Forbidden Nightmare

Chapter 2 Reality or Dream
[Detect the current sleep stage...]

【…】

[The current sleep stage is REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep), which meets the basic requirements for synchronized dreams. ]

[Checking the body's related neurotransmitter and hormone values...]

【…】

【5-HT values ​​are normal.】

【Acetylcholine values ​​are normal.】

【Norepinephrine values ​​are normal.】

【…】

[Do you want to establish neural synchronization and enter the dream hall? ]

[Before you use this service, please read carefully and fully understand the Dream License and Service Agreement, Dream Sync Privacy Protection Guidelines, and other terms. ]

[At the same time, you should pay special attention to the clauses in the aforementioned agreement that exempt or limit the liability of our company (Gospel Biotechnology), the clauses that restrict your rights, and the clauses that stipulate dispute resolution methods and jurisdiction. ]

[If you have read and agreed to the above terms, please confirm 'Yes' to start using the Dream Synchronization service. If you refuse, you will not be able to synchronize any dreams, and the connection will be terminated and you will exit the Dream Synchronizer. ]

Pure white light burst out from the endless darkness and nothingness, condensing between the flickering and jumping to form lines of hazy and illusory words.

At the same time, a neutral voice that is difficult to distinguish between male and female echoes as the text appears and is recited, as if it is right next to your ear.

[Establishing neural synchronization...]

【…】

【Synchronization completed! 】

[Current synchronization rate: 60%]

The pure white light spread, sweeping over everything in sight, forming a vast white space.

At the same time, countless colorful particles gathered together to form a man's body. The man was about twenty years old, with a handsome face, a thin body, and sickly pale skin.

Li Nanke looked down at his body, which was exactly the same as his real body, but he felt an obvious awkwardness. This was a sensory difference with a low synchronization rate, which allowed the user to accurately distinguish that this was a dream and not confuse it with reality.

He said silently: "There is a bug caused by using a third-party plug-in. Every time I exit to the dream hall, I have to reconnect."

As the spirit was connected to the main dream hall, different picture frames appeared in front of my eyes, a battlefield filled with smoke, a dissection table with corpses, a fighting ring with boiling voices, a shooting range with guns and bullets, a dim and charming big bed room...

Each frame represents a different dream.

Li Nanke looked at the dream that had just been transcribed and modified according to the employer's request...

[Dream: 'A tragedy caused by a cat']

[Dream Description: After his wife died of illness, she left a ragdoll cat named V to Johnny, a former professional killer, to accompany him through loneliness. However, a group of illegal gangsters broke into Johnny's home, killed his cat, and stole his beloved classic car. Johnny, who could no longer bear it, decided to return to the underworld and embarked on a bloody road of revenge for his beloved cat...]

[Note that this dream contains 18+ factors such as extreme violence and serious crimes, please synchronize with caution. ]

[The basic synchronization rate of this dream is 60%. If you want to experience a more realistic dream, please purchase the relevant membership. VIP members can experience a 70% synchronization rate, and SVIP members can experience an 80% synchronization rate (the highest synchronization rate for dreams over 18)]

[Summer promotion available now, SVIP for consecutive years can enjoy 8% discount, click 'Membership' to jump to the purchase page...]

The synchronization rate not only affects the sensory reality and emotional immersion in dreams, but also affects the degree of freedom of dreams.

But when the synchronization rate of dreams reaches 100%, the feeling of being immersed in it is extremely real, which will give the brain strong psychological hints.

Under the influence of an excessively high synchronization rate, special experiences in dreams have a certain chance of causing irreversible physical or psychological trauma to the user. Heart patients and those with weak willpower may even die suddenly in reality due to death in dreams.

And if the synchronization rate is too high, the user will gradually forget the memory of reality and be completely immersed in dreams.

In this case, if one can do whatever one wants in a dream, it will easily cause users to confuse the boundary between dreams and reality, making it difficult for them to tell whether the current environment is a dream or reality, thus triggering a series of serious consequences.

During the testing phase before the advent of the Dream Synchronizer, some testers carried out serial shootings in schools and squares because of their high synchronization rate. Before being shot dead by the security team, they were still shouting frantically, "I can't tell the difference... I really can't tell the difference!"

