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墨書 Inktalez
"Still not awake? How long has it been?"
"Wake him up, sleeping like a dead pig takes up too much space."
"One appendectomy and he ends up like this. His health really is poor."
"Well, I guess I'll just wake him myself."
The two of them looked at the man lying on the hospital bed, pointing at him.
At that moment, a doctor in a white coat approached and gently patted the man's cheek. "Wake up, my friend. You've been asleep long enough."
"Ugh, am I dead? Then let me sleep a little longer." Freyr opened his eyes but quickly shut them again. It felt as if he had just finished an intense workout, and his body was still sore. He didn't want to think about anything; all he wanted was to enjoy a deep sleep without any Zerg bothering him. This was a paradise he had never experienced before.
"Hey, could this be a side effect? Or does he just not want to leave the hospital? Is he a vagrant?" A woman nearby muttered.
"No way! I've seen plenty of appendicitis patients, and none of them have this kind of symptom." Another man scratched his head in confusion.
"But still, it doesn't matter. He doesn't need to stay in the hospital; we should kick him out tonight. Where would the other patients go otherwise?" The woman sighed, glancing at the man beside her and even throwing him a flirtatious look.
"Alright, alright. You're quite something. Just remember, you owe me one." The man scratched his head again and walked closer to the bed.
He took out a button panel with his left hand and grinned as he pressed it. The entire light panel flickered, radiating heat and light like a massive sun releasing its energy.
"Wow, it's so hot! I'm a ghost! Are you really using that kind of thing against a new ghost? And you won't let me sleep? Don't forget, I'm a hero—a great hero who protects the world! If it weren't for me, humanity would have been wiped out long ago!" Freyr erupted in anger, suddenly jumping out of bed. The bright light from above disrupted his drowsiness.
"Hey, he's claiming to be a great hero! I think we need to contact a psychiatrist to check his head. And seriously, what kind of ghost sleeps like this? Don't waste our time; we doctors are very busy!" At that moment, a middle-aged nurse with a ponytail pointed angrily at him.
"Hey there, this is a hospital. You've been sleeping here for two days; it's about time you head home."
At that moment, he was standing beside a tidy hospital bed, where a Male Doctor smiled as he took the medical IV bag from him and proceeded to withdraw the liquid from the artery.
Freyr stretched his arm and rubbed his eyes. The room was quite ordinary, with a few ghosts wielding sticks made of newspapers. One ghost wore a plastic mask resembling a Cosmic Worm, while the others waved their sticks around like they were brandishing swords. They were the Joint Defense Heroes, embodiments of justice, treating the Zerg as if they could trample them without consequence.
This kind of game was inherently evil, yet parents rarely intervened because it instilled in children a fervent hatred for the Zerg. Freyr recalled playing a game where Cosmic Worms battled Joint Defense Heroes, and the results were appalling, completely undermining the game's intended purpose. The notion of fostering revenge against the Zerg was nothing but nonsense. Just as he had imagined, a frail Pot Lid Head Ghost was bullied by several children, crying out for help as it ran away.
"I'm not dead!" Freyr exclaimed in astonishment. He realized how advanced the facilities in this hospital were; these ghosts seemed to be living happily, showing no signs of the negative impact brought by the Zerg's previous attacks.
"Haha, this is a hospital! Young people should be full of energy. You need to take responsibility; the future belongs to you. Don't think about dying—there's plenty of beautiful time waiting for you," the Male Doctor said, patting him on the shoulder.
As he spoke, a middle-aged Attending Physician approached. With a round face and a protruding belly that wobbled as he walked, he looked somewhat out of shape and lacked vitality. Nevertheless, he soon stopped by the bedside.
The doctor pulled out a wooden board tucked under his arm and flipped through a page of the medical record. He then asked with feigned concern, "So, how is this patient doing?"
The nurse nodded thoughtfully for a moment before replying, "Pulse is normal; natural Awakening has occurred. The effects of anesthesia have worn off; everything is fine."
Freyr stared in confusion and muttered, "What’s going on?"
