Kiana and the Captain's Bizarre Adventure

Chapter 269: Dream Reef

At the same time, deep within the realm of memories.

Xing's consciousness was returning. She remembered that a few minutes ago, Sand Gold launched its final offensive, then Huang Quan drew his sword, and then, bang!

That inexplicable force severed the protective power, causing the surrounding spacetime to freeze instantly, and Xing's thoughts were twisted into a jumbled mess in that instant. Then came the loss of all senses; only gravity tore at Xing's brain as she plummeted into boundless darkness…

Until a ray of firelight pulled her into his arms.

Upon opening his eyes, he was greeted by the most primal form of the dream. Standing in front of him was a person dressed in full-body mecha armor, a person Xing recognized.

Star Core Hunter Sam is this person's name. Of course, Star knows she also has a beautiful name—Firefly, a name known only to those close to her.

“…You’re awake.” Liu Ying spoke, but her voice was altered by the mecha.

"Firefly, what are you doing here? Why haven't you shown up since we parted? Are you... alright?" Xing had so many things she wanted to ask Firefly, but in the end, it all turned into concern.

“I’m fine,” Liu Ying said. “I’ve been waiting for you here for a long time. I originally wanted to appear in front of you sooner and tell you everything I’ve been through. But the obstacles I encountered were greater than I expected.”

Eleven times I tried, but all ended in failure. Unconsciously, my connection to this world had become too close, making it difficult to escape the constraints of the script. Elio was right; in this land of dreams, both you and I will gain unforgettable experiences.

Liu Ying looked up, her tone revealing a unique emotion.

“I am not as insightful about people as he and Kafka, nor do I possess the special skills of Silver Wolf and Blade. All my expertise is only applicable to villains who deserve no mercy. There is only one method I can use, and that is to show you everything about myself without reservation.”

As he spoke, Sam's mech vanished in a flash of fire, leaving only a glowing green pattern on its face.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the captain and Gallagher were strolling inside the Asahi Mansion.

"A maze of corridors and halls, traps and mechanisms everywhere... The owner of this mansion is a bit paranoid," the captain remarked after observing the layout of the passageway.

“Haha, that’s what I think too. What do you think, Mr. Sunday?” Gallagher joked.

Through a miniature model of the Golden Hour, Sunday, standing opposite with his back to the two men, replied, "You're very funny, Sheriff."

Then Sunday's tone began to become more oppressive.

"Hopefully, this sense of humor has helped you find the serial killer, or perhaps the person standing next to you is the killer?"

"Haha, how could that be? If he really were the murderer, how could I not tie him up hand and foot?"

“Exactly, if I were really the murderer, why would I be traveling with the sheriff?” the captain laughed.

“Mr. Gallagher, my patience is running out. Your passive resistance will only make me more suspicious of your relationship with the real culprit. Or are you the real culprit and he an accomplice?” Sunday turned to look at Gallagher.

"..."

Gallagher smiled silently, then walked up to Sunday.

"Rogue, scoundrel, drunkard, hooligan... I've heard far too many of these trash words, but I never imagined I'd be seen as a murderer one day. I take back what I said for this captain: your problem isn't being overly suspicious. You're a madman. Understand? A madman. Or shall we be more explicit, Mr. Remnant of Order?"

Sunday's eyes narrowed slightly, the murderous intent in them overflowing from his pupils, but he hesitated to make a move.

"What is Mr. Gallagher saying? I don't understand."

“Then let’s pretend I didn’t say anything. So, Mr. Sunday, why did you call me here?” Gallagher’s eyes sharpened.

"Your family broke my spine, pulled out my fangs, and now you're accusing me of murder? What a bastard! Only a drunken idiot like Suleda would go crazy over a stray dog ​​on the street."

What on earth is driving you to spout nonsense here? Shouldn't you be more concerned about those foreign guests who are having a great time at the film amusement park than me?

