Chapter 68

The building was filled with a dazzling array of products, even more diverse than those on the commercial street. Mu Huiyue took the opportunity to buy some household items.

Since she had decided to attend Jingzhou University, she planned to rent a small apartment near the campus—staying indefinitely in the temporary dormitories of the Affairs Bureau was not an option.

With Ellen’s Shadow Space at her disposal, she didn’t need to worry about carrying too much. She could shop to her heart’s content without any concerns.

The fourth floor was dedicated to household items. Today, it seemed some event was taking place, as the entire floor was bustling with people, lively and crowded.

The event venue was decorated with a futuristic vibe, and the promotional content looked even more high-tech. It was about a “Dream Experience.”

It was said that this company’s new product could help people fall asleep quickly and achieve high-quality sleep with their bedding products.

After all, pleasant dreams are an essential part of sleep quality—not only do they restore physical fatigue, but they also help relieve mental exhaustion effectively.

With prolonged use, it could even allow users to consciously control their dream scenarios, enabling their subconscious to construct dreams they enjoy.

The practical application of new dream-related technology was no surprise, given that this world already boasted many extraordinary abilities tied to dream-related psychic skills.

The concept of using dreamscapes to create mental training grounds for companion beasts, improving their skill proficiency, had been published in Dayan several years ago.

However, Mu Huiyue was seeing sleep aid technology targeted at human sleep and dreams for the first time.

The related product line included everything from bedding and mattresses to sleepwear and throw pillows. Many people in the event area were trying out small nap pillows.

Mu Huiyue glanced at the event’s promotional signage, which bore the name “Zenith Hypernetics”, also known as ZH.

Zenith Hypernetics… this slightly tongue-twisting name belonged to a foreign company based in the Nova region.

She recalled that above it was the parent company, Zenith Hypernetics Group. Its subsidiary, the “Edge” Boundary Institute, was the world’s leading research institution for extraordinary biological studies.

The institute under Zenith Hypernetics was the first to discover and name the Type-01 binary extraordinary lifeform with intellectual attributes, commonly known as “01.”

This group corporation was the largest commercial entity in the Nova region, with its subsidiaries spanning multiple industries. Many of their products could also be found within Dayan.

The “V-Type Video System” used earlier for remote exam monitoring was also an intelligent companion beast produced by Zenith Hypernetics.

Mu Huiyue hadn’t expected this tech company to also dabble in selling household goods.

That said, bedding that improves sleep through dream-enhancing technology could certainly be considered a high-tech product…

Since Mu Huiyue didn’t have any issues with sleep, she ended up buying regular cotton bedding, which she handed to Ellen to store in the shadows.

It had to be said that ZH’s marketing for their new products was spot on. Not only did they give away small pillows with sleep-aiding effects to customers who participated in the event or bought bedding, but during the promotion, all mall shoppers also received complimentary sachets filled with calming herbs.

These sachets were made from the fruit of [Xunxiang Grass], which had similar sleep-aiding and stress-relieving properties. Designed in a style more aligned with Dayan’s cultural aesthetics, they were quite popular among customers.

Both Mu Huiyue and Wen Li received one of the complimentary sachets. After finishing their exploration of the fourth floor, the two decided to check out the food court on the basement level.

However, they ended up buying far too many groceries and struggled to carry their large bags to the nearby rest area.

Since some of the groceries belonged to Wen Li, Mu Huiyue didn’t have Ellen wrap them in shadow fog for storage in the Shadow Space. While food infused with dark-attribute energy didn’t affect her, it wouldn’t be suitable for other humans to consume.

Wen Li sorted some of the same types of groceries together and had Flame Strike Meow carry a large bag in its mouth.

Nearby, White Fang noticed and pawed at one of the bags in front of Mu Huiyue, attempting to pick up a package of groceries larger than its own body.

Mu Huiyue chuckled and rubbed the fluffy head of the little dog before lifting the big bag herself. She handed White Fang a smaller bag instead.

The two took a cab to Wen Li’s home.

Wen Li’s apartment wasn’t far from the commercial street. The surroundings were quiet and beautiful, and even with someone as famous as Wen Qing—a big celebrity—occasionally around, it didn’t cause a commotion or draw crowds.

Because of her busy schedule, Wen Qing had been on tour in other cities for the past two months, so Wen Li was basically living alone in the apartment.

Tonight, however, Mu Huiyue would be staying over as a guest.

Dinner was planned as a hotpot, with Ellen taking charge of the cooking. From preparing the soup base to washing and cutting the ingredients, Ellen handled everything, filling the table with an abundance of food that nearly emptied Wen Li’s supply of plates.

After tasting the food, Wen Li was utterly stunned.

It was just a matter of washing and cutting the ingredients and cooking them in a store-bought soup base—so how could it possibly taste this good?

Could it be that Shadow Hounds were a species naturally gifted at cooking…?

“Click click.” (Thank you for your appreciation.)

Ellen gracefully bowed, clearly delighted that his cooking as the chef had been so well-received.

Meanwhile, White Fang and Flame Strike Meow had already buried their faces in their food bowls, eating so enthusiastically that they didn’t even lift their heads. Their tails wagged happily behind them.

Using the remaining ingredients, Ellen whipped up a small cake on the spot as a gift for the beast tamer celebrating their birthday today.

A small candle was placed on the cake, and with a snap of his slender finger bones, Ellen lit it with a ghostly blue flame.

Wen Li clapped excitedly on the side, exclaiming how impressive the trick was and saying she wanted to teach Flame Strike Meow to do the same.

