Chapter 32: The Nightmare That Canât Wake Up
The smell of disinfectant, the rhythmic beeping of medical equipment, the low hum of voices in conversation… The unfamiliar environment filled him with panic. Gu Yunsheng struggled to sit up, but a sharp, tearing pain shot through his back.
“Sss…” He hissed, sucking in a breath of cold air. He reached out to tug at his clothes, wanting to see the extent of his injuries.
A hand pressed him down. Lu Jinghengâs voice sounded in his ear, though his tone was frantic and worried. “What are you doing moving around! The doctor said youâre just exhausted. Lie down, quickly.”
The wound… Right, where was the wound? Hadn’t he been pierced through the shoulder by Sailuoâs fish-bone arrow? And Ling Xi…
Gu Yunsheng froze. Blurred images flashed through his mindâLing Xi holding him, fighting and fleeing from a crowd of bizarre creatures… But now, other than a bit of stiffness in his back, he didn’t have a single wound. Not even a drop of blood was visible!
“I… Where am I? Lu… Lu Jingheng?!” Gu Yunsheng looked at him in disbelief, rubbing his eyes hard. This felt too real to be a dream.
Seeing his pale face and dazed eyes, Lu Jingheng assumed he was still delirious from the fever. He soothed him, “Youâve been unconscious for three days, talking nonsense the whole time. Something about Ling Xi, Sailuo, Xue Chenxiâyou scared me to death!”
Ling Xi? Sailuo? These names were like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the fog in Gu Yunshengâs mind. The fragments of memories he had been forced to forget came rushing back like a tide, making him instantly sober.
Had he… returned to his own world? Really returned?
Was it truly a dream? But why were those images, those voices, and those sensations all so vivid, so deeply etched into his heart?
Gu Yunshengâs gaze swept across his surroundings, finally landing on his own hand.
The ring given to him by the System was still quietly resting on his index finger, exactly the same as it was before he left that virtual world.
It was still here.
Gu Yunsheng turned and grabbed Lu Jinghengâs hand, his heart occupied by an unspeakable panic.
He gripped Lu Jinghengâs hand so tightly his knuckles turned white. His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing together. “Jingheng… I… I really transmigrated into a book!”
“I transmigrated into that novel you wrote, the one called… The Merman’s Forbidden Domain!” Lu Jingheng was startled by the sudden movement. Before he could react, Gu Yunsheng continued, “There was Ling Xi, there was a laboratory, and Sailuo was turned into a killing machine… The mastermind behind the lab was called Mr. K, also known as Xue Chenxi…”
Lu Jingheng looked at Gu Yunsheng with a look of pure confusion. He reached out to feel his forehead. “The fever is gone. Why are you talking nonsense again?”
He withdrew his hand and stroked his chin, sizing Gu Yunsheng up. “I say, Gu Yunsheng, you didn’t go crazy from reading my book, did you? I did write a merman protagonist named Ling Xi, that’s true. But what on earth is a ‘Sailuo’? And Mr. KâI don’t recall writing that character in my novel? Wait, what’s this about a laboratory?”
Gu Yunsheng looked at this childhood friend, but at this moment, it felt like he was looking at an idiot.
He stared deathly at Lu Jingheng, his eyes rimmed with red and his hands trembling. “Lu Jingheng, can you be serious for a second…”
The voice was squeezed out from between his teeth. “Iâm not joking with you! I really entered the book you wrote!”
“I experienced those things you wrote, met those people, and even…”
Gu Yunshengâs chest heaved. Ling Xiâs handsome yet cold face flashed in his mind, and his heart throbbed with a faint ache.
With all the love and hatred intertwined with Ling Xi, he found that now that he was back in reality, he couldn’t utter a single word about it.
“Even what?” Lu Jingheng raised an eyebrow, a flash of interest in his eyes. “Don’t tell me you had a world-shaking romance with my merman protagonist?”
Gu Yunsheng retracted his hand and turned his face away. “Don’t talk nonsense!”
Seeing this reaction, Lu Jingheng couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Alright, alright, stop playing around. This joke isn’t funny at all.”
“Your storytelling skills have really improved, kid. It’s a pity you don’t write novels! A ‘sliced’ multi-personality Ling Xi? A black-hearted hospital lab? A mastermind boss? Tsk tsk tsk, the plot is melodramatic and exciting enough! Not bad, kid. Are you planning to join the web novel industry and steal my rice bowl?”
“Believe it or not. Get lost.”
Gu Yunsheng was so angry he felt like smoke was coming out of his ears. He took a deep breath, and just as he was about to speak, the ward door was pushed open from the outside.
“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt.”
A man in a white lab coat wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked in. He pushed up his glasses, a cold light reflecting off the lenses. “Iâve come to check on Mr. Guâs condition. Has his fever subsided yet?”
Seeing the doctor, Lu Jingheng quickly stepped forward to greet him. “Dr. Li, youâre here?” He stepped aside and gestured toward the bed. “Gu Yunsheng just woke up. I was just thinking of calling you over to take a look.”
The man called Dr. Li gave a faint hum of acknowledgement. His gaze landed on Gu Yunsheng, and the corner of his mouth hooked into an ambiguous smile. “Mr. Gu, how are you feeling?”
Looking at this strange man, a bizarre sensation suddenly arose in Gu Yunshengâs heart.
