Conan Rick's Investigator

"This might be the prion you mentioned, Mr. Qin..."

"I didn't want to leave this world hated by others, so I left the hospital and dived into the world inside the tree hole."

"But now that I think about it, I'm afraid many of those who disappeared in the Aokigahara Sea of Trees over the years have entered this world."

"Now I've found it. This is the real Gensokyo!"

Qin Zhibo could see that Matsumoto Ryohei was enjoying his life here.

Just by associating with zombies, his image gradually became closer to that of a zombie.

But maybe he was destined for this change?

Qin Zhibo thought for a moment and then continued, "What about other ways to enter this world?"

Matsumoto Ryohei paused and replied, "The last method I know of is someone with the 'Dream Maker' physique."

"With this special physique, one's mind can create palaces, land, money, and more in the Dreamland. One can even directly enter the Dreamland after death and gain eternal life."

"Dreamers may never realize they are in a real world throughout their lives, but instead continue to construct this world with their subconscious mind."

Matsumoto Ryohei's introduction made Qin Zhibo realize that Suzuki Ayako must be a "dream maker".

Dream makers are born with this ability. They can enter the dreamland more easily than dreamers, and can create things that do not exist in the dreamland out of thin air.

That villa was a creation created by Suzuki Ayako through her subconscious mind.

If that were the case, then Suzuki Ayako's body suddenly disappeared, which was just waking up from a dream.

But if that’s the case, what’s going on with Takahashi Ryoichi?

And the dusty space down there?

Qin Zhibo told Matsumoto Ryohei about his doubts, and he smiled and answered them.

"The space below is called the 'Abyss,' and this is the Tomb of Xin."

"Although we are currently on a plain, this is actually part of the underground world of the Dream Realm, and it is also the closest place to the waking world."

"The 'Abyss' below lies between waking and dreaming, similar to the Fire Cave between light sleep and deep sleep. The rules there are also between the waking world and the dreamland. It is a chaotic place."

"There's a race called 'Demons' living in the Abyss. The person you're talking about is very likely a demon."

"Demons are a low-level, degenerate race. They eat each other and bite each other. They have no rationality at all and prefer to live in complete darkness."

"But if you want to go from here to the waking world, you must pass through the territory of those disgusting creatures..."

Based on Matsumoto Ryohei's description, Qin Zhibo also guessed what Takahashi Ryoichi had experienced.

During the last Bandage Monster incident, Ryoichi Takahashi accidentally entered the ghoul's lair and got lost in the abyss.

This world seems to have magical powers that can gradually assimilate any creature that strays into it into something.

This may also be accompanied by a gradual reduction in willpower, which will lead to the gradual loss of human form.

According to Matsumoto Ryohei's words, ghouls also seem to hate demons.

But in Qin Zhibo's opinion, both are essentially cannibals, the only difference is the distance between fifty steps and a hundred steps...

Matsumoto Ryohei seemed to see through Qin Zhibo's thoughts and explained, "Although ghouls look scary, they are actually an advanced race, and their intelligence is no less than that of humans."

"They have their own language and beliefs, and a sense of ethnicity."

"In fact, some ghouls are even transformed from humans..."

During the conversation, Qin Zhibo unknowingly followed Matsumoto Ryohei to the zombie camp.

Although it is called a camp, there are no buildings or anything like that. Instead, it is a concentrated group of tombs.

There were about a dozen zombies surrounding the tombs. They squatted on the ground, holding gnawed food in their hands, and looked at the two fresh humans curiously.

Although Qin Zhibo appeared to be very calm, Tong Kong still trembled unconsciously when he passed by the pile of partially eaten food scraps.

After what happened just now, his willpower value is not high now, only 55, which is slightly stronger than that of ordinary people.

Ryohei Matsumoto communicated with one of the elder-looking zombies using a strange "gurgling" language.

After a while, Matsumoto Ryohei relayed their conversation to Qin Zhibo.

The elders asked the ghouls to prepare a healing herb that could help Qin Zhibo heal the injury on his arm.

As for why they had to heal their wounds first instead of leaving directly, it was because they had to cross the abyss below before returning to the waking world, and they definitely couldn't run fast with injuries.

Qin Zhibo glanced at the ghoul elder sitting on the tombstone of 1768 and asked Matsumoto Ryohei to thank it on his behalf.

……

Soon, a medicine made from a mixture of mucus and crushed herbs was taken out and applied to the wound on Qin Zhibo's arm caused by Takahashi Ryoichi.

This thing works very quickly and the pain goes away immediately after applying it.

Qin Zhibo wanted to ask about the ingredients of this thing, but Matsumoto Ryohei said it was better not to know.

While waiting for recovery, Qin Zhibo learned more about the Dreamland and the ghoul race from Matsumoto Ryohei.

The Dreamland is very large, and it is not inhabited entirely by monsters. There are also human towns here.

The living conditions of humans here are probably similar to those on Earth in the Middle Ages. Although relatively backward, life is richer than imagined.

At the same time, it is said that there are real gods here, collectively known as the "Dream Gods". Most advanced intelligent races have gods they worship.

For example, most of the ghouls in Dreamland worship the "Ghoul King", and the ghouls who worship this god only eat corpses, not living people.

