Seizing Dreams

After that, this device lost a lot of energy and was buried in the sand. Even later on, humans appeared. They picked up the Golden Crow Wheel that had a very complex structure and studied it from the perspective of the ancients. More than 10,000 years passed, and Yu Hao swept past through those scenes quickly. He was afraid that he wouldn’t have enough time at first, but since there was no concept of time in this place, he might as well figure things out properly first.

“Ancient Bashu people.” Yu Hao said, “They found you.”

“And passed the authentication of the login mechanism.” Golden Crow Wheel answered in the void, “A match in frequencies was detected.”

It was a young sacrifice; while he was naked from head to toe, he lay on the sacrificial altar and seemed to have taken some kind of strange medicine. He was offered an even higher seat in front of the altar. This bare device suddenly lit up, which gave all of the people who were offering up the sacrifice a huge fright.

After the light faded, the offering sat up with a dazed expression. Golden Crow Wheel said, “4,300 years ago, he became the first human to pass the authentication.”

“Why?” Yu Hao asked, “How did he pass your authentication? Because he almost died?”

“Match in frequencies.” Golden Crow Wheel answered, “It was activated after detecting the one who logged in.”

Yu Hao, “……”

Yu Hao had a vague conjecture that perhaps this sacrificial human had inadvertently triggered the Golden Crow Wheel through his near-death experience while being sacrificed. He had once read some literature on research regarding one’s spirit, at this time…is consciousness the closest form to the Golden Crow Wheel’s original Creator?

“Your Creator has no physical body,” Yu Hao muttered, “So humans are similar to their form in a ‘soul-like state’, which is why…they can pass the authentication!”

“Can’t be analysed.”

Yu Hao continued watching. Ancient Bashu people carefully placed this device on a piece of gold foil with pliers, then covered it with another and began beating it, then poured an alloy solution made from copper and gold. After their forging took form, they handed it to the young priest who was supposed to be a sacrificial offering. The priest wore it on his chest.

After that, the ancient Bashu civilisation flourished and the Golden Crow Wheel was handed down from generation to generation, until war broke out and the country separated into two — the Ba and Shu countries. The last priest was dragged down from his position, the Golden Crow Wheel taken away from him, then he was executed through hanging. After the war, the Golden Crow Wheel dropped while it was being transported, and the Minjiang River changed its course and washed it downstream.

Time flew by quickly, until Zhou Sheng, who was a child then, found it in the mud while swimming in a tributary channel. However, after he got the Golden Crow Wheel, he drowned because he was too weak. Yu Hao was scared witless from watching, but fortunately, Zhou Sheng was washed ashore with the Golden Crow Wheel grasped tightly in his hands still.

“This guy is always like this…” Yu Hao said, “He’s too stubborn.”

Golden Crow Wheel said, “This is what you wanted to know.”

Yu Hao answered, “Do you have an autonomous consciousness? That is to say, apart from choosing the first user, can you…help me?”

Golden Crow Wheel answered, “Restricted by permissions.”

Yu Hao pondered for a moment, then continued, “You don’t want to land in Ren Chong’s hands either, right?”

Golden Crow Wheel answered, “Although I call myself ‘I’, I do not have likes and dislikes, or the concept of morality like you humans. If the new Overseer passes the authentication of the old Overseer, there’s no difference in terms of operation for ‘me’.”

Yu Hao said, “Okay then, let me change my question. What are the permissions of the ‘Corrector’?”

Golden Crow Wheel, “Correctors are made by Overseers; authentication is completed through partial consciousness interference. The specific functions of Correctors are: to oversee the subconscious, assist the Overseer in rebuilding the channels in the subconscious and the world of the surface consciousness. Oversee the collective unconscious, in order to prevent chaos and integration in the world.”

“…breaking away from dreamscapes, fixed-point travelling, searches, keyword retrieval related to me…”

“But I’ve never used the fixed-point travelling function,” Yu Hao said, “I often need Zhou Sheng to bring me around.”

“The reason for that is a lack of energy.” Golden Crow Wheel answered, “Now, there’s enough energy to unlock that function.”

“Can I activate you?” Yu Hao asked, “Without the Overseer?”

“That operation can’t be performed.” Golden Crow Wheel said.

Yu Hao said, “Then I basically have no permissions!”

Golden Crow Wheel, “Because your status is only that of a Corrector. You’re not responsible for governing and altering consciousness. But once the Overseer is found, through the merging of your permissions, you can activate the World module for a brief moment under the premise that I have enough energy.”

“What’s the World module?”

“The Creator mode.” Golden Crow Wheel answered, “To modify and rebuild the conscious world at will.”

Yu Hao looked around. “I must find him first.”

There was an almost infinite number of leaves on the world’s tree. Every leaf corresponds to either a human or an animal, and if he just casually touched one, the consequences would be very troublesome. Yu Hao didn’t want to randomly touch anything here.

