"The thing just now wrapped its black hair around me, but no skill prompt appeared. Was it because it was only an illusion, or because it had no physical form to begin with?
"Or was there some hidden condition on my end that prevented me from downloading its skill?"
Various thoughts flashed through Hu Long's mind.
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough information to determine which explanation was correct.
He stopped dwelling on it, gathered his thoughts, and looked at the desk in front of him.
There wasn't much on the desktop.
Just a brand-new computer and a phone, both still covered by their protective films.
A pale sticky note was affixed to the corner of the desk, bearing a line of elegant handwriting:
"Mom and Dad love you."
It was probably left by his original body's mother.
Hu Long picked up the phone, peeled off the film, and gave it a quick try after completing the basic setup.
Then he flipped open the computer and pressed the power button.
The phone and computer both worked much like the ones from his previous life.
And since his original body had possessed the skill "Master-Level Network Offense and Defense,"
Hu Long used the devices without any awkwardness. His movements were smooth and practiced.
He opened the browser with ease, visited a forum he frequented, and typed a few key terms into the search bar.
Click... click...
Outside the window, the drizzle fell like a veil, fine and steady. Looking out from the second floor, he could see droplets gathering on the eaves before falling one by one.
The drops first landed on the edge of the tiled eaves jutting out from the second floor, hanging there and trembling until they grew heavy enough to fall straight down.
Then they landed squarely on the wider, sloping roof tiles below, over the first floor.
In the distance, gray-white buildings rose and fell like waves. Each garden villa seemed like its own estate, lending the neighborhood a distinctive charm in the rainy mist.
As time passed,
the clock on the wall ticked away.
The rain outside gradually eased.
"Just as I thought. There's still nothing useful!"
After a while,
Hu Long leaned back in his recliner and massaged the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.
The search results were just as disappointing as he'd expected.
It wasn't that there was nothing online.
Quite the opposite.
There was a great deal of information, and plenty of people seemed to have encountered strange phenomena like he had.
But in Hu Long's view, most of it was made-up stories or mysterious tales passed down by older generations.
They were entertaining enough as stories, but a closer look revealed plenty of holes.
Others were simply impossible to verify.
None of it offered much practical help.
He had even resorted to some unconventional methods, trying to break into certain government databases to investigate what was happening to him.
In theory, the authorities should have records of this kind of anomaly.
But he'd barely gotten inside before being detected, and he'd nearly let them trace his location.
After all, there was no shortage of computer geniuses in this world.
"Looks like I'll have to find another way. Still, I have an advantage my original body could never have.
"With the Primordial Plain Panel, I can download someone's skills as long as I make contact with them.
"Since these bizarre things exist, there might be Buddhist or Daoist techniques capable of countering them. Maybe I can start there..."
Hu Long thought it over, gradually settling on a clear plan.
Next,
he needed to map out his future.
First, he would deal with the hidden danger inside him.
Then he would see if he could find another way to gain Source Value without sunbathing, so he could trade it for traffic and download skills.
After all, relying on "the weather" for Source Value was steady, but far too slow.
Knock, knock...
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
At the same time, Wendys's even voice came from outside.
"Second Young Master, Sir and Madam have returned. They'd like you to come see them."
"Got it."
Hu Long turned off the screen and got up to open the door.
Wendys was waiting quietly outside. When he stepped out, she moved aside and led the way.
Hu Long followed her down the corridor. When they reached the main hall, Hu Zhao was already waiting by the entrance.
She had changed into a black, spaghetti-strap dress, and her long hair fell loosely over her shoulders, making her skin look even fairer.
When she saw Hu Long, she walked up and gently linked her arm through his.
"Come on in," she said softly.
"Mom and Dad are waiting inside."
At her sudden show of affection, Hu Long's steps faltered almost imperceptibly. Then he let her hold his arm as they entered the main hall together.
Inside the main hall,
two figures were present.
A middle-aged couple sat on the main sofa.
The man was reading a newspaper.
The woman wore a plain qipao and kept glancing toward the door.
As soon as she saw Hu Long,
the woman could no longer hold herself back. She hurried over and pulled him into a tight embrace.
