Chapter 115: Strange Occurrences

"The diameter... is about three kilometers."

"What about the shape? Is it a sphere or irregular?"

"A sphere... and a very perfect one at that!"

"What’s the gravity like? Are there any craters on the surface?"

"The gravity is very weak, almost imperceptible... As for craters, I don’t seem to see any."

"What’s the estimated mass?"

"I really can't say for sure... but I feel it should be in the tens of billions of tons..."

"..."

Huang Ze chatted with Academician Ding for a while before logging off to go eat. After dieting for over two months, he could finally let go and feast to his heart's content.

He had promised his stomach that he would make up for the deprivation double-fold and properly satisfy it. Moreover, he felt that at his current weight, he was a bit too thin; he needed to reach at least a thousand tons to have any real presence!

"It’s a pity this is all domestic beef, not imported; the taste is quite a bit worse..." the Black Dragon muttered to itself while gnawing on the yellow beef.

Since this wasn't his exclusive support base, the conditions here were somewhat lacking. Not only were there no wild imported beef, but there wasn't even his favorite 110kV charging station!

Not to mention radioactive materials like Uranium-235. Having just downloaded the nuclear-powered capability from the sky, the Black Dragon was naturally eager to try it out and see if the stuff was really as powerful as claimed.

One had to know that the energy fully released from a single kilogram of Uranium-235 was equivalent to over two thousand tons of standard coal... Think of how much beef that would take!

***

"Mr. Huang, all the documents you requested have been prepared."

After consuming several tons of beef, personnel from the Ministry of State Security arrived and handed the Black Dragon a file folder. Inside were an ID card, a work permit, a special pass, and a smartphone with security-certified identity verification...

These were all specifically requested by the Black Dragon. After all, many places in the country still had rather strict regulations, and he needed these documents for his avatar to move about freely and fulfill a small wish—to go back and visit his parents.

This was the main reason the Black Dragon chose to land in Tiannan Province. Although he had been calling and video-chatting with his parents over the past few months, he was too busy, and the security clearance was too high, so they could never chat for long.

Plus, the appearance of the Black Dragon’s true form was somewhat unsightly—it was so ugly it was almost a violation. Although his parents didn't say it out loud, he could tell they were actually a bit intimidated by him...

Coincidentally, after his trip to the sky, the suppression of the Black Dragon by domestic laws had significantly weakened, and his consciousness's control over the avatar had strengthened, allowing him to travel up to forty kilometers without losing connection.

In his heart, Huang Ze actually harbored some worries, fearing that he had been disconnected from society and the lives of ordinary people for too long and would eventually be unable to blend back in. Using this opportunity to go home would not only allow him to feel the changes in the country but also help him adjust his mood.

Academician Ding and the others were very supportive of this and specifically instructed the local state security department to ensure the reception for the Black Dragon’s homecoming visit went smoothly.

***

"I really do prefer being a human after all..."

The next afternoon, Huang Ze returned to the city where he had lived for over twenty years in his avatar. Looking at the familiar streets bustling with people, he could not help but feel deeply moved.

In truth, his avatar’s basic configuration was extremely poor; other than vision, hearing, and speech capabilities, it basically had no other functions. It only looked like a person on the outside, but that didn't stop his mood from being joyful.

Humans are social creatures; naturally, one must return to society to find a sense of identity and belonging.

"Huang Ze... how did you come back? And you came back as a 'person'?"

His parents were, as expected, very happy at Huang Ze's appearance. They closed the shop immediately and brought their son home to shower him with care.

In fact, given Huang Ze’s current status, his parents didn't need to rely on the shop for a living at all and could live without worry if they just asked. However, they were both people who couldn't stay idle; they were reluctant to leave their neighbors, reluctant to change the lifestyle and rhythm they had maintained for over a decade, and didn't want to cause trouble for the country or Huang Ze. So, after visiting him once, the couple soon returned to their hometown to continue running their little supermarket.

"Dad... no need to make so much. With this body, I can't eat much of anything, and I can't even taste it..." Huang Ze said, seeing his father pull a mountain of items from the fridge and rub his hands together as if preparing for a grand production, and he quickly tried to dissuade him.

"You can't eat?" Huang Kangping paused, confused. "What’s wrong with your body? You have a nose and a mouth, how can you not eat?"

"This is just an avatar of mine; it only looks like a person..." Fearing his father wouldn't understand, Huang Ze continued to explain, "You can think of this body as a very advanced bionic robot that I am controlling remotely via VR technology. It can only perform simple operations and doesn't have the function to ingest food..."

"..."

Huang Kangping thought for a while and then decisively shook his head. "I don't understand... but it doesn't matter. If you don't eat, your mother and I have to. We are just so happy that you're back; naturally, we have to make a good meal."

"Alright..."

***

Huang Ze couldn't say anything more. Instead, he asked with some confusion, "Dad, how come the house is stocked with so many ingredients? Chicken, duck, fish... did you know I was coming back?"

"The community sent these over," his mother, Pan Xiaolin, said with a smile. "After all, our son is working for the country; how could the country mistreat our family? They send a bunch of stuff every few days. We can't even finish it all and have to sell some in the supermarket..."

Alright then...

