Chapter 27: Sharing the Spoils
1.The dream world is stuck on August 28, 2624, and is destroyed at 00:42 every day, repeating this day indefinitely.
2.You can’t find news, lottery results, or information from hundreds of years ago on the computer network.
3.Technological development in the dream mirrors 2022, with unchanged living standards and lifestyles. What have scientists been doing for 600 years?
4.No matter the destruction, even if the city is blown to pieces, everything resets the next day, and the city appears brand new.
5.Humans are unaware of the catastrophic event at 00:42. Everything happens suddenly, with no preparation.
The more they looked at the unreasonable aspects on paper, the more absurd they seemed.
“Your dream has way too many bugs!” Gao Yang exclaimed, pointing at the first issue. “Time can’t just stop and loop the same day infinitely. This alone proves your dream can’t be a real world.”
He moved to the second point. “Erasing all data from the internet is impossible. Anything that’s ever been online leaves traces. Otherwise, how would people dig up celebrities’ scandals?”Next, he pointed at the third issue. “I take back what I said earlier; this one is the most absurd! Six hundred years and no technological advancement at all? That’s impossible. Even in sixty years, our lifestyle would change drastically!”
Then he pointed at the fourth issue. “This defies the laws of energy and material conservation! If such a city existed, where everything resets no matter how much it’s destroyed… it’s like something out of Hogwarts!”
Finally, he pointed at the last issue. “With our current astronomical technology, we can accurately calculate meteor trajectories, solar aging, and cosmic radiation. How could we be unaware of a catastrophe that would destroy the Earth? Have all the astronomers died?”
Gao Yang spread his hands, looking at Lin Xian. “I think there’s no need to worry anymore. There are too many unreasonable things in your dream that don’t make sense in reality!”
Lin Xian didn’t speak. He agreed that these illogical phenomena couldn’t exist in a real world. But many details in his dream suggested it wasn’t a fabricated illusion. There were things beyond his understanding, knowledge he had never learned, and objects he had never seen but felt incredibly real.
“This can’t just be a fictional dream.”
“You know, Lin Xian, you always overthink everything. Why live so stressed? Some things just fade away if you let them be.”
Gao Yang hummed a tune and began cleaning the table, throwing bottles and packaging into the trash. “Like predicting World Cup results, isn’t that a great thing? Tomorrow, make sure to check who wins the 2026 World Cup for me! We can get rich in four years!”
Lin Xian waved him off. “Ask me in four years. Who knows if the dream will change? The Coco Cat already turned into Rhine Cat; maybe the results will change too.”
“True.” Gao Yang packed up the remaining trash and waved at Lin Xian from the door. “See you.”
“Yeah, see you.”
The next day, Gao Yang came to Lin Xian with a bag of money.
Thud!
The black bag landed heavily on the coffee table. Lin Xian opened it to see sixteen bundles of hundred-yuan notes, totaling 150,000 yuan.
“Why give me so much?”
Lin Xian looked at Gao Yang. He had only bought lottery tickets worth 30,000 yuan and won 110,000.
“Half for each of us.”
Gao Yang chewed gum, adjusted his gold chain, and placed his new AJ sneakers on the table. “We bought those tickets together, so let’s split the 300,000 winnings evenly. No need to be so precise.”
Lin Xian was unconvinced. He took out five bundles of money and threw them back to Gao Yang. “Even brothers should keep accounts clear. Besides, my salary is much higher than yours now; I don’t need this money.”
“Wow, so tough!”
Gao Yang rolled up his Givenchy sleeves, revealing his Longines watch, and placed his latest iPhone on the table, adjusting his Montblanc belt.
“Stop, stop, stop!”
Lin Xian couldn’t stand it, waving his hand to stop Gao Yang. “What are you doing? Showing off in front of me? Can you tone down your nouveau riche act?”
“Hehe, you don’t get it, Lin Xian. We’ve got money now, so we need to show some class! How does my outfit look? First impression?”
“Like a Christmas tree.”
Gao Yang shook his head. “Forget it. No point arguing with you. Your fashion sense is still stuck ten years ago.”
“Who looks like they’ve traveled from ten years ago?”
Gao Yang took off his sunglasses, looking serious. “Enough joking! I came to talk business.”
“Business? About my dream?”
“Exactly!”
Snap!
Gao Yang snapped his fingers, smiling confidently, and pointed at Lin Xian. “Trust me!”
“This time, I have a foolproof way to uncover the truth about your dream!”
“What’s your brilliant idea now?”
Seeing Gao Yang’s confidence, Lin Xian was amused. Honestly, he had lost hope in Gao Yang’s ideas about his dream’s truth.
“Forget it, Gao Yang.”
Lin Xian waved his hand, not wanting to discuss it further. “Don’t worry about it. I have my plans; just leave me be.”
“Wait! Trust me one more time! Just once more!”
Gao Yang pleaded, holding up his right index finger. “I swear! This time, it’s foolproof! It will definitely prove your dream is fake!”