Chapter 2
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Chapter 2: Saitan
At that moment, he was in an unusually wide underground tunnel, where there were about forty to fifty cars, like the black one he was riding in, lined up like a long black dragon.
On both sides of the tunnel stood two rows of armed soldiers holding cold, hard submachine guns, standing straight and expressionless, clearly a well-trained special forces unit.
He noticed that it seemed like each car had one or two young men and women about his age stepping out, all dressed in casual clothes, looking like students. With several soldiers guiding them, they were heading towards several bright round passageways beside the tunnel.
With a nod from the square-faced man, Ding Yu followed a few young men and women towards the nearest round passageway.
The entire round passageway, except for a row of small white lights above, was incredibly smooth, as if it were all made of metal.
Soon, Ding Yu and the others disappeared into the passageway.
At this moment, the square-faced man and the other men in suits turned around and got back into their cars, leaving the entire tunnel.
Two hours later.
Ding Yu and over a hundred young men and women gathered in a huge hall, all looking at a man in his forties on a high platform in front of them.
The man wore loose, casual clothes, had an ordinary face, and fluffy hair. He pointed at a blurry photo on the huge screen behind him while explaining it passionately.
"…This enormous celestial body, which we named ‘Saitan’ at Blue Star, is not a true planet. Instead, it is a projection of a passageway from another world. Everyone, take a close look at these black spots on ‘Saitan.’ When enlarged many times, they actually reveal huge artificial structures. If they were placed on our Blue Star at the same scale, they would be thousands of miles in diameter. Also, this is not the first time ‘Saitan’ has appeared in Blue Star. According to some secret records and investigations, it has appeared four times in history, each time for more than a month. The first occurrence can even be traced back to the very beginning of human civilization."
While the middle-aged man was talking, he pointed at the screen. The image changed to show ancient drawings on a white stone wall.
Although the mural was quite simple, it was clear that above the many black figures, two suns appeared in the sky, one large and one small. The smaller sun was marked with yellow spots, while the larger sun had red spots.
"According to secret records, the intervals between ‘Saitan’ appearances are getting shorter and shorter, and each time it is becoming bigger. The last time it appeared was just two hundred years ago, when it looked almost the same size as the sun. Therefore, based on recent research and conclusions from our scientists, it’s very likely that it will reappear in a few decades or even ten years. And when it does, it may no longer be just a projection but could become a real cross-dimensional passage, possibly leading to the two worlds starting to merge. This is why countries of Blue Star signed a secret agreement ten years ago to respond to this matter at all costs. This is also the reason why you all are here," said the middle-aged man solemnly.
"Dr. Chen, how does this relate to us? We’re still in school," one person asked, unable to hold back, although everyone else was stunned.
This question echoed the doubts in the minds of most people present, and many nodded in agreement.
"To this student… no, I should say to everyone invited here, you all share a common reason for being here. Last night, when ‘Saitan’ appeared, you all had ‘dreams,’ and those dreams were related to Otherworld people," Dr. Chen replied with a smile.
"Dreams? Dreams about Otherworld people?"
"How do you know?"
"What is going on?"
The audience stirred, and Ding Yu was momentarily speechless.
It turned out that many others also had strange dreams last night, not just him.
"Everyone, please be quiet. Your strange dreams from last night are indeed related to another world. I will explain everything to you. As a representative of the government’s special affairs department, my only request is that you all use the equipment to have another dream about this Otherworld. This time, the dream may last longer, but I promise it won’t endanger your lives. The government will also offer generous rewards, such as monetary bonuses or future job opportunities. What you need to do is to understand everything about the Otherworld in your dream and share all the details when you wake up, so we can have an accurate understanding of this other world. However, before that, we need to conduct a simple test…" Dr. Chen continued calmly speaking despite the chaos in the audience.
Ding Yu in the crowd was deep in thought.
…
Soon after, deep within the earth, hundreds of meters down.
In a heavily guarded white hall, there were many silver metal Sleep Cabins.
Ding Yu and the others were lying in these Sleep Cabins, each with their eyes closed and a peaceful expression.
Next to each Sleep Cabin, a staff member in white clothes was holding a device the size of a phone, constantly recording something on it.
Outside the hall, on a high platform, Dr. Chen and several leaders were observing the people in the Sleep Cabins through transparent glass windows, occasionally whispering to each other, their expressions very serious.
…
The next morning, in a classroom-like room, there was a silver-white sleep pod on the front desk.
Ding Yu and the other young people sat behind individual desks, intently listening to an elderly man with white hair speaking next to the sleep pod, but there were only about a third of the original group, around thirty people.
