Chapter 381

So this is your dream.

Looking up at the massive hand descending, the veteran investigator instinctively clenched his legs, then glanced regretfully at the female journalist beside him.

"I can't move right now—give me the lantern… Nicole, I'm leaving him to you!"

"Understood."

The female journalist nodded, handed the 【Dream-Traveling Lantern】 to the veteran investigator, then, under Li Ang's surprised gaze, deliberately raised her hand to meet the descending palm.

"Crash!"

As the giant hand came down, the top of the bell tower exploded violently, chunks of brick and stone spraying in all directions, stirring up thick clouds of gray dust midair.

According to the law of "smoke without damage," this slap was wasted.

Sensing the odd lack of resistance—as if he'd struck empty air—Li Ang immediately retracted his right hand, drew a deep breath, and from the swirling dust around the bell tower came a familiar, aged voice.

"Do you remember? I told you before…"

Twisting the handle of the 【Dream-Traveling Lantern】 to dim the light surrounding him, the veteran investigator stepped slowly out of the smoke, smiling:

"We'll meet again soon. Right now… cough! Cough cough cough! What's that smell?!"

Uh… tonight's dinner was garlic spaghetti; the odor really is quite strong.

After exhaling a breath thick with garlic aroma, clearing the dust from the bell tower's peak, Li Ang frowned tightly at the veteran investigator, whose face had turned slightly green.

"I knew it—you've got something wrong with you!"

"… "

Yes, I actually… never mind, I suddenly don't feel like talking to you anymore…

As Li Ang spoke, the garlic scent intensified further. The veteran investigator, unable to bear it, quickly covered his nose and mouth with a grim expression, stepping half a pace back with the lantern.

"And you!"

After one sentence had driven the veteran investigator back, Li Ang—who had already assumed the Ultraman persona and now stood over forty meters tall—bent slightly, fixing his gaze on the female journalist:

"Miss Nicole, I never expected to meet you here."

"… "

"What exactly are you two planning?"

"… "

"Is the Aquarius Director still alive? What's your connection to him?"

"… "

"Speak!"

"… "

Please just shut up!

Overwhelmed by the odor, now amplified manyfold as Li Ang's size surged, the female journalist leapt without hesitation—soaring over thirty meters—and shoved hard against his chest!

"Lie down!"

At the female journalist's sharp command, Ultraman Li Ang—who, by design, weighed tens of thousands of tons—collapsed with a thunderous crash, flattening the street behind him.

So this is the 【No-Touch】? Even Ultraman can be pushed down?

After glancing at the female journalist's clean hands and recalling the relevant intelligence, Li Ang frowned again.

That strange lantern in her hand seems capable of stabilizing the dream's setting—so even though I'm the dream's master, I still can't make drastic changes to the environment.

Turning the Wang Gong into a paid park, adding a few skyscrapers or overpasses—that's already my limit. Anything more sci-fi simply won't fit into this dream.

So… I'll have to focus on "myself" instead?

…

Latest address of 83zhongwen. om

"Stop struggling."

Crushing something in his hand, dispersing the thick garlic odor from the bell tower's peak, the veteran investigator walked to the edge, looking down coldly at the fallen giant Li Ang:

"If I'm not mistaken, you dared to ambush me here because you knew you were the dream's master, and thought you could exploit that, correct?"

"… "

"You're too naive. Dreams aren't that simple."

Pulling a strange white rope from his pocket, he tossed it to the female journalist and sneered:

"Even in a false dream, one cannot conjure something entirely unfamiliar. Saying 'I am equal to a god' doesn't grant actual divine power."

In a false dream, the strongest thing is reality itself.

Your dream may be strange, but whether it's the Wang Gong turned into a garden or your seemingly powerful body, both are hollow shells, crumbling under scrutiny.

With your experience and understanding of power, you simply cannot conceive what true strength looks like—and thus cannot construct it within your dream…

So stop struggling. Lie still. Before the Abyss of Fallen Souls fully descends, I'll spare your life!"

"… "

Thanks for the explanation… but are you certain the things I created in this dream aren't real enough?

After hearing the veteran investigator's words, Li Ang raised an eyebrow, decisively shedding his Ultraman persona. His massive body shrank rapidly, returning to normal human size.

Though his chest lacked a countdown light, the fact that being pushed down landed him squarely across half a street proves his "Ultraman Li Ang" was reasonably authentic.

As for why Ultraman got pushed down anyway—it must be tied to the female journalist's hands.

Her 【No-Touch】, when properly activated, forcibly resists all "contact" below divine level. If no contact occurs, no matter how strong Ultraman Li Ang's power is, it's useless—so…

Time to switch to Super Saiyan!

…

Heh, given up already?

Watching Li Ang shed his giant form and return to normal size, the veteran investigator's lips curled slightly.

Believing an enemy's words—he's still too green.

The power of dreams is ultimately the power of belief. As the dream's master, he holds the highest level of "permission." So if he truly believes he can defeat me, the outcome remains uncertain.

But now that fear has taken root, if I keep undermining his confidence, make him doubt his own abilities, he'll gradually weaken, losing control over this dream.

Once the dream grows chaotic and his power is sufficiently diminished—that's when… wait, why are his hairs turning gold? And why are they standing up like a hedgehog? And what's that blue glow in his hand?

(*–-)===3

…

"Hehe~"

? o

"Kid?!"

Seeing Li Ang, who had suddenly burst into laughter while sleeping, the Black Goat tensed up and shouted urgently:

"Wake up! Wake up now!"

"… "

"Your soul feels off! Too agitated! Watch out—you might've been tricked!"

"… "

"Don't sleep! Wake up! Stop laughing!"

"… "

"Wake up! What are you dreaming about? Why are you laughing so happily?!"