HISD Chapter 11: Doomsday in the Dream
Yi Meng suddenly realized that the so-called peaceful and natural reality of this reincarnated world was only a surface illusion.
Perhaps in the not-so-distant future, the truth of countless worlds would gradually be revealed, and that revelation would bring destruction to the very order of reality itself!
The thought of film and television worlds mixing into reality was terrifying enough to make his bones shiver.
After all, there were far too many supervillains and terrifying beings within those universes—giant monstrosities, fantasy creatures, Lovecraftian horrors, mythological entities, magical beings, extradimensional existences, specters, and more. Some of those very concepts alone were enough to crush hope into despair.
Of course, there wasn't enough information yet.
Yi Meng still couldn't be entirely sure if this reality had already been invaded by those fictional worlds.
And if it had… which ones were they? Science fiction? Fantasy? Or horror?
The Terminator, The Boys, Game of Thrones, The Conjuring, Pacific Rim, Godzilla, Clash of the Titans, Jurassic World, Narnia, The Grudge, Ultraman, Harry Potter, Resident Evil, Underworld, Cloverfield, Tokyo Ghoul, Gantz, The Wandering Earth, X-Men, Final Fantasy, Final Destination, I Am Legend, The Mist, Alien…
His mind flashed through the countless movies and series he had once seen, and with each one, his heart sank deeper.
He lifted his gaze toward his high school classmates who were still immersed in revision, preparing for the upcoming federal college entrance exams.
Yi Meng let out a quiet breath and forced himself to calm down.
If only he possessed even one percent of the power of Marvel's dream-based artificial intelligence incarnation, he could have already uncovered the hidden truth behind reality.
But right now, he was still only a bit faster at thinking than the average person, nowhere near true artificial intelligence. His brain is too weak.
"I have to dream again… to gain more of the artificial intelligence's abilities."
He clenched his fist silently, urgency stirring in his chest.
A strong premonition told him: if his guesses were right, then the future of this reality would be nothing less than humanity's doomsday apocalypse!
…
Restless thoughts plagued Yi Meng. The strangeness of reality, the pressure of dreams—he couldn't even nap at noon.
By evening.
After school, Yi Meng returned to his apartment. Sitting alone on the sofa under the bright ceiling lamp, he sipped alcohol in silence.
Even with the alcohol numbing his body, his mind continued spinning rapidly, thoughts racing, making it impossible to fall asleep.
His forehead and temples burned, sweat soaking his shirt, bloodshot veins spreading from his brown eyes beneath his silver hair.
He stared out the window. The city glimmered faintly under the night, peaceful and quiet as always.
Yet tonight, for some reason, Yi Meng felt an ominous dread—that within the city's dark corners, terrifying unknown beings were lurking, watching both him and the city itself.
Sudden rage welled up inside him. Like a provoked territorial beast, he wanted to throw his head back and roar, to tear through the night and sky, slaughtering every hidden watcher!
Whether god or dragon—
Kill them all!
Yi Meng didn't even notice that his face had twisted ferociously, his hard silver hair spiking upward, and his eyes glowing with violent red light.
"Ding dong!"
The doorbell rang. Before he could get up, the sound of a card swipe followed, and the door swung open effortlessly.
First, a slender leg wrapped in black stockings stepped inside, wearing black boots. A school skirt and flowing black hair followed, carrying a faint fragrance.
Under the living room light, a beautiful black-haired girl walked in with graceful ease.
If his classmate Pan Hu had been here, he would have been petrified on the spot.
The perfect girl he had described earlier in the day—the one who seemed to belong to another world—was now entering as naturally as if she lived here.
She casually swiped the door card, nudged the floor with the tip of her boot, bent down, and slipped off her footwear, revealing a dainty foot wrapped in sheer black silk, faintly exposing soft pink skin beneath.
Yi Meng froze, staring at her.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Tifa blinked playfully. She quickly removed her other boot, her feet pressing into the carpet as her white toes stretched comfortably. Her delicate face, usually cold and aloof outside, now glowed with a radiant smile.
She asked cheerfully, "Did you drink the hangover soup yesterday?"
"I did." Yi Meng replied instinctively.
"How was it?"
"Not bad."
"Not bad? I got a teacher to personally show me the recipe."
Tifa slipped into a pair of pink slippers, hands on her waist as she frowned at the open wine bottle on the table. Her crimson eyes narrowed in displeasure. "Why are you drinking again tonight?"
Her words abruptly stopped. Suddenly leaning down, she brushed aside his silver bangs and pressed her forehead against his.
The warmth of skin touched.
Tifa's lips parted in surprise. "You're burning up. Do you have a fever?"
"It's… fine now."
Looking at the familiar, gentle face before him, the violence and rage in Yi Meng's heart melted away. His unstable emotions quieted, and he naturally pulled her into his arms, resting his head against her slim waist.
Tifa's cheeks flushed as she whispered shyly, "Let's… go to your room."
…
In the small bedroom, with only a bedside lamp glowing.
Late into the night.
Yi Meng opened his eyes, gazing at the beautiful side profile of the girl beside him, strands of damp hair sticking to her delicate skin. Her face glowed with a faint blush.
His heart was calm, as if the anxiety, frustration, and inexplicable anger had all been released.
It was just like three years ago.
Back then, during his nightmares, he too had been filled with uncontrollable anger and irritability.
Until he met this girl. Only then had those strange symptoms been suppressed.
Later, he understood. There was no better way to vent than destroying something perfect.
Rather than saying his condition was cured, it would be more accurate to say his twisted state was simply satisfied.
He was still not normal. Still sick. Still mentally unstable. Just restrained—for now.
Yi Meng closed his eyes.
He was like a sword.
The blade pierces the flower, then slides back into the scabbard.
All sharpness hidden.
Drowsiness pulled him into sleep.
But the moment Yi Meng dozed off, the girl beside him suddenly opened her crimson eyes.
"Sleep, sleep."
She gazed at him with a sly smile, whispering softly, "Let us meet again in the dream."
…
Falling. Falling. Falling.
Yi Meng clearly felt himself being drawn into another dream.
But this time—
There was no light. It was not the Marvel dream. Not the sword-dream of a thousand avatars.
Instead—
Darkness. Vast emptiness. Absolute silence.
It felt like descending into the earth's ancient strata, or stumbling into a cosmic graveyard.
Then he saw it—an unknown existence imprisoned here.
A towering three-meter body, muscles like molten iron, gray-white exoskeleton plates covering its form, cruel bone spikes jutting from fists to spine.
Even in slumber, its breath swept out scorching and freezing gales, howling wildly in the endless void around it.
Such a creature should never exist. It was the embodiment of destruction itself.
Yi Meng trembled in terror.
But it wasn't because this monster would destroy everything once it woke.
It was because Yi Meng realized—this bone-spiked monster was himself.
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
500 stones = 1 extra chapter
patreon com/GuessMyName33 for up to 40 chapters ahead]