I must be insane.

Even in his wildest dreams, Wu Qingchen never imagined that one day he would appear before the emergency United Nations assembly wearing a crumpled shirt and pants, topped with a bulletproof vest, a life jacket and two panels of bulletproof glass standing upright in front of him. In front of him sat rows upon rows of people, representing every color of the human race, displaying emotions of anxiety, panic, surprise, hope and much more.

I must be crazy.

Wu Qingchen lowered his head and pressed his throbbing forehead hard, trying to wake up from this dream. It was as surreal as the dream he had five hours ago, in an old house thousands of kilometers away.

I don't know if it's true or not, but according to a rumor, when a store manager recommended wooden doors to a customer in the home decoration market, in addition to the beauty, environmental protection, and health benefits, the most important reason for recommending it was because of its soft and pleasing knocking sound.

However, whether it's a metal door, wooden door, or a plastic door that higher-end stores refuse to provide, when it is knocked on for five minutes straight without any response, there is something called the environmental destruction factor of the "bad temper" door that changes the knocking sound from the originally melodic "thump, thump, thump..." to not-so melodic "bang, bang, bang...".

And then, it changes to now, this sound that cannot be connected with anything pleasant: "clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!" The effect is significant.

Half a minute later, the door slowly opened, revealing a young man who was still yawning. No one is ever happy to be awakened in the middle of their sleep, and even though the young man who just opened the door was still yawning, his face accurately expressed impatience and irritability. However, in less than a second, as soon as he saw the guests outside the door, the young man's yawn, impatience, and irritability disappeared instantly. His sleepy eyes widened immediately.

This is normal. It's not every day that someone wakes up from a nap and finds two stern-faced police officers and two even more serious-looking soldiers at their door.

"Are you Wu Qingchen?"

Without complaining about why it took them so long to come to the door, or apologizing for disturbing him, the door was opened, and while the young man glanced at the police officer who was standing at the forefront, the officer seemed very casual as he moved forward, naturally placing his right foot between the doorframe and the door.

"Yes...it's me..." The young man involuntarily moved back, his left hand that had opened the door hanging uselessly at his side as he tugged at his wrinkled pants.

"You moved in here on May 3, 2011?"

"Yes…" The young man named Wu Qingcheng swallowed nervously, his identity confirmed.

"Did you graduate from the Jiangxian West Elementary School? Did you get in a fight with a classmate because of a dispute in your classroom in fourth grade? Did you hurt your left eyebrow, leaving a 7mm scar?"

"What...yes...yes..."

A small fight that happened more than a decade ago, and only now they come to investigate? Or is it an old injury that finally flares up after years? This question made Wu Qingchen feel a bit stunned. Unconsciously, his hands left his crumpled pants and began to absentmindedly, yet fruitlessly, straighten his equally crumpled shirt.

The police officer sitting across from him seemed to have completely ignored Wu Qingchen's panic and nervousness. He stared at the root of Wu Qingchen's left eyebrow for a while, then lowered his head and, with a few pages of documents that had clearly been crumpled beyond recognition in his hand, began to ask a series of questions.

Some of these questions were straightforward enough, revolving around Wu Qingchen's past or present situation, his education, work and resignation, and so on. These were easy to answer, and the content left for Wu Qingchen to fill in was limited to the meager responses of "yes," "yes indeed," and "sort of."

However, some questions were much more troublesome, as they required Wu Qingchen to remember various small marks left on his body due to fighting, outdoor work, household chores, or even natural causes. For example, "is there a 5-millimeter semi-arc-shaped scar on the first joint of your left ring finger?" "Are there two black spots about 13 centimeters from the back of your right forearm, with radii of 0.3 and 0.2 millimeters, respectively?"...

Of course, Wu Qingchen could not remember these kinds of questions too clearly. No normal person could remember them completely. Fortunately, the middle-aged police officer and another soldier who had come over at some point did not really care about Wu Qingchen's answers to these questions. They simply compared Wu Qingchen's body with the descriptions in the documents, paying very close attention to the details.

What's going on here? Do the police need to be so meticulous in verifying someone's identity? No, wait, why are they arresting me? No, no, why are they arresting me without a reason? Suddenly realizing this, Wu Qingchen felt quite angry, and to make matters worse, the middle-aged police officer in front of him was manipulating him like a monkey, repeatedly asking him to pull up his pants leg and tilt his head. Finally, when the middle-aged police officer for the seventh or eighth time asked Wu Qingchen to "raise his left hand higher, even higher," Wu Qingchen completely lost it! This young man who still hasn't figured out what's going on since he opened the door... This young man who hasn't had a chance to say a word since he opened the door... This young man who has been disregarded of his dignity, right to know and property rights since he opened the door, when he heard the middle-aged police officer's nagging voice, saw his disgusting appearance, and heard his rude language for the seventh or eighth time telling him to "raise his left hand higher, even higher," he suddenly raised his left hand... Just a little higher... Without going any higher... And so, the police and military personnel got the cooperation they wanted, and Wu Qingchen expressed his dissatisfaction and anger. And this subtle way didn't waste any time, although the police and another military member's inspection was quite careful, the progress was still quite fast.

