Returning to homeland

*Ding!

[System Notification]

[Compulsory Physical Trial has been completed]

[Reward: +1 Skill Point Acquired]

Returning to Origin World in: 10… 9… 8…

Tianzhu exhaled as he muttered under his breath, clenching his fists as a wide, breathless smile curled on his lips. "Finally… I actually pulled it off…"

His eyes fluttered shut. The moment of peace felt almost surreal.

3… 2… 1…

A soft pulse of white light engulfed him, and everything around him dissolved into static.

He landed softly on the bed, returning to his room.

His breath hitched as his eyes opened wide.

His ceiling.

His blanket.

His room.

He was truly back.

Tianzhu blinked rapidly, looking around to confirm that it was indeed his place. However, when he snapped his eyes to the smartphone on the bedside table, he saw that the time was stated: 00:43.

That's exactly the same number of minutes he spent fighting the monster, dying twenty times in a row.

"So, the time flows normally in the real world, after all. But that's fine. After all, I…"

*Ding!

"Eh?" Tianzhu was forced to stop mumbling as the same floating screen gently blinked above him again.

[Daily Mission has been refreshed]

Daily Mission: Burn 5000 kcal

Progress: 0 / 5000 kcal

Reward: +1 Skill Point

Deadline: 23:59 Today

"No," Tianzhu muttered.

He sat up slowly, hands gripping his head, the expression on his face pale and slightly horrified. "I… I can't do that again," he murmured, his voice shaky. "Just because I managed to defeat it doesn't mean I would want to face that thing every single day. And who knows what kind of monster the system will generate in order to kill me differently? And who knows if the rules remain the same, too."

He shuddered, the vivid memories of every brutal death flashing across his mind, being crushed, burned, melted, swallowed, splattered, skewered.

Back then, he didn't think too much about it as he had only 10 seconds to even think, and his focus was entirely on defeating the giant, but now that there was peace around, the memories of deaths came to him all at once.

Tianzhu fell back on his bed, eyes wide, still trembling as the lingering trauma refused to fade.

"Burn 5000 calories," he muttered. "Alright. This will be my first priority from now onwards."

The sun had barely risen over the frozen skyline of St. Petersburg when Tianzhu was already mid-workout.

His breath steamed in the air as he pushed his body through a grueling session—burpees, sprint drills, weighted squats, resistance core sets. Sweat poured off his back and arms like rain.

The holographic screen hovered nearby, displaying his progress in bright orange text.

Calories Burned: 2318 / 5000 kcal

He didn't stop. He couldn't stop right now and focus on other things. First, work out, then everything else.

His eyes flicked toward the screen from time to time, reminded of the brutal deaths yesterday. Just the thought of returning to that nightmarish realm made him grit his teeth and push harder.

That was when his phone buzzed on the side table.

He didn't pick it up. Not yet.

Then came a second buzz.

As he took a look at the screen, his brows furrowed. It is a call from the company headquarters. Well, it is his company, but for the general public as well as his own children, he just works there in the legal department.

He stopped his activity for a moment and took a deep breath, picking it up. "Hello?"

On the other end, a professional yet polite voice greeted him. "Hello, Mr. Qin, this is Sasha from the Reception Desk at Egmor HQ, Moscow. I was informed that you are currently on leave. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"No, it's fine. What is it? Something urgent at the company?" Qin Tianzhu asked. He didn't particularly care for the answer. Even if he was living as a legal consultant, putting up a fake front, the idea of rushing in to fix corporate messes like an obedient employee felt beneath him.

"I received a message from someone trying to reach you," Sasha continued. "A woman named Jiang Xueli. She claims to be your elder sibling. She mentioned that your number had changed and that you weren't responding to her emails. She left a message. Would you like me to forward it to your email?"

Qin Tianzhu blinked. "Jiejie? Ah, yes, she is indeed my sister." His grip on the phone tightened as he said. "Alright."

Tianzhu chuckled dryly as he wiped his sweat with a towel. "This Qin Tianzhu version of mine is living a troublesome double life. He even went as far as getting an authentic license to practice law here in Saint Petersburg, which is basically his turf to begin with." A moment, he exhaled in a sigh. "But, that's fine. I would want my children to live in a positive environment, too."

Opening the mail app, he then tapped the message.

Xueli's voice played a second later, soft but clear. "Hey… It's me," she began. "I hope you're doing well. I… I know it's been a while. I'm sorry."

There was a pause.

"Well, the thing is… Dad got hospitalized. The doctors say he didn't have many more months to live. Sigh… I ended up telling Dad about your whereabouts. I know you didn't want me to. But I… I thought he had the right to know. I'm Sorry. If it is not too much trouble, can you come back home and meet him once?"

The message ended.

Tianzhu stood in silence for a long moment. No anger. Just a numb silence. However, his grip on the phone tightened on the sides.

Later that morning, the sound of rushing water echoed inside the marble-tiled bathroom as he stood beneath the shower, letting the hot stream cascade over his skin. He didn't move. Just stood still, head bowed and eyes closed.

His thoughts weren't on Jiang Xueli or just his Dad.

They were somewhere far deeper.

It's the memory of his Mother's death. In both of his lives, his mother died the same way. On the eve of the New Year, she was lying there with bullet wounds, and a five-year-old Tianzhu was staring at her blankly.

Then the scene shifted. Tianzhu, small and pale, sat stiffly in the arms of his older sister as mourners offered their condolences. His father, dressed in a black suit, smiled and bowed, and shook hands with them.

But he never came to Tianzhu.

Not once to ask him how he was holding up. To hug him and say, I'm here. To tell him that it is okay to cry.

But, even at the funeral, Tianzhu wasn't allowed to cry. Instead, his father had sternly said, "You're the man now. Stand tall."

Then, in middle school…

"Tianzhu, drop the violin. I said Drop it."

"Dad, I was just."

"I said DROP IT!"

The violin shattered across the polished wooden floor.

Tianzhu opened his eyes slowly, blinking water away as another memory returned. The airport in Shanghai. His bags were packed. His flight to Moscow is hours away.

But his father never showed up.

Only Xueli had come. Just his sister was there for him.

Back to the present, Tianzhu's hand reached out. He pressed the shower button. The water stopped instantly.

He stood there, wet and unmoving, water trailing down his chest.

"In my other life, he was dead…" he murmured aloud. "Why did God let him live in this life?"

"Ugh…" He groaned in the end, rubbing his temples. "But, I need to keep my children safe. They grew up big enough. Sooner or later, they will find out my real face. Everything will fall apart then. No… I can't let it happen…"

Taking a deep breath, Tianzhu's eyes turned resolute as if he had come to a decision.

One week later, at a columbarium in Hangzhou City, Tianzhu stood in front of the compartment where his mother's portrait and ashes were stored. He stood there in silence, his expression unreadable.

Xueli approached with a bouquet of flowers, her steps hesitant. "Tianzhu…" As she whispered his name, emotion thickened in her voice.

Qin Tianzhu turned around and smiled faintly. "It's been a while, Jiejie."

Tears welled in Xueli's eyes as she nodded, her voice breaking. "Yeah... it has been."