“If the surface consciousness collapses to the subconscious, the Corrector may temporarily acquire the World module.”

“That’s precisely the reason I’m here…” Yu Hao said, “Okay, let’s go and find Zhou Sheng. Help me find the leaf that represents Zhou Sheng.”

Golden Crow Wheel brought Yu Hao and walked to higher ground. They left the branch area and arrived at the top of the highest branch.

In the dream world, a resplendent streak of lightning suddenly burst from level ground. Zhou Sheng was in the air — he had been hurled out from the electrocution. With a pained cry, thunder and lightning were instantly released from the sea of clouds, and the world turned dark. The black dragon wailed in anguish, tumbled down, and landed with a resounding thud.

“I said,” Ren Chong slowly got up, gasped for breath, and said seriously, “that this is just the beginning.”

Zhou Sheng struggled to get up. Another burst of electric current passed through his body, and he fell harshly back to the ground.

“You’re actually electrocuting me in reality?” Zhou Sheng was still smiling fiercely, “Once I deal with you guys, I’ll let you have a taste of what I’m feeling now.”

“You won’t have that chance.” Ren Chong said.

Zhou Sheng extended a hand and grasped the jingubang tightly; the jingubang turned into a shield, and within a split second, it had resisted the lightning that filled the sky. At the next moment, Zhou Sheng brought all his potential into full play — he rushed from level ground, and while withstanding the electric charges that streaked madly through the air, he lunged at Ren Chong!

“Inject his right hand with the anesthetic.”

A medic inserted a needle into Zhou Sheng and pushed a strong anesthetic in.

In the dream, right when Zhou Sheng was about to strike with his shield, Ren Chong jumped into the air and kicked the shield with one foot. Zhou Sheng’s shield left his hands, and with a ‘dang‘, the shield was sent flying by this kick. Immediately afterward, Ren Chong clutched Zhou Sheng’s throat. Zhou Sheng’s right hand drooped by his side — he couldn’t lift it at all!

Zhou Sheng, “!!!” He used his left hand to try and break free from Ren Chong’s grasp, yet Ren Chong lifted him up, charged madly, and brutally flung him onto the railings!

“It succeeded! It does work!”

“Anesthetize his left hand.”

“All his limbs have been anesthetized.” A researcher said, “Try to make it such that he can’t move anymore. Once he’s under the control of the drug, there won’t be anymore danger.”

Ren Chong took a few steps back. “Under the influence of anesthetics in reality, you can’t feel your limbs anymore. What do you want to do next? Spit fire to burn me?”

Zhou Sheng tried several times to get up, but he would always fall back to the ground. His legs keep trembling, and he failed in the end.

“Ai.” Zhou Sheng lay on the ground and looked at the sky.

Ren Chong lifted him up and pushed him against the railings. He asked, “Where’s your totem?”

Half of Zhou Sheng’s body was pressed against the railings, and he couldn’t move for a moment.

In the world of the Colosseum, on the ground, Satan transformed into Dark Zhou Sheng. Clad in black armour from head to toe, he stood in the middle of the arena, raising his head to look at the zenith of the dense, dark clouds.

Through the clouds, he looked at the sky in the distance. On the zenith’s platform, Zhou Sheng’s upper body was pushed past the railings. While being separated by this distance, he and his dark self looked into each other’s eyes.

Zhou Sheng was pressed against the railings, and he kept gasping for breath.

“It’s up to you now…” Zhou Sheng muttered.

In the next moment, Zhou Sheng was lifted by Ren Chong and dragged to the Golden Crow Wheel. As if he was a sacrificial offering, Ren Chong clutched his collar and faced the Golden Crow Wheel, then said in a low voice, “Come ba…” Then he gripped Zhou Sheng’s throat with both hands and lifted him toward the Golden Crow Wheel.

Zhou Sheng closed his eyes in agony, his four limbs drooping without any energy left in them. Not far behind Zhou Sheng, the scene in front of the Golden Crow Wheel was reflected in the shield.

“As long as I completely kill off your self-consciousness here…” Ren Chong muttered. His vice-like grip on Zhou Sheng’s throat tightened continuously.

A prominence-like intense light burst out of the Golden Crow Wheel; flares flew over and enveloped Zhou Sheng and Ren Chong, its light and flames forming a storm. Zhou Sheng’s consciousness was gradually disappearing, and what took its place was Ren Chong’s ferocious grin. The flames on the Golden Crow Wheel was slowly transiting toward Ren Chong through Zhou Sheng’s body.

—

Zryuu: ……….. I had quite a few issues with trying to keep the computer terms consistent like permissions/rights/authority (these are generally the same I think), so if there’s any confusion do let me know lol and I’ll go recheck it

Juurensha: NOOOO HAOHAO GO SAVE YOUR HUSBAND