524 Into the Dream ? (1/2)
Sidequest: Wake the Cat King of the West
Objective: Foil the enemy's plan by waking the Cat King and putting an end to the corruption in the prison
Reward: 2,000 experience points
Punishment: None
”Wow, 2000 experience points. Just this alone would make up for all the time I've spent here.”
Naturally, it did not take long for Zhao Yao to reach a conclusion.
”You have nothing to worry about, Diana,” he stated firmly, ”Send me there.”
Then, he tilted his head from side to side before opening his mouth. Ares and Sphynx Cat leaped out of it.
”I'm assigning the two of you as my guardians. Do not allow anyone to disturb me. Ares, make sure that you use your deflective field to protect yourself and Sphynx Cat at all times. Do not give the enemy a chance to attack or control you.”
Ares did as he was told without question. He could tell how serious Zhao Yao was from the fiercely determined look on his face.
As the force field unfurled around Sphynx Cat, he could not help but gaze adoringly at Ares. In his heart, the infatuated cat thought, ”Is this… Is this considered our first time sharing a blanket?”
His loving stare sent chills down Ares' spine, but not the kind that he might have hoped for. Ares could feel his skin grow cold and clammy. His a**hole had tightened to an impenetrable circumference.
”I can't do this anymore,” he panicked internally, ”This weird relationship cannot go on.”
As this thought crossed his head, another one manifested. It was an image of Sphynx Cat easily squishing tonnes of metal into little patties of any shape he desired. Fear and hesitation settled uneasily in the pit of Ares' stomach.
”But the way he looks at me is getting creepier and creepier,” he argued with himself, ”And he's always following behind me into the bathroom. This does not bode well for me at all.”
After a moment of deliberation, Ares finally drew a conclusion he was happy with.
”I'll need to approach Zhao Yao for help in a couple days. I can't take this anymore! I'll give my soul to the Devil if I must.”
While Ares had been contemplating about what to do next, Zhao Yao was getting ready for his descent into the dream world. He had already switched his skill to Matcha's TimeFreeze. Next, he had a special task for Sphynx Cat.
”If I do not leave dream world after an hour has passed, kill me. I'll be revived in a jiffy.”
Sphynx Cat's lips curled into a smug grin. He waved his sharp claws at Zhao Yao.
”With pleasure,” he said, ”Killing you is one of the items on my bucket list.”
Zhao Yao surveyed the tunnel they were in. This was not quite the safest place for his physical body as he embarked on his journey. Hence, he spat Elizabeth and her family out from the extradimensional belly and into the prison.
”...so that's the current situation,” he explained, ”I'm trusting you guys to support Ares and Sphynx Cat in protecting me.”
With so many safeguards in place, he was now confident enough to make the descent.
Zhao Yao nodded at Diana, then let his eyelids fall shut.
*
When Zhao Yao's eyes snapped open, he found himself in his bedroom.
He was lounging on an exquisitely comfortable recliner. Within arm's reach was a curated selection of snacks and drinks, an impressively large computer screen, and a box of tissues.
The last time he entered the dream world, it did not take long for the illusion to break. With the combined perception of five supercats, he quickly realized that what he was seeing and experiencing was not real.
This time, however, things were different. It was exactly like what Diana had said. This dream was shared among only a few individuals. As such, the level of control that Nightmare Cat had here was god-like. He could definitely do more than spawn new NPCs now.
This was why Zhao Yao did not at all suspect that something was wrong. He simply sunk deeper into the recliner and reached for a stack of potato chips. He browsed the web as he popped them one by one into his mouth.
He harbored no intention of getting up.
”God, this chair is comfortable,” he thought in amazement.
He was in his happy place.
All the things that he needed were displayed neatly on shelves that were easily reached. There was nothing he could not grab without getting off his butt.
He was practically radiating joy.
Nightmare Cat sniggered as he watched Zhao Yao's every move. At the moment, he had taken the form of a purple cat. Michael was standing next to him. Next to them was Zhao Yao, who did not notice their presence because they were invisible.
”Hehe,” Nightmare Cat chuckled darkly, ”I have delved deep into his subconscious to create this dreamscape. He would never be able to tell that none of this is real. We're gonna mess him up real good.”
There was a slight furrow between Michael's eyebrows. He asked, ”The things we do here - will they affect what's happening with the Cat King of the West?”
Nightmare Cat was quick to respond, ”Nope. They're not in the same place.”
With that, he decided to start having a bit of fun. The cat flexed his paws. In an instant, the building started to catch fire with alarming briskness.
He started laughing haughtily once more, obviously pleased with his handiwork. He could already imagine how pathetic Zhao Yao would look as he scrambled for his life. He would make things worse and worse and eventually reduce him to a shaking mess.
”Let's see how quickly you can run, boy!”
Contrary to his belief, Zhao Yao did not partake in any scrambling. Even as the flames engulfed the apartment complex, he remained seated in the recliner. In fact, he was still munching his potato chips.
His hands were the only things he moved. They struck against in each other in a firm clap.
In a flash, the raging fire had been instantly extinguished by the golden deflective field.
”How...how is this possible?” Nightmare Cat seethed, ”Alright, let's try something else then!”
He imagined that the building collapsed and that was exactly what happened. The ceilings ripped open and the concrete floors gave way. Zhao Yao plummeted to the ground in a flurry of cement and metal.