“Senior Wen Li.”

Luo Yu stood motionless, his long eyelashes fluttering briefly.

Behind him, Wen Shu closed the door, blocking the sunlight and casting a large shadow across the room.

“So, you two are working together—”

“Working together?” Wen Li chuckled, “That makes it sound like we’re villains, but we aren’t.”

He walked over and naturally ruffled Luo Yu’s hair. “This is Wen Shu, my younger sister.”

Wen Shu responded with a quick “Mm-hmm” to acknowledge.

“So,” Luo Yu’s lips trembled in disbelief, “when you talk about ‘the organization,’ it’s just the two of you?”

Wen Shu remained silent for a moment, then walked to the center of the lounge, crouched down, pulled out a black card, and tapped it against the floor.

To Luo Yu’s astonishment, the floor emitted a soft “beep.”

After a few seconds, panels on both sides automatically slid open, revealing a staircase leading underground!

Without a word, Wen Shu stepped onto the ladder. “Let’s go; they’ve probably been waiting impatiently.”

“My name is Wen Li. I haven’t lied to you.”

As the underground entrance opened, Wen Li withdrew his hand from Luo Yu’s hair and calmly said:

“I’m the head of the Hypnos League.”

“Some people here call me ‘Chief.’ Doesn’t it sound like something from a primitive tribe? Sleeping, after all, is one of humanity’s oldest activities.”

Luo Yu fought back the tumult in his heart, lowering his gaze as he listened to Wen Li speak.

The once-kind, studious senior now seemed distant, almost like a stranger.

“In the history department’s lounge that day…” Luo Yu suddenly recalled their first meeting, biting his lip.

“That’s right, I followed you there.”

Wen Li admitted without hesitation, gesturing for Luo Yu to head toward the underground chamber.

“When you left the hospital, Wen Shu informed me. I was delayed returning to campus, but fortunately, you hadn’t yet taken any anti-sleep pills.”

“I heard you went for a streaming audition, so I followed you there too, and then all the way to the lounge.”

Luo Yu’s heart sank. “So, you asked Professor Tao to recommend me as a streamer on purpose…”

Wen Li gestured for him to descend the ladder first and followed closely behind.

“Yes, I was using you. I was impressed by your performance in the audition and hoped that through your streaming, more people would become interested in sleeping.”

“Our organization’s purpose is to overturn the anti-sleep policy and bring sleeping back into human culture.”

“Luo Yu, you did an amazing job. I never imagined you would do it so well. The impact of your livestream far exceeded my expectations, and those of everyone in our organization.”

“Your single livestream sparked more enthusiasm for sleeping among people than our secret resistance efforts over the past two years could ever have.”

Wen Li’s voice trembled with excitement, and his hand landed on Luo Yu’s shoulder, resting close to his neck.

Instinctively, Luo Yu moved aside.

Wen Li’s hand slipped from his shoulder and hovered in midair before he slowly withdrew it.

Luo Yu looked back at Wen Li, his gaze conflicted.

Wen Li’s gaze was nearly feverish, as though he were staring at a priceless treasure he would never part with.

Everything Luo Yu had experienced in this world had been Wen Li’s carefully laid trap.

From sleeping in the lounge to becoming a streamer, to even renting that apartment at a low price…

His mind swirled in confusion.

The feeling of being used as a tool wasn’t pleasant. But without Wen Li’s help, he might never have been able to accomplish his sleeping tasks.

He supposed, they had merely used each other.

Luo Yu exhaled slowly, turned around, and carefully began descending the stairs, muttering softly:

“So, in your eyes, I’ve just been a tool all along, Senior.”

Once the three of them reached the underground room, Wen Shu turned on a wall lamp embedded in the damp red brick wall.

Luo Yu’s eyes widened as he took in the scene before him—

Inside this underground base of the resistance organization were rows of bunk beds!

The long, rectangular underground room had black-red brick walls, with nearly a hundred iron bunk beds neatly arranged on both sides of the passage.

Several people were lying on the beds, sound asleep, some lazily stretching and yawning as they were disturbed by the sudden light.

