Chapter 105

Chapter 105

He never dreamed that he would hear these two names in this manner one day.

He could barely remember what they looked like, but their names and address were still crystal clear. This information had been repeatedly drilled into him to prevent him from getting lost or abducted, reinforcing the memory.

Is there also a Ji Xinghai, a Ji Guancheng, and a Wei Lan in a parallel world?

Ji Xinghai left finger marks on the iron railing. Most of the worlds he had traversed were chaotic and lawless. Even in the few orderly worlds, he had never found a family like this one.

What will it be this time?

Is it a version of himself from a parallel world, or...

"Has Mr. Ji's asthma improved?"

"Mr. Ji doesn't have asthma; he wears a mask in March and April because of pollen allergies. However, after his only child fell into an unexplained coma nine years ago, he resigned and stayed home, avoiding the flowers and trees at school, and has been fine since."

Without a mirror opposite him, Ji Xinghai couldn't see his own expression, which was awkward, aggrieved, and hesitant, not daring to believe his luck.

Could it really be his? Could this be some new form of fraud?

"How has Ms. Wei been these past years?"

"She left the police force and opened a counseling office at home. She's doing well."

Listening to the voice on the other end, Ji Father and Ji Mother's eyes welled up with tears, but neither made a sound. If Ji Xinghai wanted to see them, they would appear. If he needed time to cool off, they wouldn't.

Teacher, police officer, child in a coma.

Ji Xinghai had already sprung out of bed, pacing back and forth between the bedroom and the balcony.

"Let them talk to me! Quickly, let them talk to me."

He pressed his ear to the phone until a gentle voice called out 'Xingxing,' piercing through the fog of his memories.

He remembered.

That voice.

"Call me again."

"Xingxing."

"Again."

"Xingxing." Ji Mother covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face, while Ji Xinghai tilted his head, a beam of light shining on his face.

Ji Xinghai didn't know what to do. His world seemed to transition from the depths of winter to springtime warmth, from black and white to vibrant colors. The volcano in his chest erupted with a glow, and every speck of dust before him blossomed into a flower.

He stepped out and began running.

He smiled at everyone he encountered by chance.

"Ji..."

"Do you know my parents contacted me too?"

"Huh?"

He even greeted anomalous beings.

The broom, frightened, stuck to the wall and dropped twigs; the endless sweater shrank under the dorm manager's desk; even a passing bird screamed and fell to the ground, playing dead.

He picked up the bird and placed it aside, stroking its colorful feathers, then walked away smiling.

The bird touched its head with its wingtip in disbelief: did it keep its head today?

Once he confirmed it was the right answer, Ji Xinghai forgot everything else, even why the world felt so unfamiliar.

Despite his experiences, the child who had left home long ago still lived within him.

He wanted to see them, go home, and bring gifts.

Right, gifts.

He needed gifts.

"Are they nearby? I can't quite remember. Can we video call? Can we transmit? Wait, let me ask."

Then came half a minute of chaos, followed by a sharp cry on the other end: "Whether we can video call isn't up to me, but assaulting school staff is definitely grounds for punishment! Calm down, we need to be calm. Your request isn't unreasonable."

Those on the phone suddenly fell silent, their sorrow momentarily suspended.

Was this 'ask' normal?

"I've asked, and we can't video call, but we can write letters or send packages once a month. I can't remember what you look like, can you send photos to this address? Hunger Academy, XX District, Building X..."

He recited his dormitory's specific address: "Leave things on the windowsill; someone will pick them up. Keep items small; the courier is a squirrel. Don't send electronics; they'll be damaged. And no dangerous items, or you won't be able to send anything next time."

"Oh, okay, we'll listen to Xingxing." Ji Mother leaned close to the phone, feeling no strangeness between them, as if those years apart never existed.

She didn't care about her child's unusual behavior.

Yes, Ji Mother knew her child was different, but it wasn't a big deal. Her Xingxing hadn't harmed anyone; he was just different from most people. But why should he be like everyone else?

"Wah, wah, wah."

In the background, a voice continued to sob. Then they heard the previously cheerful Ji Xinghai impatiently say, "Shut up," and the crying abruptly stopped.

"I miss you all so much." He continued speaking to them gently. "The rules here are quite strict. I'll talk to you in detail once I get out."

"Okay, we'll wait for you."

As the half-hour call ended, the elderly man beside him wiped the sweat from his forehead. The content of today's conversation was beyond what he could have imagined, going smoothly almost unbelievably.

It was confirmed immediately, without any hesitation.

Thinking about it, the old man couldn't help but smile. What a pure child.

But can Hungry Academy send letters or packages once a month? How come they didn't know?

This was another way to communicate outside of the half-hour calls, one that was significant and perhaps even more important than the calls themselves. Outside, JiuZhou had already gone to handle the package matters, while inside, Ji Xinghai encountered the inspector who came looking for him.

It was still that same honest and reliable face, but the more he looked at it, the more repulsive it became: if not for this contract, he could have run away and climbed over the wall to go home by now.

Feeling deceived, he was angry.

The inspector, who bore the brunt of his anger: ...

Not knowing what had happened, but feeling 'wronged.'

Was this emotion 'wronged'?

