Chapter 41 - The Insomniac Trio

After a simple dinner, which, while not exactly delicious, was at least palatable, the group talked. Wende, for his part, thoroughly embodied the Xianzhou tradition of conversation at the dinner table. After a detailed discussion, everyone went their separate ways.

Natasha had to return to the clinic to look after her patients and plan for the future.

The problem now was that although the Trailblazer's team had obtained intelligence regarding the Stellaron, its specific location was still unknown. It remained a sword of Damocles hanging over Belobog's head.

Night fell once again…

Wende rubbed his drowsy head and stepped out of his room. The hotel lobby was empty, and the dim yellow light cast an unreal glow on his face, making him look exceptionally haggard.

That's right, he'd had another nightmare. It was a repeat of the last one, only this time, it felt even more real.

The Light Cone… it was definitely influencing him. The system's mandatory patch was strengthening the connection between him and this world.

"Heh… If I had known it would be like this, I would have written a much grander background for the Light Cone. Maybe I could have even been some kind of Emanator…" Wende thought with a sense of helplessness.

What a pity. If only he hadn't insisted on being a riddle-man for the fun of it, he might have been thriving by now.

"Screeeak…"

The piercing sound of an old wooden door being pushed open came from the adjacent hallway. Dan Heng walked over silently, giving Wende a slightly surprised look before sitting down beside him.

"Nightmare?"

"Yeah…"

"Me too…"

"…"

The two of them sat in silence. Time ticked away on the lobby clock, "Tick… tock… tick… tock."

An unknown amount of time passed before another harsh creak of a door opening broke the silence.

Stelle also emerged from her room, a gloomy look on her face. But upon seeing Wende and Dan Heng sitting in the lobby, her expression shifted to one of confusion.

"You guys… can't sleep either?"

Stelle asked, her golden eyes wide and weary.

"Yeah… I guess so," Wende said, a little uncertainly.

Dan Heng silently shook his head. He was already used to it.

Slowly, Stelle walked over to sit on the sofa across from them. The three of them sighed in unison.

"Sigh…" x3

"Hm?" x3

"Don't tell me… you two had nightmares too?" Stelle's eyes widened with curiosity as she looked at them.

Dan Heng gave a slight nod, then closed his eyes to rest.

"Yeah… It feels like I haven't had a single good night's sleep since we got here," Wende grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"......"

Stelle glanced at the exhausted Wende, then at Dan Heng, who was sitting still like an old monk in deep meditation, and let out a long sigh.

"Sigh… I'm so jealous of March. Her sleep quality is amazing."

"Mhm… That's probably the secret to how she stays so energetic," Wende nodded in agreement.

"So… what did you guys dream about?" Stelle asked curiously. What kind of nightmares could possibly trouble a doctor like Wende and a calm guy like Dan Heng?

"…"

"I dreamed… I was being hunted. By the same person…" Dan Heng opened his eyes, his gaze toward Stelle holding a hint of helplessness, but he answered her slowly nonetheless.

"Being hunted…" Stelle pinched her chin, lost in thought.

"What about you, Wende?" Stelle turned her head to look at him.

"Seriously, stop being so nosy… did you catch it from March?" Wende complained internally, but he still honestly explained the reason for his own nightmare.

"I dreamed of my past…"

"Past…"

Hearing those words, Dan Heng's eyes grew distant.

"A past… that inspires fear…?"

Seeing Wende's obviously dejected expression, Stelle tactfully decided not to press further.

"So, Stelle, what did you dream about?" Seeing Stelle looking pensive, Wende felt that he and Dan Heng shouldn't be the only ones sharing "secrets" here.

"Me…? My dream is really weird… There's always someone whispering in my dream… and they always say the same thing." Stelle shook her head in frustration.

"The same voice in all three dreams…" A thoughtful look flashed in Dan Heng's eyes.

"Perhaps it's related to the Stellaron inside you? No, that's a bit too far-fetched." Shaking his head, Dan Heng dismissed his own idea.

Seeing that Dan Heng had stopped guessing, Wende also remained silent. Stelle decided to just close her eyes as well, waiting for drowsiness to come.

Watching this scene unfold, Fanyin, who was playing through the story, couldn't help but chuckle.

[What is this, the night-time insomniac trio?]

[Why do I feel like the setup for the Express crew is getting more and more similar to a certain other group?]

[True. March, Wende, and Dan Heng all have mysterious pasts.]

[Stelle, Wende, and Dan Heng all have nightmares.]

[March and Stelle both lost their memories.]

[You guys on the Express really are a matched set… birds of a feather flock together.]

[As we all know, with miHoYo's personality, they'll probably kill off all four of them!]

[Waaah, don't you dare kill off my wife, March 7th!]

[Waaah, don't you dare kill off my husband, Dan Heng!]

[Waaah, don't you dare kill off my wife/husband/mother/sworn father, Wende!]

[Damn, if they kill off Wende, doesn't that mean they're killing off your entire family? (lol)]

[Wende: I am an entire family tree by myself!]

The next day.

March 7th, having slept beautifully, walked out of her bedroom feeling refreshed and comfortable. A beautiful girl really needs a good night's sleep to be full of energy!

"Recharging complete! I wonder if everyone else is awake."

She did a little stretch in the hallway, tugged at her skirt, and walked energetically toward the hotel lobby.

Then she saw a peculiar scene.

Wende was lying on the sofa, breathing evenly; Dan Heng was asleep sitting cross-legged on a chair, like a meditating monk; Stelle was sprawled directly on the dining table, though thankfully she wasn't drooling…

"What… what happened here! Why are you all sleeping outside!" March exclaimed, completely speechless.

"…Trash can…"

Seemingly woken by March's voice, Stelle slowly opened her eyes, still mumbling about things from her dream…

"Ngh…"

Dan Heng also opened his eyes; he had gotten enough rest.

Feeling Stelle's dazed gaze on her, March couldn't help but shrink back. Did she disturb their rest?

"It's fine… We've rested enough," Dan Heng said, indicating it was no problem.

"Yeah… I'm more or less rested," Wende said, his eyes bloodshot. It was obvious he had continued to have nightmares for the rest of the night.

"Err… why don't you guys go back to your rooms and sleep a little more?"