Circle of Inevitability

988 Father and Daughter

As soon as Lumian heard the sound of the out-of-control vehicle crashing into the curb, he immediately rolled down the window and poked his head out.

He looked towards the intersection about 15-20 meters away, and at Mr. Cui who had been hit and thrown even further, tragically run over.

Almost simultaneously, he saw several figures emerge from different hiding spots, rushing towards the deceased and the vehicle responsible for the accident.

Lumian promptly took out his phone, snapped a couple of photos, and muttered, "Holy shit, there's been a car accident!

"That driver was speeding like he was in a race, was he drunk?"

He acted like a bystander ready to post on social media and short video accounts.

At this moment, the dented vehicle responsible for the accident completely stalled, unable to start. The car door opened, and a man who could barely stand straight stumbled out.

"Damn, he really is drunk. If you drink, don't drive!" Lumian started recording a video, cursing as he filmed.

Only after the ambulance took away Mr. Cui's body, and the police led away the driver responsible for the accident after cordoning off the area, leaving just the traffic police investigating the scene and the tow truck on standby, did Lumian sit back in his car, as if contemplating how to share what had just happened in various group chats.

Not long after, Anthony, also in disguise, came out of the 24-hour convenience store on the side carrying a large bag of items, opened the car door and got in.

Lumian started the car and drove away from the scene.

They hadn't brought Ludwig with them, having sent the little boy to Jenna's place—if a seven or eight-year-old boy appeared at both the scene where Zaratulstra was shot and where Mr. Cui had the car accident, it would be very suspicious, even if the boy looked different at first glance.

…

In Room 2303 of Dechuang Garden.

Lumian sat in the single armchair and said to Franca and Jenna, "I'll go to Li Keji after midnight."

Pausing momentarily, he added, "Did Lumina show any unusual behavior today?"

Jenna was silent for a couple of seconds, then recounted everything about Lumina's blank stares, her inner impulses, the bad luck surrounding her, getting some fresh air on the rooftop, her words during the card game, and many other detailed behaviors, without hiding anything.

Lumian listened attentively without interrupting, his expression gradually softening.

After Jenna finished speaking, Franca opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and said, "If you get kicked out of the dream again, you'll face severe restrictions upon entering for the third time, just like Queen Mystic."

Lumian remained silent for a long while before saying, "I understand."

…

At the edge of a lake, inside a four-story villa.

Bernie Huang returned from outside and walked into the grand, opulent hall.

Every time her classmates came to visit, they would say, "Why is your house decorated like a palace? Don't you find it strange?"

Bernie could only spread her hands helplessly and say, "This is just my dad's preference."

"Where are my dad and the others?" Bernie asked the butler standing in the hall.

She usually lived at school, only choosing to come home on weekends if there wasn't a long holiday.

The butler respectfully answered, "Young Master Huang Xia is exercising in the underground basketball court, Young Master Huang Bo is assembling mini 4WD cars in the toy room, Madam has gone out to attend an art salon, and the Master is in the wine tasting room."

Bernie nodded, walked to the side of the hall, and took the elevator down to the basement.

There was a large wine cellar here, with a secure storage room, and a wine tasting room where you could see the rippling water of the indoor swimming pool.

Huang Tao was sitting on the sofa, holding a glass of pure malt liquor with ice cubes, leisurely savoring it.

"You're back?" He smiled when he saw Bernie come in.

"Why are you drinking again?" Bernie sat down opposite him.

Huang Tao smiled and said, "As I get older, I don't have many hobbies left."

Bernie didn't try to persuade him further, quietly watching as her father took another sip of the temptingly colored liquor and grabbed a few shelled pine nuts from the dish of dried fruits on the table, popping them into his mouth.

After finishing what was in his mouth, Huang Tao asked, "What about your classmate? Didn't she come to visit?"

"Something happened to her biology teacher at the cram school, she's busy dealing with that and doesn't have time," Bernie said simply.

Huang Tao laughed. "You mentioned that before. Really, if he wants to do experiments, he should apply for a job at a proper lab. Why be a biology teacher?"

At this point, Huang Tao looked at Bernie and sighed. "Why don't you like staying at home? There's still some time before school starts, but you've already moved into the dorm."

This isn't my problem… Maybe in Mr. Fool's perception, I'm separate from you all, we rarely get together… Bernie dutifully explained, "I'm involved in a research project."

Huang Tao didn't pursue the matter further, he was just complaining a bit. He changed the subject. "How's that children's book company of yours doing?"

"It's going well," Bernie recalled. "The children's book market is the most profitable area in the physical book market. There's a real demand for repackaging and redesigning classic fairy tales, and we're also nurturing our own children's book authors and illustrators."

"In this area, China started too late and it's still not very mature. There's still a lack of good works. You have a lot of potential," Huang Tao praised his daughter. "At the same time, you need to pay attention to importing copyrights. You can't ignore those excellent foreign children's books and leave them to your competitors."

