Fear of food

Chapter 137 Dream Network
This time, when Chen Qi, as a Dream Thief, awakens his "contamination detection ability" once again...

Because he had already achieved a preliminary fusion with Menglong, the original "domain prototype" was directly upgraded into a small domain!
Looking at the crimson domain that covered him for three meters, Chen Qi understood that the domain now had more than just the ability to detect contamination.

He also mastered the abilities that the Nightmare Clan should have in other domains, but the scope of his influence was relatively small.

Even so, it greatly enhances his combat power!
He can now finally use his domain autonomously without the cooperation of the Nightmare Clan within him.

"I've absorbed all the pollution, so why hasn't the dream completely shattered yet?"

Chen Qi discovered that the park was now only missing a few rides, such as the pirate ship.

The dreamlike state of "Changfu Park" still exists and has not disappeared with the removal of the pollution source.

Chen Qi had thought that this advanced dream would be like the laboratory illusion at Jinghai Medical College, which would also shatter when the source of pollution was eliminated.

Menglong proudly declared, "This is the brilliance of our dreams, far surpassing the illusions of the Nightmare Eater Clan."

"In our dreams, the dream source is only a part of the dream, not the only pillar. Therefore, even if the dream source is missing, it can only affect a small part of the entire dream."

Nightmare Eater retorted, "That's because your Nightmare Clan is trash. You can only do empty tricks in dreams, unlike us Nightmare Eaters. Real men fight head-on in reality!"

Menglong ignored Shiyan and said to himself, "This advanced dream realm is powered by more than one advanced dream source as its core, with multiple dream sources providing energy at the same time."

"Moreover, it incorporates the dreams of many people. Many of the people you see here are the builders of this dream."

Chen Qi suddenly realized that the old people he had seen along the way were probably part of a dream world built from their memories.

The fact that a group of people can have the same dream suggests that Changfu Park must actually exist.

A dream composed of the memories of a group of people, combined with several sources of pollution, together constructs a sophisticated dream.

That does sound interesting.

"Does that mean I can find other dream sources here?"

Chen Qicai absorbed the first source of pollution. Based on past experience, it takes absorbing three sources to complete a qualitative change in his abilities.

By then, his private amusement park may have undergone a qualitative change.

All he knew was that after the mirror collected three high-level dream fragments, the dressing mirror in his safe house would have the effect of reflecting people's hearts.

Chen Qi was confident that his safe house would definitely be more powerful and significantly improved!
Menglong dissuaded Chen Qi from his idea: "You should change your dream. Don't think you can collect all the dream sources by focusing on one dream. After all, you also need to consider the issue of scene compatibility."

"There's only one playground in this park. Are you going to go to the zoo to find the next Dream Source? Do you want to upgrade your slide with a bunch of monkeys, or add a flock of swans to the pool?"

Actually... Chen Qi thought it wouldn't be bad to add a group of monkeys to the slide, if these monkeys could help him fight.

However, he knew that this was definitely not a good fit, since his safe house was an amusement park, not a zoo.

His role should be that of an amusement park owner, not an animal trainer.

This upgrade direction is clearly off track and, in the long run, is tantamount to diminishing its own potential.

"Then let's leave first."

Chen Qi did not linger any longer, nor did he explore other areas of Changfu Park. He directly woke himself up, forcibly broke free from the advanced dream, and returned to the first dream.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in Chang Le Happy World.

This ability to fall asleep and wake up at any time is also one of the talents of the Nightmare Parasite.

Ordinary dream thieves couldn't do it so easily.

"Where should we go next?" Chen Qi asked directly.

He knew that since Menglong had advised him to leave Changfu Park, it meant that the Nightmare Clan must have already made arrangements for the second high-level source of pollution he was to absorb.

Sure enough, Marilyn Monroe calmly said, "Come with me."

As she spoke, she took Chen Qi's hand and walked quickly toward one of the amusement parks.

Chen Qi followed passively behind Monroe, lost in thought as he walked. After a moment, he asked:
Does Changfu Park really exist in Changle City?

