After a while, thin mist seeped through the window into the kitchen. Jeffrey moved the metal table aside, and the window returned to its side-sliding type. Outside, thick fog pressed against the glass—they were back in the mist.
The Prison Guard opened the back kitchen door and glanced outside. Beyond it lay the normal corridor and the Main Hall of the cafeteria. They had truly returned.
Though this place might be more dangerous, the survivors still breathed a sigh of relief.
Lin Ye finished treating the wounds of the injured survivors, then found a relatively safe spot and closed his eyes.
Soon, Lin Ye was back on the other side. The Dreamrealm creature had vanished, leaving only Little Guardian standing beside him.
Little Guardian seemed to be seriously pondering some question.
"What's wrong with you?"
Lin Ye had never seen Little Guardian wear such a thoughtful expression before.
"Welcome back. I was contemplating a rather complex issue."
Little Guardian replied calmly.
"What issue?"
Lin Ye asked curiously.
"What is the meaning of my existence."
Little Guardian answered in a flat tone.
"If you're asking that question because you failed to provide adequate mental protection, then I don't think it's necessary. The things I come into contact with are all extremely dangerous; running into situations like this isn't unusual."
Influenced by various factors, Lin Ye could no longer stop.
"...You're right, but I didn't give it my all. Maybe I could have done more."
This was the first time Little Guardian had encountered a situation where she was completely unable to help.
"No, I think what you've done is already good enough."
Lin Ye wouldn't demand others to go beyond their limits—unless they truly wanted to.
"We'd better collect these Dreamstones as soon as possible. The situation outside is getting more dangerous, and it might affect us soon."
Little Guardian changed the subject rather bluntly.
"I can't sense those parasitic nodes anymore. Can we survive here?"
Lin Ye didn't have a deep understanding of the Dreamrealm.
"Hard to say. If things keep deteriorating, we won't escape either. All living creatures trapped in this area will be pulled into the depths of the Dreamrealm."
Little Guardian's understanding of the Dreamrealm came from Lin Ye; she could only judge the surroundings by the level of danger.
"Can you enter that dream world?"
Through his communication with the Dreamrealm creature, Lin Ye felt his previous assumptions might have been incorrect.
Although the Dreamrealm creature could have been lying, its fear wasn't fake—and from that, a lot of information could be inferred.
"Yes, I tried before. But during the entry process, I might materialize and become a burden to you. Plus, I don't know how to get out."
That was why Little Guardian hadn't entered to help Lin Ye earlier.
"There's no time to worry about that now. If danger closes in on us, you go straight into that dream world. Leave the rest to me."
Lin Ye began collecting the Dreamstones in this area. The Mist Dreamrealm wasn't safe, but it was still better than being dragged into the depths of the Dreamrealm.
"Alright."
Little Guardian followed behind Lin Ye, answering calmly.
Lin Ye quickly finished gathering the Dreamstones. He could now skillfully dispose of the contents inside them, but unfortunately, there weren't enough Dreamstones here to fill his spatial item.
"If I enter that dream and leave this body behind, will I be affected?"
Lin Ye found a relatively safe spot, lay down on the ground, and asked.
"No problem. I'll sever the connection between you and this body before you enter, so you won't be affected."
Little Guardian sat beside Lin Ye and replied.
"Then can we still be pulled back?"
Lin Ye didn't understand the principle behind the young girl pulling him back. If it was tied to this body, he might get stuck here.
"I'm not sure, but there's no other choice now. If we don't hide over there, we'll be dragged into the depths of the Dreamrealm. We'll still end up trapped, and the situation will be much worse."
Little Guardian could feel the safe zone shrinking. Their time was running out.
"Then I'll see you over there."
Lin Ye closed his eyes. Darkness enveloped him, and soon he woke up in the back kitchen of the cafeteria.
Everything looked the same. Perhaps because they had dealt with that monster earlier, the survivors seemed to be in decent spirits.
However, some survivors appeared to be arguing about the broadcast.
"You're awake? We received a message on the radio. There's a convoy planning to escape this city, and they're willing to take in survivors along the way."
Jeffrey walked over to Lin Ye, speaking with some excitement.
"Doctor Lin, I think we should escape with them. As long as we band together, those monsters are nothing to be afraid of!"
A young man leaned in, also wearing an excited expression.
"I think it's better to play it safe. We only got one broadcast. Who knows what it's like out there? Even if we can escape, is there no mist outside the city?"
"Exactly. We're relatively safe here with plenty of medicine and food. There's no need to take risks. If there really is no mist outside, the country will definitely send the military to clean up these monsters. We don't need to go out there."
"Safe? Have you forgotten the monster from before? If Doctor Lin hadn't led us to kill it, we'd still be stuck in that strange place!"
...
The survivors started arguing about whether to flee the city, each offering reasons that sounded perfectly reasonable.
"Quiet. Arguing like this won't solve anything. This is a decision that affects everyone's fate. I suggest we vote on whether to leave the city. Anyone opposed to voting?"
After Lin Ye spoke, the survivors stopped arguing. No one rejected his proposal.
After a show of hands, those choosing to leave had three more votes.
"Majority rules. We'll escape this city tomorrow. Of course, this isn't mandatory. Everyone can decide their own fate. If you don't want to follow the majority, you can choose the other side. I'll leave you with enough supplies to last a while."
If this had been before dealing with the Dreamrealm creature, the votes would have gone the other way—perhaps even with a huge gap. But now, it was a different situation.
Though Lin Ye didn't vote, he also didn't plan to stay. He couldn't remain in this dream forever. He needed to go out and find a way to end it.
Of course, he would choose the right time to end the dream, to avoid waking up too early and being dragged into the depths of the Dreamrealm.
But first, he needed to find Little Guardian.
After Lin Ye finished speaking, everyone started packing the supplies they would take. No one chose to stay behind alone.
"Don't rush. Let's first discuss the plan to escape the city. There are still many issues to deal with."
Lin Ye knew very well how dangerous the mist was. Running outside blindly would be no different from committing suicide.
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