Published: March 11, 2025
CHAPTER THREE: Awakening
Zhao Hai slowly opened his eyes. Now he knew what had happened. Adam's memories had completely merged with his own, allowing Zhao Hai to truly understand that he had crossed over, specifically through the most common form of soul transference, seizing a body.
As a shut-in, if he didn't know what crossing over meant, he couldn't really be considered a true shut-in. However, Zhao Hai never expected that he would end up in such an unfortunate situation.
From Adam's memories, Zhao Hai had a clear understanding of the circumstances. However, when Adam lost consciousness, he had not yet left the Imperial Capital. Zhao Hai did not know where he was now, but he realized that he was no longer in the Aksu Empire's capital. When he last woke up, he glanced at his surroundings and recognized that this place was not the Adam's home he was familiar with.
The moment Zhao Hai opened his eyes, he sensed the presence of someone by his side. He turned and saw the old man he had met when he first regained consciousness standing next to him. The old man had a serious expression, but his eyes were filled with concern.
Unlike the first time he woke up, this time Zhao Hai recognized the old man. He was Galen, the old steward of the Budah family. Galen had originally not been a Budah, but later his surname was given to him by Zhao Hai's great-grandfather. He had remained loyal to the Budah family and was the most trusted figure within the household.
However, the previous Adam had not gotten along well with Galen. Adam had been a spoiled rich kid, while Galen was a strict man who often controlled him, forbidding this and that. As a result, Adam deeply disliked Galen. But due to Galen's seniority, not to mention his father, Adam dared not be disrespectful to him, so he had to endure it.
After being reborn, Zhao Hai certainly would not be as foolish as the previous Adam. Having read countless crossing-over novels and possessing an adult mindset, Zhao Hai, who had faced many hardships in life, was much more sensible than the pampered Adam. He understood the importance of having such a steward as Galen and felt he could completely trust him with everything.
Moreover, from Adam's memories, he learned that this old steward had greater strength than his father. In this world, strength represented the hope for survival.
Years of shut-in life and fantasies, coupled with Adam's memories, made Zhao Hai not particularly resistant to crossing over. Similarly, he did not have much expectation; it was just a change of living environment. The only two things that bothered him were: first, there were no computers here, and he couldn't go online. For a shut-in, not being able to go online was worse than death. Second, he had drunk Void Water, meaning he could no longer learn fighting spirit or magic, shattering Zhao Hai's dreams of dominating the world.
Zhao Hai did not realize that he had already been assimilated by Adam's memories. His calmness stemmed from his familiarity with everything in this Ark Continent. The two bothersome points reflected this; the first was related to the Earth version of Zhao Hai, while the second was about the Ark Continent itself.
However, Zhao Hai also understood clearly that while he might be displeased, he was here now, and there was nothing more to say. Since he had come, he would settle down; from now on, he was Adam Budah.
Thinking of this, Zhao Hai let out a sigh of relief as if the burden on his heart had been lifted. It was no wonder he could accept Adam's identity so easily; in his previous life, he had no family because of his shut-in lifestyle, and he had no friends either. He was unencumbered on Earth, and now that he was here, it was merely a change of environment, nothing remarkable. Plus, he had a few people who cared for him now, which was not a bad thing.
At this moment, Galen also noticed that Zhao Hai had woken up and quickly walked to his bedside, asking, "Young master, how do you feel? Are there any discomforts? Does your head still hurt?"