Lucid Dreamer: Dream Hunt

Chapter 9: Code Names and Mentors

Lu Ziyan's face drained of color in an instant, a swoosh of crimson fleeing his cheeks. He felt his breath catch and his mind go blank. The cold crutch in his arms clattered, falling powerlessly to the floor with a loud clang.

“F-Frontline Combat Unit?!” He squeezed the words out through clenched teeth, his voice warped by terror. “Sister Flower! Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake? Me! Look at me!” He slapped his splinted left leg with a frantic motion. “I’m just a student! I’ve barely even seen what an Asura looks like a few times! And... and I was specially recruited by Director Jiang—a high-ranking official! Shouldn’t I... shouldn’t I get some kind of special treatment? At least not be sent to the front line to die!”

He fumbled in his pocket, finally pulling out the black business card R-Water had given him, and handed it to Flower as if clutching a final lifeline. “Look! It’s this person... er...”

Lu Ziyan's words snagged in his throat. He was stunned to see that the originally clear and bold characters for "R-Water" on the deep black background of the card had vanished without a trace. All that remained was a slick, unblemished sheet of black.

It was as if R-Water had anticipated Lu Ziyan would casually hand out her card; the card was marked with a special, evaporative ink.

"R-Water, you're messing with me!" Lu Ziyan let out a desperate inner howl, his fingers trembling slightly from how tightly he was gripping the card.

Flower leaned in to look at the empty black card, a look of "I knew it" flashing across her face. She quickly restored her bright, yet slightly cruel, smile. "Mmm, I think I know which important figure you're talking about. But I'm afraid the orders are very clear. I'm to bring 'a Lu Ziyan with a broken leg and the handsome young man next to him' to the Combat Integration Bureau to join the Executioner Unit, which is currently in need of replenishment—and this order was personally issued by that very 'high-ranking official' you mentioned, you know."

These words struck Lu Ziyan like a bolt of lightning, splitting his skull. R-Water... she was the one who personally threw him into the fire pit?

Why? Did her "You're home" mean this? Home to the Asura's dwelling?!

Qing Wen, who was standing beside him, seemed eager and ready. His eyes sparkled with a mix of nervousness and excitement. "Executioner Unit? That sounds awesome! Does this mean we get our own code names? I want to be 'Carsejaw'!" He immediately used the name of the genius mage from his own original world-setting.

"Sure thing, no problem," Flower nodded. "You have the right to choose your code name freely."

Lu Ziyan was still reeling in shock and confusion, and he subconsciously followed the thought. "A code name? What should I call myself..."

"Oh, you don't need to think about it," Flower cheerfully interrupted him, her tone as light as announcing a pleasant day. "Yours has already been assigned from above—'Death Star' (Sixing). From now on, that’s your name in the Rectification Association."

"Death... Star?" Lu Ziyan paused, then his face grew even darker. "The homophone... that's 'Death Sentence,' isn't it?! Is it?! Who chose this?! Can I change it?! It sounds way too unlucky!"

That awful code name had to have been given to him by R-Water!

"Can't do that~" Flower kept pushing the wheelchair forward, ignoring Lu Ziyan's protests. "You don't have the right to refuse. Remember, try to use code names in the Association. Your real name should only be revealed to people you trust implicitly."

Flower pushed the seemingly shell-shocked Lu Ziyan and led the curiously peering Qing Wen to a service desk. Flower said she was looking for the Executioner Unit's leader, and the staff told her he was in the Hall of Solemn White—referring to the Association’s dream-based headquarters.

"It looks like Commander Blutree is busy," Flower said. "In that case, we'll skip the next step and arrange your respective mentors—we usually call them Teachers. No one is born strong; Rectifiers are all trained under a system of 'veteran leading the new'. Actually, starting your combat training now, at your age, is not too late."

She turned to Qing Wen, a look of genuine admiration on her face. "Little Qing Wen, you have a boundless future. According to the directive, you've been personally assigned to the Eleventh Sequence Rectifier, Heartbolt ! Oh my god, this is the first time I've seen top brass mandate a Sequence Rectifier to personally mentor a new recruit!"

"A Sequence Rectifier?!" Lu Ziyan and Qing Wen were both shocked. Lu Ziyan knew the weight of a Sequence Rectifier—they were the top combat forces of the Association, twelve legendary beings.

