don't open your eyes [unlimited]

Ling Su's deduction is very accurate.

Fifty seconds later, Z50 held the lost wheel in his left hand and another on his right shoulder, and tried his best to catch up with the carriage.

There were still a lot of fallen leaves on his head and shoulders, and there were many water spots on his clothes. It was obvious that he plunged into the bushes by the roadside when he landed.

The hypnotist quickly jumped out of the carriage, reached out to support him, and took over the two wooden wheels: "How are you, are you not injured?"

Z1 panted heavily and shook his head, his first reaction was to touch his coat pocket.

Taking advantage of his inattention, the hypnotist quickly tore off the dangling rags hanging from the carriage and stuffed them into the pocket on the other side of Z1.

Z1 groped around on his body, and found what he was looking for as he wished. His hanging heart finally settled down, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

The hypnotist's expression was a bit complicated. He and Ling Su looked at each other, but still kindly chose to pretend that they didn't see the colorful lightning hot wheels when Z1 was running wildly: "When did you go down?"

"Indescribable."

Z1 supported his knees and raised his head: "To put it simply... I had to jump onto the driver's seat in order to avoid a silent chainsaw running at high speed, and you kicked those two horses before I could stand still." In front of him, he was kicked into the bushes by those two horses."

hypnotist:"……"

Z1 moved his wrist and neck a few times, removed his right arm and pushed it up again. After two slight crisp sounds, the slightly dislocated shoulder was successfully repaired.

There is an old saying that is true: in a haunted house, it is always the other people who go in together that are more dangerous and scary than the setting and NPCs.

In the situation just now, even if the person who was thrown down was a top-level second-level tasker, he is probably unconscious now, stuck upside down in the bushes and waiting for "Cocoon" to help him retreat.

It is worth mentioning that, due to the unity of the near-death dream realm, time is infinitely static, and the difference between internal and external time flow is infinitely different, even if it is a few milliseconds of external data calculation, the somatosensory time in the dream realm will be infinitely slowed down .

I really had to wait for the "cocoon" to give an order to forcibly exit from the outside world... The moment the consciousness was pulled out of the dream realm, this unfortunate tasker might have been drying in the bushes for a long time.

……

"...In other words, the three of us all saw strange figures just now."

Through simple communication, Z1 roughly figured out the specific situation when he fell: "It seems that I am not hallucinating under the invasion of cognition."

It was a figure in a nearly translucent state. Because it appeared behind the carriage, the hypnotist sitting in the driver's seat could not observe it in time.

With the observation ability of a first-level tasker, he couldn't keep up with the figure's movement speed.In the eyes of the three of them, the shadow was fleeting behind a certain tree, and then disappeared quickly.

"I don't think that's a normal and real memory picture..."

Z1 lifted the carriage and assisted the hypnotist to put the wheels back together: "Team Ling, what do you think?"

"En." Ling Su responded, and he turned his head to discuss with Zhuang Die, "If only in terms of characteristics, it's closer to the youngest liar among the four wanted warrants."

Z1 was a little stunned: "How did this come out?"

"That shadow is not in the shape of an adult, and the details of his clothes are obvious. His whole body is soaked, dripping water all the time... The overall appearance looks like this."

Zhuang Die explained: "Because I was too scared, I could see more clearly."

As Zhuang Die said, he followed Ling Su's instructions and operated the backstage to directly reproduce the pictures in his memory.

A translucent phantom suddenly appeared among the few people, and under the reflection of the torch, it was still flickering.

"Let's not talk about anything else, why does this causal relationship exist..."

The back of Z1 felt a little cold, and couldn't help muttering something in a low voice, looking for an angle around the virtual projection: "It's true... no wonder."

From the angle he was sitting before, he could just see the black silk used to fix the bow tie around the figure's neck.

The reason why Z1 felt horrified at that time was also because of the illusion caused by the wet self-tie black bow tie crookedly protruding from under the neckline from this perspective.