For the first time, Luo Yu saw so many people sleeping in this world!

Momentarily forgetting his conversation with Wen Li, his heart raced with excitement.

“You’re not just a tool.”

Wen Li turned and saw Luo Yu staring in awe. He curved his lips into a slight smile.

“Luo Yu, you’re the organization’s greatest hope. You’re our savior.”

Before he could respond, Wen Li suddenly raised his voice toward the rows of bunks.

“Everyone, wake up! Your idol is here.”

His announcement rang out like a rallying cry, and instantly, all the people lounging on the beds sprang up:

“Why so sudden? I haven’t even changed!” “Chief, couldn’t you have warned us?” “This is embarrassing in front of my wife!”

One person quickly buttoned their pajamas and, turning to look at Luo Yu, let out a small scream: “My wife really is here!” only to be interrupted by another person on the ladder: “Shut up, he’s mine!”

“All of you, be quiet! Don’t scare our little Luo Yu, the streamer!”

One by one, people gathered around Luo Yu, dressed in colorful pajamas.

Some were cotton, others silk; some had long sleeves, others short. Everyone was chattering and waving their hands:

“Luo Yu, I love watching your streams! Do you know, every time you sleep, we all sleep along with you! Seeing you sleep so soundly makes my own sleep even better.”

“My favorite was the snow episode. Oh, if only I could sleep in that kind of environment, I’d be such a happy girl!”

“Your bed looks so soft…”

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Luo Yu looked at the crowd of men and women greeting him with the cheerfulness of a pajama party. The awkwardness in his heart faded somewhat, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“It really is soft. I’ll bring my bed here next time, and we can all sleep together! Such a big bed is wasted with just me on it.”

“Awesome!” The crowd erupted into cheers!

Looking at these people, a warmth spread through Luo Yu’s heart.

These people were just like him, needing sleep every day.

Here, they could sleep without fear of being reported, without being sent to the hospital, without being outcasts.

The thought made Luo Yu feel relaxed, like being home and safe.

“Everyone, calm down. From now on, Luo Yu is one of us, so there’ll be plenty of time to chat with him.”

Wen Shu waved her hand to clear a path through the crowd, then turned to Wen Li.

“Brother, why don’t you show him around first?”

Wen Li met her gaze briefly, then gently placed his arm around Luo Yu’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Someone in the crowd whispered, “Wen Li, take your hand off! Don’t touch my wife!”

Wen Li narrowed his eyes and glanced at the person who shouted.

Embarrassed, Luo Yu lowered his head and quickened his pace.

Wen Li’s hand slowly slid away from his shoulder as they walked away from the lively crowd.

As they walked, Wen Li said, “Xiao Luo, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

“Now that we’re in this together, I won’t hide anything from you anymore.”

Luo Yu chuckled to herself.

Since they were using each other, there was no need to put it so nicely.

But he did have many questions:

“Is Professor Tao part of the organization too?”

“I’d love for him to join, but no, he isn’t.”

Wen Li’s tone was light.

“But he knows what I’m doing.”

“There are many in academia who prefer to stay neutral. They don’t have the courage to resist, but they also can’t ignore their conscience completely. When necessary, we can rely on them.”

Luo Yu nodded.

No wonder the professor supported him streaming but warned him not to actually sleep, as if trying to keep him safe.

The professor had always given him a conflicted feeling.

Looking around the spacious underground room, he asked, “How many Hypnos League bases like this exist? Are they all over the world?”

Wen Li shook his head. “Currently, we only have a few dozen bases here in City A. I’ve used various information channels to try to gather families of the deceased worldwide, but strangely, no one outside of this city has reached out to me.”

“For now, we rely on Wen Shu’s connections to gather information on those who died in City A’s sleep hospital and reach out to their families.”

Luo Yu found it odd but couldn’t put his finger on why. He changed the subject. “Is it safe to sleep in this underground room?” This was what mattered most to him!

“Safe…”

Wen Li’s lips curled in a bitter smile.