"Heartbolt is a bona fide Peak Emptiness level powerhouse," Flower explained to the still somewhat bewildered Qing Wen. "The large-scale Lucid Dreaming gatherings originated in the neighboring country Escalia, and their power system uses the one from their religious myths. The Scripture of the Void says, 'Beyond the Gate lie the Steps, Beyond the Steps lies the Emptiness'. So, we divide strength into three major ranks: Gate, Step, and Emptiness. Each major rank is further divided into Low, Mid, and Peak. Heartbolt is at the Peak level of Emptiness, the highest rank—one of the few standing at the very top of the pyramid."

She took out her phone and made a call. Soon, a middle-aged man walked out of the elevator. He wore a crisp, white Association uniform, had a cold demeanor, and a hint of impatience in his eyes. His gaze swept over the three of them, paused briefly on Qing Wen, and he gave a slight nod, seeming satisfied with the "prospect". But when he saw Lu Ziyan in the wheelchair, he made no effort to hide a flicker of disdain.

"I'm taking the person now." Heartbolt was brief and to the point. He didn't even introduce himself, merely signaled to Qing Wen, and turned to leave. Qing Wen looked nervously yet excitedly at Lu Ziyan and quickly followed him. They were heading to a higher floor—one that was currently off-limits to Lu Ziyan due to his security clearance—where dedicated beds and equipment for Sequence Rectifiers were located.

Lu Ziyan watched Qing Wen's retreating back, a strange mix of bitterness and... defiance welling up in his heart. Even Qing Wen got a top-tier powerhouse as a mentor—how bad could he be? Since R-Water had specifically recruited him, shouldn't there be some special arrangement? Maybe an even more powerful Sequence Rectifier? Could it be Xu Liusè? That would be a huge honor!

However, Flower’s next sentence shattered his illusion. "As for you, little Death Star... the directive says not to arrange a dedicated teacher for you. I'm to 'handle it officially,' without using that official's connections, and see which suitable Emptiness-level Rectifier happens to be available to take you on the side."

Available? On the side? Lu Ziyan's heart sank. So, his fate was completely in the hands of "Flower," this Integrated Intelligence Bureau official, right here?

Flower tilted her head, smiling like a cunning fox. "Oh dear, this is tricky, isn't it~ All the Emptiness-level Rectifiers are super busy and have awful tempers. No one wants to take on a new recruit, especially one who..." She glanced pointedly at Lu Ziyan, "...has a comparatively weak foundation. But—" she drew out the word—"if a certain someone is sweet-talked a little, and calls me 'Pretty Sister' a few times, maybe I can find a way?"

Lu Ziyan wanted to cry. "...Sister Flower, have mercy on me."

Flower let out a little pfft of laughter, clearly pleased. "Good boy~ Let me check the system." She swiped a few times on the tablet she was carrying. "Hmm... found one! There's an Emptiness-Low level Rectifier named Hicreed who isn't currently mentoring anyone else—his last student is heading to Floor 14 at noon today." She paused, then added, "Perfect. He's on duty today, so he should be in the building. He's the one!"

Floor 14... A chill ran through Lu Ziyan's heart again as he recalled Flower's earlier introduction. The Euthanasia Facility.

On the way to find Hicreed, Lu Ziyan suddenly remembered something and quietly asked Flower, "Sister Flower, just a question. If a Rectifier saves someone in a dream, say, an ordinary Lucid Dreamer, are they allowed to... charge a fee? Like a few hundred dollars or something?"

He remembered the scoundrel who extorted five hundred yuan from him. After suffering such a grievance, he figured he should extort it back from someone else!

Flower’s face instantly became serious, and she spoke with righteous indignation. "That is a very serious violation! Since Director Nishio took office, we've increased our efforts to c***k down on this kind of misconduct! Using your authority or ability to extort or blackmail others—if our Integrated Intelligence Bureau catches a whiff of it, we'll make sure they pay dearly! Why do you ask? Did you encounter something like that?"

"No! Absolutely not! I was just curious! Just asking casually!" Lu Ziyan waved his hands frantically, cold sweat breaking out on his brow. Luckily, Flower didn't press the matter.

