"They should all be safe, right?"
After returning to his Original Body, that was Lu Yuanming's first thought.
Ordinary monsters couldn't do anything to Charlie and the others. Protected by firearms, ordinary monsters were barely any stronger than small animals.
But without heavy weapons, Super Giant Monsters posed a huge threat to them—not to mention monsters on the level of the Cyclops. And with thousands of ordinary monsters on top of that, Lu Yuanming had truly worried about whether everyone there would be safe after he returned.
But then he remembered that, in the final moments, he had killed the Cyclops. The remaining monsters had all started fleeing, so Lu Yuanming figured they should have made it to safety. And if the monsters had all run off, Tang Zhean and the others might even have been able to save some civilians.
That was the most he could have done.
The rewards he'd gained from killing monsters this time were unprecedented, too. There had been at least a hundred or two ordinary monsters, then three Super Giant Monsters, and finally the Cyclops.
The Cyclops had provided at least two or three times as many White Light Particles as all the other monsters combined. Lu Yuanming hadn't expected to get so many, but when he thought about how powerful the Cyclops was, perhaps that amount was only reasonable.
He even felt that the Cyclops wasn't really a monster at all, but something beyond monsters—perhaps a demigod imbued with divinity?
Whatever it was, Lu Yuanming had made it back alive, and he'd accomplished something that, to him, was practically a great feat. Surrounded by countless monsters, he had protected so many people. That was wonderful!
In the darkness, Lu Yuanming felt his soul gradually growing stronger. He had absorbed so many White Light Particles this time that the strengthening process no longer made him feel warm all over. Instead, it was as if a wave of heat were coursing through him, leaving him burning hot. But it still felt good, without the slightest discomfort.
At the same time, Lu Yuanming felt none of the weakness or soul-tearing sensation he'd expected after absorbing three Colorless Light Particles. It was as if all the injuries and negative effects he'd experienced in the Dark Matter World had vanished the moment he returned to the Material World.
This was what Tang Zhean had called his greatest cheat—not, it was more than a cheat. It was a golden thigh.
As the only person who could travel back and forth between the Material World and the Dark Matter World, he could absorb Dark Matter in the Dark Matter World, then calm the chaos and distortion caused by absorbing too much Dark Matter in the Material World. This was his own unique order. He didn't need to climb the ranks by following some sequence or anything like that. Given time, and by killing monsters, he could grow stronger without any obstacles.
Now Lu Yuanming was simply waiting for his soul to finish strengthening. He had a feeling that this time, the strengthening would be unprecedented. He might even fully awaken as a result.
Time passed as Lu Yuanming waited patiently. This time, the strengthening took longer than he'd expected. A full thirty days went by before he felt the heat in his soul begin to subside. Although he hadn't yet gone to the Dark Matter World, he could clearly feel that his soul had become more substantial, as if it had crossed some kind of threshold.
After the sensation of his soul strengthening had completely faded, Lu Yuanming waited another day. Then he slowly directed his awareness toward his body.
As his soul grew stronger, he had been able to sense his body while in a vegetative state, as long as he focused. At first, he'd only felt the faint touch of a needle pricking his skin. Later, he could feel pain and move his fingers, then his hand. This time, as he sensed his body, he could feel touch, pain, aches, and itches. He could sense almost his entire body.
But it still wasn't enough...
His awareness of his body was currently like a person crawling inside a puppet costume. He could feel all the sensations of his body and control his hands and feet, but it always felt as if there were a layer between them. This was nothing like a normal person's awareness of their body.
So Lu Yuanming forced his soul to merge completely with his body. It was a strange process, and he didn't know how to make his soul merge with his body. He simply imagined that his soul was some kind of liquid and his body was a container for it, then gradually squeezed his soul inside.
Little by little, he lost track of time. As his soul merged with his body, his physical sensations grew sharper, and the feeling of being inside a puppet costume faded. Finally, at a certain moment, he felt that his body and soul were no longer separate. Waves of numbness, aches, and itches surged through him, so unbearable that he wanted to roar.
Through it all, Lu Yuanming struggled to move. First, he managed the slightest movement; then he could move his fingers and hands. At last, he opened his eyes. The light immediately stung them shut again, but his body, his tears, and the sounds he heard all unquestionably told him he had awakened. Right after that, he heard his mother cry out in surprise.
"...Doctor! My son woke up! He really woke up!!"
Then came the sound of doctors' and nurses' footsteps, along with their startled exclamations...
