Chapter 205: First Dream Net Test

Yu Xian’s first attempt to speak was ignored by the two of them. He had no choice but to clear his throat again, this time a little louder, finally interrupting the cross-dimensional conversation between the two girls in the living room.

Yang Yiyi and Wen Xiao stopped talking at the same time, turning to look at him with innocent expressions.

“Time is short. We really need to get down to business.” Yu Xian offered an awkward, apologetic smile.

“We may have the script and the audio, but this is our first time trying to ‘link up.’ There are too many unknown variables and a lot we need to verify. To ensure our safety, I’ve divided the test into three stages.”

He held up one finger.

“Stage one: Replication. Specifically, replicating Professor Mo’s ‘original experiment.'”

Yang Yiyi shot him a confused look.

“Yang Yiyi, according to Professor Mo’s experimental data, his research group hadn’t mastered the ‘blueprint’ guidance technology from the TDI project when they first discovered the ‘connection phenomenon,’ right?” Yu Xian looked at Yang Yiyi, and after seeing her nod, continued to explain,

“In other words, they achieved the dream connection by inducing a Hijacked Spindle Wave with audio while the subjects were in a state of ‘natural dreaming.’ Is my understanding correct?”

“I understand. You’re right. Back then, the subjects did indeed enter a ‘natural dreamscape’ without any guidance or blueprint,” Yang Yiyi nodded in understanding.

“Aside from an additional waveform being implanted to suppress MCH neurons so the subjects could remember the dream’s content, it was no different from ordinary sleep.”

“So, the first thing we need to test is this underlying…” Yu Xian searched for the right words to describe the technical protocol.

“‘Handshake protocol,'” Wen Xiao added.

“Right, this ‘handshake protocol.’ Our first step is to verify if this Hijacked Spindle Wave audio alone can establish a connection between our brains, without the aid of any precise laboratory instruments. If we can’t even accomplish that, then everything that follows is just empty talk,” Yu Xian continued.

“If stage one is successful, it’ll prove that this ‘phenomenon’ is widespread and replicable, and we can proceed to stage two.”

Yu Xian held up a second finger.

“Stage two is to load the ‘constructed dream’ that Wen Xiao developed, which incorporates the TDI technology. The core thing we need to verify is whether the connection channel can remain stable within this artificially constructed virtual space, which includes safety mechanisms like ‘Time Compression’ and ‘mirror anchors.'”

Wen Xiao nodded and offered an analogy.

“It’s like two pieces of code that can each run separately. What we need to see is if they can still run properly when stacked together.”

“Exactly. Then, stage three.” Yu Xian walked over to the window and drew the curtains.

“Distance testing. We need to find out the maximum range of this connection. Is it just within the same room? Or can it work through a wall? Or… even further?”

Yang Yiyi nodded in agreement.

“If the connection works at any distance within this apartment, then when you two go back to school, I can stay here and we can test if a connection can be established between the school and the apartment.”

Yu Xian sat back down in his chair and continued.

“Right. After that, there’s also ‘bandwidth’ testing—that is, the maximum number of people who can share a dream. But we’ll only consider that after the first three stages are successful. It’s not part of today’s task.”

The plan was logical and progressive. Neither of the two girls had any objections.

“So… shall we begin stage one?” Wen Xiao looked both nervous and excited.

Yu Xian glanced at his watch. It was almost two in the afternoon. He looked at Yang Yiyi and said,

“Okay, Wen Xiao and I will be the test subjects for the first run. Yang Yiyi, you can watch over us. You’re more familiar with physiological monitoring, so you’ll be able to spot any problems right away.”

“Okay, no problem. But I do have a question.” Yang Yiyi furrowed her brow, looking puzzled.

“Since this is the ‘natural dream’ test for stage one, it means there’s no preset script. Without a script, who generates the dream’s content?”

The question caught Yu Xian off guard as well. It was a detail he had indeed overlooked.

Professor Mo’s experiment report was also very vague on this point. It only mentioned that “the subjects interacted” and didn’t specify the dream’s content or who the “creator” was.

He mused,

“That’s a good point. If I’m dreaming and you’re dreaming, when we connect, do we enter my dream or your dream? Or… do we create a completely new one?”

“Well…” Wen Xiao bit her lip, seemingly having an idea.

“In terms of computer systems, there’s usually a ‘host,’ and anyone else joining is just a ‘guest.’ Applying that to a dream, the host would probably be the one who controls the dream.”

Yu Xian froze for a second. ‘If we’re entering a natural dream without a script, it would be a pure projection of the subconscious…’

‘If someone entered my dream, wouldn’t they see everything? The deepest, most private, and even the most absurd parts of my mind laid bare?’

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.

It seemed Wen Xiao had realized this as well. Her cheeks flushed inexplicably, and she lowered her head.

“How about this: I’ll be the host, and you can be the guest, Wen Xiao.”

Yu Xian stepped up. After all, Wen Xiao was a girl. There’s a saying, “A lady’s chamber is sacred ground, no visitors allowed.” Wouldn’t a “lady’s dream” be even more private than her chambers?