There's a big problem with dreams in this world.

"Police station?"

The wrinkles on her face gathered together, and the old lady felt a pang of anxiety, sensing that something was wrong.

Lu Qing could tell at a glance that the old man had probably misunderstood something, so she quickly said, "Um, do you have a cell phone? If you do, could you lend it to us to make a call?"

"Yes, yes."

After hearing Lu Qing's words, the old lady thought for a moment and then took out a basic mobile phone from her bosom and handed it to Lu Qing.

"Thank you," Lu Qing said.

Taking the old-fashioned mobile phone, Lu Qing skillfully pressed the emergency call button and dialed the number.

The elderly man and the scientist came out of the forest without a penny to their name and needed someone to take care of them.

Thinking back to the crashed helicopter I saw in the forest, I figured the government must know about the forest, especially considering the identity the scientist mentioned on the way back.

He was actually a member of the collapsed research institute that Lu Qing had found underground. He had survived the tunnel collapse and left the place.

That's why he knew about that tunnel.

With this kind of identity as a safety net, the police probably won't do anything to them.

After explaining over the phone that they had come from a dark forest, the operator immediately said that someone would be sent to them soon and that they should stay where they were and not move around unnecessarily.

"You came from that forest?" After hanging up the phone, the old lady looked at Lu Qing with some surprise and doubt.

"Do you know that forest?" Lu Qing asked the old woman with some surprise.

“Of course I know. News about that forest was released a year ago. Because the forest’s expansion cannot be stopped, the government has issued an emergency evacuation notice, urging people in the city to leave as soon as possible,” the old lady replied to Lu Qing.

"Then why are you still here?" Lu Qing asked the old man curiously.

"Hehe..." The old lady chuckled and shook her head, saying, "I'm old and don't want to move anymore. Most of the people in the city have left. All that's left here are old people like me and poor people."

"I see..."

Lu Qing looked at the desolate street and finally understood the reason, but it was precisely because she knew the reason that she felt a little uncomfortable.

Shortly after, four police cars arrived and found Lu Qing and the other two.

"Are you the survivors who escaped from the forest?" a male police officer asked, carefully observing the three men.

"Yes, it's us." Lu Qing nodded.

After they finished speaking, the old man and the scientist took off their gas masks.

"........"

After a moment of silence, the officer smiled and said, "Welcome home. Since you are survivors from the forest, could you tell us in detail about the situation in the forest?"

"And how you escaped from the forest."

“No problem.” Lu Qing nodded, then looked tired and said, “But before that, could we rest for a bit? We’re really exhausted.”

"Of course, that's no problem." The police officer had already carefully observed the three of them and knew their condition, so he readily agreed after hearing Lu Qing's request.

After Lu Qing and the others got into the police car, the first place they went was the hospital.

There were almost no pedestrians along the way, only a few people hiding in their houses watching the police cars pass by with curiosity.

Upon arriving at the hospital, there weren't many people around. Perhaps because it hadn't been maintained for a long time, the hospital didn't look very clean. The walls were covered with moss, and the tree roots in the green belt had grown onto the ground.

Lu Qing seemed a little nervous after arriving here. After all, this was a hospital. She wondered if she would be treated like a monster if she had to have blood drawn or tested, given her constitution after taking the flesh and blood potion.

Fortunately, this did not happen. The hospital only gave them a general examination of their injuries, then provided them with some treatment and food.

As for inquiring about information about the forest, that's for tomorrow.

"Ah, that feels so good!"

Lying on the soft, comfortable hospital bed, feeling completely relaxed, Lu Qing thought, "If there's anything I don't like, it's the smell of disinfectant in the room."

A comfortable environment can gradually make people lower their guard. Lu Qing lay on the hospital bed, her eyes gradually closing, and she was about to fall asleep.

At the same time, the surrounding space began to change, and Lu Qing, who was almost asleep, vaguely felt herself back in the cabin.

Just as the dream was about to end, a shrill and hoarse voice rang in Lu Qing's ears.

"Ouch! Master, something terrible has happened! There's a problem with this city!"

"What's wrong!?"

Lu Qing, who was almost asleep, shuddered upon hearing Wayne's words and was suddenly awakened from her dream. She looked at Wayne and said...

"Oh, this is terrible," a figure hiding in a corner couldn't help but say.

The girl it was watching awoke from her slumber, making this dream, which was supposed to end imperfectly, even more enigmatic once again.

Seeking the truth is an instinct for everyone, but sometimes, is the truth truly satisfying?

The notice board trembled as it displayed a message that sent chills down Lu Qing's spine.

