Time was running out. There were only two days left until the fifteen-day deadline the Dream Wraiths had warned about. The transportation work was finished, and we’d exceeded expectations: instead of the planned 1,400, we now had 1,700 AK-47s and a huge stockpile of bullets. There was more than enough, even spares.
Fortunately, many people in the city already knew how to use guns, and they were teaching those who didn’t. All you had to do was pull the trigger and the bullets would fly—even without careful aiming. With so many Dream Wraiths coming, once they reached the city walls, we just had to open fire at the thirty-meter distance below.
In the past few days, we’d moved all the weapons up and finished the distribution. Even though there weren’t many people left in the city, the atmosphere had completely changed. Many had witnessed the power of modern weapons, and the fear of a massive Dream Wraith assault was fading.
I knew very clearly that this hope wasn’t brought by me alone—it was John Chou, just as he said: to awaken true hope in people, you first have to let them taste despair. Now, everyone in the city talked about the coming Dream Wraith attack, itching for a fight, almost unable to wait.
These days, I kept thinking about Uncle Mo. Ever since Hu Tianshu talked to me, I couldn’t get Uncle Mo out of my mind.
I’d already struck a deal with Mona Ouyang. When the time comes, she’ll help us. If we can hold out for three days and manage to get that fragment, we’ll leave this world and return the Nightmare Stone to her. She promised not to trouble me in the future.
The deal was set, but the biggest problem now was Nathan Ouyang. If he refused to hand over the fragment, even if John Chou and I tried to take it by force, we wouldn’t succeed.
According to Mona Ouyang, if Nathan Ouyang is killed, the world of this Dreamer will end.
“What’s wrong, brother? You look pretty down.”
I was sitting on the city tower, quietly watching the woods in the distance. John Chou walked over.
"What if that old man refuses to give us the fragment? What should we do then?"
John Chou gave a mysterious smile.
"Didn’t I tell him at the start? When the time comes, just lend us the fragment. He knows very well—even with all these weapons, we can only handle the lowest-level Dream Wraiths. What about the high-level ones? There are so many red Dream Wraiths, and they’re not something you or I can deal with easily. He’s calculated all of this in his mind."
"Gentlemen, what are you talking about?"
Speak of the devil—Nathan Ouyang walked over, his face friendly, not a hint of insincerity showing.
"Nathan Ouyang, we’ve got a deal, right? When Ethan Zhang is in danger, don’t hold back—lend him the fragment."
"Don’t worry, gentlemen. I, Nathan Ouyang, keep my word—I won’t deceive you. Lord Chou, please trust me, I absolutely will..."
"No need to make empty promises, haha."
John Chou just smiled and walked away.
Afterwards, I found Nolan and the others posing with AK-47s. As soon as I approached, Nolan pointed the gun at me—I broke out in a cold sweat.
"Apprentice, are you scared? This thing fires so fast—it’s really powerful."
I quickly pushed his gun aside and sighed. Suddenly, Madam Ming came over and confiscated Nolan’s gun, twisting his ear.
"Nolan, how can you just point a gun at someone like that?"
Susie started to laugh. I looked at her—she hadn’t smiled like that in days. It was rare to see her so happy.
"Thank you, Ethan," Susie said softly as she walked over. I shook my head.
Looking at these Dreamborn natives, then at the newcomers from outside, I realized something: every year, the large-scale invasions begin when outsiders flood into this world.
The Dream Wraiths have always existed here, coexisting with the Dreamborn. Mona Ouyang confirmed this for me. I thought, maybe... but I quickly dismissed the idea.
The distant sky was still a vast, hazy gray. These days, aside from setting up barricades outside the city gates, everyone was practicing how to use their guns.
What worried me most were the red Dream Wraiths. In the outside world, they’re all Mona Ouyang’s ghosts. Even knowing their weaknesses, it’s still extremely difficult to take one down.
"By the way, Susie, during those previous large-scale invasions, did you notice anything strange?"
I asked, and Susie lowered her head, thinking for a long time before shaking it.
"Nothing strange at all."
"Do you know when the first invasion began?"
There are so many uncertainties about this world. I kept feeling that the Dream Wraiths started attacking the Dreamborn because of the newcomers from outside.
Those newcomers are different from the Dreamborn here—they’re unable to enter the dream realm. I’d asked Nolan before about the platform that allows entry into the dream passage; the city’s residents hadn’t used it. It was meant for the Dreamborn.
Nolan also sneaked into the dream realm and met me by chance in the third dream. In short, the residents here exist to sustain the Dreamborn.
What started as a rescue relationship has become one of sustenance. I couldn’t help but look around—many residents and Dreamborn seemed harmonious, but in reality, they still stood apart, each on their own side.
Beneath the gray sky, looking at the distant woods, I couldn’t shake the feeling of something being off, especially when fighting the Dream Wraiths.
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No matter how many I killed, there were always more. And I kept thinking—maybe there was something deep in those woods. Suddenly, I remembered something Nolan said: he wanted to try the green and red Dream Wraiths.
I hurriedly asked.
"Susie, how did Nolan’s father die?"
"When Nolan was seven, during a major invasion, his father lured the Dream Wraiths attacking the village back into the forest and never returned."
What struck me was that red and green Dream Wraiths were high-level threats to the Dreamborn, yet Nolan always said he wanted to try them—he never seemed afraid when talking about Dream Wraiths. Even for a strong child, talking about his father should bring sadness, but I’d never seen Nolan especially upset about it.
"You know, Ethan, the reason everyone calls him Nolan is because after his father died, even knowing how dangerous the dream realm was, he’d still sneak in alone, even into the forest. That kid was always mischievous. More than once, he came back covered in injuries…"
Hearing all this, I became more and more concerned about Nolan. I decided to talk to him tonight.
The gray sky gradually darkened, the light fading as night fell. But under the unchanging gray, I started searching for Nolan’s shadow.
I found Nolan under the east city tower, chatting and laughing with a group. He was the only Dreamborn; the others were residents. I smiled and walked over.
"Master Nolan, can you come over for a bit? Your apprentice has a few words for you," I joked.
Nolan burst out laughing and came over. We found a quiet spot and sat on the stone platform in front of a house.
"Nolan, your father..."
I was about to say something when Nolan stood up.
"Apprentice, what do you want? My father died a long time ago."
"Didn’t you say you wanted to try the taste of red and green Dream Wraiths? Have you tasted other Dream Wraiths before?"
Nolan burst out laughing when I said that.
"Yeah, I tried them a long time ago. So what?"
"Your father is still alive, isn’t he?" I asked, just a guess, but I was sure Nolan’s father was still alive.
"What...what are you talking about, apprentice? My father died a long time ago."
I stared at Nolan for a long time. Neither of us spoke, just looking at each other.
"Nolan, can you tell me? About your father? Maybe we can learn something about this world from it."
Nolan’s smile vanished, his whole face tense. I’d never seen him like this before—he clearly didn’t want to talk about it.
"Promise me you won’t tell anyone, Ethan."
Seeing how serious Nolan was, I stood up, nodded, and put my hands on his shoulders.
Nolan’s birth was a complete accident. His parents hadn’t planned on having children—after all, in a world like this, life is incredibly harsh for the newborn.
I listened quietly. For the first time, sadness showed on Nolan’s face—slowly, bit by bit. As a listener, I couldn’t help but be moved by the sorrow he revealed.
Everything started with Nolan’s birth. His mother never planned to tell him about it, but after his father went hunting Dream Wraiths and never returned, she finally did.
To be born in such a cruel world—since the day he was born, Nolan has had to fight to survive.
I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Nolan. My own life and birth were worlds apart from his.