Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

Lin Yi and Gulu left the hotel and blended into the bustling crowd downstairs.

The light trails of the suspended traffic, the cheerful music from the shops, and the cheerful conversations of pedestrians together create a vibrant urban scene.

The first problem arose when Lin Yi tried to flag down a taxi.

They did not have the currency commonly used in this era, and the supplies from the Sleeping City were obviously unusable in this world.

Lin Yi turned his gaze to Gulu, his meaning quite clear.

Gulu rolled his eyes speechlessly, but still understood Lin Yi's intention.

Her small nose wrinkled, like a hunting dog searching for a scent, and her gaze quickly locked onto a relatively quiet alleyway with flashing neon lights not far away.

She gave Lin Yi a slight pout, signaling him to wait, and then her figure flickered and nimbly disappeared into the shadows of the street corner.

About three or four minutes later, Gulu strolled out of the dark alley with a look of disgust on his face, as if he had just touched something unclean.

She casually held a thick wad of banknotes in her hand, not exactly new, with slightly greasy edges.

"Tsk, the thugs around here don't have much money in their pockets." She muttered, stuffing the money into Lin Yi's hand.

Lin Yi didn't ask about the process, nor did he even glance at the stack of money; he simply took it.

This time, he easily flagged down a hover taxi with its "For Hire" sign lit up.

The vehicle silently glided to a stop on the side of the road, and the door opened upwards.

"City Central Hospital," Lin Yi said as he got into the passenger seat.

The driver was a middle-aged man with a tired face, heavy eye bags, and somewhat large knuckles, clearly the marks of holding the steering wheel for a long time.

He gave a vague reply, set the navigation on the central control screen, and the vehicle smoothly took off, merging into the low-altitude traffic flow.

There was silence inside the car for a moment, with only the noise of the city outside the window filtered into a muffled background sound by the good sound insulation.

After a while, Lin Yi spoke casually, his tone carrying just the right amount of worry: "Master, I heard that the city's central hospital has recently admitted quite a few strange patients? The kind who are always in a coma?"

This topic seemed to have flipped a switch on the driver, instantly snapping him out of his slightly numb state. As if he had found someone he had longed to confide in, he immediately started talking: "Oh, you're right! Sir, you've heard about it too? It's really strange!"

He glanced at Lin Yi through the rearview mirror, as if he had finally found someone to confide in: "To tell you the truth, a distant cousin of mine has the same problem! He was perfectly fine, then suddenly fell asleep and wouldn't wake up no matter what we did. He's been in the hospital for over half a month now! He's practically dead, but he's still breathing!"

"Can't find the cause?" Lin Yi asked, following his words.

"What are they checking?!" the driver exclaimed excitedly. "His vital signs are all normal, it's like... like he's just asleep! But who sleeps that soundly? And the most crucial thing is, that hospital is really strange!"

He lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret: "They say it's for visiting, but is that really a visit? Through thick, bulletproof glass, you can't see anything like a fish in an aquarium. And you only get a tiny bit of time each day, it's stricter than visiting someone in prison! Last time I wanted to visit my cousin, good heavens, they questioned me for ages, made me go through seven or eight procedures, and almost wouldn't let me in! The scene, the security guards at the door, their eyes, their physiques—anyone who didn't know better would think they were holding some kind of terrorist!"

He paused, a hint of confusion and fear in his voice: "And another thing, that time I saw a doctor going into a ward from afar, and guess what? He was completely wrapped up, like he was in a biohazard movie! What were those clothes called... high-grade hazmat suits! You need to dress like that to treat a sleeping patient? You're kidding me!"

The driver became increasingly agitated as he spoke, even taking one hand off the steering wheel to gesture: "I just felt something was wrong! It's definitely not a simple illness! But what can we, ordinary folks, do? We can't fight city hall..."

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he pulled a photo from a plastic card holder on the dashboard and handed it to Lin Yi: "Here, this is my cousin, such a nice person, look at him now..."

