Homecoming, Idle

Three hours later, Lin Fan sat on the edge of the roof of an unfinished building beside the construction site, his legs dangling in mid-air as his heels tapped rhythmically against the concrete ledge.

The wind at this height was fierce, whipping his cheap camouflage uniform until it snapped loudly.

He looked down at the vacant lot below.

It was gone.

Everything was gone.

The lot, which had originally been occupied by over a dozen pieces of heavy construction machinery, was now as clean as a plate licked by a dog.

Those steel behemoths—bulldozers, excavators, and cranes that weighed anywhere from dozens to hundreds of tons and once represented the power of human industrial civilization—didn't even have a single screw left behind.

On the ground, only faint, grayish-white powder outlines remained.

A gust of evening wind kicked up a sky full of dust.

"Hoo..."

Lin Fan exhaled a breath of stale air and looked down at the massive black scythe resting across his knees.

At this moment, Calamity seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.

The blade, once pitch-black like ink, was no longer a dull, lifeless matte; a faint, ghostly purple luster now shimmered along the edge.

The light wasn't blinding, yet it flickered on and off as if it were alive.

As he stared at it, a stream of blue data began to refresh on his retina.

[Specialty steel consumed from construction machinery: 920 tons.]
[Material rating: Medium.]
[Current status: Tier 0 Embryo.]
[Growth progress: +8.25%, total progress: 9.17%.]
[Current physical weight: 4800 kg.]
[Load-bearing compatibility: +8.25%.]

"Over nine hundred tons of specialty steel, and it only went up by less than 10%..."

Lin Fan's fingers gently stroked the cold long handle of Calamity. He frowned, not entirely satisfied with the result.

However, although the growth progress remained slow, the weight of Calamity had increased significantly.

A full 4800 kilograms.

That was nearly five tons!

A fully loaded small truck weighed about that much.

But with the bonus from "load-bearing compatibility," this five-ton weapon was no longer a burden in his hands.

On the contrary, the heavy, substantial feel gave him an unprecedented sense of security.

"That's enough."

Lin Fan glanced at the horizon in the distance, toward the depths of the Wilderness Zone that were gradually being swallowed by darkness.

Night was falling.

The Wilderness Zone was a hunting ground for human martial artists during the day, but at night, it became a carnival for monsters.

Therefore, it was time to leave.

"ROAR!!!"

In the distance, a low, thunderous roar rolled toward him, shaking the unfinished building beneath his feet.

Lin Fan narrowed his eyes. This sound definitely didn't belong to a Soldier-level monster; it was at least a Commander-level, if not stronger.

With his current strength, if he were greedy enough to stay the night, he would likely end up as an appetizer for those high-level monsters, eventually becoming a pile of waste.

"Don't be too greedy; take what you can get."

Lin Fan shook his head, then flipped his right hand to store Calamity inside his space ring.

He stood up, brushed the dust off his backside, pulled his tattered baseball cap back onto his head, and lowered the brim.

Like a ghost, he slipped into the stairwell without hesitation and began to sneak toward the base city.

Before nightfall, Lin Fan finally arrived back at the C3 Freight Channel on the north side of Yi'an District.

Massive searchlights mounted on the walls illuminated the checkpoint as brightly as day.

"Line up! Get in line, damn it!"

The guard holding a riot gun roared impatiently, "Open your backpacks! Hand over any contraband voluntarily!"

Lin Fan blended into a group of scavengers who reeked of sweat and looked utterly exhausted, appearing completely unremarkable.

His camouflage uniform was so dirty its original color was unrecognizable, his face was smeared with grease and dirt, and his eyes reflected the numbness and cowardice typical of those at the bottom of society.

"Next!"

Lin Fan stepped forward and proactively opened his deflated canvas bag.

Inside, there was only half a bottle of murky water and a few pieces of crushed compressed biscuits.

As for the priceless space ring on his finger?

Don't be ridiculous; how could the scanning machines at the base city level possibly detect a space ring?

"Get in."

The guard waved him through, his eyes sweeping over the empty backpack with a hint of disdain.

Another poor wretch who came back empty-handed.

Lin Fan nodded and bowed obsequiously, grabbed his bag, and hurried through the heavy steel gate.

Only after walking into the familiar, bustling city district filled with the scent of cooking smoke and noise did Lin Fan silently breathe a sigh of relief.

He was safe.

He then transferred through a few light rail lines and finally returned to his "home" in the low-cost public housing area.

The motion-sensor light in the hallway had been broken for a long time, leaving it as dark as a ghost cave.

Lin Fan skillfully fished out his key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it.

Click.

He pushed the door open, and the familiar, musty smell—a mixture of old furniture, damp wallpaper, and the cooking odors from next door—rushed to meet him.

To others, it might have been pungent, but to Lin Fan, who had just experienced bloody slaughter, this scent felt exceptionally intimate.

He closed the door behind him, engaged both locks, and fastened the security chain before finally relaxing completely.

Although the door provided almost no real protection, the psychological effect made him feel more at ease.

He tossed the empty backpack used for camouflage into the corner and, without even taking off his shoes, collapsed straight onto the stiff wooden bed.

"Hoo..."

Only now did his tightly coiled nerves finally dare to slacken.

Although his body had been strengthened and he didn't feel much physical fatigue, the mental tension—the pressure of constantly guarding against a cold gun or sharp claws behind his back—was only released at this moment.

But he didn't go to sleep immediately.

He recalled everything that had happened throughout the day, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

In just one day, he had faced terrifying monsters and even killed people.

This left Lin Fan, who had been a law-abiding citizen just a day ago, feeling somewhat melancholy.

"This world really has changed." Lin Fan sighed. "Without strength, even staying alive is difficult."

After this reflection, Lin Fan couldn't help but analyze the day's battles.

Whether facing the Shadow Cat or that group of boars that only knew how to charge, he had relied entirely on the weight and sharpness of his weapon to bully them.

Crude.

Too crude.

If he encountered a human martial artist with agile footwork or a high-level monster with intelligence, his "swinging a big hammer" style would definitely lead to a crushing defeat.

"True Self."

Lin Fan lay in the darkness and whispered softly in his mind.

Hum.

Deep within his consciousness, the ancient and majestic Bronze Hall lit up once more.

In the center of the hall, the True Self that looked exactly like him immediately stopped its movements.

Lin Fan thought for a moment and issued a command in his mind:

"Continue practicing the 36 Basic Martial Arts Forms."

"But focus on breaking down the force-generating techniques for heavy weapons."

In the Bronze Hall, the light-shadow didn't answer, nor did it waste any words.

It simply raised its hand silently, gripping a long-handled scythe that had manifested, identical to Calamity.

Starting stance.

Stepping forward.

Shoulder blades tucked in like a great bird folding its wings; waist and hips twisting like a grinding stone.

Every movement was standard to the extreme.

It performed them over and over again.

Tireless, unwearied.

In reality, Lin Fan remained lying in the dark room.

He turned on his side, watching the faint moonlight leaking through the gap in the curtains.

Outside, people were arguing, and a drunkard was causing a scene in the distance.

These noises and chaos had nothing to do with him now; they were like background noise from another world, making Lin Fan, this "outsider," feel even more out of place.

"Perhaps this is why I don't want to get close to Luo Feng."

"After all, I am not a person of this world..."

As he thought, a heavy drowsiness washed over him like a tide.

Lin Fan didn't resist; he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.