18 Dream distortion!

Dreams are timeless realms. As Wang Jianren, with a heart filled with anticipation, pushed open the door at the end of the corridor, he was greeted by the long-lost neighborhood, the place he hadn't returned to for ages—the place he called home!

Taking a deep breath, Wang Jianren suppressed the fluttering in his chest and the anticipation, then took step by step towards the upper floors of the neighborhood.

One step, two steps, three steps...

Because it was an old-style neighborhood without elevators between floors, he had to walk up the stairs. Though it was just three short levels, it felt incredibly long as he ascended.

After what seemed like an eternity, when he regained consciousness, he found himself standing in front of a familiar door.

The door was weathered, with rusted silver paint peeling off, but Wang Jianren paid no attention to its condition. Instead, he meticulously straightened his prison uniform, his heart filled with anticipation and excitement.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

With excitement, Wang Jianren began to knock on the iron door. However, to his disappointment, after knocking for what seemed like half a minute, there was still no response from inside.

"Xiao Hui isn't home?" Wang Jianren furrowed his brow. Growing increasingly restless, he increased the force of his knocking. Just when he was about to give up hope, he finally heard hurried footsteps from inside.

"Who is it?" A familiar voice came from behind the door.

"Xiao Hui, is it you?" Wang Jianren trembled with excitement, suppressing the tremor in his voice as he whispered, "It's me, I'm back!"

"Arren!" A low call came from inside the door, and then the wooden door behind it creaked open. A middle-aged woman with a somewhat aged face appeared, her expression turning into one of delight. "Arren, it's really you!"

"It's me, I'm back!" Wang Jianren nodded repeatedly, seeing the middle-aged woman open the security door again, he immediately rushed into the house.

"Hahaha, is there anything to eat? Bring it to me quickly. After squatting in prison for so long, my mouth feels like it's turned into a desert!" Wang Jianren collapsed onto the sofa as if exhausted, laughing heartily while demanding food.

"Okay, coming right up!" The middle-aged woman known as Xiao Hui hurried into the kitchen. Soon, a steaming bowl of white porridge was brought out. However, upon seeing the porridge, Wang Jianren frowned, feeling disappointed. "Is there nothing else?"

"We...we don't have anything else." Xiao Hui clutched her clothes, lowering her head in fear. "Our money was all gone because of your gambling. This porridge was given by a neighbor."

Wang Jianren frowned again but didn't want to dampen the mood on his return. He turned to look at his daughter's room. "Where's Xiao Zhen? Why isn't she coming out to see me?"

"Xiao Zhen...she..." Xiao Hui hesitated, "She went out with her boyfriend."

"What!" Wang Jianren's gaze sharpened, a vague jealousy surging from the depths of his heart. "She...has a boyfriend now?"

"Xiao Zhen has grown up..." Xiao Hui hurriedly defended.

"Nonsense, how dare she!" Wang Jianren cursed, throwing the porridge fiercely at her and glaring at the woman before him, who had lost her youth. "You, how did you raise Xiao Zhen? Didn't I say Xiao Zhen can only be with me?"

"I'm sorry!" The middle-aged woman lowered her head even further, trembling all over. Even when splattered with scalding porridge, she dared not flinch.

Seeing the woman's submissive appearance, Wang Jianren felt even more enraged. He stood up abruptly, pointing at her nose and cursing, "You bitch, giving birth to Xiao Zhen with some wild man outside, I tolerated that. But I said, you must pay the price, and that price is your daughter. She must belong to me and only me!"

As he spoke, his anger grew, and the thought of his daughter possibly being taken by another man overwhelmed him. Unable to contain himself any longer, he slapped the middle-aged woman fiercely across the face!

Crack!

With a crisp sound, the middle-aged woman fell to the ground from the blow, but Wang Jianren didn't even spare her a glance. He turned and rushed towards his daughter's room!

Bang!

The door to his daughter's room was kicked open forcefully, but the moment Wang Jianren stepped into the room, he froze once again, as he suddenly remembered something, something incredibly important, almost forgotten...

Xiao Hui, his wife, she...

She wasn't she dead?