Because the distance was too far and the figure was not clear enough, Zhuang Die also couldn't see the face and facial features clearly.

But looking at the entire port, there are only four people who can wear such clothes. Considering the characteristics of height and body shape, there is only one suitable candidate. It is indeed quite reasonable to link the previous shipwreck and the diary of the guests.

During the discussion, Ling Su had already reinstalled the wheels of the carriage, and repaired and fixed them again.

This time he directly replaced the position of the coachman, stretched out his hand, pulled Zhuang Die and jumped up together,

The whip sounded crisply.

The two horses had been reassured by the bananas. They seemed to realize that the coachman was much more skilled than before. After snorting a few times, they dragged the carriage and walked forward tamely.

……

After roughly guessing the possible identity of the figure, sitting next to the burning torch, the horror and fear of facing the unknown faded a lot.

"Since this is the case, can it be preliminarily deduced?"

The hypnotist tried to connect the whole line: "Ivan got the news of the shipwreck... and in the diary he picked up in the tavern, it clearly stated that the four liars got the ship from the owner of the freight forwarder." The ticket is on the wrecked ship."

"Those four liars were clever and vigilant enough to escape so many pursuits and arrests, but finally died in a shipwreck for no apparent reason."

"After reading the diary, Ivan got into the carriage and left the tavern." The hypnotist guessed, "On the way, he had hallucinations in a daze, as if he saw the ghost of that young liar..."

"Wait a minute." Z1 was puzzled, "Why did I only see this one ghost? There should be quite a few people on that ship, right?"

The hypnotist paused, thought carefully, and then explained: "This is my personal speculation... Although there is not enough clear evidence, Ivan may like that liar who is about his age."

Z1 was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly realized: "So in the carousel, the car going back to the pier will drive so fast—"

"That's at least a possibility."

The hypnotist nodded, and then looked at Ling Su and Zhuang Die inquiringly: "Ivan is very familiar with this route, whether he is going to school or going home, he will not make him so impatient."

The hypnotist said: "Unless he wants to rush back to the pier as soon as possible to meet someone who is leaving there soon..."

... Like a young liar who has already got his ticket and is about to board the ship with his parents and leave, perhaps never to return.

This is not an unfounded forced guess.

Although there is no direct and clear evidence, many details in the dream realm still vaguely point to this point.

For example, Evan doesn't seem to care about the girls in the school, and often distributes the chocolates he receives to the little pirate boys running around.

For example, although there are posters everywhere on the pier, none of the arrest warrants for these four people appeared in the tavern.

For example, when the shipwreck happened, it was clearly mentioned in the diary that "Little Ivan was sitting behind the counter with a face as white as a ghost".

According to their encounters in the Dreamland, the four of them just helped to run errands to buy some things, moved a few boxes of goods and got the high-priced tickets. The way of shipping tickets, maybe someone who the boss of the goods company dare not provoke, helped a little secretly.

Apart from these... the rest is the professional intuition accumulated by the hypnotist over a long period of time.

The top consultants who are completely handy with the subconscious world are said to be able to distinguish the emotional components in the dream realm just by igniting the complexes entrenched in the dream and distinguishing smells.Although the hypnotist cannot do this step, he still has a vague sense of those strong emotions.

When they saw the contents of the diary, and then triggered the thawed emotions in the dream realm to suddenly lose control, in addition to the boundless fear of suffocation, there was also irreparable regret and despair.

In those daily fragments of revolving lanterns, the emotions that escape are as eager as anticipation, and the regret and despair are as strong.

"If Ivan secretly helped those four people get the boat tickets, all of this would make sense."

Z1 also followed the train of thought: "If he hadn't intervened, the opponent would have lost the bet and paid dozens of guilders, but he wouldn't have boarded that ship, and he wouldn't have died in a shipwreck just for no reason... "

His eyes lit up, and he suddenly remembered: "By the way, when we came to do the mission for the first time, did the boss of the goods store keep making things difficult for us just because of this?"