Within a maximum of three to five minutes, Wu Qingchen's hands, forearms, and lower legs, which were not particularly awkward parts, had already been examined carefully by the two police officers several times. The middle-aged police officer had also flipped through the document in his hand to the last page and finally made the first request that Wu Qingchen should be more cooperative: "Mr. Wu, please lift up your shirt, and the last spot." Wu Qingchen, wanting to continue being irritated, continued to be subtle and obedient to this request. When he lifted his shirt, Wu Qingchen's movements were relatively light. This was purely an instinctive reaction by his body, probably due to feeling a little discomfort in his abdominal area from an unimpressive posture while napping at noon, perhaps involving a stuck zipper or button. When he pulled up his shirt, he naturally avoided the slightly painful spot. Due to his head being low and lack of sensitivity, the highly serious police officers and soldiers, who had been wearing almost no expression since entering, had not been noticed by Wu Qingchen. Almost simultaneously, however, they displayed expressions of astonishment when Wu Qingchen lifted up his shirt. Following the four pairs of eyes, Wu Qingchen just raised his head, then immediately lowered it again. At the location he had been staring at, which was being scrutinized by five pairs of eyes, there was neither a black spot, nor a scar, nor a swelling, nor any previous trace from the examination, only a small round depression about 5 millimeters in diameter and 10 millimeters deep----scientifically known as the belly button. Except for the skin being slightly dimmer than when he was eighteen, it was simply the abdomen of an ordinary young person. However... Strange? Wu Qingchen carefully observed his stomach and wondered why there was a red mark there. It looks like it's a bit painful here!

So Wu Qingchen raised his right hand and lightly pressed it. Then there was a uniform sound of inhaling. "What are you doing!" "Put it down!" "Stop!" "Take your hands off!" Wu Qingchen did even better: he raised both hands. From this standard surrender posture, it can be seen how severe these four shouts were. There was no laughter, as if Wu Qingchen's raised hands could shoot deadly bullets, or there was a hidden deadly killer in the bright corridor. The four stared at Wu Qingchen tightly, scanning the surroundings with searching eyes, and then sizing each other up and down. After discovering that there was no abnormality for a long time, they finally visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "From now on, don't move..." Compared to a few dozen seconds ago, the middle-aged policeman's complexion was a little pale, and there was sweat on his forehead. He felt that the requirements were too broad and paused. The middle-aged policeman added, "It's similar to normal, but try to make the movement smaller." "Yes...yes..." Do I look so dangerous? Is there a shirt on my body that can hide a gun, or can I touch a knife in my belly button? When Wu Qingchen was shouted at by the four at the same time, he thought he was going to be shot on the spot in the next moment, and his mind went blank, and his legs were almost unable to stand still. At this moment, although the voice of the middle-aged policeman had become quite soft, Wu Qingchen still felt stiff all over his body, even his tongue was a bit knotted.

"Okay, put your hands down. What's wrong with your stomach? Does it hurt? How do you feel?" Another soldier standing next to Wu Qingchen noticed his sudden and rigid movement and couldn't help but raise his right hand to pat Wu's shoulder to relax him, but then suddenly thought of something and withdrew his hand stiffly.

Wu Qingchen didn't notice this change and just answered honestly, "Well, I feel a little uncomfortable, maybe it's a hiccup, feels like... feels like...".

"Feels like getting tripped by tree branches and falling onto a stone, luckily the stone is round, and it just hiccups, not really painful?"

"Huh..." It doesn't make sense? Wu Qingchen was extremely surprised.

This description is overly accurate.

Because that was exactly the last scene in Wu Qingchen's surreal dream at noon.

At noon, Wu Qingchen had a bizarre and strange dream.

In the dream, Wu Qingchen suddenly found himself in a countryside frequently seen in Western films, with blue skies, white clouds, undulating hills as far as the eye could see; green grass, murmuring streams, and a breeze blowing through a few tall trees.

What's ridiculous is that in such a magnificent landscape, Wu Qingchen was not riding horses, nor accompanied by young, ignorant blondes. Instead, he held an unrecognizable tool in his hand, standing in a small patch of vegetation he had never seen before, with two completely unfamiliar strangers beside him...

At the same time sweat was pouring down his back, his face was full of dirt and his body was sore... as if he was doing some kind of farm work that he had never heard of.

Even more ridiculous was that in the dream world, when companions talked to each other or spoke to Wu Qingchen, she couldn't understand a word. Standing in the midst of the plants, she didn't know what she should do. After messing around for a while, Wu Qingchen naturally walked out of the plants, put down her tools, and found a grassy area to lie down and rest. Then, after who knows how long, one of the strangers suddenly walked out of the plants and stood next to the grassy area, starting to talk to Wu Qingchen. Perhaps because Wu Qingchen had not been understanding all along and had not responded, the stranger suddenly began to swing the tool in his hand with force, seeming to get angry. Wu Qingchen became somewhat afraid, stood up trying to walk away quickly, but accidentally tripped over a tree branch, fell onto a stone, and made a sound. However, it didn't seem to be painful. At this point, in her dream, Wu Qingchen was just woken up by an unrelated phone call, hung up the phone and turned it to silent mode, intending to go back to sleep, but she continuously felt a headache and was in a daze in bed for an unknown amount of time. Finally, she was disturbed by the banging sound of the door. This was the bizarre dream Wu Qingchen had at noon, the last scene of which was described exactly the same as the military man's. Wu Qingchen couldn't hide her surprise, which ultimately evoked a cough from the second policeman standing in the hallway near the wall. The police officer, now with some white hair on his head, said to the other military man who had been standing in the hallway all along, "Isn't it clear enough by now? This...is not a suitable place."

