Chapter 32: No Longer Human

In the end, Xiao Yang found himself riding his old tricycle down the winding country road, with his childhood friend Lin Yingzhen perched on the back, wobbling toward the small town five or six kilometers away.

Xiao Yang was genuinely craving some Chinese sausage.

He needed to buy rice, seasonings, and get a haircut. He no longer needed a space heater; Xiao Yang had discovered that he was no longer very sensitive to the cold. Even though the "God Game" was disconnected in this reality, the physical attributes he had gained remained intact.

As they traveled along the concrete path, they left behind rice fields filled with withered, golden stalks from the recent harvest. The scenery was beautiful, and Lin Yingzhen kept snapping photos with bright, excited eyes.

Truth be told, although Xiao Yang hadn't returned in many years, the gap in time for him was much smaller than for Lin Yingzhen. Her parents had found success in the city when she was seven or eight, and she had been taken away that year, never to return until now. That was why they weren't particularly close; their days of chasing each other through these fields belonged to decades ago.

A small bird darted past him, and instinctively, Xiao Yang reached out and snatched it from the air. He paused, momentarily stunned. This was not something he should have been capable of—at least not a month ago.

Behind him, Lin Yingzhen suddenly spoke, pointing excitedly into the distance. Xiao Yang quickly opened his hand, letting the startled bird beat its wings and fly away. He looked in the direction she was pointing: a low hill, distinguished by a single, lush green tree rising from its summit.

"Is that the Mountain God's Hill?" Xiao Yang asked tentatively.

Lin Yingzhen responded with delight. "Yes! That’s it! Do you remember? We used to play on the Mountain God's Hill when we were little!"

Xiao Yang couldn't actually recall those memories, so he offered a vague, perfunctory nod. He was more preoccupied with that casual reflex of his. In this offline state, without the help of the God Game, using his surging strength felt peculiar—less fluid, slightly sluggish. He was currently obsessed with exploring this new state of being. Receiving no real engagement from him, Lin Yingzhen naturally fell silent.

***

Soon, they arrived in town. After parking the tricycle, Xiao Yang hopped off and told Lin Yingzhen to meet him back there in an hour and a half. They then went their separate ways.

The first thing Xiao Yang did was get a haircut. He showed no mercy, shaving his hair down to the roots. As a staunch, no-nonsense man, he had no use for pink hair, and despite the barber's numerous suggestions, Xiao Yang stood by his decision.

A short while later, Xiao Yang emerged from the barbershop with a crisp, clean-cut look. The barber had left a little bit of length rather than giving him a total buzz cut, but seeing that the pink was completely gone, Xiao Yang didn't complain. He stood before a long mirror and struck a pose.

"Looking sharp!" He was, admittedly, a bit narcissistic.

Leaving the shop, he had to face the usual headache: Xiao Yang realized he could never truly escape the word "poverty." He was short on Spirit Coins, and he was short on cash for groceries. Come to think of it, why had he even come back? He had originally planned to manage the bamboo grove behind his house to make a living, but that was clearly not going to work out now. He had two thousand yuan on his phone, which meant he’d be lucky to survive the month, let alone the next.

Still, reality-based money was easier to come by than Spirit Coins. He could always scavenge some "trash" after clearing the second floor of the Skeleton Prison. With that thought, he soon found himself loaded down with bags of rice, oil, soy sauce, salt, MSG, and eggs.

Xiao Yang carried the heavy bags with such ease that passersby couldn't help but glance at him. The load was by no means light, yet he strode along as if he were walking on air.

"Impressive, young man! You're in great shape!" an old man practicing Tai Chi with a wooden sword even gave him a thumbs-up.

This was Xiao Yang holding back, too. It seemed he was destined to move further and further away from being human.

When he returned to the tricycle, Lin Yingzhen was already waiting. She waved at him, and he waved back. The streets were quite crowded, likely because the New Year was approaching.

***

Just then, a family of three passed by, the little girl holding a large red helium balloon, looking delighted. As Xiao Yang waved to Lin Yingzhen, a gust of wind caught the balloon, and it soared into the air.

"My balloon!"

At that exact moment, Xiao Yang leaped. The wind had carried the balloon quite high, but Xiao Yang jumped even higher, springing up like a bolt from the blue to snatch the floating red sphere.

The little girl approached him, looking up with a sweet smile. "Thank you, big brother!"

Xiao Yang handed the balloon back, patted her head, and hurried away. He was gradually drifting toward the non-human, and even if he tried to hide it, he would inevitably do things ordinary people couldn't. Like just now—normal people couldn't jump three meters into the air from a standing start.

Several people nearby were already staring at him in astonishment, which only made Xiao Yang quicken his pace.

It wasn't just the passersby; Lin Yingzhen was also looking at him, completely bewildered. "What the—! You jumped so high, Xiao Yang!"

She wanted to say more, but she couldn't find the words. The sight had been truly shocking, but when it came down to it, all she could manage was a clumsy, "So high!" A look of frustration crossed her face.

Xiao Yang didn't reply immediately. He simply tossed the bags onto the tricycle and started the engine. It was time to make a quick escape!