Chapter 65: Midnight Terror Sheep (Revision)

Just as he was left both amused and exasperated by his own bizarre appearance, a feeling of being watched suddenly came from behind.

Yang Yixie snapped his head around.

Beside the table in the farthest corner of the bar, a figure had appeared at some unknown moment.

The person had merely changed his style, wearing a black trench coat, losing some gentleness and gaining a colder edge, still sporting a head of fluffy white curls.

What drew the most attention was the pair of warm, curved, unmistakably non‑human sheep horns atop his head.

He stood there silently, as if merged with the surrounding shadows, his cold, horizontal pupils giving an unabashed scrutiny, appraising Yang Yixie from top to bottom.

Hovering above Bai Mu Yun's head was an extremely clear, faintly green‑glowing, elongated sign—

It was unmistakably a Blood Bar that in the game denotes a neutral or allied unit.

Bai Mu Yun's brows knit tightly; he clearly also saw the illogical green Blood Bar above his head, and this incomprehensible phenomenon pushed his confusion and vigilance to the limit.

He opened his mouth, as if about to say something.

Before Bai Mu Yun could speak, Yang Yixie's eyes in the dream lit up!

He saw the pair of sheep horns atop Bai Mu Yun's head, and curiosity instantly overrode his reason and fear.

Joke—no matter how absurd the dream, isn't this just normal?

Since it's his dream, everything naturally has to be under his control.

If game maps can become real, what else can't?

"Your horns… cosplay? They look so textured—were they wax‑polished?"

Muttering under his breath, Yang Yixie darted forward in a single stride to stand before Bai Mu Yun, and before Bai could react, he thrust his hand with lightning speed toward the unusually distinctive horns.

Bai Mu Yun: "!!!"

He stared at the rapidly approaching "salty‑pig hand", along with that familiar, suffocating feeling…

Almost reflexively, the shadow energy in his hand instantly coalesced, a black dagger's phantom, as thin as a cicada wing, materialized at his fingertips, ready to give the audacious kid a memorable lesson.

However, just as Yang Yixie's finger was about to touch the horns—

The entire dream world, like glass struck by a heavy hammer, jolted violently.

The bar counter, glasses, wall lamps, shadows…

Everything in the dream began to warp, deform, and shatter!

Colors streamed and mingled like a spilled palette, the light flickered erratically, space emitted a strained creak, and the scene before his eyes tore like fabric, revealing the void behind the dream.

"Crack—!"

Accompanied by a crisp sound from deep within consciousness, the scene shattered completely, turning into countless swirling fragments that were swiftly devoured by endless darkness.

Yang Yixie felt a massive suction, and his body plummeted downward abruptly.

————————————————

In the real world, Yang Yixie, who had been lying on his bed, jolted upright, his eyes snapping open.

Outside the window, the night remained heavy, and the green charging indicator on his bedside phone blinked rhythmically.

"Damn… what a chaotic dream…"

He rubbed his hair, confirming his black locks were unharmed, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Whether it was his glowing‑green self in the dream, the horned stranger, or the final spatial collapse, each left him speechless.

"It's all my fault!" he gritted his teeth, casting the blame outward.

"Who the hell makes a crazy call in the middle of the night! Talking about games becoming real, consciousness traversing… you made me have nightmares!"

He sulked, lay back down, pulled the blanket over his head, trying to banish the lingering glowing green from his mind, tossing and turning for a while before finally managing to fall asleep.

——————————————

At the same time, within his residence in Tianmian City, Bai Mu Yun slowly opened his eyes, his golden horizontal pupils still tinged with astonishment and confusion.

For the past few days he had been seeking a chance to infiltrate Ying Duo's dream, to enter this "Defective Product" Consciousness Space, directly search Ying Duo's memories, and uncover the source of the strange split feeling within him.

But Ying Duo had been constantly "grinding skill proficiency" day and night, his mental activity frantic and chaotic, making it hard to find a stable entry point.

Tonight, after much effort, he finally managed to invade as Ying Duo fell into deep sleep, but after only a short stay he was forcefully ejected.

Nevertheless, it wasn't without gain; Bai Mu Yun recalled the anomalies in Ying Duo's dream.

That utterly illogical, data‑driven view of reality, charging straight at his horns with no logic whatsoever…

Bai Mu Yun's furrowed brows remained tight; emotionally, was Ying Duo's last remark not sarcasm but a genuine admiration of his horns?

No, that's not the point.

"Cognitive confusion… has it become this severe?"

He murmured to himself, that perspective of treating living people—including beings like him—as NPCs with Blood Bars; calling it abnormal would be an understatement.

There's no way around it; with souls that call themselves "players" invading, and Ying Duo explicitly voicing his "game perspective", how can one not be suspicious?

Yet, considering Ying Duo's previously odd comprehension of commands, and that mysterious high‑risk weapon, Bai Mu Yun could only draw a seemingly reasonable conclusion:

Ying Duo's mental state had deteriorated severely, but he still adhered to some loyalty toward the "Dome", or perhaps the current mission, and his Aberrant Arts were highly valuable.

He opened an encrypted communications terminal and began replying to his superior's order to confirm Ying Duo's status.

His fingers tapped rapidly on the light screen:

【Target: Ying Duo (real name: Yang Yixie)】

【Identity Confirmation: after injection, successfully awakened Aberrant Arts, but exhibits severe cognitive impairment, confusing reality with the game; suspicion of Old World Undead can be ruled out】

【Risk Assessment: mental state unstable, but no betrayal tendency detected; his technical abilities are of extremely high value and unpredictability, recommend continued observation and controlled utilization.】

【Supplement: the source of his high‑risk weapon remains unidentified, possibly linked to the cause of his cognitive impairment; the Consciousness Space is highly chaotic and unstable, difficult to verify.】

After sending the report, Bai Mu Yun leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples.

————————————

Hours later, a shrill alarm jolted Yang Yixie out of his uneasy sleep.

He feels as if he had only just fallen asleep, because he was startled awake once in the middle; now his head is especially drowsy, his eyelids heavy, and his whole being is in low‑battery mode.

"Ugh, I'm dead tired......"

He yawns while struggling to get out of bed, his steps unsteady as he shuffles toward the bathroom.

Cold water splashes his face, bringing a brief wakefulness.

He looks at himself in the mirror, staring at the faint dark circles under his eyes, and once again internally ribs his brother for that "midnight horror ringtone".

Habitually he picks up his phone, about to check the time, but finds the screen filled with a slew of penguin message notifications.

From his high‑school class group (teacher‑free version).

Since the college entrance exam finally ended, the group has been essentially dormant, only occasionally someone posts a group‑buy discount or holiday greetings.

But at this moment, the red number behind the message count is soaring, showing 【99+】.