"I don't need it. In the city, you guys are indeed the experts, but...as you know, this situation isn't just something I'm uneasy about. It's better to be thorough." The second soldier shook his head, and quickly dialed the phone with his right hand, which had been behind his back. "Yes...it's confirmed...there...there...there...yes...yes!"

After hanging up the phone, the soldier with some white hair nodded at the police officer, who was looking at him inquiringly. "It's still in your jurisdiction for now. You come," he said.

The white-haired police officer nodded and approached the door. He took out his police badge from his pocket and said, "Mr. Wu Qingchen, assisting in a public security investigation is the duty and responsibility of every citizen. There is currently a major case that requires your cooperation. Please pack your belongings and come with us."

When Wu Qingchen heard the words "major case," he didn't want to "come with us" at all.

Perhaps his nervousness was the reason, but Wu Qingchen's lips trembled slightly. He accidentally blurted out, "Did I commit a crime?" instead of what he wanted to say: "What have I done?"

No one was amused by this statement. Suddenly, another voice came from the direction of the stairs: "Yes, you did commit a crime, and a big one at that...you're suspected of kidnapping the entire human race...how about that? This is a big crime and quite fresh, isn't it?"

A young voice spoke up, causing Wu Qingchen to turn his head. Standing in the direction of the stairs was a young police officer. The young officer nodded at Wu Qingchen and took out a badge and a page of documents from his pocket. He offered them to the four people who had been staring at Wu Qingchen with suspicion before but were now scrutinizing him. "Don't look at me like that...I'm just like you. I received an order and came here confused. Here you go..." The four remained vigilant as the elder military officer took the documents and carefully examined the few lines of writing for almost half a minute before passing them to the white-haired police officer. During the inspection, the young police officer who had just arrived removed his hat, revealing a head full of sweat. His act of fanning himself displayed his exhaustion. "Mr. Wu, I know you must have many questions, but let me start first...Let's begin with an introduction. Since it's our first meeting, we should shake hands or something...but from now on, any unnecessary physical contact with you is very sensitive. You see, let's think positively...at least we've saved ourselves a misunderstanding..." The word "sensitive" sounded quite harsh, leaving Wu Qingchen feeling heavy. "Am I being arrested?" He asked. "Arrested? Hey...why would you think that? Have they issued an arrest warrant for you?" Without waiting for Wu Qingchen's response, the young officer waved his hand and turned back to the white-haired police officer, taking the badge and documents back. "So, is everything fine? If so, can I start my mission now?"

"Without my permission, you didn't carry out the mission just now?" The graying-haired police officer did not hide his discontentment, "Officer Ji, I have heard of you before, as have many others. I don't know why they sent you here. But since you're here, let me give you some advice: be more careful! This is not like shouting from outside a house; if anything goes wrong, it's not just one or two hostages you don't know who will die."

"Hey, Director Zhang, you talk as if I'm not being careful without a straight face," Ji Mingming said, looking nonchalant as he stuffed his ID and files back into his pocket, ignoring the older officer's increasingly unpleasant expression. He continued talking to Wu Qingchen, "Alright, we can chat later. We're short on time... let's hit the road."

Hit the road?

When Ji Mingming gestured towards the stairs, Wu Qingchen hesitated, "My keys are still on the nightstand." Money, phone, and even the unopened preserved meat – the thought of these things made Wu Qingchen's heart a little sour.

"Keys?" Ji Mingming let out a big laugh, pointing at the four serious-looking figures, "Don't even think about the keys! In fact, don't even think about these four walking through that door now."

As if to illustrate Ji Mingming's words, Director Zhang, the graying-haired officer, glared at him again and walked to the window in the hallway, waving outside. After a few hurried footsteps, four police officers and four soldiers appeared in the narrow hallway.

"Stay here." Director Zhang raised his hand and drew an imaginary line along Wu Qingchen's door. "Right here. Unless there is dual permission from me and your director, no one, including yourselves, can take a step inside this room. As for those who won't listen... "

At this point, Director Zhang looked toward the senior military official, who slowly nodded and added, "We can take any necessary measures!"

"Yes!" "We promise to complete the task!"

"Promise? How can you promise to complete the task?" The senior military official's voice was stern. "Are you all just going to stand here waiting for reinforcements? Even if you have to use your own bodies, you must pile up this door until they arrive!"

The next moment, Wu Qingchen, who didn't even know who pulled him, came back to his senses and found himself outside of the door. His room had already been sealed off, two layers deep, by the four police officers and four military personnel who arrived later. Not even a glance could penetrate the blockade.

