Xu Yinsheng wanted to ask what it was, but she soon realized she didn’t need to.
The two of them were currently inside a scene manifested by the Memory Torrent. Towering ancient trees, quiet scenery, and the fresh scent of soil — it was a memory of Zhao Yicheng and Xu Yinsheng camping in the wilderness during their summer break in High School.
*Rustle, rustle, rustle.*
It sounded like countless snakes crawling on the ground, their cold scales rubbing against withered leaves. The sound grew clearer, echoing through the dark, dense forest.
Xu Yinsheng couldn’t help but get goosebumps.
Then, a massive, pitch-black, serpent-like creature slowly slithered out from the distance.
As it drew closer, Xu Yinsheng finally saw the “serpent-like creature” clearly.
It had a thick, long body and a greasy, smooth exterior. It lacked the cold scales a snake should have, possessing instead a fleshy texture similar to an earthworm. Its body was coated in a foul-smelling, sticky liquid that constantly dripped onto the ground.
Rather than a serpent, it looked more like a tentacle from some adult animation, only magnified several times.
At that moment, massive tentacles surged out from all directions, surrounding the two of them.
“What are these things?” Xu Yinsheng couldn’t help but tighten her grip on the Assassin Maiden’s hand.
“Dream Guardians. You can also understand them as concrete manifestations of a person’s subconscious mixed with desire. Their function? To counterattack external consciousnesses like us. Well… anyway, I named them Dream Guardians. After all, when it comes to the study of dreams, how could anyone understand them more deeply than a genuine Nightmare like me?”
A pleasant female voice rang out, her tone sounding much more stable and calm. Compared to Xu Yinsheng’s panic, the Assassin Maiden Xu Yinsheng, who had twenty years more life experience, appeared far more composed.
“Then why do they look exactly like tentacles?”
To this question, the Assassin Maiden remained silent for a moment before speaking, “I haven’t quite figured it out myself yet, but there’s a theory. This thing might be a man’s subconscious instinct. You know.”
“Alright, enough talk. I’m taking you and running. If we get caught, we’ll have to play out a defeat GG.”
More and more tentacles gathered, dense and numerous enough to blot out the sky, constantly forcing the two into a tighter circle.
Suddenly, a thick tentacle shot toward them. The Assassin Maiden’s figure flickered as she quickly dodged, and then the two figures began to flee rapidly.
The sky-blotting tentacles followed close behind, intertwining and tangling together in an airtight pursuit.
The Movement Technique from her previous special training finally proved useful. Xu Yinsheng constantly dodged the tentacles attacking from behind. Although she was still somewhat clumsy, she was managing well enough for the current situation.
Not far beside her, the Assassin Maiden Xu Yinsheng moved with agility and speed under the heavy assault. Her movements were elegant and free, like a drifting phantom. She evaded every attack in advance, never giving the tentacles a single chance.
The World composed of memories flashed past the two women’s eyes with vivid clarity.
Zhao Yicheng… his first cry at birth, the wealth and loneliness of his childhood, the joy of making his first friend. During his teenage years, his father’s harsh training, his Mother’s indifference, the concealment of his diagnosis of Hereditary Mental Illness, and the cold war between his parents’ arguments. The sliver of warmth from a hidden love in his heart, and that twisted, obsessive love after reaching adulthood…
All of this was presented before Xu Yinsheng’s eyes without any obstacles, incredibly clear.
“There’s a newly born dream up ahead. Let’s go inside to hide for a bit.”
The Assassin Maiden Xu Yinsheng dodged another tentacle by a hair’s breadth and pulled Xu Yinsheng into the dream ahead.
As the sun set in the west, the two women entered a Villa. The Dream Guardians behind them hadn’t caught up yet. They glanced at each other, both breathing a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a soft, childish voice came from a room on the second floor.
“One more round, one more round! A’Zhao, A’Zhao, let’s play one more round. I can definitely win!”
As soon as the soft child’s voice spoke, it felt as if an invisible gravity pulled them, and the two inexplicably arrived inside that room.
They saw two Little Princes sitting side by side. They were about six or seven years old, with fair and clean features. One had a slight pout, his brow showing a hint of handsomeness that made it clear he would be a great beauty in the future. The other held a controller, leaning his body to the left, his exquisite little face almost pressed against the face of the boy beside him.
“A’Zhao, I’m begging you, play one more round with me. If I lose this round too, I’ll give you my Limited Edition Gundam.”
“I don’t want your Gundam.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Let me kiss your forehead.”
“??? Why do you want to kiss me, A’Zhao?”
“Mother said that kissing is something only very close friends do. You’re my best friend, so of course I want to kiss you,” the boy surnamed Zhao said. As he looked at his adorable Brother, a glint of joy from successfully pulling off a prank flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Recalling that dark history of her young and ignorant self, Xu Yinsheng’s face instantly darkened.
The Assassin Maiden Xu Yinsheng, however, covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling. She kept muttering in a low voice:
‘Husband was so cute when he was little,’ ‘I really want to take this adorable Little Prince back and squeeze him,’ ‘I can’t take it, I can’t take it, I’m going to have a nosebleed,’ and so on.
Soon, ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye. The young Xu Yinsheng was once again defeated. The young Zhao Yicheng then leaned in and gently kissed the other’s forehead.
Seeing this scene, Xu Yinsheng’s face turned as black as coal. If the Assassin Maiden hadn’t held her back, she almost wanted to walk forward and kick the Little Prince who had ill intentions toward her.
“Goodbye.”
“Goodbye. Come over to play next time.”
“Mm-hmm, A’Zhao. Okay.”
The two Little Princes waved goodbye. The young Xu Yinsheng turned and left the room. Zhao Yicheng watched the other’s retreating back and reached out to touch his own lips.
“Little Yin is so sweet and cute, but why isn’t he a Sister? If Little Yin were a girl, I could marry him and make him my wife.”
Hearing Zhao Yicheng’s “delusional fantasy,” the already angry Xu Yinsheng crossed her arms and let out a cold, ruthless snort.
“In your dreams! Even if I really did turn into a girl, I would never fall for you!!”
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!”
The roar of what sounded like a suppressed beast thundered in her ears. The young Zhao Yicheng suddenly whipped his head around to look at the two women. His eyes glowed red, as if blood were about to flow out. The fury in his voice caused his entire body to radiate a chilling aura. That frigidity dropped the surrounding temperature by several degrees, and even that exquisite, adorable little face became distorted with rage.
In the perfectly intact Villa, pitch-black cracks suddenly appeared like shattering glass. Thick, slimy tentacles shot out violently, piercing through the entire house.
In almost an instant, a dense, sky-blotting mass of tentacles appeared around the two women. The tentacles blocked all exits, and drops of viscous liquid fell from them.
Xu Yinsheng felt a cold sweat breaking out and couldn’t help but take a step back.
A slap landed on the back of her head, followed by the complaining voice of the Assassin Maiden Xu Yinsheng.
“I told you not to talk nonsense. Now look what you’ve done — you’ve triggered him.”
“Now we’re screwed. The dream is collapsing, and we’ve attracted the Dream Guardians.”
“This time, there’s no escape for us.”
Looking at the tentacles that had already formed a perimeter and blocked all their paths of retreat, the Assassin Maiden Xu Yinsheng took a deep breath. She grabbed Xu Yinsheng’s fair little hand, interlocking their fingers, and slowly closed her eyes.
“Get ready. Next up is a defeat GG.”