Throughout, Lin Xian felt that the most unreasonable aspect of his dreams was the time setting.
August 28, 2624.
It was 600 years later than Lin Xian's current reality.
But the scenes of life and the level of technological development in the dream were no different from those of 2022!
This was simply ridiculous!
How could human technology stagnate and make no progress over 600 years?
"Probably... it's because of your lack of imagination!" Lin Xian had discussed this matter with his friends before.
They had said:
"A person's dreams, fundamentally, are created by the brain's imagination."
"Therefore, nothing outside your cognition will appear in dreams."
"Your brain simply cannot imagine what the world will be like 600 years in the future, so naturally, it cannot dream about it. Maybe if you watch more science fiction movies in the future, it will improve."
Lin Xian thought this explanation made sense.
But unfortunately...
Even after watching hundreds of science fiction movies, his dreams remained the same day after day, with no change.
After having fun in the dream, he accepted this unreasonable setting:
"Dreams themselves are fictional, so being unreasonable is actually reasonable."
...
Encountering Big Face Cat yesterday was around ten o'clock.
Now it was time to start moving.
Lin Xian walked towards two boys playing and chasing each other.
"Ultraman flying kick!" "Ultraman elbow strike!"
The two boys became more excited and played farther away, not even noticing when their masks fell to the ground.
"Key prop, Ultraman mask, acquired."
Lin Xian picked up the mask and put it on his face.
Swoosh—
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two urgent whistles.
Lin Xian had just turned around when a sturdy arm grabbed him and pulled him along.
"Here, bro! This square is full of kids wearing Ultraman masks... It's hard to find you!"
In front of him was the familiar cat mask, along with the familiar chubby face.
"Follow me! The car is over there, my little brother has already gone to the bank."
"Just a moment, Face Bro."
Lin Xian grabbed Big Face Cat's arm.
"I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"What's the name of the cartoon cat on your mask?"
"You mean this?" Big Face Cat pointed to the deformed mask on his face. "This is Keke Cat. You don't even know this? It's very popular."
"You're quite knowledgeable for your age."
"My daughter really likes this cat. We've bought a lot of dolls before."
"Okay."
Lin Xian shook off Big Face Cat's hand and walked towards the toy store.
"I forgot something, you wait for me in the car."
Clap—
A chubby hand suddenly pressed down on Lin Xian's shoulder!
"Have you seen me before?"
"First time."
"Then why do you call me Face Bro?" Big Face Cat stared at Lin Xian.
...
...
A burst of hot summer wind blew through, as if time had stopped.
Neither of them spoke.
Children laughing and playing ran past them, and the vast square seemed isolated from the world.
Big Face Cat reached for his waist...
Lin Xian slowly turned around.
Ultraman looked at Keke Cat.
"Do you want to know?"
"I do."
...
...
"Because your face is just too big..."
"Huh?"
Big Face Cat frowned, and Keke Cat was flattened directly.
Lin Xian opened his shoulder.
"Forgive me, I just can't ignore your big face. If you mind, I can call you something else."
"Hahaha!" Big Face Cat burst into laughter. "You guessed it quite accurately! Everyone on the streets calls me Big Face Cat, so Face Bro works for you!"
"Hurry up and get what you need! We're short on time!"
Lin Xian waved his hand and walked into the toy store.
This Big Face Cat...
He thought he was rough and reckless, but he turned out to have a caring heart.
"Hello."
Lin Xian walked to the toy store counter.
"I'd like to buy a Keke Cat doll."
"Sure, sir, it's over here on this shelf."
The shopkeeper led Lin Xian to a shelf full of Keke Cat dolls, stacked several layers high.
It seemed that what Big Face Cat said was true, these things were indeed selling like hotcakes.
Lin Xian picked up a basic one and began to scrutinize it, carefully studying the cat's structure, proportions, limbs, and clothing...
Look closely here and remember the details.
When he woke up at 00:42, he could draw it from memory.
It must be said that this Keke Cat was indeed incredibly cute, in every aspect comparable to Kitty Cat.
Lin Xian scanned from different angles.
Although in the field of design, this could be considered plagiarism...
But can it be called plagiarism if it's copied from his own dreams?
"Everything in my dream is still something I imagined, right? I am the original author."
Lin Xian looked very carefully.
"Hey! What are you doing there!"
A loud shout, and Big Face Cat angrily rushed over! He grabbed Lin Xian and pulled him away.
"You have no sense of time at all, bro! Hurry up!"
Clap.
As they passed the checkout counter, Big Face Cat directly slapped down a golden thousand-dollar bill.
"No need for change!"
Big Face Cat's car was parked at the door, and Lin Xian was pushed onto the car with the Keke Cat doll in his arms.
Vroom—
Big Face Cat floored the gas pedal, grumbling as he looked at the doll in Lin Xian's arms.
"You're going to use this thing to crack the password? You're damn—"
"Give it to your daughter."
Lin Xian placed the doll in front of the steering wheel.
"Huh..."
Big Face Cat was instantly dumbfounded.
Grimness and anger froze on his face, and even his mouth, halfway through cursing, hung open in the air.
A few seconds later.
The grimness slowly dissipated...
The mouth slowly closed...
He swallowed his saliva.
Stared straight ahead.
Quietly drove the car.
...
No words along the way.
Lin Xian didn't know why Big Face Cat, who had always been noisy, had become so quiet.
His silence made Lin Xian feel unfamiliar.
In the back of the van, there was only the occasional click of the turn signal... and every time Big Face Cat glanced in the rearview mirror, he couldn't help but look at the Keke Cat doll in Lin Xian's arms.
The mask was making his scalp ache a little.
Lin Xian loosened the elastic band with his hand.
The red light at the intersection began to flash.
"Thank you."
Big Face Cat said quietly, his voice a bit hoarse.
He took out a cigarette from the cigarette pack, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a lighter.
"I haven't bought a Keke Cat toy for many years..."
The smoke filled the air.
"Has your daughter grown up?"
Lin Xian leaned on his cheek and asked casually.
"She's dead."
Big Face Cat stomped on the brake.
"She's been dead for many years. She was only six that year."
"Was it an accident?"
"No."
Big Face Cat pressed the brake:
"She was killed."
"Why would someone kill a six-year-old—"
"Bro."
Big Face Cat interrupted Lin Xian, pointing to the bank across the street:
"We're here, time to get to work."
Click!
He loaded the magazine into the pistol, chambered a round, and adjusted his mask:
"Let's go, bro!"
"After robbing this bank, I'll be able to avenge my daughter! Let's get to work first, and we can chat later!"
With that, Big Face Cat smiled, patted Lin Xian on the shoulder, jumped out of the car, and walked towards the bank entrance.
"..."
Lin Xian didn't say anything. He sat alone in the car, watching Big Face Cat walk away.
In front of him, the cute Keke Cat doll sat there lonely, and Lin Xian remembered the scene in his dream yesterday:
"The bank vault was empty, there wasn't a single cent in it, Face Bro..."