"Do you see?" Ji Mingming spread his hands. "There's nothing to worry about. Your things won't be able to escape."

Wu Qingchen's complexion became even more grim, and he followed Ji Mingming and Director Zhang down the corridor. The two led him into the back seat of a police car, and after the door slammed shut, Wu Qingchen walked into an active prison cell.

"Oh, an upgrade, with some good stuff." Just as they sat down, Ji Mingming turned his head to the back and picked up a cardboard box. Wu Qingchen glanced over and saw that it was filled with sophisticated electronic products. Ji Mingming rummaged through it, skillfully picked out two headphones, and handed one to Director Zhang, who was sitting on the other side.

"We'll continue our conversation," said Ji Mingming as he put on his headphones and adjusted the tool in his hand, which appeared to be controlling the headphones. Then he taped a device that looked like a piece of medical tape to his throat and nodded in satisfaction. "Where were we?"

"I was arrested?" Wu Qingchen wanted to say "arrest warrant," but changed his wording.

"I'll ask for you," said Ji Mingming as he leaned forward and twisted his head, raising his chin towards Director Zhang. "You arrested him directly? Did you use excessive force?"

Director Zhang snorted and shook his graying hair.

"You're not arrested," said Ji Mingming, taking out a cigarette case and looking at Wu Qingchen. He then glanced at the closed car window and put the cigarette case back in his pocket. "But you can think of yourself as being arrested."

When Director Zhang snorted again, Ji Mingming smiled. "What's wrong? Isn't it true? It's a forced deprivation of freedom, right? That's exactly what's happening."

"Why? What did I do wrong?"

Wu Qingchen's tone was urgent after hearing that his freedom was being forcibly taken away.

"As I said before, you are suspected of kidnapping, targeting all of humanity... Of course, this is just my guess... Tch, what's with that expression? Do you think I'm joking with you?" said Ji Mingming with a sneer. "Do you think I'm the only one who thinks so? Everyone thinks so! If you don't believe me, ask them."

Hearing such a confident tone and such ridiculous content, Wu Qingchen looked pitifully at the others in the police car. The expression on his face would even evoke sympathy from a starving tiger in the forest.

No one answered directly.

The senior officer sitting in the front passenger seat nodded heavily, while Director Zhang on the other side of Wu Qingchen had a grim expression and let out a deep sigh.

"I...I..."

Who have I offended?

The absurd charge was something Wu Qingchen didn't believe at all - no normal person would. However, he finally confirmed that the people in the police car weren't joking with him, and that he had definitely committed a serious offense. This wasn't just because the senior officer and Director Zhang had tacitly agreed with Ji Mingming's absurd accusation.

It came from every aspect of this police car!

Although Wu Qingchen had never ridden in a police car before, nor did he ever want to have the honor of doing so, he was certain that he had never seen a model driver like the young officer in front of him, whether in a police car or any other vehicle he had seen before.

Looking in the rear-view mirror of the police car, Wu Qingchen saw that the officer kept his full attention on the road. Aside from shifting gears, his hands never left the steering wheel; he didn't scratch himself, adjust his clothes, or fiddle with his hair. There were no relaxed expressions like squinting, clenching his teeth, or licking his lips.

Whether it’s a straight or a curved road, even if the surroundings of the vehicle are empty without any other cars, this military officer driver will firmly keep the police car in the driving lane, not stepping over the line, even maintaining a precise distance from the dotted lines on both sides, and always maintaining a safe distance of at least twenty meters from the car ahead.

However, this driver cannot possibly be a novice because on the six-lane main road in the city, despite maintaining a speed of twenty to forty miles per hour, the military officer driver almost never overtakes and never has to wait at red lights, always making it through every intersection on green lights.

This mentality, this attitude, and this truly safe first practice made Wu Qingchen want to say:

“This is crazy.”

If the driver's behavior only makes Wu Qingchen feel somewhat puzzled, the actions of the elderly military officer in the passenger seat and the two police officers around him make Wu Qingchen a little frightened.

It is obvious that once any vehicle overtakes, or in case of an emergency, the police car itself has to drive side by side or opposite to other vehicles, the two police officers next to Wu Qingchen will immediately grab onto Wu Qingchen's arms, and the elderly military officer in the front passenger seat will stare firmly at other vehicles, his arm never leaving his right waist and lifting up slightly immediately.

The actions of the three of them were so obvious, especially the standard action of the elderly military officer in the front passenger seat preparing to shoot, that Wu Qingchen could hardly move, and the pressure upon him was imaginable.

