Global Awakening: The Heavenly Demon Returns

"Taxi! Taxi!" Ye Tian waved his hands in the air, putting aside his distracting thoughts as he tried to hail a cab.

Fortunately, the street in front of the hospital was a busy one.

Within minutes, a taxi noticed his gesture and began pulling up to the curb.

As the driver maneuvered to park, Ye Tian's mind began to wander again.

Let's skip eating. It's more important to not keep Ling'er and the others guessing and explain everything to them. As for the rest... I'll deal with it later.

Despite trying to push these thoughts aside, Ye Tian found his mind still circling back to them.

With an exasperated sigh, he focused on the taxi, which had finally found a place to park. He didn't waste any time and opened the back door, ready to head home.

"Um, mister? Can you just drop me down the road?" he asked with a smile. "My house isn't too far from here."

Ye Tian kept his expression friendly, a habit from his time on the Tianxuan Continent.

In that world, whether he felt happiness, sadness, or anger, he'd always kept a calm smile on his face to keep his enemies from reading his emotions.

Even when he was about to perform the Great Regression Technique—despite its high risk of failure—he had maintained a hearty smile in front of the heavens and the world.

But as he fully entered the taxi, Ye Tian realized he was overthinking things.

The driver hadn't said a word until he confirmed the door was shut. Only then did he adjust his mirror and glance at Ye Tian.

"Downtown? That'll be three hundred Yuan," the driver finally spoke.

Ye Tian nodded, indicating he understood. "Alright, let's go."

"Let me know once we reach your house," the driver replied, pressing the pedal.

Looks like I'm lucky—this driver doesn't seem like one of those who talk endlessly without a care in the world, Ye Tian thought, glad for the silence.

At least I can collect my thoughts on the way home.

He muttered to himself, gazing out the window to ensure they didn't pass his house.

Meanwhile, he calmed down and began organizing his thoughts—confirming his suspicions about the Blue Star and planning his next steps.

For the next ten to fifteen minutes, an unprecedented silence filled the taxi. Neither of them spoke until, finally, Ye Tian broke the silence.

"Here! Stop the taxi!" he called out. "This is my stop."

He pointed to a shabby three-bedroom bungalow through the window, a genuine smile spreading across his face.

Despite his worries about how his family might react, he still looked forward to being with them again.

As he thought about his old room, which he hadn't stepped into for ten thousand years, the grin on his face grew even wider.

After paying the driver, he quickly got out of the taxi, his heart beating faster with each step as he approached the house.

........

[Downtown, Dragon City]

Downtown Dragon City, also known as the slums, was where most of the city's average or below-average residents lived.

The area was characterized by poor infrastructure, low rent, and a high crime rate.

Fortunately, as far as Ye Tian remembered, neither he nor his family had ever run into trouble with the gangs that roamed this part of the city.

"Still, I really need to do something about our financial situation," he thought, looking at the 700 Yuan remaining in his account, the dangerous nature of their neighborhood, and the state of the building they called home. His resolve only grew stronger.

The house was in such a dilapidated state that he wondered how it was even still standing.

The paint on the walls had worn off, and the windows were cracked from the stones children threw for fun.

Weeds grew wildly around the property, making it impossible to plant anything.

The roof leaked in several places, and the floorboards creaked ominously as if threatening to give way at any moment.

"Now that I think of it, Ling'er never invited any of her friends home. I wonder if it's because of the state of our house," he mused.

"After all, it's not something you'd want to show your friends, and for a girl like Ling'er, I'm sure she has a lot."

"Luckily, we live on the outskirts of downtown. If we were deeper in, even going to school might be impossible, considering all the gangs that dominate the lower parts of downtown." He paused,

"wait a minute, gangs?"

"Talking about the gangs, I should keep an eye on them; they might be useful later."

Muttering under his breath, Ye Tian made a mental note to add "new house" to his list of things to do once he had enough money.

However, that would have to come much later.

Right now, he was about to face one of the hardest trials he had ever gone through, even compared to his time in the other world: telling his parents the truth.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Ye Tian slowly opened the door.

"Mum! Dad! Sister! I'm back!" he called out.

….......

[Ye Tian Household]

"Mum! Dad! Sister! I'm back!"

Opening the door, the first thing that greeted Ye Tian was the sight of his entire family seated in front of their small, hunchbacked television, sharing a single apple among them.

"Son!"

"Tian'er!"

"Brother!"

Upon seeing him, all three of them immediately jumped up. His mother rushed over, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Son, are you alright? How is the place where they did the surgery? Does it hurt?"

"Did they give you any trouble at the hospital after we left?"

"Did you get something to eat?"

She fired off questions, her worry evident in her breathless tone.

Li Mei's face was filled with concern, and even his dad and sister, though not as active as his mother, wore equally anxious expressions.

The sight made Ye Tian's heart swell with warmth. For a moment, the nervousness that had been gnawing at him vanished.

 He felt a fuzzy sensation spreading through his body, a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time.

Now, seeing their concern, he knew there would never be a better time to tell them the truth.

"Mum, Dad, Ling'er, I'm alright," he began, trying to keep his voice steady. "Actually, there's something I need to tell you."

He took a deep breath, his face turning serious as he looked each of them in the eye.

"I'm… reborn."