Don't Look Back

A somber silence settled in the conference room of the security center. Eventually, Verne was the first to break it. Straightening, he looked at Sunny and said in a heavy tone:

"The… the best I can do is ask for volunteers among my Awakened. To risk falling asleep. Some of them might die, but a few should return with the news from the Dream Realm. Then, we can discuss evacuation by land."

Sunny stared at him without saying anything. His anger was suddenly gone, and instead, all that was left was fatigue, regret, and a vague feeling of dark resentment.

'Damn it all…'

If Verne indeed sent volunteers into the Dream Realm, even knowing that it would be a one-way trip for some of them… they would return in about eight hours. Finding out what was happening up north would help Sunny tremendously.

But eight hours was too long.

His growing panic was already almost suffocating. He did not know if they had eight minutes left, let alone eight hours.

"There's no time. You can't."