Chapter 35 Counting sheep can also lead to strange dreams of sweet gummy candies...

Pei Qing stared at the wheelchair-bound man opposite her who had suddenly fallen ill, quite surprised. It seemed that she had guessed correctly.

But why is he crying? He doesn't look like he's crying tears of joy.

The person was both crying and laughing; hmm, this could be a symptom of schizophrenia.

Are there any normal people in this prison? Pei Qing seriously doubted it.

That's true. They're in prison. Is it too demanding to expect them to be in good mental condition?

Pei Qian was lost in thought, even though such thinking was obviously useless. But it didn't matter; as long as she was thinking, that was enough.

Caught off guard, the force in his hand weakened considerably, and the slime-like jelly tentacle slipped back in a flash, disappearing without a trace.

Pei Qing's eyes widened, and her palm involuntarily opened, making a grasping motion in mid-air. The cool, soft touch seemed to linger in her palm, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing there.

She licked her palate, smiled, and was about to say something.

"Beep—"

A sudden alarm sounded from above, interrupting her before she could finish speaking.

Luo Yu remained rooted to the spot, his gaze lowered, fixed on the intricate patterns on the blanket.

He slowly raised his head, his expression blank. The scene before him seemed to be coated with a slow-motion movie filter, making the movements of the people in front of him appear incredibly long, as if an entire century had passed, but in reality, it had only been a few seconds.

Pei Qing's smile froze. She didn't mind that this person had mental problems, as long as he could still have a normal conversation. However, it seemed that even this most basic condition might not be met now.

Forget it, there's no point in staying here any longer. Her break time is over, and she doesn't want to be punished so soon after arriving. She's read the rules and regulations carefully, you know.

As for those things we haven't had time to figure out yet, we can talk about them next time we meet. Anyway, she'll definitely be staying here for quite a while, so there's no rush...

Pei Qing comforted herself, attached the bracelet to the smart lock on the cell, and opened the door.

Damn it! How can I not be anxious! The food here is awful, and there's no fun entertainment! And what about her little bit of money! I wonder if Gu Fei has kept it safe...

However, Gu Fei's family is so wealthy and powerful, surely he wouldn't be so greedy as to covet such a small amount of money?

Pei Qing lay leisurely on the folding bed, which was small and hard, but at least it was a place to rest.

But that's not necessarily true. What if that thing thinks it can't go back and simply deletes or forgets her terminal information?

Although this is impossible under federal citizenship protection law, as long as your biometric information exists, your information will be permanently retained.

Pei Qing is inherently suspicious. She doesn't trust anyone and is never afraid to assume the worst about others, after all, she herself is no good.

Besides, if this damned federal citizen protection law were really effective, how could I, an innocent citizen who was just trying to find my lost terminal, accidentally stumbled into a crime scene and almost lost my life, have been arrested and taken to that damned police station?

How did they end up being forcibly arrested, taken to some remote, godforsaken planet, and then locked up in this damn prison where the food is awful and they're suspected of conducting illegal experiments in violation of federal biotechnology regulations?

Damn it, if she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have used the last of her star coins to bribe that demon officer. She could have used them to treat herself to a nice meal! The thing is, she didn't expect that the officer would actually take that little bit of money!

They don't seem to mind their shabby appearance. To be honest, they truly are a demon race. The evil genes inherent in this race are incredibly powerful.

Sigh, I thought the police officer's wink meant there was hope, but it turns out I've been taken to another pirate ship where I know nothing.

I thought they were going to pull strings for her, but it turns out they got a good price for it! Seriously, they should at least give her a share! Damn it, that evil capitalist bureaucracy, I hate it so much!

Pei Qian sighed deeply on the bed, adjusting her posture and backrest angle to make herself more comfortable.

There's nothing we can do about it. That's just how it is. She's just a lazy, hedonistic person.

The escape plan still needs to be carefully considered. I'm just a newbie now, and newbies are useless anywhere, let alone in an unknown prison like this.

She hadn't even had a chance to spend the money she'd worked so hard to earn, and she couldn't just be trapped and die in this wretched place for no reason.

Sigh, I can't think about it anymore, or I won't be able to sleep. The time boundaries here are unclear, as if they are intentionally blurred.

They are always under guard. These so-called "prisoners" may have some activities except for specific times, such as mealtimes and exercise time. In short, they spend most of their time imprisoned in cages.

What else could he do besides sleep? Luckily, the other inmates were quiet enough, maybe they were even dead? Pei Qing thought to himself, trying to find some humor in his words.

The sleep-inducing effect came into play when she counted to 561 sheep; she yawned, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

Wait a minute, she paused. Had the bathroom door been open the whole time?

I can't quite remember; maybe she forgot to turn it off when she left. Whatever, she's going to sleep.

The next second, a long, drawn-out breathing sound followed.

She was dreaming, Pei Qing knew it clearly.

She gazed at the pristine white ceiling, and thought to herself. Because she was already asleep; it was truly unbelievable that she could sleep so soundly in prison.

But perhaps it wasn't a dream, but rather some fragments hidden deep in her memory that quietly surfaced, with countless tentacles reaching out from the depths, pulling her into that bizarre and fantastical illusion.

She couldn't help but close her eyes.

My body felt as if it were in a warm, damp swamp, an incredibly comfortable and warm feeling that was almost suffocating.

She tried to open her mouth, but her nasal breathing seemed to be suppressed. Only by opening her mouth and breathing deeply could she manage to draw in a little bit of oxygen.

"Good child, are you hungry... There's just no other way..."

