Chapter 66: The Infinite Dream and a Friend’s Plight

Su Xinxin and Soapwort exchanged information as they rescued people.

Having transformed, Su Xinxin felt a significant return of her strength.

“The Infinite… Train?” With a hint of uncertainty, Su Xinxin probed.

Images suddenly flashed through Su Xinxin’s mind.

She seemed to recall seeing something similar, a story about battling demons on a train. Some people were dragged into dreams, fighting for their lives within them; if they couldn’t awaken, they would perish.

“That’s right! It’s just like the one in the anime, *Demon Slayer*!” Soapwort said, purifying a passenger without even turning her head. “It’s very similar—the kind where people are killed in dreams. Oh, and I heard some old movies also have classic plots involving battles on trains. The difference is, we’re on a subway, not one of those old-fashioned steam trains.”

As she spoke, the porcelain bottle in her hand never ceased its work. The clear dew transformed into a fine mist, evenly sprinkling over the passengers’ faces. Her movements appeared remarkably practiced.

Su Xinxin nodded. Now, however, she was experiencing it firsthand, much to her chagrin.

Recalling the subsequent plot of that anime, she asked again, still with some doubt.

“So, after the Infinite Train comes… the Infinite, Infinite Fortress?”

“It’s not that fast!” Soapwort’s voice rose slightly. “Besides, that’s anime; this is reality. Even a three-year-old knows that anime and reality are different!”

Su Xinxin gave a wry smile upon hearing Soapwort’s analogy, “Even a three-year-old knows.” It reminded her of one of her granddaughters, who often used such exaggerated phrases as a catchphrase. Was it a popular saying nowadays?

“Keep purifying! We still have two more carriages; we need to hurry!”

Reminded by Soapwort, Su Xinxin quickly refocused and resumed her actions.

*Fragrant Core Touch: Heal.*

A goose-yellow glow emanated from Su Xinxin’s palm, radiating warmth. She held her hand suspended over the face of a still-sleeping passenger, and the light seeped in, little by little. The person’s brow furrowed, their eyeballs darted rapidly beneath their eyelids, and then they slowly, gradually awakened, settling into a calm state.

Soapwort’s progress, in comparison, was much faster. With a tilt of the porcelain bottle in her hand, the clear dew transformed into a large expanse of transparent bubbles, enveloping an entire row of passengers with a whoosh. The bubbles shimmered with colorful light under the lamps, popping one after another. Once they burst, the people awakened.

Su Xinxin watched, a touch of envy in her heart. She could only save one person at a time, while Soapwort could save a whole row. Yet, on second thought, she had only recently advanced to the first tier; being able to help at all was already quite good.

“Now… aren’t we going to fight the Corroder?”

Amidst her busy work, Su Xinxin found herself with a new question.

Soapwort tilted her head, as if pondering how to explain.

“What we need to do now isn’t to fight, but to pull them back from their dreams first. Because this dream… it can kill people!”

Su Xinxin’s brows furrowed tightly. She had never heard of the Corroder doing something like this. Killing people in dreams?

Soapwort continued to explain.

“Moreover, the Corroder is still hiding, not yet showing itself. It’s like… hmm, like some cats. You walk around them, and they ignore you, but if you touch their things, they’ll go ballistic. That’s how they are now; they haven’t decided to make a move. They just want to play some small tricks. When they truly intend to act, then—”

She left the sentence unfinished, merely shaking the porcelain bottle in her hand and continuing to rescue people.

Su Xinxin understood. If they made a move, it might… be too late?

The oppressive feeling this time was intangible, killing through dreams… slaying enemies invisibly.

“Ah,” Soapwort suddenly sighed, speaking in a seasoned tone, “You people from the Hua Ying Division always love to fight. Saving people is definitely an important duty for magical girls, too!”

Su Xinxin paused. Was that truly the impression the Hua Ying Division left on other divisions?

She thought about it again. Senior Gentian did seem to be like that, but others… probably not? Or was it because she hadn’t interacted with enough people? Or was this just Soapwort’s prejudice?

She scratched her head, deciding to change the subject.

“Um… I also wanted to ask,” she lowered her voice, “My Hua Ling, have you seen her? The one like a lop-eared rabbit. I saw her in my dream just now… she, she seemed to have died.”

Soapwort turned her head to look at her. There was a hint of sympathy in her blue eyes, but more so, a serious expression.

