Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

Well... Gu Chengyan took off his baseball cap, letting his long hair fall naturally over his shoulders, and looked up to meet the dean's eyes.

“I am Gu Chengyan, and I live in room 312.” 312 was the room number she lived in before leaving the orphanage.

"My birthday is April 21st, which is also the day I came here..."

Gu Chengyan spoke slowly and deliberately, recounting her experiences at the orphanage and everything that had happened today. Director Xu's expression gradually shifted from surprise to seriousness.

"...When I woke up, my body had become like this."

"And this too." At the end, Gu Chengyan took out his phone, accessed the photo album, and held the screen up to the dean's face. It was a group photo: in a dimly lit room, several children were gathered around a large cake, their cheeks puffed out as they tried to blow out the candles.

Dean Xu brought the teacup to his lips, but neither drank nor spoke; he simply sipped it.

After a long silence, he put down his cup. "I understand."

"So what are you going to do now?" She poured more goji berry tea and a glass of warm water for Gu Chengyan.

"I don't know." Looking at his delicate face reflected in the cup, Gu Chengyan's mind was in turmoil.

“There are spare staff dormitories in the compound. You can come back and stay there for now. I’ll try my best to figure out a way to deal with the issue of your identity.” After all, Gu Chengyan is a girl now, and he really couldn’t feel at ease letting her live in such a remote place.

"If you experience any discomfort, report it to the medical department immediately." Despite the drastic changes, there might be underlying problems even if nothing is outwardly apparent. Furthermore, Gu Chengyan can't even go to the hospital without identification. Thinking of this, Dean Xu sighed silently.

"Okay." Gu Chengyan agreed, and for now, he could only take it one step at a time.

"Also, Xiao Jin will be back soon." Dean Xu changed the subject and brought up another matter.

Qin Jin was also adopted by the Sunshine Welfare Home and shared a dormitory with Gu Chengyan. The two had known each other for nearly ten years, and their relationship was more like family than friends. Qin Jin was a year younger than Gu Chengyan and was studying at a university away from home; summer vacation was just around the corner.

"Help me keep it from him for now. Just say I'm working outside." Gu Chengyan pursed his lips, his tone somewhat conflicted.

Perhaps she can find a way to change back before Qin Jin returns.

P.S. This story is yuri (lesbian) and has no harem. Please be gentle with my elementary school-level writing.

Section 3, Chapter 3: The Visitor

The old man and the young man chatted for a while longer before Gu Chengyan bid farewell to the dean and returned to his small room to pack his things.

The rented room was less than 40 square meters, a one-bedroom apartment with a bathroom and kitchen that was barely the size of a palm. I said I was packing, but I didn't have much: a few clothes, toiletries, and a cheap secondhand phone. Since I didn't have a suitcase, I used old cardboard boxes—anything that could hold my things was fine.

The packing was almost done, and the large cardboard box was only a little over half full. Gu Chengyan weighed it in his hand while lamenting his poverty.

"Knock knock knock..." The knocking on the living room door startled Gu Chengyan slightly. Not many people knew her address; besides her landlord, there were only a few people from the orphanage.

She put down the box in her hand, and cautiously remained silent, quietly peering out through the peephole.

He was a middle-aged man around forty years old, with distinct facial features, black hair and black eyes, wearing glasses, no beard, and a police uniform.

Police? Why are they here now? Gu Chengyan was puzzled. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to open the door and see what was going on.

"Is Mr. Gu Chengyan here?" the man asked as someone opened the door. "He's out. Is there anything I can do for you? I can pass on your message." Gu Chengyan thought to himself, having come specifically to see me, but remained outwardly calm.

"Actually, it's nothing. Someone nearby lost something and we wanted to ask what Mr. Gu was doing last night and if he heard any noise," the policeman explained.

Coincidentally, Gu Chengyan herself also wanted to know what happened last night. "I don't know either. You can leave your phone number first, and I'll have him call you when he gets back." Gu Chengyan didn't completely believe the man's words; her intuition told her that the person in front of her might have some clues.

The police officer didn't reply, but instead sniffed lightly inside the room. The blood-stained sheets hadn't been cleaned up yet, and the faint smell of blood in the air made Gu Chengyan's heart sink.

The man gave her a deep look, and Gu Chengyan felt a moment of dizziness before returning to normal. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and he took out his identification from his pocket.

Song Shiyan, Criminal Investigation Division.

"Please come with me."

After the police confirmed the man's identity, Gu Chengyan was still forced to get into the car and left his small apartment amidst the sound of sirens.

"It's just a trip to the station to give a statement, there's no need to be nervous," Song Shiyan explained.

"I don't believe you for a second. The plainclothes officers have been following us ever since we got in the car. It looks like they're arresting a suspect." Although he was internally complaining, Gu Chengyan still obediently nodded to show his cooperation.

"Are you moving with these?" Song Shiyan pointed to the cardboard boxes Gu Chengyan was holding.

"No, I'm just going to stay there for a few days." "True, it's too remote after all." "It's alright."

Faced with the police officer's indirect questioning, Gu Chengyan's answer was seven parts truth and three parts evasion, giving a general outline. Seeing that she was giving vague answers, Song Shiyan simply stopped asking and just kept a close eye on her.

