00:02:23.

He Yu realized he was dreaming.

In his dream, they killed all the special operations operatives one by one, and afterwards parked somewhere to rest. There were no observers around, so it was very safe. Everyone had some injuries, but the wounds had been bandaged. He saw that he was missing an arm or a leg, and he didn't know why 659 hadn't recovered, but overall he was in good health.

Merlink shouted at him, "You're really working hard!"

He suddenly thought of 252, Pandora, and many other people, and replied, "Anyway, I'm still alive now."

“Yes—you almost died.” Carlos proudly took out the notebook, deliberately twisting his body as he said, “If it weren’t for me, you would have been ground to dust by that old geezer long ago.”

"I will not die."

He Yu glared at him, his eyes filled with utter helplessness. That guy always said things that ruined the mood, leaving people speechless. He thought to himself, "I've been through this again, and this is really terrible."

It was at this moment that I realized I was dreaming.

His body was plummeting downwards at an indescribable speed, as if he had swallowed a bottle of hallucinogenic drugs; clearly, the exaggerated effects of the drugs hadn't worn off yet. His eyes were closed, and the surroundings began to darken; he had no idea what lay beyond this darkness.

He continued to look at the dream. He and Carlos were talking in the battered SUV. Sheen came over from the other side with a few bottles of whiskey, the kind they had ordered at the restaurant. The dome was a clear sky, and the sunlight shone down at an angle, turning their hair brown and making them look warm.

He looked at it, wanting to reach out and say something.

“Hey, we’re all fine now.” Carlos kept flipping through his notebook, revealing its contents.

[Death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death]

Everyone will die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die!

You can't avoid it.

You will die without a burial place.

“Yes, we’re all doing just fine,” Merlink said with a smile.

“After all, He Yu said he would bring us all out of the Dolphin Hotel.”

"That's right, aren't we all doing well now?"

"If we can't get out, we're all in this together anyway, so we'll die together."

As they fell, they found themselves on a street in their dream. Around the corner was a hot pot restaurant and a barbecue stall, the owner shouting about today's specials. Bloody raw meat was wrapped in candy wrappers and forced into the shape of giant candies. The atmosphere on the street was pleasant. Above them was Pandora and 252's apartment, but those voices couldn't reach them. All they knew was that they were safe for the moment.

The other one just watched the harmony under the sunlight from afar, expressionless and emotionless, a part of his soul cold and calm, with an underlying tone of endless darkness.

A crazy idea popped into my head.

He didn't want to wake up because he didn't know what he would see when he opened his eyes.

Nothing good has ever happened. This world is a hell that devours people, a garbage dump burning human bones and flesh, filled with nothing but despair. Here, all the beautiful things of the past are treated as cheap fuel, everywhere, being violated and trampled upon.

In her dream, Pandora opened the window and looked down at them, saying she was hungry. Since everyone had made it out alive, they should go find something to eat.

He asked, "What would you like to eat?"

Just then, Yu Yu drove in from around the corner, and her appearance was perfectly timed.

"Barbecue, please?" 252 poked its head out, seemingly quite adapted to human life. "I also want an ice-cold cola, and—"

He Yu knew he had to wake up.

In Eoubs, pressured by the mission to control the situation, the operatives had no time to indulge in a big meal or daydream, or listen to these naive girls talk about what they wanted to eat.

Although he really wanted to listen to the whole thing, and then they could go downstairs to the shops to buy some, he could see all sorts of different foods in the shop windows, and he figured they would taste pretty good—

However, as the thought of having to wake up arose, everything in the dream instantly sank away, departing from his world like all beautiful things, fading into the distance. The orange sunlight lingered on his body for a final moment before extinguishing.

The stench of blood filled his nostrils, the air was damp, and there was a musty smell. He knew he had returned to the real world.

He Yu opened his eyes and first saw a dark brown ceiling.

He immediately realized that he was lying on a fucking comfortable bed, of excellent quality, comparable to the decor and amenities of a five-star hotel. The wound on his neck had completely healed, and he was covered with a soft blanket. The room was brightly lit.

Then he turned his head and saw Sheen.

The man sat beside the bed, leaning against the wall, watching him.

She had somehow acquired a plain-colored shirt, layered it with a black denim jacket, and tied her hair in a ponytail, looking like a young office worker who had just finished get off work.

He Yu felt that compared to the exorbitantly priced clothes Eoubs had prepared for them, this outfit suited her better; at least she looked less lifeless.

Seeing that he was awake, Sheen gave him a smile, like a life-saving fire in the dark and cold Arctic, illuminating the damp, painful, and desperate situation.

“You slept for two hours,” she said.

This scene seemed somewhat familiar; he recalled that he had the same conversation with Yu Yu when they first met, which made him laugh.

For a moment, He Yu was unsure if he was still dreaming, since some things in his previous dreams felt very real.

He tried to sit up, and 659 cursed, saying that when he got back this time, he was definitely going to kill 832's whole family. Damn it, this idiot taboo thing must spend too much time online and keep up with the times.

This feels real enough—his mouth is foul, it's definitely 659.

“You were the most severely affected, which may be related to the forbidden substance in your body,” she said.

“I’ve lost some of my memory. Why are we already inside the Dolphin Hotel?” He Yu asked.

“I don’t know. After all, no operatives have ever come back alive, so the process of their deployment is unclear. The observers can only monitor the situation again after analyzing the internal details.” Sheen took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, put it to his lips, and then lit one for himself.

"I don't have any related memories either; I just woke up earlier than you."

Her smile widened.

According to Sheen, as soon as Merlink finished the portrait, Carlos opened his notebook and wrote a message for everyone. No one knew the specific content except for himself. He said that this was the nature of the taboo object, and there was nothing they could do about it.

However, it probably wasn't something like the Death Note, otherwise no one would be awake by now; they'd all probably be in hell having parties, taking drugs, and sleeping with people.

And that's how it happened after that.

There is still good news, such as the current mission to control forbidden substance 832.

It has already begun.