A week had passed since Lu Yuanming woke up.
After a series of examinations, the hospital finally confirmed that Lu Yuanming had fully regained consciousness and had no aftereffects, apart from some mental weakness... But that was only to be expected. They had previously determined that he might never wake up again, yet not only had he awakened, his brain function was undamaged. In just a week, he could stay active for long stretches, speak fluently, remember things, and even get out of bed to walk a few steps. It was already a miracle. They couldn't ask for more.
But Lu Yuanming truly hadn't expected that merging his soul with his body would take nearly three whole months!
By the time his vegetative body woke up, it was already early June 2024. He calculated that when he'd returned from the Dark Matter World, it had only been mid-February. Adding the month it had taken for his soul to grow stronger, merging with his body had still consumed around three months!
That had completely disrupted his original plans.
The Dark Matter World had already begun its first large-scale collapse. That meant people in cities beyond New York City were also dying and falling into the Dark Matter World. As time passed, the affected area would spread across the entire world.
At the same time, according to Dr. Tang Zhean's theoretical model, the outlines of other cities would begin to appear around New York City. By then, whether people fell into the Dark Matter World after dying or monsters spawned, the numbers would increase at least tenfold.
Under these circumstances, he had been away from the organization for four months. That was disastrous for them. Whether it was acquiring order, sheltering humanity, or clearing out monsters, everything would have ground to a halt... Fortunately, before returning, he had exchanged for a large amount of ammunition, and they were already growing plenty of potatoes. That was the one silver lining.
(I'll go back to the Dark Matter World in the next couple of days. But I'm not a vegetative patient anymore, so what will happen to my body here if I go? I wonder if, now that I'm awake, my soul still has to follow the seventy-two-hour return interval. If it does, won't my body here be treated as vegetative again?)
Lu Yuanming felt troubled and let out a sigh. The young woman pushing his wheelchair immediately said, displeased, "Why are you sighing again? Don't look so gloomy when everything's fine. Sure, you lost a year, but waking up at all is already incredibly lucky. While you were asleep, Mom and Dad looked miserable every day. I often saw Dad smoking on the balcony all night, and Mom crying in the kitchen when she thought no one could see. Hey, I'm talking to you."
Lu Yuanming hurriedly replied, "Yes, it's my fault for making you worry so much. Lu Yuanmin, you're right, I..."
Lu Yuanmin was even more annoyed. "You didn't choose to become a vegetable. I'm not talking about before, I'm talking about now! Stop sighing and feeling sorry for yourself. You need to focus on your rehabilitation, exercise every day, and get better soon. That's worth more than apologizing ten thousand times!"
Lu Yuanming didn't know what to say, so he fell silent. His younger sister, Lu Yuanmin, had clearly lost interest in talking, too.
The young woman was his younger sister, five years his junior. They'd been close as children, but somewhere along the way, talking to each other had become awkward. Though there was only a five-year age gap between them, a generational divide had somehow opened up. Just like now, they'd reached a point where neither of them knew what to say.
At the moment, Lu Yuanmin was pushing his wheelchair as Lu Yuanming took a walk through the residential complex's garden. He was looking around and wondering how to talk to his sister when his eyes suddenly widened. He saw a soul... No!
It was a ghost!
Lu Yuanming stared at a gloomy-looking middle-aged man walking ahead of them. Floating behind him was a young woman dressed in red. Black qi radiated from her, obscuring her face, while her long hair writhed wildly in every direction.
This was a curse-type ghost!
Lu Yuanming watched the man closely as he entered Building C Tower. Only after a long while did he close his eyes.
He had to return to the Dark Matter World. Even if he only woke up three days later, he had no other choice. Clearly, the timeline he was in was also sinking toward the Dark Matter World. He had to get back to the organization and discuss the situation with everyone.
And so Lu Yuanming sat in his wheelchair with his eyes closed, while Lu Yuanmin continued pushing him along. She took him around the entire residential complex before bringing him back to Building A, where their home was. As they entered the elevator, Lu Yuanmin said, "You're awake and home now. Sigh, I told you that going out for a walk would be pointless. I might as well have let you sleep in bed... You've wasted my time reviewing. Come on, I've got the Gaokao in four days!"
Lu Yuanming opened his eyes and gave Lu Yuanmin an awkward smile, but said nothing. He sank into silence.
He...
couldn't find the light passage back!
When he closed his eyes, there was nothing but darkness. He couldn't sense his soul at all!
He couldn't return to the Dark Matter World!!
Before you continue