"Zhu Liangzhe, male, Han ethnicity, born in 1997, ID number XXX...XXX, aged 21, unmarried, a mechanical engineering graduate from undergraduate military academy, died while rescuing drowning ethnic minority compatriots. Awarded a second-class merit and posthumously honored as a martyr.”

Ah, that's right.

I'm dead.

My last moment in life was seeing a little girl fall into the water. As a soldier serving the people, I didn't think twice and jumped in to save her. The raging and icy water from the just thawed river, I desperately pushed the girl onto a rescue boat that came to help. Suddenly, a wave engulfed me, weighing like a giant rock hitting my face.

Then I lost consciousness and never woke up again.

Zhu Liangzhe's 21-year-old life ended like this. Speaking of it, I have no regrets, nor any sense of happiness or satisfaction. My family has a military pedigree dating back to the Red Army and continued till me. My death would only cause my parents temporary grief, after which they would consider me an exemplary son who brought glory to the family. I also have a sister who can take care of them, so I don't have anything left to cherish.

Oh, and by the way, I'm single.

For me, living didn't have much to look forward to. I was going through the motions of daily training, classes, and exercise in a hazy manner. Perhaps the military academy life was more suitable for someone like me who lacked motivation without a push. I wasn't a standout student at the academy, just an average one who still needed to introduce myself to teachers. When I would have entered the workforce, I probably would have led an ordinary life, not making mistakes but not earning any praise either.

But because of this incident, I received a second-class merit and was posthumously honored as a martyr, which is good enough to make my name etched in history. Yes, a life of mediocrity was not worth it compared to this glorious death. This death is not the start of my life, but rather my moment of glory.

What a perfect end.

Okay, I'm done mulling it over. Shouldn't I be able to move on now? Why does my consciousness still exist up to the posthumous award ceremony? Wasn't it said that I was already dead? Why do I still have consciousness? According to materialism, death should be like a lamp going out with nothing left, so why can I still think?

Or is it that humans really have souls that just can't tell others of their existence, and people can't see souls so they're assumed nonexistent? I don't know. What I am now seems to be just a consciousness without limbs or a body, unable to do anything but think. I have no vision, no hearing, no sense of smell, and can't feel anything around me.

It seems that I can only think. Is this what human death is like? Everything fades away except for the consciousness that keeps on thinking. Can human consciousness exist without the body? Does this consciousness now still belong to Zhu Liangzhe? Zhu Liangzhe is already dead, so does this consciousness still belong to him?

Why am I even engaging in philosophical thoughts?

If I had a mouth, I would like to give a bitter smile, but now I can't do anything. So, in that case, I don't want to struggle anymore. Will my consciousness be completely gone if I stop thinking? Well then, everyone, thank you for listening to my ramblings for so long. I won't bother you anymore. Goodbye, everyone.

"Traui! Traui! Please...Traui...please wake up...Traui...please...don't...don't make your mother worry...please...please wake up...how can your mother live without you...please, wake up..."

Hmm...

Dear lady, can you please give some dignity to a dead person? At least don't cry on top of their corpse, don't you know that your weight on them can cause breathing difficulties? Do you want them to wake up, or just stay asleep forever?

Huh?

Wait?

Why am I breathing? The fresh air with the scent of grass and flowers is flowing in my nostrils, washing through my mouth. My mouth is filled with a strong, metallic taste of blood, which stimulates my brain. I hear the sound of rain falling on the ground and the sobbing of the woman next to me.

Why do I feel warmth in my hand? No, I'm not shocked that my hand is being tightly held by someone else, but why...can I feel all this?I'm already dead, and dead people have no sensations. Just now, I had no sensation either, only consciousness. But now, why can I feel touch again? And so clearly? Wasn't I already dead? Why have I started to feel the rhythm of life again, and hear my own weak heartbeat?

I suddenly coughed violently, spitting out a large mouthful of fresh blood. My congested throat cleared in an instant. The cold, damp air finally entered my lungs and activated all the cells in my body. I slowly opened my eyes, and a few raindrops hit my face. I looked at the gray sky and the dripping rain, confused.

