He became a god in Japan starting with the bear disaster.

Chapter 21 Awakening

When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the bed in a quaint bedroom.

Rustic?

But it wasn't the Japanese-style rustic charm; instead, it had tapestries covering the walls, rugged beams on the dome, faded yet still magnificent religious murals on the ceiling, and heavy, deep red curtains tied with intricate gold tassels—a medieval, European-style rustic charm.

Looking to the side, you can see a huge stone fireplace, but it's not lit.

"Is this still Japan?"

Lin Xiu was startled and was about to get out of bed when she hissed.

A sharp pain that penetrated deep into his bones and nerves made him immediately stop such a large movement.

He lay back down on the bed, waiting for the pain to subside, and tried to recall what he could remember.

He was attacked on his way home with Isshiki Kin. After dealing with a man who was using a newspaper to masturbate, a woman on a motorcycle came and fired a submachine gun. Finally, driven to the brink, he used an app called "TRYHARD" on his phone...

Where did my phone go?

Lin Xiuyi immediately grasped the most important issue.

That found cell phone was his biggest secret and his most important support, so he absolutely couldn't lose it.

He slowly sat up and looked around the room, finally spotting his phone on the bedside table.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

The next questions are: Where is he? What is his current situation?

Lin Xiuyi looked at her clothes. She was wearing a loose, plain gray shirt and pants of a similar color. She wasn't wearing underwear.

It seems someone changed his clothes.

They didn't restrict his movements, nor did they take away his phone; they even helped bandage his injured hand. Lin Xiuyi turned his gaze away from his right hand, which was bound in a ball.

Considering the style of the room's decor... he's probably in some rather unusual sanatorium now, at least not imprisoned by those assassins.

After a brief moment of relief, Lin Xiuyi pondered one last question: Where did Isshiki Jin go?

Obviously, it's not in this room.

Lin Xiuyi looked at the door facing the bed and tentatively moved his body slightly, finding that he could still move.

He took a deep breath, threw off the thin blanket, and endured the pain as he slowly climbed out of bed.

Before his feet even touched the ground, his legs started cramping. He had to stand up straight and wait for the cramp to subside before taking his phone and slowly making his way toward the door.

The door wasn't locked; it opened easily by pulling the handle.

Outside the room was a long, deserted corridor, silent and still. The windows and curtains were all closed, and the ceiling lights were all on. In such a place, it was hard to even tell the time.

Lin Xiuyi turned on her phone. The screen showed that it was a little past three in the afternoon, but the date was not displayed.

He then remembered that the "Calendar" feature required him to purchase it separately for 1 point in the app store. After glancing at his 500 points balance, he redeemed it without hesitation.

In this way, the date will be displayed below the time shown on the phone system.

"March 3th..."

Lin Xiuyi vaguely remembered that the day of the accident was at the end of May.

How long was he unconscious in bed?

He immediately unwrapped the bandages on his hands and looked at the wounds that had begun to heal, and had to believe that he had been unconscious for about a week.

Is anyone there?

He called out in a hoarse voice, but no one answered in the empty corridor.

I drew back the curtains beside me, and outside lay a European-style garden filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, with verdant mountains in the distance—a magnificent and tranquil scene unlike anything I'd ever seen in Japan. There was no one around, yet the garden showed signs of recent meticulous trimming.

It exudes luxury everywhere and has an overly strong sense of daily life. It doesn't seem like a hospital for patients to recuperate. So what kind of place is this?

Holding onto the wall, Lin Xiuyi slowly walked towards the end of the corridor.

A painting caught his attention. No one would be unfamiliar with it.

"...The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai?"

Lin Xiuyi paused and looked him over.

Do you think this is the original?

A woman's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

It wasn't Isshiki Kinu, but a completely unfamiliar woman; and she wasn't speaking English, French, or German, but rather pure Kanto-accented Japanese.

He turned around and saw a woman, two heads shorter than him, who had silently slipped over.

She had short, shoulder-length black hair, skin as white as fresh snow, a cool and aloof expression, a high, straight nose, and a sharply defined jawline. Her lips were very pale. Her eyes were the darkest color on her face, a deep brown that was almost black. Therefore, her appearance matched her tone of voice—both were beautiful and ethereal. Lin Xiuyi guessed that the other person was younger than him.

"Your gaze is very impolite."

The girl said coldly.

Lin Xiuyi pretended not to hear and answered her previous question: "The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a woodblock print, and the original was destroyed long ago. The earliest surviving copies are only the early batches of prints."

"Looks like you're not stupid."

There wasn't a trace of politeness in her words.

Lin Xiu didn't care and asked, "Who are you?"

"You have no right to know. Come with me, Jin is waiting for you."

After the girl finished speaking, she walked down the stairs at the end of the corridor on her own.

Jin can only refer to Isshiki Jin. The fact that she can address him by his name directly suggests that she has a close relationship with Isshiki Jin.

Lin Xiuyi was now certain that he was in a safer situation, but this ease vanished as he tried to walk down the stairs.

With each step down a flight of stairs, Lin Xiuyi felt his body getting closer to disintegration. His knees couldn't bend more than 15 degrees, so he had to hold onto the railing and descend the stairs sideways.

The girl with short black hair stood at the bottom of the stairs staring at him. Even though Lin Xiuyi was almost amused by his own appearance, she remained unmoved and maintained her cold expression.

Lin Xiuyi was able to confirm that she was an extremely cold-hearted woman.

The moment he stepped onto the ground, she walked away without a word. Lin Xiuyi could only follow with difficulty, each step painful.

Now, he knew he was in a huge mansion. He walked through the corridors, hall, reception room, and dining room, and arrived at a smaller room of unknown size, where he saw Isshiki Kin sitting by the window drinking tea.

When she saw Lin Xiuyi approaching, she excitedly stood up from her chair. "Xiuyi, are you feeling better?"

Just as Isshiki Jin was about to walk over to check on Lin Xiuyi's body, she was silently blocked by the short-haired girl. She paused for a moment, then gave a grateful smile, "Thank you, Shiori."

Then, she effortlessly picked the girl up from under her arms and placed her aside, as if removing an obstacle in her way.

"You really worried me to death."

Isshiki Kin walked up to Lin Xiuyi complainingly, angrily saying, "Why did you take off the bandage on your hand!"

She tenderly picked up Lin Xiuyi's injured hand and examined it closely. "Does it still hurt?"

Lin Xiu was stunned for a moment, then looked at the short-haired girl who had been moved aside and saw the surprise on her face.