Raising a Girlfriend Starting from a Dream Game - Chapter 4

“Here, I’ll give you my phone. You can keep the flashlight on. I’ll definitely be back before dawn.” Ling Xiao handed his phone to Yang Linlin.
But Yang Linlin refused to take it no matter what.
She clung tightly to Ling Xiao’s arm.

Seeing no other option, Ling Xiao said, “Alright then, I won’t go. Let’s rest for the night, and we’ll escape first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, okay,” the naive Yang Linlin immediately nodded, sobbing, “I… we’ll escape tomorrow morning. I can run, I’m fine, I’m really fine…”

Seeing her state, Ling Xiao comforted her: “Then you should get some sleep first. I’ll keep watch at the entrance.”
Yang Linlin asked tentatively, “You won’t leave, will you?”
“I won’t.”
“Really?”
“Mhm.”
“Okay, don’t lie to me.”

Perhaps due to extreme fright, Yang Linlin fell asleep with tear stains on her face.
She leaned against the wall, legs curled up, her body trembling from time to time.
Looking at her, Ling Xiao felt somewhat uncomfortable inside.

Although she was just an NPC in the dreamscape, she was still flesh and blood with thoughts and feelings. Making her endure the same experiences as him was truly too much for her.
And most crucially, she didn’t know this was just a game.

“Forget it, I’ll just wait until tomorrow morning to leave.”

Time passed bit by bit as Ling Xiao kept watch by the entrance.
Suddenly, he noticed a map on the wall near the entrance.
Using the flashlight, Ling Xiao clearly saw it was a reconnaissance map.

In one corner of the reconnaissance map, there was an air-raid shelter marked with a five-pointed star.
“This should be our current location,” Ling Xiao thought.

Looking at the reconnaissance map, he found that the nearest border was still twenty kilometers away.
Meaning, just twenty more kilometers and he could complete the mission.
For a moment, he felt pleased.
So this map was the game’s hint.

Ling Xiao eagerly went to Yang Linlin’s side.
He wanted to tell her the good news, to take her and leave immediately.
But seeing that she was already asleep, Ling Xiao hesitated.
If he took Yang Linlin with him and the escape route turned out to be problematic, it would only waste energy on a futile effort.

Ling Xiao decided to go check it out himself first. As long as he confirmed the escape route was safe, he would come back for Yang Linlin.
So Ling Xiao typed a message on his phone, placed it beside her, and left the air-raid shelter with the map.

About half an hour later, Yang Linlin woke up.
The first thing she did upon waking was look toward the entrance and ask, “Senior, senior, are you still there?”

Not hearing any response, Yang Linlin immediately grew anxious.
Then she felt around and found the phone.
Turning it on, she saw:
【I found a map. I’m going to check the escape route first. If it’s safe, I’ll come back immediately to get you. Don’t worry. By the time you count to thirty thousand, I’ll be back.】

Seeing the note on the phone, Yang Linlin immediately started crying.
“Wuwuwu, you liar.”
But the next second, still sobbing, she began: “1, 2, 3, 4…”

Ling Xiao had already been walking outside for about half an hour.
Looking at the map, he wiped the sweat from his neck.
Following the route on the map, he found it increasingly strange.

The map clearly showed he could go left, but to the left was a sandbag wall. Did he have to climb over it? At this moment, Ling Xiao was clearly skeptical about the map.
Moreover, it had been almost an hour since the last bombing raid, and enemy aircraft would soon launch a new round of attacks.
Ling Xiao had no choice but to take cover in a trench and wait.

Sure enough, the sound of aircraft echoed overhead.
Immediately after.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Three shells landed near Ling Xiao.
His ears were left ringing.

Soon, the enemy aircraft departed.
Ling Xiao stood up again, intending to retrace his steps.
But he discovered that the previous shelling had caused the soil to block the original trench route.

With no other option, he had to take a detour, planning to return to the air-raid shelter to find Yang Linlin.