Is someone in the room observing her?

A less-than-perfect ending?

Does this mean that if she had just fallen asleep, the dream would end, but it wouldn't be an perfect ending?

For some reason, Lu Qing suddenly thought of a phrase often used in games.

The true ending and the false ending.

"The real ending...?" Lu Qing glanced at Wei Yin and sat up from the hospital bed.

Perhaps ending it now would be a good choice, but now that she knows there's another ending, why doesn't she give it a try?

The guy secretly watching her didn't seem to want her to know the truth, but that's precisely why she wanted to know even more.

She hates being observed, but since she can't find the other person, doing something to annoy them is a good idea.

P.S.: Please rest assured, readers, this dream will end in the next chapter, and there will be an update today, so you won't have to wait too long!

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Chapter 398: You have successfully escaped the dark forest! (3000 words)

But I'm genuinely curious. What exactly is wrong with the city that Wayne mentioned?

"What have you discovered?" Lu Qing asked Wayne after sitting up.

"Tree roots, tree roots, tree roots all over the city's underground, even in the corners of some dilapidated unfinished buildings. Besides, the residents of this city are actually quite strange."

"Tree roots, could this place actually be within the Dark Forest?" Lu Qing asked, somewhat puzzled, after hearing Wayne's words.

"By the way, what do you mean by the residents acting strangely?" Lu Qing asked, remembering what Wayne had just said.

"Uh, I can't really explain it, but something just feels really off."

“Hmm…” After stroking her chin and thinking for a while, Lu Qing said simply, “In that case, let’s go out and see for ourselves.”

Using the main entrance was out of the question, so Lu Qing opened the hospital window, intending to jump out.

She was on the fourth floor. For a normal person, jumping down would mean breaking both legs, even if they didn't die. But for her, it was no problem at all, even though there was neither dry grass nor river water below.

However, just as Lu Qing was about to jump down, a hoarse voice came from under her bed.

Do you really want to find out the truth?

"who!?"

Lu Qing was startled by the sudden sound. She immediately moved away from the bed and looked warily into the darkness under the bed.

“Oh, don’t get excited, I’m your old friend Charles,” the corpse under the hospital bed said.

"Charles?"

Lu Qing paused for a moment, then recalled the corpse she had encountered in this dream instance, the corpse that had helped her for some unknown reason.

"You're under my bed?" Lu Qing frowned, feeling a little uncomfortable.

The thought that there was a corpse watching her from under the bed where she had rested made her feel uneasy. She wondered if the guy mentioned on the notice board who was secretly watching her was this one.

“Uh, don’t get me wrong, I was under the bed because there really wasn’t anywhere else in this room to hide a body,” Charles said, lying prone under the bed.

"Alright, let's put that aside for now. Since you're stopping me, does that mean you know the truth?" Lu Qing asked Charles.

“Of course I know, but I don’t want to tell you,” Charles said.

"Even if you didn't tell me, I would have gone to find it myself," Lu Qing said nonchalantly.

"Of course I know that. I just want to ask you, do you really have the courage and determination to find the truth?"

“I’m not sure, but I would be very unwilling to just lie in bed and fall asleep like this,” Lu Qing replied.

"........"

Charles did not reply. Lu Qing thought for a moment, then pushed the hospital bed open forcefully, revealing a white skull hidden underneath.

"Is this the thing?"

Lu Qing took the skull in her hand and weighed it in her hand for a moment.

He glanced at the security camera in the room. Logically, someone should have already contacted him by now, considering his conversation with Wayne, his attempt to jump out the window, and the skull in his hand...

Just as Lu Qing was thinking this, she heard the door click open from the outside.

Several doctors and the police officer from before were standing at the door of the room.

"Miss Lu Qing, may I ask what you are holding?" the police officer asked Lu Qing with a serious expression.

"Who knows?"

Now that she knew there was something wrong with the city, Lu Qing didn't bother arguing with these people. She simply threw the skull over, then turned around and jumped out of the window!

She landed, rolled, and got up in one smooth motion. Looking back at the buildings above her, she noticed that a thick white fog had risen from the city.

The piercing sound of police sirens rang out, and without hesitation, she darted into the alley, hiding from the police as she ran toward the edge of town.

However, several hours later, Lu Qing found herself seemingly trapped in a loop, inexplicably returning to the hospital no matter where she went.

After thinking for a moment, she went to the door of a house and knocked gently. She remembered that there should be someone in the house.

After knocking for a while, the door was pushed open a crack, revealing only one eye of the person inside.

"Who are you?" A somewhat rough middle-aged woman's voice came from inside the room.