Lin Yi took the photo, and Gulu also leaned out from the back seat.

The photo shows a woman who looks to be around thirty years old, standing in a sunny park, smiling brightly at the camera, holding an ice cream in her hand. Her features are clear and full of vitality.

Upon seeing that face, Lin Yi and Gulu's eyes narrowed slightly, but they quickly returned to normal.

Although the woman in the photo looked rosy and full of life, quite different from the pale and weak woman they had seen before, her face was clearly the same woman they had rescued from the Black Tooth Gang's stronghold and placed in the North District stronghold!

Lin Yi calmly handed the photo back, saying in a composed tone, "Master, don't worry too much. I happen to have a friend in the medical system with some connections. I'll take this opportunity to inquire about the situation for you while I'm at the hospital."

Upon hearing this, the driver was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Oh! Thank you so much! Thank you so much!" Overwhelmed with emotion, he quickly added, "Please don't pay for this ride! Consider it a small token of my appreciation, and please continue to take good care of me!"

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped in front of the imposing gate of the city center hospital.

Gulu jumped out of the car, looked at the modern building in front of him, and the last trace of ease in his eyes disappeared, replaced by vigilance.

That photo confirmed their suspicions—the world may seem normal, but it is actually full of anomalies.

Despite the driver's repeated refusals, he still stuffed a stack of bills far exceeding the fare into the storage compartment next to the cockpit.

After getting out of the car, Lin Yi's gaze swept over the hospital entrance.

On the surface, the place appears orderly, with vehicles and pedestrians entering and exiting in an orderly manner, and security guards standing by their posts—everything befits a large general hospital.

But in Lin Yi and Gulu's perception, the atmosphere here was completely different.

The security guards standing at the entrance had sharp eyes and stood upright. Their gazes swept over the crowd with an unconscious assessment and vigilance, far from the relaxed demeanor expected of ordinary security guards.

Their demeanor was calm, and they carried a faint scent of blood and discipline, clearly indicating that they had experienced certain events.

Inside the hospital lobby, though it appeared noisy, at least ten pairs of eyes were scanning each person entering from different angles.

Those people were dressed in white coats, pretended to be family members, or looked like maintenance workers, but their attention never left the entrance and the anomaly in the crowd.

"Tsk, like an iron barrel." Gulu nudged Lin Yi's waist with his elbow, his voice barely audible. "Force our way in? Or sneak in?"

Lin Yi shook his head slightly. Direct conflict was the worst option, as it could easily expose him completely and lead to unpredictable consequences.

He took a deep breath, his facial muscles subtly adjusting, instantly revealing a complex expression that mixed worry, anxiety, and a glimmer of hope, perfectly blending into the anxious family members of the patients around him.

He pulled Gulu along and walked into the hospital lobby with slightly hurried steps.

Almost immediately, a nurse approached with a professional, gentle smile: "Hello, how can I help you?"

Lin Yi took out his phone—he had quickly snapped a picture of the woman's face when the driver wasn't looking—and said urgently and sadly, "Nurse, hello, I'd like to ask about my cousin. I heard she's hospitalized here and has been unconscious... This is my sister, she keeps asking to see her sister..." He gestured to Gulu beside him.

Gulu reacted extremely quickly, immediately lowering her head, her little hands clutching Lin Yi's clothes, her shoulders trembling slightly, looking like a little girl trying to hold back tears and at a loss, her acting skills were superb.

The nurse looked at the photo, then at the "sad" brother and sister, a fleeting hint of sympathy in her eyes, but more of a procedural understanding.

She sighed, "Oh, you have narcolepsy... I understand how you feel. But it's not visiting hours now, the rules are very strict. It won't open for another hour. If you're willing to wait, you can sit in the family rest area over there."

"Symphomania?" Lin Yi caught the word that had been specially given this name.

