12 accosted

As the medical staff departed, Zhang Yaoyang fell silent, unexpectedly affected by the mere occurrence of a nightmare, a revelation that even he hadn't foreseen, causing such profound impact on people.

Yet, he didn't descend into guilt or remorse. After all, he had no deep connection with Tang Ning; they had even engaged in physical altercation last night. At this moment, he pondered more on the implications of his abilities and the potential changes they could bring to his life.

Initially, he had regarded his newfound power as something trivial, but now he realized its potential to significantly influence others, perhaps even to deadly consequences if wielded recklessly...

Zhang Yaoyang's heart grew solemn. The more he learned, the more curious and cautious he became about his abilities.

Clearly, with the emergence of two new skills, Zhang Yaoyang understood that his comprehension of this power was merely scratching the surface.

He wondered about the entity that had bestowed upon him this ability in the first place. What were its intentions? And what deeper meaning lay behind the notion that he had already paid a price?

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Yaoyang closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and then abruptly opened them, a peculiar gleam flickering within.

"How intriguing this is becoming..."

---

In the morning, Zhang Yaoyang, as usual, lay slouched over his desk, browsing through information on dreams and the subconscious on his phone, while Liu Yang seemed engrossed in texting, her phone occasionally emitting soft vibrations.

"The subconscious possesses a memory storage function. Like an immense warehouse, it can store all of life's cognitions and memories. Even fleeting images are permanently stored, hidden deep within the subconscious, unless some special event occurs, ordinary people cannot awaken these memories in a lifetime..."

Upon reading this passage, Zhang Yaoyang squinted, a vague idea flashing through his mind.

Lowering his gaze to his textbook on criminal psychology, he skimmed through it hastily, flipping through each page before closing his eyes and swiftly entering the realm of dreams.

Instantly, the ocean of the subconscious and the yacht of consciousness appeared before him. Zhang Yaoyang took a deep breath and waved his hand, and suddenly, a copy of "Criminal Psychology" materialized in his grasp.

A hint of surprise crossed Zhang Yaoyang's face as he opened the book once more. True to his expectations, the font on the pages was clear and identical to the textbook in reality!

Zhang Yaoyang was thoroughly amazed. The power of the subconscious was incredibly potent; he hadn't consciously memorized the contents of this book, yet in the dream realm of the subconscious, every detail of the book easily manifested!

This meant that in the future, he wouldn't need to memorize through rote learning or even comprehend the content. All he needed to do was glance at it casually, and when needed, retrieve it from the dream realm.

After all, dreams were the epitome of the subconscious, making it effortless to access memories stored within.

Lost in his thoughts, Zhang Yaoyang suddenly opened his eyes to Liu Yang's exuberant cheer.

"YES!"

Liu Yang quickly covered his mouth and glanced at the lectern. Seeing that the lecturer hadn't noticed him, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he nudged Zhang Yaoyang with his elbow excitedly, "Hey, let's go out for lunch, Crow."

"Huh?" Zhang Yaoyang lazily turned his head. "Didn't we just eat out last night?"

"It's different today. I really had to persuade Li Jiao and the others from our class to agree to this gathering," Liu Yang said with delight. "But let's get this straight, we'll split the bill evenly among us guys this time."

Zhang Yaoyang rolled his eyes. "You trying to pursue Li Jiao?"

"Cut it out, man. What's with the talk?" Liu Yang laughed and scolded, feeling a bit awkward. "What do you mean 'pursue'? I just want to get to know her better."

"It's all the same," Zhang Yaoyang waved his hand. "You guys go ahead, I'm not joining."

"Don't be like that. It's not just the girls from our class this time. I heard a few girls from the next class over are coming too. After the dinner, we're heading to karaoke," Liu Yang encouraged enthusiastically. "Think of it as doing a favor for your bro, okay?"

"You're chasing girls, why should we foot the bill?" Zhang Yaoyang sighed, unable to resist Liu Yang's persuasion and eventually agreed.

Enduring through the rest of the class, several girls approached Liu Yang chattering excitedly. Before they reached them, Zhang Yaoyang caught a whiff of overpowering perfume. One of the girls, wearing a lace top with a hint of cleavage showing, knocked on their desks with a grin, "Hey Liu Yang, today it's agreed the guys are treating us, we girls are only responsible for eating and singing, okay?"

"Yeah, that's right, we're counting on you guys today!" the other girls chimed in immediately.

"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Liu Yang scratched his head foolishly, earning giggles from the girls.

After settling on a location, the girls left while Zhang Yaoyang returned to the dorm to freshen up before meeting at the school gate. There, he saw everyone waiting, with five girls on one side and himself, Liu Yang, Li Jian, and Gao Yu on the other, totaling four guys.

At some point, Liu Yang had already reserved a private room. The group walked cheerfully towards a nearby restaurant, with Zhang Yaoyang trailing behind, observing the excited guys as if they were stallions in heat, feeling somewhat speechless.

