The youth's initially bewildered and fearful emotions cald the mont he saw that string of numbers. He knew that if he did nothing, he would die when the countdown reached zero.
He had to live. Although he didn't know what he should do once he survived, or what aning there was in living, he knew he wanted to live.
This was an instinctive desire to survive. What to do after living was sothing to consider later.
The youth didn't know how to make the countdown increase, but he knew standing here, lost in confusion and hesitation, would only waste ti.
However, he couldn't just rush outside blindly either. Searching for the hope of survival in this vast and unknown world seed far too slim a chance.
The youth began to think. This strange countdown must be related to his resurrection after suicide.
Perhaps he wasn't truly abandoned by that entity. Maybe that entity used so ans to erase his past mories, forcing him to start over almost from zero.
His past self, burdened by past mories, would have had many concerns and thoughts acting as constraints. But now, having basically lost his past mories, perhaps driven by the instinct for survival, he would be better able to complete the mission.
Did that an getting involved in the so-called plot, changing sothing, might increase the countdown?
The youth returned to the bedroom and began rummaging through the desk where the computer sat. Soon, he found an identification card in the desk drawer.
"Xin Yu... Is this my original na? Qian Yu Academy, Year Two... Am I a student here?"
The youth—no, Xin Yu—put the ID card away safely. Fortunately, he now knew where he should go next, and he knew his na.
Xin Yu continued searching the villa. Soon, he found the place he was looking for: the kitchen.
He went to the refrigerator and opened it, finding it packed with a dazzling array of ingredients. Many vegetables and ats were piled inside, enough to last a single person for a long ti.
Xin Yu glanced at the frozen-solid at and so fish in the freezer section but didn't touch them. Instead, he found so vegetables.
He then located a bag of rice in the kitchen, took out so, put it in the rice cooker, and added so water. He looked at the water, which barely covered the rice, thought for a mont, scooped so more water in, and then started cooking the rice.
Only after the rice cooker started did Xin Yu suddenly realize—did he forget to wash the rice?
It probably doesn't matter, Xin Yu thought. He picked up the vegetables he'd just taken from the fridge, washed them, placed them on the cutting board, and picked up a kitchen knife.
Inevitably, accidents happen when a novice uses a kitchen knife.
Xin Yu calmly looked at the cut on his finger. Blood flowed from the wound, and pain followed, but for so reason, Xin Yu didn't feel much about the pain. It hurt, yet he wasn't afraid.
This ti, however, the wound didn't heal as rapidly as the gash on his left wrist had when he first woke up.
Xin Yu stopped paying attention to the wound on his finger and continued clumsily chopping the vegetables on the board with the knife. He didn't recognize the nas of these vegetables, nor did he know the best way to cook them to make them tasty. So, he simply threw them all into a pot, added oil, water, and sprinkled in so seasoning. A simple stew would do.
Xin Yu looked at the several types of white crystals in the spice box, all looking remarkably similar. He didn't know which one was the salt he recognized, so he simply touched one of the white crystals with his finger, intending to taste it.
But he forgot about the cut on his finger. When the wound touched the salt, the stinging pain made Xin Yu's brow furrow involuntarily.
It was only then that Xin Yu rembered the cut on his finger and that contact with things like salt would apparently cause pain.
He retracted his finger, then put it in his mouth. He could only taste the tallic tang of blood; any other flavor was imperceptible.
Xin Yu didn't know how much salt to add. Looking at the stew in the pot, he used a plastic spoon to scoop up what felt like salt from the box and dumped three or four spoonfuls in.
After this haphazard cooking session, he carried the vegetable stew to the dining table outside the kitchen. Then, he opened the rice cooker and used the rice paddle to scoop the sowhat sticky rice into a bowl.
Xin Yu used chopsticks to pick up a leaf from the vegetable stew and put it in his mouth.
No taste. The half-cooked vegetable leaf tasted like paper in Xin Yu's mouth.
Xin Yu ate expressionlessly. He didn't know how food was supposed to taste good, nor why, despite adding so much seasoning, there was no flavor at all. He only knew that not eating might lead to death.
To him, eating wasn't about satisfying cravings but a necessary act for survival.
Xin Yu finished the utterly tasteless vegetable stew with the rice. While washing the dishes, he noticed in his reflection on the kitchen knife that the countdown tir had increased by one hour.
"I see. Ensuring three als a day can also extend my lifespan."
Xin Yu nodded. He understood now that eating three als a day was essential. Even though it tasted like nothing, it was necessary.
During his earlier exploration, Xin Yu had already found a backpack, the kind a student would carry, containing so books and the keys to this house.
He checked so information on the computer and learned that today was a school day, and he was already very late.
Xin Yu didn't mind. He grabbed the backpack and keys and left the house.
Xin Yu took out an object called a "mobile phone." This thing was like a portable computer, capable of many functions. Right now, Xin Yu needed to use the phone's navigation feature to get to the school he was supposed to attend.
Xin Yu walked down the bustling street, observing the pedestrians coming and going. He lifted his head, looking around at everyone nearby.
So people had anxious expressions, dressed formally, seemingly busy with sothing important.
So had calm expressions, their clothes neat and clean, walking at an unhurried pace, as if strolling.
So wore smiles, their steps light, their clothes brightly colored, looking carefree.
The passersby included the old and the young, n and won. They were all walking their own paths; everyone knew where they were going, knew what they needed to do today.
"That new coat is so expensive, but it looks really good. I want to buy it so bad!"
"Then just find a boyfriend! Have him buy it for you, right? Just give guys a little sothing sweet, and they'll willingly cough up the money to buy you what you want. When you run out of money later, just break up with them."
Two fashionably dressed won chatting walked towards him from the front. To avoid colliding, Xin Yu deliberately moved aside.
One of the two won noticed Xin Yu beside her. After a brief glance, she complained to her companion, "That guy's face is so pale! And his hair looks like an old man's. So gross!"
"Looks like a real weirdo."
Xin Yu watched their receding backs. He took out his phone and looked at his reflection in the dark screen.
"So, I look... disgusting... In that case, I probably won't be liked..."
Xin Yu put away his phone, glanced around at the people bustling past him, lowered his head slightly, and stopped looking at anyone around him.
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