Discharge

The moment his gaze landed on it, a brief message was fed back.

[Insufficient Source Value, Talent cannot be upgraded]

"Talents can be upgraded?"

Hu Long's heart stirred.

But he was relieved almost immediately.

Since the panel separated Source Value and Traffic, they must have their own distinct uses.

It just seems like skills can't be upgraded!

His gaze fell upon the only skill on his panel, Network Offense and Defense. After observing it carefully, he didn't find any similar characters.

However, it was also possible that skills were different from talents.

Perhaps the skill level was too high, and his current reserve of Source Value was simply insufficient to trigger the display.

He could look into that later.

Just then, the caregiver who had gone to fetch his meal walked over.

The tray contained meat, vegetables, and a few shrimp, though the portion wasn't large.

This wasn't intentional; it was simply portioned according to Hu Long's usual appetite.

Hu Long pulled back his thoughts.

After thanking the caregiver, he began to eat.

In the past, perhaps due to his physical condition, his appetite had been mediocre, and he had always forced himself to eat more.

But things were different now; he felt the food had become much more delicious.

It wasn't that the chef's skills had improved, but that his own appetite was getting better.

Soon, the meal was finished.

Given his physical condition, he normally couldn't overeat, and his appetite was much smaller than an average person's. Under normal circumstances, he should have felt seven or eight parts full by now.

But today felt different.

He felt the food entering his stomach being constantly processed by its churning.

Soon, that familiar feeling of fullness rapidly faded, replaced by a subtle, yet constantly spreading hunger.

Noticing this, Hu Long shoveled the remaining food on the plate into his mouth in a few bites, then turned to the caregiver waiting nearby.

"Could you please get me another portion?"

"You want more?"

The caregiver was clearly surprised.

It wasn't that the facility was stingy with food; those who could afford to stay at this top-tier psychiatric rehabilitation center in Huanyang City were all from well-off families.

Meals here were always all-you-can-eat.

The reason he hesitated was purely because Hu Long's current state was truly worrying.

The man was so thin he was practically skeletal, with high cheekbones and dark circles under his eyes, looking as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

As a caregiver, he naturally knew some basic nursing knowledge and was genuinely afraid that if Hu Long pushed himself too hard, he would eat himself into trouble.

Moreover, the facility leadership had specifically instructed that this patient be given extra care, so he didn't dare to be careless.

"I just feel hungry; I didn't really get enough."

Hu Long's tone was calm, devoid of emotion.

Hearing this, the caregiver was skeptical. He scrutinized him for a moment, and seeing that his expression was normal and not forced, he turned to go get more food.

As long as it wasn't indigestion, eating a bit more wasn't a big deal.

Afterward.

Hu Long quietly finished the third portion and, under the caregiver's uneasy gaze, finally put down his chopsticks.

He raised a hand to press his abdomen; it was only slightly raised, far from being full.

About... seven parts full, he guessed.

He reckoned he could eat two more bowls without a problem.

But he didn't ask for more.

The body always needs time to adapt.

Food is the fuel of life.

After consuming nearly three times his usual amount, a long-lost warmth spread from his stomach, flowing into his limbs and bones.

The lingering dizziness and body chills that had plagued him before had quietly faded quite a bit.

"It really works."

Hu Long's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

The only concern now was whether he would turn into a fatty if he kept eating like this.

However, the thought only flashed for a moment before he suppressed it.

Not to mention whether his physique would even gain weight normally after being affected by "that thing."

Even if it did, what was a little extra weight compared to staying alive?

Time slipped away, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

The sweltering summer quietly departed.

Autumn arrived in an instant.

Huanyang City, September 17th, afternoon.

The sky was gloomy, with a fine, silky drizzle and low-hanging mist soaking the scenery near and far in a grey, damp haze.

There was no sunlight today, only leaden clouds pressing down on the horizon, heavy and oppressive, as if they might collapse at any moment.

The iron gates of Morning Light Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center closed slowly behind them, emitting a sluggish, grinding sound.

Two figures holding umbrellas walked out from the gate, one following the other.

Several figures in white lab coats stood under umbrellas, watching the two leave until they gradually disappeared into the distant curtain of rain.

Tap, tap...

The woman walking in front had her dark hair loosely tied in a bun at the back of her head, with a few stray strands dampened by the moisture, clinging to the side of her fair neck.

She wore a plain white shirt made of thin fabric, which rippled with fine wrinkles as the wind caught it.

A black leather bag was slung over her shoulder.

She wore blue jeans and a pair of white shoes.

The rain wove an extremely fine net in the air around her, making her somewhat delicate face appear slightly blurred in the haze.

Her soles made soft sounds as they stepped across the wet ground.

The man following behind carried a white cloth bag in his right hand, on which the words "Morning Light Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center" were faintly visible.

The young man was none other than Hu Long, who had just passed his evaluation, reached the standard for stable recovery, and was leaving the hospital.

Thanks to the physical talent of High-Efficiency Absorption and Metabolism, he was much better off than before.

His body no longer resembled the emaciated, mummified corpse he had been.

Although he still looked somewhat thin, he had barely managed to return to the state of a normal person.

And this was only because Hu Long had deliberately restrained himself.

The physical talent of High-Efficiency Absorption and Metabolism allowed him to eat a lot, but it was different from those with simple "big appetites."

Those people just had larger stomachs than the average person, allowing them to consume more.

High-Efficiency Absorption and Metabolism was different; it could be seen as the stomach absorbing and digesting food at a much faster rate.

Therefore, despite his thin appearance, his physical condition and mental state had basically returned to normal.

Today was his first time leaving the hospital and stepping into the outside world since he descended into this world.

As for the woman in front of him, she was the original body's older sister, Hu Zhao.

She had come specifically to pick him up and take him home.

The original family was well-off, his parents were alive, and he had an older sister.

Compared to the "both parents dead" starts common in the web novels Hu Long had once read, this was undoubtedly much better.

For the moment, the two walked one after the other, silent and without conversation.

Hu Long didn't want to speak; although he had the original body's memories, they were fragmented, and some were not clear.

Therefore, he didn't want to speak rashly.

As for Hu Zhao, while she appeared to be walking forward, her expression was actually conflicted. She would occasionally turn her head to glance at Hu Long behind her, lost in thought, and she didn't speak either.

Due to the unique nature of Morning Light Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center and the weather, there were no vehicles on the surrounding roads.

Everything was quiet, save for the pitter-patter of the persistent autumn rain.

Soon, without walking very far, the two arrived beside a red sedan parked on the side of the road that looked quite expensive.

"Get in."

Hu Zhao spoke at this moment, and after saying so, she pulled open the door and sat inside.

Hu Long also pulled open a door, but instead of taking the passenger seat, he sat in the back.

Regarding this, Hu Zhao merely glanced at him but didn't say anything. She started the car, stepped on the gas, turned around, and headed toward the bridge that was the only path leading off the island.