This is the kind of treatment that only a high-ranking cross-border drug lord who has been apprehended or a key witness in an important and dynamic social organization case that is at risk of being abducted or assassinated would receive. Wu Qingchen didn't know when he had committed such a heinous crime. Or rather, despite thinking very hard, Wu Qingchen couldn't find a reason or ability that would cause two police officers and two soldiers to come and apprehend him at the same time. Is it because of the love action movies on his computer's hard drive? The virus spread extensively due to downloading while uploading through P2P, causing enormous economic losses? Or is it because of the fierce online remarks that have been posted in recent months? These remarks were interpreted by people with ulterior motives, resulting in massive riots and disorder? Or is it due to some unclean accounting he did for his company? Profits increased, the company expanded blindly, and cheaper materials were used to lower costs, resulting in significant public safety hazards? Wu Qingchen filtered through all the things he had done wrong in his mind, exaggerating each one to the maximum extent and imagining the worst possible consequences, but he still couldn't explain his present situation. As the police car drove on without stopping, Wu Qingchen's panic grew more and more severe. Despite receiving close care from the police officers on both sides, Wu Qingchen's body couldn't move freely, and his line of sight was obstructed, only able to see buildings and streets. However, as a true local from Jiang County, he could recognize every street from the signboards, streetlights, and bus stops.

Arriving at Nanping Square, where the police station was located, Wu Qingchen felt his breathing become rapid, but the police car continued driving past. After a few more minutes of running forward, Wu Qingchen's heart rate began to accelerate again as the police car passed the prosecutor's office, a place where the suspects being prosecuted undoubtedly had to visit. However, the police car showed no signs of slowing down.

Soon after, the police car turned a few bends and Wu Qingchen saw the familiar flagpole on the top of the power plant building. Although his legs were trembling slightly, Wu Qingchen was still relatively at ease, as the courthouse was next door. Even if he had committed a major crime, he probably wouldn't end up staying in the free rooms here for long.

As for the Maomaozi Prison that they passed by later, as well as the Daozi Ridge Shooting Range, Wu Qingchen was no longer worried at all.

Because, as the police car continued to drive, despite his limited visibility, Wu Qingchen noticed something increasingly strange. When they passed the police station, some tailing vehicles appeared behind the police car, and when they passed the prosecutor's office and courthouse, there were several motorcycles in front. And when they passed the fire department, two husky people were added to the team.

During the rest of the journey, the convoy became more and more bloated, and the group of members became increasingly bizarre. Given this, no matter which part of his body he used to think, Wu Qingchen could not imagine that the ultimate goal of this team, made up of motorcycles, police cars, fire trucks, urban management inspection vehicles, and anti-pornography and illegal publication propaganda vehicles, was to take him to where he would be executed by a firing squad.

Although he tried to comfort himself, the huge panic still tightly gripped Wu Qingchen's heart, and he didn't have the mood to talk anymore. The car was silent with no conversation. Soon, the convoy left the city and took to the highway. The journey was smooth, with the lead car in front and the rear car guarding. It was about forty minutes later when the police car slowed down for the first time. This was a stretch of road near the entrance of the expressway that Wu Qingchen could barely recognize. The road itself had not changed much, but a seemingly endless dividing rope was erected in the middle. Two soldiers stood back to back every meter or so on both sides of the rope. Wu Qingchen's lane was unobstructed, whereas the other lane in the opposite direction was full of unknown numbers of cars. Wu Qingchen saw that just ahead of his car, several soldiers stopped a bread truck and another truck going in the same direction. They were quickly escorted to the other side of the dividing rope and parked at the back. The deceleration was very smooth and slow, and when the convoy finally stopped, the entrance to the expressway was in front. After parking, the four people in the police car remained focused and alert, and the police car did not turn off. The entrance to the expressway was unusually empty, and several unidentified people seemed to be directing the convoy. Most of the vehicles in the convoy quickly turned around and left, only a dozen or so police officers and soldiers remained on site. They did many strange actions around the entrance under the direction of those people.

After a while, a middle-aged man of about forty finally walked up to the police car and saluted the senior military personnel. "Reporting, everything is normal. Please instruct." The senior military personnel returned the salute and held his earplug intently. The senior military personnel quickly put down his left hand and pointed to the highway entrance to the military driver. "Alright, keep driving forward." Are they going to the highway? Where exactly are they taking me? Who did I offend? Are they trying to frame me? If the weird situation before only brought pressure and nervousness to Wu Qingchen, the feeling of being taken away from his hometown soon made him feel like he had fallen into the water and lost the last straw, filling his heart with fear and panic. "I... I..." He didn't know what to say or do. An indescribable emotion made Wu Qingchen suddenly sit up and struggle out of the two police officers' grasp. "What's going on?!" "Sit down!" "What are you doing?!" "Get him!" "Be careful! Be careful!" If the four loud shouts at the door before could be considered stern, then the five loud shouts now could be completely described as hoarse. The commotion inside the police car immediately caught the attention of the police and military personnel who had been closely monitoring the car at the highway entrance. In just a moment, Wu Qingchen saw at least dozens of people rushing towards the police car. As if their shoes were on fire, or as if there were countless bullets chasing them from behind, these dozens of people had completely different postures but shared the same sense of urgency.

Among the dozens of people, those directly facing the police car ran away, those with their backs to the police car turned and charged, those standing kicked and pounced, and those crouching kicked and jumped. Regardless of the posture, the crowd of runners, chargers, and jumpers had nervous, anxious, and even somewhat ferocious expressions. Wu Qingchen also saw that a young soldier of about 10 years old probably made too much movement, lost balance, and fell heavily to the cement ground, but completely ignored the bloody palm prints on the hands. The soldier continued to rush towards the police car, rolling and crawling, and finally fell to the back of the others. His face was full of regret and anxiety, and tears had already flowed out.

