440: A slow realization

【 Daily Settlement Rewards are as follows: 】

【 Completed the mission to rescue the dream, gaining Money +1 million, Strength +5, Physique +5, Spirit +5, Agility +5. Death Qi Resistance +20%. 】

That's it…

“The cost-effectiveness… doesn’t seem very high.”

Shen Bei got up and stretched.

The mission bonus was proposed by Fu Jian last night at the dinner table, and Yu Buxiu didn't hesitate, signing directly and transferring the money on the spot.

It was just that the amount was a bit small. According to Yu Buxiu, this was the limit of the reward bonus he could use; any more would require a special application.

This would require going through procedures with the higher-ups, and it would be uncertain when that would happen.

Shen Bei didn't mind. Counting the money in his bank card, it was almost a small target.

Even retiring now would be enough for him and Jian Tong's retirement expenses.

But clearly, Shen Bei was already a person who had transcended low-level interests; money, in his words, was “dirt.”

Though very fragrant.

The four-dimensional attribute rewards were also good.

The only regret was that the Fifth Dimension Attribute rewards were not very numerous, with only a mere Death Qi Resistance.

“Including the previous Death Qi Resistance attribute…”

Shen Bei counted on his fingers. This attribute had almost reached 80%. One more time, and he could achieve another attribute immunity.

Progress!

What more could he ask for?

Just then, Fu Jian knocked on the door, pushed it open, and poked his head in: “Awake? Come on, let’s go eat breakfast.”

Shen Bei quickly washed up and went to the cafeteria.

Military food was always solid.

A wide variety of dishes, and good taste.

This was also evident in the Provincial City Military Region.

In China, the mortality rate in the Military was not low, so in terms of logistics, the country prioritized providing for them, ensuring they ate and drank well, without any skimping.

“Are you going back?” Fu Jian tentatively probed.

Shen Bei nodded: “I still have to go to school.”

Fu Jian was momentarily dazed: “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten you were still a student.”

Shen Bei rolled his eyes.

With Shen Bei's current strength and background, still being a student indeed felt a bit disjointed.

“I’ll drive you to the city.”

“Thank you for the trouble.”

“Don’t say that.” Fu Jian’s expression was somewhat serious: “If you hadn't gone into the dream to kill and break it, those people might not have woken up for who knows how long.”

Shen Bei didn't deny this, after all, General had no definite return date yet.

After breakfast.

As they left the cafeteria, the previously silent Sichuan West Abyss was filled with many Martial Artists, each like a migrating fish, lining up to enter the Abyss.

After yesterday's “plague-like dream” was completely cleared, the Sichuan West Military Department issued an announcement, officially beginning the development of the Sichuan West Abyss.

These social Martial Artists rushed from the city overnight, each extremely excited, like gold prospectors.

For the Martial Artists of Sichuan West, the environment of the Sichuan West Abyss was more familiar. Whether it was collecting medicinal herbs, mining Ore, or hunting Vicious Beasts, skinning them, and cutting their meat, they were all well-versed.

After all, the geographical environment of each Abyss was different.

If one wasn't familiar with the terrain of the Abyss, they wouldn't even know how to escape.

Typically, if a Martial Artist chose to go down into an Abyss, they rarely roamed around all the Abysses nationwide. They would stick to one Abyss, knowing it so well they could navigate it with their eyes closed, and how to take shortcuts back to a safe zone if they encountered danger.

Even going to a provincial Abyss required someone to lead the way.

Therefore, the Sichuan West Abyss, which had been suspended for a long time, was like the end of a hunting ban. Its reopening was like a second spring; one could imagine all sorts of medicinal herbs being in a mature state, just bending down to pick up money.

The anxious Martial Artists were roaring with excitement, unstoppable.

They disregarded the daily warnings and reminders from the Military, rushing into the Abyss in a swarm, beginning their money-picking feast.

…

Shen Bei and Fu Jian returned to the city.

Because Shen Bei had made another request at the dinner table yesterday, wanting to take on a job, whether it was escorting supplies or delivering documents. In short, any mission would do.

