"Huff... huff..." Xu Anran ran desperately through the alleyways in the dead of night, her heart pounding like a war drum, her breaths unusually clear in the silent night. She glanced back and saw two men in police uniforms chasing closely behind her not far away.

Xu Anran felt like she was about to run out of breath. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead, and every step she took was extremely difficult, as if a thousand-pound burden was pressing down on her.

While squatting down to catch her breath, she suddenly noticed a dog hole next to the trash can, just big enough for her to crawl through. Without thinking twice, she immediately crawled into the dog hole.

As she was about to climb out, the two men noticed her and tried to follow. However, they couldn't pass through the narrow opening.

After emerging from the ground, Xu Anran stood up quietly, dusted herself off, and looked around. She found herself in a dilapidated courtyard.

The houses in the courtyard were dilapidated, seemingly uninhabited for a long time. The roof tiles were missing, and the walls were badly peeling, revealing the marks of time. She knew she couldn't stay here any longer and had to find another way out as soon as possible.

Just as she was becoming increasingly anxious, she heard footsteps approaching in the distance. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she quickly hid in the shadows. The footsteps grew closer, and she was so tense she could barely breathe, the狰狞 faces of her pursuers flashing through her mind.

After a while, the footsteps faded away. Xu Anran breathed a sigh of relief, mustered her courage, and quietly crossed the courtyard to a room. She gently pushed the window and found it unlocked, so she jumped inside.

The room was filled with a musty, old atmosphere, making it feel somewhat oppressive. The furniture and items were very simple, even dilapidated; the walls were peeling, and the floor was filthy. She didn't dare linger, quickly jumping out of the window and continuing to run forward.

On a street, she noticed a 24-hour convenience store with its lights on.

She ran into the store, her forehead covered in sweat and her breath ragged. Reaching the counter, she placed her hands on it, her eyes filled with anxiety and helplessness, and urgently asked the clerk, "Do you have a cell phone here? Can I borrow it to make a call?" Her voice trembled slightly, revealing her urgency and unease.

Seeing the girl's haggard face and trembling body, the shop assistant quickly stepped forward, gently patted Xu Anran's shoulder, and asked with concern, "Miss, you don't look well. What happened? Do you need my help?" Xu Anran shook her head, not wanting to say more, but urged, "Hurry up, there are bad people outside, it's dangerous! Close the door first, please, lend me your phone to make a call." After saying that, she tightly grasped the shop assistant's hand, her eyes shining with pleading.

Just then, the shop assistant suddenly revealed a sinister smile, which terrified Xu Anran. She instinctively tried to let go and back away. However, the shop assistant held her hand tightly and forcefully slammed her against the wall.

With a loud bang, Xu Anran's head slammed against the hard wall, instantly making her dizzy and lightheaded, as if the whole world was spinning. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind, but her vision remained blurry.

After a while, when she finally regained consciousness and slowly raised her head, what she saw made her shudder – the shop assistant had actually peeled off his own skin!

From within that layer of human skin emerged a pitch-black humanoid monster. This monster had no nose, only a pair of compound eyes like those of an insect, emitting a nauseating light. Its limbs resembled those of a human, but it possessed sharp claws and razor-sharp teeth, sending chills down one's spine. The monster opened its mouth, filled with fangs, and hissed before lunging fiercely at Xu Anran.

"Ah!" Xu Anran opened her eyes and let out a soft cry of fear. Her body trembled, her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, her pajamas were soaked with sweat, and her heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

She gasped for breath, trying to calm her fear, but the terrifying dream kept flashing through her mind.

She slowly got out of bed, her steps unsteady as she walked to the living room, where she poured herself a glass of cold water. She drank it all in one gulp, the icy sensation making her slightly more awake.

After a while, she finally caught her breath, slowly stood up, dragged her heavy steps back to the bedroom, lay down on the soft bed again, curled up into a ball, and hugged the quilt tightly, as if this could bring her a sense of security.

This is the third nightmare she's had in a while.

The first time was on her way home, when she saw a little girl being eaten by a monster through the crack in the stall door while using the restroom, which woke her up in fright. The second time was when she saw her uncle turn into a monster and chase her. She escaped and hid in a trash can, where the monster conjured a knife out of thin air and skinned a passing woman. This time, the monster killed her.

The same monster appears every time, and each dream is more real and terrifying than the last.

Xu Anran thought to herself, "It's impossible that I would have such a dream just because I'm tired and stressed, right? This is too much of a coincidence..."