"You mean, Ivan, as the subject of the dream, is trying to modify this memory?"

The hypnotist pondered: "It makes sense... uncontrollable rumination of traumatic memories is also a very typical manifestation of PTSD."

Due to the inability to let go of a certain memory, the person involved may continue to fall into that memory, repeatedly recalling the situation at that time, trying to find a solution that is correct enough.

Under this kind of endless rumination, the idea of ​​"if only I could have done it at that time" will gradually take root, and eventually endless frustration and regret will grow.

——It would be great if the boss of the cargo dealer could make things difficult for them for a while longer due to various unreasonable reasons, and delay until the passenger ship leaves the port.

——It would be great if the owner of the freight company could tear up those tickets in front of them, so that they couldn't get on the boat.

——If this train can go faster, preferably so fast that it can almost fly, it will be able to go back in time, even if we meet again...

Evan is not allowed to enter the dock when there are ships leaving the port.

When he hurried back from school, most of those people had already successfully obtained the high-priced ferry tickets and left the tavern.

"Ling Dui, don't keep talking..."

Z1 looked at Ling Su and Zhuang Die who were sitting in front. These two people didn't participate in the discussion, so he always felt guilty for no reason: "Is there anything wrong with our speculation?"

"No problem." Ling Su stopped the conversation with Zhuang Die, turned sideways and replied, "Very reasonable."

He could even give other evidence, taking out the sketch of the betting scene and opening it: "From the perspective of composition, according to the golden section, this painting puts the juvenile liar at the most important point."

While Ling Su was talking, he had already added a few virtual dividing lines on the screen, and then tapped on the position of the young liar: "When he drew here, his strokes became more delicate, and the lines became more delicate. The density is more regular, and the strength of rubbing is softer and more cautious, all of which reflect the emotions of the painter."

"..." Z1 had long suspected that he did it on purpose when he drew the schematic diagram, but now he has confirmed it even more. When he thought of the car whose style is obsessed with painting, he couldn't help but press his temple hard.

"That being said, it does appear to be so."

The hypnotist didn't do much research on the psychology of painting, so he took the painting and studied it for a long time, and quickly jotted down a few key points.

He returned the painting to Ling Su: "Team Ling, you have been silent all this time, have you discovered any details that we have overlooked?"

Ling Su shook his head: "No."

Both the hypnotist and Z1 couldn't help but exchanged glances in a daze.

"It's because I didn't find anything." Zhuang Die closed his notebook, "It's so reasonable, all clues point to this answer."

A reasoning that has been refuted by many clues, of course, shows that it is probably wrong in the first place, and needs to be ruled out and find another way in time.

But an inference that is so logical that no problem can be found and seems to be flawless, it also deserves to be treated with caution.

Especially as if he was guided here by clues all the way, and even saw the ghost of the young liar—as if he only needs to enter the cycle again from the beginning, correct the painful fragments in memory, remember and heal this unforgettable throbbing and regret, When the dead knot in the dream realm can be solved smoothly.

Z1 couldn't help being a little surprised: "Isn't this... a little too cautious?"

"This is the near-death dreamland, the closest place to 'that world', so we can't be too cautious."

The notebook in Zhuang Die's hand tapped twice on the carriage: "Would you like to make a bet?"

Z1 raised his head subconsciously, and when he looked around, he realized that the carriage had stopped at some point.

The concepts of time and space in the Dreamland are the least regular. When they went to the pier, they raced at a speed of 45 miles per hour for [-] minutes before finally arriving at their destination along the twisting and turning railway tracks.

But walking back from the other end, just sitting in the carriage unhurriedly, unexpectedly swayed slowly to the station when he fell into a dream.

There is no difference from before, the station is still shrouded in thick night fog.

It was cold and clammy, as if it could penetrate into the cracks of human bones, like a mist with fine ice balls.