As time passed, Ling Xiao realized he didn’t even know the location of the air-raid shelter anymore.
Everywhere was scarred by shell explosions.
The air was thick with smoke, and he had completely lost his sense of direction.

Moreover, the sky was gradually brightening.
This meant the day was almost over.
Thinking of this, Ling Xiao found himself in a dilemma.

Should he continue searching for Yang Linlin or focus on completing the mission?
This was already his fifth simulation attempt.
If he missed this chance, he had no idea how long the game’s cooldown period would be.

“Sorry, I must complete this mission.”
In the end, Ling Xiao looked at the map and headed toward the border.

Soon, he saw rows of barbed wire blocking the way.
Filled with excitement and joy, Ling Xiao immediately crouched down and began crawling out bit by bit.
As he crawled, he still thought of Yang Linlin in the air-raid shelter.

“Forget it, I’ll protect you better next time I enter the dreamscape. This time, I need to clear the level and complete the mission first.”

Ling Xiao eventually succeeded in crawling through the 300-meter stretch of barbed wire.

The moment he stood up.
A notification sounded in his mind.
[Congratulations, player, for completing the mission.]
[Exiting the game shortly.]

Seeing this, Ling Xiao turned back to look in the direction of the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Yang Linlin was still counting: “29945, 29946, 29947…”

Ling Xiao opened his eyes and saw the familiar ceiling.
He knew he had returned to reality.
Sitting up, he shook his head and looked around.
The familiar bedroom, the familiar room.
Everything remained unchanged.

For a moment, Ling Xiao hadn’t fully adjusted.
Although he had only survived one day in that dreamscape.
The realism of it was something he would never forget.

He looked at his hands—clean and tidy.
Then he recalled how, in the dream, his body had been covered in dust.

“This Dream Simulation is truly impressive.”

Just then, the voice in his mind reminded him again:
[Congratulations, player, for successfully surviving one day in the dreamscape, escaping the enemy’s reconnaissance range, and remaining undetected.]
[Passed the mission assessment. Rewards issued.]
[Reward: 100,000 funds automatically deposited. All procedures are compliant and will not cause inflation in the real world.]
[Reward: “Eagle Eye” talent.]
[Due to the player’s outstanding performance in this Dream Simulation, the player’s Lifespan value has been extended by 100 days. Current Lifespan: 442 days.]
[The next Dream Simulation scenario will begin in seven days. Stay tuned.]

Seeing this, Ling Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
An extra three months of lifespan.

This Dream Simulation challenge was worth it. Ling Xiao opened his phone and discovered that funds had indeed been deposited into his bank account.
【China Construction Bank: Your savings card ending in 3484 has successfully received a transfer of 100,000.00 yuan. Current balance: 124,361.00 yuan.】

Regarding this monetary reward, Ling Xiao found it quite substantial.
But he didn’t understand what the “Eagle Eye” talent meant.
Only after opening the talent description did he comprehend.

It turned out that his constant observation of the surroundings in last night’s dreamscape had significantly enhanced his perception and alertness.
Ling Xiao now realized that the abilities from Dream Simulation could carry over into real life.

Moreover, he noticed the scenery outside his window appeared clearer than before.
When he put on his 200-degree prescription glasses from his bedside, he actually felt dizzy.
This meant Ling Xiao’s vision had now recovered to 20/20.

Ling Xiao was instantly thrilled.
But amid his excitement, he remembered Yang Linlin from the dreamscape.

Yet Ling Xiao also knew that the Yang Linlin in the dream was merely an NPC, unrelated to anyone in reality.
“Ring ring!!”
Just then, the alarm clock sounded.

Ling Xiao immediately got out of bed.
Yes, he needed to go to work.
Now that he had a way to extend his lifespan, he had to find ways to earn more money.
Only then could he afford his own treatment even if this Dream Simulation disappeared someday.
After all, the poor couldn’t afford to get sick.

Just as Ling Xiao was getting up, elsewhere, Yang Linlin was crying with closed eyes while calling out Ling Xiao’s name.