The gala ended around 9 PM. Linden returned home, shed his suit, and got washed up. He sat at his bedroom desk, replaying the events of the evening. Tonight's gala had certainly been an eye-opener. Even though everyone lived in the same Shanghai, walked on the same ground, they led completely different lives. They casually threw around hundreds of millions, as easily as spending virtual coins. They lived a fairy tale existence, as if everyone was a prince or princess. This was clearly the real world, yet it felt more dreamlike than any dream.

Speaking of dreams... Linden propped his forehead, his gaze sweeping over the two white papers on his desk. He'd written them a few days ago, when he was analyzing the Big-Face Cat and CC incident in his dream. One was "Story Flow," detailing the cause and effect of their rivalry and grievances. The other was "Unresolved Mysteries," listing three questions that puzzled Linden.

He picked up the paper labeled "Unresolved Mysteries." He looked at the three questions written on it:

What exactly is hidden inside the safe?

What is the safe's password?

Why did CC save me? Her attitude towards me is also subtle and strange.

The first question: absolutely no clue. Even though it was Linden's own dream, he had no idea what he had that needed to be kept so secret, hidden in such a secure bank vault. But from CC's reaction, it was clear that what was inside was extremely important to her, which was why she took such a huge risk to rob the bank.

"What could it be?" Since it was his own dream, whatever was in the safe must be something within his own awareness, right? Linden racked his brain but couldn't come up with anything. He truly didn't understand what unspeakable thing he might have that needed to be hidden so deeply in a safe.

The second question: what was the safe's password? Again, no clue. Passwords were either right or wrong, no in-between. Linden had tried every eight-digit password he could think of, but the password was still incorrect. This left him utterly baffled... He was now even more curious than CC about what the safe's password actually was. In his last dream, he had truly wracked his brains, trying every date combination imaginable. Not just all the birthdays, anniversaries, and meaningful dates he could think of. He even tried many dates related to the dream itself. Things like 26240828, 26240829, all tried. Even adding the time 0042, forwards and backward, everything. He was truly... at his wit's end. Linden couldn't wrap his head around it: since this safe appeared in his dream, it must be his safe, right? His own safe, and he couldn't open it... it was too unbelievable.

However, among these three questions, Linden was most concerned about the third one. He looked down at the paper: "3. Why did CC save me? Her attitude towards me is also subtle and strange." This was the only question with clues and a potential answer. Because CC herself definitely knew, she just wasn't willing to tell him.

"CC." Actually, now that he carefully recalled CC's voice... Linden felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. He must have heard it somewhere in reality. And not too long ago, probably within the last few months. The more he thought about it, the more familiar it became; he really had heard that voice somewhere! It was melodious, spirited, and very distinctive. But he couldn't for the life of him remember when or where he'd heard it.

"Is it my imagination?" "Plenty of people have similar voices. There are many girls on TikTok whose voices are exactly like Lazy Goat..." Linden shook his head, pushing away the distracting thoughts, and continued to ponder the earlier question—"So, why did CC save me?" Linden propped his forehead, unable to understand. In her eyes, both he and Big-Face Cat were essentially the same kind of criminal, so there was no reason to kill Big-Face Cat but spare him. Moreover, he was the mastermind behind blowing up the bank, so he could hardly be considered innocent.

Linden picked up a red pen. He circled the third question twice. To find out the answer... he would have to ask CC herself.

"But now, here's the problem." Linden frowned slightly. CC herself knew the answer. But she was unwilling to tell Linden, unless Linden helped her open the safe. But Linden didn't know the password. This was an unsolvable loop.

Unless...

"Break the deadlock!" Linden's eyes were resolute. He knew that using normal methods would definitely not get the answer from CC. So, he would have to use "unconventional methods"! CC clearly was a very intelligent woman, not as easily fooled as Big-Face Cat; and she was highly skilled, with a gun, so Linden probably couldn't overpower her in a direct confrontation. He closed his eyes, thinking...

"Got it!" Soon, Linden came up with a plan to break the deadlock. His plan was this:

After meeting Big-Face Cat, first gain his trust, then tell him about being deceived.

Form an alliance with Big-Face Cat, set up a trap in the bank vault in advance, and ambush CC.

Wait for CC to appear, use a clever tactic to subdue her, and get the answer!

"I definitely can't do it alone, but if I use Big-Face Cat, 2-on-1 shouldn't be a problem." Linden spun the pen rapidly between his fingers. This plan to break the deadlock should work!

Actually, Linden didn't want to harm CC; he just wanted an answer. After getting the answer, he wouldn't make things difficult for her; they could both go their separate ways. He looked at the clock by his bed. 9:45 PM. Before, he always met Big-Face Cat around ten o'clock. If he fell asleep quickly, there was still time! Linden quickly turned off the light, got into bed, and closed his eyes.

…

…

Whoosh! The utterly familiar hot summer breeze made Linden's face feel a bit dry. He opened his eyes and saw the scene he had witnessed thousands of times. On the electronic billboard, the time displayed 9:54 PM.

"I need to get that Ultraman mask quickly." Looking to his front right, there were still the two little boys yelling "Ultraman Flying Kick!" and "Ultraman Elbow Strike!" as they fought. These two kids were actually old friends of Linden's. When Linden was little, he often played with them in his dreams, having "light duels." Back then, Linden was a head shorter than them and often bullied. In Linden's eyes, they were two invincible mountains of muscle. Later, Linden slowly grew taller, but these two kids remained the same, so Linden started acting as the big brother. And after that... Linden no longer played such childish games as Ultraman duels. Only these two children remained, tirelessly fighting day after day, year after year, for thousands of days and nights, as if the very fabric of the world had worn away. Linden grew up, but they would never grow up; time was forever frozen on this day.

"Ultraman Flying Kick!" "Ultraman Elbow Strike!" The two boys threw down their masks and fought further and further away. Linden walked up and picked up the Ultraman mask from the ground. "Key item, get~"