"…After investigations in countries around the world, we were surprised to find that all the people who could communicate with ‘Saitan’ in dreams are all within our Beijing area. Although governments in other countries have already put measures in place, they have not found any other people who can enter the Otherworld. Additionally, you may not know this yet, but you all share the same birthday, and more precisely, even the exact time of your birth is the same. This might be the reason why only your brainwaves can communicate with ‘Saitan’ – we scientists will study this more deeply in the future…"
"By summarizing everyone’s dreams from the Otherworld last night and the previous records of ‘Saitan’, we roughly infer the following about the Otherworld: it is a world that is less advanced than ours, with different nations and vast regions. The known Otherworld people, both in appearance and physiology, do not have significant differences from us East Asians. Many aspects of their daily lives, including food, clothing, and even their writing and calendar, are somewhat similar to those of ancient Hua Country. This suggests the possibility that Otherworld people might share the same racial origin as us, but this world seems to possess supernatural mysterious powers. A certain possessed Otherworld person observed a ‘human-faced fish’ that could speak last night, so searching for supernatural mysterious powers in the Otherworld will be your primary task…"
"You are the final candidates chosen through testing. Your brainwaves after entering dreams can not only communicate with ‘Saitan’, but they are also stable enough to use this ‘Type Zero’ Sleep Cabin. The ‘Type Zero’ is one of the greatest inventions of this century, and its key components are made from a rare new type of material from Blue Star, with only a few hundred units available worldwide, all of which are here at this base. The ‘Type Zero’ allows a person to sleep inside for several years without any issues, relying solely on nutrient fluids. Each unit is equipped with Blue Star’s most advanced intelligent brain ‘Taiyuan’ subsystem, which can monitor your health and maximize the amplification of your brainwaves, allowing you to stay longer in the Otherworld after entering dreams. It can even assist you in influencing the behavior of possessed Otherworld people at critical moments, but the extent of this influence depends on various factors and is different for each person. Below, I will teach you step-by-step how to call and use ‘Taiyuan’ for assistance in your dreams…"
"The people from the Otherworld you will dream about come from different backgrounds. Most are ordinary people, but some have special identities. So, please remember that the specific identities of the Otherworld people you dream of are strictly confidential, and you should not share information with each other privately…"
On the third night, in the white hall.
The silver Sleep Cabins, which were once full, now had only about thirty left.
Ding Yu stood next to one Sleep Cabin, staring blankly at several staff members in uniforms as they surrounded the Sleep Cabin, making final adjustments. When he turned his gaze, he accidentally locked eyes with a young girl standing next to another Sleep Cabin, who looked nervous.
This girl had fair skin and a delicate appearance. When their eyes met, she showed a hint of shyness and nodded slightly at him.
Ding Yu forced a smile and nodded back, his gaze instinctively drifting to the new silver nameplate attached to her Sleep Cabin, which clearly read "Xu Ting" in black letters, likely her name.
After a while, with the help of the staff, everyone lay down in their Sleep Cabins.
Once the outer transparent glass cover closed, Ding Yu took a deep breath, feeling a bit uneasy, but Dr. Chen’s clear voice still came from the Sleep Cabin:
"In one minute, the hypnosis gas will be activated. Before that, I will remind everyone of the three most important points. First, after entering the dream, you must protect your own consciousness. If the Otherworld people in the dream lose their lives, even though your physical body on Blue Star will not die, there is a risk of mental damage due to consciousness synchronization. Second, during the duration of the Saitan, everyone will remain in their Sleep Cabins. Based on past data, this period will likely last about a month, but the flow of time in the dream may differ and change compared to real time. If someone stays in the dream for more than a month, do not panic; we will wake everyone up when the real time comes. Third, you should understand the mysterious powers of the Otherworld during this dream journey. The more detailed the information, the better. It is best to learn directly from the Otherworld people you possess to control this power. Well, I wish all of you a smooth journey to the Otherworld, and I will be here waiting for you to wake up again."
"The hypnotic gas is starting, 10, 9, 8, 7…"
As the countdown ended, white mist sprayed out in all the Sleep Cabins. Ding Yu felt a sweet scent rushing in through his nose and mouth, and he soon lost consciousness.
Ten minutes later, light green liquid filled the entire Sleep Cabin.
On a high platform, just a wall away from the white hall, Dr. Chen stood with a stern man in a neat military uniform. They were watching the situation in the white hall on a large screen while talking to each other.
"Dr. Chen, will what we are doing really prevent the future Blue Star catastrophe?"
"General Xu, I do not know. This is the only result calculated by ‘Taiyuan.’ You also know how ‘Taiyuan’ was created, so we can only trust it now," Dr. Chen replied solemnly.
The military man nodded silently.
Just then, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in the hall:
"Unknown energy is arriving, affecting the entire base. The base’s three-layer shield has been penetrated, and the electromagnetic field in the nearby area is being impacted…"
"No, Taiyuan, activate the emergency protection system immediately!" Dr. Chen’s face changed dramatically as he grabbed a microphone and shouted.
But at that moment, the Sleep Cabins in the white hall began to shake, surrounded by sparks and bright lights, with some even bursting open.
Half an hour later, Dr. Chen and a man in military uniform appeared in the white hall, looking pale as they stared at the terrible scene before them while listening to reports from the staff.
In the hall, most of the Sleep Cabins were billowing black smoke, and some people who had just fallen asleep were being helped out, looking confused.
"Report: only three Type Zero Sleep Cabins are still functioning normally; the others have various issues and need repairs before they can be used again."
"Quickly get the other working Sleep Cabins, and let the awakened people dream again," Dr. Chen instructed anxiously.
But before the staff could start their task, a pleasant female voice echoed through the hall again:
"Doctor, we have just confirmed that the unknown energy comes from outer space, and now this energy and ‘Saitan’ have vanished at the same time."
"Outer space? Saitan has disappeared now?"
"This is impossible!"
This time, Dr. Chen and General Xu both shouted at the same moment. After glancing at each other, they showed expressions of disbelief.
At the same time, deep within the underground base, in a giant drone room protected by thick layers of armor, a cold mechanical voice echoed:
"Base database data is lost… losing… subsystem sequences are missing… starting to copy and recreate… making… making… missing subsystem copy complete… self-checking again… problem solved…"
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