In the dimly lit stairwell, two men stood silently.

In the darkest corner of the hallway, a quiet orange cat crouched.

The two men and the cat remained motionless.

Like statues.

...

...

Gu Shen vaguely remembered someone calling his name.

Then, uncontrollably, he turned his head and locked eyes with that person.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself here.

"It's so dark..."

In every direction, there was nothing but chaotic darkness, unable to see anything.

Where is this?

There was a sense of familiarity, somewhat similar to a dream of awakening, but not exactly the same.

He looked down at his palm, but all he saw was a faint mist, his consciousness still present but his physical body no longer tangible...

"This is Han Dang's 'Dream Realm'."

A ball of white light faintly condensed, becoming the only source of light in the darkness.

The so-called white light was not Chu Ling herself, but a paper lantern she held in her hand. It had an ancient charm to it, like a demon-slaying girl from a comic book. The light from the lantern burned, illuminating the darkness in all directions and dispelling the mist.

"Just now, Han Dang used the most direct method to pull you into the dream."

Chu Ling raised the lantern, illuminating the distant shadowy end--

Gu Shen saw another version of himself sitting on a narrow chair, bound by iron chains, with his head lowered. This was the dream world, where everything was created based on mental power... Obviously, Han Dang was the master of this world.

"He pulled me into the dream..."

Gu Shen felt that he couldn't clench his fist anymore, the sense of power within him gradually disappearing. He was like a cluster of willow fluff blown away by the wind.

"Your mental power is not enough to resist Han Dang's level of dream manipulation," Chu Ling said, "But I performed a Mental Link on you at the last moment, forcibly retaining a strand of your consciousness. So... you haven't completely sat in that chair."

She pursed her lips.

Looking at the chair, Gu Shen felt a sense of oppression.

Just by gazing at the other version of himself sitting there, he immediately felt a strong sense of powerlessness.

"What will happen if I sit on it?"

"If you sit on it, you will lose control of your own mind," Chu Ling whispered, "In Han Dang's dream realm, your spiritual body cannot hide or deceive. He will obtain all the information he wants to know... Because of Luo Er and Zhong Wei's protection, he originally had no chance to get close to you. Unexpectedly, leaving the Great Vine this time turned out to be a blunder."

Gu Shen pondered for a moment. "So... I still retain the last trace of autonomy in my mind."

"That's right. He cannot perceive or sever my Mental Link," Chu Ling said slowly, "The current situation is not good. If Han Dang only interrogates you, your mind should not suffer too much damage."

Gu Shen sensed something ominous.

"What if... it's not just interrogation?" His heart skipped a beat, "What if he wants to torture me?"

"No matter who it is, being beaten will hurt. If he tortures you... it depends on whether you can withstand it," Chu Ling thought for a moment and said, "Even if you can withstand it... your mind will be severely damaged."

"What if I can't withstand it?"

Gu Shen's right eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

"In the dream realm of dream manipulation... it is possible for people to die. Even in a shallow dream realm, it does not guarantee absolute safety," Chu Ling lowered her eyebrows, "If your mind collapses, you may become uncontrollable or even die. It depends on Han Dang's intentions."

Indeed... just as he had expected, contact with Han Dang was basically equivalent to entering a dream. He could avoid it for a while, but not forever.

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This feeling was too terrible.

There was no strength left to resist.

After being manipulated by Han Dang and entering the dream realm, he was nothing more than a fish waiting to be slaughtered.

"Luckily, according to the records, Han Dang is not the type of person who likes to use violence... and it can be inferred that he currently does not want to expose himself," Chu Ling said, "Do you remember that fragment of the incomplete video? Han Dang deliberately erased the memories of the security personnel at the fire scene. His investigation in Datushi City this time was conducted in secret, without wanting anyone to know."

"So I can only hope... that he will only interrogate me and not torture me." Gu Shen stared at the man in the suit, gritting his teeth, "This scumbag won't forget about martial ethics, right?"

Actually, it wouldn't be too bad if it really was torture.

Gu Shen didn't believe that Han Dang would dare to kill him here.

But what troubled Gu Shen more was how to deal with the upcoming "interrogation"...

Interrogation! It's interrogation again!

In Han Dang's dream realm, he couldn't lie.

He would definitely ask about the details of the fire case, and he might even suspect that Gu Shen's transcendent abilities didn't exist... If Gu Shen uncontrollably revealed the truth, everything would be over.......

......

Han Dang straightened his tie and smoothed out the wrinkles in his suit.

He looked down condescendingly at the pitiful young man sitting in the chair and snapped his fingers.

A torrent of cold water appeared out of nowhere, pouring down and drenching Gu Shen from head to toe.

The mental link was severed at that moment—

Gu Shen woke up in shock, a bone-chilling cold enveloping him. He looked up at Han Dang, his face filled with panic.

"Gu Shen, the 'S' that Zhou JiRen has high hopes for."

Han Dang spoke softly, "I've always been curious about how talented the genius that is worth using a pardon to protect is... But I'm disappointed after seeing you today."

"Judging from the bloodstains on the rooftop, you should have awakened the Transcendent power of the mental system, right?"

Han Dang squatted down, looking at Gu Shen and said indifferently, "But your mental power is too weak... You can't resist my dream manipulation at all, not even a bit of resistance."

"......"

Gu Shen opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but he couldn't utter a word.

"'I don't understand what you're saying.'” Han Dang smiled, "This should be what you want to say... But you just can't say it no matter what..."

"How does that feel?"

Gu Shen looked at Han Dang in astonishment.

The man in the suit spread his arms, and his voice suddenly became as majestic as a god!

"My dream realm... is called 'Verity'!"

Han Dang's figure suddenly dispersed, his suit turned into flying sand, and his voice turned into wind. The sand and wind filled every corner of the dark dream.

"Here, what I say is the truth, no matter who the dreamer is, they can't lie in the realm of Verity."

The next moment, he suddenly appeared next to Gu Shen, raising a hand as if touching something... A pale light lit up in the darkness, shining on Gu Shen, making him look more like a prisoner.

"We will meet... in our truest form."

Han Dang backed away, as if he stumbled accidentally, his body instantly vanished into the boundless darkness.

The next moment, the flying sand gathered five steps away from Gu Shen, and the man just happened to fall into a comfortable high seat, without any embarrassment, only elegance and composure.

He propped his elbows on the table.

The pale light illuminated the object that separated the two.

It was a cold, dark long table.

This place had completely turned into an interrogation room, the walls around slowly becoming visible.

"What a pity, a boy who likes to act, you've met me." Han Dang stared into Gu Shen's eyes, expressionless, "I've seen the interrogation video of the A-009 incident. You started playing dumb from that time, didn't you?"

Gu Shen's throat made a rasping sound.

He couldn't speak, couldn't deny it.

"Don't struggle, it's useless."

Seeing this, Han Dang smiled.

"Next... I'm going to give you a soul interrogation."