What do you mean you also want to return to the world?

"Shi Yan, get off work overtime tonight and finish these tasks."

"What do you mean it's time for you to leave work? If you don't work hard when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old! You should know that jobs are hard to find these days."

"Hey young man, watch your step! There's a car ahead!"

……

"I'm sorry, child, we couldn't save your parents."

"From now on you'll be all alone, but that's okay. If you have any difficulties, you can call this number."

……

"You bastard, aren't I enough for you?"

"We meet again, silly bird."

……

It hurts, it hurts.

Shi Yan felt like he was having a long and complicated nightmare. Sometimes he was a middle-aged corporate slave who worked overtime until he was delirious, sometimes he was a high school student who became an orphan at a young age, and finally he became an unlucky guy who was targeted by evil monsters.

These three completely different art styles collided in his mind, making it difficult for him to distinguish between what was real and what was fake.

It wasn't until he opened his eyes and saw his left middle finger standing straight up, staring at him in a very human-like way, that he sadly realized that all of this was fucking real.

"You bastard!" The sound of fingers clicking echoed in his mind as he saw Shi Yan wake up. "I've been calling you all night, and you haven't responded at all! Are you deaf?!"

Shi Yan was too lazy to pay attention to this evil monster. His mind was in a mess, and his last memory was of swallowing that eye.

And after that?

Where is he now?

Shi Yan looked around and found himself in a familiar yet unfamiliar room. As more memories flooded in, he quickly realized that this was his home in this world.

So how did he get back?

"So, you're an outsider too, aren't you?"

The sound of fingers rang out again. Shi Yan looked down and found that it was controlling the index and ring fingers, which were overlapping in front of the middle finger in an extremely strange posture, looking like a person with arms crossed, staring coldly at him.

"What do you mean?" Shi Yan asked.

"Last night, after you lost consciousness, the true owner of this body woke up," Finger said. "He brought this body back here."

Upon hearing the finger's words, another memory flooded Shi Yan's mind—he was covered in injuries, limping along the national highway, the finger screaming wildly in his mind, but he seemed not to hear it, stubbornly continuing forward. It was like a pre-programmed sequence: return home, get into bed, close your eyes, and then it's over.

And then, we have the present moment.

Thinking of this, Shi Yan's heart skipped a beat.

Could the original owner of this body really still be alive? We don't want that kind of plot twist that's so toxic in online novels.

But as more memories flooded back, Shi Yan quickly recalled more things from the room. He realized that it wasn't that the original owner was still alive, but rather that his soul and the original owner's soul had only just merged.

Of course, it's also possible that the original owner didn't completely die until last night.

But whatever the reason, Shi Yan felt that he didn't need to worry about it anymore. Rather than whether the original owner's soul would be resurrected, he should be more worried about two other more dangerous things.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Shi Yan stared at his fingers again. "I am who I am. As for you, what exactly are you? You still won't tell the truth?"

"What do you mean, 'what am I?'" Her fingers instantly bristled, and she forgot all about arguing with Shi Yan about whether he was the real deal or not. "You lowly human, how dare you be so insolent to me! Do you even know who I am?"

"That's why I'm asking you, because I don't know."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yan could clearly feel his fingers malfunction. After a moment of silence, he said, "Actually, I don't know either."

"……What?"

What do you mean you don't know?

"What's so surprising about that? When I was alive, you humans hadn't even come down from the trees yet," it said. "That's so long ago, who could remember? Can you remember anything that happened a thousand years ago?"

"I wasn't even born then."

"Right, you can't remember either."

Shi Yan: "..."

No, what's wrong with this guy?

Before he self-destructed, this guy acted like a shrewd old man, so why does he seem like he's not thinking straight now?

"Hmm, what are you thinking about?" The fingers suddenly became alert. "I'm warning you, my thoughts are connected to yours. If you offend me..."

Goodness, they're just so perceptive about this.

Shi Yan rolled his eyes.

"Then you should at least have a name for it." Shi Yan had already realized that he probably wouldn't be able to cut ties with this guy anytime soon, so he might as well get to know it a little better.

"What should I call you?" it said. "You can call me 'Sir,' that's what your prince called me back then."

"I refuse."

"Huh?" the finger asked, puzzled. "Why?"

"Because you and I are equals," Shi Yan said, "that's why I won't use honorifics with you."

It wasn't that Shi Yan cared about any title, but rather that he wanted to tell this great demon that its power and status posed no threat to him; as long as it was inside his body, he was the only one in charge.

"You actually think you can be my equal..."

The finger was naturally very unwilling. Back then, even the human prince had to obediently address it as "sir," but now this young brat wanted to treat it as an equal.

How could this be! Don't be dreaming!

The finger wanted to say that, but when it saw Shi Yan's left eye, which didn't show any abnormality for the time being, it held back.

"I don't have a name," it said reluctantly. "But a long time ago, someone called me 'Crimson'."

"Crimson? Who called you that?"

"How could I possibly remember that!" it said defiantly. "It's already quite an achievement to remember this."

"Alright."

Shi Yan didn't dwell on it much. Just as he was about to investigate the guy's background further, a strange thought suddenly came to mind.

This title, this voice...

"Are you male or female?" he asked, as if possessed.

"Huh?!" Crimson's voice exploded instantly, as if she had been utterly insulted. "What kind of stupid question is that? I am a mythical creature! An existence that transcends mortal concepts! How dare you define me with your lowly, meaningless human notions of gender?!"

Her roar stirred up a storm in Shi Yan's mind, making his ears ring.

Hearing this righteous and stern rebuke, Shi Yan blushed and cursed himself for watching too much trashy anime, which was why he asked such a stupid question.

He was about to apologize when he heard Scarlet add a self-righteous remark:

"—I am female."

Shi Yan: "..."