Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

"Where did you get this?" Gulu pressed the dagger against the bald man's nape, the icy touch making his hair stand on end.

“North... North Fifth District! It’s the black market in North Fifth District!” Sweat poured from his bald scalp like a stream, mixing with the thick blood seeping from the wound on his forehead, and all of it flowed into his eyes.

The stinging pain burned him, but he didn't even dare to raise his hand to wipe it, fearing that any slight movement would provoke hostility from behind: "A businessman nicknamed 'Old Smoker'! Only he dares to sell this secretly!"

His words became incoherent, filled with desperate sobs, as he tried to elicit a sliver of pity through his miserable plight: "We, the 'Blacktooth Gang,' are just rats in the West Side sewers... We're so poor... We emptied the entire gang's savings, sold everything we owned, and could only afford this nearly unusable secondhand item..."

Having obtained the intelligence, a barely perceptible hint of annoyance flashed in Gulu's eyes; he had absolutely no interest in the tragic stories of these scumbags.

In this world ravaged by nightmares, who isn't struggling to survive? But poverty is never a reason to court death, especially not to set your sights on Gollum.

Without warning, and before the gang leader could even finish pleading for mercy, Gulu's wrist suddenly tightened.

puff!puff!puff!
Three extremely faint cutting sounds rang out almost simultaneously. The bald gang leader's fawning expression froze on his face, and a trace of crimson appeared between his brows.

The white-coated man and the burly man with the chainsaw beside him also froze. A thin red line split open at the throat, and warm blood gushed out from the fatal cut like a flood that had finally broken through a dam, soaking his clothes and dripping onto the dirty carpet, leaving deep, dark stains.

The moment the killing ended, Gulu suddenly staggered. She quickly braced herself with one hand against the wall next to her, which was inlaid with gold metal plates, and barely managed to steady herself.

With his other hand, he pressed his forehead tightly, his knuckles turning white from the extreme force, and his body began to tremble violently uncontrollably.

"Ugh..." A muffled groan escaped from between her tightly clenched teeth.

Her vision began to blur, and the patterns on the wall seemed to come alive, like wriggling blood vessels.

Countless tiny, persistent whispers suddenly appeared in her ears, not from the outside world, but directly from the depths of her brain, like countless invisible insects frantically gnawing at her sanity.

On the personal panel, the SAN value, which represents mental stability, is fluctuating wildly, eventually falling into the glaring yellow danger zone, and the edge is still flashing, showing a further downward trend.

The intense killing, especially in the eerie world of "The City of Sleep," where dreams are highly corrupted, has a swift and fierce backlash against reason.

The intense headache and the tearing sensation in her soul made it almost impossible for her to think. Relying on the instincts she had honed in the Paradise of Reincarnation, Gulu trembled as she pulled out a metal syringe filled with turbid purple liquid from her storage space.

This is a common tranquilizer in the park. It's not very effective and has noticeable side effects, but it can at least temporarily suppress those insane whispers.

Just as the needle was about to pierce her skin, a hand grabbed her wrist. The force was light, but irresistible.

Lin Yi was already standing in front of her, a halo of light emanating from the fingertips of one hand, which he gently touched between Gu Lu's eyebrows.

Gulu froze, but the expected cold, stinging pain or numbness from the injection did not occur.

Instead, an indescribable warm current, like the finest hot spring, spread rapidly from the point of contact, gently enveloping her throbbing soul.

The eerie whispers that tried to tear her reason away seemed to be wiped away instantly by an invisible hand, and a clarity and peace she had never experienced before in the depths of her mind, like the clear sky after the rain, quickly dispelled all the gloom.

All that remained was a long-lost sense of relaxation and peace, as if the weary traveler had finally returned to an absolutely safe harbor.

She could even feel that the mental stress accumulated from killing and the world was being gently washed away by this warm power.

The entire process lasted only two or three seconds.

Lin Yi withdrew his hand, and the faint halo at his fingertips quietly disappeared, as if it had never appeared.

Gulu subconsciously exhaled a long breath, expelling all the stale air that had been trapped in his chest.

She opened her personal panel, and her previously plummeting SAN value not only returned to full, but even temporarily stabilized at an extremely high value, with an almost transparent buff icon next to it.

She looked up at Lin Yi, her lips moved, but in the end she didn't ask anything.

In the Paradise of Reincarnation, it is a major taboo to pry into other people's trump cards, especially with such an overpowered ability that can directly restore SAN value.

She simply put away the sedative with obvious side effects, and her assessment of Lin Yi and his "value" rose infinitely higher once again.

In a hellish place like the "Sleeping City," where reason is constantly being eroded, a teammate with this ability is far more strategically valuable than a hundred mindless battle maniacs.

"I'm leaving." Lin Yi turned around and walked towards the door first.

Gulu shook his head to confirm that the refreshing feeling was real, and immediately followed, his steps regaining their usual lightness.

Passing through the heavy metal door, we returned to the passage where the stench of blood had not yet dissipated.