Seeing his parents' enthusiasm for cooking, Huang Ze didn't want to disturb them, so he turned and walked around the living room.

He hadn't been back for over half a year, and the house had changed quite a bit. Many new items had been added; he didn't know if they were sent by the authorities or bought by his parents themselves.

Huang Ze also noticed that his parents, who were never superstitious, had actually set up a shrine in the living room. Upon closer inspection, there were quite a few deities worshipped inside—Guanyin Bodhisattva, Mazu, Lord Guan, and even Nezha and Sun Wukong...

This was too chaotic. Wouldn't they fight if they were worshipped like this?

Huang Ze was speechless and retreated to his room.

His room had changed very little... No, it should be said that there was almost no change at all. His parents must have kept it exactly as it was.

"Come to think of it... how did I cross over in the first place?" Huang Ze lay on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, lost in memory.

"It seems like I was just taking a nap on this bed... and then when I woke up, I turned into a giant dragon!"

"So, does that mean I crossed over before the country did?"

Huang Ze was thoughtful. He remembered that the Xia Kingdom crossed over on the night of the 22nd, but he had crossed over at noon!

"There is another question... where did my original body go?"

It definitely wasn't in the room; otherwise, his parents wouldn't have called the police to report him missing but would have thought he had died suddenly!

It didn't follow his soul to the Black Dragon's lair either, or he would have discovered it long ago.

Then where could it have gone?

Could it be that some deity, thinking no one wanted it, picked it up?

Huang Ze felt faintly that this matter was not so simple, although he didn't know what kind of threat his former ordinary human body could pose to him...

***

Although he said he couldn't eat, once his parents finished cooking, he was still forced to finish several bowls of rice. As his mother put it, even if this body had no sense of taste, the food contained his parents' love, so he would definitely be able to taste the sweetness!

And to be fair, Huang Ze was genuinely moved when he heard that. He then swept through the meal like a storm, not stopping until his belly was full.

At the same time, he secretly resolved that while other aspects of the avatar could be delayed or managed for now, the sense of taste and the digestive system had to be developed as soon as possible.

"By the way... I suddenly remembered something."

His mother was chatting with Huang Ze while watching TV when she suddenly slapped her forehead. "I seem to have been having a strange dream for the past few days. A little girl keeps coming to the house to find me, saying she is your future girlfriend."

"But because you never responded to her, she was anxious and could only come to me, asking me to help contact you."

"...Mom, such an important thing, why are you only saying it now?" Huang Ze’s heart skipped a beat, and he said seriously, "For such bizarre and strange things, the relevant departments must have emphasized to you that once discovered, it must be reported immediately."

"I only just remembered it, that's why I'm telling you now!" His mother rolled her eyes and recalled, "And I think that little girl is quite pretty, has a good temperament, and is polite. She would be perfect as your girlfriend."

"Mom, this kind of thing is definitely not as simple as it looks on the surface." Huang Ze said solemnly, "Think again, what else did she say to you, or were there any strange actions?"

"What else did she say..." his mother pondered. "It's strange, actually. I usually don't remember much of my dreams, but this one becomes clearer the more I think about it. She chatted with me a lot, mostly about your hobbies, funny stories from your childhood, and embarrassing moments. I even showed her quite a few of your old and current photos!"

"Right! It seems like I chatted with her so happily last night that I even let her stay over! She slept in your room!"

"..."

Even with the Black Dragon's thick nerves, he couldn't help but feel a chill upon hearing this—I was clearly on a fantasy comedy track, so why did it suddenly turn into a paranormal thriller?

"Dad, have you had the same dream?" Huang Ze immediately asked his father.

"Not at all..." Huang Kangping thought for a moment and said, "Maybe our brainwaves aren't synced. My sleep has been quite good lately, and I haven't had any strange dreams. I feel like your mother's sleep quality has been good too."

"Mom, did you ask her what her name was?" Huang Ze reported this situation to Academician Ding first, then asked.

"Of course I did," his mother replied. "She seems to be called Wen... wait, Wen what? I clearly remember her telling me."

It really is her!

Huang Ze’s heart tightened. This bitch really is like a ghost that won't go away!

"Mom, this isn't that simple. I don't think you can stay at home anymore," Huang Ze said. "You should come with me to the base for a while. I will find a way to strengthen your bodies and consciousness; we can't let people just invade like this!"

"Is it really that serious?" His mother was a bit puzzled. "I think that little Wen is quite nice—pretty and virtuous. If I could have a daughter-in-law like that, I'd wake up laughing in my dreams."

"Then why didn't you wake up laughing at the time?" This wasn't Huang Ze retorting, but his father, who saw that his wife hadn't realized the severity of the problem and spoke up for justice.

"They hadn't bonded in the dream yet!" his mother said indignantly. "Now that you mention it... I seem to remember one more thing. The six months you disappeared, and these past few months, I don't think I've dreamt of you even once."

"What's so..." Huang Ze was dismissive at first. "Dreams are very complex and metaphysical; it doesn't necessarily mean that what you think about by day, you dream about at night."

"It's not like that." His mother shook her head. "I remember very clearly that little Wen kept asking me to help find you, but the problem is, I couldn't remember where you were at the time."

"..."

*(Apologies, there are still a few hundred words left to write; I am rushing to finish it.)*