“Under the Association’s surveillance, nowhere is truly safe to sleep. But our Hypnos League bases are the safest places to sleep in the world. At least, all the workers on the construction site above are with us.”

He paused for a few seconds, and his voice became somber.

“My parents were once the site managers of this project. A year ago, they died due to an allergic reaction to the anti-sleep pills.”

Luo Yu recalled what Wen Shu had said about the purpose of this gathering and stopped walking.

“My parents were hardworking and kind. They never owed a worker a cent and treated everyone on the job like their brothers and children…”

Wen Li’s voice grew quieter, then he suddenly exhaled heavily.

“That night, they suddenly passed out and were rushed to the hospital by the workers. An hour later, the doctor told us they’d contracted some unknown fatal disease and, fearing infection, were cremated immediately.”

Luo Yu turned, unsure how to comfort him, and gently patted Wen Li’s back.

Wen Li smiled at the gesture. “Xiao Luo, I’m fine; it’s long in the past now.”

Luo Yu couldn’t help but ask, “How did you know it was the anti-sleep pills?”

Wen Li replied, “Xiao Shu was working in the hospital morgue, but she didn’t even get to see our parents’ bodies before they were cremated.”

“To uncover the truth about their deaths, she worked hard to gain the trust of the doctor who notified us of their deaths.”

“Eventually, she earned his trust, and he started letting her handle cases of people who died suddenly from anti-sleep pills.”

A figure flashed through Luo Yu’s mind. “Dr. Duan?”

Wen Li nodded. “Yes. He’s with the Union. Every abnormal case in City A is sent to the sleep hospital, where he first screens and diagnoses them. When he identifies an allergy to anti-sleep pills, he immediately orders the body to be cremated to keep it hidden.”

Though Wen Shu had already told her, Luo Yu still couldn’t suppress his outrage upon hearing it again.

He took a deep breath. “How is an organization like that fit to manage humanity?”

Wen Li adjusted his glasses, giving him a bitter smile.

“Luo Yu, you’re too naive. The International Human Progress Union cares only about ‘human progress.’ They couldn’t care less if one or two people live or die.”

“Back then, when Song Lingyuan and Duan Yixun were stranded in City A, my parents took pity on them and sheltered them for two days. If they’d known this day would come, they should have killed them on the spot!”

“Who’s Duan Yixun?” The information was so overwhelming that Luo Yu felt completely lost.

Wen Li looked at him, surprised.

“He’s now the highest commissioner of the entire Area A Management Committee, and Song Lingyuan’s older brother.”

He let out a heavy sigh.

“Their parents were once famous politicians and were ambushed here in City A twenty years ago. My parents hid them on the construction site, saving their lives. Later, they were taken by different people and ended up with different surnames.”

As Wen Li spoke, his eyes held the same hatred that Wen Shu had shown earlier.

“Now, the younger brother is the head of the Global Union, ruling with an iron fist, while the elder is the most powerful high commissioner of the largest division, Area A. It’s their collusion that has brought us to ruin.”

“Luo Yu, remember, they are our enemies! Because of them, so many people have died from the anti-sleep drugs.”

Wen Li’s words reminded Luo Yu of something else. “Why did you say I’m a savior? I can’t even protect myself.”

By now, they had reached the end of the underground hall, where a few scattered rooms had their doors open.

As Luo Yu spoke, his eyes glanced over the rooms—a bathroom, a shower, a changing room, a kitchen, and a storage room. They were equipped well enough to live here for ten days without stepping outside.

Only one door was tightly locked.

“We’ll protect you because only you can save us.” Wen Li’s gentle smile returned as he led Luo Yu to that locked door.

He took out a key and unlocked it.

As the door opened, Luo Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

The sight inside was nothing like the communal space for the others outside.

Gold wallpaper covered the dark red bricks, making the room look like a palace. At the center stood a brand-new, gleaming bed.

The golden headboard shimmered, with silver silk sheets as fine as gossamer draped over it, and even jewels adorned the bedposts.

It looked like the royal bedroom of a young prince.

“Xiao Luo.” Wen Li turned to him. “This is your new streaming room, prepared just for you.”