On the ground, the mountain of supplies that Lin Yi had taken out earlier had completely disappeared, leaving not a single grain of rice or a single leaf of vegetable. Only some traces of hurried dragging and fresh stains on the ground caused by the heavy objects had remained.

On both sides of the passageway, the dilapidated cubicles that used to occasionally emit faint sobs or noises now had their curtains drawn tightly, and not a sound could be heard inside. The deathly silence was filled with an unspoken tension and fear.

Clearly, the survivors here shared and hid their windfall in their unique way of surviving underground, without wanting to attract the attention of the two menacing figures outside the door.

The two ignored this and headed straight for the freight elevator they had come from.

Just as the elevator doors slowly opened and Lin Yi was about to step in, a pale hand gently lifted a corner of the heavy canvas curtain of a side compartment.

A woman dressed in barely enough clothing, consisting of only a few tattered strips of cloth serving as underwear, staggered out.
She was shockingly thin, her black hair was dry and brittle like weeds, and her face was covered with bruises and scars of varying ages, but her eyes held a clarity and longing that the other women in the passageway lacked.

"Sir...sirs." Her voice was dry and hoarse, trembling as she tried to control it. "Are you...going to the North District?"

Lin Yi stopped and turned to look at her.

Gulu crossed his arms and leaned lazily against the cold metal frame of the elevator, his eyes filled with his usual scrutiny and indifference, but he did not immediately speak up to drive him away or make any threatening gestures.

Seeing that she wasn't immediately driven away or killed, a glimmer of hope flashed in the woman's eyes. Summoning all her remaining courage, she spoke quickly, "Before I was sold to this hell, I lived in the North District. I'm quite familiar with that area. I know the approximate location of the 'Rat Alley' black market. Although I've never been qualified to go in, I've seen how others found the entrance. That place is very hidden; it's hard for outsiders to find."

She paused, her eyes filled with the deepest plea, almost kneeling down: "If you happen to be going to the North District, could you please give me a ride? I just want to go home. I have a younger brother who might be waiting for me." She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was crystal clear.

In the City of Sleep, trekking from one area to another was, for a frail woman like her, who had no means of self-defense and had just been released from captivity, no different from committing suicide.

Lin Yi did not answer immediately, but instead turned his gaze to Gulu, with a questioning tone.

Gulu shrugged indifferently, giving a dismissive shrug, which was a tacit agreement.

For her, having someone to guide her was obviously much more efficient than them wandering around the North District like headless flies.

Lin Yi didn't say anything, but took out a set of clothes that were still relatively intact from his personal space and threw them to the woman.

The woman paused for a second, then her eyes lit up with immense joy and gratitude. She hurriedly caught the clothes, afraid of dropping them and getting them dirty, bowing repeatedly: "Thank you! Thank you, sir! Thank you!"

She dared not delay for a moment, and completely disregarded any taboos or shame. She immediately turned her back and, as quickly as possible, put on the clothes that could provide some dignity and precious warmth onto her scarred body.

The oversized clothes draped over her body, hanging loosely and ill-fitting, but at least they concealed her scars and grievances. When she breathed back into the cold, rusty, and dusty air of the outside world, the black-haired woman visibly shivered, whether from the cold or from the excitement of regaining her freedom, it was hard to tell.

She stood on the ruins, looked around blankly for a moment, then tried to figure out the direction and pointed to the black tower in the distance that could be vaguely seen even in the western district.

"The North District is in that direction. The black market 'Rat Alley' is located in the North District near the inner city wall. The exact entrance is very hidden, but I know the way. From here, the straight-line distance is about... about ten kilometers."

A distance of over ten kilometers might be insignificant in a peaceful world, but in the Sleeping City, a place fraught with danger and where one could encounter nightmare creatures, mutated monsters, or even more dangerous gangs of thugs at any moment, it is an insurmountable chasm for ordinary people.

Lin Yi didn't say anything, but simply took out a metal capsule and casually threw it on the open ground in front of him.

With a soft thud and a slight spatial fluctuation, a military off-road jeep with a matte, scratch-resistant coating and wide tires suddenly appeared there.

The metal body reflected the dim light, exuding a sense of refinement and power that seemed out of place in its dilapidated surroundings.

The black-haired woman's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth tightly to keep from screaming.

Her gaze toward Lin Yi and Gulu was instantly filled with even deeper awe and fear.

In the City of Sleep, the identity and strength of someone who possesses such extraordinary spatial technology and a vehicle with such a powerful technological background are beyond the comprehension or even comprehension of someone like her who is struggling to survive at the bottom of society.

Her petty schemes seemed utterly laughable and insignificant in the face of absolute power.

She completely suppressed any other thoughts, not daring to ask a single question or even glance at the car. She carefully opened the heavy back door, curled up as much as possible, and sat inside, trying to minimize her presence, afraid that her scent would pollute the interior.

Gulu deftly opened the passenger door, jumped in, and comfortably leaned against the highly supportive tactical seat.

Lin Yi got into the driver's seat, and the engine roared with a deep, powerful sound, driving the vehicle over the broken road surface and heading in the direction the woman had pointed.

