Chapter 4: I'm Not Human Anymore!

In the quiet hospital room, a gentle breeze stirred the white cotton-linen curtains.

Bai Qi's consciousness slowly returned to his body. He opened his eyes, but lay motionless.

His nose twitched slightly, inhaling the faint floral scent carried by the wind, along with the familiar disinfectant odor he had grown accustomed to.

He could feel that his physical condition and five senses had significantly improved.

The minor wounds on his body had completely healed, and his fractured left leg was rapidly recovering.

Ah, right. Proctologists have a similar "golden finger"—they stack their own attributes and powers. It's a basic technique, but I never imagined it could reach this level...

Bai Qi raised an arm to shield his forehead, and beneath it, an impossible scene unfolded.

A pure, crystal-clear crystal materialized between his eyebrows and slowly merged into his flesh.

His physical attributes had multiplied to roughly 2.5 times that of a normal person. Even this wasn't enough to heal a comminuted fracture in such a short time.

That clear crystal was an Elemental Gelade.

Normally, the Mysterious Space couldn't grant Bai Qi Bloodline Power rooted in the material realm.

But Ren's case was unique. She wasn't a mere copy of Bai Qi's soul, but a fragment of his Origin Soul.

This power stacking would only occur once, when Ren returned to Bai Qi's soul. After that, they would be entirely separate individuals, with no conceptual overlap whatsoever.

This was his only chance!

Therefore, their respective strengths and physical attributes could be conceptually stacked to the maximum extent allowed by the rules.

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite perfect.

From that moment on, Bai Qi was no longer human, but neither was he a pure-blooded Edel Raid.

His Elemental Gelade was conceptually incomplete, lacking a "Type."

To draw a parallel, think of it like Pokémon Types: different Types grant different abilities and characteristics.

There are 24 Edel Raid Types in total. The Weapon Tribe has identified 18, leaving the remaining 6 unknown.

Through the power of the Mysterious Space, Bai Qi acquired the core traits of the Edel Raid bloodline, but he didn't inherit Ren's wind Type.

In simpler terms, Bai Qi obtained a specifically optimized Edel Raid bloodline, but it remained dormant.

As for how to awaken a Type within his Elemental Gelade, Bai Qi had no idea for the time being.

Besides, this wasn't the time to ponder such matters.

"Sis, could you call a doctor for me? I want to be discharged," Bai Qi said with a smile to the caregiver sitting beside his bed.

His injuries, which should have taken over six months to heal, had miraculously healed overnight—an already astonishing feat.

If the hospital were to run routine check-ups now...

He might not wake up in this hospital room again.

If his physical transformation were discovered, the danger would be absolute.

He would become the sole intelligent non-human being in the entire world.

Extensive testing on Bai Qi was out of the question—absolutely impossible. Any research that could potentially harm his body would be kept to an absolute minimum.

Even blood draws couldn't be done in large quantities; they could only collect a few drops at a time.

The world's most precious specimen had suddenly been dethroned.

The price for this secrecy, however, was all too predictable.

Therefore... discharge!

He had to leave the hospital immediately!

He absolutely couldn't risk exposing his non-human identity!

Bai Qi's sudden request caught the nurse's aide, completely off guard. She rushed to his side, asking what was wrong.

"It's only been half a month, and your leg is still like this. Why do you want to leave already? Tell Big Sister what's going on. I'll help you."

After two weeks of caring for him, she had grown fond of Bai Qi. His quiet demeanor and thoughtful nature reminded her of her own rural upbringing. She was genuinely willing to help in any way she could.

"Big Sister, there's an emergency at home I need to attend to," Bai Qi said gently, aware of her good intentions, but his expression remained firm. "Don't worry, I'll return to the local hospital for follow-up care once it's resolved."

Seeing his determination, she fell silent and reluctantly called for the doctor.

Director Yang, his face creased with worry, strode in, his expression stern. "Your left leg still requires surgery, and you haven't even begun the recovery period! How can you possibly be discharged now?!"

The phrase "a doctor's compassionate heart" often rings hollow in modern society. Yet, out of respect for Gu Wu, Director Yang felt a genuine sense of responsibility for Bai Qi's care.

Bai Qi neither knew nor cared about Gu Wu's identity or their relationship. He was determined to leave the hospital that day.

With a practiced, businesslike smile, Bai Qi spoke calmly and firmly.

Faced with Bai Qi's unwavering resolve to discharge himself, Director Yang was at a loss.

After a phone consultation with Gu Wu, he decided to play it safe and had Bai Qi sign a liability waiver.

The document stated that despite the severity of his leg fracture, Bai Qi insisted on leaving the hospital against medical advice. If this delay in treatment resulted in permanent disability, neither Gu Wu nor the hospital would be held responsible.

Under the helpless gaze of the caregiver, Bai Qi signed the waiver without hesitation.

With the signature secured, Director Yang turned and left without another word.

