sleeping formula

【25】

After getting used to the harsh noise of the communication device, Tufang quickly focused on the situation of the venue. He had to be calm and elegant, shuttling through the dinner party and talking to people like a gentleman. The cocktail in the glass went around with his fingers. Between talking and laughing, body language messages are conveyed intensively.Over there, a lady with dyed wine red hair is holding the hand of her male companion. As you walk past, you can hear her beautiful voice like a serenade, packaging vulgar words into jokes, causing the surrounding people to tremble. .

After Hijikata kissed the blonde lady's forehead goodbye, he turned his head and walked forward, said softly "Excuse me, excuse me", and pushed one of the people around the red-haired lady aside.Passing by Sougo, who was whispering with Kagura, and Shinpachi, who was trying to persuade the bickering two, Hijikata just nodded to indicate that he was passing here.

It is very easy to find Yinshi's location, his hair color and appearance are bright and eye-catching, even though he is only wearing a black tuxedo like ordinary people.Seeing Tufang walking in his direction, he stroked the face of the black-haired lady in front of him, excused him, and raised his red wine glass to speak to Tufang.

"It seems that you are used to the environment in your dream. I remember how nervous you were when you first learned to adapt." Hijikata said.

"Anyway, it's just a dream, and it can't change the reality." Gintoki shrugged, "Let's talk on the balcony?"

Tufang was noncommittal, but his footsteps moved over with Yinshi.

"It's better to have better air outside, but...it's not strange inside." Yinshi spoke first.

"I agree." Hijikata responded briefly, "It should be because there are almost no possible objects involved in the case, but I still don't think he is innocent."

"I think so too." Gintoki said, "But since we can't get enough information from talking with the projected character, maybe we still have to go ahead with the original plan."

"Then when are we going to the president's?" Hijikata choked slightly on the cocktail and accidentally coughed a few times.

"In such a hurry to push yourself into the line of fire?" Gintoki laughed, "Is everything ready?"

"Don't let me remind you, you're far more careless than I am," Hijikata shot back.

Yinshi couldn't help laughing a few times: "It's hard to say."

Then they turned back to the banquet hall side by side, and saw Hayato Nishino, the president of Yinghong Securities, at a distance from the central self-service bar.

"Old friend."

When President Nishino saw Gintoki, he obviously showed a very welcoming smile and gave Gintoki a full hug.This is where the earthworker feels strange again, but after all, this is a dream, and some things are not easy to judge.In dreams, anything can happen.

"Oh, this one, it's Mr. Eiichi Haneda that I mentioned to the president last time." Gintoki turned his head and introduced the black-haired man beside him.

"So you brought TOBC back from the gate of hell? It's not easy." President Nishino praised, put the goblet in his hand on the silver plate of the waiter, stretched out his hand to Haneda, and said: "Fortunately meeting."

Haneda nodded with a confident smile, secretly surprised that President Nishino's palm is really strong, which can show part of the opponent's character, clear and decisive.

"I dare not, I just did my best at that time." Haneda answered appropriately.

"Humility." Yinshi interjected at the right time, "I didn't mention this to you last time, this time I'll let you witness the virtue with your own eyes."

Haneda followed the words and bowed slightly, neither humble nor overbearing.

"Sure enough, you are a good-looking talent. We Yinghong Securities should also have more talents like you."

"I really dare not take it."

"Accept the compliment from President Nishino──"

Yinshi suddenly stopped talking and did not continue, while the other two frowned suspiciously.

"What's wrong with you?" President Nishino asked.

"It's okay, it's okay, I just found out about my little assistant's gossip all of a sudden. That guy has been troubling me all day long, and I've found out that he's hidden in a golden house." Yinshi laughed, "Talk more, don't bother me It's been too long. Maybe this is the general manager candidate that has troubled you for a long time, President Nishino?"

"It really happened, and it's all thanks to you, old friend." Nishino laughed.

Yin Shi raised his wine glass, signaling to leave.Now Nishino's side is Haneda (or Hijikata)'s home show.

"He's a busy man, isn't he, Haneda-san?"

"He has always been," Hijikata said with a smile, "Even though he is already able to give orders to his subordinates, he still often does some things by himself. He is really a very serious person."

"You're wrong, that guy just hasn't found a successor like you."

The two laughed again.But Hijikata thought to himself, would Hayato Nishino trust others too easily?Or are you just acting?It's a pity that he is not as powerful as the Sakata brothers. Up to now, his sensitivity to the information unintentionally revealed by body language is still not high, but unexpectedly, every time he responds to Yinshi's every move, he will have many accurate intuitive reactions. Startled.

But that's another matter, Turka thought.On the other hand, Gintoki was distracted by thinking about what happened just now, but in any case he had to follow the original plan, drugging Hayato Nishino into a second dream after being unconscious, otherwise there would be no answer-guiding process , it is difficult to grasp the subtle clues from President Nishino's seemingly big words and deeds.While President Nishino was talking about himself, Hijikata also took the opportunity to touch a glass of champagne to the passing waiter, and Xin Basuan handed it to Hijikata on time.

