Chapter 105

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Chapter 105: The Feeling of Home

"Indeed, he comes from one of those places. Hey, I heard this kid is from Hangzhou. It’s not easy to produce such talent here!" Commander Xu dared not let his thoughts wander too far. The top brass had handpicked elite pilots who also carried out combat missions. Such an outstanding pilot would eventually become a star. This level of information wasn’t known to those below.

Having the opportunity to spar with a future ace who had combat experience was invaluable for the 28th Division. Commander Xu even considered packaging this exercise data to sell to other air force divisions in exchange for resources.

After learning that Lin Mo belonged to an extraordinary unit, pilots Zheng Han and Qin Ye avoided sensitive topics and instead found more common ground in discussions about flying techniques and equipment modifications. They chatted happily, getting excited to hear about Lin Mo’s bold upgrades to his aircraft, wishing they could immediately find a mechanic to help them upgrade their own. Such modification experience wasn’t easy to come by; it was something that could be patented for profit. Like DIY enthusiasts, sometimes just making a slight adjustment could lead to unexpected performance differences.

Impatient Zheng Han even began searching for paper and a pen in the transport vehicle, eager to jot down Lin Mo’s modification experiences. Minor improvements were generally allowed as long as they were verified and properly recorded. They could often be fed back to manufacturers, thereby enhancing product quality, with mechanics serving as part of the manufacturer’s R&D force.

After spending some time at Jianqiao, Lin Mo shouldered his luggage and brought several large bags of local delicacies back to his long-cherished little home.

Having remained unoccupied, a thin layer of dust covered the furniture and table. It took Lin Mo an entire evening to clean it up. At the head of his bed, he arranged the photos from when he joined the air force, finally gaining a semblance of a home feeling.

After taking a shower, he settled back into bed for a good night’s sleep.

When morning dawned, the first thing he did was visit a local mobile phone store to purchase a SIM card. He only had his officer’s certificate; thus, he had to use a disguised identity to get a regular ID for the transaction. He topped it up with 100 yuan. His phone wasn’t necessary, as the gold giant dragon on his wrist also contained a communication module. It supported 2G, 3G, and even WiFi. With a flick of his wrist, the Gold Coin transformed into an iPhone 5. Lin Mo pressed the SIM card to the device, and it seamlessly integrated into the black body of the phone.

When he initially arrived in this world, the fusion of two souls left him with most of the original body’s memories lost due to the original existence’s near-death state. All he retained were a few vivid impressions. He didn’t even remember if he had a girlfriend. The only remnant from his predecessor was a phonebook he found while tidying up.

Using the numbers in the phonebook, Lin Mo first dialed one number and waited for a while until the call connected.

“Dad, it’s Lin Mo! I’m in a highly confidential unit, so I can’t say much over the phone. I’ll come by this afternoon and bring you some local specialties,” Lin Mo said. While his tone seemed calm, he felt extremely nervous inside. In this otherworldly life, he had always been an orphan, but in this world, he had a father and mother. Although they were divorced, they were still alive, and Lin Mo was quite content with that.

After Lin Mo spoke the first sentence, his father, Lin Yuanfang, launched into a lengthy monologue, clearly having a million things to say after not hearing from his son for what seemed like six months. This phone call went on for half an hour, but Lin Mo was unable to absorb a word. This was tied to the body he inherited. Lin Mo finally replied mechanically, “Okay, I’ll see you in the afternoon!” and ended the call.

Next, Lin Mo dialed his mother, He Yuejiao. His mother had remarried a wealthy real estate tycoon, living a comfortable life with a house, a car, and a thriving beauty salon specializing in high-end services. Although He Yuejiao had a good relationship with her new husband, she still had no children. She always hoped her son would come to live with her, but Lin Mo had never agreed. It seemed that after his parents’ divorce, he had been living alone.

Lin Mo arranged to meet his mother the following day before hanging up.

Lin Mo’s father, Lin Yuanfang, had also established a new family and even had a daughter. He opened a car dealership, and they were doing well. Lin Mo was unsure how to face his parents in this world. He even searched online for family relationship tips. However, he found it difficult to engage emotionally, like someone who had never known the meaning of mother or father abruptly being expected to call two strangers by such intimate terms. It was a challenging adjustment, though he inherited some memories from this body. His blood connection made it impossible to ignore the natural bond of kinship.

Deep down, Lin Mo longed for a sense of home, even if it was broken. Having something was far better than the emptiness he once wished for.

