Origin

A line of text suddenly manifested upon his retina.

[Source Value +0.01 wisp]

Seeing this, his heart stirred.

He summoned the Primordial Plain Panel.

[Host: Hu Long]

[Skill: Network Offense and Defense (Master)]

[Network Speed: 8M/S]

[Data Usage: 0M]

[Source Value: 3.01 wisps]

The illusory, silvery-white download panel appeared before his eyes once more, though it had undergone some changes compared to before.

The Source Value entry at the very bottom had now become 3.01 wisps.

Compared to before, it had increased by 0.01 out of thin air.

What is the source of this Source Value?

Hu Long's gaze shifted slightly.

He scanned the empty room.

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, he looked out the window.

Could it be...

A guess rose in his heart, though it would still require verification.

Hu Long remained lying on the bed, motionless, as if he were asleep.

Time slipped away.

A few gray sparrows landed on the branches outside the window, chirping incessantly.

The light shining into the room shifted as time passed.

Then, Hu Long, who had been lying down, suddenly opened his eyes again.

[Source Value +0.01 wisp]

A line of silvery-white text appeared, then slowly faded away.

At the same time, the Source Value entry on the panel increased by another 0.01.

Seeing this, he struggled to prop up his body and moved into the shadows at the corner of the bed.

He waited for about the same amount of time, but nothing changed.

Just as I thought!

Hu Long's heart stirred, and a flash of realization crossed his eyes.

At this moment, he could almost confirm that the source of this Source Value was likely sunlight.

He was able to absorb the Source Value required by the panel from the sunlight.

Of course, whether that was truly the case would require further verification.

Time flowed silently, and the scorching sun of high noon had quietly sunk into the west.

Great swathes of fiery red sunset clouds spread across the horizon like spilled molten gold, scorching half the sky.

The brightness in the ward was swallowed by the twilight.

Shadows crawled slowly from the corners of the walls and beneath the bed, devouring the space in the ward inch by inch.

Only a thin, weak line of daylight remained by the window, casting a dim, yellowish glow on the floor like embers about to burn out.

Click.

The small iron window at the bottom of the door was pulled open from the outside.

"Time to eat!"

A voice echoed.

At the same time, a hand wearing a white glove placed a lunch box and a bottle of yogurt on the floor.

After finishing this, the person immediately withdrew their hand.

The iron window closed again with a short, cold clatter.

On the bed, Hu Long, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them.

His sleep had not been sound.

His physical condition was only a secondary concern.

The feeling of having transmigrated is the hardest to calm.

He propped himself up with his hands, his limbs still feeling somewhat limp.

Fortunately, that sense of exhaustion seeping into his marrow had faded slightly.

It was only because the hour had grown late and the sun was no longer as scorching as it was at noon that his body felt a bit cold.

There was a quilt on the bed, but Hu Long did not cover himself with it.

He had discovered that covering up hindered the efficiency of absorbing Source Value, slightly extending the time required to acquire it.

Fortunately, the thin clothing he wore seemed to have no such effect.

Otherwise, he might have considered stripping naked to sunbathe.

Stepping barefoot onto the floor that still held the lingering warmth of the sun, he walked slowly toward the door.

He bent down to pick up the lunchbox and a carton of yogurt beside it.

Following the standard procedures of the psychiatric hospital, meals were usually delivered into the ward, or assistance was provided by designated personnel when necessary.

The current situation existed because the original owner had explicitly requested it; influenced by that "ghostly thing," the original owner held intense wariness toward everyone.

Except for critical tasks like taking medication that required the intervention of others, he refused almost all outside interference.

The lunchbox and the straw were both made of soft plastic, their surfaces feeling vaguely frosted to the touch.

The spoon was also made of the same soft material, with rounded, blunt edges.

This was to prevent the psychiatric patients from committing suicide; after all, the original owner had attempted suicide several times, and this condition had been diagnosed as extremely severe.

Hu Long lifted the lid of the box.

A bowl of white rice topped with a few pieces of braised pork coated in thick sauce, a few winter melon meatballs on the side, and a small portion of shredded potatoes.

The portion was not large, as the original body's condition could not handle much.

He picked up the spoon, scooped up a mouthful of food, and chewed.

The taste was average—not bad, but not good either—but Hu Long did not care.

This body was in urgent need of nutrition and could not afford any more strain.

He had to eat more.

Soon, after finishing the meal, Hu Long lay back down on the bed, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing.

Before long, he drifted into a deep sleep.

He did not know how much time had passed before a need to urinate woke him up.

Outside the window, the twilight deepened; the setting sun was half-hidden below the horizon, its afterglow dim, leaving the room in darkness.

The sound of cicadas in the distance came in waves, tearing through the silence of the evening.

A sense of inexplicable loneliness suddenly welled up in his heart.

Hu Long shook his head, stood up to stretch his limbs, and then, with a thought, summoned the Primordial Plain Panel visible only to him.

A silver shimmer flickered.

He stared at it for a long while before finally exhaling a long, heavy breath.

None of this was a dream.

Afterward, he stood up and pressed the call button nearby.

He needed someone to take him to the restroom.

Patients with severe mental illnesses like him were all assigned dedicated caregivers.

The person who arrived was no stranger; it was the male orderly named Li Dalin from earlier that day.

The two walked all the way to the restroom.

"By the way, what time is it now?"

Hu Long suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Li Dalin looked at Hu Long with some surprise.

He was no stranger to Hu Long.

The other party had been living here for nearly three years.

It was fine at the beginning.

However, as time passed, his condition had become increasingly severe.

For the past six months, he hadn't communicated with anyone at all.

He hadn't expected him to take the initiative to speak today.

In response, he raised his hand and glanced at his watch.

"7:21."

Having said that, he added another sentence.

"In the evening."

Hu Long did not mind the other person's addition, which sounded like they were coddling a mental patient.

Accompanied by the sound of splashing water.

Hu Long did not answer again.

He seemed to be in a daze.

In reality, his gaze was fixed on the Primordial Plain Panel before him.

To be precise, he was looking at the line of text at the very bottom.

[Source Value: 3.05 wisps]

From the moment the panel appeared until now, the Source Value had only increased by 0.05 wisps.

Although there were no clocks in the ward, it was not difficult to judge based on the height of the sun that it must have been around one or two in the afternoon at the time.

It was currently summer, and the sky had only just turned dark.

At this rate, it amounted to roughly 0.01 wisps of Source Value per hour.

That meant 0.1 wisps per day, and in ten days, he could accumulate 1 point of Source Value, which was equivalent to 1 tera of data.

This speed was not fast, but it was not slow either.

Time flowed like water.

Day after day.

Life in the psychiatric hospital was actually quite dull, especially for someone like Hu Long, who was considered severely mentally ill; he wasn't even allowed to go outside for fresh air or converse with others, let alone step half a foot out the main gate.

However, Hu Long did not care about that.

He had never been fond of noise, and if things could remain this way, it would actually suit his wishes.

Of course, if not for that ghostly thing pestering him, he might truly have been willing to stay here for a while longer.

It was precisely because of the existence of that shadow that Hu Long knew he had to make a change and leave as soon as possible.

That was, assuming this hospital was a legitimate one.