Chapter 562: Chapter 48 Beyond the Dream

Real world, Sky City.

A doctor walked towards the iconic building of the Cangshou District, following an Empire official’s guidance to the elevator.

The doctor seldom came to Cangshou District for official dealings; her cooperation was mainly with the lab-coated ones in the laboratory. Because she inherently distrusted the governing body, she always cautiously controlled her distance from this behemoth – she would cooperate with work, but that was all.

However, the development of events often transcended personal will; when trouble truly came knocking, the only choices were to face it or flee…

The doctor faintly guessed the reason for her summons, but she still harbored concerns in her heart. Ayane was resting at her home, and the doctor earnestly hoped that this summons had nothing to do with their past.

The elevator doors opened, and the doctor stepped into the 66th-floor office. The first thing she saw upon entering were the huge flags hanging on the wall, their black and white Mystic Bird designs connecting head to tail, seemingly spiraling upward, radiating infinite brilliance.

A bespectacled, round-faced man sat under the Yong Guang Flag in front of a solid wood table. To his side, on a grand master’s chair, sat a tall man in black, holding a scroll, with a sharp face.

The doctor admitted to feeling a bit nervous, as this was probably the first time she had directly faced a Creator Realm Mage.

Mr. Xuan Zhi motioned her over before she could bow: “The doctor has arrived! Don’t be nervous, sit down, just call me Director Liu.”

“Hello, Director Liu,” the doctor swallowed the string of titles that had reached her lips and sat down as instructed.

“Hello, doctor. You may have heard, in April, a particularly unique incident occurred on Zero Island,” Director Liu spoke with an enigmatic tone while describing the disappearance of the Monarch Dragon, “We believe this event might have caused some unpredictable effects on the situation of all superpower users. Among them, you are one of the few with quite a peculiar case. Considering the personal safety of students in our city, we hope you could cooperate with an official investigation. It won’t take up too much of your time, roughly about ten minutes… Would you be willing to assist?”

The doctor was surprised by the care in his words. Each of his sentences carried the official tone, concealing any information beyond regulations, even when speaking with someone who knew the inner world well.

“I will cooperate with the official security actions.”

“This will make things much easier!” Director Liu smiled, pointing to the man in black beside him, “Let me introduce you, this is Mr. Yan, an expert employed by the Empire officials; he will ask you a few special questions. You needn’t worry, we won’t reveal your personal information, just answer freely.”

Mr. Yan put down the scroll he was holding and, with his narrow eyes, scanned her before getting straight to the point, “What have you been dreaming about recently?”

Her response to Mr. Yan’s core-targeted question was carefully chosen.

“I dreamt of a blue humanoid figure. Its outline was blurry, but I felt that it was male. At first, it was just a glimmer of blue light, but as the dream deepened, its form progressively became clearer. I think that some existence is trying to establish contact with me…”

“You think!” Mr. Yan interrupted impatiently, “Why do you kids always like to fantasize so much? Don’t you know to deceive yourself and tell yourself it’s just an illusion?”

The doctor became a bit irritated by his attitude: “I am not Gongsun Ce.”

“Ts-ts-ts…” Mr. Yan’s gaze pierced through her, making the doctor very uncomfortable. He suddenly said, “That’s not right, didn’t you learn basic knowledge during the Red Mouth project? How did the people of Zero Island teach you?”

His words clutched at the doctor’s heart. The Red Mouth project – they indeed knew about it. She clenched her fingers tightly to not show any fear.

She spoke icily, “There was no knowledge there, only torture.”

“That damn Zero Island people’s tacky affair,” Mr. Yan cursed loudly.

Director Liu frowned, “Yan Qi! This is an office!”

“What, you want to defend the assholes?” Yan Qi replied with a glare.

“You should choose your words appropriately,” Director Liu spoke firmly, “It was driven by a minority of extremists from Zero Island, under the influence of a highly tense international environment, the narrow thinking of secret war, a rash, blind, and hasty experimental plan that neglected basic human rights and ethical principles!”

Yan Qi praised, “Not bad, fatty, you’re quite good at scolding people.”

The doctor nearly laughed out loud. She had to admit that the conversation between these two middle-aged men greatly relieved her tension.

Yan Qi tapped on the table and asked, “You’re still in the Clarity Realm, huh? Haven’t practiced the Impermanence Skill once since the accident?”

“No, I don’t want to touch that technique anymore.”

“You helped the lab-coats with the development of new Heart Phase Weapons.”

“That’s different from personal cultivation,” the doctor closed her eyes, “Please forgive me, I’d rather not discuss this topic any further.”

“Alright then.”

True to his word, Yan Qi asked no further, merely raising a few questions related to dreams before pulling out a writing brush.

“Come here so I can place a Sealing on you, to save you from letting your mind run wild and causing trouble!”

The doctor did as told. Yan Qi casually drew a pentagram, the ink seeping into her head and vanishing.

“Done, go on and get back to your business.”

Director Liu gave him a look and smiled at the doctor, “Thank you for your cooperation, please take your leave! Unless unexpected, the officials won’t disturb your life again anytime soon.”

The doctor stood up to express gratitude, turned around, and left.