Soon, they passed by the Meihao Supermarket again. Zhang Yaoyang couldn't help but glance at it once more. It still bore the aftermath of the fire, dark and charred like burnt cheese, with no caution tape removed.

Clearly, the casualties of over forty people were a big deal nationwide. Even with the most efficient management, the aftermath couldn't be resolved in just a few days.

But what exactly happened that day?

Was it an illusion, or a genuine supernatural phenomenon?

Zhang Yaoyang took one last look at the supermarket before dismissing the thought and walked past it.

They arrived at the restaurant where Liu Yang had booked a private room. They spent over three hours having their meal, then headed to the Global Crown KTV, booking a large room.

As the sun gradually set, amidst the howls and laughter from inside the karaoke, Zhang Yaoyang felt annoyed. He rubbed his temples and walked out of the room, standing on the balcony at the end of the corridor.

Standing before the railing, looking at the now-darkened city of Yanzhou, Zhang Yaoyang felt a bit dazed.

He took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one skillfully, and took a deep drag, letting the nicotine clear his mind as it flowed through his veins.

"What kind of help can this eerie ability bring to my life?" Zhang Yaoyang muttered, feeling somewhat lost.

He had thought about using this ability to earn money, but what could he really do? Scare some wealthy individuals in their dreams, appearing as a Taoist priest when they were at their most fearful, and then exorcise them?

Or directly rob them in their dreams, extracting their bank card passwords?

Zhang Yaoyang shook his head wryly. If he really did that, he probably wouldn't even know how he died, considering he was just an ordinary person in reality, apart from his ability to enter dreams.

Moreover, this ability was far from being as miraculous as in online novels. Once those high-ranking individuals found out the truth, what awaited him would definitely be a nightmarish ending.

Just as Zhang Yaoyang pondered, he suddenly felt a heavy tap on his shoulder. Reflexively turning around, he saw a pure-looking girl smiling at him.

The girl, about 1.6 meters tall, barely reached Zhang Yaoyang's chin. Perhaps due to drinking, her cheeks were slightly flushed, adding to her allure. Tilting her head back, she blinked her bright eyes and said, "Yaoyang, why are you standing here alone?"

"Nothing, just had a bit too much to drink, sobering up," Zhang Yaoyang nodded.

"Mm..." The girl nodded, standing beside Zhang Yaoyang like a little adult. After looking outside for a while, she withdrew her gaze, sneaking a peek at Zhang Yaoyang. The blush on her face seemed to deepen.

"Do you know?" After a while, the girl whispered, "The feeling you give me is unlike anyone else's."

"Oh?" Zhang Yaoyang looked at the young girl in surprise. He barely knew her, only recognizing her from the neighboring class. Hearing her words, he glanced at her, sensing an inexplicable sparkle in her eyes.

The girl was delicate in appearance, not as outgoing as Li Jiao, but still above average. With her watery eyes, slightly upturned nose, round face, and pointed chin, she exuded a playful and charming aura.

Zhang Yaoyang nodded and smiled, "How so?"

"Your gaze is fierce," the girl stated firmly, "giving off an unfriendly vibe."

"Uh..." Zhang Yaoyang ran his hand through his hair, at a loss for words.

"But if you look closely, you're quite handsome," the girl continued, "very manly, unlike those Korean pretty boys."

"Well, thank you," Zhang Yaoyang rolled his eyes.

The two chatted briefly, but Zhang Yaoyang wasn't very talkative and soon found himself in a silence. However, this didn't seem to affect the girl's fondness for him, a sentiment Zhang Yaoyang could clearly sense.

However, Zhang Yaoyang didn't break through that final barrier; they simply exchanged phone numbers before he returned to the private room.

They sang for four or five hours, and by the time they left the KTV, it was late at night.

"Goodbye, we'll leave first," Li Jiao waved at the four boys.

"Goodbye!" Liu Yang and the other two boys waved back, watching the girls get into the taxi with reluctance.

"See you tomorrow!" At this moment, the girl from the neighboring class who had chatted with Zhang Yaoyang earlier popped her head out of the car and waved at him with a smile.

Zhang Yaoyang nodded, watching the taxi speed away. Although there were five girls inside, they were all slender, so they fit comfortably.

However, in the instant the car started moving, Zhang Yaoyang seemed to catch a glimpse of a faintly eerie smile on the driver's lips.

That smile felt oddly familiar.

"Illusion?" Zhang Yaoyang didn't get a clear look before the taxi drove off, leaving him behind.

"Hey, you and Zheng Jiaran..." Just then, Liu Yang seemed to discover something exciting and exclaimed, "Could it be, you're a hidden master at picking up girls? To think..."

"What are you talking about?" Zhang Yaoyang pushed Liu Yang away. "She and I are just friends."

"Doesn't seem like it," Liu Yang sighed, about to tease further, but another taxi stopped, cutting him off.

Back in the dorm, the two cleaned up before returning to bed, ending their day of revelry.