Assisted by the caregiver, Bai Qi followed a nurse to complete his discharge paperwork.

He received the remaining balance from Gu Wu's initial deposit, totaling tens of thousands of yuan.

Playing the part of a patient with a fractured left leg, Bai Qi sat in a wheelchair as the caregiver wheeled him back to his small rental apartment.

On the way home, Bai Qi searched online for information about Elemental Gelade and the Edel Raids, focusing particularly on the latter.

While Ren's world might not perfectly align with the Elemental Gelade universe, the similarities were at least 99%, making the information highly reliable.

The kind nurse's aide thoughtfully tidied Bai Qi's room, reminded him of various precautions, and prepared his dinner. Only after repeatedly confirming that Bai Qi's friend would arrive shortly did she leave, torn between worry and relief.

Her concern stemmed from Bai Qi's condition, while her delight came from receiving several months' worth of wages after working for just over two weeks.

Such is the nature of ordinary people: capable of compassion and kindness, yet also susceptible to the lure of profit.

"Ordinary people..."

Watching her retreating figure, Bai Qi chuckled softly with a hint of melancholy. Then, as if nothing were amiss, he rose from his wheelchair. His left leg, encased in a plaster cast, tapped against the tile floor with a crisp sound.

He lowered his gaze, raised his hand, and clenched his fist. The cast shattered into pieces.

As the plaster crumbled, so too did the accumulated mental restraints and shackles. A sense of liberation washed over him, so profound that it felt almost unreal.

Yet the sensations from the body connected to his soul unequivocally confirmed that this was reality.

Bai Qi took a deep breath, suppressing the maelstrom of emotions within him, and closed his eyes.

The central conduit of the Mysterious Space manifested in the real world as Bai Qi's physical body. Simply put, the space where Bai Qi stood could be considered the exit point of a high-dimensional passageway.

A gold coin materialized in his palm out of thin air. Then, within the dimensions perceptible to human eyes, a slender young girl emerged from Bai Qi's body.

Even in the real world, she remained dreamlike: her lips as delicate as cherry blossoms, her exposed skin as flawless as fine porcelain, without a single blemish.

Her sky-blue hair, shimmering as if interwoven with stardust, cascaded down her shoulders, barely reaching her slender, willow-like waist, which seemed easily encircled by a single hand.

A black butterfly hairpin adorned her delicate ears

Bai Qi's initial nervousness gradually subsided, replaced by mounting excitement. His heart raced, and his blood felt like it was boiling.

No one could resist a girl as breathtakingly beautiful as Ren, capable of captivating nations. But at that moment, Bai Qi was even more drawn to the power that shouldn't exist in this world.

As if connected by telepathy, Bai Qi and Ren raised their palms. The instant their fingers intertwined, a Holy Azure Divine Mist surged into the sky.

A gentle, serene emerald wind swirled around them.

Ren's figure dissolved into a gentle breeze, wrapping itself around Bai Qi. The ethereal image of her soul appeared behind him before merging into his body.

In the inky night sky, neon lights reflected off the thick, layered clouds that surged and billowed.

Earth bore the clouds, heaven embraced them.

The bustling city streets came to a standstill. Even hurried office workers stopped in their tracks, gazing upward at the sudden, extraordinary celestial phenomenon.

Bai Qi fell silent. After a long pause, he murmured, "Is this... the true power of the Seven Glittering Jewels?"

Shanghai, a mega-city in China and an international hub for finance, trade, and commerce, was home to over twenty million residents.

At that moment, the power surging from the Emerald Wind Blade was so immense that Bai Qi could have obliterated the entire city with minimal effort.

Fresh wind filled his lungs, and a gentle breeze swirled around him, yet his heart pounded like the engine of a celestial monarch.

Bai Qi took several deep breaths, calming the turbulent emotions within him.

After a long pause, he gazed at the city's dazzling neon lights, then at the starless, inky night sky.

He lightly tapped his toes, carefully controlling the emerald wind that enveloped his body. Slowly, he began to float upward, ascending into the air.

Humanity's ultimate dream—flight!

Not with the aid of any external device, but through the sheer force of one's own power.

Looking down, Bai Qi saw his rented apartment building shrink to the size of his palm, the entire residential complex spread out below him in perfect clarity.

He rotated in mid-air, allowing the sleepless metropolis of Shanghai to reveal a perspective never before witnessed.

Bai Qi steadied himself, stretched his stiff limbs with deep breaths, and then—his speed exploded!

The extreme acceleration squeezed Bai Qi's heart, forcing an involuntary howl from his throat as he hurtled toward the boundless sky.

An irrepressible surge of exhilaration washed over him, eclipsing all concern about being caught on camera.

To understand why, let's set aside the possibility of an Inner World hidden within reality. Imagine one day you gained power beyond human comprehension, and you were the only one in the entire world to possess it.

Would you choose to become a Superman, fighting evil and upholding justice?