The Creatures That We Are
Chapter 1261: Transmigration

Chapter 1261: Transmigration

“Sp...spam...”

Gao Yang’s attention finally shifted. Like a rusty toy, it took a long time for his gear to rotate once, and with great difficulty.

“It’s good. Sometimes, when I don’t have the time to eat, I’d fill my stomach with spam.”

Gao Yang looked at the young woman like he was trying hard to digest and interpret the information. The young woman had a feeling that everything seemed like a stimulant to the kid, but not foreign. It wasn’t so much a revelation but an activation of what was already there. It was all very strange.

She didn’t think too much of it, though. She took a can of spam out of the box at the bottom of the cart, opening it. She cut a thick piece with a small knife and put it on a small plastic plate.

Gao Yang looked at the spam and activated the eating function, grabbing the spam and shoving it into his mouth. He looked ready to wolf down the whole thing.

“Slowly, or you’ll choke.” The young woman laughed, propping her chin on a hand.

Gao Yang finished the spam. It was delicious.

More children showed up to buy cotton candy. The young woman turned around and started working.

The food made Gao Yang drowsy. His body activated sleep then. His head drooped.

Wang Zikai saw everything. This was the truth of Gao Yang’s “transmigration”. He pulled himself out of the scene and watched as an objective viewer.

Time skipped. It was evening. Gao Shou carried a sleeping Gao Yang in his arms. Lin Yue stood beside him with reddened eyes. The pair kept thanking the young woman selling cotton candy. Gao Shou was going to give her money for the favor, but she wouldn’t take it.

“Thank you, thank you so much!” Lin Yue’s voice cracked.

“It’s nothing.” The young woman chuckled. After some hesitation, she asked, “But he seems a little different from a normal kid. Has he always been this way?”

Gao Shou and Lin Yue paused, blurting out at the same time, “Different?”

...

It was late at night.

Wang Zikai stood in the bedroom of an old house. Gao Yang had fallen asleep on his bed. Yun, Gao Shou, Lin Yue, and Gao Xinxin stood around it, worried.

“Mom, what’s wrong with Brother? Is he sick?” Gao Xinxin’s eyes were swollen from how much she had cried.

“Don’t worry. Your brother isn’t sick,” Lin Yue reassured her.

“Your brother’s just too tired,” Gao Shou lied. “He’ll be fine when he wakes up.”

“Xinxin, come with Granny. It’s time to sleep. Your brother will be okay tomorrow morning.” Yun gave the couple a look before leading her granddaughter out of the door, closing it behind her.

Concern returned to Gao Shou’s eyes as he looked at Gao Yang. “Honey, something is wrong with Yang Yang. It’s like he’s lost his soul. The hospital didn’t find anything. Maybe I should take him to a larger hospital in the city tomorrow...”

“No,” Lin Yue cut in. “He hasn’t knocked his head. That shouldn’t be the issue.”

“Then why is he suddenly like this?” Gao Shou didn’t understand.

“Your mother’s right. He could be haunted after running into something corrupted,” Lin Yue said with certainty.

That made Gao Shou even more anxious. “Then what do we do?”

“Let him sleep. If he’s still like this tomorrow, we’ll hire someone for exorcism.”

“Okay!” Gao Shou nodded. “We’ll do that!”

Before Wang Zikai could interpret what he saw, the scene changed once more. It was the next morning. Lin Yue, Gao Shou, Yun, and Gao Xinxin were having breakfast in the dining room.

Halfway through her millet congee, Gao Xinxin suddenly looked up. “Brother!”

Gao Yang had woken up. He stood at the door with a blank look in his eyes and a numb expression.

“You’re up, Yang Yang!” Lin Yue shot to her feet. “Hungry?”

Gao Yang didn’t say anything.

“I’ll make noodles.” Yun hurried to the kitchen.

“Here, son. Sit down...” Gao Shou went up to lead Gao Yang to a seat.

The three adults had agreed beforehand to pretend that nothing had changed. Perhaps their son would recover on his own. That could happen to children falling victim to hauntings.

Yun soon returned with a bowl of noodles. “Here, your noodles.”

Gao Yang’s body picked up a pair of chopsticks and started eating like a machine following its programmed motions. His four family members watched quietly, waiting for something.

Suddenly, Gao Yang shuddered before looking up. His eyes brightened and focused.

Even as a bystander, Wang Zikai could sense the return of his soul. The rusty gears in Gao Yang’s body had finally been repaired and recovered their normal function.

Gao Yang’s eyes were bright, but his expression was confused. He seemed surprised by the unfamiliar scene.

“His soul’s back,” Yun said in a low voice.

Lin Yue was beside herself with joy. She quickly said as usual, “Hurry and finish your breakfast, or you’ll be late for school.”

“Want your old man to take you there, Son?” Gao Shou chimed in, pretending that nothing had ever gone wrong.

“No! Dad is taking me to kindergarten!” Gao Xinxin didn’t really understand what had happened, but she could tell that her brother was himself again. That made her happy, and when she was happy, she liked to vie for their parents’ attention with him.

“Hoho, how about your dad taking your brother to school before taking you?” Yun smiled kindly and ruffled Gao Xinxin’s hair.

The scene froze. Countless memories and information condensed into capsule size and hit Wang Zikai in the forehead. In an instant, the conversation Gao Yang and his system had had in the orphanage surfaced in his mind.

“Ah!”

Wang Zikai opened his eyes like he was waking from a dream. He remained in the posture of opening the door, but there was no door. The entire orphanage had vanished, in fact.

He turned around in shock, only to find the others gaping with wide eyes. They had just experienced the same thing as Wang Zikai.

Gao Yang reappeared by their side. The dorm keeper was nowhere to be seen.

“You all saw it,” he said calmly.

The others were too shocked to say anything, but their gazes were confirmation enough.

“Let’s go.”

Gao Yang turned around.

They followed without hesitation.