Therefore, all dream synchronizers on the market have synchronization rate limits. Each safe zone has the same legal regulations as the city-state. The maximum synchronization rate for normal dreams is 85%, while the maximum synchronization rate for 18+ dreams is 80%.
But after people have experienced new and strange dreams that they have never felt before, there will always be some thrill-seekers who are unwilling to be limited by the synchronization rate and want stronger feelings and higher degrees of freedom.

If at this moment, there happens to be a group of people who can break through the rules and restrictions and bring a higher synchronization rate to others, then an illegal underground transaction will be born.

They call themselves Dream Weavers, while outsiders disgustingly call them... Nightmares.

Li Nanke has completed the transformation of the dream "A Tragedy Caused by a Cat" as required by his employer, and successfully generated a brand new version of the dream through transcription using a third-party plug-in.

He checked the dream one last time, and after confirming that it was correct, he clicked to exit the dream synchronizer.

[Reducing synchronization rate, interrupting mental connection...]

【…】

Li Nanke slowly opened his eyes, and what he saw was a mottled and peeling ceiling with irregular patches of fuzzy water stains that had long since dried up.

Obviously this is the mark left by the previous roof leak.

He sat up from the single bed and took off the dream synchronizer on his head. This machine was somewhat similar to a bone conduction headset plus a VR headset. It looked very high-tech and was out of place in the shabby bedroom he was in.

The walls of the bedroom were yellowing and peeling off in patches, with a few wallpapers of sexy beauties pasted crookedly on them. On the shelf next to it were piled various data storage disks, most of which were covered in dust.

Li Nanke felt a little tired, his eyelids drooped and his head felt dizzy.

Although the user is asleep when dream synchronization occurs, intense and realistic dreams will still cause the cerebral cortex nerves to become rapidly active, just like having many dreams during normal sleep means poor sleep quality, and waking up will cause dizziness, fatigue, and listlessness.

He stared blankly at the shabby bedroom, then looked at the dream synchronizer in his hand, his eyes a little dazed. The moment before, he was still a legendary killer walking in the hail of bullets, but at this moment, reality grinned and ruthlessly laughed at him as a complete loser.

For a moment, Li Nanke couldn't even tell whether he was still in a dream.

He took out a diary from the bedside table and read it page by page to deepen his memory of reality.

"This is already pretty good. If I let those game enthusiasts from my previous life experience an artificial dream, I guess they would fight to cross over..."

"However, if I were to travel to a body with a serious illness that wouldn't last many years, I'm afraid no one would be willing to do it... ahem."

As he was sighing, Li Nanke suddenly had a violent cough, so heart-wrenching that he even coughed out blood.

He struggled to get out the medicine bottle under the pillow, stuffed two pills into his mouth, and took a few deep breaths before slowly recovering.

ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a chronic, progressive neurological disease, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Hawking suffers from this disease.

Patients often experience gradual muscle weakness and even paralysis within three to five years after the onset of the disease, and their speaking, swallowing and breathing functions deteriorate until they die of respiratory failure.

He was diagnosed with the disease last year, and now he can clearly feel the numbness and decreased strength in his limbs. Although he has not yet developed obvious muscle weakness, complications such as lung infection and arrhythmia have already emerged one by one.

With the world's science and medical technology, this type of disease is not a terminal illness, at least not for the rich. After all, there are very few diseases that can be called terminal illnesses nowadays.

It’s a pity that Li Nanke is not a rich man…

"I am racing against death. It will take at least three years for me to earn enough money to make the special medicine."

Li Nanke looked at the electronic clock on the wall and got up from the bed.

The bedroom is on the second floor. There is a small shop on the first floor. Several rows of shelves are filled with dream data disks. The packaging covers of the data disks vary, including action dreams, literary dreams, horror dreams, science fiction dreams, and so on.

The latest issue of Dreamland is placed in a glass cabinet at the entrance.

Li Nanke opened the glass door with several dream promotional posters on it and pushed the rolling door closed.

Suddenly, a cold and damp wind accompanied by drizzling rain rushed in, making people shiver.

