Chapter 14 Breaking the Situation

The dinner party ended around 9 p.m.

Lin Xian returned home, took off his suit, and finished washing up.

He sat at the desk in his bedroom, reflecting on the events of the dinner party.

Today's dinner party really broadened his horizons.

Even though everyone lives in the same Donghai, on the same land, they lead completely different lives.

They spend billions as if they were tossing out beans for fun.

They live the lives of fairy tales, as if everyone is a prince or princess.

This is clearly the real world, yet it seems more dreamlike than actual dreams.

Speaking of dreams...

Lin Xian propped his forehead, his gaze sweeping over two pieces of white paper on the desk.

They were from a few days ago when he analyzed the dreams about Big Face Cat and the CC incident.

One was "Story Process", detailing the cause and effect of the gratitude and grudges between the two.

The other was "Unsolved Mysteries", listing three doubts that weighed on Lin Xian's mind.

He picked up the paper labelled "Unsolved Mysteries".

Looking at the three questions written on it:

1. What exactly is hidden in the safe?

2. What on earth is the combination to the safe?

3. Why did CC save me? Her attitude towards me is also very subtle, very strange.

The first question.

He was clueless.

Even though it was Lin Xian's own dream, he had no idea what he would need to keep so secret to place it in such a secure bank safe.

But from CC's reaction, it was clear that whatever was inside was very important to her, hence she took such a great risk to rob the bank.

"What could it be?"

Since it was his own dream, surely the content of the safe must be something within his own knowledge, right?

Lin Xian just couldn't figure it out.

He truly didn't understand what he had that was so unspeakable that it needed to be hidden away in such a deep safe.

The second question.

What on earth is the combination to the safe?

Just as clueless.

Passwords are binary, right or wrong, without any gray area.

Lin Xian had tried every eight-digit code he could think of, but to no avail—the combination was still incorrect.

This left him quite astonished...

Now, he was even more curious than CC about what the password might be.

In his last dream, he had racked his brains, trying every possible date combination he could think of.

Not just every birthday, anniversary, or significant date he could imagine.

He had even attempted numerous dates related to the dream.

Trying codes like 26240828, 26240829, and even incorporating the time 0042, both forwards and backwards.

Really...

He had run out of ideas.

Lin Xian couldn't understand—if the safe appeared in his dream, then it had to be his own safe, right?

His own safe, yet he couldn't open it... It was utterly baffling.

However.

Of the three questions.

The one Lin Xian cared about most was the third.

He looked down at the paper:

3. Why did CC save me? Her attitude towards me is also very subtle, very strange.

This was also the only question that had a clue and a possible answer to follow.

Because CC herself must know; it's just that she wasn't willing to tell him.

"CC."

Now, to reflect carefully on the sound of CC's voice during her speech...

Lin Xian felt a strange sense of familiarity.

He should have heard it somewhere in reality, and not so long ago; it must have been in the last few months.

The more he thought about it, the more familiar it seemed—he had definitely heard this voice somewhere!

It was melodious, spirited, distinctive.

Yet he couldn't for the life of him remember when or where he had heard it.

"A hallucination?"

"Actually, there are many girls whose voices sound exactly like Lazy Goat's on Dubsmash..."

Lin Xian shook his head, not wanting to think about these messy thoughts, and continued to ponder the question at hand—

"So, why did CC save me?"

Lin Xian, resting his forehead on his hand, couldn't understand.

For her, both he and Big Face Cat were criminals of the same nature; there was no reason to kill Big Face Cat and spare him. Besides, he was the main culprit behind the bank explosion and could hardly be considered innocent.

Lin Xian picked up a red pen.

He circled the third question twice.

To find out the answer...

He could only ask CC herself.

"But now, here's the problem,"

Lin Xian's brow furrowed slightly.

CC herself knew the answer.

But she wasn't willing to tell Lin Xian unless he helped her open the safe.

Yet Lin Xian didn't know the combination.

It was an unsolvable vicious cycle.

Unless...

"Breakthrough!"

Lin Xian's eyes were determined.

He was clear in his mind that using normal means, he would definitely not be able to get the answer out of CC.

So he had to use "unconventional means"!

It was obvious CC was a very clever woman; she wasn't as easy to deceive as Big Face Cat, and she was skilled in combat and armed with a gun, so Lin Xian probably wouldn't be able to subdue her head-on.

Closing his eyes to think...

"Got it!"

Quite quickly, Lin Xian came up with a plan to break the situation.

Here's what he planned in his mind:

1. Meet up with Big Face Cat, gain his trust first, then reveal the deception to him.

2. Form an alliance with Big Face Cat, set up an ambush in the bank vault beforehand, and wait for CC.

3. When CC appears, use a ruse to subdue her and get the answer!

"I alone definitely won't do, but if I use Big Face Cat, 2 against 1 should be no problem."

Lin Xian's fingers were spinning the pen rapidly.

This breakthrough plan should be flawless!

Actually, Lin Xian didn't really want to hurt CC; he just wanted to know an answer. After getting the answer, he wouldn't make things difficult for her; they could each go their own way.

Glancing at the clock on the nightstand.

21:45

He usually met Big Face Cat around ten o'clock, so if he fell asleep a bit earlier, he would still make it!

Lin Xian swiftly turned off the lights, got into bed, and closed his eyes.

...

...

Whoosh!

The overly familiar hot summer wind blew on Lin Xian's face, making it feel somewhat dry.

He opened his eyes to see a scene he had seen thousands of times before.

The digital display board showed the time as 21:54.

"I need to get the Ultraman mask quickly."

Looking to the right ahead, there were still those two little boys shouting Ultraman flying kicks and Ultraman elbow strikes as they fought.

Actually, those kids were old friends of Lin Xian's. When he was young and dreamed, he would often play with those two boys, engaging in the battles of light.

Back then, Lin Xian was shorter than those two boys and was often bullied by them. In his view, they were two unbeatable meat mountains.

Later on, Lin Xian slowly grew taller, but the two kids remained the same, and he started to act as the big brother.

And even later...

Lin Xian no longer played child's games like Ultraman battles. Only those two kids remained, tirelessly fighting day and night, year after year, until even the streets had worn away.

Lin Xian grew up, but they will never grow up; time is forever frozen on that day for them.

"Ultraman flying kick!" "Ultraman elbow strike!"

The two kids dropped the mask and moved further away as they fought,

Lin Xian stepped forward and picked up the Ultraman mask from the ground.

"Key item, get~"