"Captain Ji! Is this your work achievement?" Director Zhang's white hair almost stood up.

"Is this the result of my work style? Or the result of your work attitude?" Captain Ji Mingming slammed his police cap off, got out of the police car, slammed the door heavily, and took out his phone with his right hand. "Authorization, vigilance, authorization, vigilance. Everyone just thinks about sticking to the rules and shirking responsibility. Has there been such an incident before? Has there been such a rule? What the hell are they guarding?"

The riot was quickly suppressed, and everyone in and out of the police car had a sullen face but no one said a word to Wu Qingchen. Of course, at this moment, Wu Qingchen, who was curled up shivering in the back seat of the police car, no longer needed anyone's warning.

Throughout the entire process, the two police officers restrained Wu Qingchen again. The senior military officer stepped out of the police car and grabbed the phone to contact someone. After a few minutes, he sat back in the passenger seat. As soon as Ji Mingming finished his call and resumed his seat, he nodded to the young military driver and said, "Alright, continue driving forward."

This time, the journey forward was relatively short because the police car stopped again just after entering the guiding lane to the highway. The car pulled up next to about a dozen all-black commercial vehicles and dozens of military personnel either standing or crouching around them.

One of the commercial vehicles slowly pulled up next to the police car. Immediately, another middle-aged military officer walked up to the police car and saluted, "Director, Officer Zhang, this is a new command."

The senior military officer, also referred to as "Director" by the middle-aged officer, carefully read the document and handed it to Officer Zhang on Wu Qingchen's right side.

After reading the document, Officer Zhang, with graying hair, looked up at the middle-aged officer and asked, "What's the plan for this journey?"

"Let's change cars first. We'll talk on the road..." the middle-aged officer pointed to the earpiece on his left ear, opened the door of the commercial car, and revealed three fully armed soldiers. "You know, time is tight...and we have even less time left..."

Officer Zhang nodded and walked down from the police car with Ji Mingming, sandwiching Wu Qingchen in between them.

Entering the business car, Wu Qingchen's vision darkened. The car windows were small and dark, making it impossible for Wu Qingchen to see the driver's position. He only felt that the three fully armed soldiers looked even younger and their expressions seemed a bit nervous. As soon as Wu Qingchen got in the car, the three soldiers immediately loaded their guns and Ji Mingming, who got in last, closed the car door.

The three of them sat in the back seat, and the business car quickly started, still similar to the original convoy. Wu Qingchen's car was located towards the front of the new convoy.

The convoy traveled very fast this time, passing rows of trees, houses, and hills, leaving behind a changing colors in their retina.

After the convoy started, Ji Mingming occasionally pressed his earphones and his lips and throat moved. Wu Qingchen couldn't stand it anymore and finally asked, "Officer Ji, I want to know who I've offended?"

"What are you talking about?" Ji Mingming was stunned, then reacted after a while, "Are you still guessing?"

"I just don't understand what's going on."

"Nobody would understand...let me see...just wait for a bit..." Ji Mingming brought the cigarette he was holding near his nose - he had repeated this action many times during the trip, but never lit the cigarette - then whispered into the throat microphone for a few words.

The response was slow this time, at least three minutes later, Ji Mingming's ear twitched, and his frowned brows finally smoothed out a bit.

"Alright, Mr. Wu Qingchen." Ji Mingming shifted his gaze towards Wu Qingchen. "It wasn't originally my turn to explain to you, and really, I don't know much about it. However, considering your emotions, especially your immature emotions earlier, my task has changed a bit."

Ji Mingming's expression made Wu Qingchen think he was going to say "childish" instead of "immature," but Wu Qingchen wasn't embarrassed at all. "Your task?"

"Yep, I was just here to chat with you. The task was just to keep you company and talk to you."

"So, you're an interrogator?"

"You see, you're thinking too much into it." Ji Mingming shrugged. "The situation is really complicated, let's not make it any more complicated. From here on, what I say means what it means at face value. Just understand it that way."

"Okay, go ahead."

"First of all, you haven't offended anyone...well, at least not offended them to the extent that you think. Secondly, no one wants to harm you, at least, no one here dares to harm you...don't understand?" Seeing Wu Qingchen nod in confusion, Ji Mingming empathized. "It's okay if you don't understand, let me say it another way."

"Look at this highway, what do you see?"

What can you see on a highway? Four lanes? A median strip? Two-way traffic? An asphalt concrete surface? They all seemed ordinary.

The windows of the business car were small and dim, and Wu Qingchen looked carefully for a while, but didn't see anything peculiar about the highway.

"Be patient." Without waiting for Wu Qingchen to express his doubts, Ji Mingming pointed directly outside the window.

Wu Qingchen continued to tilt his head, looking at the asphalt concrete road surface, the green belts separating the lanes, the trees on both sides, the farmland, and mostly short houses. After a long time, he suddenly lifted his head.