In fact, there is something Qin Zhibo wants to correct about this point, that is, there are real gods on Earth.

However, in the dreamland, both humans and other races worship myths and legends more, and the existence of gods is no longer a secret.

On Earth, the development of science and technology has caused humans to gradually abandon the sense of awe they should have.

When Matsumoto Ryohei entered the Dreamland, he first came from the human town and then joined the zombies.

In the race of ghouls, although Matsumoto Ryohei is a newcomer, he is quite popular among the ghouls because of his "handsome appearance", so he also has a lot of say here.

……

After resting for a while, Qin Zhibo felt that his strength had almost recovered.

The time flow ratio between here and the outside world is 1:1, which means that it is almost midnight outside now.

The system's task is almost complete. It is impossible for me to explore the entire dreamland in one night.

However, the return journey is not absolutely safe, because we have to return to the abyss where there is no distinction between day and night.

"In addition to demons and ghosts in the abyss, there is also a creature called the 'Gorgon'."

"Because the worship rituals of the Gug giants were too blasphemous, they were sealed in the dungeons of the abyss by the Dream Gods. They are even more disgusting and violent than demons."

"To return to the waking world, you must climb the highest tower in the dungeon. Only there is a connection to the ghoul lair in the waking world."

"If you want to return safely, you have to disguise yourself as a ghoul and climb up with us."

"Because those Gugs are somewhat afraid of ghouls, this is the best solution."

Qin Zhibo frowned and looked at the appearance of the zombies around him, feeling a little embarrassed.

No matter what, I can't cosplay as a dog head, right?

Really a decent person?

Matsumoto Ryohei added, "Actually, it's not that difficult. The ancient giants have very poor discrimination abilities. All you have to do is take off all your clothes and then follow us up."

“T-Take off your clothes!?”

"Well, that's the only way, since apparently ghouls don't wear clothes...but you can keep a pair of pants to cover your modesty."

"Forehead……"

Qin Zhibo thought about it and realized that he really had no other choice but to take it off.

He took off all his clothes except for his shorts and packed them up.

Without the cover of clothes, Qin Zhibo's muscular lines were exposed to the air, immediately attracting the attention of several zombies.

"Gurgle, bang—"

“Ring, ring…”

Matsumoto Ryohei beside him smiled and translated: "They are all female ghouls. They said you are very handsome and hope you can stay."

"what--?"

Qin Zhibo opened his mouth wide. He didn't expect these zombies to be so direct and actually tease a good boy in broad daylight!

His intuition told him that it was not advisable to stay here for long.

Let’s eat it first as a sign of respect!

But just as Qin Zhibo was about to carry the unconscious Hondou Eisuke on his back, he ran into trouble again.

Yes, what should Hondou Eisuke do?

You can't dress up as a zombie while carrying a living person on your back, right?

There was no other way, Qin Zhibo could only take off Hondou Eiyu's clothes, leaving him with only a pair of black shorts.

Compared to the mature Qin Zhibo, Hondou Eisuke has delicate skin and a much weaker figure, and there is a scar on his chest left by surgery.

Suddenly, Qin Zhibo became curious and pointed at Hondou Eisuke, who was almost naked, and asked Matsumoto Ryohei.

"Ask these ghouls if they like this kid?"

Matsumoto Ryohei nodded, turned around and mumbled to himself.

"Gulp, gulp—"

"Gu! Gu!"

A few seconds later, Matsumoto Ryohei told Qin Zhibo.

"They said, 'You're too thin, we don't want you.'"

Chapter 975 Return to the Sober World

Too thin, don't...

Qin Zhibo took a look at the unconscious Hondou Eisuke and saw that he indeed had thin arms and legs and not much flesh on his body.

If he could mutate into a zombie, he would be a real "thin dog".

If human civilization regresses to the primitive age, such a body shape would mean poor survival ability and it would not be able to survive a severe winter.

Since you don’t want it, I’ll take it myself.

Qin Zhibo made a joke in his heart, but still carried Hondou Eisuke on his back and tied him up with a rope.

Two skinny men in shorts, with their backs pressed against each other's bellies, were truly "man on top of man".

Although this looks strange, fortunately they are all "ghosts" here, which can reduce the shame.

"Come on, let's go."

……

Including Matsumoto Ryohei, the ghoul tribe dispatched a total of three ghouls to escort the two back to the waking world.

Two of the zombies need to carry a long wooden tombstone together.

Ryohei Matsumoto said that this is the key prop to leaving this world.

Qin Zhibo had to carry Hondou Eisuke on his back and also carry the clothes that the two had packed.

It's okay in the dreamland, but if you return to that world and still don't wear clothes, you will definitely be socially dead.

In order to make the clothes look less awkward in his hands, Qin Zhibo rolled the package in the mud several times, making it look like high-quality food just dug out of a grave.

After everything was ready, Qin Zhibo followed Matsumoto Ryohei and two other zombies carrying tombstones to a dark cave near the zombie camp.

Entering the cave, the plain that was dimly lit one second suddenly turned into a dim and lightless world the next second.

The team stood in a huge group of stone tablets. Each stone was about 6 meters high and had an irregular columnar shape.

"This is the cemetery of the Gug giants, and ghouls often come here to feed."

Qin Zhibo glanced around and found that the visibility here was much larger than when he first came in.