At this time, it was still dim before dawn.

The alley where the shop is located is narrow and cramped, with stinking puddles on the ground that never dry up all year round, cigarette butts, empty bottles, and rats gnawing on garbage everywhere. There are several figures wandering outside the alley, who seem to be drug addicts who are high, hooligans selling illegal drugs, and sneaky wild missionaries.

Here, you can look up and see the gorgeous and dreamy neon lights from afar.

On top of the skyscrapers in the distance, dreamlike holographic projection advertisements bloom under the low sky, and colorful lights dance in the mist, making people feel like they are in a dream.

From time to time, a floating car with flashing red and blue lights would pass by, bringing with it a shrill sirens that would come and go.

When the steel jungle is covered with a layer of gorgeous neon colors, its hideous appearance of the law of the jungle disappears, and only from the reflection of puddles in the dark alleys can one vaguely see some of its cruelty.

“This city of redemption…”

Li Nanke shook his head and closed the glass door, blocking out the cold wind and rain from the outside world.

Turning on the TV hanging in the corner of the ceiling, a pretty female host sat upright and announced:

"According to the latest news from the Crisis Management Bureau, on the 17th (the day before yesterday), a large-scale forbidden disaster broke out in the A91 security area under the jurisdiction of the old federal government. The danger level is 'critical', which is the most serious disaster second only to 'disaster'..."

"The taboo disaster that broke out this time triggered a tsunami, which severely affected the A91 safety zone along the coast. The highest wave reached 56 meters, engulfing most of the safety zone..."

"Our reporters went to the disaster area in the wilderness overnight, trying to broadcast the impact of the disaster on the A91 safety zone. Unfortunately, due to severe electromagnetic interference in the area, we are temporarily unable to provide live broadcast footage to our viewers..."

"Mr. Anderson, the director of the city's crisis management bureau, estimated that this forbidden disaster would cause at least 18 people in the safe zone to be affected, with direct economic losses exceeding 10 billion yuan..."

"..."

"Dear audience, at a time when forbidden disasters are breaking out irregularly, the safe zones in the wilderness are not safe. The city-states governed by major corporate groups are the warmest and safest havens for mankind, especially the City of Redemption, which is affiliated with Gospel Biotechnology..."

Words such as forbidden disaster, wilderness safety zone, and crisis control bureau triggered an extremely bad memory.

With a "click", Li Nanke switched the channel. Several beautiful virtual singers replaced the female host, twisting their waists and hips and dancing passionately. After a while, the heavenly singing ended and the advertising words came in.

"The 1:1 bionic human of the Tianlai Girls Group's virtual singer is now on sale. It is fully functional and extremely realistic, satisfying all your fantasies and needs. The first people who place an order can enjoy a special discount. Be quick and you'll miss out..."

With a "click" sound, it was still an advertisement, selling electromagnetic smart guns. There was no need to aim, and it would lock the gun automatically.

"Click", "Click", "Click". Li Nanke switched channels one after another, and finally just turned off the TV.

"In this world, it's better to live in a dream..." He sighed. There is a reason why artificial dreams are so popular nowadays.

On the surface, Li Nanke is a terminal retail channel operator of artificial dreams. The small shop he runs sells various artificial dreams.

But you can't make any money in this business, you can only barely make ends meet.

Because apart from wealthy customers who have a hobby of collecting physical discs, or customers who like the peripherals that come with physical discs, few people now choose to buy extremely inconvenient physical data discs that need to be plugged in and out to be loaded.

It is most convenient to purchase and download the electronic version of artificial dreams from the cloud mall.

Some publishers don't even put data disks in the physical packaging boxes, but instead put redemption codes for electronic versions of dreams, plus some posters and peripherals.

If Li Nanke relied on selling serious dreams, he probably wouldn't be able to earn enough to buy the special medicine until the day he died. The death here refers to death from old age.

Therefore, he could only find some jobs that could make quick money, selling some not-so-serious dreams...

"welcome!"

The glass door was pushed open, and the electronic lucky cat, sensing the customer's entry, waved its little paws and meowed respectfully and sincerely.

(End of this chapter)