He seriously instructed his daughter, looking as if he wanted to make Dawn Children's Publishing Company bigger and stronger.

Bernie listened attentively, occasionally offering her own ideas. The father and daughter discussed very harmoniously.

At the end of the discussion, Huang Tao suddenly swirled his drink and said with a sigh, "Do you know what the greatest pain in life is?"

Bernie shook her head.

Huang Tao smiled self-deprecatingly.

"It's watching the people and things you cherish most, the life you yearn for most, being occupied by others, while you can only be locked in a dark and depressing prison."

Bernie looked at Huang Tao without responding.

Huang Tao didn't mind, he just continued to drink his liquor with dried fruits, pouring for himself for a while.

He gradually composed his expression and looked at Bernie. "If you discovered that you were just an illusory character in a dream, and at this time, someone was trying to awaken the master of the dream, what would you do?"

Bernie was silent for a few seconds before saying, "It would depend on the specific situation."

Huang Tao smiled and said, "Then let's be more specific. You clearly know that if the master of the dream is awakened, you will completely disappear. Even if there's another dream, the corresponding person who appears will no longer be the current you. But the person you care about most supports awakening the master of the dream, is willing to take risks for it, even sacrifice themselves. What would you do?"

She looked at Huang Tao, remaining silent throughout.

Huang Tao calmly returned his daughter's gaze.

After a while, he finished the remaining alcohol and stood up, saying, "I'm going upstairs to deal with some matters."

Huang Tao walked out from between the sofa and tea table, passing by Bernie, heading towards the wine tasting room door.

"Dad."

Suddenly, Bernie called out to him.

Huang Tao turned around, a smile already appearing on his face.

"Is there anything else?" he asked.

Bernie also stood up, saying thoughtfully, "I've always been curious, if we don't talk about science, what's inside a mirror, and what's hidden in the depths of a mirror."

Huang Tao looked at Bernie for a few seconds and said, "It hides a great horror beyond your imagination."

After saying this, Huang Tao turned back, opened the wooden door, and walked out of the wine tasting room.

"Great horror…" Bernie stood still, ruminating over these words.

…

Late at night.

Lumian used Teleportation to arrive near Crimson Moon Hospital.

He didn't rush to enter, instead transforming into Lumina's appearance, disguising himself, and walking around Crimson Moon Hospital.

He saw that in the green belts around Crimson Moon Hospital, in the crevices of the walls of various buildings, mushrooms had sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, all kinds of mushrooms.

These mushrooms hadn't invaded the living space of other organisms, nor did they threaten the structural safety of the buildings. They were just growing quietly and peacefully.

With so many mushrooms, no wonder Crimson Moon Hospital launched a mushroom set meal… They all look edible… Who wouldn't want to use free ingredients? After roughly confirming the situation in the outer area of Crimson Moon Hospital, Lumian hid in a concealed spot, entered a mirror, and made his way to the psychiatric ward.

He wasn't worried about being blocked or trapped by the dream city police in this mirror world, because Lumina didn't have a real identity and had no apparent connection to Li Keji on the surface. Unless high-ranking police officials like Yagates had received a revelation through prophecy or divination that staking out here would provide clues, it was unlikely they would send people here.

And with everyone being suppressed at Sequence 7, Lumian, as a Demoness of Despair, wasn't too afraid of divinations and prophecies pointing to his whereabouts.

After observing the entire ward for a while, Lumian jumped out of the mirror-like object, landing lightly.

He always held a hand mirror, using it to reflect light and create illusions to deceive the surveillance cameras.

Lumian then surveyed the dimly lit corridor lights and the iron doors sleeping in the dark environment. His spirituality didn't give any warnings.

Next, he took a breath, not smelling any blood or other strange odors.

Only then did he gently knock on the metal door of Li Keji's ward.

Knock. Knock. Knock. The knocking wasn't loud, quietly echoing in this area without reaching the nurses' station.

Li Keji's voice suddenly sounded, kept very low.

"Who?"

This time, no white and tender mushrooms came to the window to peek, nor did a large amount of white mycelium emerge from the door crack.

"It's me," the black-haired Lumian answered softly, "The person who asked for your help in treating a vegetative friend before."

"Oh, it's you…" Li Keji still didn't appear behind the iron-barred window of the door, seemingly shrinking in a corner of the bed.

"Has your research made any progress?" Lumian asked.

"I have some ideas, a bunch of failures, and a half-finished product. It still needs verification, I'm not sure what the final effect will be…" As he spoke, Li Keji's voice revealed a hint of confusion, "But some strange things have happened, I might not have time to advance the experiment you want recently."

"What things?" Lumian's spirit suddenly tensed.

What could make Li Keji put aside his mushroom experiments?

After a few seconds, Li Keji answered in a confused, self-musing tone, "I'm pregnant."

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