The gentle tone of voice, accompanied by a soft and delicate touch, was so gentle it was almost unbelievable, like cool, smooth silk, enveloping Him tightly.

"Ha...good boy, be gentle...slow down, don't rush...mmm!"

A short scream rang out, but was quickly suppressed and replaced by soft moans.

Yes, who is it...who is speaking...?

That voice sounds so familiar...

"Good boy..."

She tried hard to see the face of the person in front of her, but everything in front of her was incredibly blurry, as if covered by a layer of mist, with damp moisture permeating the air.

Slightly wavy chestnut brown hair fell down, and a faint fragrance mingled with a slight smell of disinfectant wafted from the soft, white nape of her neck...

Full, crimson blossoms trembled and opened, countless pure white, glistening stars fell, fell... into the boundless, silvery-gray night sky.

Scattered on the corner of the table, on the bed curtains, on the comforter...

Scattered in every corner.

It seems like she can only move her mouth now.

Driven by a desire for revenge, Pei Qing bit down hard on the gummy candy in her mouth, and with a deep squeeze, the sweet syrup instantly filled her entire mouth.

So, this is how you get sweet candy? In her dream, her mind seemed unclear, and she could only act on instinct.

Pei Qian was in a daze, caught between reality and illusion, completely unaware of the strange changes that were taking place in her body.

The skin on his neck was taut, the veins bulging violently as if they were about to burst through the thin layer of skin, and his fingers were spasming uncontrollably.

Her eyes darted around incessantly, her eyelashes fluttering, revealing even the inside of her scarlet eyelids.

Thin, twisted black lines, as if alive, burst forth from her eyelids and gradually covered her entire body. Pei Qing was practically a black cocoon, from which strange movements could be heard from time to time.

After an unknown amount of time, the strange movements within the cocoon gradually ceased, and all the black lines slowly retracted into the woman's body, as if nothing had changed.

Aside from a black spot on Pei Qing's left arm that looked like a mole, but upon closer inspection, it appeared to be more like a raised growth.

Suddenly, a cracking sound came from the air, the transparent space distorted for a moment, and a thin figure appeared out of thin air in the corner of the room, curled up.

The man slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed blankly. His dark eyes rolled stiffly a few times, like a mechanical doll whose spring had rusted. His movements were silent and eerie.

He seemed unfamiliar with this body; his pale, thin fingers reached out and touched his cheek, moving them little by little, as if familiarizing himself with his face.

His fingers traced the thin red lips, grazed the long eyelashes, and finally settled on the area beneath the dark circles under his eyes, where there was nothing.

"Why...where did they go..."

He seemed puzzled; had something been lost? His eyes were downcast, and it took him a while to stand up, leaning against the wall, and slowly made his way to the bedside.

The woman lay motionless on the bed, her face calm, and the air around her seemed to freeze.

The pale, thin man reached out, wanting to touch her face. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until, just a second before he touched her skin, a sudden change occurred!

Countless dark, twisted tendrils surged forth in an instant, indescribably slippery and contorted, almost filling the entire room, their tangled roots guarding the woman's side.

Dozens of tentacles rose high, their heads becoming sharp, while the remaining tentacles stood guard firmly by the bed, all in a defensive posture towards the ignorant yet extremely weak invader.

"ha,"

The man chuckled softly, his voice slightly hoarse. His thin chest rose and fell, his ribs bulging clearly visible through his clothes.

He seemed excessively thin.

He covered his eyes, laughed until tears streamed down his face, and wiped his eyes with his fingertips, leaving a red mark.

The body seemed to sense a threat; tiny scales spread across its neck, and a small portion of the surrounding space shifted between reality and illusion.

He continued to walk forward as if he were completely unaware, leaning his body forward.

The dark, swaying branches rustled and swirled, their sharp edges mercilessly slicing across the man's face, tearing his clothes, and slicing through his delicate skin, leaving streaks of blood.

Tentacles weaved through her chest, passed through her bare legs, and bound her tightly in circles. Tiny thorns sprouted from the tendrils, piercing her pale body. Blood flowed down, dripping onto the snow-white sheets, blooming into clusters of vibrant flowers.

It was like a sacrifice, like a pilgrimage.

He stretched out his hands as if he felt no pain, slowly and firmly reaching towards the person he could never touch.

"……you……"

"Ha, finally back..."

His lungs convulsed like broken bellows, and blood kept gushing from the corners of his mouth, dripping onto the twigs where it was slowly absorbed.

Just as the sharpest tendril was about to pierce the man's chest, Pei Qing frowned slightly. The tendril seemed to receive a command and stopped moving, finally only barely passing through the torn fabric.

"...You...you recognized me...?"

The man struggled to lift his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. Seeing that Pei Qing hadn't opened her eyes, the light dimmed again.

The branch twisted and moved downwards, leaving sticky, wet, and slippery traces of venom on the thin, pale thighs, and crawled into the inside of several tattered pieces of fabric that were about to fall off.

Several slender, supple, and slightly lighter-colored tendrils wrapped around his neck, climbing upwards like ivy, gradually covering his entire face, leaving only a gap for him to breathe.

The man was tightly wrapped around her, almost unable to breathe. He breathed heavily, and clear saliva dripped down the corner of his slightly open mouth, like a broken lotus root.

The branch seemed unsatisfied and consciously searched for water. Soon, a branch with a relatively large diameter poked its head out and rubbed against the corner of the man's mouth.

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Author's Note: Happy New Year! Wishing all my darlings happiness every day!

Come on, kids, have a candy!

I managed to squeeze out a little bit from my meager stockpile of manuscripts... consider it a belated little treat!

There will be random small red envelopes given away for commenting!