“I wouldn’t know,” she said. “You’ll have to find her yourself. I can pull you back from dreams, but that’s the only action I can perform—’pulling.’ I can’t see what kind of dreams you’re having.”

Su Xinxin lowered her eyes.

‘Xiao Ming… where are you, really?’

“She must be very important to you, right? After all, she’s a spirit who has been with you,” Soapwort’s voice suddenly softened.

“Mm.”

“Generally, no one else can enter a dream except the dreamer themselves,” Soapwort continued, walking towards the next row of passengers. “If she really did enter, then she’s probably trapped inside. The next time you enter a dream, just pull her back from there.”

Su Xinxin’s heart tightened. “But in my dream… it was very dangerous. She was hit by an arrow then…”

“Was it in the first layer of dreams?” Soapwort interrupted her.

“What?”

Soapwort explained to her very seriously.

“This dreamweaver uses something called the Triple Dream Kill Technique. It makes people experience three consecutive dreams, one nested within another, like matryoshka dolls.”

She counted on her fingers.

“The first layer is a bizarre dream. It’s chaotic but incredibly vivid. Sometimes you don’t even realize you’re dreaming, only feeling that it’s extremely disordered and strange. You won’t die in this layer, but you’ll feel injured and experience pain.”

Su Xinxin first thought of the dream where she passed through a mirror, becoming a princess one moment, meeting a knight the next, and then some cannibalistic ogre, Hannibal. It was chaotic, she had no idea what it was enacting. But the feeling of a broken country and scattered rumors truly made her feel deeply hurt.

“The second layer is a beautiful dream,” Soapwort continued. “It’s the kind of dream where you get whatever you want, whatever you wish for appears. You’ll feel that world is far better than reality and won’t want to leave at all. This layer marks the beginning of danger. You won’t die here, nor will you feel injury or pain. You’ll love and cherish that world, but you’ll simply refuse to come out, unwilling to leave the dream. It’s like… the Infinite Tsukuyomi! Oh? Another ‘infinite’?”

Su Xinxin recalled the stone pond, the grassland, the sunlight, the moonlight… she truly hadn’t wanted to leave. If someone hadn’t pulled her out, she might still be lying there, comfortably in that stone pond, and even reminiscing about it made her feel a little happy… *cough, cough*.

“As for the third layer…” Soapwort’s voice lowered. “It’s a nightmare. It will unearth all the tragic, painful, and terrifying things from your life, playing them back for you again and again until you are tormented to death. If you die there, you will die in reality as well.”

Su Xinxin couldn’t help but shiver. Fortunately, she hadn’t entered the third layer of dreams.

She remembered the lop-eared rabbit that turned to ashes in her dream, which must have been Xiao Ming. That place, was it the first layer of dreams?

“Then… Xiao Ming…”

“If it’s in the first layer of dreams, then it’s fine,” Soapwort said. “Bizarre dreams don’t kill people; they’re just chaotic. You might get a little injured, and it will still hurt. If it’s in the second layer, it’s actually safer, because beautiful dreams don’t harm people. But if it’s the third layer…” She didn’t finish, merely shaking her head.

Su Xinxin clenched her hands.

‘Good, if that’s the case, then Xiao Ming should still be alive and won’t die. She’s just trapped in my first layer of dreams, and some injuries and pain are unavoidable. It makes my heart ache a little.’

“Don’t think about these things for now,” Soapwort patted her shoulder. “Let’s wake these people up first. Once everyone is called back, we can go look for your Hua Ling. Maybe she’s already woken up and run out on her own?”

After saying that, she turned to rescue the next row of passengers. The porcelain bottle in her hand shook, and the clear dew splashed out with a whoosh, bubbles flying throughout the carriage.

Watching Soapwort’s retreating figure, Su Xinxin found some comfort.

She shook her head and followed.

Inside the carriage, more and more people were awakening. Some were filming videos with their phones, some were texting friends, some were crying, and others sat blankly, as if not yet fully emerged from their dreams.

Fortunately, the dreams had drained their energy, and although the mosquito-like murmurs persisted, there was at least no loud panic or commotion.

Su Xinxin walked from person to person, holding her hand over their faces, allowing the goose-yellow light to seep in, which helped to soothe their emotions.

As she rescued them, she called Xiao Ming’s name in her heart.

Still no response.

But she did not stop.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Daily Life at an All-Girls’ School in Another World

another worldCombatFemale Protagonist

Read Now →
Not interested