From Wu Qingchen's beginning of observation until he finally noticed, at least ten minutes had passed, and whether in the same direction or opposite lanes, besides the convoy he was in, Wu Qingchen never saw any other vehicles.

"See it now?" Ji Mingming grinned. "The entire highway is open only for you."

Wu Qingchen's mouth widened.

"Haven't turned yet?" Ji Mingming shook her head. "Mr. Wu, change your thinking. Are you a bodybuilder or a sanda champion? Are you particularly agile, or is your courage particularly strong?"

Wu Qingchen didn't say anything.

"If it's just to deal with you..." Ji Mingming raised her right hand to gesture in a circle. "Is it worth so many cars, so many people?"

"But why..."

"Why such a big scene?" Ji Mingming directly voiced the question Wu Qingchen wanted to ask. "It's very simple. It's because you're just too easy to handle, and it's too difficult to protect you, that's why we did this. Yes, it's for protection."

"What? Can't believe it?" Ji Mingming's smile had a hint of cruelty. "Those who don't believe are still behind! Don't think of yourself as a serious suspect, you're not capable! Before today... no, just a few hours ago! The things related to you don't even add up to a few pages. Whoever wants to catch you is wasting police force."

"Just a few hours ago?" Under immense pressure, Wu Qingchen didn't care about Ji Mingming's contempt and quickly grasped the point.

"Very good, Mr. Wu! That's exactly the line of thinking we need."

"But a few hours ago..." Wu Qingchen frowned as he tried to recall, "A few hours ago, I was sleeping at home. Is there a misunderstanding?"

"Haha, sleeping? There's no misunderstanding about that. The whole world knows you were sleeping at home, and even knows that you were dreaming in bed!" Ji Mingming laughed.

"Warrant Officer Ji, you..." Wu Qingchen even suspected that he had offended Ji Mingming and didn't know what to say. His mind involuntarily turned to the grey-haired Director Zhang beside him.

Director Zhang nodded slowly, his expression heavy. "He's not joking."

Are they all crazy? If it weren't for the strong metallic smell in the business vehicle and the fact that Wu Qingchen doubted he was dreaming again, he would have thought he had gone insane.

"This is too complicated to explain in words. Let's take a break, and there will probably be authorization soon." After saying this, Ji Mingming's attention focused on a cardboard box he had pulled from nowhere and placed on his lap.

Although he was still full of doubts, Wu Qingchen strangely felt calmer after talking to Ji Mingming, even though they didn't solve anything and even added more thoughts to his mind.

The convoy continued to move quickly. It was unclear how much time had passed when suddenly a whooshing sound came from the sky in the distance, like muffled thunder on the horizon. The sound quickly approached, and when it became distinct, it turned into a deafening roar.

On the ground, several huge black shadows swiftly passed by. Wu Qingchen lifted her head and suddenly gasped for breath: In the sky, there were several new visitors arranged in a pin-shape formation, advancing side by side with the convoy. Some of them arrived at the front of the convoy, while most remained on both sides. This...this... one, two, three... eight, nine helicopters are also a part of the protection!? This was quite challenging for Wu Qingchen's imagination, inevitably causing her mouth to open wider. The other people in the business car seemed to have been mentally prepared and had no reaction. Wu Qingchen had never seen a helicopter in person before. Unlike images or screens, even though they were far away, Wu Qingchen still felt that the nine bodies in the sky were quite large, full of strength and a sense of intimidation. Staring blankly at the sky, Wu Qingchen didn't know how long had passed before she heard a "ha" sound in her ear. Turning her head, Ji Mingming held a display screen about fourteen or fifteen inches in size with both hands, continuously pressing keys: "Ha, you passed the application so quickly? Special approval from the office for the handling of major disasters? Qingchen, it seems that your situation is more troublesome. Alright... Here, take a look for yourself. After watching it, you should understand." Application? Major disaster? Special approval? Finally, Wu Qingchen was able to know why. She couldn't help wiping her hands on her pants, taking the display screen from Ji Mingming’s hand. Ji Mingming pressed a few keys, and the screen quickly switched between several menus, entering into playback mode.

The video doesn't seem to have been shot by professionals; the camera is zoomed out and the scenery is not very clear. However, the scene is selected well: a blue sky with a few white clouds drifting, a winding river dividing the forest and hills on the ground and, near the river, three farmers holding tools working in a small field...

...Working...working...working...

For a full five minutes, the same content is played in the video.

What is this? Raw footage before the earthquake?

Wu Qingchen raised his head and frowned, looking at Ji Mingming with suspicion.

"Don't you have any thoughts?" Ji Mingming seemed a little surprised by Wu Qingchen's reaction. Soon he looked up and said, "Oh...you're right...the observation angle is different."

As he spoke, Ji Mingming approached Wu Qingchen and pressed a few buttons on the screen. Immediately, the video was enlarged, and the position of the farmland filled up the screen.

It is obvious that the camera that shot this video was quite professional. Even when enlarged dozens of times, the tools, crops, and weeds in the video were all clear, and even the sweat on the foreheads of the three farmers, the numb exhaustion of the first two, and the inexplicable surprise of the last farmer were all displayed clearly...

Clear...clear...clear...

