Chapter 29: Entering the Dream

Shen You had a strange dream.

In the dream, a dark red sky covered Gotham, with a sinister atmosphere suffocating the air. The skyscrapers crumbled amidst sharp explosions, collapsing one by one. Reinforced concrete twisted into bizarre shapes amidst the blasts, with debris and rubble scattered at every corner, covered in layers of dust and remnants. The city was shrouded in smoke, distant screams, and desperate shouts, as if this dark city was crying out in its final moments.

Shen You walked along the ruined streets, staring at the burning wreckage and the surrounding rubble, his expression somewhat dazed.

He couldn't quite remember how things had turned out this way or why he was here. The shattered streets beneath his feet felt strangely unreal, the choking smoke adding to his unease.

The sky cracked open.

Countless fragments broke away, like a mirror shattered to pieces. From the ruptured sky appeared a grotesque face, red in color, with colorful eyes and a body covered in red spikes.

This appearance was familiar to him.

"Hahahaha!" The figure in the crack laughed loudly, "Another world has fallen into darkness; now this place belongs to my interdimensional domain!"

"Who are you... Wait, don't tell me."

Shen You frowned, trying to recall distant memories.

"Interdimensional being... the King of Odd Jobs? Boss Slayer?"

The red-faced creature roared in anger, "King of Odd Jobs? I am the interdimensional being Yapool, the amalgamation of hatred and resentment! Your worst nightmare, Ultraman!"

"Uh, sorry, you were a bit low on the wanted list in the Land of Light, so I couldn't quite remember," Shen You said apologetically.

He remembered now. Yapool was the main adversary in Ultraman Ace's TV series, the antagonist throughout the entire story. However, over the long history of Ultraman, his status had dwindled, mostly appearing as a subordinate to stronger entities later on.

Being a subordinate was one thing, but Yapool had a tendency to jinx his own bosses. Every time he was about to die, he would shout something like "Long live XXX" to show his loyalty. But ultimately, his loyalty always turned out to be a jinx, and no matter how powerful his bosses were, they all ended up being utterly defeated by Ultraman.

Yapool was enraged, yelling about being falsely accused and how he never betrayed his bosses.

"Well, the Emperor of the Universe, Alien Empera, was your doing, right?" Shen You began listing.

"That was his own fault for not dodging skills properly, a max-level account with bronze-level operations, nothing to do with me," Yapool retorted.

"And Dark Lugiel? The one who nearly took over the Land of Light single-handedly, wasn't he also jinxed by you?"

"And what about Zetton? The emperor of the multiverse and the cosmic devil? Wasn't he also killed after you pledged your loyalty?"

Yapool: "..."

The interdimensional being grew increasingly irritable, shouting loudly before his massive body emerged from the crack, a giant fist aiming straight for Shen You's head.

"Wait."

Shen You made a stopping gesture. Yapool's fist halted in mid-air, glaring at him angrily.

"What now?"

"Something's not right. I seem to be in the DC universe, so why would Yapool be in Gotham?" Shen You scratched his chin, trying to recall. "Did you also cross over? Or maybe..."

With a thought, Shen You closed his eyes, focusing his mental energy.

The surroundings rapidly changed. The gigantic Yapool vanished like a phantom, the dark red sky and burning streets started to swirl. Everything was sucked into a massive vortex, consumed by chaos.

When he opened his eyes again, Shen You found himself back in the café, realizing he had dozed off at the table.

As expected, it was just a nightmare, something he had conjured up.

"You actually woke up on your own?"

The voice of the old wizard, Shazam, reached his ears. Shen You turned and saw the wizard looking at him with some surprise.

"This is a rare and powerful dream energy. I have special methods to avoid being captured by nightmares. But you managed it too?" The old wizard paused, looking at Shen You with a complex expression. "You have strong mental power, alien."

"I've had some training in that area."

Shen You stood up, stretching his limbs.

"What's going on?"

"A sudden surge of dream magic, likely covering the entire city now... see for yourself."

Shen You looked around and saw that everyone in the café had fallen asleep.

Regular customer Tom lay on the table, drooling in a puddle. Regular from Chinatown, Mr. Wang, was also slumped over a dining table, sleeping and mumbling in his sleep.

If you listened closely, you might hear him muttering something like "sister-in-law is great."

Even the talk show host on TV was asleep, snoring into the microphone, his loud snores echoing through countless homes.

Even Kara Zor-El, the Kryptonian girl, hadn't been spared. She had been studying an English textbook called "English Learning Partner," and now she was asleep, her golden hair swaying gently.

Oh, this might not have been related; she usually dozed off while reading anyway.

"Dream magic. This domain should be managed by Morpheus of the Endless family. I don't know how such a mistake occurred..." The old wizard frowned. "But this could be very dangerous. My dream-entering spell can help me enter the dream realm to find the culprit, but with my magic reduced to almost nothing, it's risky. You'll need to watch over my body, and if you see anything wrong, wake me immediately."

"Or I have a better idea," Shen You suggested. "Maybe you can take me with you."

"You?"

The old wizard frowned.

"I know you're strong, alien. But dreams and reality are entirely different dimensions, each with its own rules. I understand the rules of dreams, so my magic works there. But you? No matter how powerful you are in reality, you can't bring that strength into the dream realm."

"Don't worry, I know a bit about the rules of dreams," Shen You said confidently.

In the Land of Light, every Ultraman is trained to develop comprehensively, including courses on dream realms.

Several Ultraman predecessors have entered dreams in the TV series, defeating monsters that controlled dreams, proving that the power of light can also be effective in the dream world.

Seeing his confidence, the old wizard was even more surprised.

Dream realm rules? How broad is his expertise?

His curiosity about Shen You's true identity grew.

"Alright. But let me warn you, if there's danger, I won't be able to protect you."

The old wizard took a deep breath, waved his arm, and shouted loudly.

"Then let's enter the dream!"