However, when it came to lighting a candle, Wen Li thought she might be able to try it herself using her [Blood Ignition] talent!

The hotpot dinner extended into the evening as they chatted. Ellen helped clean up afterward, then carried the well-fed, now-sleeping cat and dog back to their respective beast tamers’ rooms.

Mu Huiyue hadn’t had such a lively birthday in a long time. Wen Li, like a little sun radiating warmth wherever she went, made it feel as if they’d spent the day with a large group of people, even though it was just the two of them. By the end of the day, Mu Huiyue felt the same pleasant exhaustion as if she’d been out all day with friends.

After washing up, Mu Huiyue returned to the guest room where she was staying. She took out the “Stellar Dream Festival” tickets she’d already validated and carefully placed them in a plastic sleeve for safekeeping alongside her other important documents.

White Fang, half-asleep, lifted its head, licked its tamer’s hand drowsily, then curled into a ball by her pillow and continued sleeping.

Mu Huiyue handed the plastic sleeve containing her birthday gifts to Ellen. The Shadow Hound emerged from the shadows, took the sleeve, and lightly brushed his slender finger bones over her hair.

“Click click.” (Happy birthday, Huiyue.)

Mu Huiyue couldn’t help but smile. One hand gripped Ellen’s skeletal palm while the other stroked the little dog curled up beside her.

White Fang’s birth date was recorded at the Cloudhound breeding base, but she realized she didn’t know Ellen’s birthday.

“Ellen, do you know when your birthday is?” she asked softly.

The Shadow Hound opened his jaw slightly, revealing a skeletal smile.

“Click click.” (It’s the day I met you.)

Mu Huiyue was momentarily stunned but then smiled softly.

“…Alright, let’s consider it the day we met.”

“Good night, Ellen.”

“Click.” (Good night, Huiyue.)

The tall skeleton melted back into the shadows of his beast tamer. Mu Huiyue placed the calming herb sachet she had received today by her pillow, turned off the lights, and got into bed.

The gentle fragrance drifted through the room.

She hoped for a peaceful night’s sleep.

…

…

Late at night.

Most people had already fallen asleep. Half of the city lights in Jingjiang had gone dark, and the bustling city, lively throughout the day, quieted under the blanket of night.

A young man in a black trench coat and oversized sunglasses stood atop a high-rise, silently gazing at the sleeping city shrouded in darkness.

The night wind tousled his hair and coat, as well as the soft clouds emanating from the slumbering Yunmeng Mo behind him.

It was none other than Lin Fei, who was supposed to be under observation in the hospital.

He looked completely different from his usual gentle self. The sunglasses obscured most of his face, revealing only a sharp jawline and tightly set lips.

Behind Lin Fei stood a tall, prismatic black shadow, towering over him.

It was a strange device, constructed entirely of light-absorbing metal. Even under the moonlight, it reflected no light, presenting an unusual, fluid, jet-black surface. A faintly discernible logo was etched near the operational panel at its base:

“Zenith Hypernetics.”

The device’s lower end extended into a black metallic conduit, currently connected to the soft clouds of the Yunmeng Mo, transferring psychic energy in a steady stream.

Suddenly, a signal ripple emanated across the surface of the black device, mirrored by a flashing wave on Lin Fei’s sunglasses.

He quietly pressed a small button to answer the call.

A burst of static filled his earpiece before the communication stabilized after a moment.

Lin Fei’s brow furrowed slightly as he listened.

“I understand it’s short notice today, but the calculations from [Gabriel] align closely with my projections.”

“That thread has always been erratic, but today, it finally stabilized—pinpointing a window between 4:00 and 7:00 a.m. in Jingjiang.”

Lin Fei paused briefly before continuing in a low voice, “The promotion has been running for two months now. The number of people here using the sleep-aid products is sufficient to construct this dreamscape.”

The voice on the other end of the earpiece seemed to say something else. Lin Fei’s expression remained unchanged, though he sneered inwardly.

“I understand. It’s the ‘Only One,’ one of the exceedingly rare and most precious dynamic points we can currently identify.”

“This is the best chance to capture ‘It’ amidst the near-infinite scenarios calculated by [Gabriel].”

“Isn’t that why you took the risk of letting me advance prematurely and contract the Yunmeng Mo ahead of schedule?”

The voice in the earpiece fell silent, seemingly acknowledging Lin Fei’s reasoning.

After a long pause, the young man in black ended the call and once again turned his gaze to Jingjiang, cloaked in the quiet of night.

“Then let’s begin. I’ll share this beautiful dreamscape with all of you.”

The pitch-black device behind Lin Fei began to unfold slowly, releasing an invisible wave that spread instantly, anchoring itself to specific groups of people. In an instant, the wave enveloped the entire city of Jingjiang.

In the dead of night, it seemed as though the city had begun to fog over.

Thin mist rose, resembling the soft clouds of the Yunmeng Mo, gently cradling the sleeping inhabitants.

Countless tiny points of light illuminated Lin Fei’s sunglasses—each representing a human who had used ZH’s sleep-aid products. Their psychic energy would form the foundation for constructing tonight’s dreamscape.

Tiny points of light began to flicker and then streak across the sky like meteors, surging into the pitch-black device.

Amidst the meteor shower reflected on his sunglasses, Lin Fei closed his eyes and used his psychic-type talent to hypnotize himself, falling asleep on the spot.

The Yunmeng Mo’s soft clouds rolled over, its mist-like haze gently enveloping the Beastmaster completely.

Behind him, the surface of the dark device flickered briefly, displaying a line of numbers.

Beta141725.