It was as if a thunderous explosion sounded in his ears, and Wu Qingchen's hands suddenly trembled, almost throwing the screen away.

This...this...this...

Isn't this me? Isn't this me? Isn't this me?

"This is the dream I had at noon, isn't it? This is the dream I had at noon, isn't it? This is the dream I had at noon, isn't it?"

"How can this be? How can this be? How can this be?"

It's as if the carriage beneath Wu Qingchen's feet suddenly turned into a huge block of ice. The piercing coldness ran all the way from his feet to his head, causing his tongue to freeze. Wu Qingchen's lips trembled, but he couldn't utter anything.

"Advanced technology...brain implants...thought monitoring...brainwave control..."

Countless movie scenes flooded Wu Qingchen's already chaotic mind. Beads of sweat, the size of beans, dripped down his forehead and flowed down his pale cheeks, finally ending up on his trembling chin.

"Calm down, Mr. Wu, please calm down!" Officer Zhang, whose hair had turned white, stared at Ji Mingming with anger, leaning forward and anxiously rubbing his hands, seemingly wanting to grab Wu Qingchen's arms with all his strength, but hesitated and didn't take any action.

Snap!

Ji Mingming reached out his hands and slapped Wu Qingchen hard in the face. Wu Qingchen suddenly shuddered and his eyes regained focus.

"Have you understood?"

"No, I haven't understood!" Exhausted from trying to control his tongue, Wu Qingchen wasn't sure if he was still in a dream - or more accurately, unsure if he was truly living on earth, unsure if his life truly existed, unsure if he really existed. "This can't be! How is this possible? This is my dream! This is my...how can you possibly...how could you..."

"No, this is the truth!" Ji Mingming's voice completely drowned out Wu Qingchen's sobbing tone that had already begun: "Wu Qingchen, even if you close your eyes for another hour, this is still the truth!"

"Why do you have the right to monitor me! And...and record my dreams!" When saying these words, Wu Qingchen had already become more alert, even feeling irrational to herself.

"You think too highly of yourself!" Ji Mingming's expression was as if he had seen a mouse playing poker: "Do you think we want to see you dream? Do you think this is a movie filmed in your neighborhood?"

Ji Mingming vigorously pointed at the screen, as if he was not going to stop until he poked his fingers through it: "Let me tell you, Mr. Wu Qingchen! Today, on May 8th, 2012, at 1:27:13 pm, anyone in the world with eyes, whether it's day or night, can look up and see what's inside here! Do you understand? The people who've watched this video, and you're probably at least in the two to three billion range."

Everyone in the world can see it? Have I become a mirage...no, have my dreams become a mirage?

Wu Qingchen couldn't figure out what benefit Ji Mingming, or rather, what benefit all these people had in conspiring to deceive him. His body began to feel weak.

"Haha! It's not over yet! Do you know how we found you?" Ji Mingming quickly operated the screen, and the video on the screen flew to the back part:

The character played by Wu Qingchen in his dream was a bit scared and tried to take a quick step to leave, but accidentally tripped over a tree branch and fell onto a rock. However, his facial expression didn't seem to show any pain.

With no transitional sequence, the screen abruptly switched to the final, frozen image: in a small bedroom, Wu Qingchen was lying on the crumpled bed sheets, with a faint wrinkle on his brow, visible scars on his left eyebrow, right arm, and lower leg. Through the loosely drawn curtains, one could also see the huge signs of "Bright Eyes Glasses," "Golden Photography," and "Haojue Motorcycles" across the street. "By collecting data from business bureaus across the country and identifying the one hundred and twenty-plus street addresses where these three stores are registered," said Ji Mingming as she pointed to the three signs on the screen, "we found seven such locations in our province. To find you alone, Director Zhang’s team has more than one hundred and twenty people. Dreaming is not a crime, but why don't you just go and catch the mirages in the desert?"

Ji Mingming finally had a bitter smile on her face. "Mr. Wu Qingchen, although many people around the world may see you having some dreams, we are probably not going to find you this quickly and cause so much tension...Director Zhang..." As she spoke, Ji Mingming adjusted the video a little forward and froze the image at the moment when Wu Qingchen fell on a stone in his dream.

Pointing to the spot where Wu Qingchen collided with the stone, Ji Mingming lifted up her police uniform to reveal her abdomen, which had an obvious scar on the same spot. At the same time, Director Zhang, who had sighed countless times before, also lifted his shirt to reveal a scar in the same place on his abdomen.

Taking a look at the shocked Wu Qingchen, Ji Mingming refused to give up: "There's more...I should be able to temporarily command you all, please also show this kidnapper the evidence of his wrongdoing."

The three soldiers' lips and throats moved slightly, probably consulting through their headsets. After about ten seconds, they all uniformly placed their guns next to their seats and lifted their combat uniforms to reveal their perfectly chiseled six-pack abs, each marked with a prominent red scar.

"Do you understand now?" Ji Mingming removed his own police uniform top. "Based on current investigations and statistics, regardless of age or gender, even newborn babies who have just come out of the hospital, or death row inmates who have just been executed, suddenly have this red mark on their bodies... In addition..."