"Could this be the legendary Automatic Recovery feature?"
Lin Yu mumbled to himself.
Some games had a special feature which gradually allowed the resupply of arrows, ammo, or consumables upon depletion.
It seemed his level up ability had this feature as well. He realized that after the compressed air had been depleted, it began to gradually fill the cylinders by exhausting its EXP points.
Its replenishing speed was not considered slow as it only took ten minutes to completely fill the compressed air cylinders again. All of this only cost him a total of three EXP points.
On a much deeper thought, this felt normal to him. Although his ability had gotten better, it was no different than the ability to manifest objects out of nothing as the self-replenishing compressed air was nothing more than manifested clouds of air in the cylinder.
It was such a shame that it was only limited to self-replenishment and not self-mending. The test run earlier had caused a tiny white scratch mark across his gauntlet which had not mended on its own.
"It's not too bad already. At least I won't have to spend money on an air compressor. It seems like this crappy ability has its own praiseworthy moments."
After making such a discovery, Lin Yu felt a little regret but was relieved at the same time, letting out a soft sigh.
He assumed if he had depleted all the compressed air in the cylinders, it would run out for good. Hence, he had intended to buy an air compressor. While everything could have been bought on Taobao, he was unable to afford it with his current financial state.
However, since he was now able to replenish the compressed air by exhausting a small amount of EXP points, he could save up a huge amount of money. Besides, he could still test out this feature someday soon. If this feature could also replenish resources like bullets or similar objects, then he could actually think about making some firearms.
The inner workings of the Piston Exo Gauntlets were slightly more complicated. Since there was still room for growth for his two previous videos, Lin Yu was not too keen to disassemble his current upgrade. Therefore, he returned to the dorm after familiarizing himself with the controls.
…
"I might not be staying in the dorms now as I will now be attending a day school."
Lin Yu bluntly told his roommates about his plans the moment he returned to his dorm.
He had always been worried about home although he had suppressed his emotions with rational thought. However, after receiving the piston gauntlets, he realized that he could no longer contain his heart as it had long since flown back home.
No matter how well his parents were when they told him about their wellbeing, he could not relax without visiting them. After all, parents would never deliberately lie to their children but he was not spared by their abundant white lies.
We are doing fine, all is fine, just focus on your studies and whatever you are working on… These were the words his parents told him every time he asked about their wellbeing. However, he would never know the hidden truth behind those words.
"Attend a day school? Third Brother, you're planning to travel back and forth from your home to class now?"
Xu Zhaoyang and the other guys were stunned the moment they heard what Lin Yu had said and immediately began advising him.
He would need to leave very early in the morning and return home in the evening. This would not be an issue if it had happened back then, but now his life might be in actual danger due to the recent 'incidents' that occurred during the night.
"I'll feel better if I return to visit them…"
Lin Yu shook his head while cracking a bitter smile.
"When are you leaving?"
The few of them began advising him again but their words seemed to have no effect on him so they relented and stopped saying much. Instead, they seemed slightly envious of him.
Lin Yu was not the only person who was conflicted and wanted to return home. However, since they were all from out of state, they could only return home during the summer or winter break.
"Since it's Friday today, I can go back right now."
The moment Lin Yu was done speaking, he began to pack his things away.
Since the dorm's management never bothered doing any room inspections, there was no need to report or apply for anything so he was able to leave on the spot.
There was technically not much to pack as there was still the possibility of returning to the dorm in the future. Basic necessities and the Charge Blade that would be difficult to bring along with him were left in the room temporarily as he only packed away some clothes in his luggage, leaving with that and the Piston Gauntlets that were already in his backpack.
He did not speak a word throughout his journey, only playing with his phone and taking naps for close to half an hour before the cab arrived at the front gate of his home.
"A cab truly is faster than the bus. I should take the cab to college next time."
As Lin Yu dragged his luggage along while staring at the cab's silhouette driving away, he came to a decision in his mind.
The revenue from a level two gauntlet video alone had gained him more than 1000 yuan and even the views from his previous videos had increased. It seemed to him that he would somewhat gain financial freedom after next month's revenue payout.
Of course, he would only call a cab when he was absolutely forced to do so.
First things first, his parents would never agree to him dropping out of college and it would take him an hour by bus to reach his college. If he was unwilling to call a cab, he would have to leave early and return home late. Not only was the risk higher, but he would also waste a couple of hours on the road.
Clank!
He carried his luggage with him up the elevator. After that, Lin Yu fished out his keys to open the door, revealing a simple two-room, one kitchen, and one washroom apartment.
The interior decorations were not bad as everything he needed was there. However, this apartment was rented. His father was known to be a dictator in his family and when his father was younger, he had seemingly never planned on settling down in the city as his old home was still being repaired.
Unfortunately, the old home was abandoned for a very long time, and his parents had opened a restaurant nearby. They were extremely busy all year and the only time they returned to the old house was during Chinese New Year. It seemed that because most of their savings had been spent on the old house, their plans to buy a house in the city had never come to fruition.
It was currently past 4pm and the restaurant was starting to reach it's peak business hour so not a single person was home. This made it seem a little eerie, but his heart felt calm the moment he entered the house. He returned to his room and immediately collapsed on his bed after tossing his backpack and luggage aside.
He had severe motion sickness and although he was gradually getting used to it, it still overwhelmed him in the 40-minutes car ride. This was perfect as he would be able to rest and dinner should have been ready the moment he woke up.
Being dizzy made sleeping easier for him and he fell asleep in just a few minutes.
Clank!
It was uncertain how much time had passed before the sound of the door unlocking woke him up from his light sleep.
"Dad, mom."
When he got up and walked out of his room, he saw an exhausted couple walking in and calmly called out to them.
Mother Lin had a frail demeanor and was not exactly any sort of beauty. However, amongst any regular folk, she undoubtedly stood out. On the other hand, Father Lin had a square face and seemed slightly strict judging from his appearance. However, he was not as menacing as the mythical depictions from books describing a crude man who was a roughneck with a huge head. He was more similar to the legendary God of Gamblers,
It did not matter what people thought about their similar appearances, Lin Yu had spent most of his childhood watching the God of Gamblers series to the point of actual worship. Besides, Father Lin had a fitting name that matched his personality…
"Yes."
After hearing Lin Yu greet him, Father Lin gave a brief and silent reply to his son.
On the other hand, Mother Lin proceeded to nag at him immediately, "Why didn't you call to inform us beforehand that you were coming home…"
Although she was nagging, Mother Lin never stopped working as she immediately went to the kitchen and began cooking. Despite the fact that Father Lin was the head chef of their restaurant, Mother Lin was the woman in charge of the kitchen when they returned home.
Translator's Note