He reasoned that if Chang Le City truly existed, it should also appear in the first layer of the dream.

After all, the first dream realm is almost a one-to-one replica of the entire Chang Le City.

Marilyn Monroe turned around and smiled sweetly: "What don't you humans know? Don't you just look it up online? Why are you asking me?"

"Do I have a cell phone?" Chen Qi asked, speechless. "Besides, isn't this a dream? How can a cell phone access the internet?"

Marilyn Monroe suddenly stopped and casually beckoned to a boy next to her.

The boy then took his phone out of his pocket and placed it in Marilyn Monroe's hand.

Monroe shoved the phone into Chen Qi's hand: "Here, it's yours."

Chen Qi looked at it and said, "It's folded into three sections; no matter how you fold it, there's always a surface."

He tried it and was surprised to find that the phone opened directly without any password, fingerprint, or facial recognition lock. It felt like his own phone, with all traces of use completely erased.

Chen Qi tentatively opened his browser and searched for the keyword "Changfu Park." He found that it was indeed true, and many search results appeared.

He opened a certain encyclopedia and saw the introduction about "Changfu Park".

The text states that Changfu Park was an old park in Changle City, but it was later demolished and the land was used to build Changle Happy World.

"So this land we're standing on now was Changfu Park ten or twenty years ago?"

"Changfu Park is a place that no longer exists in reality, but only in people's memories."

Chen Qi finally understood why he hadn't seen a single child in Changfu Park, or at least a middle-aged person.

Because young people have absolutely no memories of Changfu Park.

When Changfu Park was demolished, those young people were either not yet born or too young to remember anything.

"Therefore, the Changfu Park Dreamland is composed of the shared memories of a group of elderly and middle-aged people."

"I expect there will be many similar situations in other advanced dreams we encounter later on."

Some things have disappeared, but they still exist in memories, becoming shared memories or regrets for certain people or groups.

And these things will be realistically reproduced in advanced dreams.

but……

Chen Qi asked with some doubt, "Am I really connected to the internet?"

He suspected that the things he found on his phone were just manifestations of a dream, rather than being connected to the real internet.

Marilyn Monroe smiled and asked in return, "What do you think the internet is?"

"This..." Chen Qi didn't know how to answer for a moment. There might be a standard answer in the elementary school information technology textbook, but firstly, he couldn't remember it, and secondly, he didn't think that was what Meng Lu was asking. Meng Lu didn't wait for Chen Qi to answer, but answered her own question: "I think the Internet is something that connects people who know each other or don't know each other, allowing them to communicate and exchange information across distance and time through this big network."

"Our Nightmare Clan's network may not be the same as your human network, but... it can achieve a similar effect."

"In the vast web of 'dreams,' as long as we are in the same dream, an invisible connection will be formed. Through this connection, an invisible 'dream web' is constructed."

"You can connect to this dream network through the phone in your dream. When you want to find the answer to a certain question, as long as someone in this dream knows the answer and is willing to share it, then you can get the answer through the dream network."

Chen Qi looked shocked: "So, the answer I found might actually come from someone's brain in my dream?"

Marilyn Monroe shook her head: "To be precise, it's the brains of certain people... Only when a group of people have the same answer and reach a consensus will they consider that answer to be possibly correct."

Chen Qi felt somewhat uncomfortable: "Doesn't this mean that others can find out what I'm thinking and the secrets I know through searching?"

"Don't worry, the main thing is that the things you are willing to share in your subconscious, those private things that you consider secrets, will not be perceived and shared by the Dream Network."

Chen Qi breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then another thought arose in his mind: "There are so many Nightmare Clan members in the dream. If I want to know any secrets about the Nightmare Clan, wouldn't it be possible to find out by searching?"

"Of course, it's also possible that the Nightmare Clan is united and keeps their mouths shut, so they can't find anything."

With Marilyn Monroe standing nearby, Chen Qi didn't dare to try.

Moreover, the phone in the dream only connects to the dream network and not to the real-world internet, which disappointed Chen Qi.