"I don't need you to remind me. The moment that envoy stepped out of the mansion, I knew what he was up to. My servants saw it all. His little trick did fool me, but it doesn't matter. I'm quite happy with the current situation. Why do you think I let him go, and why did I specifically leave the stage of that movie theater empty?"

The momentum then surged again on Sunday.

"Because my target has always been you, Hound. The bigger the commotion he causes, the greater my chance of making you and your true master pay for your crimes in blood."

"If I really were the murderer, why would you be so secretive? Oh, I forgot, you also have a difficult master to please—they told you to ignore this damn murder case and focus on that grand musical performance...isn't that right, gentle brother?"

Upon hearing Gallagher's last words, Sunday's eyes instantly sharpened.

"It seems your disguise has allowed you to fully understand every detail of the family."

"Disguise? Which eye of yours saw that I'm a mannequin? Open your eyes and take a closer look, there's a halo around me—"

“Indeed, everything about you is real. Brown hair, soft and curly like Benny's; orange eyes that remind me of Sir Whittaker's gaze; strange scars, Woolsey's medals... and the grey waistcoat, tie, hound badge, water bottle, brewing skills, sheriff's identity... they are all real—from fifty-two loyal family members.”

After listening, Gallagher lowered his hand and had to admit that Sunday's investigation was indeed detailed enough, uncovering all the information about Gallagher's identity in one go.

“When they come together, countless tiny truths weave together a lie—you pluck a wisp of knowledge from each person, claim it as your own, and fabricate a complete Galah in your dreams… Am I right, mysterious minions?”

Gallagher smiled. Just as the captain had told him before he came, this meeting on Sunday would reveal his true identity.

"Hahahaha! You've got guts, impressive! Well done, I underestimated you... As expected, the captain was right, but even so, does that prove I killed your sister and that stowaway?"

“That proves you and the Memoir of Memory are birds of a feather—that’s enough.” Sunday’s tone was laced with barely suppressed rage. “Listen, I don’t care how you did it… I only care about one thing now, the answer to one question—you bastard, you damned stray dog, why did you kill her?!”

"Hmph!" Gallagher chuckled as he covered his head and sat down on the sofa.

“People can’t see the sand in their own eyes; they only know that the sand is there.” As he spoke, Gallagher took out a lighter and lit it.

“Want an answer? I can tell you…” Gallagher pointed the lighter at Sunday, “It’s all because of that damned fate.”

"Snapped!"

The lighter's flame was extinguished by the cap, and at the same time, Sunday's shadow instantly mutated, followed by a blade piercing through Sunday from behind.

The body, composed of memory matter, shattered instantly, and the memory matter inside scattered all over the ground.

The captain carefully circled around the disappearing memory matter on the ground and came up to Galah: "Really, is it necessary to act so much like a villain?"

"Haha, it's just a matter of habit. Mystics believers often have their own pursuit of mystery, just like me."

"So this is why the Mysterious Region is so rich in Riddlers? The Riddlers themselves are even an organized force."

"Well, that's what mystery is. What's the point if you don't make things complicated so people can't grasp the meaning?"

"Alright, let's get down to business." The captain abruptly ended the conversation. "Speaking of which, couldn't we just use a normal method to bring people over to this Memory Realm Memoir? Why did we have to use this method?"

"Well, after all, that's our last sanctuary. If we didn't use some special methods to get there, wouldn't we have been discovered long ago?"

"Never mind." The captain shrugged and then put his hand on Gallagher's shoulder, after which the two went to another place.

This place is called Dream Reef. Unlike the dream world managed by families, there are no rules and regulations here, nor are there dream chasers. There are only people who are tired of the false prosperity.

They retreated to this sanctuary, living their own lives, going to other dreamscapes to continue working during the day, and returning at night to quietly enjoy these peaceful moments.

Gallagher looked around and, finding it to be a familiar environment, exclaimed in surprise.

"I must say your methods are truly superb. You didn't have to experience the pain of being pierced; you returned to this place from a normal dream in the blink of an eye."

