Zhou Qi gradually regained consciousness and found himself submerged in a strange, viscous liquid. To his horror, he realized his body was nothing more than a shapeless mass—no facial features, no limbs, just a gelatinous form. Panic surged through him. One moment he'd been on top of Huangshan Mountain; the next, he was trapped in this eerie limbo.
Am I dead? Is this the afterlife? he wondered. But ghosts aren't blobs—at least not in any legend I've heard! (That would be a first!) Or am I still alive, somewhere else entirely?
Though initially terrified, Zhou Qi—a lifelong novel addict—soon recalled the last thing he'd heard before blacking out: an old man's urgent voice. That must mean he wasn't dead, just… transported. Focusing, he began to analyze his surroundings.
...
"Darling! I heard you're pregnant—is it true?!" A strikingly handsome man burst through an ancient wooden door, panic etched on his face. He rushed to the bedside of a stunning woman lying there.
The woman started at the sudden intrusion but relaxed instantly upon seeing her husband. "You scared me half to death! I thought it was an intruder. What are you doing here? Weren't you guarding the Gabier Frontier? Don't tell me you deserted your post again!"
"Never! Do you take me for that kind of man?" He sat beside her, pulling her into his arms. "Father told me about the pregnancy. I had to see you—leave again tomorrow."
Snuggling into his chest, she sighed contentedly. "What should we name the baby? Have you thought about it?"
Stroking her hair, he smiled. "I've decided. If it's a boy, we'll call him Zhou Qi. If a girl, Zhou Xue. How's that for a name?"
Her eyes lit up. "Amazing! Since when did you get so creative? I'm impressed..."
Unbeknownst to the couple, their unborn child was already "listening" intently—assuming, of course, he'd developed ears yet.
Zhou Qi was stunned. The conversation had revealed the impossible: he'd been reborn as a fetus in a foreign world, on a war-torn planet no less! Gone was Earth, his orphanage past, even his physical form. But strangely, fear gave way to excitement. On Earth, he'd been an outcast—bullied in orphanages, beaten by rich kids in school, surviving only on government subsidies. Now, he had parents: a doting father (who clearly held high rank in the military, given his ability to "slack off") and a loving mother.
As he processed this, Zhou Qi mentally listed his observations:
1.Genetic Luck: With such stunning parents, he'd likely be a heartthrob—unless he mutated horribly. (Yeah, right—like the author would let that happen.)
2.Family Power: Father's military position suggested privilege. Maybe he could even become a carefree noble, avenging his past bullies in this life.
3.Grandparental Backup: A grandfather existed, probably a soft touch for favors or bailouts.
Too exhausted to brainstorm a fourth point, Zhou Qi "closed his eyes" to rest—again, assuming he had eyes...