Although Yu Buxiu's mind was a bit hazy, he inwardly complained: Wouldn't flying back be faster?

But he still made a call, and coincidentally, there was a convoy that needed to escort supplies to Shen City, Liaobei Province.

This was a return gift to Liaobei Province for their support during the Sichuan West Abyss riot.

It was nothing more than medicinal herbs from the Abyss, Ore, and some finished weapons.

It gave Shen Bei a sense of déjà vu, like Guangxi sending sugar tangerines to Harbin in his previous life.

However, as long as there was a mission, that was fine.

In this way, although it would take some time, it would significantly increase the extended distance of the Instant Shadow Return to Origin Pact.

He was making a killing.

Of course, the mission settlement from Shen City to Sichuan West had not yet been activated.

He probably had to give Zhao Zichuan of Wu Zhong Logistics a good beating when he got back.

These were minor matters.

After arriving in the city, because the convoy was departing in the evening, Fu Jian volunteered to take Shen Bei to experience the Chuan Prefecture style.

Shen Bei even thought Fu Jian was going to take him to… get lost.

It turned out he was really just taking him shopping.

It was a bit of a waste of emotion.

As they walked, Shen Bei suddenly realized that he and Fu Jian were being followed.

But he didn't turn back to look. Instead, he changed his

immediate return

plan and continued to shop, chatting with Fu Jian while enjoying the scenery.

On the way, Fu Jian finally couldn't help but ask: “You said, besides killing Sun Wu, is there no other way to save people from nightmares?”

“You've been thinking about this all along?” Shen Bei asked curiously.

“Although Sun Wu did bad things, that was only because the nightmare set him up to do so. I can feel that his nature is still quite kind, otherwise, he wouldn't have regretted it so much as to fall into that end.”

Fu Jian sighed and continued: “Good people like him shouldn't suffer endlessly in nightmares.”

Good person?

Shen Bei couldn't comment on that.

Sun Wu was indeed Fu Jian's comrade-in-arms.

Out of camaraderie, no one wanted to see Sun Wu fall into the abyss.

But Sun Wu's character flaws were invisibly amplified in the dream.

Becoming the source of the plague dream.

But it must be said, this nameless Great Cultivator with flowing fire in his eyes had a precise and ruthless grasp of the human heart.

Why was Sun Wu the core of the dream, and not someone else?

It was because he seized upon Sun Wu's fatal character flaw.

It showed that this Great Cultivator was definitely a Da Shouzi when it came to manipulating people's hearts.

But was Sun Wu innocent?

Shen Bei spoke frankly, with three parts innocence. As the core, how could he not know that as long as he died, other comrades would be liberated?

This was about sacrificing oneself for the greater good.

It was indeed a difficult choice.

Shen Bei's voice was devoid of emotion as he said, “But unfortunately, we are powerless now. There is no perfect solution. Perhaps even General would have to do the same.”

“Is that so…” He was somewhat disheartened and continued, “What exactly is this dream? Is it even something we can understand? It’s so damn abstract.”

Shen Bei thought for a moment and said: “To give an analogy, if the Great Cultivator’s ability is the ocean, then the dream is the surface of the ocean. Although the surface is part of the ocean, for a three-dimensional ocean, a two-dimensional surface occupies no volume.”

“In other words, the essence of the dream, while approaching abstraction, makes it clear what the current situation is, as long as there is a clear understanding.”

After Shen Bei finished speaking, he paused and closed his mouth.

He still had one thing he didn’t say, which was… most people couldn’t detect that this was a dream, after all, to enter the dream, one had to be brainwashed first…

“So that’s how it is…” Fu Jian seemed to understand, and then asked some more questions, which Shen Bei answered one by one.

He said admiringly, “You really know a lot. Where did you learn all this?”

Shen Bei was about to answer, but just then, his ears perked up alertly, and his face suddenly became very serious.

Three seconds later, Fu Jian, very seriously and very quietly, as if sharing an earth-shattering secret, said: “I’ve discovered something very bad.”

“What is it?”

“We’re being followed!” Fu Jian said emphatically.

Shen Bei was speechless, thinking, You just figured that out?