Speaking as they went, the two arrived at Zone B on Floor 16. This area was lined with rows of neat beds. Deep inside Zone B, they were hit by a mix of cigarette smoke and sweat. They saw a man, unshaven, wearing a wrinkled undershirt and baggy shorts. His white Association windbreaker was draped casually over his shoulders like a cloak. He was leaning against a bed, puffing lazily on a cigarette, his eyes slightly unfocused as he stared out the window, lost in thought.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Hicreed?" Flower showed her Integrated Intelligence Bureau staff ID. "I'm 'Flower,' a Senior Officer from the Integrated Intelligence Bureau. According to the arrangement, you have been assigned to be the mentor for our new colleague, 'Death Star'—responsible for guiding him in dream combat training. This is a directive from a high-ranking official within the Integrated Intelligence Bureau, bypassing your Combat Integration Bureau. You do not have the right to refuse."

Lu Ziyan and Hicreed froze simultaneously, their eyes meeting in mid-air.

Fine beads of sweat instantly broke out on both their faces. Their expressions became extremely unnatural, their eyes darting away, and they seemed unsure where to put their hands and feet.

Because this scruffy, rather down-and-out Emptiness-Low level Rectifier, Hicreed, was none other than—the heartless Rectifier who had saved Lu Ziyan from an Asura a little over a month ago, and then casually "extorted" five hundred kuai of New Year's money from him!

"Uh... H-hello... Death Star, is it? I-I'm Hicreed..." Hicreed forced an air of composure, speaking first. His voice was dry as he attempted to create the atmosphere of a first meeting.

"H-hello, Teacher..." Lu Ziyan played along with the act, his voice barely a whisper.

Flower watched their strange reactions, her big eyes blinking, seemingly amused, but she didn't reveal anything. "Alright, I suppose you two have 'met.' Mr. Hicreed, please exchange contact information with Death Star for future communication."

"Oh, oh, right... I'll scan you," Hicreed quickly took out his phone, trying to maintain his composure as he scanned Lu Ziyan's QR code.

Drip.

However, the screen that popped up was not the 'Add Friend' interface. It jumped directly to an existing chat window! At the bottom of the window was a glaring transfer record from a month ago: [￥500.00].

The air instantly froze.

Hicreed's hand trembled violently. He slammed the screen off with lightning speed, his face flushing red then pale. More cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He stole a glance at Flower, who was just smiling at them, seemingly not having seen the screen's content—or perhaps she did, but chose not to say anything.

"Ahem... Well, Flower, and... Death Star. I'll take good care of him." Hicreed practically blurted out the words, trying to cover his embarrassment.

Flower nodded, her smile still bright. "That's good then~ I'll leave him to you. Death Star, make sure you learn well from Teacher Hicreed. Teacher Hicreed’s mentor is a very important person, you know~" With that, she winked at Lu Ziyan and turned away with a flourish, leaving the "newly acquainted" master and apprentice who were so awkward they could have dug a three-room-and-one-living-room apartment with their toes.

The moment the dorm door closed, the atmosphere became even more suffocating.

Hicreed took a long, deep drag on his cigarette, then let out a heavy cloud of smoke, as if trying to exhale all the awkwardness and embarrassment with it. He looked at Lu Ziyan, his eyes complex, and broke the silence first. "...Thanks, kid. For not ratting me out to the old lady from the Integrated Intelligence Bureau."

Lu Ziyan gave a bitter smile in his wheelchair. "What good would ratting you out do? I'm still stuck under your command, aren't I?" He paused, unable to stop himself from asking, "Teacher Hicreed... tell me, is it too late for me to resign now?"

Hicreed choked on his smoke and coughed violently. He finally caught his breath after a while, his eyes filled with the same helplessness and a hint of sympathy. "Damn it... I was about to ask you the same thing! Why the hell did you have to come to the Association? And as a frontline guy for the Combat Integration Bureau, no less?! Listen to me: Run now, while you still can!"

Lu Ziyan was on the verge of tears, his voice laced with despair. "I don't have a choice..."

The two looked at each other and simultaneously let out a heavy, helpless sigh. Great. This fateful entanglement is set in stone.

After a moment of silence, Hicreed stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and vigorously rubbed his face, as if coming to a decision. "Forget it! If we're stuck with it, let's go! Let's make the most of the time we have! At least I can teach you how to die slower!"

He went to the Zone B service desk and grabbed two melatonin pills and two sets of earplugs and eye masks. "Take these, put them on. Find two empty beds—we're entering the dream now. We'll cover the basic theory as we practice!"

The clamor of reality was shut out. With a feeling of anxiety mixed with a kind of reckless resignation, Lu Ziyan swallowed the pill, put on the gear, and lay down on the Rectifier's specialized bed. On the bed next to him lay his extremely unreliable mentor, whom he had "bought" for five hundred yuan.