Fifteen days in the Nightmare World, yet only five days had passed in Blue Star time.

But for the couple Lin Jianguo and Wang Xiulan, living in an ordinary residential building in the old district of Rongcheng, these five days felt as long as five centuries.

They knew their son was one of the new batch of "Awakened" who had entered the legendary "Nightmare World."

At first, although they were worried, they were also hopeful; after all, the internet said this was an opportunity, the wave of a new era.

Their son had been independent and decisive since childhood, and he was in good physical health, so they believed he could handle it.

They spent the nights searching for countless resources online and joined several "Awakened Families Mutual Aid Groups."

The most common information they received was: when newcomers first enter the Nightmare World, if they are lucky enough to be teleported to existing Great Xia territory, their consciousness usually returns within a day or two of Blue Star time to report that they are safe.

If they are less lucky and are teleported to the outskirts of a territory, requiring travel, there should still be news within three or four days.

But now, it had been five full days.

Their son's room remained tightly shut, silent and still inside.

In the Awakened Families group, the children who had Awakened around the same time had long since posted messages about their safe return, with some even excitedly sharing their experiences in the "novice village" of the Nightmare World.

Only their family remained silent.

"Old Lin, I... my heart is pounding so hard."

Wang Xiulan sat on the living room sofa, clutching a handkerchief that had already become slightly damp.

On the living room wall, the projection of the National Fortune Cauldron floated silently; the three cracks on the tripod's belly seemed unchanged, yet they felt particularly glaring to Wang Xiulan.

Lin Jianguo sat opposite her, holding an unlit cigarette in his hand, his brows knitted together, staring fixedly at his son's tightly closed door.

This man, who had worked in a factory for most of his life and was usually taciturn, now had a slightly hunched back.

"Let's... let's wait a little longer." His voice was hoarse. "Didn't the internet say that in very rare cases, one might be teleported to a very distant place and return late..."

He had said this more than once, but his confidence was waning.

In the mutual aid group, people had begun to express sympathy and concern euphemistically: Could it be that after returning from the Nightmare World, he suffered mental trauma or a sudden illness?

"I can't wait any longer!" Wang Xiulan stood up abruptly. "I can't just sit here and wait like this! I only have one son! I'm going in to check!"

Lin Jianguo's lips moved, but in the end, he didn't stop her. He was also afraid—afraid that if he opened the door, he would see the scene he least wanted to face.

Wang Xiulan's hands trembled as she retrieved the spare key from the TV cabinet drawer.

The sound of the key entering the lock was exceptionally clear in the silent living room, accompanied by her suppressed sobbing.

The door was pushed open gently.

The morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting several beams of light into the room. Fine dust floated in the air.

Everything seemed no different from when they had last come in to tidy up. The desk was neat, and the bed was made.

Their son, Lin Feng, was lying quietly on the bed, his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling slightly with his breathing, his complexion rosy, as if he had simply fallen into a deep sleep.

But... his body was in a strange, semi-transparent state. Sunlight shone through his arm, revealing the texture of the bed sheet beneath.

A moth that had wandered into the room passed through his hand, which was hanging by the bedside, without any obstruction.

This was the "phase virtualization" state that the Blue Star body enters while an Awakened is in the Nightmare World.

It meant their son was still "alive," and his consciousness was still in that world.

The two looked at their son's "sleeping" face; they were relieved, but their hearts were back in their throats—he was still there, but why hadn't he returned yet?

Lin Jianguo searched the room with his eyes, hoping to find some clue.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the bedside table.

There, besides an old desk lamp, lay a pure black electronic business card with a unique texture.

Subtle streams of light traced the edges of the card, showing its extraordinary nature.

Lin Jianguo walked over and picked it up carefully. The card felt slightly cool to the touch, and there were only two lines of concise information on the front:

Su Mingyuan

Consultant, Rongcheng Nightmare Affairs Bureau

Below was a string of communication numbers.

"Rongcheng Nightmare Affairs Bureau... Consultant?"

Lin Jianguo muttered, exchanging a glance with Wang Xiulan; both saw surprise and a faint glimmer of hope in each other's eyes.

The Nightmare Administration Bureau! That was the official state agency for managing affairs related to the Nightmare World!

A consultant must be a professional who knows the inside story!

Why would this be on their son's bedside table? Was it issued by the school on the day of awakening? Or did their son know this person beforehand?

Regardless, this seemed to be the only professional they could find at the moment who might understand the situation.

"Call! Call this number quickly and ask!" Wang Xiulan acted as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw.

Lin Jianguo took a deep breath and used his old-fashioned mobile phone to solemnly dial the number, one digit at a time.

...

In the Lord's Residential District of Rongcheng, inside a small, secluded villa.

In the study, Su Mingyuan put down the ancient book rubbing in his hand, glanced at the unfamiliar number displayed on his communicator, rubbed his brow, and answered it.

A moment later, he hung up the call, his face showing a trace of understanding and emotion.

"Dad, who is it?" Su Yurou asked casually as she walked into the study with a cup of hot tea.

She was wearing comfortable loungewear, her long hair draped smoothly over her shoulders, but her face carried a trace of imperceptible fatigue and boredom.

It had been four days since she returned to Blue Star from the Nightmare World. The initial excitement and novelty had long since worn off after experiencing the suffocating "reality" of Zhenyue City.

"Lin Feng's parents." Su Mingyuan looked at his daughter, his tone calm.

"Lin Feng, do you remember him? The classmate in your class who also Awakened."

Su Yurou's hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and she nodded: "I remember. What happened to him?"

She had a deep impression of that classmate who sat by # Nоvеlight # the window and always had very calm eyes.

"He hasn't returned from the Nightmare World yet; it's been five days in Blue Star time. His parents are very worried and found the business card you gave him."

Su Mingyuan explained simply, "According to what you told me before, among the three Awakened in your class, Zhao Kai was teleported to his family's village-level territory, and you were teleported to Zhenyue City. Lin Feng... it seems he dropped directly into the wilderness."

"Dropped into the wilderness..." Su Yurou took a sharp breath. The teacher had emphasized countless times in class that the survival rate for dropping directly into the wilderness was extremely low. Lin Feng hadn't returned for five days; could it be...

"Don't jump to conclusions," Su Mingyuan said, seeing his daughter's thoughts, and waved his hand. "His parents said his Blue Star physical state is stable and his phase virtualization is normal, which means he is still alive and his consciousness hasn't dissipated; it's not that he suffered a sudden illness after returning from the Nightmare World."

"The most likely reason he hasn't returned for so long is that he is trapped in the wilderness, with no territory recognized by a National Fortune Cauldron nearby to serve as a'safe return point'."

He paused and looked at his daughter: "Yu Rou, you are currently in Zhenyue City... you don't have anything to do for the time being, right?"

A bitter smile flashed across Su Yurou's lips. It wasn't just that she had nothing to do; she was completely idle.