Compared with the vivid pier, there is a kind of alienation and coldness that is almost harsh, as if it will never be able to break free from the night.

Following their previous memories, it didn't take them much effort to find the road sign that was still standing there.

"It's indeed the same." Zhuang Die looked up, "It says the places where these four people cheated."

The hypnotist was completely unaware of this.He walked over in a bit of surprise, took the arrest warrant, and followed the place names on the road signs to confirm one by one: "Really! No wonder I always feel familiar..."

"Ivan has been to these places too?"

Z1 guessed: "What does this mean? He actually cheated with these people too?"

Ling Su nodded: "Kogoro-level reasoning."

Z1: "..."

"A more romantic guess is that Ivan met the young liar while he was waiting for the bus at the station."

Zhuang Die said: "Either because of the other party's detailed and vivid descriptions, he had an impression of those places...or he was indeed taken away from home for excursions, and he personally visited those towns and villages that he had never seen before. .”

He paused for a while, met Z1's gaze, and explained one more sentence: "Although it is indeed a bit too reasonable, I also hope that this is the truth, and these two things do not conflict."

Z1 was stunned for a few seconds, looked at Zhuang Die who walked away holding the torch, concentrated on searching the surroundings, and did not speak immediately.

It was the first time for him to meet this kind of person—so rational that he was a little unreasonable, and he even refused to believe the most reasonable and moving guess. When he said "I hope this is the truth", his expression was so serious that it was almost innocent .

"You said you wanted to bet." Z1 followed Zhuang Die and asked tentatively, "What do you want to bet?"

"Bet on my luck."

Zhuang Die ate a nut, and took out a tie from his backpack: "I plan to push this dream again from Ivan's perspective."

"Are you kidding me?" Z1 looked terrified, and reached out to grab him, "What if I get assimilated by this dream?!"

Z1 saw at a glance that the tie was a prop to adjust cognition, and he pressed Zhuang Die firmly: "You may not know the danger of this kind of behavior, even the data intensity of 'cocoon' has not been able to explore this area clearly. Mengyu, this is not a simulation that you can complete as an individual."

Z1 quickly whispered: "If you are not careful, your consciousness may be assimilated into a part of this dream——by then, you will never come back."

Zhuang Die thought about it carefully: "It makes sense."

"Do you know—" Z1 hadn't finished persuading him, but he didn't expect that the other party would change his mind, and he couldn't even keep up, "Huh?"

"This is not a simulation that I can complete as an individual..." Zhuang Di raised his eyes, "I need a partner."

"...That's not what it means! The individual here is the antonym of 'cocoon'!"

Z1's brow was sweating anxiously: "Did you hear this sentence!"

Zhuang Die's thinking was already running at a high speed. He quickly ruled out all the plans that could not be realized, walked towards Ling Su quickly, and tugged on Ling Su's cuff: "Captain, do you have time?"

"Yes." Ling Su nodded.

He didn't even ask Zhuang Die what he planned to do, so he stopped his investigation, turned around and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"I want to explore this dream in depth." Zhuang Die said, "But Z1 is right, this dream is not about one person, and I can't explore it completely by myself."

Ling Su saw the tie in his hand, slightly raised his eyebrows, and looked at Z1 not far away.

The back of Z1 suddenly felt a little cold, and he shuddered: "..."

Ling Su put one hand on Zhuang Die's shoulder and met his gaze: "No problem, but isn't it a little risky?"

"A little bit." Zhuang Die nodded, "I'm also hesitating whether to do it or not."

"This is indeed the most efficient, but it also faces certain risks."

Ling Su waited patiently for him to think for a while, and then said slowly: "How about—"

"If I adjust my cognition to Yiwen, I may ask you to help me to have a relationship with me in my dream."

Zhuang Die had already organized his thoughts, raised his head and asked, "Captain, are you more than [-]% sure?"

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The author has something to say:

Captain: More than [-]% sure.