Shortly after entering limbo, Cobb and Ariadne found themselves once more in the ghost city of his subconscious. The dream had changed though: Cobb's once proud towers had collapsed in on themselves, and the broad avenues of his mind were now crowded with faintly menacing Asiatic characters that had fallen helter skelter, blocking access to side paths and seeming even to morph subtly when one looked away.

As the explorers progressed down the main avenue in silence, the Asian glyphs closed in until the two were pushing their way down the only path that remained open: a narrow passage that twisted towards an older part of the city. "I don't understand why any of this is here," Cobb said in shock. "I only did business in Japan that once and have never even learned Japanese." Ariadne pursed her lips in silence. "It's Chinese," she finally admitted. "I've been preparing for the HSK and the test has been on my mind a lot lately."