The Jeep was in excellent condition and practically ran amok.

Encountering abandoned vehicle wreckage blocking the road? Just floor the gas and ram through! Encountering collapsed building ruins forming a roadblock? Either use your superior off-road performance to climb and go around, or Lin Yi directly activates the short-range levitation system to perform a low-altitude jump and briefly skim over the obstacle.

There were indeed prying eyes and sporadic attacks along the way, but the bullets and even energy beams fired from those shadows and ruins, when they hit the bulletproof windows of the jeep, only made a few slight "thuds" or "splats" and did not leave even the slightest white mark.

After a few times, all the harassment and spying quickly disappeared.

Those who live here understand who they can mess with and who could bring destruction with just a glance.

This silent steel behemoth and its passengers clearly belong to the latter category, which should absolutely not be provoked.

As we approach the northern area, the surrounding landscape does indeed begin to change.

Although the streets are still dilapidated, they have clearly undergone some rough cleaning and maintenance; at least the main roads can be identified and are passable.

The remaining buildings along the road are relatively well-preserved, and occasionally you can even see light shining through some windows.

Occasionally, you can see a few pedestrians, most of them walking in a hurry and looking wary. But compared to the utter desolation and despair of the West End, there is indeed a faint sense of "order" here.

The official entrance to the North District is marked by a simple checkpoint.

The defensive structure was made of sandbags, rusty iron sheets, and old vehicles. Several uniformed guards with weapons stood there, casually questioning and extorting anyone who entered.

As Lin Yi's jeep hurtled toward the checkpoint, the guards, who had previously displayed a degree of laziness and arrogance, instantly turned deathly pale.

The group hurriedly set up roadblocks to clear a path, not daring to even glance at the car.

They knew very well that the people in this kind of car were not people they could stop, nor were they even supposed to question them.

The jeep drove into the North District without any hindrance.

Following the black-haired woman's verbal directions, the jeep eventually stopped at the end of a relatively wide street.

Through the car window, the woman pointed to a strangely out-of-place building about a kilometer ahead, her voice low: "It's...it's nearby. Sir, you see, that six-story black building without windows, like a square iron box, with only one entrance. I've seen some strangely dressed, seemingly powerful people going in and out of there...but I've never actually gone in; the entrance is heavily guarded."

Ten minutes later, the woman got out of the car and stepped onto the ground in the North District. She was still somewhat incredulous.

She bowed deeply to Lin Yi and Gulu, her voice choked with emotion and filled with gratitude: "Thank you... thank you so much, sirs... I wish... I wish you both all the best..."

She didn't know what blessings would be helpful to such a strong person, so she could only utter the simplest words.

Not daring to linger for even a second longer, the woman, afraid of delaying Lin Yi's time, turned around and quickly ran towards a direction she remembered. Her slender figure soon disappeared into the depths of the intricate alleyways.

A short while later, Lin Yi and Gulu got out of the car and turned their gaze to the building the woman had pointed to.

There was no sign at the entrance, only two people wearing black hooded robes standing on either side.

As Lin Yi and Gulu approached, the two black-robed guards' gazes lingered on Lin Yi for a moment, since the priest's robes Lin Yi wore were not easily seen through by just anyone in the Land of Slumber.

They did not make any move to stop them, nor did they ask any questions, thus tacitly granting them access.

The heavy black metal door slid open silently, just enough for a person to pass through, revealing a dimr light and a complex aroma mixed with tobacco, spices, and a burnt electronic component smell.

Once inside, the door closed silently behind me, completely shutting out the outside light.

The interior is an unimaginably vast space, as if the entire building and even the underground have been hollowed out.

The lighting was extremely dim, with the main light sources coming from a few oddly shaped lamps hanging high in the ceiling, as well as the colorful holographic projection signs and display screens rising from the densely packed stalls on both sides.

Thick smoke filled the air, almost solidifying, making visibility somewhat blurry.

The stalls were crowded together on both sides of the narrow aisle; some were just a dirty cloth spread on the ground, while others were simple metal frame counters.

The goods are incredibly diverse and bizarre: rusted weapon parts, strange chips emitting faint energy fluctuations, colorful pills or liquids in dirty bottles, dried-up bizarre biological organs, worn-out data boards, and even living creatures kept in cages…

A diverse crowd moved through the crowd, most of them concealing their faces with hoods, scarves, or masks, revealing only pairs of wary or indifferent eyes.

Their attire varied, ranging from tattered leather jackets to complete tactical gear, and some even wore something resembling religious robes.

Transactions were completed in silence or in rapid whispers, with currencies varying from ancient coins to energy batteries, making it appear as if it were a barter system.

This is the "Rat Alley" black market in the North Fifth District, an underground microcosm of the Sleeping City.

Lin Yi and Gulu exchanged a glance and stepped into the bizarre crowd.

Their goal was clear—to find the black market dealer known as "Old Smoker" and obtain information about the "Dream Device." (End of Chapter)