Forget it, he didn't understand. He wasn't human anymore, those complex feelings were beyond him.

"Do you have any gifts?"

The sudden question left the inspector stunned for a few seconds. He tilted his head slightly. "What kind of gift? Did you see any ingredients you liked?"

"No, you used to be human. What do you think parents would like to receive as a gift?"

Not knowing how to express his affection for them, he decided to send something instead.

The inspector was even more stunned, his eyes like black holes silently looking over. "I don't have parents, not even before my transformation. But usually, gifts are local specialties. Hungry Academy has the most anomalies, which could count as a specialty."

Ji Xinghai scratched his head, finding it reasonable. "...Sending anomalies is fine too."

The anomalies passing by: ...

After confirming the gift, Ji Xinghai finally noticed something unusual about the inspector today. "What did you bring?"

The inspector held a square bag, seemingly containing something.

"Food," the inspector's dark eyes turned towards him. "To suit your tastes."

Ji Xinghai accepted it without reservation, opening it right there. It turned out to be a box of pastries.

"Do you have an ulterior motive?" He opened the box and took out a pastry.

"They want to recruit you as an external staff member. You won't need to become an anomaly, and it counts as passing through JiuZhou."

Ji Xinghai's existence posed a threat to Hungry Academy and its NPCs. Since they couldn't kill him, recruiting him would be beneficial, adding a powerful ally.

As for whether to become an anomaly...he was already quite abnormal.

However, becoming an external staff member would nullify their contract. After much thought, the inspector felt he should take action.

Since Ji Xinghai liked food, he decided to give him food.

And then he learned how to make pastries.

"That won't work; I can't stay." Ji Xinghai said, eating a pastry.

If it were a few hours ago, he might have hesitated, but now he couldn't.

He had already returned home; how could he be an external staff member of this school? Besides, these colleagues would scare his parents.

Hearing the satisfactory answer, the inspector's expressionless face seemed to soften. He nodded. "I'll make more (pastries) later."

With that, he left, leaving Ji Xinghai alone, stuffing one pastry after another into his mouth.

"Did he make them?"

Later, Hungry Academy indeed sent representatives to meet with Ji Xinghai—a combination of the masked figure and the crow.

These two anomalies had once posed a strong threat to him, but with the increase in energy absorption and the recovery of his strength, he no longer needed to consider their threats.

The masked figure and the crow came to invite Ji Xinghai to join. Once he became an external staff member, he would no longer be forced to participate in the games, and the country behind him would automatically pass. Additionally, he could become an auxiliary examiner with some rule-making authority.

If it were anyone else, hearing such good terms, they might have agreed immediately. But Ji Xinghai only heard one word: "freeloading."

"No salary, no benefits, nothing at all, just free labor?" He scoffed. "How dare you even mention this as a good deal? Do you think anomalies are worthless?"

The masked figure and the crow, with no salary or benefits and high-risk jobs: ...

"Capitalism is truly heartless, regardless of species. Monopolistic enterprises are no good. Have you never considered rebelling?"

He shook his head as he spoke. "I won't even mention holiday bonuses, but do you have weekends off?"

No, 24/7.

"Do you have personal safety guarantees?"

No, there's someone in the scenarios who eats NPCs—yes, you.

"Do you have career prospects? Any promotion channels? With none of these, you're asking me to sign an illegal contract that exploits people. Are you crazy?"

The masked figure and the crow were thus shown out, facing the closed dormitory door.

"Wow, he has a point," said the crow.

The masked man remained silent, and the crow continued, "Monopolies really don't work. Competition is needed for better treatment."

Putting aside how the batch of aberrant creatures under the Hungry Academy might rebel later, in reality, JiuZhou disclosed to its allied countries that students' families could send packages, trading this information for other resources.

Although JiuZhou stated that the feasibility was not yet fully confirmed, the countries had already taken action. They even sent packages before JiuZhou did.

The students who received the packages felt both startled and amazed.

Receiving packages from family in the Hungry Academy? Was this some new update or version?

Still, having another way to connect with the outside world besides phone calls was good. Packages could contain many things; even if dangerous items and electronics were prohibited, letters alone conveyed more information than phone calls.

By the time half the students had received their packages, Ji Xinghai's package arrived, about the size of a shoebox.

He opened the lid, and the first thing he saw were several colorful cat paw lollipops, which looked somewhat familiar—perhaps he used to love them. He unwrapped one and put it in his mouth, his eyebrows furrowing at the sourness.

They were lemon-flavored.

Beneath the candies was a notebook containing information that hadn't been fully explained over the phone. As he flipped through it, a photo fell out.

In the photo, a man and a woman smiled at the camera. Fine lines had appeared on their faces, but their hair was still black, and they looked vibrant. A hazy memory suddenly became clear.

Ji Xinghai stared at the photo, his fingers touching their faces.

JiuZhou, Black Tower.

"I didn't expect Ji Xinghai to actually be Ji Xinghai," the minister said, opening the computer to review new membership applications.

Who would have thought such a thing was possible?

They had many speculations about Ji Xinghai's origins, and the most outrageous guess—that he was separated from his body—turned out to be true.

The minister opened the file, and the first applicant's details popped up.

"Wei Lan, female, 42 years old... Huh?"