The Church

The sky was dim, covered by a thick canopy of clouds.

The desolate land was shrouded in mist, stretching out toward an endless horizon.

A massive, weathered black stone stele stood tall in the distance.

--"Beep! Beep!"--

The alarm vibrated near his ear with short, sharp bursts, and Lin Ye's consciousness gradually stirred as he lay in bed.

He pushed himself up, rubbing his throbbing head.

Was that just a dream?

He sat on the edge of the bed, pressed the switch on the alarm clock displaying 20:00, and surveyed the unfamiliar room.

The room was small with a grid-patterned ceiling, the aisle beside the bed barely wide enough for two people to stand.

To his right, under the window next to the headboard, sat a desk with an old, yellowing CRT monitor that was currently dark.

The door at the foot of the bed was shut tight, featuring an old-fashioned, polished brass round handle.

Wasn't I attempting the final trial of the Ozaki Eight?

As he grew more alert, he recalled the moment he sank beneath the water.

The azure sky had filled his vision—a sense of emptiness and relaxation he had never known before, as if everything were drifting away from him.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, it was as if a switch had been flipped; a dull ache radiated from the back of his head, and fragmented, blurry memories flooded his mind.

After a while, he gently massaged his temples.

"So, I've hit the jackpot."

With a clatter, he pulled open the desk drawer and took out a student ID.

Coast University, Department of Pharmacy—Lin Ye. The one-inch photo in the top right corner showed a handsome young man.

"A twenty-year-old body, truly full of vitality."

"Just a bit too thin."

He put the ID back, stood up, and walked to the desk, where a calendar sat next to the CRT monitor.

June 30, 2028, Federation Calendar, Friday.

The final day before the junior year summer break.

He looked at the CRT monitor, but rather than using a computer to search for information, he preferred... reading.

He reached for the simple bookshelf on the desk, his fingertips brushing against a black spine that felt cool to the touch.

A Brief History of the Liya Federation.

The gilded lettering had caught the previous owner's eye, who bought it simply because it looked stylish.

He pulled the book out, sat sideways on the desk chair, crossed his legs, and flipped through it casually.

Before long, he set the book down on the table, open to an illustration.

A streamlined fuselage, leaf-shaped tail cone, raked wingtips, and two oversized engines mounted on the wings.

"Sky-Raider 747 Civil Airliner."

His fingers tapped the desk unconsciously as moonlight streamed through the window, casting a patch of light on the floor.

"The planet's surface area is over three times larger, and the level of technology is already equivalent to the 21st century."

"It's just that the various provinces within the Federation seem intent on carving out their own territories."

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly looked up, his attention drawn to the hallway outside, where a young woman's voice could be heard.

"Mom, so many people are eyeing this internal training spot at Tieqin Group; they're just waiting for me to slip up!"

"I don't want to take Xiao Ye's sixty thousand in tuition money either, but if I miss this chance, how else am I supposed to turn my life around?"

"I'm not being irrational! I'm being too rational!"

"How many opportunities does a regular family like ours get in a lifetime?"

"Mom, that's Tieqin Group! It's an opportunity most people can only dream of!"

"If I don't try, I won't be able to live with myself!"

"And what about Xiao Ye? After graduation, he'll need money to get into a big company, money to get married, money for a car and a house. Even if we scrape through this semester, what about the next? What about the future?"

"Are we really supposed to wait until Xiao Ye is thirty to talk about marriage? Will there even be time left then?"

"But if I succeed in getting selected this time, we won't have to worry anymore. Even if Xiao Ye doesn't work in the future, I'll be able to take care of him."

"Mom, I'll be honest with you—I've already taken out a loan for one hundred thousand."

"I have no way out, and I don't want to retreat anymore!"

After the string of words, silence fell outside the door.

Lin Ye listened to his "sister" Lin Yu. In this world, unlike his previous life, the cost of university was exorbitant.

Supporting two college students had long since exhausted the pension from their father's death at sea, and they had been relying entirely on their mother's early savings.

Furthermore, his sister was a top student at Tieqin University, and her expenses were even higher than his; it was only now that she had graduated that they could finally catch a breath.

However, his mother had still been forced to sell her wedding jewelry to scrape together the tuition for his first semester of senior year.

"Tieqin Group..."

He recalled the relevant information; it seemed to be the leading corporate conglomerate in Tieqin City, a first-tier city nearby.

Its influence was immense, to the point that the city itself was named after the group, which spoke volumes.

If he could truly become an internal trainee at Tieqin Group, he would likely become a high-level executive in the future, which would definitely be a leap in social class compared to his current situation.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

The sound of hurried footsteps faded away, followed by the sound of a door opening.

"Mom, don't worry, even if it doesn't work out, I'll manage to get another sum of money before school starts!"

"This money will be enough for you and Lin Ye to live without worry!"

"Bang!"

The heavy sound of the door slamming shut made even Lin Ye, sitting inside his room, feel the house shake.

After a moment of silence, he stood up, walked to the door, and gripped the brass handle.

The cool, sticky sensation told him that everything happening before him was real.

Suddenly, he felt somewhat lost and at a loss for what to do.

"Mother... sister..."

"Click—"

As the handle turned, the door opened.

The moment the door opened, the noise in his ears suddenly fell silent, and the dim light of candlelight shone in from outside.

His heart skipped a beat, and the confusion in his eyes quickly receded, replaced by caution and aggression as he observed his surroundings.

Directly ahead, a dilapidated medieval church appeared extremely empty; he seemed to be on the second floor.

The church dome was decorated with paintings made from agate.

They depicted angels falling to the mortal realm and the fires of hell burning toward heaven.

Although it was mostly damaged, with marks from sharp weapons everywhere, one could still sense its former luxury from the shattered gemstone materials.

"Thud."

With a push of his arm, he closed the dark brown wooden door.

"Click—"

He opened the door again, but the surrounding environment had not changed in the slightest.

Outside the door, a row of brass candle holders hung along the corridor, and at the end of the corridor to the left was a large wooden spiral staircase leading down to the first floor.

Looking back behind him, the original room had vanished, replaced by an old West Continent-style bedroom that smelled of musty decay.

The layout was similar to his room, only much larger.

The furniture and the floor were made of a gold-brown grained wood, looking understated yet luxurious, and somewhat cold.

The most eye-catching feature was an oil painting above the headboard, a meter long, with extremely vivid and striking colors.

Before he could look closely, a faint movement came from outside the door.

He looked back toward the staircase, and the moment he saw it clearly, a tingling chill shot from his tailbone to his scalp.

He turned his head, his throat bobbed, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and his black pupils dilated completely.

He lunged forward, crawling swiftly and silently under the bed; the air current stirred up dust, and a strong, musty odor filled his nostrils.

"Pat," "pat."

It sounded like a palm slapping against a wooden box, a dull sound that gradually approached from the corridor.

"Creeeak~"

The room door swayed gently, emitting a harsh sound, accompanied by a rustling friction as something crawled inside.

Lin Ye pressed his body deep under the bed, not moving an inch, his gaze fixed tightly on the gap beneath the bed.

"Thud!"

A black arm, looking like it had been dried and shriveled, landed outside the gap, stirring up a faint current of air mixed with the scent of decay.

Lin Ye's pupils constricted; this was definitely not a human hand!