Noticing his bewilderment, the doctor patted his shoulder and smiled calmly. "You just had an appendicitis attack. Here’s your medical record; sign this, and once you gather your daily necessities, you can be discharged today."
Freyr reached out and carefully touched the doctor's rough yet warm hand; it had a pulse. He glanced down at his legs—he had legs and even a shadow—his movements were entirely normal. It was clear he was not a ghost. Moreover, the medical record on the board confirmed his diagnosis: appendicitis was indeed accurate!
"Cough cough! What's up with you? Still interested in all this?"
By the bedside, the Attending Physician stood motionless, gazing at him for a long time. Up close, he resembled a Black-Faced Doctor, with a face marred by a few pockmarks, making him quite unattractive.
From a distance, he looked somewhat human; perhaps he had applied some skincare products.
"I'm sorry."
The nurse beside him giggled, her face turning red. The doctor shot her a glare, and she quickly regained her composure, returning to the image of a dignified and calm medical professional. It felt like a dream to Freya. But if this wasn't a dream, then everything that had happened before must have been a dream as well. That seemed impossible; after all, if it were a dream, how long would it last? Forty years was an awfully long time to be dreaming.
Yet something still felt off!
Just as he was lost in confusion, he noticed a set of numbers in the age section—strange numbers. He was clearly the same age as the Black-Faced Doctor, so why did it say he was only 18 years old? At this age, he should still be in high school!
Seeing his age left Freyr puzzled. When he turned the page and signed his name, the back page displayed August 1st of the year 0. At that time, he indeed was still a student, specifically during the early days before college—a period in his life when he felt the most comfortable, free from the pressures of survival.
Back then, the person he loved was still alive. Although at that age he had made poor choices and had an affair with a female classmate who was subsequently expelled, his three years in high school were equally uncomfortable due to how his classmates treated him.
Freyr glanced up at the Digital Clock on the wall; it confirmed what he saw. The children in the hospital gathered around him as they noticed he had woken up. This room was an ordinary ward where sick children rested while their parents went to work. The ill children would stay in the hospital to recuperate and play; even if doctors wanted to intervene, they often couldn't. Only a particularly stern Head Nurse would step in to discipline them. However, upon seeing their big brother awake, all the children were especially excited, their bright eyes wide open as if gazing at a long-lost hero.
One little boy clutched the bedsheet and exclaimed excitedly, "Big brother! You’re finally awake! Before your treatment, you promised to tell us stories when you woke up!"
Freyr scratched his head and agreed earnestly, "I truly haven't forgotten! So, what kind of story do you want to hear?"
He began recounting tales he had heard from others. The truth of these stories was uncertain to anyone; however, for these children, the protagonists felt as real as ever—just like his childhood dream of becoming a Dragon Hero.
Yet even during this time, they lived under the shadow of an Zerg colonial era. While the Zerg would occasionally attack human habitable cities, they did not brazenly storm into them. However, five years later things would change drastically. By then, human technology would evolve significantly. The Zerg had previously refrained from attacking humans intentionally; they viewed humans merely as food reserves. Once humans developed the capability to inflict mass destruction on the Zerg's forces, there would be no reason for them to allow these food sources to rebel against their masters.
The time period was confirmed without a doubt. Freyr specifically asked the children and finally realized he had returned to the age of eighteen, a time when he was at his peak, renowned as a poetic genius in university. However, he had a nagging wife at home who had given birth to a chubby baby, which took some of the joy out of his life as a young man.
Although he wasn't very wealthy, he had a comfortable place to live. Yet, he couldn't escape the influence of his powerful wife. He had gotten into university thanks to her family's connections. Most days, after classes, he worked odd jobs and returned home late at night, where his wife would have dinner waiting for him.
His wife and child were dismembered by the Zerg. It happened one night when he got drunk, playing games with friends in the dormitory. When he woke up the next morning and returned home, all that remained of his wife was her lower half. The child was unharmed but had already lost its life.
That day was one he could never forget; it marked a turning point in his life. His family’s influence transformed him, and they handed him over to the military. Because of this event, he became the pilot of the GD-1 prototype.
