After trying multiple times, Fang Xiu figured out that even if he had a scalpel stuck in his leg, the mysterious Specter would still pull him into its dream trap. He knew now that only he and Zhao Hao could beat this trial. They had to face their fears head-on to get through it.
"This must be the way out!"
"We can leave through here!"
Fang Xiu quickly spoke to Zhao Hao and their crew. "In this emergency exit lies a Specter who creates dreams and illusions. Inside this dream, some scary stuff might happen, making you think you've escaped the Specter Zone. But it's all just an illusion. To snap out of it, face your fear. If you get scared in the dream, it'll be the end for you."
"A Specter, again?" Zhao Hao shouted, clearly freaking out. Judging by his response, he was already scared stiff, even without seeing the dream.
"Zhao Hao, don't forget, it's all just an illusion. Stay calm; that's our ticket out," Fang Xiu said, trying to calm him down.
Zhao Hao, though still a bit shaky, nodded. He trusted Fang Xiu.
"Oh, and if you see Li Feifei in the dream, give her a squeeze. The dream version and the real one feel different. That's one of the flaws in the dream."
Zhao Hao looked surprised. "Uh... I've never touched the real one."
Ignoring him, Fang Xiu opened the door and stepped into the dream. It was the same one he remembered.
From his earlier failures, he knew that in his dream, Zhao Hao and everyone else weren't real. Everyone saw different things. Fang Xiu couldn't help Zhao Hao inside this dream world. But knowing it was just make-believe, Fang Xiu wasn't frightened and snapped out of it in no time.
Waking up, he didn't see any Specter. Instead, he found Zhao Hao and two others in a horrible state, lying all twisted on the floor. They were still breathing but looked terrified, some even shaking.
Zhao Hao was choking himself, his face turning blue, looking like he might pass out any second.
Fang Xiu ran to him and pulled Zhao Hao's hands away. Zhao Hao gasped for air, but he was still out of it.
"Zhao Hao, come on, snap out of it."
He tried shaking Zhao Hao, but it didn't work.
SLAP!
Even after several slaps on his face, he didn't wake up. Unsure of what else to do, Fang Xiu grabbed the scalpel and made a cut on Zhao Hao's leg. He even used his special power to make the pain sharper. Zhao Hao's face scrunched up in pain, but he stayed unconscious.
A moment later, he went limp, lifeless.
And soon after, Fang Xiu also died.
Several attempts later, Fang Xiu felt like he was stuck in a nightmare loop. No matter how much he prepped them, Zhao Hao and the others always met a grim fate in the dream, their fears reigning supreme.
Fang Xiu's heart ached at every repeated failure, the weight of the impending doom pressing him further into hopelessness.
'One last try,' he thought. 'One last attempt to save Zhao Hao.'
The key to victory against fear, Fang Xiu mused, might not be to confront it but to sidestep it entirely. He needed a strategy that would flood their senses and emotions, something to overshadow the engulfing dread. Thinking about primal emotions, his mind darted to something fundamental, a basic human drive.
Scouring his memories of Zhao Hao, Fang Xiu could only find a few standout qualities. But then, he came to a realization, the one "unique interest" Zhao Hao harbored. An age-old instinct, thought Fang Xiu, might be their saving grace.
"You're a fan of the adult movie, 'Private Lessons After School', aren't you, Zhao Hao?" Fang Xiu suddenly asked.
Zhao Hao stared back, wide-eyed. "Xiu, did you snoop through my phone?!"
"Just play the movie, max volume, now!" Fang Xiu ordered.
But Zhao Hao's face turned beet-red. "Here? Now? That's almost as humiliating as... well, you know!"
"I'm dead serious. It might be our only way out," Fang Xiu's gaze was unwavering.
Reluctantly, with a resigned sigh, Zhao Hao played the movie. The catchy tunes and risqué scenes echoed through the corridor, surprisingly diminishing the thick air of fear that had enveloped them.
Their teammates looked at Zhao Hao, eyebrows raised, while Zhao Hao wished he could evaporate right then and there.
"Concentrate on the movie," Fang Xiu guided. "Become one with the scenes; let them consume you. Just imagine you're one of her students in that classroom… If your heartbeat races because of the movie and not the fear, you might stand a chance."
Taking a steadying breath, Zhao Hao engrossed himself in the movie. Fang Xiu turned to the others, "Find a way to distract yourselves. Dive deep into a memory or passion—anything to shield you from fear."
The others, lacking Zhao Hao's "particular interest" or any handy entertainment in their phone, reluctantly got caught up in the movie. It seemed that even in the direst circumstances, shared interests might just bridge gaps.
After what felt like an eternity but was just a few minutes, Fang Xiu sensed it was time. Zhao Hao appeared somewhat ready, his face flushed and his pants bulging. The others, on the other hand, seemed more confused than anything. Not just anyone could be distracted in the face of fear.
All that Fang Xiu could do was continue ahead. After sharing a few vital tips and tricks, he led the group through the door.
No sooner had they entered that the dream-weaver Specter's magic wrapped around them, pulling them into its depths.
Fang Xiu, with his honed skills, was able to shake off the Specter's influence in a flash. He quickly observed his three companions. Zhao Hao and the other two were on the floor. The expressions of the two other coworkers were of pure horror, as though they were facing their worst nightmares. Even stranger, injuries began appearing on their bodies.
Zhao Hao was a bit different. He looked scared, sure, but there was a playful twinkle in his eye. Plus, there was a somewhat embarrassing bulge in his pants. Watching this, Fang Xiu felt a bit comforted.
'Perhaps having some special interests isn't so bad.'
He remembered a past chat with Zhao Hao, where his friend had shared a weird story. One day, while napping, Zhao Hao felt trapped in his body, a condition known as sleep paralysis. During this episode, he saw a pale-looking ghostly girl.
At first, she frightened him with her eeriness. But as he kept looking, he felt she was quite pretty, and he even wanted to kiss her in the dream… However, he woke up just as their lips were about to meet. Zhao had laughingly said he wished he could've stayed asleep a bit longer.
Back then, Fang Xiu had thought Zhao Hao was just being silly. But seeing his friend's current state, Fang Xiu wondered…
'Maybe there's some truth to his story. Could Zhao Hao really find ghostly figures attractive? It reminds me of the tale of Ning Caichen, the guy who fell in love with a ghost.'
Suddenly, the dream's intensity skyrocketed. The two others weren't faring well. Their heads dropped, and blood began oozing, signaling they were losing the fight against their fears.
Zhao Hao, however, was on a rollercoaster of emotions. At one point, he looked like he was about to lose to his fear. But then, he let out a weird sound, shifted a bit, and there were some... peculiar movements of his hand. He seemed to be grabbing something, not his neck this time, but something round and soft in front of him.