believed that the right way for people to get along was to sit down and talk calmly, not to fight and kill every day.
This was not right!
But no one paid any attention to Lu Yuan’s words.
He looked at the twelve people around him, sensing that they were all alive—just like him, all human.
Yet strangely, the grotesque creature before him, covered entirely in hands, was undeniably a sinister entity.
Living humans could actually control such a creature.
“Kill him!”
“Number 13!”
The twelve men in black hats spoke in unison.
In an instant, the tentacle monster swung its arms toward Lu Yuan.
He had no time to react. Before he could regain his senses, countless hands had pinned him firmly to the ground.
These arms wielded no weapons; they used the most primitive and brutal method to kill—pummeling Lu Yuan relentlessly with their fists.
Bang!
Bang!
...
Lu Yuan barely had time to speak as blow after blow landed on his face and body. He could even hear the sound of his bones breaking.
His vision flooded with red.
He was blinded by the blood flowing from his own body.
Gradually, his consciousness began to blur.
Before falling completely into darkness, Lu Yuan vaguely saw a tattoo on one of the tentacle monster’s arms—etched with the number 13.
Then everything went black.
...
“Ah!”
“Stop hitting me!”
“My body!”
Lu Yuan suddenly awoke with a start. The moment he opened his eyes in bed, he hurriedly looked down at his body. After a few seconds, his emotions slowly settled.
His clothes had reverted to loose-fitting garments, and the surroundings had returned to the familiar psychological clinic.
The office desk.
The chair.
The large bed.
Everything was so familiar and comforting, yet the dark buildings outside the clinic reminded Lu Yuan that he was still within the eerie dream world, not the real one.
“Open the storage.”
This time, the storage opened smoothly.
Lu Yuan stared at the blood-written words and the fruit knife left inside the storage, lost in thought.
On the wall, the quartz clock struck ten o’clock at night.
It was ten p.m.
Both in the real world and in this dream world, it was ten p.m.
Lu Yuan instinctively clenched and unclenched his fists. The vividness of the experience made him feel as if he had just woken from a nightmare. “I wasn’t in the real world just now, nor was I truly in the dream world.”
His brow furrowed deeply.
“Twelve people.”
“One tentacle monster.”
Lu Yuan committed these details to memory.
He hesitated for a moment before scribbling the number 13 behind the tentacle creature.
Honestly, sometimes Lu Yuan felt as if he were suffering from schizophrenia.
Maybe there was no dream world at all, no sinister creatures—perhaps it was all a manifestation of his mental illness. Yet he felt perfectly sane.
He gave a bitter smile.
Every person with a mental illness insists they are sane.
Lu Yuan got out of bed.
Suddenly, a question struck him.
He looked at the large bed beside him and pondered.
“This bed is something I bought in the real world—so why is it here in the psychological clinic within the dream world as well?”
After some thought, he considered a possibility.
Could items brought into the real-world clinic also appear in the dream-world version of the clinic?
If that were true, it would be wonderful.
“If only I could have a gun...”
He immediately rejected the idea.
In this harmonious society, where on earth would he get a gun?
Other weapons were still worth considering.
“Wait!”
“If objects can be brought into the dream world, what about living people?”
Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered.
An idea took root.
If one day he asked Wen Ke to spend the night in his psychological clinic, could he bring Wen Ke into the dream world too?
If this worked, it would prove he wasn’t mentally ill, that the dream world truly existed—and Wen Ke would be his witness.
Lu Yuan shook his head.
Forget it.
That was too far off to think about now.
Moreover, there was no reason for Wen Ke to stay overnight at his clinic. They weren’t a couple—how could a single man and woman be willing to stay together?
Lu Yuan pushed the thought aside. The most important thing now was to claim his reward for the television and then hurry to report to Mingzhi Elementary School.
“Television, where is my reward?”
The blood-written words before him seemed somewhat speechless at being called a television. After a moment of silence, the blood text shifted and responded:
“Respected psychologist, a qualified psychologist should maintain a healthy body. We are pleased to see you restored to youth, better able to serve us.”
“The mission is complete; rewards will now be distributed.”
“Reward 1: ‘Adrenaline Surge’ — A young body holds limitless potential, enabling you to unleash 200% of your survival limits when facing danger. This passive skill activates automatically in life-or-death situations, doubling your running speed, strength, stamina, and mental agility.”
“Reward 2: ‘Youthful Charm’ — As a young psychologist, you not only hold a respectable profession but also possess a vibrant, healthy body, highly favored by young women. This passive skill automatically increases the affinity of female sinister creatures within five meters by 10 points.”
“Reward 3: Devour Hatred. You can imbue your weapon with the effect of devouring hatred, granting a very small chance to instantly kill sinister creatures, a small chance to severely wound them, and a high chance to cause injury.”
“Respected psychologist, thank you for your efforts in maintaining the harmony and stability of our world. Please continue your good work!”
The string of blood-written messages was dazzling.
Lu Yuan took a moment to process them and finally understood the three rewards.
Simply put, the first and third rewards were the most needed. When facing sinister creatures he could fight, he could use Devour Hatred to take a chance; when facing overwhelming foes, he could use Adrenaline Surge to escape.
He was very satisfied with these two.
But the second reward felt rather pointless to him.
Even if he were to find a girlfriend, it should be in the real world—not here with some female sinister creature!
Lu Yuan paused.
No, wait!
This reward might actually be useful.
If he could raise Zhuo Yan’s affection for him by another 10 points, he might be able to ask her for help.
The only problem was, Zhuo Yan wasn’t around right now, so he couldn’t test the effect of this passive skill.
“Let’s go!”
“To Mingzhi Elementary School!”
Lu Yuan looked out the window.
One dark building after another loomed like monstrous beasts, waiting to devour him.
Even knowing the dangers outside, Lu Yuan had no choice but to go to Mingzhi Elementary School—just as he had no choice but to leave Anshi Villa.