"Yes, that's what the hospital calls these kinds of symptoms." The nurse nodded, seemingly unwilling to explain further, or perhaps she didn't know much to begin with. "Please come this way; there's a water dispenser and magazines in the rest area."

Lin Yi and Gulu showed no objection and obediently followed the nurse to the rest area on one side of the lobby.

There were quite a few people sitting here, most of them with somber expressions, creating a somber atmosphere.

A few of those hidden gazes lingered on them for a moment, seemingly assessing the threat level of the "siblings," but ultimately, they were just concerned family members who deemed them harmless, and gradually looked away.

"Okay, thank you, we'll wait there." Lin Yi quickly thanked him, his tone full of gratitude, and pulled Gulu, whose eyes were "slightly red," towards an empty seat in the corner of the rest area.

The lounge area was fairly comfortable, with soft sofas and complimentary drinking water and e-magazine reading boards. Lin Yi and Gulu chose a spot that offered a good view of most of the lobby while also being in a relatively blind spot.

This location offers a good view of most of the hall while remaining relatively inconspicuous.

Neither of them spoke, but silently picked up the magazine and flipped through it, though their eyes never stopped observing each other out of the corner of their eyes.

They noticed that after the nurse who had greeted them returned to the information desk, she spoke in hushed tones to another person who appeared to be the head nurse, who then glanced sharply toward the rest area.

Meanwhile, at least two "lurkers" in the lobby made subtle changes to their positions to ensure that the rest area could be brought under more effective surveillance.

Time passed by, and several more family members arrived in the rest area, talking quietly to each other, their faces showing similar anxiety and anticipation.

Lin Yi listened intently, piecing together information from their fragmented conversation that was similar to what the taxi driver had said—a loved one had inexplicably fallen into a coma, the hospital could not find the cause, visits were strictly restricted, and the explanation for this was vague.

About forty minutes later, a light but regular sound of footsteps came from the depths of the corridor.

Lin Yi and Gulu looked up at the same time and saw four people wearing highly sealed white protective suits and full-face masks pushing a stretcher through the corridor on the side of the hall and heading towards the elevator area.

Their attire was strikingly different from that of medical staff in other areas of the hospital; they resembled experts handling high-risk biochemical materials.

The person on the stretcher was completely covered, so their face could not be seen.

This scene caused a slight commotion among the family members waiting in the rest area, their whispers filled with unease and speculation.

Meanwhile, the "monitors" in the hall became noticeably more vigilant, their eyes scanning the reactions of the surrounding crowd with greater focus.

Lin Yi and Gu exchanged a glance. The situation was clear: this city center hospital was definitely one of the core components of the abnormal situation in this "normal" world.

Those who are in a coma are very likely to be directly related to the predicament of the City of Sleep, or even to the Nightmare Realm itself.

The fact that the woman they rescued from the Black Tooth Gang is also here further suggests that this matter is far from simple.

At 3 p.m., visiting hours finally arrived.

A nurse with a rigid expression, carrying an electronic folder, came to the rest area and began to strictly check the identities of visitors and patient information according to the list.

She examined the person very carefully, occasionally looking up to compare their face with hers, her eyes showing no extraneous emotion.

When it was Lin Yi's and Gulu's turn, Lin Yi took out the photos on his phone again and repeated his previous words with a sad expression.

The nurse searched through the electronic folder, her brow furrowing slightly: "What is the patient's name? We need to verify the accurate information."

Lin Yi felt a chill run down his spine. The taxi driver had only given him a photo and hadn't told him his name.

His expression remained impassive, his tone carrying just the right amount of confusion and urgency: "My cousin's name is... Look at me, I completely forgot in my haste. Sigh, everyone in the family calls her by her nickname Lanlan, but her real name... I just suddenly remembered..."

The nurse looked at his reaction, then at the photo, and seemed somewhat doubtful, her finger pausing on the screen for a moment.

