Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 694 - 84: Experimental Dreamscape

Half an hour ago, late night, West District of the refuge.

"Any precautions?"

Zhuang Xiao asked the man sitting opposite her. As expected, Merlin ignored his superior's warning and pushed his plan to the next step.

Therefore, this was a dangerous experiment.

Not reporting it meant there were no strict protective measures, and if anything unexpected happened in the project, they would have to bear it themselves. Moreover, the experiment had to be conducted in absolute secrecy, without any leaks.

Even so, Zhuang Xiao agreed to Merlin's proposal and volunteered to become the "guinea pig" for this high-risk experiment.

Because the man in front of her seemed to see through her heart and was one of the few who could understand her, the pioneering work had inflicted irreparable impacts on her will. Whenever the night was deep and silent, she would think of the guild and the canopy. From the dimension of time, the identity of "Zhuang Xiao" occupied less than one-thousandth of her life.

She found it increasingly difficult to return to real life, especially when recalling that their world had already been destroyed.

The refugees hiding in the refuge could only lick each other's wounds in this sunless world.

Zhuang Xiao had asked why they didn't return to the surface to rebuild their home, but what she got was more secrets—the crisis that destroyed their world hadn't gone away. Any strange sounds from the surface would attract their attention.

But in reality, aside from a few senior officials in the refuge, no one knew what the crisis they mentioned actually was. They had been living in the refuge for several generations, and most of the elders who witnessed the whole process of the world's destruction had already passed away. The refuge's managers had become the last keepers of this secret, and with her secret, she was not yet able to access the full truth.

Even Merlin, who was half a rank higher than her, couldn't.

The pioneering journey had made them heroes in the eyes of the refuge residents, but that was all.

In recent days, Zhuang Xiao realized that the situation in the refuge was far more complicated than she had imagined.

When she raised numerous questions with the higher-ups, all she received was, "Colonel Zhuang Xiao, you're doing very well, but from now on, you just need to rest well. Other matters don't need to concern you."

This statement was full of threatening undertones.

It left her mentally disoriented, always feeling like she'd fallen from one dream into a bigger nightmare.

"This is an experimental dreamscape."

Merlin said, "I don't want to hide the risks involved, but in actuality, we have no idea what you will encounter there. It depends on the completeness of our preliminary work... If we think optimistically, you might temporarily return to 'reality.'"

The "reality" he spoke of referred, of course, to the utopia that existed before the world was destroyed, an ideal world in the hearts of the refuge's residents.

"I can't provide any logistical support for you, nor can I assert what the consequences would be if you were to die in the dreamscape."

With that, Merlin took out a syringe, "What I can tell you is that once you've completed the injection, you'll fall into a deep sleep... just like last time, and when you wake up, you'll find yourself on the other side."

"Under the name of Zhuang Xiao?"

Zhuang Xiao gazed deeply at Merlin, wanting to discern something from his eyes, but Merlin could always hide his thoughts well, which was his talent and what helped him climb step by step to his current position.

"That's right, under the name of Zhuang Xiao."

"So, what's the objective of this mission?"

"There is no objective."

"No objective?"

"The time this dream lasts won't be long, just to assess the progress of our preliminary work."

Merlin reminded her, "Colonel Zhuang Xiao, this is not your duty, and you can opt-out at any time."

Zhuang Xiao just rolled up her sleeve and extended her arm towards him, "Is there anything else I need to be cautioned about?"

"If our preliminary work has progressed relatively smoothly..."

Merlin hesitated, pondering for a long while before continuing, "Don't get addicted to it."

This was the last thing Zhuang Xiao heard before a brief sting spread through her forearm, and her vision became intermittent. The fluorescent lamp in the office turned into a kaleidoscope in her eyes, and the dizziness lasted for about five minutes, accompanied by strong nausea and tinnitus.

This left her little room to ponder the deeper meaning of Merlin's words, and when her vision cleared again, she found herself sitting in her own office.

The General Manager's office, through the blurry glass windows, she could see the busy office workers in the workspace outside, all dressed in sharp suits, embodying the image of urban professionals. The oppressive atmosphere of the refuge was gone, and everything here was flourishing.

And she was also wearing a fitted office wear, with black high heels.

Zhuang Xiao sat dazed in the office for quite a while.

This was the scene she envisioned when shedding the identity of "Scarlet."

She remembered there was a beverage shop downstairs, with a logo of a very cute white snowman. She loved their bubble tea and yangmei pulp drinks the most.

Now, she could step out of the office at any time and take the elevator straight to the first floor.

And indeed, Zhuang Xiao did just that. When she walked out of the company building, the gentle morning sunlight shone on her, starkly different from the empty office buildings she'd seen in the anomalous realm. She could easily stroll onto the street, where people bustled by, and across the street, the shops were vibrant and attractive.