"President Nishino, I would like to toast you again."

"Thank you." President Nishino smiled and took the glass without hesitation.

"Respect, Yinghong Securities has your future." Nishino raised his glass to Hijikata

"Respect, Hidehiro Securities is thriving." Hijikata said, toasting tacitly with Nishino.

After chatting for a while, Nishino and Hijikata finally sat down on chairs in an inconspicuous corner.After an unknown amount of time, President Nishino looked more and more tired, and Hijikata spent more time talking.

"President Nishino, are you alright?"

"It's too pretentious to say it's okay. It's true that I was a little sleepy from the beginning of the dinner." Nishino said, "When you have sat in the same seat as me, you often don't have a fixed sleep time."

"May I help you to rest in your room?" Hijikata asked kindly.

"No, no, I can still go, it's fine." Nishino waved his hand, "I've just met you and troubled you not long ago, how bad──"

Before he finished speaking, President Nishino couldn't hold back and fell asleep.The wine glass almost fell to the floor, but fortunately, the earthworker caught the glass in time and did not let the glass fall to the floor, attracting too many attentions.Tuxiang gestured to Shinpachi to cover himself, and helped President Nishino to the designed room.At this time, everyone is here.

"Who is staying on this floor?"

"It's me." Shinpachi said, "Fortunately, we are still low-key, and the projected characters should not notice us."

"Very good, then the others will continue to the next floor according to the original task." Hijikata said, "Be careful not to let subconscious projection characters enter this room."

"I understand, please rest assured, Deputy Chief," Shinpachi said.

Shinpachi placed the dream sharer on the bed, checked that the three of them had adjusted their comfortable positions, and connected the wires to themselves.

"All ready?" Shinpachi asked, "Mr. Gintoki, are you alright?"

Gintoki seemed surprised by the question suddenly.

"It's okay," Gintoki said, "I'm ready."

"Well, one, two, three—good luck."

Before Hijikata really fell asleep, he could vaguely feel Yinshi's rapid breathing, but in fact, at this point in time, there were not many questions to ask, so he could only sink into the next layer of dreamland with the injection of medicine.

Has anyone really thought about what a "dream" really means?Do you want to believe that the textbook says that "dreams are subjective feelings and thoughts that occur during sleep"?Obviously, this is a question of vague definition, because many people only regard it as an affirmative sentence and an indisputable fact that a scientific authority tells us.Just like the statement in Christianity, God created the world, God created men and women, it is so clear that there is no need for any doubts.

Hijikata knew that he had never been good at thinking about abstract philosophical issues. It was only after he actually entered university that he realized that Ginpachi's so-called "you are very smart" was to tell him "you are actually only smart".It is also true that when Hijikata looks back on his life before college, he has endless No.1s, endless scholarships, smooth sailing on the road of life, not too many obstacles, and because of his low-key personality, even if he is not the core role in the class , and has never been the target of bullying, there are a few shy girls secretly in love with him.

Sometimes the sea of ​​tranquility can't make good sailors, there must be some strong winds and waves for a person to grow.For Hijikata, pain makes a person strong. This sentence is both affirmative and negative, but the pain did make him escape the stage of a boy, especially after entering society, there is no room for him to be childish.He may not have experienced job hunting failure like many people, and he joined the Shinsengumi early to start a special investigation. Of course, planning mistakes or mission failures were inevitable, but he never took it seriously.Many people want to know how he sees "victory and defeat are commonplace in military affairs" so openly and understands so thoroughly, but no one has ever seriously thought about it. It is very likely that the "failure" that the earth side cares about is different from the average person. What Tufang cares about is the major failure in his life, which is his only pain.

Hijikata still remembers the campus where he and Ginpachi first met, and those memories are always mixed with joy and pain.Just like when Doji walks through this corridor now, it is obviously pure white like the color of an angel, but he feels that every inch of white in his sight is an infinite loop of colored visible light, as if he can glimpse traces of memories on it .

Touching the wall carefully, you can feel the rough but warm texture.Hijikata's world alone made him feel cared and embraced by others, lonely but not alone.It even gives people the illusion that being alone is fine, and they forget why they came to such a quiet place, to this deserted place.

"wrong."

why here?In my impression, Hijikata and Gintoki discussed the maze design of the dream. He should be in the office of a company, and then had a further conversation with President Nishino, right?Where is this corridor?Why didn't the earthworker remember that Yinshi had mentioned this link?

Hijikata immediately remembered the dream that he had brought his subconscious into Gintoki, but this time it was really impossible.It was Gintoki who mainly designed the dream structure, and Target was not Shiro Hijikata. Even if Hijikata brought the subconscious into the dream, it was impossible to change the dream structure designed by Gintoki, impossible.However, without any clues right now, Tufang could only go further.

"dad!"

Hijikata was hugged tightly around his waist from behind, and before he could react, he felt his shirt was soaked in tears.He turned around and saw a little girl with chestnut hair let go of his waist, with a little blush in the corner of her eyes.

"Sorry, I'm being selfish again."

