Even if it had been a nightmare, he should have woken up at work or in his bed.
Cain gave the headline another long look. This time, he stared at it for nearly two minutes before letting out a quiet chuckle.
After all, he was going to die again.
"Shit."
In his moment of discombobulation, a nurse opened the door and froze when she saw Cain, or rather Neo, which was what she called him.
"Young Master Neo, you're awake," she said slowly, as if expecting his comatose state to last longer.
When he heard what she called him, Neo's heart skipped a beat, the name repeating itself twice in his head.
Soon after, she walked in and switched off the channel.
"Let me call your mom before I do anything else," she said.
Although he knew he had somehow transmigrated into the very novel he had read, Neo wasn't fully certain which character he had possessed.
Who wouldn't know Hera, a tyrant villainess? Being in the same world as her alone was already a bad omen.
If possible, Neo would do anything to avoid this woman and her weak son throughout his entire life.
"Still, I think I have a mom in this world," Neo chuckled. He had never actually felt a mother's love. When he was just six months old, his mom had run away, leaving him with his father, an irresponsible man.
But it seemed that whoever his parent was in this world must be extremely wealthy, because this VIP room closely resembled a luxurious hotel.
Hence, before the nurse could leave the room, Neo stopped her halfway to the door.
"My mom?" he asked. "Who is she?"
The nurse turned around, perplexed as to why the patient would ask such a ridiculous question.
Then she recalled that his forehead was bandaged. Maybe he was suffering from temporary amnesia.
"Lady Hera Thundercloud."
She said the name fluently, but to Neo, it felt as though the words slowed down, or rather the world around him slowed down. In that moment, he felt his heart stop.
Before he knew it, the nurse had already left the room.
Neo stared at his palm. It was pale.
At that moment, his heart rate increased drastically as several possibilities about his situation flooded his mind.
Neo quickly located the bathroom. After washing his face, he stared at the mirror in confusion.
"Fuck." His heartbeat paused, but only for a few seconds. "Transmigration can't possibly be..." He swallowed hard.
Neo froze in front of the mirror, staring at his bandaged self. It made sense now. He was the weakling the channels had spoken about earlier.
"Fuck, it can't be," he muttered. "Hera Thundercloud's son... so I'm Neo. Fuck, please no. How did I transmigrate into this shit? I haven't even died." His eyes suddenly felt moist.
"I was supposed to turn into a zombie, not this."
How? Neo wasn't just a third-rate character; he was the weakest character in the novel.
His death would cause the tyrant villainess, Hera, to erase Atlantis from the face of the earth, which was why the author made him weak.
That was his only purpose: to die.
So how the fuck did I switch places with him?
"Ah, I'm fucked... shit. I wasn't even that addicted to the novel."
Imagine inhabiting the body of a person whose main purpose was to die.
His existence was created for one purpose and one moment only: to die.
The reason he hadn't figured it out earlier was because of the name.
Neo. The name was so insignificant in the novel that even he, a full-time addict, barely remembered it.
His name was only mentioned when Lady Hera made it clear how much she loved him and how she was ready to tear the world apart because of his death.
And he wasn't related to Hera by blood. He was the adopted son among the three brothers. He was also the youngest and weakest.
Even though he was the most loved, that didn't matter right now.
For something that was supposed to happen in a few arcs, Neo already seemed to be feeling the effects.
His heart felt like it had stopped, and his vision turned blurry.
"Just how the fuck..."
Thwak.
In his frantic disorientation, he slammed his fist against the mirror so hard that his hand started bleeding.
The mirror barely cracked. After all, he was weak, very weak.
Soon after, a knock sounded on the door, interrupting his disorientation.
Even without his permission, whoever it was entered on her own.
"Neo, honey?" she said warmly.
The moment Neo stepped outside, he felt himself involuntarily yielding to her overwhelming presence.
To the point that the red-haired lady had to rush forward to prevent him from falling.
"Honey, did the nurse do this to you?" she asked. "Tell me and I'll call for her head right now. Who did this?" Hera demanded.
No matter what she was saying, Neo didn't respond. He resembled someone without a soul, just a lifeless body.
Hera guided him to sit on the bed while she ordered the woman beside the door to fetch the nurse.
Neo kept staring at one spot, not moving his eyes, not saying a word. His bleeding hand created a small pool of blood on the floor with every drop.
"It's true," he thought.
Lady Hera was right in front of him. Not just that, he was her most cherished son.
"Neo," she called his name warmly. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
After remaining silent for nearly five minutes, he finally looked at the stunning red-haired beauty in front of him.
Someone this beautiful shouldn't be his mom. If it were in his world, she'd be his girlfriend.
Neo forced a smile. "No, it's nothing."
"Then how come you're bleeding?"
Silence. Neo sighed. "I tried punching the mirror."
"Tried? Baby, why would you do that?"
Neo swallowed. He wasn't used to this kind of affection, especially from a woman.
Lady Hera held his chin. A few tears fell onto Neo's palm. He didn't know what had made her cry. "Neo, I'm sorry I let those bullies hurt you this badly. I promise it won't happen again."
All of a sudden, Neo heard a notification and an unfamiliar voice inside his head, accompanied by a strange blue interface.
-[Ding]
-[Conditions Met: Player has earned the bond system]-
-[The system allows the player to bind with various characters through genuine affection. Binding allows the player to access the target's future and one of their abilities]-
-[Target: Lady Hera has shown genuine affection towards the player]-
-[Would You Like To Bond With the target?]-
-[Yes]- -[No]-
The interface was strange, to the point that even an avid reader had no idea what it was.