Chapter 3: Bo City

12:39 PM, Bo City

Sun Chang woke up to the sound of raindrops gently tapping against the window. The room was dimly lit, and it smelled like rotten meat.

"Beep, Beep, Beep..."

The vibration of a phone beside him jolted him fully awake. Groggily, he reached out, fumbling to turn off the incessant noise.

When reaching for his phone, he caught his reflection in the screen. Staring back at him was a middle-aged man with shoulder-length black hair and a stubble-covered jaw. He froze, startled by the image staring back at him.

"Who is this?" he muttered to himself, confusion setting in.

As his eyes adjusted, he took in his surroundings. The room was small and cluttered. The wooden bed took up most of the space, with beer bottles and cigarette butts littering the place.

Sun Chang's heart raced as he sat up, fully awake now. He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar setting.

"This... this isn't the maintenance space," he whispered, panic rising in his chest.

Sun Chang's heart continued to race as he scanned the room. The clutter, the stale smell of smoke, the sight of empty bear bottles—it was all adding to his growing unease.

Panic continued to grow as he stumbled out of bed and made his way to a small bathroom attached to the room. Leaning over the sink, he splashed cold water on his face, hoping the cold touch would calm him down. Yet, it only made his mind more chaotic.

"Is this some prank by those aliens or an experiment? Did I really leave the prison? Could this be some sort of dream, or maybe they transplanted my soul into another body?"

"Hey, let me out! This has to be against international law! Unauthorized capture alone is a crime, not to mention experimentation!"

He fell silent, memories of excruciating pain flashing through his mind before he had fainted. "Could there be something wrong with the potion? Was it fake, or did it have some other unexpected effect? If it did kill me, would this be considered transmigration?" The idea seemed absurd, but Sun Chang couldn't dismiss it entirely.

He looked at himself in the mirror. Something felt off. His skin looked pale, almost lifeless. His breath hitched as he reached for his wrist, searching for a pulse, but he felt nothing. He pressed harder, moving to his neck, but still there was no heartbeat. His hand shook as he moved to touch his chest. The skin was cold. His body, this body, was dead.

"This can't be happening," he whispered to himself. He backed away from the mirror, nearly tripping over a discarded beer bottle. Balancing himself, trying to steady himself. He was now in a dead body. What is he supposed to do?

Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a notification. Sun Chang grabbed it from the bedside table and read the message: "From Mo Jiaxing: The kids will be going through their awakening process today. I just wanted to know if you want me to drive Sun Ying home if you're unable to come." Sun Chang stared at the message in confusion. Awakening process? Kids? He looked around the messy room, filled with beer bottles and trash, and thought, "I have a child?"

His mind raced, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He needed to act normally and not arouse any suspicion. He quickly cleaned himself up, washing his face and brushing his hair. The clothes he found were wrinkled and smelled faintly of alcohol, but they would have to do. 

He searched the apartment for clues about this new life. On a small table by the door, he found a set of keys and a wallet. Inside the wallet, he found an ID with his face on it but a different name: "Sun Wu." Next to the ID was a parking permit for an old pickup truck. This must be his vehicle.

Outside, he spotted the truck parked by the curb, matching the parking permit. He hesitated for a moment, then decided it must be his. Climbing into the driver's seat, he fumbled with the keys before starting the engine. The phone buzzed again with another message from Mo Jiaxing, this time with the location of the school. He plugged the address into the truck's outdated GPS system and pulled out onto the street.

.....

Sun Chang pulled up to the high school, parking the truck. He looked around, "So this is Tian Lan High School," he thought to himself, the name feeling vaguely familiar.

As he got out of the truck, he heard someone call his name. Turning around, he saw a man walking toward him with a friendly smile.

"Sun Wu! It's been a while!" the man greeted warmly. Sun Chang was stunned, recognizing the man from TV—Mo Jiaxing. Mo Jiaxing approached him, his smile turning into a curious frown. "Why are you wearing sunglasses and a thick coat in this weather?" He asked, puzzled.

Sun Chang forced a smile, trying to act naturally. "Ah, just... feeling a bit under the weather," he replied.

Trying to steer the conversation away from himself, Sun Chang asked, "How's your son doing?"

Mo Jiaxing's face lit up. "Oh, Mo Fan? He's excited about the awakening ceremony today. It's a big day for him."

Sun Chang's heart raced as Mo Jiaxing's response confirmed his suspicions. He was in the world of the show "Versatile Mage."

As they continued their conversation, Mo Jiaxing gestured for Sun Chang to follow him. They walked towards the entrance of the high school, blending into a crowd of parents who had gathered for the awakening ceremony. 

Soon, the students emerged from the building. Among them, he recognized Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou from the show he had seen on TV, talking to another girl. 

"Mo fan!, Mo fan!" Mo Jiaxing called out.

Sun Ying looked up at Mo Jiaxing and then the person standing next to him, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Uncle?" she said, her voice tinged with both shock and confusion.

Sun Chang was taken aback. "What did you just call me?"

Sun Ying's expression turned nervous as she fidgeted. Mo Fan, standing beside her, gave Sun Chang a disapproving look. "Have you been drinking again?" 

Sun Chang wasn't paying attention to Mo Fan's hostility because something appeared in front of him.

[It has been detected that you have come in contact with the main character of the show, initiating the system; please wait.]

His mind spun as he read the message. What system? he thought. The text flickered, and he could almost hear the whirring of gears and beeping of electronic components as if his mind were a computer booting up.

Sun Ying glanced nervously between Sun Chang and Mo Fan, her hands clenching into small fists at her sides. "Uncle, are you okay?" she asked hesitantly, her voice trembling slightly.

Sun Chang shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. The system message had thrown him off, but he couldn't afford to reveal his confusion. "I'm fine, let's go, we can talk more at home."

Sun Ying's nervousness persisted, but she nodded and moved to his side. Mo Fan shot him another skeptical look before turning away, clearly unimpressed. Sun Chang ignored the young man's hostility, focusing on keeping his composure as they walked away from the school.