How had I come back to life?

Where was this place?

I was already dead, I was sure I was dead, so what was going on? The fact that I had consciousness after death had already shocked me enough, but this resurrection left me at a complete loss. What on earth was going on? Everything that had just happened had completely washed away my previous views.

"Traui! My child! My child! It's great! It's great! I'm so glad you're alive! Thank the Goddess Kwentinna for her protection... Thank you for blessing my child! Thank you! Thank you!"

Before I could figure it out, I was suddenly pulled up by someone, and then tightly embraced in their arms. My head was thrust into two large warm masses, and the air I had just breathed in instantly disappeared, leaving only a strong scent of flowers... What kind of flower was this? I felt like I had smelled it before... But right now, in this critical moment, I shouldn't think about that... Please, ma'am, let me go first, I'm suffocating!

The woman let go of me, her hands eagerly cupping my face, and a pair of blue eyes appeared in front of me like lightning. A beautiful, almost unreal face appeared in front of me, like a 3D model. But why were her ears pointed? Her slender fingers moved hurriedly across my face, caressing me, and she anxiously asked, "How are you, my child? You must be in so much pain! It's all mom's fault... It's all mom's fault... Mom shouldn't have let you come to fight the earth dragon... It's all mom's fault... It's all mom's fault... My dear child, you're okay... That's great... That's great... Mom will take you home..."

Excuse me, ma'am, who are you? Ah, no, please tell me who I am... I just came back to life, and I'm still a bit confused. I don't know what happened. Why was I here even though I had been swept away? Everything I saw was different from what I had seen before, though not entirely different. But something felt off.

Especially the woman in front of me who claimed to be "mom."

"What's wrong? Don't you recognize mom? It's me, your mom!" She might have noticed my bewildered look, holding my face tightly as she looked into my eyes and shouted, "I'm your mom! My child... I'm your mom! Don't scare mom... Don't scare mom... You're okay. You must be okay!"

"Mom...mom?"

A memory that did not seem to belong to me was suddenly stuffed into my brain, and I naturally blurted out the word "mom" when looking at the face of the woman in front of me. The woman in front of me sobbed once, her trembling mouth curving into a smile filled with relief and beauty. She hugged me tightly in her arms and cried on my shoulder.

I held her blankly, feeling her impressive size and elasticity, as well as her warmth and fragrance. It seemed that my world view needed to be refreshed once again. The plot of the time-travel novel that I had always looked down upon had actually happened to me.

Looking at my mom's pointed ears, I felt that my time-travel experience might not have been ordinary. It seemed I had not traveled to the past or the future but to another world... My mom might not be a human but rather an elf... Wait! My mom is an elf! Does that make me an elf too?!

I suddenly raised my hand and touched my ears. What? They were normal human ears? I'm a human? Wait a minute, ma'am, have you found the wrong person? I'm a human! How could an elf give birth to a human child? Or was my father a human? Was I a mixed-blood?

In an instant, my brain wiped away all those questions and replaced them with a sense of common knowledge that "this is just how things are." Why? What was going on with this consciousness and memory? Was this the memory of the body's previous owner? And had I inherited all this? So, that means, the previous owner of this body must have already died.The woman holding me in front of me really is my mother... and... and...

"My queen! We found you!"

From behind my mother came the sound of galloping horses, a group of people rushed out from the dense forest. After seeing me and my mother, they breathed a sigh of relief. The leader of the team... oh no, I should say an Elf, wearing armor, was quite handsome as a male. Or should I say that all male Elves were such delicate and slender men? He walked in front of us, knelt down on one knee, put his right hand on his chest, and lowered his head, saying, "This place is dangerous, your majesty. Please take the prince on a horse and leave quickly."

This mother... she is the queen of the Elf race! And I am a prince of the Elf race! What a coincidence! I just died and suddenly arrived in another world and became the prince of a group of Elves?! This coincidence is unbelievable!