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting away. Reflecting on her experiences, she realized she wasn't truly a part of this world.

On her thirty-fifth birthday, she experienced a sudden and massive earthquake. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself transported to a parallel world called Blue Star, and had become Xu Anran in that world.

In this world, Xu Anran is only ten years old. The original owner was in a serious car accident while traveling with her parents. Her parents died on the spot, but she, who was sitting in the back seat, survived and was rushed to the emergency room.

However, in the end, the original owner still couldn't survive, and was replaced by Xu Anran from another world.

Xu Anran spent six months in the hospital, during which time she gradually integrated into the memories of this world.

The original owner's grandparents had passed away long ago, and her relationship with her maternal grandmother, uncle, and younger uncle was quite distant. During her hospitalization, they visited her frequently, showing great interest in adopting her and asking her who she would prefer to live with.

She knew full well that these relatives were only willing to adopt her because they were after the huge compensation money. After careful consideration, she thought that her uncle's family was better off and might be able to provide a relatively stable environment for her to grow up in, so she decided to live with her uncle.

Xu Anran was quite satisfied with her choice. Although the family's savings and compensation money were given to them, they took good care of Xu Anran and did not mistreat her. She also had everything her cousin had.

In addition, she also owns a house left to her by her parents. This house was transferred to her name in the presence of relatives after her parents passed away.

Now, she's eighteen and an adult. Originally, she planned to take the college entrance exam, go to university, and embrace a wonderful life. But now, because of these three strange dreams, she realizes that her future might not be as wonderful as she imagined.

Tomorrow happens to be Sunday, so there's no school. Xu Anran decided to take this opportunity to discuss it with her uncle and aunt.

She plans to move into the house her parents left her, citing the approaching college entrance exam and the pressure of studying. The house is close to the school, and her uncle and aunt don't usually discipline her much, so they should agree to her request.

As for whether to tell them about the dream, Xu Anran felt it was better to keep it a secret for now. After all, such a supernatural experience was hard to believe, and even if she told them, they might just dismiss it as nonsense.

Moreover, her relationship with them wasn't deep; it was merely an exchange of benefits. Therefore, Xu Anran decided to remain silent and wait for the right opportunity to make further plans. Perhaps when she found more clues and evidence, she could alert them by sending them a message, but whether they ultimately believed her would depend on their own decisions.

The next morning, golden sunlight streamed into the room through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the entire space. The chirping of sparrows outside seemed to urge people to get up and welcome the new day.

Just then, a soft knock broke the silence of the room. A gentle female voice came from outside the door: "An'an, it's time to get up and have breakfast."

Xu Anran rubbed her eyes and replied, "Hmm... I'll get up now." She struggled to get out of bed, stretched, and then went to the bathroom to wash up.

A few minutes later, Xu Anran, wearing loose pajamas, came out of the room and sat down at the dining table in the living room. At this time, her uncle and aunt had already started eating breakfast, while her cousin was probably still asleep.

Xu Anran noticed that her uncle was almost finished eating and seemed to be preparing to go out in a while, so she quickly said, "Uncle and Aunt, there is something I want to discuss with you."

Hearing this, they all looked at her, their eyes filled with confusion. The uncle asked, "What is it?"

Xu Anran smiled sweetly and said, "It's like this, I'm about to take the college entrance exam, and my studies are very demanding lately. I'd like to move to the house in Linjiang Garden. It's closer to the school, and many of my classmates live in that neighborhood."

The uncle thought for a moment and then agreed, "Well, you're a big kid now, you're 18 and an adult, you should learn to live independently. When are you planning to move in?" Xu Anran said happily, "I want to go today, since I don't have class today, I can go and tidy up."

Uncle nodded in agreement: "Okay, then take good care of yourself. Your aunt and I are both busy today. I'll have your aunt transfer a month's living expenses to your phone later. If you need any other expenses, just let us know." Xu Anran nodded gratefully and said with a smile, "Thank you, Uncle." After saying that, Uncle hurriedly packed his things and left home.

After a while, Aunt transferred 2,000 yuan to Xu Anran and said, "I've paid the water and electricity bills for that house in Linjiangyuan. You can use this 2,000 yuan first. If it's not enough, just tell Aunt. I'm going to Xiaole's maternal grandparents' house now. I'll be going now." Xu Anran said, "It's enough for you, Aunt. You can go now. I'll wake up Xu Mingle in a bit. Goodbye, Aunt."