It’s a nightmare.
This transition wasn’t smooth at all.
She had only just started getting used to a leisurely life.
Yet in the blink of an eye, an even harsher future awaited her.
Still, even in difficult and painful times, there were things worth being happy about.
For instance…
You Xue raised the potion in her hand, watching sunlight pass through the orange-brown liquid, casting a pale brown patch of light.
After finishing all the sampling in the lab, Anbian Du handed over the Magic Blocker as promised.
You Xue didn’t reveal any more information about the nightmare and left alone.
She didn’t want to disclose her abnormality to the Academy, even though she might already seem unusual in their eyes.
Pulling out the cork from the potion, You Xue tilted her head back and downed the Magic Blocker in one gulp, then wiped the residual liquid from her lips with her wrist.
Blech.
It was just as disgusting as before—sour, rotten, bitter, like chewing on fruit pits that had rotted in the ground along with mud.
Better eat some candy.
This candy was given to her by Xi Lin, who insisted it was a reward for being a good kid.
You Xue just wanted to leave quickly, so she didn’t refuse and took the candy.
As the sweetness spread across her taste buds, covering the sour and astringent aftertaste of the potion, she finally felt a little better.
Just then, her phone rang.
You Xue looked at the screen—it was Su Li.
“You Xue.”
She had blocked his number before to cut ties, but now she had unblocked him.
“Mm, I’m here. What’s wrong?”
“After taking a nap at noon, I felt much better, so I’m heading back.”
Su Li’s departure was a good thing for You Xue.
She had too many things she couldn’t let him know.
But she still had to maintain basic concern.
She pursed her lips slightly, thought for a moment, and spoke.
“Are you really better? Still dizzy? Did you bring your medicine? Don’t stop taking it just because you feel a little better. Drink more hot water…”
“I understand.”
This concern seemed to please Su Li.
He chuckled lightly.
“I’ve got it all. I brought the medicine. I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning.”
He said.
“See you tomorrow.”
You Xue also said.
“See you tomorrow.”
She hung up.
The warmth on her face disappeared.
How should she deal with the upcoming nightmare attack?
You Xue wasn’t really sure either.
There was definitely a gap between dreams and reality.
Even if someone was a powerful Superpowered Individual in reality, in the nightmare’s domain, those abilities that could be freely used in the real world would no longer work.
Only a few people could rely on their strong will to gain some control over the dream, which was the only way to effectively defend against nightmare attacks.
And Su Li was definitely one of them.
You Xue believed he would surely handle the danger, but she wasn’t so confident about herself.
Even if she somehow managed to gain control over the dream, what could she use to fight back in that state when she couldn’t use her supernatural ability now?
You Xue tried her best not to think about the bad side, but fantasies like that, once started, were hard to stop.
On the bright side, though, the disaster called the nightmare might not even fall on her.
You Xue started acting out a little skit in her mind.
‘Ah, Teacher You Xue, I see you frowning all day. You might have nightmares.’
‘I bet you can’t out-sleep me.’
You Xue immediately stopped the fantasy.
‘Uh, better if that doesn’t happen.’
She slowly walked back to the dorm, opened the door, and flopped onto the sofa.
Su Li must have left not long ago—there was still a little warmth left on the sofa.
Everything had been tidied up; the blanket and towel were back in their places.
You Xue sat down on the chair.
The Magic Blocker she had drunk was taking effect, and without painkillers, the pain had eased a lot.
She stared blankly at the room’s furnishings.
The surroundings were a bit quiet, and she could almost feel a hint of… loneliness?
Suddenly, she didn’t know what to do.
She took off her slippers, stepped barefoot onto the sofa, and looked at her small, smooth instep.
Bored, You Xue hugged her knees.
She had already asked Sanjian Ying for leave from work, so she didn’t have to make those seals.
She had gotten the potion.
This pain-free good spell could last for several days.
Su Li was gone, and there was no one to talk to.
She looked out the window.
The clear sky after the rain stopped was probably the best—it was excessively bright, and even though it was about to get dark, the twilight light that was neither late nor fully dark was still very beautiful.
You Xue stared out the window for a long time, then suddenly felt she couldn’t just sit there doing nothing.
She stood up, walked to the desk, and pulled open the second drawer.
Inside was a blank notebook and a pen.
They had been there since she moved in.
Maybe the Academy gave them, or maybe a senior left them behind.
Whatever.
Since she got them, they were hers.
You Xue bit the pen cap, stared at the blank page, and thought hard for a long time before finally writing the first sentence.
[I am actually not You Xue]
You Xue looked at the line, frowning for a long time—so long that the light outside the window dimmed another degree.
She couldn’t tell if she was satisfied or not; she just felt that writing that sentence was a bit strange.
But it was the truth.
Her hand holding the pen rose and fell, but that sentence remained frozen on the first page of the notebook, neither crossed out nor continued.
You Xue sighed.
She felt like nothing was going her way.
She closed the notebook and put it back in the drawer.
Too many troublesome things…
Better to just sleep.
At least in sleep, she didn’t have to think about anything.
Even though there was the risk of the nightmare, not sleeping… how was that possible?
In the original story, this nightmare disaster lasted at least a week.
Forcing herself to stay awake for seven days straight was just too extreme to even imagine.
So You Xue chose to just crash and sleep—after washing up, of course.
She wrapped herself in the blanket, feeling the gradually warming temperature in the soft cocoon.
The wind outside was stronger than before, brushing tree branches against the glass with a faint rustling sound.
You Xue listened to that sound, and her thoughts slowly unraveled.
You Xue didn’t know how long it took.
Maybe a few minutes, maybe longer.
Her breathing gradually deepened and evened out, like ripples on water being smoothed over.
The moment the dream came, she barely noticed the boundary.
She saw—no, “saw” wasn’t quite the right word in her consciousness.
You Xue felt the arrival of light.
The view before her gradually became clear: white tiles, green sago palms, the glass window of the isolation counter.
Everything was so familiar, like going back to the past.
To be precise, this was the past.
Everything constructed by this dream came from her memories.
But this dream was empty of people.
Just as she thought that, a strange noise came from behind her.
You Xue turned around.
She saw a doctor in a white coat and a mask.
Did I guess wrong?
You Xue tilted her head and looked at him.
She tried to say hello.
But before her hand could even move, she saw the doctor melt like cream.
Viscous flesh and blood dripped down the white coat.
His features and limbs flowed everywhere, and dense purple-red pustules bulged out.
Countless tiny tendrils emerged from the gaps in the flesh mass, writhing and twisting chaotically.
Then that thing started moving toward You Xue—no, it was rolling toward her.
You Xue watched everything happen expressionlessly, inwardly blaming herself.
‘I knew I shouldn’t have played that cheap joke. Now it’s come true!’
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.