The girl took another step back and wiped away her tears firmly.Hijikata was about to say "Sorry, you recognized the wrong person", but then he heard a completely different answer from himself, but he couldn't hear what he said at all, and he completely lost control.When Hijikata felt that he had regained any sense of direction, he ran and ran away from this strange place.Only when you calm down can you think, who is the girl?what is that placeWhy would I be regarded as someone else's "father"?

Calm down, it didn't last long.

"Mr. Hijikata?"

Attracted by the familiar voice, Hijikata took a closer look and found that the person was Sougo; then, Hijikata noticed that Sougo also had chestnut hair.

"I thought you went in and talked with President Nishino for a long time, why are you still dawdling here?" Sougo frowned, and it was rare that he didn't have the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"The place where I woke up just now is very strange. It's a long corridor, a white corridor." Hijikata said, "I met... It should be someone's projection among us, maybe we should be careful."

"Speaking of weirdness, there really isn't a single person in this office building, not a single projected figure." Sougo said, "China just reported the result by radio, not a few minutes ago."

"What about Silver Hour?"

"After entering this world, I have never seen or heard Dana." Sougo said, "He didn't appear where we planned."

"We seem to have missed a very important detail." Hijikata said, "Maybe Gintoki, like me, was not in the original place when he was awake."

"Tsk tsk, it's as if the design has been tampered with." Sougo smacked his lips, "It seems that there are people from the Shinsengumi who know our plan like the back of their hands."

"It's not completely sure, Sougo." Hijikata pondered, "In short, according to the original plan, I will go up to find the position of the president, and you and Kagura will be responsible for watching if anyone is passing by."

"Mr. Hijikata, I have to say that I suggest retreating in this situation. The plan obviously doesn't work."

Sougo seldom made such a serious proposal, and most of them did so deliberately when they were against Hijikata.The sudden seriousness probably means that Sougo is reminding Hijikata that he is about to make an obvious mistake.This time, the earth side is not unaware of the possible failure, and understands that the failure may be too big to predict, but he must go on.

"We can't go until we find Yinshi."

"However, Dana should also understand that the task has become a situation where others have taken over the control. We can't let any one of us take the risk to complete it." Sougo said, "Obviously we already know that if we continue to carry out, failure will be inevitable. .”

"Sougo, the mission continues until we find Gintoki or finish talking with President Nishino."

After listening to Hijikata's words, Sougo was about to continue, but was stopped by Hijikata's firm gesture.He gritted his teeth hard, knowing in his heart that it was not because he was unwilling to accept his suggestion, but that he was stuck at a crossroads where he could not go up or down, and what he would lose if he retreated was no less than what he would gain if he went forward.No matter how unbearable this tone is, he has to hold back, because Souwu understands how difficult it is to make a correct decision.

"Building G, go up to the 33rd floor, the third wooden door on the left when you go out of the elevator, the location of the president's office that Kagura just reported." Sougo said, "I hope this decision will not make everyone regret it."

But it's just hope, everyone knows that things are unpredictable.Tufang waved his hand and walked into the office building without looking back.

In the troposphere, the temperature drops by 33 degrees for every 100 meters above sea level, which means the air will be thinner.However, for a modern office building, the [-]rd floor is not an excessive floor height, and it is only more than [-] meters.But Tufang felt that every time he got closer to that height, the air became thinner and his heart beat more uncontrollably.

The sound of "ding dong" became the only sound in the entire space, followed by the steps of Tufang stepping out of the elevator.The lights are fully turned on, but Doji can feel that the world seems to be closed, and the silence seems to be immersed in deep black ink.The unknown was hidden behind the third wooden door, and Tufang even pushed that door open with trembling hands.

The light was still on, but the cabinet that opened the door blocked part of the view.Tu moved forward so that he could see where the sofa was, but the moment he saw the silver curly hair lying on the sofa, he almost screamed instinctively.

"Silver time!"

At this moment, Hijikata thought he was kneeling directly in front of the sofa, but in fact he just smashed the entire flawless mirror with the weight of his body, and Gintoki's image also shattered along with the mirror.This time, Tu Fang didn't need to turn his head to know that he had been tricked.

"President Nishino, it seems that you are very skilled."

Tufang heard the sound of the gun being loaded from behind, and slowly raised his hands.But the person with the gun spoke three seconds later.

"After so many years, can you still tell me what a 'dream' is?"

"fourteen."

Two words, two beats, hit Shirō Hijikata's heart heavily, as if trying to knock his soul out of his shell.Hijikata is too familiar with the gentleness in that voice, even if yearning is a hungry vine like a water ghost, tightly locking his throat and robbing him of the space to breathe, his heart has long since surrendered silently, unwilling to let go no matter what.He couldn't turn around smoothly, probably because he was struggling back and forth in his heart.But Tufang knew that the other party wanted to look at his face now, and he was like a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered on the cutting board, turning around bit by bit... couldn't help but resist.

The earth side wanted to ask "why", but later found that the question was extremely stupid.If anyone is like Hijikata, looking at the disheveled silver curly hair and that easy-going, gentle smile, it is not difficult to understand Hijikata's frustration at the moment of complete failure and his almost suicidal impulse.