This Dr. Li wore a lab coat, but behind those black-rimmed glasses hid a familiar gloom that made Gu Yunsheng almost shudder.
“Dr. Li, I feel much better. I want to be discharged…”
“Discharged? You were unconscious for three days talking nonsense. We must observe you further!”
“I said Iâm fine! I want to leave!”
Gu Yunsheng suddenly raised his voice, staring furiously at the Dr. Li before him.
This scene was exactly the same as when Xue Chenxi took him back to the wooden cabin in the book… Why?
The sudden roar startled both Dr. Li and Lu Jingheng.
Lu Jingheng snapped back to his senses and walked quickly to the bedside, pressing down on Gu Yunshengâs shoulder. “Whatâs wrong with you! Dr. Li is doing this for your own good!”
Gu Yunsheng struggled to sit up, but Lu Jingheng held him down firmly. His face flushed red as he glared at the two men, alarm bells ringing in his mind.
Dr. Li pushed his glasses, a cold light flashing off the lenses, while his mouth curled into a hair-raising smile. “Mr. Gu, there’s no need to rush. Your body is still very weak. Once youâve recovered, you can naturally be discharged.”
Gu Yunshengâs heart sank. Could it be that this Dr. Li was Xue Chenxi? But how was that possible? Wasn’t Xue Chenxi supposed to be buried at the bottom of the sea? Besides, he was a virtual characterâhow could he appear in a parallel timeline?
Gu Yunsheng threw back the blanket with a movement so large it was as if he were trying to flip someone over.
He messily shoved his feet into his slippers, not even noticing that the heels were crushed. He began to walk out unsteadily.
“Are you crazy?!” Lu Jingheng grabbed his arm, but Gu Yunsheng was like a startled deer, struggling desperately with eyes full of terror.
“Calm down! What is wrong with you?” Lu Jingheng was shocked by this abnormal behavior, and the strength in his grip subconsciously loosened.
“Let go of me! Iâm leaving!” Gu Yunsheng forcefully shook off his hand. His gaze remained fixed on Dr. Liâspecifically, on the slight, mocking curve of his lips. That familiar curve was identical to Xue Chenxiâs in the book.
“Mr. Gu, your emotions are very unstable right now. Itâs not suitable for you to leave.” Dr. Li pushed his glasses. He seemed to have seen too many unstable patients, as his tone remained calm. “You might be confused from the fever. Rest well, and it won’t be too late to discharge once youâve recovered.”
“No, I don’t want to stay here…” Gu Yunsheng shook his head weakly, not knowing how to explain. Was he supposed to tell Lu Jingheng that this Dr. Li looked exactly like the Mr. K from the bookâthe one who had cut his arm to attract Ling Xi?
But how was that possible?
“How is it possible… the things in the book, things even Lu Jingheng himself doesn’t know… how could they appear in reality…” Gu Yunsheng was weakly supported by two nurses, his eyes hollow and filled with fear and disbelief.
“Gu Yunsheng,” Lu Jingheng wanted to go forward to support him, but was pushed away. “Don’t touch me! Don’t come near me…”
“Mr. Lu, please step outside. Iâll handle this,” Dr. Li said with a frown, gesturing for the nurses to pull Gu Yunsheng back to the bed.
Lu Jingheng looked worriedly at the nearly collapsing Gu Yunsheng, but he was helpless. “…Alright, Dr. Li, Iâll leave him to you. Call me immediately if anything happens.”
“Gu Yunsheng, Iâll be right outside the door. Iâm not going anywhere.”
“No… let go of me… Lu Jingheng! Don’t go! Don’t leave me…” Gu Yunsheng struggled in terror, the light in his eyes gradually fading. He felt like a lunatic being restrained by the people before him. “Let go… please…”
Dr. Li watched the struggling Gu Yunsheng on the bed, his gaze darkening. He held the syringe up to the light, and the pale yellow liquid inside glinted eerily.
He gave the two nurses a look. “Hold him down.”
The two nurses looked at each other with a hint of hesitation, but then nodded firmly, pinning Gu Yunsheng to the bed from both sides.
A cold curve hooked Dr. Liâs lips. The hand holding the medication slowly approached, the needle reflecting a bone-chilling light.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Gu,” Dr. Liâs voice was gentle, but it couldn’t hide the underlying chill. “Iâm going to give you a sedative. Have a good sleep, and when you wake up, you can be discharged, okay?”
“No, I don’t want an injection, I don’t want an inhibitor…” Gu Yunsheng shook his head in terror, resisting the approaching needle. His tone was urgent. “I don’t need an inhibitor… Iâm not an Omega…”
Gu Yunsheng struggled to sit up but was pinned down by the nurses. His voice turned hoarse. “Let go of me! Iâm not crazy! I don’t need an inhibitor!”
Dr. Li was startled by the sudden shout. The hand holding the syringe trembled slightly before he regained his composure. He pushed his glasses to hide the panic in his eyes. “Inhibitor? Mr. Gu, what are you talking about?”
He then explained in a mild tone, “There’s no inhibitor here. This is just an ordinary sedative. It will ease your anxiety and let you rest.”
Translator’s Note: Welcome back to reality… or is it? Poor Gu Yunsheng is suffering from major PTSD. “Cutting slices” (ĺç) is a Chinese slang term for multi-personality characters or clones of the same soul. It seems our author, Lu Jingheng, is a bit of a jokester, but he’s about to find out his “fiction” is much closer to home than he thought!
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