In a daze, I slept through the night. Upon waking the next morning, my scalp tingled and my head throbbed. Suddenly recalling last night's events, I quickly glanced toward Lu Zong's embrace, seeing Han Chong still sleeping sweetly nestled there. I slapped my forehead: "Could it be I dreamt the whole thing?"

The others gradually awoke, looked around, and were shocked to find themselves enveloped by a transparent dome. It was a massive transparent barrier; you wouldn't notice it unless you looked closely. The barrier was utterly clear, just like the one they had seen the day before—invisible, yet incredibly hard.

As they tried to figure out what was happening, Fatty finally realized that the reflection he had seen last night was real, meaning Han Chong had indeed left him at some point.

He gathered everyone's attention: "Hey, Han Chong, did you leave the group at all last night?"

Han Chong gave Fatty a bewildered look, his expression innocent: "Leave the group? What are you talking about? I've been right here sleeping."

Fatty countered: "No, that's not right. Last night, I saw you sneak out while everyone was asleep, and then you vanished. I have no idea where you went."

Lu Zong looked at Fatty, his tone serious: "Fatty, you can't joke about this; it concerns our lives."

Fatty immediately straightened his face, earnest: "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Judging by the expression molded onto his fleshy face, he wasn't lying. The focus then shifted to Han Chong.

Lu Zong inquired: "Han Chong, did you leave the group last night?"

Han Chong also grew serious: "Leave? How could I? I’ve been right here the whole time. You don't seriously suspect I'm trying to frame you, do you?"

Ma Xiong interjected: "It's not that we think you're framing us, but perhaps you were secretly cursed by them, and they've been tracking our movements through you. Think about it—did they tamper with either of you in any way?"

Han Chong and Lu Sha fell into recollection, then spoke: "We saw the mummified corpse of the Loulan beauty. It seemed like they were performing some sort of ritual, jumping and dancing around the mummy, we couldn't tell what for. We were tied up near the mummy, positioned like offerings. We were so exhausted we fell asleep. When we woke up, the mummy was gone, and the ropes showed signs of having been broken. As we were trying to escape, the Shaman caught us and we've been confined ever since."

Lu Zong stated: "It seems the Shaman revived the Queen, and your problem stems directly from that sacrificial ritual."

Han Chong quickly asked: "What problem?"

Lu Zong suggested: "Perhaps you two were cursed and became the Queen's spies."

Ma Xiong added: "Or maybe you both became the Queen's concubines, favored consorts, or even the Empress or something."

Han Chong snapped at Ma Xiong: "Get lost! Do you think this is a feudal society?"

Fatty looked toward where the Queen might be and mused: "It was probably still a primitive society back then, so the Queen wouldn't have worn much clothing. If only we could meet her now. If we dressed her in modern clothes, she’d surely be even more beautiful than she is now."

The others offered no reply, and they continued walking. But no matter how far they went, they couldn't break through the transparent dome. It seemed to be the entire world here, stretching endlessly.

As the temperature rose, they slowly began experiencing hallucinations—flickering shadows of people drifting past, or fixed furniture like tables and benches suspended in mid-air. The group grew increasingly unsettled. What were these things?

Ma Xiong walked up to an object that resembled a table and touched it, exclaiming in surprise: "Lu Zong, this table is real! I can feel it."

The others hurried over. Indeed, they could feel the table's cold hardness. They were stunned silent. What on earth was this place? Everything was faint and shimmering—even those human figures. Were they ghosts? Were they spirits?

The group sat on the chairs to rest, only to suddenly notice more and more shining objects appearing around them: tables, stools, coffee tables, pieces of crockery, and even some fruit glowing brilliantly. In no time, the area had transformed into the interior of a palace. They sat there blankly, watching it all unfold, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, a voice spoke. At first, it sounded ethereal and distant, but it gradually became clearer. They heard the voice say: "Welcome to the Queen's Palace."

The group exchanged nervous glances and asked in alarm: "Who? Who are you?"

A gentle female voice replied from over there: "I am the Queen. I brought you here."

"Then what is your purpose in bringing us here?" Fatty asked, trembling, clearly filled with terror.

"Heh heh, for no particular reason. Weren't you looking for me? Well, here I am today. Heh heh," the Queen replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, sending shivers through their hearts.

"Ah, so you are the Loulan beauty mummy I excavated several years ago. I admit, you are incredibly beautiful—a true marvel of this world," Lu Zong complimented her.

