Chapter 209 - 84: Second Dream Net Test

Chapter 209: Chapter 84: Second Dream Net Test

This happens because the brain fails to immediately register the fact that the fingers are crossed. It continues to interpret tactile signals based on their usual positions, leading to a disconnect between cognition and sensation.

He had rarely experienced such a jarring sense of dissonance—that feeling of unreality from a sharp disconnect between his perception and the world around him—since then. But today, he was feeling it again, profoundly.

It was like a stone had been thrown into a calm pool of water.

An incredibly clear thought surfaced from the depths of his subconscious, sounding an alarm in his mind:

’Fake.’

’This is a dream.’

’This can’t possibly be real.’

Yu Xian took a deep breath, lowered the hand he held suspended in mid-air, and turned to look at Wen Xiao beside him.

"Is this... the effect of the mirror anchor?"

"Not just that. Take a look at the bottom-right corner of your vision." Wen Xiao seemed to have shed some of the cautious restraint she had in reality. With her hands behind her back and her head tilted slightly, a small, smug smile played on her lips.

"In the original ’bus’ audio files, there’s also a part where you set the sleep duration. But once you start the countdown, the UI disappears completely. It won’t show up in your vision again."

She extended a pale finger and made a tapping motion in mid-air.

"That design is meant to make you forget the passage of real time and become completely immersed in the dream, just like a casino. But I’ve locked the countdown timer’s icon to the edge of your vision."

She looked at Yu Xian and said seriously,

"It’s small and translucent; you might not even notice it if you’re not looking for it... But it’s always there when you do look. It serves as a ’visual anchor’ to remind you that you’re in a dream."

Yu Xian had already noticed the translucent alarm clock icon. The numbers on it now read "00:01:25".

’The ten minutes were almost up.’

"A clever design," Yu Xian praised sincerely. ’Being able to design and define dream anchors like this was indeed much more convenient than the spinning top from *Inception*.’

Watching the numbers on the timer tick down, he asked,

"So how do we wake up? Do we have to wait for the timer to run out and get forced out, or can we leave anytime we want, like in a game?"

’If they could only wait for the timer to end, what if there was an emergency in the dream? Wouldn’t they be left without any way to save themselves?’

"Of course I added a way to exit manually," Wen Xiao said, lifting her chin with a touch of pride and a giggle.

"In this version, I put the countdown timer and the manual exit option in the same menu. Try reaching out and tapping that translucent alarm clock icon."

Yu Xian did as she said. Sure enough, the translucent panel with the frosted-glass texture expanded before his eyes again.

The countdown timer on it was still ticking. At the very bottom of the panel, the small cat-paw button originally used to "Confirm" had now been replaced by the single red word: "Logout."

"Tap ’Logout,’ and we can wake up whenever we want," Wen Xiao explained.

"Okay." Yu Xian glanced at the countdown. There were only forty-some seconds left.

"Then let’s head out. Time is almost up, and we shouldn’t make our senior worry."

He reached out and tapped the logout button. Wen Xiao had even thoughtfully included a confirmation prompt.

After confirming, boundless darkness enveloped him once more.

Then, the sounds of the real world slowly faded in.

He snapped his eyes open. The first thing he saw was the living room ceiling and a wall lamp casting a dim, yellow glow.

"You’re awake?" Yang Yiyi’s voice came from beside him, sounding relieved.