Dave reflected on how he nearly became a prisoner. If his alarm hadn't gone off, he might have left a comment about the mushroom. At that moment, he realized something.
"Officer, is this the reason you stopped me earlier, before searching for the mushroom?" he asked Max with a questioning glare.
Max, with his nonchalant expression, yawned and said, "Yeah, if you'd searched for it or gone to one of those sites about Lucid, you would've been caught. Don't underestimate the world of the supernatural, Mr. Dave. To stay alive, you'll have to adapt. Even a small mistake can lead to disaster."
Max then checked his watch and added, "Mr. Dave, it was nice meeting you, but I have work to do. If you change your mind, find us. To do that, visit any Pizza House chain and order the Cheesy Crust Cheese Supreme with Quantum Cola and Truffle Fries, along with the secret sauce. That's the code, and the staff will recognize it easily. Until then, Mr. Dave Farwell."
Soon, Max left the restaurant, and most of the "Customers" followed him. Now, Dave was alone with the staff. He sat there dazed, digesting everything, unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, he heard someone clearing their throat. When he looked up, he saw a young woman in a Pizza House uniform. She gave him a professional smile and said, "Customer, I know you're having an existential crisis, but this is still a restaurant, so we can't let you stay without ordering. That's store policy."
When he heard that, Dave's mouth twitched slightly after all that they dared to say something like this, but strangely, he was feeling hungry despite just having breakfast. 'Is this what they call stress eating?' he shook his head to clear his thoughts and ordered some pizza to go. He decided to go back to his apartment and figure out what to do next.
Elsewhere, sunlight spilled through glass walls, turning the top floor of the skyscraper into a quiet furnace of light and smoke. An old man, short and stocky, late fifties to early sixties, with distinctive Chinese features, slight creases around his eyes, and the lean, coiled strength of a man who still trained his body. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing a bold black tattoo on his forearm, in the traditional triad style, and his left hand was missing two fingers, a quiet sign of past debts.
Below him, the city shimmered, cars weaving through streets, the noise muted by altitude. He took a slow breath, exhaled a thin ribbon of smoke, and watched it swirl upward until it disappeared. Behind him, six people stood with their heads bowed, visibly terrified.
The old man turned back, exhaled another puff of smoke, and looked at the people before him. He slowly approached a table, placed his cigar in the ashtray, and took a pen. He moved toward a man with a nasty scar on the left side of his face. Even though the old man was no taller than the scarred man's chest, the scarred man couldn't stop trembling with fear.
"Look at me, Chen Ge," ordered the old man. His voice carried a natural authority. When Chen Ge lifted his head, the old man thrust the pen into Chen Ge's left eye.
Chen Ge grunted in pain, clutching his head. Warm blood seeped through his fingers, dripping to the floor, but he dared not scream or make a scene; he just stood there bleeding heavily. Seeing this, the others trembled with fear; they looked like rabbits before a lion.
"You know, Chen Ge, if you'd just lost the mushroom, I could have forgiven you. There are many ways to retrieve it, but what you did will have long-lasting consequences for us. Your ugly mug is all over the news now, and the goddamn VAULT is after us too," he sighed heavily, then continued.
"I shouldn't blame you, though. I should blame myself for trusting you and your fools." His voice was calm but hid raging anger, like a volcano ready to erupt and destroy everything. He looked directly at Chen Ge and said,
"This is your last chance, Chen Ge; if you make one more mistake, you'll be swimming with the fishes." Then he glared at the cowering others and ordered, "Give the others some new shoes."
As soon as he said that, their faces drained of color, and they went pale; one even grabbed his legs and begged for mercy. But he kicked him and lit another cigar. Soon, a dozen burly men arrived to drag them away. They begged their leader, Chen Ge, to save them, but he was powerless to do so. His fists clenched so tightly they started to bleed. He stood there as the pleas of others faded into silence.
Night was fast approaching. Dave lay on his bed, scrolling through his phone, drained of motivation after everything that had happened. It was around seven o'clock. For dinner, he'd eaten some leftover pizza. He was exhausted, but he hadn't slept at noon, afraid he'd be whisked away to Lucid again, so he waited until night.
He then got up, had dinner, changed into his pajamas, and decided to sleep early. He didn't know what the time difference was between reality and Lucid, or if there even was one. Since tomorrow was Sunday, he could sleep as long as he wanted. As soon as he hit the bed, all the fatigue caught up with him, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
The first thing he felt was the chill. It crept up from the metal slats beneath him, seeping through his clothes and into his bones. A bird called somewhere above, sharp and insistent, tugging him toward consciousness.
He shifted, one arm sliding off the bench, fingers brushing the walkway below. His eyelids twitched, heavy and reluctant, before finally opening. Pale morning light filtered through the branches overhead, broken into shards that danced across his face whenever the wind moved the leaves.
For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was. He sat up slowly, blinking against the light, while the bench creaked beneath him. A jogger passed in the distance, shoes tapping rhythmically along the path. When he saw Dave, he offered a gentle smile, waved, and said, "Good morning." Dave just nodded, and the jogger soon disappeared.
Looking around, he realized it was early morning—and finally understood where he was: sitting on a bench near a fountain in Ur Village, inside Lucid. The jogger was the same one he'd met the day before. Just as he suspected, he was back in Lucid again. It seemed that every time he fell asleep, he was drawn into this world.
Unlike yesterday, he had much more information, and he decided to gather even more. While doing so, he also wanted to confirm whether Max's claims were true. For now, he chose not to ask anything about the mushrooms. With his mind made up, Dave set out to collect information.
A few hours later, he returned to the same bench, having gathered plenty of useful details. First, people like him are called Dreamers because they are essentially in a shared dream. Second, the people, such as the jogger, are residents of Lucid; some call them NPCs, but most refer to them as echoes. Third, the monsters here are called nightmares, which makes sense.
He also learned much about the VAULT. Most of what Max said was true—they are indeed an organization similar to the military or police. He also heard some interesting news about them. A few decades ago, the VAULT experienced an internal revolution and split into two factions. One remained the VAULT, while the other became the Global Union for Investigation, Logistics, and Defense, or GUILD.
They are quite different from the VAULT. Most see VAULT as militaristic and rigid, whereas the GUILD operates more like a union of mercenaries. The governments all around the globe hire them to handle anomalies, and their members work on contracts. Although some ranks and orders exist, most members operate independently. Essentially, they're a collective of freelancers working under a loose organization but still handling dangerous, supernatural tasks.
Dreamers generally have a very negative view of the VAULT. They label them tyrants and manipulators, and from what Max said, it seems justified. Max even states that VAULT tried to control Lucid, and the hatred towards VAULT appears warranted. Besides that, many people are also somewhat afraid of VAULT since it's an official government-approved organization. If they catch you, there's no escape. Both the VAULT and GUILD wield influence worldwide.
As for the GUILD, public opinion is more neutral. Unlike VAULT, GUILD doesn't focus much on Lucid; their main concern is monsters and aliens that threaten the world. Having gained a clear understanding of the VAULT, he must soon decide what to do about Max's offer.
If he joins the VAULT, people in Lucid would likely hesitate to attack him, and his safety would be assured. However, his growth might be slower. Yet, if news of him working for VAULT got out, some might see him as a traitor or spy. On the other hand, joining a legacy clan could guarantee faster growth but would cost him his freedom. And if the rumors about the mushrooms are true, even clan members might try to kill him.
But enough about that, Dave also learned more about mutations and core mutations. It's time to become stronger.