"Alright, that's enough. You're considered a delayed personnel now; it's about time for you to leave. These children need to sleep, and you should head back too; it's getting late."
The voice of the Head Nurse thundered through the walls. The children feared her and secretly called her "Mother Nightshade." She was the face of the hospital but was actually quite beautiful. Wealthy bosses and tycoons often pretended to be ill just to stay in the hospital for a few days and catch a glimpse of her.
Freyr knew that this Head Nurse had never married. She was attractive but too stern for her own good. However, she was right; it was indeed too late for these kids to listen to his tall tales. After spending quite some time calming them down, he got off the sickbed, put on his coat, and left the hospital.
Noah's Sanctuary.
There were twelve such sanctuaries around the world, covering vast inland areas with heavy military defenses along their borders. Over the past century, three-quarters of humanity had perished on Earth; those who remained lived behind walls just to survive. Some wealthy individuals even built homes underground. Although Freyr's wife's family was quite powerful, she didn't like living underground because there was no sunlight there. While it was safe, prolonged exposure to darkness weakened one's body. Ordinary people without money or power still lived above ground.
The leaders of the twelve sanctuaries held an annual National Day on a fixed date established when the wormhole opened. On this day each year, human leaders gathered to discuss strategies for the coming year. Schools were closed, workers didn’t have to go to work, but civil servants and soldiers faced great hardships on this day.
Today was that day. As Freyr stepped out of the hospital, a car pulled up right in front of him. A woman dressed in a black gown with wavy blonde hair exuded an obvious skeletal beauty. Her expression was stiff as she stood beside two security guards; the air around them seemed to freeze.
"Husband, why are you still lingering at the hospital? I called the hospital director only to find out you were still here! Is it because you think this place is too nice or you just don’t want to come back and see me?" The young woman looked about eighteen years old with puffed cheeks and an angry expression.
Seeing her made Freyr's eyes well up with tears. Hearing his wife's voice felt like a soothing wind chime that healed his loneliness inside. He had thought about her every day over the years. Upon seeing his wife Su Qian, he rushed forward to embrace her tightly, showering her with kisses while two bodyguards watched in astonishment at this warm scene unfolding before them.
“Damn it, what have you done that you’re afraid to tell me?” The girl noticed the moisture in the man's eyes, and a woman's instinct of suspicion began to take root.
“No, my dear, I just missed you too much.” Hearing his wife's stern tone reminded him of how harsh he had been to her in the past. Regret started to creep in as he recalled the nights spent gaming and drinking with friends while speaking ill of her. For all these years, he had been alone, enduring life day by day, thinking that perhaps if he died, he could finally reunite with her.
“Enough. There are too many people here. A grown man crying like this—let's talk about it when we get home.”
Su Qian fell silent, saying no more. She pushed away the man’s wandering hands that clung to her waist. She had sacrificed her educational opportunities and wasted her youth having and raising children for him. Recently, his temper had not been great either. Being a good wife was already more than enough.
Whatever needed to be said would have to wait until they returned home and could talk things over calmly.
As Su Qian walked back, two bodyguards opened the doors for her.
Freyr followed behind with his backpack filled with clothes he usually wore. Tomorrow, he would attend the university entrance ceremony, and the items in his bag were also essentials for military training.
Once back in the car, Su Qian remained silent. Seeing his wife not speaking, Freyr reached out to embrace her, but she pushed his hands away.
The sedan sped along the highway; the road conditions were just as he remembered. The memories of those cityscapes were fading fast. Each time he encountered these familiar sights, a sense of melancholy washed over him. Su Qian had lived with him for two years and truly understood his thoughts; seeing him lost in thought made her heart race.
Soon they arrived at their doorstep—a mountain villa situated on elevated ground, safer than other areas. Only a prestigious family like the Su Family could afford such a place.
As the car entered the villa, an elderly man with graying hair approached the vehicle. Others referred to him as Dragon Elder, and he opened both doors for the occupants inside.
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