Chapter Thirty-Eight: Return to Reality

Having figured this out, Gao Ning breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever else happened, at least he’d managed to preserve the hard-won special template. It looked like he could hold out for a while longer.

For now, Gao Ning truly had no clear goals. He ate a few casual bites, waved his hand, and the leftovers vanished instantly. Aside from items brought in by passengers themselves, everything else could be replaced with a mere gesture. If he disliked the furniture style, a snap of his fingers would transform it—whether to Nordic minimalism or the ancient elegance of old China, the change was effortless and immediate.

This amazed Gao Ning, but he didn’t care much. He could endure solitude, but not forever; people are social creatures, and too long without communication risks madness.

Seated on the sofa, he flicked his finger, and a luminous screen leaped before him. The interface was simple: a small alarm clock icon in the upper right corner, with a 10 beside it, indicating he had ten hours of usable time.

In the center, only one option appeared: Return to Reality?

Gao Ning tapped “Yes.” A ten-second countdown began, and a new screen popped up, rapidly scrolling through numerous notes.

First: Upon returning to the real world, passengers cannot actively recall events related to the mysterious train—only vague impressions remain.

Second: Returning to reality consumes time at a 1:1 ratio, and you may return at any moment.

Third: In the real world, you may manually spend time to use the “pause time” function. Each interval is five minutes, and every extension doubles the time spent.

Fourth: Skills are disabled in the real world.

Fifth…

Before Gao Ning finished reading, his vision blurred, and the scene changed.

He jerked his head up and found himself back in the café where he’d accidentally died. The table still held his laptop and piles of thick bills.

Startled, Gao Ning sprang up, grabbed his laptop, and dashed across the street. His sudden movement drew curious glances.

Just then, screams echoed from the café as a wall collapsed as expected, crushing tables and chairs beneath it. The workers panicked, rushing out to check, and seeing Gao Ning safe across the street, they gaped in shock, then relaxed.

“Engineer Gao? Are you all right? Any injuries?”

“No, no! Just barely made it! If I hadn’t felt discomfort and thought to find a corner to relieve myself, I’d have been caught under it!”

Gao Ning patted his chest, feigning lingering fear. The workers were equally relieved—everyone was here to earn a living, and a fatal accident would bring endless trouble.

Especially the young laborer, who was nearly faint with fright.

After chatting with the workers on the curb, Gao Ning called higher-ups to report the accident. The boss, hearing of the incident, leapt up in alarm, promised to come immediately, and urged Gao Ning to keep the scene intact and avoid calling the police.

But Gao Ning didn’t bother responding. Instead, he resigned on the spot, citing the shock as his reason.

Time was ticking away—he had no leisure for pointless chatter.

He hung up, bade the workers goodbye, and flagged a taxi straight to the airport.

This was a bustling area, with surveillance at every shop entrance and traffic police monitors at street corners. Even if someone wanted to blame Gao Ning, it was impossible, so he had no worries and headed home.

Now, time wasn’t just money—it was truly exchanged for life.

He’d already made up his mind: since he’d donned the Metesbonwei, the life of an upright citizen no longer suited him. Socializing, pleasantries, matchmaking—all could be set aside.

Now, all his time belonged to his parents. If any was left over, he would try to earn more, ensuring their later years were more comfortable.

As for marriage and the next generation, those were concerns for another day—who knew when he’d return next?

Gao Ning’s family lived in a third-tier city. He’d stayed in W City because he found a job immediately after graduation.

His family wasn’t affluent, but not poor either. His parents ran a supermarket together, about four hundred square meters. Though not in a busy district, after expenses each month, their net profit was just over ten thousand.

His parents were fashionable in their youth—phones and internet were no strangers, and their leisure lives were rich. Their health was decent too, so Gao Ning didn’t worry much.

And his parents rarely fussed over him.

Since childhood, the couple had been loving, often going out together for dates, meals, and trips. Whenever challenged, they’d come up with plausible excuses—Gao Ning needed to study, or had exams—but he always suspected they just wanted their own world.

For parents who were in true love and a child who was an accident, Gao Ning could only feel helpless.

That’s why, in college, he chose a city a thousand kilometers away.

He hadn’t expected, only two years after graduation, to return.

But if he was going back, the excuse had to be perfect.

He would need to think carefully about it on the plane.

Before getting out of the taxi, Gao Ning suddenly remembered something. He opened his laptop to check, and sure enough, the “Paratrooper Mode” he’d spent so long downloading had vanished.

He browsed the forum—nothing had changed.

Meanwhile, in his mind, the Red Alert interface was running again, and in three hours, he’d be able to summon another American soldier.

Should he bring it into the real world?

Gao Ning pondered, then rejected the idea.

Now that he’d boarded the mysterious train, with so many other worlds to explore, there was no need to toy with reality.

Better to save it, and when he entered the next mission world, summon it immediately for self-defense.

At the airport, he bought an expensive ticket.

Not first class!

Though Gao Ning’s life trajectory had changed, his wallet had not—the price remained the same.

He was sure money was no longer a problem, but for now, he needed to be frugal.

After all, this was hard-earned money from honest work; to squander it would be painful.

But now, with nothing weighing him down, even the clouds in the sky seemed to lift his spirits.

The plane took off on schedule. The journey was uneventful. Two hours later, Gao Ning left the airport and, excited, pulled out his phone to call his mother.

“Mom, I’m back!”

“Who… is this?”

“…”