"So, someone used their Illusionary Realm ability to pull me into a dream within a dream...?"
Normally, Penacony should be divided into the real-world Reverie Hotel and the various dream realms. But now, the entire city is trapped within a massive dream. Doesn't that make the Golden Hour, where Robin finds herself, a dream within a dream?
And this dream within a dream was created by someone else's ability to construct Illusionary Realms?
This is so confusing! What's going on?
All these thoughts flashed through Robin's mind in mere moments. She quickly refocused on the immediate threat: the Bloodhound Family members approaching her. She hesitated. What should I do? Should I attack them?
Being captured would undoubtedly be bad news. The problem was, while the Bloodhound Family hadn't shown any combat skills in the game, as the city's "law enforcement," they couldn't possibly be completely defenseless. Robin doubted if she could truly defeat them.
Just as Robin hesitated, the members of the Bloodhound Family suddenly stopped, their faces etched with confusion.
"Hmm? Strange. Where did she go?"
"How could a full-grown person just vanish into thin air? She must be nearby. Let's search again!"
Uttering these odd remarks, the Bloodhound Family members turned in perfect unison and swiftly departed, leaving Robin utterly bewildered.
Wait, what? I was ready to attack! Why did they just leave?
The next moment, a gentle male voice, tinged with puzzlement, sounded from behind her. "Robin?! What are you doing here..."
At the sound of that voice, Robin flinched violently, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Cautiously, she turned around to find a man with a halo floating above his head and a pair of wings sprouting from behind his ears.
Without a doubt, it was Robin's elder brother, Sunday.
Crap! The imposter just ran into the real deal—her own brother! What do I do? Need help ASAP!
-
Meanwhile, back in reality, at the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations' underground warehouse, only seconds after the Martyr activated his ability, he was about to stride past Zhong Wanhong and the others when he realized they were breaking free from his control, emerging from the blissful Illusionary Realm.
Whoosh! As Zhong Wanhong pulled the trigger, a thin, piercing sound, unlike the report of a bullet, emanated from his gun's muzzle.
The instant he squeezed the trigger, a wall of black metal materialized directly in front of the Martyr. A grating metallic screech filled the air, like dozens of fingernails scraping across a chalkboard, as countless cracks spiderwebbed across the metal barrier.
Yu Lin and Lü Heng sprinted to flank the Martyr. Yu Lin hefted a greatsword nearly as tall as herself, while Lü Heng, handgun raised, sought a clear shot.
The Bureau's underground armory contained four types of specialized ammunition: explosive rounds, ice-burst rounds, thunderclap rounds, and armor-piercing rounds. At first glance, most would assume the explosive rounds packed the greatest punch.
In reality, the most powerful of the four bullets was the last—a hybrid of technology and magic with unparalleled penetrating power. Almost nothing could withstand its trajectory, save for the most massive targets. This bullet was virtually unstoppable.
The hastily erected metal wall the Martyr had conjured moments before hadn't truly stopped the shot. Zhong Wanhong could clearly see a distinct hole amidst the spiderweb of cracks.
Still, the wall had served its purpose, slowing the bullet and buying the Martyr precious seconds to evade. What should have been a fatal headshot instead left only a shallow scratch on his right cheek.
Clap! The Martyr pressed his palms together, his expression serene. "Truly remarkable," he murmured. "A Dragon Nation bullet that can even pierce Black Gold..."
As he spoke, two fully armored silver Knights materialized at his sides and charged toward Yu Lin and Lü Heng on either side.
It was as if reality itself had glitched. One moment, there was nothing, and the next, objects materialized out of thin air. Meanwhile, the Martyr continued, "Truly remarkable. I never imagined you could escape my Illusionary Realm, let alone so swiftly."
This meant that Zhong Wanhong and his companions possessed both the means to directly break free from illusions and the willpower to reject the past and refuse happiness.
Leaving aside the former, the latter alone was no easy feat.
Imagine trying to force someone to leap out of a warm bed on a winter morning during their day off. What Zhong Wanhong and his companions had accomplished was far more arduous than that.
Notably, Yu Lin was the first to escape. She found herself in her childhood form, before she had dragon horns or a tail, her hair an ordinary black. Just a perfectly ordinary little girl. Yet when she gazed upon her biological parents, she didn't hesitate for even a second before tightening her grip on the magnificent, ornate feather in her hand.
Though Yu Lin had previously told Robin she wanted to keep the feather as a cherished keepsake, she didn't hesitate for even a moment when the time came to use it.
Despite finally seeing her parents again, the parents she had dreamed of reuniting with, she didn't exchange a single word of farewell. Instead, she immediately chose to leave.
Yu Lin knew she was facing a formidable enemy. Her own clumsiness and limited cognitive capacity, capable only of single-threaded processing, left no room for distractions. At that moment, only one thought occupied her mind:
Fight with all her might!
This was her duty, her mission, and what the deceased senior investigator from the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations—the one who had given her a new life—would have done.
Protect the people of this nation!
Lü Heng was the second to break free from the Illusionary Realm. Zhong Wanhong, having lingered to bid farewell to his family from the past, was the last to emerge.