All this time, Linden felt the most illogical aspect of his dreams was the time setting.

August 28, 2624.

That was 600 years after Linden's real world. Yet, the daily life and technological development in the dream were indistinguishable from 2022. This was completely absurd! How could human technology make no progress, stagnate for 600 years?

He tried to find answers in the dream's libraries and on its internet, but all historical information in the dream was vague. Things like lottery numbers, major historical events from centuries ago, big news – none of it could be specifically found. The history he could find in the library was too recent; it felt no different from reading fictional, dime-store literature, still failing to answer his question.

"Maybe... it's due to your lack of imagination!"

Linden once discussed this with a friend. This is what his friend said:

"Ultimately, a person's dreams are created by the brain using imagination."

"Therefore, nothing outside your existing knowledge will ever appear in a dream."

"Your brain simply can't envision what the world will be like 600 years from now, so naturally, you won't dream it. Maybe if you watch more sci-fi movies, it'll improve."

Linden thought this explanation was quite plausible. But unfortunately... even after watching hundreds of sci-fi movies, his dreams remained the same, day after day, without change.

Later, after having fun in his dreams, he simply accepted this illogical premise:

"Dreams themselves are fictional; being illogical actually makes more sense."

...

He'd encountered the Big-faced Cat around ten o'clock yesterday. Now, it was time to act.

Linden walked towards two small boys who were chasing and playing.

"Ultraman Kick!" "Ultraman Elbow!"

The two kids got more and more excited, running further and further away, not even noticing their masks falling to the ground.

"Key prop, Ultraman mask, acquired~"

Linden picked up the mask and put it on.

Whoosh!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two sharp whistles.

As Linden turned around, a thick arm grabbed him and started running. "Over here, buddy! This plaza is full of kids in Ultraman masks... you were really hard to find!"

Before him were the familiar cat mask and the familiar, meaty face.

"Come with me! The car's over there. My little brother already went to the bank."

"Hold on, Face Bro."

Linden pulled the Big-faced Cat back. "I have a question."

"Shoot."

"What's the name of this cartoon cat on your mask?"

"You mean this?"

The Big-faced Cat pointed at the distorted mask on his face. "This is Keke Cat, don't you even recognize it? It's really popular."

"You're quite well-versed for your age."

"My daughter loves this cat; she used to have a lot of plushies."

"Alright then."

Linden pulled his hand away from the Big-faced Cat and turned back towards the toy store. "I forgot something. You go wait in the car."

Slap!

A plump hand suddenly clamped down on Linden's shoulder!

"Have you seen me before?"

"First time."

"Then why did you call me Face Bro?" The Big-faced Cat stared intently at Linden.

...

...

A wave of hot summer wind blew by, as if time itself had stopped.

Neither of them spoke. Laughing children ran past them, and the vast plaza felt isolated from the world.

The Big-faced Cat's left hand moved towards his waist...

Linden slowly turned his head. Ultraman stared at Keke Cat. "You wanna know?"

"I do."

...

...

"Because your face is just too big..."

"Gah?"

The Big-faced Cat frowned, squeezing the Keke Cat on his mask flat.

Linden pushed the hand off his shoulder. "Forgive me, I really couldn't ignore your big face. If you mind, I can call you something else."

"Hahahaha!" The Big-faced Cat burst into laughter. "You guessed pretty well, kid! Everyone on the streets calls me Big-faced Cat. Just keep calling me Face Bro!"

"Hurry up and get your stuff! We're in a rush!"

Linden waved him off and walked into the toy store. This Big-faced Cat... he'd thought he was a rough and reckless guy, but he was surprisingly meticulous.

"Hello."

Linden walked to the toy store counter. "I'd like to buy a Keke Cat plushie."

"Certainly, sir, they're on this shelf."

The salesperson led Linden to a shelf filled with Keke Cat plushies, stacked on several levels. It seemed the Big-faced Cat was right; this item was indeed selling very well.

Linden picked up a basic model and began to examine it closely, studying the cat's structure, proportions, limbs, and clothing... He needed to look carefully here, remember the details. When he woke up at 00:42 AM, he could draw it from memory.

It had to be said, this Keke Cat was indeed designed to be incredibly cute, in no way inferior to Kitty Cat. Linden scanned it from various angles with his eyes. Although this might be considered plagiarism in the design world... could copying from his own dream really be called copying?

"Everything in my dream is just my imagination, isn't it? I'm the original author."

Linden was examining it very carefully.

"Hey! What are you doing over there!"

A loud roar, and the Big-faced Cat stormed over, grabbing Linden and pulling him away. "You have no sense of time, buddy! Let's go!"

Smack.

As they passed the cash register, the Big-faced Cat slapped down a golden thousand-yuan bill. "Keep the change!"

The Big-faced Cat's car was parked right outside. Linden, clutching the Keke Cat plushie, was practically shoved into the car.

Rumble!

The Big-faced Cat floored the gas, taking off, grumbling as he looked at the plushie in Linden's arms. "You're going to use this thing to crack the code? You're a—"

"Give it to your daughter."

Linden placed the plushie on the dashboard.

"—idiot."

The Big-faced Cat instantly fell silent. The grimace and anger froze on his face, and his half-uttered insult hung awkwardly in the air.

A few seconds later.

The grimace slowly dissipated... his mouth slowly closed... He swallowed. Staring straight ahead, he drove in silence.

...

The journey was quiet.

Linden didn't know why the usually boisterous and loud Big-faced Cat had become so quiet. It was a silence that felt somewhat unfamiliar to him. Inside the van, there was only the occasional click of the turn signal... and the Big-faced Cat's gaze, which couldn't help but dart towards the Keke Cat plushie every time he checked the rearview mirror.

The mask was pinching his scalp a little. Linden loosened the elastic with his hand. The traffic light at the intersection began to flash red.

"Thank you."

The Big-faced Cat said softly, his voice a little hoarse. He pulled a cigarette from his pack, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a lighter.

"It's been years... since I bought a Keke Cat toy."

Smoke filled the air.

"Your daughter grew up, huh?" Linden said casually, resting his chin on his hand.

"She died."

The Big-faced Cat took a deep drag on his cigarette, the exhaled smoke swirling in the air. "She died years ago, when she was only six."

"Was it an accident?"

"No."

The Big-faced Cat slammed on the brakes. "She was murdered."

"Why would anyone murder a six-year-old—"

"Buddy."

The Big-faced Cat interrupted Linden, pointing to the bank across the street. "We're here. Time to get down to business."

Click!

He slammed a magazine into his handgun, chambered a round, then straightened the mask on his face. "Let's go, buddy!"

"After we rob the money from this bank, I can get revenge for my daughter! First, let's get to work, then we can talk more!"

With that, the Big-faced Cat smiled, patted Linden's shoulder, jumped out of the car, and walked towards the bank entrance.

"..."

Linden didn't speak. He sat alone in the car, watching the Big-faced Cat stumble away. Before him, the cute Keke Cat plushie sat there, lonely. Linden remembered the scene from yesterday's dream:

"The bank vault is full of safety deposit boxes, there's no cash at all, Face Bro..."