Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 13: Sleepwalking in Dreamland

1606: The Meat Chickens' Counterattack

As chickens raised for meat, their greatest danger actually stems from their complete ignorance of pocket dimensions—Wu Yiliu was confident that as long as both sides had the same amount of information, he would never be caught off guard.

Compared to other pocket dimension reconnoiters, Wu Yiliu had encountered, analyzed, and tested a significant number of pocket dimensions. Over the years, he'd gradually discerned patterns, categorizing these dimensions into a few types.

The first type had clear rules and was neutral and fair—usually game-like dimensions where what you can and cannot do is well-defined. Players follow the guidelines, making it relatively worry-free.

The second type placed you in a narrative setting, giving you only a basic direction to move forward and some restrictions. How you proceeded was entirely up to you, as you slowly discovered the boundaries and tried to expand your room to maneuver. The penalties for making mistakes could vary, but if you didn't take risks, you'd be stuck in place. This was more troublesome than the first type, but it was still not the most frustrating.

The type Wu Yiliu disliked the most was the third.

At first glance, this third type of pocket dimension seemed very open. There was no host, no guide—everything seemed possible, as if you could go anywhere and do anything. But everyone knew that hidden rules were definitely at play, you just didn't know what they were.

Even when a few rules were revealed, they were often vague. At critical moments, they could be as flexible as a rubber band—no one knew how far they could stretch or how they might be interpreted. The more ambiguous the rules, the less freedom you actually had—after all, who knows what would cause a violation?

The Driver pocket dimension belonged to this third type and was even more exasperating. From Christo's description, it seemed completely biased in favor of the players, leaving little advantage for the chickens—there was still some, but it was minimal.

Entering the Driver pocket dimension was like being reincarnated. Some were lucky and became players. Those who end up in the arena—whether tricked or by accident—became chickens, forced to defend themselves constantly. A moment of carelessness, and they'd end up like Pence and Cuining, forever trapped as someone else's prey.

Wu Yiliu and Abby stood at the edge of the forest, looking towards a brightly lit cabin in the distance.

The heavy rain had stopped, but dusk was approaching. The recently cleared sky now looked as if it was being pushed back underwater, with a blood-red hue slowly rising from the west.

Pence and Cuining stood framed by two bright windows, their faces obscured by the backlight. But their features hadn't changed.

It was as if they knew Wu Yiliu and Abby were planning to return. Despite their gazes meeting, they didn't come out to chase them. For a few seconds, the two sides simply stared silently at each other across the trees and the clearing.

Abby was the first to break the silence.

"Are we... really going back?" she asked quietly. "They're beyond saving, aren't they?"

They were.

In theory, Wu Yiliu could save Pence and Cuining the same way he saved Abby—but that was no longer possible.

Wu Yiliu had confirmed with Christo that players could still communicate with each other when they crossed paths. Now that the lights in the cabin had turned back on, it meant that Pence and Cuining had been successfully brainwashed—they turned on the lights to guide the remaining two players back.