Chapter 48: I Kill in My Dreams

Just as Meng Qi had said, she was a congenital anomalous person, born in Guangdong, and twenty-six years old this year.

About fourteen years ago, when she was twelve years old, after falling asleep one night, her innate ability suddenly awakened, and her life changed completely from that moment on.

That night, Meng Qi was dragged into a bizarre dream where everything within it was distorted. Deafening noises echoed in her ears, mingled with soft, whispering voices.

She could not make out colors or scenes, feeling only that the world before her was spinning in chaos. As she curled her body up in fright, two terrifying figures appeared before her eyes.

"At the time, I didn't know who or what they were. I only knew that when they appeared, all sound, color, and perception began to 'go mad' and spin endlessly. I was so terrified..."

"They reached out toward me, and instinctively I wanted to resist. In that instant, I lost consciousness. When I woke up again, the entire dreamscape was shattered into pieces, and my body was covered in wounds."

At this point, Meng Qi lowered her head, her eyelids twitching slightly. It seemed as though she had recalled some deeply painful memory, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Xia Ye immediately reached out to her, gently placing his not particularly broad palm upon her shoulder, whereupon a wave of warmth flowed into her.

After a moment...

"Thank you, I'm much better."

Soothed by this warmth, Meng Qi offered a soft word of thanks, then adjusted her frame of mind and resumed her story:

"I thought everything was over, but when I woke up from the dream, I found myself surrounded by a sea of bright red. I still remember that pungent smell of blood. My parents..."

"All right, let's skip this part. Tell me about Liao Zhong."

Without waiting for her to continue, Xia Ye had already grasped the gist of it, and thoughtfully chose to skip ahead to prevent her emotions from fluctuating violently once more.

"Okay..."

Meng Qi nodded, her gaze flickering for a moment. After a brief pause in deep thought, she spoke again:

"Later on, because of this incident, I was taken to the police station. The police comforted me for a long time, and since there were no other relatives left in my family, they discussed sending me to an orphanage."

"It was right at that time that Uncle Liao appeared. He took me straight away from the police station and brought me to..."

She glanced at Xia Ye, looking somewhat hesitant.

"It's fine. If there's something you aren't allowed to say, don't say it."

Xia Ye knew that Liao Zhong had brought her back to the "Outpost," which was one of the company's classified secrets, and thus gently reminded her.

"Mm."

"I was taken to a place specifically established by the company to handle 'troublesome anomalous people.' The people locked up and trained there were all anomalous individuals who couldn't control their own powers and might unintentionally pose a hazard to society."

"It was only when I arrived there that I finally understood what my ability truly was—I could invade the dreams of others, and the harm inflicted upon them within the dream would also manifest in reality."

"I see..."

Xia Ye was naturally already well aware of Meng Qi's ability, but at the moment he was merely playing along and nodded thoughtfully.

This was precisely one of the major problems with congenital anomalous persons: the timing of their awakening and the nature of their powers were entirely uncertain. If someone suddenly awakened a powerful ability they could not control, it easily led to tragedy.

"So, ever since then, you've been undergoing training in that place?"

"That's right. That place was overseen by Uncle Liao. He frequently appeared there, and because my ability was rather special, he paid even closer attention to me, often pulling me aside for heart-to-heart talks..." Meng Qi continued.

"Later on, slowly, with their help, I gradually gained control over my powers. It's just that I was never able to leave like the others. Uncle Liao said I was too young and had lost my family, so he let me stay there."

"Ah, that's a common practice for the company. In reality, it was because your power was too strong and beyond the company's control; keeping you there under supervision was the only reason they didn't let you leave." Xia Ye narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, I only understood that later on. At the time, I didn't really have a choice. By the time I was seventeen or eighteen and quite proficient in using my ability, Uncle Liao proposed that I become his temporary worker." Meng Qi nodded.

Hearing this, Xia Ye waved his hand to pause her. He had learned just about enough and took over the conversation:

"After that, you've constantly been using your ability to execute missions as a temporary worker. Because your power is exceptionally useful, your mission frequency must have been quite high, am I right?"

"How did you know?" Meng Qi asked in puzzlement.

"It's very simple..." Xia Ye smiled faintly.

"Based on my observation, the power constantly eroding your body within you is likely something you brought back from those very dreamscapes. Just as you can kill people in dreams, you yourself sustain injuries inside the dream as well."

Seeing Meng Qi's astonishment, he went on: "Of course, your ability certainly has some suppression effect against this kind of injury, but complete immunity is impossible. Accumulated over time, day after day, it has ended up like this."

"If I'm not mistaken, you should have approached Liao Zhong about seeking treatment long ago. He certainly must have found doctors for you, perhaps even those veteran national medical masters, but each time it only brought temporary relief rather than a complete cure, am I right?"

"I won't maliciously speculate on this matter; after all, you understand Liao Zhong and the company better than I do, and you will have your own conclusions... But I still want you to touch the thing around your neck. That gadget... is that something a human being should wear?"

"This..."

Hearing these words, Meng Qi instinctively raised her hand. When her fingers brushed against the collar around her neck, her pupils contracted involuntarily.

To be honest, it wasn't that she didn't understand what Xia Ye meant. Such thoughts had often crossed her mind over the years, but she had deliberately restrained herself from going down that path, since Uncle Liao had truly treated her quite well.

"I haven't had much contact with Liao Zhong, but I know he's a decent fellow, even deserving to be called a 'good person.' What a pity... he belongs to the company, and many things prevent him from acting according to his true heart." At this point, Xia Ye spoke up once more.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm just saying a bit too much out of a physician's responsibility toward a patient. You saw the sign on my door, didn't you? Just a doctor with a benevolent heart..."

With that, he stood up.

"All right, I pretty much understand your condition. Lie down, and we'll begin the treatment right away."

Hearing that the treatment was about to start, Meng Qi immediately reined in her thoughts, hastily lay down, and tensed her gaze.

"Don't be nervous. Take this medicinal pill and sleep for a bit. When you wake up, everything will be fine..."

Following this, Xia Ye produced a medicinal pill and fed it to her.

"It's all right, relax and sleep..."