After beating the man until his face was bruised and swollen, Wen Wen took a wet wipe and cleaned the knuckles of his fist, then sat down on a box next to the man.
"Tell me, what's going on here?"
Gao Fangzhou clutched his nose to stop the bleeding and recounted his experiences of the past nearly two years.
Upon arriving in this dream world, Gao Fangzhou discovered that there wasn't a single normal person.
Everyone, like him originally, was criticizing society and igniting conflicts. The city was divided into various factions, engaged in endless verbal sparring.
Besides arguing, these people were also dedicated to digging up dirt on their opponents and fabricating it.
Gao Fangzhou had no way to block out these arguments; he had to participate in every absurd debate and voice his opinion on any event.
This high-intensity debate pushed Gao Fangzhou to the brink of mental breakdown, but according to the rules of this dream, he couldn't escape.
In the real world, Gao Fangzhou enjoyed doing this because it earned him money.
But in this dream world, he gained nothing but endless criticism.
"I really didn't want to save you, but I had to."
"To get you out, all I need to do is make everyone in the city shut up through you."
Gao Fangzhou shook his head. "I don't know what you want to do, but you don't have to. This is my tribulation, and I want to break through it myself."
"Oh, you're quite philosophical," Wen Wen teased.
Gao Fangzhou gave a wry smile. "You must look down on me quite a bit, and I look down on myself too, which is why I want to atone here for a while longer."
"But I've come to understand myself. Have you..." Gao Fangzhou started to speak disrespectfully to Wen Wen, but remembering the beating he just took, he changed his target. "Have they understood themselves?"
"I incited trouble everywhere and escalated conflicts for money, turning small sparks into raging infernos and shifting society's trends in a negative direction... I admit to all of that."
"But why did I do it? Wasn't it because I could gain more recognition and earn more money?"
"Did I create the trouble? Did conflicts arise because of me? They inherently had cynical thoughts; I was merely their mouthpiece!"
"I am a spit of phlegm they expelled onto society. When they were angry, they felt great satisfaction spitting it out and wouldn't allow anyone to wipe it away, which is why I became popular."
"When they regained their senses, they were eager to wipe me away, as if to pretend they had never spat out phlegm.
"My mistake was not recognizing that I was phlegm, and therefore I deserve punishment here."
"And they, have they realized that they also had a part in that phlegm?"
Gao Fangzhou became more agitated as he spoke, eventually even standing up and shouting at Wen Wen.
Wen Wen was not intimidated and kicked him back down.
"Why did you hit me again? Am I wrong?" Gao Fangzhou's emotions finally broke, and he shouted at Wen Wen with a crying tone.
Wen Wen scratched his ear. "It's nothing, it's just that your attitude was too arrogant."
"Also, I'm not saving you for your own good. If I don't get you out, I can't leave here either."
"No, you have a way," a voice suddenly said, causing Wen Wen's eyes to narrow.
He looked at the young man standing behind him, turned around, and said arrogantly, "I knew that if I continued like this, I would eventually attract your attention, so I'm not surprised you've come to find me now."
Yan Zu looked at Wen Wen with surprise. "Judging by your tone, it seems you know of my existence."
"Heh, you kidnapped my pet concubine, how could I not know you," Wen Wen pouted.
Yan Zu was stunned for a moment. "Pet concubine is..."
"A pet plus a maid. Having been locked up for so many years, I don't blame you for being uncultured," Wen Wen mocked.
Yan Zu did not seem angry; he was not the type to get upset.
"Uh, you two, can you tell me what's going on..." Gao Fangzhou asked weakly.
"You have no business here." Yan Zu waved his hand, and Wen Wen felt a suction force pull him, dragging him away from Gao Fangzhou's dream.
The two appeared in a cafe. Yan Zu extended his hand to Wen Wen. "Please sit. Now that no one is bothering us, let's talk."
Wen Wen was somewhat surprised by Yan Zu's action. He possessed a Nightmare Physique, but he hadn't understood Yan Zu's move at all.
"Since you've come to talk to me in person, I'll be direct. I have two purposes for coming this time. The first is to rescue my pet concubine, and the second is to ask you to stop making people fall asleep."
Upon hearing Wen Wen's conditions, Yan Zu let out a chuckle. "Your pet concubine, she must be that fox spirit. Such a rare soul is uncommon, so I took it as a collectible."
"As for the second condition... my answer is, impossible!"
Wen Wen's eyes narrowed. "Don't answer so quickly; you haven't heard my conditions yet."
"Besides yourself, I don't think you have anything that can attract me," Yan Zu looked at Wen Wen and licked his lips, giving Wen Wen goosebumps.
"If you can lower the difficulty of the dreams, allow those people to pass the trials and return to reality on their own, and control the number and targets of those who fall into a coma, without causing social panic."
"I believe this can have a positive effect on society. If you can meet the above requirements, then I can negotiate with the Hunter Association to make you a legal entity."
"Being able to walk in the sunlight is better than hiding in dreams."
This idea was gradually formed by Wen Wen during his dream-cracking process.
If Yan Zu could act according to Wen Wen's plan, he could give some irredeemable people a new lease on life, which would actually be a good thing for the entire Federation.
Moreover, this would prevent Wen Wen from clashing with this mysterious Cataclysm-level entity, making it a win-win situation.
Yan Zu seemed somewhat tempted but then extinguished that flicker of temptation himself.
"Firstly, my dreams are a gift, and allowing them to escape from dreams easily is a desecration of my gift."
"Secondly, I don't need any legal status because the so-called Hunter Association cannot threaten me. In the end, you are merely some natives."
"However, I am not entirely unwilling to agree to your two conditions."
Yan Zu's final tone stretched out, clearly indicating he had something to say, so Wen Wen didn't play coy.
"What will it take for you to agree?"
Yan Zu laughed exaggeratedly. "I want you to play two games with me. If you win, I'll agree to your conditions."