"What? You only regarded me as a thing, an object? Don't you realize we have lives too? Death is merely a part of existence. How dare you invade us and insult our way of survival just because we exist in a different form?" The Queen's emotions flared.

Lu Zong quickly responded: "Oh, human technology has not advanced that far yet, nor have our ideologies developed enough to grasp that concept. Please forgive our ignorance. I trust Your Majesty is in good health?"

"Hmph. No need for your concern. I am doing very well, as long as you don't come here to bother me," the Queen stated coldly.

Lu Zong listened to her words, then froze, as if he had noticed something amiss. He quickly turned to look at Han Chong behind him, staring intently, then asked: "Can you send me back now?"

"No way. Since you're here, you might as well enjoy yourselves. I want you to know the agony of being hungry but unable to eat, and being tired but unable to close your eyes."

Lu Zong suddenly seemed to realize something, quickly glanced at Han Chong, and a look of horror washed over his face. After a long moment, he stammered: "Han Chong, you…" The rest of the sentence caught in his throat, choked by surprise and disbelief.

Hearing Lu Zong's gasp, the others quickly turned to look at him and followed his gaze to Han Chong. They saw Han Chong standing stock-still, his expression blank, utterly devoid of thought—like a wooden mannequin.

Fatty walked over and shook Han Chong: "Han Chong, are you alright?"

Han Chong didn't speak. Lu Zong even noticed that his eyes hadn't blinked in nearly half an hour. A profound sadness settled in his heart.

Ma Xiong also found it strange. He flicked Han Chong’s forehead lightly: "Han Chong, are you okay? What are you doing?"

Han Chong remained motionless and silent. A wave of panic washed over the group; they were certain something was wrong with him.

They looked to Lu Zong: "Lu Zong, what do we do now?"

Lu Zong suddenly cried out to the heavens: "Han Chong, I know that’s you! No matter what you did wrong, we won't blame you. Come back, please come back! My heart can't take this anymore. Come back quickly, don't leave my heart as empty as the sea!"

The cold voice snorted and chuckled: "Really? You are willing to accept me? I am, after all, a dried corpse?"

Lu Zong agreed instantly: "We accept you. As long as you can return, we accept you!"

With a whoosh, a streak of bright light pierced the dome and shot into Han Chong's body. Han Chong began coughing violently. Between coughs, he managed to say: "Oh man, that nearly choked me to death. I feel like I was in a fuzzy dream. Did I fall asleep? Wait, what happened just now?"

Lu Zong quickly replied: "Nothing, nothing at all. Just a small hiccup, but it’s fine. Let’s get moving."

Han Chong noticed a subtle oddity in everyone's expression and felt something was wrong. He pressed: "Lu Zong, don't lie to me. What exactly happened? If it involves me, please tell me. Maybe if I know, I can figure out a way to solve it?"

Lu Zong looked uncertainly at the others. They all nodded in agreement, so he said: "Do you know that the Queen is currently inside your body?"

"What? The Queen is inside me?" Han Chong shrieked: "How is that possible? How could the Queen be inside me?"

Lu Zong explained: "The Queen actually manifested just now, but when she appeared, you were standing there dazedly, asleep—just standing there, doing nothing."

Han Chong protested: "Impossible, impossible! How could the Queen be inside me? Who said I was asleep just now? I was actually dreaming! I even dreamt the exact same scenario you all experienced. I dreamt the Queen flew out and said you were destroying her way of life…"

"Wait a minute," Lu Zong suddenly cut Han Chong off. "You said the scene you dreamt was identical to what we experienced?" Lu Zong asked, puzzled.

"Yes, I thought it was just a dream a moment ago, but I didn't expect it to be real," Han Chong confirmed.

"Oh, I see, I understand," Lu Zong declared, looking at Han Chong with sudden clarity.

The others eagerly pressed him: "What is it? Tell us!"

Lu Zong spoke unhurriedly: "This all goes back to the start of that sacrifice." Then he lapsed back into silence.

The group, spurred by impatience, demanded: "Damn it, just tell us what's going on! You're not worried about being unable to poop, but those of us waiting to eat the results certainly are!"

Lu Zong retorted: "Haven't you ever heard that famous saying? When you take a crap, only leave half, so you don't get hungry too quickly."

The others nearly spat up. They stared at Lu Zong, utterly speechless.