HISD Chapter 3 Dream and Reality
It really felt real.
Through the slightly raised angle of the home security camera, Yi Meng's gaze fell on Pepper Potts, her collar having slipped a little lower.
It wasn't as if he deliberately wanted to look. Except for a few blind spots, the camera faithfully recorded everything inside the room.
After the mother and daughter finished sharing their thoughts, they bid each other goodnight.
"Sleep well."
Pepper tucked the quilt around her daughter Morgan, then stood up and reminded the air of the room, "Saturday, take good care of Morgan. Report to me immediately if anything happens."
"Yes, Miss Potts." Yi Meng responded quickly, sending out the preset calm and steady male electronic voice through the camera.
Pepper left the bedroom, the main light automatically dimmed, leaving the room in quiet darkness with only a soft bedside lamp glowing faintly.
Yi Meng intended to follow Pepper, shifting his awareness toward the living room.
But the moment he tried to leave, a cold, mechanical female voice cut through the network from the living room: "Go back. Watch over young Miss Morgan!"
That voice…
Yi Meng instantly understood something and silently retreated.
Inside the room, the golden-haired little girl lay with her eyes shut, but her trembling eyelashes betrayed she wasn't asleep.
Half a minute passed in silence.
Then Yi Meng's warm male voice came again: "Morgan."
The little girl didn't respond, pretending to sleep, but her eyelashes kept quivering.
This kid… really stubborn.
Yi Meng chuckled softly and continued, "Alright, I apologize for what I said earlier. I was wrong."
This time, Morgan finally responded. Her small hand pulled the quilt up to cover half her face as she mumbled, "Saturday, you weren't wrong. When people die, they're just gone. Nothing is left."
"No, I was wrong."
Yi Meng replied sincerely, "Even if someone dies, their soul still exists. They may remain by the side of the one they love, even if unseen."
"Really? You're not lying to a kid?"
Morgan lowered the quilt, her sapphire-like eyes shining up at him.
"Of course not."
In Yi Meng's original world, maybe death meant true annihilation. But here, this dream was set in the Marvel universe.
And in Marvel, gods and cosmic beings were everywhere.
The mysteries of this universe proved that souls existed, and death was not always the end—resurrection was possible.
Morgan's face brightened into a smile. "So Daddy hasn't completely left us?"
"Of course. When you grow up, you'll see him again."
Yi Meng said firmly. He wasn't comforting her with false hopes but describing something that could very well happen here.
After all, Tony Stark himself had once returned through the Quantum Realm and met his long-deceased father.
"Then I need to hurry and grow up…" Morgan whispered happily, eyes shining with hope.
"Besides," Yi Meng added, "a man like your father left far too much behind in this world, even after his death."
"Tomorrow, I'll take you outside to see for yourself."
"Huh, outside the cabin?"
Morgan was already dozing off, murmuring, "Mom… doesn't let me go out… dangerous…"
"Don't worry. I'll be with you."
Morgan didn't respond.
She had fallen asleep, her tired little face wearing a faint smile of hope as she breathed evenly.
Yi Meng wanted to sleep too.
But the problem was—this was a dream, and artificial intelligence didn't need sleep.
"I wonder how long I'll be stuck here."
He mused silently. Time in dreams was meaningless—it might be hours, days, or weeks.
Still, he noticed his freedom of movement was limited.
Inside the cabin, he could move about freely. But beyond that, a subtle constraint held him back, keeping him confined.
For a true AI, it wouldn't matter. But for Yi Meng, a human soul inside this role, it felt suffocating.
"I need to understand more about this dream world."
Above all, he had to confirm whether his earlier bold idea was actually possible.
Was this Marvel dream a real, complete structure?
It wouldn't be hard to test.
Even if he couldn't leave the room, he could still use the internet.
If other countries and cities existed here, if he found vast knowledge online he had never learned before, that would prove the world's completeness.
With that thought, Yi Meng extended his awareness toward the laptop on the wooden desk.
Time to go online.
…
"Yi Meng! Yi Meng!"
A scolding voice jolted the classroom.
The silver-haired boy, about eighteen, stirred from sleep, long lashes trembling as he yawned, messy bangs falling across his brow.
Though it was summer, he wore matte gloves.
His mouth still glistened with a faint trace of drool. His school uniform was untidy, but his sharp features, rare silver hair that seemed to shine with its own luster, and clear, fair skin made him stand out. His clean and fresh aura was enough to make others envious, not disgusted.
Yi Meng blinked awake, shaking his numb arms. Still groggy, he heard a voice beside him ask, "What were you dreaming about?"
"Iron Man's family." Yi Meng muttered.
"Iron Man? What's that?"
"Marvel… Iron Man, haven't you seen the movies… huh?"
Yi Meng's words trailed off as he realized something was wrong.
He was sitting at a small white desk, with stacks of books and papers piled up. His face had been pressed against an open physics book, dampening its pages.
Lifting his head, he saw a classroom of fifty students. Most wore looks of pity as if they couldn't save him. Standing nearby was a balding middle-aged man, anger written across his face.
It was the teacher's voice that had called him out.
"Sorry." Yi Meng immediately stood up, realizing this wasn't the place to fall asleep.
"Yi Meng, the college entrance exams are only a week away, and you've even dyed your hair… this attitude…" The teacher sighed, abandoning the lecture before it began.
Yi Meng didn't mind. With just a week before exams, the best approach was to stay calm and relaxed.
Three years of high school had already been spent studying. What he knew, he knew. What he didn't, there wasn't time to learn.
Even burning the candle at both ends now wouldn't change anything.
Seeing Yi Meng's indifference, the teacher jabbed a finger at the blackboard. "Fine. Solve this problem."
"Alright."
Yi Meng gave him face, walking casually to the smart blackboard at the front.
Dozens of classmates stared at him, enjoying the show. Anyone else would've felt the sting of embarrassment, but Yi Meng was relaxed.
After all, as a transmigrator with life experience, his mentality was far beyond that of a nervous student.
He picked up the smart pen.
Physics, out of the eight exam subjects, was his weakest. Normally, passing was an achievement.
And subjects like physics, chemistry, or math had no shortcuts or lucky guesses—you either knew the solution or you didn't.
Yi Meng glanced at the problem on the blackboard. Every word was clear, but strung together, they made no sense. The bizarre force diagrams didn't help either.
Perfect. He had no clue.
He felt relieved. Even on the actual exam, this would've been a rare bonus question that only a handful of students could solve.
The teacher must've been too angry to think straight, calling him of all people to answer.
He was ready to apologize honestly and leave the stage.
But as Yi Meng turned to step down, he froze.
A familiar spark of static, a subtle tingle of insight, flashed through his mind like lightning.
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