On the night before going to prison, after losing all his wages in gambling, he had drunk heavily, then returned home and strangled her in the kitchen.

At this thought, Wang Jianren felt his head buzz, his scalp almost exploding. He quickly turned around, but saw nothing but darkness in the living room, not a single soul...

What...what's going on?

Wang Jianren felt an indescribable sense of palpitations, his legs trembling as he moved towards the living room. After just a few meters, which seemed like an eternity, he soon saw a glaring pool of bright red blood seeping out from under the kitchen door...

"Heeheeheehee..."

From the kitchen came a piercing, sinister laughter. The moment he heard this voice, Wang Jianren felt as if his body had been electrocuted, a chilling sensation spreading from within, causing his hair to stand on end!

Creak...

The kitchen door creaked open slowly.

A disheveled, pallid woman peeked through the crack of the door, each step accompanied by a sound like ancient, decaying wood—creak...

"Xiaohui, I was wrong..."

Wang Jianren felt his blood run cold as he retreated step by step into his daughter's room. But as he reached the doorway, his back met a chilling figure.

"I~See~You~"

A raspy laugh echoed from behind. Wang Jianren stiffly turned, only to face a grotesquely burnt face, its right hand like an iron claw viciously thrusting towards him...

At that moment, Zhang Yaoyang genuinely harbored murderous intent towards the man before him!

Gambling, alcoholism, domestic abuse; murdering his wife, violating his daughter... Through this man's dreamscape, Zhang Yaoyang saw the filth of his life and the multitude of crimes he had committed!

This man deserved to die!

Yet, just as he was about to plunge the iron claw into the man's neck, the dream began to rapidly crumble!

Clearly, Wang Jianren's fear had surpassed all limits, prompting his subconscious to actively break the dream, attempting to awaken himself!

Zhang Yaoyang halted his motion, looking somewhat regretful, prepared to leave before the dream collapsed, lest he face its backlash.

However, as Zhang Yaoyang was about to depart, he suddenly paused, gazing up at the sky with a puzzled expression.

In his perception, Wang Jianren's dream was not shattering and dissipating as usual. Instead, it was being steadily absorbed by Zhang Yaoyang himself, as if there were a straw connecting their dreamscapes, channeling Wang Jianren's entire dream into Zhang Yaoyang's mind!

At that moment, Wang Jianren's dream was being prolonged!

Meanwhile, Wang Jianren, lost in his nightmare, remained oblivious, feeling as though he had plummeted into hell, his eyes glazed over as he helplessly stared at the iron claw closing in.

This sensation...

Narrowing his eyes, Zhang Yaoyang was immensely shocked. He had realized that his consciousness had completely devoured the other's dream, not only that, but he had extended Wang Jianren's entire consciousness into his own dreamscape!

Turning the tables!

"I see now..."

Licking his lips, Zhang Yaoyang smirked menacingly, raising his claw once more. This time, his claw effortlessly pierced into Wang Jianren's neck!

Crack!

Three deep, bone-exposing gashes cut across Wang Jianren's entire neck!

In an instant, crimson blood surged like a torrent, drenching both of them!

The next moment, Wang Jianren's eyes widened, desperately clutching his neck, a hint of longing in his gaze. But despite everything, he couldn't halt the ebbing of life. With a thunderous crash, his body collapsed, his breath forever extinguished.

After completing this act, Zhang Yaoyang took a deep breath, calming his state of mind. Although it was a murder in a dream, that strike just now felt incredibly real, as if...

He had truly severed someone's neck.

Yet, at that moment, the unexpected occurred! Numerous tendrils suddenly emerged from the void around him, wrapping tightly around Wang Jianren's lifeless body. Before Zhang Yaoyang could regain his composure, these tendrils forcefully dragged Wang Jianren into Zhang Yaoyang's mind!

Simultaneously, before Zhang Yaoyang's eyes, a bright black dialogue box flickered into view. Upon it, the Illusion Creation Value surged like a geyser!

2400! 2500! 2700! 3000!

Finally, it came to a rest at a complete 3300!

Moreover, among the myriad abilities, a new line of ability shimmered into view!

"Dream Distortion (Novice)!"