Chapter 14: Breaking the Deadlock

The banquet ended around 9 PM. Lin Xian returned home, took off his suit, and finished washing up.

He sat at the desk in his bedroom, replaying the events of the night in his mind.

Tonight's banquet had truly opened his eyes.

Even though they all lived in the same city—Donghai—standing on the same ground, they led entirely different lives.

For some, spending hundreds of millions was as casual as handing out candy.

They lived fairy-tale lives, as if everyone were princes and princesses.

This was supposed to be the real world… but it felt more surreal than his dreams.

Speaking of dreams—

Lin Xian leaned on his hand and glanced at two blank sheets of paper on the desk.

They were notes he had scribbled a few days ago while analyzing the incidents involving Bigface Cat and CC from his dream.

One sheet read [Story Flow], outlining the causes and consequences of the feud between the two.

The other was titled [Unsolved Mysteries], listing three unresolved questions weighing on Lin Xian's mind.

He picked up the one labeled "Unsolved Mysteries."

There, three questions were written:

What exactly is hidden in the safe?

What is the correct combination for the safe?

Why did CC save me? Her attitude toward me is strange—conflicted and unusual.

Question 1.No clue.

Even though it was his own dream, Lin Xian had no idea what could be so important that it needed to be locked away in a secure bank vault.

But based on CC's reaction, the contents clearly meant a lot to her—so much so that she was willing to rob a bank to get them.

"What could it possibly be?"

Since it was his own dream, surely whatever was in the safe must be something within his own knowledge?

But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't figure out what was so shameful or precious that he'd lock it up so tightly.

Question 2.What's the correct password?

Again, no clue.

With passwords, it's either right or wrong—no in-betweens.

Lin Xian had tried every 8-digit combination he could think of, but none worked.

It baffled him.

Now, he was more curious than even CC about what the password could be.

In the last dream, he had racked his brain, trying every significant date he could think of—birthdays, anniversaries, meaningful combinations.

He even tried dates from within the dream itself, like 26240828, 26240829, and included the 0042 timestamp—tried them forwards, backwards…

Still nothing.

He was completely stumped.

It made no sense. If the vault existed in his dream, then surely it was his vault?

How could he not know the code to his own safe?

Unbelievable.

But of all three questions, the third was the one that bothered Lin Xian the most.

He looked down at the paper:

3. Why did CC save me? Her attitude toward me is strange—conflicted and unusual.

It was the only question that had clues—an answer that could potentially be found.

Because CC definitely knew the truth.She just didn't want to tell him.

"CC…"

Now that he thought about it, her voice… it sounded familiar.

Strangely familiar.

He was certain he'd heard that voice somewhere in real life, and not long ago—probably in the past few months.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. That soft, spirited voice with its unique tone—it had to be someone he'd heard recently.

But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't place the time or location.

"Maybe it's just my imagination?"

"There are lots of girls online who sound like Lazy Lamb," he muttered, referencing a cartoon character.

He shook his head, brushing aside the distracting thoughts, and returned to the original question:

Why did CC save me?

He leaned his forehead into his hand. It just didn't make sense.

To CC, both he and Bigface Cat were criminals. There was no reason to kill one and spare the other.

Especially since he was the mastermind behind the bank bombing—hardly innocent.

He picked up a red pen.

And drew two circles around question number three.

If he wanted the answer...

He'd have to ask CC directly.

But here was the problem—

CC knew the answer.But she wouldn't tell him unless he opened the vault.

And he didn't know the password.

A deadlock.

A perfect, unsolvable loop.

Unless…

"Break the loop!"

Lin Xian's eyes lit up with resolve.

He knew that getting a straight answer from CC through normal means was impossible.

So that left only "unconventional means."

CC was clearly a clever woman—much harder to deceive than Bigface Cat.She was quick, skilled, and armed. A direct confrontation would probably end badly.

But—

He closed his eyes and thought deeply.

"Got it!"

A plan came together.

Here's how he envisioned it:

Meet up with Bigface Cat again. Gain his trust. Reveal to him that he's been used.

Form an alliance with Bigface Cat. Prepare an ambush in the bank's storage vault.

When CC arrives—trap her, subdue her, and get the answer.

"I can't do it alone," Lin Xian thought, twirling his pen."But if I use Bigface Cat… 2 versus 1 should be manageable."

His fingers spun the pen at high speed.Yes. This plan should work!

Truthfully, Lin Xian didn't want to hurt CC. He just wanted answers.Once he got them, he'd walk away and let her go.

He looked at the clock by his bed.

21:45.Every time he met Bigface Cat in the dream, it was around ten.

If he fell asleep quickly—he could still make it!

He turned off the lights and climbed into bed.

Closed his eyes.

…

…

Whoosh!

A hot, dry summer wind blew across his face, making his skin itch.

He opened his eyes—

The same scene he'd seen thousands of times.

The digital sign displayed the time: 21:54.

"I need to grab the Ultraman mask quickly."

Up ahead to the right, two boys were still fighting—shouting "Ultra Kick!" and "Ultra Elbow!"

They were familiar faces—old friends in this dream.

As a child, Lin Xian used to play with them often in his dreams. They'd reenact battles of light and justice.

Back then, he was shorter than them, often bullied. To him, they were unbeatable little tanks.

Later, he grew taller, and they stayed the same. He became the "big bro."

Eventually… Lin Xian stopped playing those childish games.But the two boys remained—unchanging, fighting tirelessly for thousands of dream-days, as if even time itself had worn away.

Lin Xian had grown up. But they never would.Time in this dream had frozen them forever on this one day.

"Ultra Kick!""Ultra Elbow!"

The boys tossed aside their masks, continuing their eternal battle further down the alley.

Lin Xian stepped forward, picked up the discarded Ultraman mask.

"Key item—get~"

(End of Chapter)