Chapter 783: Dream-Traveling Lantern (Part 2)

This… this is still the capital?

Amid the stunned expressions of the two, centered on the female journalist's 【Dream-Traveling Lantern】, the war-ravaged capital rapidly faded, replaced by a bizarre, surreal world unfolding swiftly.

The capital's original "skyline" had been abruptly lifted several times higher; towering buildings with not a single brick or stone seam stood like giants in the city's heart, vast expanses of glass curtain walls stretching from ground level to the very tops, reflecting an unnaturally brilliant, dazzling radiance under the sunlight.

And it wasn't just the buildings that had been lifted—the capital's original streets had been widened and raised dramatically; some had even been torn from the ground entirely, transformed into aerial bridges crisscrossing over the bustling, wide thoroughfares…

What about the palace? What had the palace become?

Never forgetting his purpose, after the initial shock, the veteran investigator squinted toward the location of the palace.

Amid these strange yet seemingly practical towering structures, the palace—once among the highest points in the capital—now appeared relatively low.

Aside from the central main structure being preserved, most of the surrounding low buildings had been flattened and replaced with evergreen trees; countless tourists moved back and forth among them—and why did he know they were tourists…

"Too fake."

Glancing at the palace entrance, at the dozens of tin sheds Guazhe "Ticket Office" signs, the veteran investigator shook his head and pulled his gaze away from afar.

"Nice imagination, but who would turn the palace into a public park where anyone can just walk in after buying a ticket? Even if the kingdom were completely destroyed, it wouldn't be this absurd."

Let's hurry. Take me to the dream's master. Kick him out of the 【Dream-Traveling Lantern】. A few more hours and the Abyss of Fallen Souls will begin descending—don't waste time on trivialities!"

"Alright, I'll look."

After responding, the female journalist raised the lantern and swept its light around them; as she moved, the tiny red dot at the lantern's center flickered dimly on and off.

Strange…

Watching the flickering red dot inside the lantern, the female journalist furrowed her brow slightly.

According to past experience using the 【Dream-Traveling Lantern】, its flame would naturally point toward the dream's master, and the closer one got to the master, the brighter the flame would glow.

But this time was different—no matter which direction she pointed the lantern, the flame's brightness remained nearly identical, and it was subtly pulsing upward…

Wait—upward?!

Noticing the direction of the flame's movement, the female journalist hurried to the edge of the clock tower and leaned out, peering past the roof at the sky above.

"What the hell is that?!!!"

Hearing the female journalist's involuntary cry, the veteran investigator frowned and followed her gaze upward—only to be utterly shocked as he saw a colossal human face looming above the capital, its two dark, gleaming eyes locked firmly onto them.

Is this… Li Ang?

…So the ones probing Joshua's dream are them!

Scanning his own dream repeatedly, Li Ang finally identified the intruders; his eyes narrowed as he gazed down at the two vaguely familiar figures.

Serving as Joshua's bodyguard? Impossible—not in this lifetime. As for this cheap brother-in-law, if I don't kick him when he's under attack, I'm already being professional.

So why didn't I just leave Joshua alone, yet came specifically to sleep in his room…

One reason: the Princess's hospitality was simply too overwhelming. Ever since last time, she looks at me like a long-married wife—stay any longer and I might actually lose my virtue.

The other reason: Joshua's dreams are extremely valuable. The Curse of the Nightmare King upon the royal bloodline forces middle-aged Joshua to endlessly relive his life in dreams, synchronizing that nightmare with present-day Joshua.

So if I use the 【Desire Dream Invader】 to enter his dream, I'm essentially peering into a fragment of possible futures—how could I miss such an opportunity?

With the intention of glimpsing the future, after patiently chatting with the freckled prince until he fell asleep and fulfilling all prerequisites for the 【Desire Dream Invader】, Li Ang effortlessly slipped into his nightmare.

But before Li Ang could glimpse the future, a force of the same origin linked to Joshua's dream, freezing the ever-shifting scenes solidly within the capital.

A sudden, unknown intruder naturally triggered Li Ang's alertness; while concealing his own presence, he began observing what the intruder intended.

But beyond "locking" Joshua's dream and forcibly fixing the scene within the capital, the intruder made no further interference—and faintly, countless similar scenes seemed to be being forcibly stitched together by some unseen force.

So, is the intruder trying to capture dreams involving the "capital"?

Sensing the intruder's general intent, Li Ang realized that merely observing wouldn't reveal their true purpose—he withdrew from Joshua's dream.

Immediately after placing the black goat aside and instructing it to forcibly wake him if his soul showed any anomaly, Li Ang targeted himself, deliberately activating the 【Desire Dream Invader】 to construct a dream centered on the "capital."

As expected, once the "keyword" was satisfied, the dream Li Ang created was drawn in, merging into a vast, unified dream.

Just as Li Ang intended to use this as a springboard to observe what the intruder was doing, he was startled to find a strange fluctuation entering Joshua's dream, circling within it, then suddenly veering toward his own dream…

This is my dream! How dare you just walk in?

Realizing the intruder had come to him willingly, Li Ang naturally didn't hesitate—he swiftly revised his hastily constructed dream, adding an "Ultraman" persona for himself, and waited patiently for the visitor's arrival.

Not long after, the strange fluctuation bypassed other dreams, circled several times, then cautiously slipped into his dream, peering around cautiously.

Once he located the intruder by following the fluctuation, seeing the two hazy figures below bathed in the lantern's glow, Li Ang—who had long prepared—immediately controlled his massive, Ultraman-sized body and reached down toward the clock tower.

Since you've come, stay here!

(End of Chapter)