Her voice trembled with emotion:
"Xiaolong... You've been through so much..."
Then she drew back a little, gently cupped his face in both hands, and gazed at him through tear-blurred eyes.
"Let me get a good look at you... How did you lose so much weight? Did you not eat properly at the hospital?"
The middle-aged man didn't get up. He merely looked up at Hu Long, his expression calm.
"As long as you're all right!"
Hu Long recognized the woman and the middle-aged man. They appeared in his original body's memories, and he had spoken with them over video call after his "condition improved."
They were his original body's parents, Hu Chengwen and He Yanling.
Watching the woman cling to him, trembling as she cried,
Hu Long felt a little uncomfortable.
Although he had some of his original body's memories,
that didn't mean he was the same person. He couldn't accept his original body's family without reservation and call strangers Mom and Dad as if they were his own.
So Hu Long changed the subject.
"Yeah, I'm fine now."
As he spoke,
he looked around as if searching for someone.
"By the way, where's my little brother?"
At that,
the two of them glanced at Hu Long and saw that he didn't seem particularly upset.
Remembering what Hu Zhao had told them earlier,
He Yanling hesitated briefly,
then called out to someone nearby, "Auntie Liu."
It wasn't long before a nanny in her thirties came over carrying a child.
The little boy was adorable, with round cheeks, double eyelids, and big eyes. He was playing with a transforming robot in his hands.
When he spotted Hu Chengwen and He Yanling nearby,
he reached out, babbling an unclear "Mama" and "Papa."
"Come on, say 'big brother.'"
Hu Long smiled, clapped his hands, and reached out to take him.
The nanny clearly knew who Hu Long was.
At first, the little one wasn't willing and kept squirming.
But after Hu Long lifted him up, he laughed.
"He's only a little over a year old and can't talk yet. He only says 'Mama' and 'Papa.' He can't even say 'older sister,'" Hu Zhao explained.
"What's his name?" Hu Long asked.
"Hu Yu," Hu Chengwen said from nearby.
"You just recovered. Don't tire yourself out. Put him down."
"Yeah, that's true. You've got to stay healthy. Don't end up like your big brother."
Hu Long smiled and said it to the Hu Yu in his arms.
Then he handed the child to He Yanling.
He didn't know whether she was really worried he'd get tired, but his bargain of a father was probably afraid he hadn't recovered and might go berserk and drop the kid.
Still, there was no need to say that out loud.
At Hu Long's words, a trace of guilt flickered almost imperceptibly in Hu Chengwen's eyes.
His eldest son was locked away in a psychiatric hospital, while he had focused all his attention on the younger one.
It left him with a sense of guilt.
"By the way, I'm a little hungry. When are we eating?"
Hu Long had naturally noticed.
He didn't continue the subject. Bringing it up at the right time could stir the other man's guilt and work to his advantage, but pushing it too far would backfire.
So he changed the subject and asked.
It hadn't been long since his last meal, but thanks to the "High-Efficiency Absorption and Metabolism" physical talent,
and the bizarre shadow inside his body absorbing something from him, he naturally needed more food.
Sure enough,
at Hu Long's words, He Yanling looked even more guilty.
"That's right. We've been so busy talking that Xiaolong must be starving."
"Mom will cook for you herself."
"Mom, the aunties are already making dinner," Hu Zhao explained.
After that, with Hu Long making a deliberate effort,
the family atmosphere was warm and cheerful.
After dinner, they sat together and chatted for a while.
The conversation naturally centered on Hu Long and Hu Yu, who was only a little over a year old.
He Yanling fussed over him, asking how he was doing, and Hu Long answered now and then.
When it was getting late, he said he was a little tired.
Then he returned to his room.
Once he was back inside and had closed the door,
Hu Long went to the window and gazed out at the dark, hazy night.
His brow furrowed slightly.
He was willing to return to his original body's life.
Besides having nowhere else to go and a few other reasons, there was another, especially important factor.
He wanted to find out what that bizarre shadow really was.
According to his original body's remaining memories, Hu Long hadn't liked exploring strange places.
So it was unlikely he'd provoked some evil spirit.
That made this possibility much less likely.
Which left another, more sinister possibility.
Someone close to his original body had done it.