My mother wiped the corner of her eyes and then tightly grabbed my hand, stood up, and turned her head, saying, "No matter what, we must protect the prince's safety! It doesn't matter what happens to me, I can't watch my child get hurt!"

Then she turned her head back and gently touched my face, smiling and comforting me, saying, "It's okay, it's already fine, my dear son, it's all fine now. Don't be afraid, mommy is here. Don't be afraid, we're going home now, I will never let you come to such a dangerous place again... it's all my fault... it's all my fault..."

I felt the full love of this mother, but unfortunately, I was not the original owner of this body. I looked at her tearful, broken sapphire-like eyes and couldn't help but feel heartache. I nodded and took my first step using this unfamiliar body.

My body feels strangely light. I lowered my head and looked at myself, but I couldn't see any difference between myself and a Human being, probably just thinner than before. Although I had previously just been living day by day, I had managed to exercise and build up some muscle. This thin and weak body is a bit unfamiliar to me.

At the moment, I was only wearing a simple leather armor, and inside the leather armor was an obviously finely crafted shirt. My cloak on my back had been torn and mud-stained, and my pair of leather boots were almost worn out. These were riding boots, which meant that I had also ridden a horse here. At my waist, an empty scabbard trembles, where is my sword?!

Images flashed through my mind like scenes from a movie: the cheers of the people in the city... bustling crowds... surrounded by soldiers... me smiling and waving on horseback... darkness in the forest... a huge shadow trampling the ranks... screams everywhere... being swept away while running away from the sudden appearance of a huge beast, and then, a foot stomping down...

"Huff!"

These memories are terrifyingly real. I quickly touch my abdomen and find that it has collapsed a little. I broke out in a cold sweat. It's lucky that this body hasn't been crushed by the foot, otherwise, there would be no point in crossing over here. It seems that I was supposed to defeat something but ended up being killed...

Moreover, judging from the appearance of that huge beast... a so-called Earth Dragon... something similar to a Triceratops being able to nullify magic spells and weapon slashes. No wonder the mission failed. Its scales were too hard, and according to the memory of this original person, this team had no heavy weapons.

Or is it that the Elf race has no heavy artillery?

I had no such impression in these memories. I should say that my inherited memories are very fragmentary, and the only complete memory I have is of the day before my death. The only person I can remember is my mother.

Two guards walked in front of us and dismounted. I awkwardly took the reins and mounted the horse. My mother clumsily got on her horse, her proud chest that had nourished this body swayed dangerously for a moment. Her dress was not a battle garment, but an ordinary green long skirt, which was now torn and tattered with countless cuts. It seems that my mother had been running around in the forest for a long time trying to find me.

"Let's go, back to the palace. Oh, right, you all change your clothes first."

My mother urged the horse to move forward, took a few steps, then suddenly turned her head and said to the guards below.

The captain of the guards was stunned for a moment but then immediately understood. He called out to the guards below, "Hurry, smear some mud on your clothes, tear them a little, and stain them with blood! Remember, we won this battle! We've successfully hunted! We're triumphant! Triumphant!""Triumph!"

My mother nodded and continued, "Are the things prepared?"

The captain picked up a bag and said, "Everything is ready, Your Majesty."

My mother took the bag, opened it, and inside was a sound like the clashing of metals. I leaned in to take a look and saw shiny scales with a luster like copper, but also carrying the breath of living creatures.

"These are earth dragon's scales, remember son, this time, you are victorious, you are triumphant. When you return, scatter these things to the crowd. It's okay, don't worry about the earth dragon, my child, just stay by my side, please don't run around, your mother won't let you come to such dangerous places anymore."

My mother looked at me with fondness and handed me the bag. I took the bag, the heavy weight felt like a bag of metal, even though it was just biological scales, why were they so heavy?

I looked up and suddenly understood.

In that trampled muddy field, among those broken tree trunks, where I had just woken up.

There were patches of blood mud.

This bag of scales was their lives, the weight combined...

At this moment, the rain stopped, and the sunlight pierced through the clouds, reflecting off the armor's shine. I saw countless desperate faces...