The excitement did not last long.
Less than ten minutes after J.A.R.V.I.S. finished initializing, Lu Xingye felt something was wrong.
His stomach twisted violently.
Hunger struck like a hammer, raw and savage, far worse than skipping meals during exam week. It was as if every cell in his body was screaming for energy. His hands trembled, his vision darkened at the edges, and cold sweat soaked his back.
Lu Xingye gritted his teeth and staggered to the kitchenette.
Instant noodles. Bread. A bottle of milk.
He didn't bother heating anything. He tore open the packages with shaking fingers and stuffed the food into his mouth, chewing mechanically, swallowing without tasting. Only after finishing everything did the dizziness slowly fade.
He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
"So that's the price…"
Taking something out of another world wasn't free.
After calming down, Lu Xingye returned to the desk. J.A.R.V.I.S.'s holographic interface floated quietly in the air, waiting.
That was when he noticed it.
On the back of his left hand, just below the knuckles, something felt… wrong.
There was a faint warmth, like embers buried under the skin.
Lu Xingye raised his hand under the desk lamp.
A circular tattoo had appeared.
Perfectly round. Smooth-edged. About the size of a coin.
It was jet black.
Not inked.
Not burned.
As if it had always been there.
His pupils contracted.
"I didn't have this yesterday."
He rubbed it hard.
Nothing changed.
The tattoo didn't hurt, but the warmth pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat.
Instinctively, Lu Xingye understood—this was not decoration.
This was the source.
When he focused his attention on it, a strange sensation surged into his mind. It wasn't a voice or a vision, but a clear awareness, as natural as knowing how to breathe.
The circle was full.
That was why he had been able to reach into the movie world.
Lu Xingye's breathing slowed.
He stared at the tattoo, recalling the moment he pulled out J.A.R.V.I.S.
The hunger.
The exhaustion.
The sudden weakness.
He looked again.
The edge of the tattoo was no longer perfectly black.
A faint dull gray had appeared along the outer ring.
Only a little.
But it was unmistakable.
"So… it gets consumed."
As if to confirm his thought, Lu Xingye extended his left hand toward the still-playing Iron Man movie again.
Nothing happened.
No blue light.
No dimensional distortion.
The screen remained a screen.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
The power was sealed.
Lu Xingye slowly exhaled.
Only when the tattoo was completely black could the superpower activate.
Once used, it faded.
When it turned gray, the ability disappeared.
This was the rule.
A cold clarity settled into his mind.
This power wasn't infinite.
It wasn't forgiving.
It demanded restraint.
He sat back down, massaging his temples. For the first time since the miracle occurred, he forced himself to think rationally.
"Food replenishes it," he muttered.
The extreme hunger had eased only after he ate.
Energy.
Calories.
Fuel.
If this continued, ordinary meals wouldn't be enough in the future.
He glanced at the tattoo again.
The warmth had weakened, the pulse barely noticeable now.
"So this thing is like a battery…"
A biological one.
He lifted his head and looked at the mainframe.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.," he said.
"Yes, sir."
"Analyze my physical condition."
"Processing."
A soft glow passed over Lu Xingye.
"Conclusion: severe short-term energy depletion. Muscle fatigue, elevated metabolic rate, and abnormal caloric consumption detected."
"Recommendation: immediate rest and increased nutritional intake."
Lu Xingye smiled faintly.
"Can you explain why?"
There was a brief pause.
"I lack sufficient data," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. "However, the energy consumption exceeds known human physiological limits. It suggests involvement of an unknown external factor."
Lu Xingye looked at the tattoo again.
Unknown to science.
But very clear to him.
He clenched his left fist.
The circle did not react.
No glow. No power.
Only silence.
"Good," he whispered.
If the power had no limits, it would destroy him faster than the world.
Rules meant survival.
Control meant the future.
Lu Xingye leaned back in the chair, eyes half-closed, and let out a long breath.
Outside, the city lights of Shanghai glittered endlessly.
Inside a tiny apartment, something far more dangerous than wealth had been born.
A power that could rewrite reality—
as long as its owner could pay the price.
And on the back of Lu Xingye's left hand, the gray ring waited patiently to turn black again.