Had it not been for this, Lin Mo could have lived as freely and unrestrained as he did in the other world.

After tidying up a bit, Lin Mo strolled through the familiar yet strange city, observing the flowers and trees, watching people and the bustling traffic flowing along the roads. He wandered all the way to West Lake, sat on a stone bench by the lake, and gazed at the vast waters, feeling a profound sense of peace settle within him.

He completely lost track of time, forgetting where he was, even forgetting who he was.

Suddenly, a clear bird call shattered the tranquility, pulling Lin Mo’s soul back to reality. The sounds of wind, rustling leaves, chirping birds, voices, car engines, and footsteps suddenly surged into Lin Mo’s consciousness, filling his once-calm heart.

Lin Mo’s body shuddered slightly as his battle energy flowed within him, seemingly brightening his skin, as if a brief moment of mental purification had enhanced his control over his innate battle energy.

Unlike attribute-synchronized Dragon Knights, whose progress was rapid, non-attribute Dragon Knights had no advantages in training; Lin Mo’s battle energy training, combined with his gold giant dragon mount, spoke volumes about his potential. However, his identity as a Dragon Knight didn’t provide any boosts to his battle energy training.

Ding Dong!

“Shanshan! Quick, go open the door! It must be your brother Lin Mo!”

In the kitchen, Lin Yuanfang busied himself cheerfully, having bought a variety of meats and vegetables from the market, eagerly preparing in the kitchen the whole morning. After a quick bite at noon, he resumed his cooking.

His son was coming home, and Lin Yuanfang hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.

“Dad! I’m still busy! You go!” a dissatisfied voice came from a room in the living room. It belonged to Lin Yuanfang’s current wife, Yang Lian, and her daughter, Yang Shanshan.

Lin Yuanfang had married Yang Lian after divorcing his ex-wife, He Yuejiao, four years ago. Yang Lian had a daughter from her previous marriage, and they formed a new family together.

“What are you busy with all day? Chatting online and playing games? What will you do in the future?”

“Of course, I’ll be a rich second generation! Marry a rich and handsome guy, and I’ll never have to worry about food and drink!” Yang Shanshan seemed to have a plan.

Lin Yuanfang felt helpless. This daughter wasn’t his biological child. Even though he treated her like his own, that blood relationship still created a barrier. He hurried to the door, and there stood Lin Mo.

“Dad!” Lin Mo casually said, and in his heart, the shadow of the previous memory became real. Though like his predecessor, he wasn’t very talkative, this simple greeting carried a completely different weight.

“Xiao Mo, you’re here! Hurry in, hurry in! Oh no, no need to bring anything! Just your presence is enough!” At this moment, Lin Yuanfang resembled not a commanding and decisive car dealership manager, but rather a father joyfully welcoming his wandering child home.

Lin Mo took off his shoes and began unpacking the various specialty items he had brought.

Lin Yuanfang and his current wife and daughter lived in a small high-rise apartment with three bedrooms and two living rooms, around 160 to 170 square meters, which was considered a comfortable home in the urban area of Hangzhou. Though it wasn’t during the booming housing market, the apartment was still valued near 5 million yuan. After his divorce from Lin Mo’s biological mother, Lin Yuanfang worked hard and seized good opportunities, earning a decent fortune by representing a foreign luxury car brand.

Compared to Lin Yuanfang’s living arrangements, Lin Mo’s 50-square-meter space was merely a small nest.

“You should’ve come earlier! Come, come, what do you want to drink? Tea or cola? Your sister Shanshan only drinks cola; it’s full of chemicals, and there’s hardly any nutrition,” Lin Yuanfang hurriedly searched for a drink for Lin Mo.

“Just plain water will do!” Lin Mo felt a bit shy, as this was his first time meeting this father. He felt far less composed than he did on missions.

“Plain water?! Are you sure you don’t want something else?!” Lin Yuanfang asked again, not stopping his search. He pulled out chocolates, beef jerky, peanuts, crackers, pistachios, cashews, and plenty of snacks, piling them in front of Lin Mo, fearing his son would get bored. He even turned on the wall-mounted flat-screen TV.

“Just plain water! I’ll get it myself!”

“Alright, alright, plain water it is! Don’t move! Sit still! I’ll handle this!” Lin Yuanfang excitedly filled a pitcher with boiling water for Lin Mo and called towards the interior, “Shanshan! Why don’t you come meet your brother? Go say hello! How rude!"