He really wanted to get in touch with the outside world and tell his teammates about his current situation so they wouldn't worry.

Furthermore, if he wants to break free from the control of the Nightmare Clan later, it will definitely be easier if he can get help from his teammates and the authorities.

While he was pondering, Chen Qi had already been led by Marilyn Monroe to a corner of the amusement park.

It was pitch black here, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

There appears to be a venue here that has not yet been built and opened to the public, so the area around it has been blocked off with roadblocks to prevent tourists from entering.

Chen Qi and Meng Lu, a lone man and woman, barged into the place. As soon as they entered, Meng Lu snuggled into Chen Qi's arms and hugged him.

Chen Qi stiffened slightly, then relaxed and said casually:

"Why were you brought here? Are you going to jungle with me?"

He joked, "I don't mind the environment, but how about we go to the real world? What's the difference between dreaming and having a wet dream?"

Marilyn giggled: "Don't rush, I'll take you to a wonderful place."

As he spoke, Chen Qi felt his body suddenly plummet.

He suddenly felt the surroundings darken.

Although the place we were just in was pitch black, it was still different from where we are now.

The blackness now is a uniform, thorough black, with not a trace of light.

Marilyn Monroe held him, as if the two of them had fallen into an abyss and were constantly falling, with a strong sense of weightlessness constantly washing over them.

This feeling is very similar to the weightlessness you feel when you have a nightmare and fall from a building.

Finally, Chen Qi felt the downward momentum stop, and the surrounding darkness seemed to be lifted like a curtain, suddenly becoming bright.

"What am I doing..." Chen Qi looked around blankly.

"Welcome to the fourth dream realm." Only then did Monroe release Chen Qi, her large eyes meeting his, and she winked playfully.

"The fourth layer of the dream..."

Chen Qi was taken aback. Had he gone directly from the first dream to the fourth dream?
Normally, dreams are like going down a staircase, and the fourth layer of dreams is like the fourth basement level.

To reach the fourth dream realm, you must first pass through the second and third dream realms.

In other words, Chen Qi needs to fall asleep repeatedly to start from the first dream level and go through three sleep cycles before he can enter the fourth dream level.

But Marilyn Monroe essentially took him on an elevator ride, from the first basement level all the way to the fourth basement level.

The deeper the dream, the more dangerous it is; and as a higher-level dream, it is of a higher grade.

Since Marilyn Monroe brought him here with a clear goal, it means there must be a suitable setting for him here!

"This... doesn't seem to be an amusement park, does it?"

Chen Qi looked around and realized that it was a completely outdoor scene.

The mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the scenery is quite lovely!
It looks a lot like a tourist attraction.

He couldn't see how such a place could possibly fit into his amusement park safe house.

"Now it's up to you." Marilyn clenched her little fist. "Go for it!"

After she finished speaking, her figure quickly faded and disappeared.

Chen Qi didn't say much. Since Menglu brought him here, it must have been for a reason.

Next, he decided to explore this dreamlike wilderness.

Chen Qi roughly determined the direction and then set off in one direction.

The place where he was was a small grove of trees, quite a lot of them, but not very tall or dense, more like a landscape planted by humans.

As he walked, he vaguely saw a figure in the distance, seemingly waving at him.

"Someone?"

Chen Qi was slightly taken aback. It was normal for there to be people in the first layer of the dream, but it was probably the citizens who had entered it.

However, the people who appear in the four dream layers are either "dream-created people" or one of the creators of this dream.

This dream may have been created based on someone's memories.

However, it was rather unusual that this person actually waved to him.

Generally speaking, people like those in the previous Changfu Park dream would completely ignore Chen Qi unless he took the initiative to approach them.

"NPCs who actively seek you out usually have a quest to trigger, right?"

Thinking of this, Chen Qi quickened his pace and hurried forward.

As he got closer, he finally saw what the figure was and couldn't help but curse.

That wasn't a person waving; it was clearly a huge brown bear!

The brown bear stood up, waving one paw at him from afar, as if trying to flag down a taxi.

(End of this chapter)