Alex POV
Alex woke slowly.
For a moment, he didn't know where he was.
He blinked up at a white ceiling, letting his eyes adjust to the bright lights.
His body felt strangely light, almost refreshed.
But as his mind cleared, the memories returned.
The truck.
The impact.
The pain that tore through his whole body.
His expression darkened.
He looked around the room.
White walls. The faint smell of disinfectant. A monitor beeping gently in the corner. A hospital.
'So they took me here after the truck hit me.'
He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried.
He was alive, and that part was good.
But the crash happened while the Lucky Coin was active.
Things actually did get worse because of that damned item.
'Emma said something about murder. They think I killed the original Alex.'
His shoulders tensed.
'Great. I'm going to end up in jail before I even understand this world.'
He let out a long breath.
Then something felt off.
He wasn't touching the bed.
He moved his hand closer to his face. It wasn't skin. It wasn't flesh.
It was white, faint, and slightly transparent like mist shaped into a hand.
His heart skipped.
He looked down.
He wasn't lying on the bed.
He was floating above it.
Below him, a body lay motionless.
His body.
'…Did I die?'
His thoughts raced. Why was his soul outside his body?
Was this how transmigrators died? Was the crash too much, even for the new body?
A familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[Host, I have good news and bad news.]
Alex frowned.
'Start with the good news.'
[You are not dead.]
He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
'And the bad news?'
[It's about the Lucky Coin's effect.]
'What now?'
[It's better if you see it yourself.]
Confused, Alex looked down again.
At first, nothing seemed different. His body lay perfectly still.
Then the eyelids lifted.
Alex froze.
His body opened its eyes.
'Why is my body opening its eyes when I am outside of it?'
But those eyes weren't his. There was a sharpness in them, a coldness that didn't belong to him at all.
The body sat up stiffly.
Then it spoke.
"Those filthy traitors. How dare the Nine Emperors backstab me?"
The voice was filled with rage and bitterness.
"I taught them everything they knew, and this is how they repay me? I will not forgive this betrayal. I will have my revenge."
Alex's jaw dropped.
'What the hell…?'
His body continued talking like someone reciting an ancient grudge.
"Now that I have reincarnated, not even the heavens can stop me. I, Mu Qinglan, swear I will rise again and destroy those who wronged me."
The figure lifted Alex's hands, studying them like tools.
"This body is not bad. It is weak, but it has good potential. It will serve as a suitable vessel."
Alex felt his soul pulse with panic.
'Someone… took over my body?'
[Yes, Host.]
'Why!? How!?'
The figure kept talking to itself, evaluating the new body.
Then its expression changed.
It glanced down at the chest, pressed its hands against it, and frowned.
"Why is there no…?"
It paused.
Then, as if realizing something terrible, the figure reached inside Alex's pants.
A shriek echoed through the room.
"Kyaaa!!! Why am I a man!?"
The newly awakened person—woman—looked horrified. Her hands shook as she examined the male body.
"Impossible. This should not have happened. There was only a tiny chance of reincarnating into a male. Practically zero. It should've been impossible!"
Alex rubbed his forehead. Or at least, tried.
'You've got to be kidding me.'
He watched helplessly as the woman who stole his body continued spiraling.
Her breathing grew faster. She closed her eyes and took long, deep breaths. Her trembling stopped little by little.
When she opened her eyes again, her expression was calmer even though she still looked pale.
Her gaze wandered across the room.
Then she saw him.
Her eyes locked onto Alex's floating soul. For a moment, they stared straight at each other.
Alex felt a spark of hope.
'You can see me?'
Mu Qinglan's expression didn't change. She simply turned her head away.
Alex blinked.
'Hey! I'm right here! Don't ignore me!'
His voice went unheard. She clearly wasn't listening on purpose.
Mu Qinglan suddenly grabbed her head and let out a low groan.
Alex's eyes widened.
'She's… absorbing the body's memories? That means she's getting everything that happened after I transmigrated!'
A sharp worry cut through him.
If she gained the memories he made inside this body, then she would eventually learn about the System.
Before panic could take over, the System spoke.
[Do not worry, Host.]
[She will not be able to see System-related memories or memories of your past life.]
Alex let out a long breath. 'Good. At least that part is safe.'
He also noticed something else. She couldn't hear what he was thinking. He had control over what she heard.
Now he needed to solve the real problem.
'System, how do I get my body back?'
[Technically, Host, this body wasn't originally yours either.]
'Don't sweat the small details,' he replied shamelessly.
The System paused as if stunned by how casually he brushed it off.
[I do not know how to fix this problem, Host.]
Alex's soul froze. '…What?'
Before he could say more, the door opened.
Two people walked in.
A man and a woman, both dressed in neat black suits. White shirts. Black ties. Their clothes looked more like corporate uniforms than tactical gear.
But Alex could guess what they were.
Special Service Bureau.
The man in front entered with a calm smile and adjusted his glasses.
"Good afternoon. I'm Quinn Mitchell from the Hunter Department of the Special Service Bureau. We're here to ask you a few questions."
Mu Qinglan's frown deepened.
She had absorbed enough memories to recognize the name Emma mentioned earlier.
She remained silent.
Quinn continued, keeping his posture straight. "You are a transmigrator, aren't you? People like you appear on Earth from time to time. The Hunter Division's job is to locate and capture you before any damage occurs."
He walked a few steps closer.
"Here is the situation. If the original soul of this body was destroyed because of your arrival, you will be punished accordingly. If the soul is still alive, you will give the body back to the original soul, be punished for intrusion and then released."
Mu Qinglan didn't move. "And if I don't want either of those choices?"
"Then you can try running away again. But it won't end well for you," Quinn said, still smiling.
Tension settled into the air.
Alex floated behind Mu Qinglan.
He was hoping to the people from Special Service returned the body to him quickly.
However, Mu Qinglan definitely knew original Alex was dead, and the current Alex was a transmigrator.
If she revealed that, he would be subjected to same punishment Mu Qinglan would receive.
'Dammit.'
Just then, something shifted.
A giant shadow fell across the room.
Alex, Mu Qinglan, and both agents turned toward the window.
A massive face stared back.
Upside down.
Its size almost filled the entire window frame.
The face looked human but stretched unnaturally, with an unnerving smile that revealed too many teeth.
It wasn't attached to a normal human body.
Instead, it was connected to an enormous caterpillar-like creature wrapped around the hospital building.
Its skin was pale like wax.
Its countless legs—shaped disturbingly like human arms—gripped the hospital walls as if climbing was effortless.
Despite the huge creature clinging to the building, no one outside reacted.
People walked past on the street. Cars passed by. Nurses and patients moved in the hallway.
No one saw it.
Except the ones inside this room.
Alex felt a chill crawl down his spine.
'…What is that monster, System?'
[A cursed spirit type tamed beast. It seems to belong to the one named Quinn.]
'Wow… that's a tamed beast?'
Alex stared at the grotesque creature with disbelief.
'It's uglier than Grandpa Max's girlfriend.'
Mu Qinglan's lips twitched slightly, almost releasing a laugh.
Alex ignored her reaction.
He moved slowly to the side.
The creature's gaze followed him.
Alex ignored her.
He was looking at the monster.
'Is it me, or is that monster looking right at me?'
Alex moved around to check his theory.
The monster's gaze followed him.
He waved his hand.
The monster smiled wider.
Its countless arm-like legs tapped rhythmically against the building, as if it was happy to be greeted.
[Seems like it can see you, host.]
'No shit, Sherlock.'