2: 2. Dream Capture

Lu Feng's breathing was somewhat rapid, his heart pounded violently, and his body trembled with excitement.

From the information that had just flooded into his mind, he knew he had gained… a peculiar ability, simply called "Dream Capture."

The most basic ability was dream control.

Just like the dream space before him, this was where he captured the dreams of all sleepers within a several-hundred-meter radius. These floating bubbles, each one emanating from a sleeping person, allowed him to see the dream situation inside by approaching them.

The different colors of the bubbles represented different dream characteristics.

Grayish-white bubbles were the most common, mostly dreams without emotional fluctuations, or about everyday trivial matters like eating, exercising, or creating dreams.

Dark yellow bubbles often indicated important decisions causing recent anxiety, or unforgettable experiences.

Red bubbles were the most special and highest level, usually representing the most indelible memories and obsessions deeply hidden in one's heart.

The higher the dream level, the closer it was to reality; the lower the level, the greater the fantasy component.

Lu Feng hadn't seen any red bubbles yet, but even these grayish-white bubbles had already opened his eyes.

It's important to know that dreams often originate from a person's own experiences or long-term memories, a projection of the subconscious, where the brain reorganizes these old fragments in a non-logical way during sleep.

In addition, traumatic memories with strong emotions and some procedural motor skills often surfaced in dreams.

Therefore, prying into others' dreams was equivalent to exploring the true secrets hidden in people's hearts.

Lu Feng controlled his body, floating towards one of the grayish-white bubbles.

Inside the bubble, a sixty-something old man with a receding hairline was hiding behind some greenery, lewdly staring at the second-floor balcony where a young woman was hanging intimate clothing to dry.

The old man watched greedily, waiting for her to finish hanging the intimate clothes and turn to go inside.

The old man immediately darted out, grabbed a clothesline pole, and deftly hooked down the intimate clothing. Then, he blissfully hid the clothes inside his own, hurrying away with a nimbleness completely unlike an elderly person.

Lu Feng's mouth twitched. This old man... was his Landlord!?

He could hardly believe his eyes, and after a few more glances, it was indeed him.

Just by the Landlord's demeanor, it was clear he was a repeat offender. He never expected someone so old to be so indecent, even dreaming about stealing such things?

He pulled away in disgust, looking at a white bubble on the other side. Inside, there was also a woman, around thirty, standing under a beautiful sunset, looking conflicted as she faced two men.

Then, she threw herself into the arms of the man in the suit, turned her head to the other, and said:

"Ah Wei, I know you're my boyfriend and I love you very much, but I really can't control myself. The new male colleague at the company is just too much to my liking... How about this, you can have me on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays... and I'll be with him on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays..."

Lu Feng: "..."

The complex and true side of human nature was vividly displayed at this moment, leaving Lu Feng stunned.

As he was marveling, a yellow dream bubble floated over. Remembering the information in his mind, Lu Feng reached out and touched it. Suddenly, a powerful suction appeared, drawing him into the dream.

Compared to vaguely watching from outside the bubble, once absorbed, he experienced the dream owner's events in the first person, like being possessed, but unable to control anything, only observe.

This time, he became a chef.

Lu Feng had never met this chef, but from the details in the dream, he could tell that the hotel where he worked was famous in the city, a top-tier five-star hotel.

Lu Feng guessed that the other party was recently immersed in the fervor of developing new dishes, so even in his dream, he was racking his brains, thinking and experimenting.

Through this dream, Lu Feng also experienced the skills and techniques of a top chef for the first time.

The knife work was fluid and smooth, the cooking techniques meticulous, every step just right... At this moment, Lu Feng felt his own culinary skills had significantly improved.

This was also one of the effects of the dream ability: not only could he peek into others' memories, but he could also absorb their mastered skills!

"Too powerful!" Lu Feng exclaimed, shocked.

He could already foresee that through dreams, he could learn all of others' skills and knowledge in an extremely short time. How incredible was that!

He trembled all over with excitement.

Just after emerging from the chef's dream, Lu Feng suddenly noticed a blood-red bubble appear in the distance, looking particularly glaring.

Out of curiosity, Lu Feng floated over to investigate. The next moment, his pupils contracted, because he knew the owner of this red dream!

It was Li Qiang, the construction worker from before!

Lu Feng wasn't familiar with him, but on his second day at the construction site, he had seen Li Qiang arguing loudly in Zhang Biao, the foreman's, office. The argument was very fierce, and Li Qiang even picked up a stool to fight, but was eventually stopped by his co-workers.

He later heard that Li Qiang had lost a lot of money gambling and was desperate for his wages, but Zhang Biao had deducted a significant amount, which infuriated him. However, he was fired that same day.

Lu Feng never expected to see him here, and this dream... something felt wrong.

He thought for a moment, reached out, and was instantly pulled into the dream.

Opening his eyes again, the scene before him had changed.

In the cramped rental room, empty liquor bottles and soda cans were piled up, and cigarette butts were scattered everywhere.

"Lu Feng" lay on a dirty single bed, his eyes bloodshot, continuously muttering a name.

"Zhang Biao... Zhang Biao... that son of a bitch... Zhang Biao..."

Then, he suddenly sat upright, grabbed a fruit knife from the table, and staggered to the stain-covered kitchen, pulled out a whetstone from the corner, and began to sharpen the knife with a cold smile.

"Today is Saturday... Zhang Biao will definitely go to the Tianxia Club this afternoon, hehehe..."

"Zhang Biao, if you don't give me the money, then die! Die! Take my money as your funeral expenses!"

"I'm going to kill you today, kill you!!"

The blade made a harsh sound on the whetstone. After a moment, he held up the brightly sharpened fruit knife, blew on it, and then, with a cold smile, rinsed it under the faucet, his eyes fixed on his own sinister reflection in the mirror.

Suddenly, he slammed his fist into the glass mirror.

With a soft "clatter."

Everything before him shattered with the mirror, the dream burst, and Lu Feng returned to the dream space.

He was gasping for air, clearly unaccustomed to experiencing such intense obsession for the first time.

However, he had also learned an important secret!

Li Qiang was going to kill Zhang Biao today!

He didn't care about Zhang Biao, but that guy still owed him wages... Just as Lu Feng was thinking about how to use this secret, he suddenly heard someone calling him.

The voice was distant at first, but soon grew clearer, and the entire dream space began to tremble.

A sense of detachment appeared, Lu Feng's figure was pulled rapidly upwards, and his consciousness returned to his body. He abruptly opened his eyes.

Before him was a doctor in a gown, smiling at him, saying, "You're finally awake?"

Lu Feng looked around somewhat bewildered and asked, "Where is this place?"

"Xingcheng Hospital."

The doctor explained, "You were unconscious for two hours, you're so lucky. Such a large brick fell, even cracking your safety helmet, and you only have a mild concussion. How do you feel now?"

Xingcheng Hospital? Isn't that the hospital across from the construction site?!

Lu Feng didn't believe the foreman would be so kind. He reached up and touched his head; it stung a little, but it wasn't a big problem.

Seeing him say that, the doctor also nodded: "You're doing well, just rest more, and you can be discharged at any time."

The doctor gave a few instructions and left. Lu Feng sat upright, his mind still on what had happened in the dream; everything was so wondrous that it made him a little dazed, wondering if it had all just been a dream.

"Creak!"

The door was pushed open again, and Zhang Biao walked in with a cold expression.