"..."

"..."

Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.

"Actually..."

The woman was the first to break the silence. "From the moment I saw you in the plaza impersonating me, following the Big-faced Cat into his car, I thought there was something wrong with your head."

"So, the misunderstanding's cleared up now?"

"Now I'm even more certain!"

Linden spread his hands helplessly. "So, you still don't believe me, huh? But since you're here to steal Linden's safe, you must have done some research on this 'Linden' person, right? Don't you know what he looks like?"

Linden pointed at his own face. "Take a good look at my face, compare it to the photos you researched earlier, and see if it's identical."

The woman shook her head. "I didn't investigate the owner of this safe, and I don't know what Linden looks like."

Linden was speechless. He'd never imagined... proving his own identity could be so incredibly difficult.

"But it doesn't matter who you are at all."

The woman spoke again. "If you can really help me open the safe, I can certainly tell you the answer." She crossed her arms, looking at the inscrutable combination lock. "If it were an electronic lock... I could crack it in a few minutes."

"But this is a mechanical combination lock, an 8-digit password. Neither brute force nor listening techniques will crack it quickly."

She turned to look at Linden. "So, I don't care who you are. You can be anyone. But as long as you can open this safe, you're my partner."

"Deal."

Linden extended his right hand in a friendly gesture. Although he wanted to get her answer first, there was no way to prove he was Linden right now... he simply had no valuable bargaining chips, so he had to compromise.

"What do I call you?"

"CC."

The woman reached out and high-fived Linden. "Just call me CC."

Linden realized that the characters in his dreams didn't seem to have normal names.

"Do you have a plan?" CC looked at Linden.

"Let's try my coming-of-age date first. We'll try meaningful dates one by one."

...

...

Linden racked his brain, coming up with one date after another related to himself. CC tried them one by one. But Linden's brain was practically exploding, and he still couldn't guess the correct password.

"My mom's birthday just now... still wrong?"

CC shook her head. "How about trying your grandma's birthday?"

"I actually don't know my grandma's birthday."

"Can't you tell I'm being sarcastic? You've just tried all your aunts and uncles, even your dog's birthday! Can't you think of something else?"

CC looked at Linden, puzzled. "Why does it have to be a date? For an 8-digit password, aren't there other possibilities?"

Linden waved his hand. "It definitely has to be a date, trust me. I can tell from the structure; it's definitely a date. It's how I've always set my passwords."

"Are you assuming you're Linden while you're thinking?"

"Let me reiterate," Linden said, frustrated. "I'm not assuming I'm Linden, I am Linden! Can you just be quiet and let me think?"

"Heh, you've really got a strong sense of immersion!"

CC scoffed. "All the dates you mentioned were from hundreds of years ago. If I wasn't desperate... I wouldn't be listening to your nonsense! Are all your family members ancient monsters who've lived for centuries?"

Linden closed his eyes... constantly rubbing his hair with both hands.

Think.

Must think harder.

What could it be...?

What dates haven't I thought of yet?

Linden felt his brain overheating, already running on overload. But all the dates he could think of that were related to him had been tried... None of them worked!

Now, Linden himself was losing confidence. Was this really his safe? But it was his dream! In his own dream, would there really be someone else's safe?

Linden remembered what his friend told him.

"Nothing outside your existing knowledge will ever appear in a dream."

So.

This 8-digit password!

It must be in his memory!

What else haven't I thought of?

What have I forgotten?

What's hidden?

Click!

With the crisp sound of an electrical circuit connecting—

Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah!

Piercing alarms blared all around them!

The main power had been restored! Automatic alarm!

"Damn it!"

Linden, overcome by urgency, kicked the safe.

"Hurry up and think!!" CC yelled, her voice mixed with the piercing alarms, making it as tense and irritating as a bomb countdown!

"I am thinking!"

Linden scratched his scalp. "I can't think of anything!"

His head was splitting! His brain was overloaded! Linden felt the entire world spinning! It was like being thrown into a constantly rotating Rubik's Cube, with familiar memories flashing by like a TV channel changing.

"If you don't think of it soon, the police will be here! I really shouldn't have trusted you!"

Linden squeezed his eyes open, glancing at his watch: [00:41:27].

Now it wasn't just a police problem... the dream had only 33 seconds left.

"Can you even do this?!" CC roared. "Where are all those pretty words you said?!"

"Stop shouting!"

Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah!

Shouting! Alarms! Tinnitus!

Linden's brain felt like it was about to explode! The Rubik's Cube of memory spun faster and faster! Countless long-buried memories surged forth like a monstrous flood! The scenes before his eyes flashed by like a kaleidoscope! Linden felt dizzy and disoriented!

The deepest buried layer of his heart suddenly ripped open!

"I once liked a girl..." Linden said, gritting his teeth, clutching his forehead.

"What's wrong with you?! I don't have time for your love story!" CC roared over the alarm!

"She was my desk mate..."

"I! DON'T! WANT! TO! HEAR! IT!"

"I don't want to say it either! Isn't this all for you?!" Linden shouted, looking up and pointing at the safe. "19990707! Her birthday!"

Linden felt like a clown. His most unspeakable secret, the last shred of dignity, had been torn away!

"Hurry!"

Click, click, click.

CC quickly spun the combination dials! She slammed her fist onto the latch!

It didn't open.

"Wrong password!"

Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah!

[00:41:47]

"20150609!" Linden shouted, covering his ears!

"What date is that?! Don't tell me it's the day you confessed!" CC shrieked, her voice hoarse amidst the blaring alarm!

"Damn it, stop guessing wildly! Enter the password!"

"It's entered!"

[00:41:56]

CC gritted her teeth! She put all her strength into it! She slammed hard on the latch!

Bang!

...

It didn't open.

Linden instantly felt all strength leave his body, dizzy and disoriented. His last glance fell upon CC in front of the safe.

Through his blurred vision...

CC turned her head. Her resentful gaze pierced his soul—

"Liar."

[00:42:00]

Boom!!!

Boom!!!

Boom!!!

Blinding white light suddenly erupted, engulfing everything...

...

...

December.

Early winter dawn.

In the clean and tidy bedroom.

Linden opened his eyes...