Chapter 265

What if a person dreams of falling asleep and then enters another dream?

Several people beside Shiler fell into thought, and he continued: "In most cases, people simply jump from one dream to another, like moving from one point to another on a flat plane."

"But in extremely rare cases, one can descend vertically from a single point, break through this plane, and sink into a deeper layer of consciousness."

"So when Hugo, in the dream you created for him, tries to enter someone else's dream, where will he go?" Victor murmured.

"That's exactly what I'm researching."

"Let's go over this again from the beginning. Earlier, I used Crazy Wine to pull all of your consciousnesses into my own consciousness space, correct?"

"Then I pulled Hugo's consciousness into my consciousness space as well. Though he wasn't on the same floor as you, you're all now within my consciousness space."

"Now, here's the situation: while both you and Hugo are inside my consciousness space, he attempts to link his consciousness with yours—he enters your dreams. Could he directly open a passage to your deeper consciousness?"

"This is the subject I've been focusing on recently: how to maintain a stable dream-within-a-dream state and establish a reliable channel to deeper consciousness. If we can achieve this, we can address many psychological issues at their root."

"I'm not sure I fully understand your plan, but as far as I can tell, you've brought Hugo into your dream, then used his identity as a psychologist to have him infiltrate others' dreams, hoping this method can open a channel to deeper consciousness—is that right?"

ZeroPointReading. om

"Correct. The world of consciousness is an incredibly complex concept—everything is possible here, and nothing is possible. There might be ten thousand keys for one door, or one key that opens ten thousand doors."

"So all research on consciousness space sounds like fantasy, yet it undeniably exists. Isn't that fascinating?"

"So boring," Jack said, picking at his ear.

"Yes, it's boring for you because your surface consciousness and deeper consciousness are all mixed together, like a sludge lake—you can just slide from surface to deep consciousness, then bounce back up with a spring…"

At this, the group saw a bubble suddenly rise above the consultation room where Cobble and Hugo were. Inside it was another space: an ice mountain restaurant stood within. Shiler sighed regretfully: "This is still surface consciousness… It didn't work. Why?"

"Deeper consciousness space won't be this concrete or orderly. Surface consciousness space tends to be more stable because you're still relatively sane—not completely insane. The most terrifying memories should be hidden in deeper consciousness space."

"Let's send in a few actors first…" Shiler arranged, saying: "I suspect Hugo's desire to explore isn't strong enough—his belief in 'what you believe, you receive' isn't firm enough…"

So one of Cobble's doubles stepped out of the ice mountain restaurant and invited Hugo inside. Then Victor entered the restaurant, followed by Shiler. Everything unfolded like a sped-up film, then froze instantly at Hugo's finger hovering over a button.

"What does this mean?" Victor in the audience asked. "What does that button represent?"

Shiler stared at the yellow button: "It's probably confidence in his own theory, and the desire to manipulate others' minds…"

The moment he pressed the button, the globe on Shiler's head spun rapidly. He said: "The channel to deeper consciousness has opened… What is that? Fear?"

"Looks like it's fear."

Shiler stared at the screen, where a massive old woman, drenched in blood and wielding a dagger, appeared. He turned and saw Cobble's figure flicker.

Shiler's figure suddenly grew enormous, then leaned into the screen and crushed the bubble above the consultation room with a sharp *pop*.

He pulled back and said: "So that's what emerged from deeper consciousness space. The method works—but it's unstable…"

"Is it my turn now?"

"Correct."

A few minutes later, Shiler crushed another bubble filled with storm, then said: "The situation is identical—the channel opens, but it's unstable."

Yin Wensi raised his hand: "Next is me, right?"

"I feel his consciousness can't withstand another drain. If we try again, he might wake up—like a person jumping from a tall building in a dream."

Shiler added: "Forget it. One last try."

When they saw Hugo retreat, Shiler concluded: "This might be his brain's self-protection mechanism kicking in."

"How about it? Still want to try?"

"Of course. I think the method works, but the reason the channel can't stabilize isn't the method itself—it's your consciousness world."

"Then what are you planning to do?"

Shiler's globe spun faster and faster. He said: "Jack, cooperate with me. You might get something entertaining to watch soon."

Without waiting for Jack's consent, he snapped his fingers. A medical file landed on Hugo's desk, bearing a name without a surname: "Jack."

The scene shifted again. Jack sat in the consultation room chair, weeping uncontrollably. "Doctor Hugo… please save me! That terrible Dr. Rodriguez keeps abusing me—he forced me to dye my hair green, paint on clown makeup, and perform for him. He's a devil. You must save me…"

"Don't cry, Jack! Don't cry…" Hugo placed his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I've also noticed he may be secretly abusing his patients, reshaping their minds. Listen, Jack…"

"I'll summon him here on official business. While he's distracted, you knock him out—he won't suspect you. After all, you're just a pitiful victim he's abused. We can…"

Shiler touched the globe model on his head and said: "I don't even know whether to praise your acting or just… never mind. It's clearly your acting."

"What are you talking about?" Jack in the audience began wiping his tears. "You're a terrible psychologist—a devil who traps our minds here and uses us for your horrific experiments!"

"Stop crying. You're about to reach your favorite part."

Jack covered his eyes with his hand but peeked through his fingers. On screen, Shiler entered the office. Hugo stood opposite him, drawing his attention. Then a figure with green hair swung a baseball bat and smashed it hard against Shiler's head…

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Jack in the audience burst into uncontrollable laughter, tears streaming down his face.

"See that? That's normal Shiler! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Do you know the funniest part? It's that… HAHAHAHAHA… your falling posture is completely wrong? Normal Shiler! You've never been knocked out before—even pretending you can't do it right! HAHAHAHAHA…"

Victor turned again to the globe perched on Shiler's shoulder. He said: "Looks like Texas was definitely your eye roll."

The screen shifted again. Shiler sat in the interrogation chair. Hugo turned on the light and said: "You're awake…"

Leaning against the wall, Jack smirked faintly at the exact moment Hugo closed his eyes.

Zoom in on Jack's expression: he was looking upward, as if from the bottom stage seeing everyone in the upper audience seats. His smile wasn't mocking Hugo—it was more like… self-mockery.

Jack in the audience made the same motion—he looked up, toward the sky, and smiled.

————Extra Notes————

Didn't see that coming! This crossover is just stitched together!

Many people said they didn't understand. I didn't explain earlier because it might spoil the plot. Now that this arc is complete, I think most crossover fans should get it.

If you still don't get it, you probably haven't watched many English-American shows. These are all old tropes—mind palaces, consciousness spaces, etc. I didn't want to explain at length because it's not some novel concept.

If I really wanted to drag it out, I could spend three thousand words explaining concepts in a ten-thousand-word chapter, then four thousand words writing a film review, and have the protagonist mentally replay Inception for you. Believe me, I used to do this all the time on Feilu—I'm a pro.

But I've got a conscience, and it hurts. So I'm prioritizing plot progression. If you truly, completely, utterly still don't understand, leave a comment below this author's note with your questions. I'll try to revise the earlier parts so you can follow… (Hard. I really don't see where it's hard to understand?)