Bao Chen woke up in a dark room, moonlight streaming through the windows. Confusion clouded his mind.

He had no idea where he was or how he got there. The last thing he remembered was being hit by a meteoroid shaped like a truck.

That memory struck him hard. Clutching his head, pain surged as unfamiliar memories flooded in. He screamed in agony, and then he heard a mechanical sound.

[Ding]

[Downloading Earthly Underworld Simulator...]

With that message, it felt like a hammer was pounding into his skull. The pain of absorbing a lifetime of memories combined with the system download knocked him out.

[Ding]

[Host soul detected as unstable. Pausing download. Assisting with memory integration.

Bao Chen's scream had echoed through the village, waking everyone. People emerged from their houses, lanterns in hand, nervously searching for the source of the noise. Fear rippled through them—it was late at night, and it could be a wolf… or something worse.

One someone approached Bao Chen’s house and knocked on the door.

"Bao Chen, are you okay?"

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Silence.

The boy knocked louder. "BAO CHEN, ARE YOU OKAY?"

Still no response.

The commotion attracted an old man, Uncle Wang. Worried, he kicked the door open and rushed inside, finding Bao Chen unconscious on the floor.

"Let’s take him to Doctor Lee, quickly!"

Without hesitation, Uncle Wang hoisted Bao Chen over his shoulder like a sack of rice and carried him to the doctor’s house.

He pounded on the door. "Doctor Lee! We have a patient! Hurry!"

The door swung open, revealing an elderly man who glanced at Bao Chen and said, "Bring him in!"

They laid Bao Chen on a patient bed. Dr. Lee immediately pulled out needles and began acupuncture. Bao Chen’s breathing steadied, and the tension in his face eased.

Dr. Lee frowned. "What happened to him?"

Uncle Wang shook his head. "We don’t know. We heard screaming and found him like this."

Dr. Lee examined Bao Chen carefully. "There’s no trauma on his body. He looks perfectly normal."

Lowering his voice, Uncle Wang muttered, "Could it be… a ghost?"

Dr. Lee smacked him on the head. "If it were a ghost, he’d be dead by now! And aren’t the rules. if a ghost possesses someone. they should be killed on the spot?"

Uncle Wang opened his mouth to speak, but Dr. Lee cut him off.

"I don’t sense any yin Qi around him. No ghosts, no demons."

Uncle Wang tried again, but Dr. Lee raised a hand. "Save your questions. Wait until he wakes up."

Frustrated but knowing Dr. Lee was right, Uncle Wang left.

Outside, villagers had gathered, staring anxiously. Uncle Wang tried to reassure them.

"Don’t worry, he’s just unconscious."

But his words had the opposite effect.

"Why is he unconscious?!" someone shouted.

"Maybe he fainted from hunger?" Uncle Wang guessed.

The villagers stared at him like looking at the mentally disabledl. Annoyed, Uncle Wang snapped, "I don’t know! ASK HIM WHEN HE WAKES UP!"

Later, Uncle Wang quietly slipped back into Bao Chen’s house, looking for anything unusual. His eyes landed on a small pouch of coins.

I did carry him all the way to the doctor... It wouldn’t hurt to take a little as payment, he thought.

Just as he reached for the pouch, a voice startled him.

"Uncle Wang, what are you doing?"

He turned to see the young man who had first knocked on Bao Chen’s door.

Thinking quickly, Uncle Wang stammered, "I-I’m checking if there’s anything... unclean here."

The young man paled. "You mean... ghosts or demons?"

Uncle Wang cursed himself silently. Why did I say that? Why did I say that? Now the whole village will panic, and Dr. Lee will scold me!

Forcing a calm tone, he said, "I’ve checked. Nothing suspicious. You should go home—it’s late, and your parents will worry."

The young man hesitated, then left. Uncle Wang sighed in relief.

Better not take the pou— I mean, better not take payment. Safer to leave.

With that, Uncle Wang quietly slipped out and returned to his home.