"To be honest, this isn't my ability; it's the power Kiana gave me."

"That Miss Kiana?"

"Yes."

"To be honest, can you tell me what kind of existence she is? She can fix a fictional existence in reality at will, something even the mysterious Envoy cannot easily do."

"Commander...you should be in that group chat too, right?" the captain asked.

Gallagher nodded.

"That explains it. The Herrscher of the End who only appeared a few times before was actually Kiana's ID. However, for some reason, this was forbidden to be mentioned in the group chat, so most people in the group chat did not know about it."

"If that's the case, are you telling me there's no problem?" Gallagher asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about that. The group chat only prohibits us from mentioning that Kiana is the Herrscher of the End in the group chat. If we mention it in real life, she won't care who we tell."

"That's good." Galakh breathed a sigh of relief. After all, judging from the length of time it had been used, the power of this group chat was extremely strong, so strong that even the geniuses speculated that the power of the group chat might have surpassed the power of the Star God.

So when he heard that this was explicitly forbidden in the group chat, Gallagher broke out in a cold sweat.

As for why that speculation came about, it's because during a Q&A session, Ah Ha, in order to have some fun, not only pressed the buzzer when answering, but also deliberately answered incorrectly after gaining the right to answer.

The group chat didn't tolerate Aha either; after Aha answered incorrectly, a punishment was issued for Aha and was implemented immediately.

Gallagher still remembers that scene vividly. The group chat first broadcast Aha's location live, and then Aha was captured by a mysterious force and sent to a space temporarily created by the group chat.

As Aha's power was sealed, the group chat thoughtfully provided a set of appearances for Aha to choose from. After all, the upcoming punishment involved dancing and performing mini-dramas, and having an image made up of a bunch of laughing masks to dance and perform mini-dramas was a bit too advanced.

It was tough on Sambo and Hanabi, who were destined to be joyful travelers. Aha chose their images without hesitation after seeing them among the available ones.

After the image was chosen, Aha's divine body was instantly split in two, then transformed into the appearances of Sambo and Hanabi. In front of everyone in the group chat, they began a dance and a short drama that would be considered socially unappealing by normal people.

According to Aha's response in the group chat afterward, His power was indeed sealed at that time. He also said that the power of the group chat was immeasurable, and that even IX would not be able to resist it if it were used at full power.

Although Galah thought Aha's last sentence was just a joke, it also indirectly proves that the power of group chat is at least comparable to that of the Star God.

After all, the fact that the Star God was subdued in an instant was something that actually happened right before everyone's eyes.

Pulling himself back to reality, Gallagher continued, "Could you tell me about this Herald of the End?"

"Come on, this whole thing could go on for three days and three nights." A female voice rang in Gallagher's ear.

"Dr. Tesla, you've arrived?"

"Hmm." Tesla nodded, her right hand gently resting on Walter's ear, giving it a soft twist.

Seeing Walter's pained and helpless expression, the captain also showed deep sympathy.

"Why do you say that?"

“To fully explain the Herrscher of the End, we need to delve into the nature of Honkai and the existence of the Cocoon,” Mei said, coming from the other side. “However, I can give you a simple explanation of how the Captain acquired his abilities, how about that?”

"Appreciate further details."

"Simply put, the Cocoon is a gift sent down by a higher being, with the purpose of creating a partner equal to that being. The Herrscher of the End can be simply thought of as the Cocoon's projection in the real world, and can freely use the powers possessed by the Cocoon."

As Kiana, having completely merged with the cocoon, familiarizes herself with its power, new powers will emerge through her practice. Kiana can freely share these powers with others, and the power within the Captain is a manifestation of Kiana's dream powers. As for powers, you can simply think of them as the conceptualized control over a phenomenon or physical law.

"The power of dreams, does that mean Miss Kiana actually has the ability to flip the table at any time?"

"Yes, but rather than taking matters into her own hands, Kiana wants to use the efforts of others to show the mastermind the possibility of humanity, since there is still a possibility that that man can be saved."