Just then, Gulu, who had caught sight of the name, gently tugged at Lin Yi's sleeve and whispered in a tearful voice, "Brother... it's Sister Zhang Ya... you said you'd bring me to find Sister Zhang Ya..."

Lin Yi immediately exclaimed in realization, "Right, right! Zhang Ya! Look at my memory!"

The nurse's gaze lingered on Gulu's tear-streaked face for a moment, then glanced at Lin Yi's "annoyed" expression. Seemingly finally dispelling her doubts, she found the corresponding name on the list and ticked it with her electronic pen: "Zhang Ya, 307 Special Observation Room. Come with me. Visiting time is only fifteen minutes. Remember, you can only visit through the observation window in the outer cubicle. You cannot enter the ward, take photos or record audio, or make loud noises or bang on the glass."

"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you!" Lin Yi thanked her repeatedly, pulling Gulu along as they followed the nurse.

They, along with several other family members whose names were called, were led by a security guard and a nurse to a separate corridor.

This corridor appears to be isolated from the rest of the hospital's main building, requiring an access card to enter through a heavy isolation door.

The corridor was lit in a cool tone, the walls were made of cold metal plates, the floor was so shiny it was like a mirror, and the air was filled with a strong smell of disinfectant. It was so quiet that you could only hear people's footsteps and the faint hum of the ventilation system.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the outside world, this place seems like another dimension.

We've arrived at Special Observation Room 307. It's a suite-style room with a small cubicle on the outside containing only a chair and a communicator.

The inner ward is separated from the outer ward by a huge, thick glass window that looks like reinforced glass and may even be explosion-proof.

The blinds on the inside of the glass window were open, allowing a clear view of the ward.

The ward was pure white, with various sophisticated and cold medical instruments surrounding a hospital bed, and vital signs data flashing on the screens.

Lying quietly on the hospital bed was a woman, the same one in the photo, the one they had rescued from the Black Tooth Gang—Zhang Ya.

Her face was rosy, and her breathing was steady, as if she had simply fallen into a deep sleep, but that lifeless stillness had an eerie quality to it.

Gulu pressed her face against the glass window, acting as a little sister longing to see her family.

Lin Yi stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder, seemingly to comfort her, but actually scanning every detail in the ward.

The instrument data was normal, even excessively so.

There were no visible tubes connected to her body in the ward, except for a few monitoring patches attached to her chest and temples.

Her sleeping face was peaceful, but there seemed to be a trace of struggle or pain that could not be resolved between her brows.

At the other observation windows, family members began to visit one after another. Low sobs and calls echoed in the quiet corridor, adding to the oppressive atmosphere.

Just then, Lin Yi noticed that the door to the inside of the ward had slid open.

Two people wearing identical full protective suits came in and began routinely checking the instrument data.

One of them appeared to adjust a small, inconspicuous, transmitter-like device on the bedside table.

Just as he was adjusting, Lin Yi's senses detected an extremely faint fluctuation.

Almost at the same moment, Zhang Ya, lying on her hospital bed, twitched her eyelids very slightly, as if she had been disturbed in her deep sleep.

This hospital doesn't appear to be treating these comatose patients; rather, it seems to be using some kind of technology to monitor their condition.

Fifteen minutes of visiting time were up, a cold electronic notification sounded, and the blinds inside began to close slowly and automatically, cutting off the family members' last glimpse of the visit.

The nurse began to urge the family members to leave with a blank expression, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Lin Yi, still somewhat reluctant to leave, followed the crowd back.

His brain was racing; he had to find a way to delve into deeper areas.

Forcing our way in would be unwise; the strength of the guards here is currently unknown, so it's best not to alert them.

Back in the isolation corridor, just as he was about to step out of the isolation door, Lin Yi noticed another private elevator at the end of the corridor that required a higher-level access card to open, with two armed guards standing beside it.

That elevator likely leads deeper underground, or to a more confidential location. (End of Chapter)