「In the classroom.」
More than an hour had passed, but Chu Bamboo was still stuck on one thought. 'Why Chinese?'
If it really were just a dream, then Chinese would make perfect sense. It would even be normal to be speaking Chinese one moment, English the next, and some other unknown language after that. After all, it was all just imagination.
'But if it wasn't a Dream World... what would that mean?'
Chu Bamboo's mind raced.
'An ancient civilization, Ancient Ruins, and Ancient Relics excavated from those ruins—cell phones, digital locks, and a whole host of other electronic devices.'
'The Ancient Ruins looked suspiciously like a nuclear power plant, or some other kind of nuclear facility... And the electronic voice prompt there was in Chinese—a language I've never used in the Dream World?!'
'So...'
'If that wasn't a dream, it would mean... the ancient civilization was a Chinese-speaking one? A civilization that spoke Chinese and had the ability to build nuclear facilities!'
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
"Bamboo, what's up?" Lin Xia patted Chu Bamboo on the shoulder, startling him. He plopped down next to Chu Bamboo, pulled a steamed bun from his shirt, and took a couple of bites. "You're totally spaced out."
Lin Xia was Chu Bamboo's best friend. How close were they? Well, they went to the same kindergarten, the same elementary school, and the same middle and high school. Now they were in the same university, the same class, and even the same dorm room.
They hadn't been in the same class during high school, and due to the intense study schedule, they didn't see each other much, but their friendship was still as strong as ever.
They were the kind of friends where, if one of them had been a girl, they would have been considered childhood sweethearts.
"I've suddenly realized my dreams might be real," Chu Bamboo said, not even trying to hide it. To be fair, he'd been talking about his dreams his whole life—to his parents, his grandparents, and even his teachers all through school. Everyone knew!
It was too late to hide it now even if he wanted to...
During his "eighth-grader syndrome" phase, he even thought it was his special cheat as the Chosen One. But reality had beaten that notion out of him time and time again...
Back then, the only ones who believed his dreams were real were his peers—though who knows if they still believed it now that they were older.
And the person closest to him right now was Lin Xia.
"...This again? Alright, alright, I get it! When your special power finally awakens and you become invincible, smiting enemies from the heavens and steamrolling all opposition, I'll just make my living by kissing your ass! And when you become Emperor, you can give me a spot as a personal attendant. Oh, and not as a eunuch, okay? Plus, you have to give me the full benefits package!" Lin Xia put on a serious face and cupped his hands in a mock bow.
"When the time comes, I'll be the first one down in the crowd, throwing my hands up, jumping around, and fake crying... Don't worry, I've been studying some videos, really analyzing them! I'll make sure you get the authentic 'Sun of the Peninsula' treatment, entourage and all."
"Get lost," Chu Bamboo said, rolling his eyes and sighing. "But this time it's real! I feel like I'm starting to lose track of what's a dream and what's reality."
Lin Xia's expression finally changed. His usual flippant demeanor vanished. He pursed his lips, and then... he pulled out his phone.
"'My roommate has a mental illness, and it's getting worse. What do I do?'"
Chu Bamboo: "?"
'Couldn't you at least try to hide it!' Chu Bamboo laughed in exasperation. He couldn't stand the injustice of being branded as mentally ill without inheriting any of the legendary mental fortitude that was supposed to come with it.
"But seriously," Lin Xia didn't actually search, just casually shoving the phone back in his pocket. A look of envy appeared on his face. "I've actually always been pretty jealous of you... I think it's less like a mental illness and more like a Superpower!"
"In your dreams, you can do whatever you want! You can be Homelander! You can go to amusement parks... Man, I've wanted to say this since we were kids! We'd be secretly studying our butts off, and after you were done, you'd get to go to theme parks and tourist spots and just have fun in your dreams all night. Meanwhile, the rest of us were just... sleeping. Wasting time! Damn, you're a monster!"
By the time Lin Xia finished, his eyes were red with envy.
"...But, if it's really serious," Lin Xia said thoughtfully, then added humorously, "how about we ask for a leave of absence and go to the school clinic right now?"
"You just want to skip class, don't you, you little brat?" Chu Bamboo said, exasperated.
"What are you talking about, my dear godson?" Lin Xia scoffed. "You're not the Sun yet, are you? Give you an inch and you take a mile, huh?"
The two were obviously just teasing each other, but Lin Xia wasn't entirely joking. He finally said, "Personally, I don't think it's a bad thing. After all, I haven't seen you get irritable or lose control of your emotions. But if you think it's a problem, you can get it checked out at a hospital. I can go with you. We can talk to the counselor after class?"
Chu Bamboo just smiled and declined.
As the bell for class rang, the two of them put the matter out of their minds.
In truth, Chu Bamboo wasn't against going to the hospital, nor did he mind his condition being exposed. What could they do if it was?
Could society really dissect him in this day and age?
Even if they did dissect him, it wouldn't be like in the movies where they cut you into little pieces!
Besides, getting someone to believe that he lived in his dreams as if it were the Real World... the difficulty was just off the charts! Who would believe him, besides someone like Lin Xia who he'd grown up with?
But the problem was, Chu Bamboo had already seen how this would play out.
If he went to the hospital, the result would just be a perfunctory dismissal... It would be a waste of money and nothing more. The doctors wouldn't find anything wrong. He'd been through this too many times growing up.
The doctors would never believe his vivid descriptions; they would just assume they were hallucinations caused by his condition! As long as all his vitals were normal, they wouldn't even prescribe him any medication!
...
The professor was a little late for class, but not many people cared. In fact, if the professor didn't show up for the entire period... there would probably be more happy students than not.
"Class! Society is advancing!" Professor Chen didn't start with a serious lecture. He only spoke on the official topic for less than ten minutes before naturally segueing into other subjects. He pulled out his phone and waved it around. "Everyone here should have the latest version of the AI downloaded on your phones, right?"
"Yes, yes!"
"I've got it on my phone."
"I have five different versions of AI!"
Many students raised their hands to answer, their faces filled with excitement and glee. Among all the professors, Professor Chen was one of the more mild-mannered ones. He placed a great deal of importance on interacting with his students, and the atmosphere in his class was never too rigid.
"Technological development is just moving too fast," Professor Chen remarked. "Even though I teach programming languages and not AI, it's still related! I've used it a bit myself, and I feel like I'm about to be replaced... Who knows, maybe the entire education system will have to be reformed because of it soon."