I found myself back in that space again, but this time I didn't fall. Instead, I floated in midair.
"Oh, Ethan Zhang, I didn't expect you to be so ruthless. Heh heh."
"Shut up." As Mona Ouyang's sarcastic voice rang out, I shouted furiously. He tried to use those closest to me, wanting to shake my resolve and torment me. This infuriated me, a blaze surging in my heart, ready to erupt at any moment.
"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be so difficult. Ethan Zhang, how many good dreams do you have left?"
I almost blurted out a reply but stopped myself just in time.
"More than you can count. This time, I'm prepared, Mona Ouyang. Let's end this—if you have the guts, come out. I'll be waiting for you in my core dream."
"To deal with you? You think I need to show up myself? Ridiculous, Ethan Zhang. Do you really think finding your instincts gives you the power to stand against me? Aren't you a bit too arrogant..."
I burst out laughing, glaring furiously at Mona Ouyang, who had already appeared above me.
"It's not arrogance. I know I'm no match for you. But I really can't stand your methods. If you truly want your Nightmare Stone back, release Old Moe, John Chou, and Vincent Swallow's family. I'll return the Nightmare Stone to you."
With a sudden swoosh, Mona Ouyang floated right up to me, glaring.
"Don't get cocky, Ethan Zhang. If I really wanted to kill you, I could do it anytime..."
"But if you kill me, you'll never get your Nightmare Stone back, right? Why don't you just devour my consciousness here in the dream? If my mind dies in the dream, you'll never find my core dream, will you?"
It was only now that I realized this was my instinct trying to warn me. Mona Ouyang just wants me to submit—using the dream to torment me until I give in and hand over the Nightmare Stone.
"You..."
Mona Ouyang reached out and twisted my neck, glaring viciously at me.
"I think my offer is fair. What do you say? Give them back to me, and I'll return the Nightmare Stone. Losing them won't cause you any trouble, will it?"
Seeing Mona Ouyang's conflicted expression confirmed my suspicion. Just as Granny Nina said, Mona can lock onto my consciousness and find me, but as long as I leave my core dream, she can't locate its exact place.
Only when I enter my core dream and she devours all its protections will my consciousness be exposed. Then, she can do whatever she wants to me. But I won't let things go her way.
"Hmph, trying to trick me? Ethan Zhang, heh, let's see how long you last. I bet you have no more than five good dreams left. After all, they're not so easy to come by. Now, go—onto the next dream I've prepared for you."
With a wave of Mona Ouyang's hand, I plummeted downward. I scanned my surroundings, searching for my core dream. When I saw a patch of darkness, I reached out desperately, trying to touch it.
Gradually, that patch of darkness sensed my presence. A thick stream of baleful energy, as thick as an arm, reached out from that spot. I grabbed hold of it with one hand, stopping my fall.
“Wishful thinking, Ethan Zhang. I won’t give you a moment’s rest.”
With a snap, Mona Ouyang crushed the baleful energy with one hand. I grabbed at nothing and fell downward. Just then, I saw a blood-red tongue stretch out from the darkness. I stared in shock as the tongue coiled around me and dragged me inside.
“Impossible.”
Mona Ouyang exclaimed in disbelief. She produced a knife, attempting to sever the tongue, but as soon as her blade touched it, the knife vanished into thin air.
With a gust, I was dragged into my core dream. As soon as I entered, I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. After experiencing two consecutive dreams, I felt mentally exhausted—I needed to rest for a while.
Fortunately, in this dream space, I didn’t feel sleepy—only mentally fatigued.
“Whoever you are, thank you.”
“Lantern.”
I turned in surprise and saw Lance Turner—nicknamed Lantern—grinning foolishly, his large, bell-like eyes blinking at me.
That reminded me—when I entered the dream and stole Mona Ouyang’s Nightmare Stone, it was Lantern who helped me when I was about to fall into the darkness. I wasn’t sure then, but now it felt clear: Lantern had entered my core dream.
“Did you come in on your own?” I asked Lantern. He bounced around, repeating his nickname, and I wasn’t sure how to communicate with him. Suddenly, Lantern hopped close, nodded vigorously.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Lantern, Lantern…”
Lantern kept nodding, which reassured me. Just then, the space surrounding the apartment building filled with swarms of violet Dream Wraiths, emerging one after another. These Dream Wraiths were stronger and couldn’t be killed all at once. I hurried to my feet, but Lantern stuck out his tongue, chuckled, and wrapped me up, placing me beneath a cherry blossom tree.
“Can you handle this?” I asked. Lantern nodded. I looked up at the sky and was stunned—mouths appeared on the walls of the apartment building’s dream space. As the Dream Wraiths emerged, the mouths opened, blood-red tongues shot out, coiling around the wraiths. The Dream Wraiths were compressed into tiny lumps and swallowed whole.
[Skipped: Irrelevant system/navigation line omitted per guidelines.]
Seeing this, I relaxed. This must be Lantern’s doing. I leaned against the tree, eyes half-closed—not sleepy, but I needed to rest before heading out to search for Old Moe.
One by one, the Dream Wraiths were dealt with by Lantern. Mona Ouyang seemed unable to sit still; no more Dream Wraiths appeared.
“Who are you, really? How can you enter here directly, without my invitation?”
Under the violet glow in the sky, Mona Ouyang’s furious face appeared, filling the heavens. Lantern didn’t answer—he just kept grinning foolishly.
“Stop shouting, it’s useless, ha.” I laughed, crossing my arms and stretching out on the ground, looking up at Mona Ouyang.
“Just you wait, Ethan Zhang. Don’t get cocky.”
The violet light faded, and Mona Ouyang’s face vanished from the sky. I could finally relax, letting my nerves unwind.
“Brother, now’s not the time to sleep. The Hundred-Tongue can hold them off for a while, but not forever.”
John Chou’s voice sounded. I opened my eyes in delight and stood up—John Chou had arrived. Following his voice, I saw his figure was blurry, barely discernible, his voice faint.
“That corpse demon must have returned to its lair, scheming how to deal with the Green Wraith. That’s why I can appear here for now.”
“So what now? How do I find you and Old Moe?”
John Chou smiled mysteriously. Though his figure was blurred, I could still see the sly, cunning smile at the corner of his mouth.
“Just say it. Can’t you explain things all at once? Stop messing with me.”
“How come you’re so impatient now, brother? You know what they say—haste makes waste. Trust me, you won’t regret it!”
It was hard to refute John Chou. He’d never harmed me—always helping me, especially when I was at my lowest.
“Dreams have a watershed, brother. You’re not just entering dreams—you need to learn how to control them.”
I let out a confused sound, staring at John Chou, utterly bewildered.
“Simply put, people often have nightmares. Some wake up in fright, others can’t wake up and suffer until morning, tormented by fear. Right?”
I nodded. I’d had countless nightmares, many involving ghosts. Every time, I woke up in terror—sometimes unable to sleep at all, lying awake until morning.
“There’s another kind—you know you’re dreaming, your mind is clear, you’re half-awake. You can even control the direction of the dream, right? One is passive, the other is taking charge. You need to seize control—then you can move freely in this world of dreams.”
I nodded immediately. Sometimes, I’d be lucid—still dreaming, but able to change the dream’s course. Nightmares could turn into good dreams.
I remembered once, after my cousin was beaten up, I dreamed I was surrounded and beaten too—badly hurt, but fully aware, unable to wake. Then I changed the dream, fighting back until I woke up laughing.
“But how do I do it?”
Though I understood what John Chou meant, I still couldn’t grasp it, so I asked.