Not long after, the car came to a smooth stop at its destination.

As soon as they entered, Officer Song raised his hand and gently knocked on the front desk. Immediately, someone came over and led them into a private room.

In the middle of the room, slightly towards the back, was a welded metal table with its four corners smoothly rounded, paired with a matching metal chair. Behind the door hung a large sign that read, "Confess and you will be treated leniently."

A wide mirror hung horizontally on the wall directly in front of the table; Gu Chengyan guessed it was a two-way mirror used for interrogating prisoners. Officer Song didn't go behind the mirror; he simply sat across the judge's table from her.

"Name?" he asked in a low voice, holding a pen and paper.

Gu Chengyan blinked but did not answer.

"The gender should be female, right?" Song Shiyan repeated several times, but he was not discouraged and continued to ask.

Gu Chengyan remained silent on this issue.

"Home address?" "..."

"Where is Gu Chengyan now? What's your relationship to him?" "..."

The man's deep voice echoed in the empty questioning room, a stark contrast to the girl across the table who seemed completely clueless. Gu Chengyan wanted to play along, but she simply couldn't answer these questions.

"One last question," Song Shiyan said, still expressionless. "Did you go to Huaixin Street last night at eight o'clock?" "Yes."

Perhaps it was her imagination, but the police officer in front of her seemed to smile. "Very good, now demonstrate your abilities."

"There's an arts and culture segment during a statement taking?" Gu Chengyan asked, bewildered for a few seconds. Does turning into a girl overnight count? If she hadn't experienced it herself, she would have really thought this police officer had something wrong with his thinking.

Just as some impolite thoughts began to surface, a familiar sense of disorientation followed.

"Thud~" Gu Chengyan lost consciousness and collapsed weakly onto the table. The policeman opposite him had his eyes closed and his brows slightly furrowed.

......

The moon was bright and the stars were few; the clouds hung low, and the leaves under the lamplight shimmered with a golden hue. The bushes on both sides of the street rustled softly. Gu Chengyan pushed his cart to a floor-to-ceiling window and looked inside.

A slightly translucent figure, wearing a blue coat, with short black hair and regular features, ordinary yet absolutely not effeminate. Undoubtedly male, Gu Chengyan muttered to himself, ignoring his motives.

I inserted the key, started the tram, and let my mind wander, enjoying the leisurely time after work. In the old town's alleyways, scattered lights illuminated the houses on either side, and the tram tires crunched over the old paving stones. The evening breeze was slightly cool, and the occasional murmurs of street gossip added a touch of warmth, not quite noisy.

After walking a short distance and turning the corner, the view suddenly opened up before me.

"We're almost there..." Gu Chengyan thought, and at the same time increased the speed of the car.

Under the bright moonlight, a strange transformation was taking place throughout the city. Passersby on the street, like puppets, mechanically repeated the same conversations. Old paving stones collapsed, revealing hollows beneath; streetlights, steps, and even the furnishings inside houses melted away rapidly, like ice and snow. From the outside, the entire city appeared as a solitary island floating in nothingness, collapsing from the outside in.

Gu Chengyan, who was in the center, was completely unaware of this, but he vaguely sensed something unusual.

The road seemed unusually long; a journey that usually took a minute took him almost ten. Looking around, he noticed a thin mist had risen, obscuring the distant scenery. The only striking feature was the mist, bathed in an orange glow by the streetlights.

One, two, three...eight, he counted silently in his mind. When he looked up, the streetlights were still shining brightly, as if he had never moved. Gu Chengyan felt his scalp tingle, his heart race, and his hands gripping the handlebars were sweating profusely. His dwindling sense of security drove him blindly forward.

Then, one by one, the streetlights went out, leaving only the one above his head, swaying precariously in the wind. Darkness enveloped him, and a foul, fishy stench filled the air.

An ominous premonition gripped his heart, and Gu Chengyan did not continue forward, but numbly leaned against the street lamp while holding onto the car.

A hissing sound came from the darkness, like a giant python flicking its tongue before hunting, or like fabric dragging on the ground. The lamplight cast a long shadow of Gu Chengyan, the very end of which stretched into the darkness. At the boundary between the two, the forelimbs of some kind of animal slowly emerged.

Without skin covering it, exposed flesh and blood dripped viscous liquid onto the ground. Gu Chengyan's pupils dilated, and he froze on the spot.

It seemed to have "smelled" something, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly rushed towards him.

Gu Chengyan instinctively raised his hands, trying to mitigate the impact. Under the light, the creature had no bones; it looked more like a writhing mass of flesh. It spread out the moment it touched its target, making a sizzling sound, and Gu Chengyan staggered a few steps before barely regaining his balance.

Intense pain shot through the bio-attachment site, penetrating the skin and rapidly penetrating deeper. In just a few breaths, it had become one with the skin, leaving no gap for separation. Gu Chengyan desperately tried to peel it off but couldn't find a way, only managing to draw bloody scratches on his skin.

He was quickly forced to stop. His arms went numb, then his legs, and he gradually lost control of his entire body. A few drops of murky liquid seeped from the corner of his mouth, a foul stench tinged with salt. It seemed unsatisfied, continuing to linger on his skin.

After an unknown amount of time, a powerful will to survive spurred Gu Chengyan to open his eyes. A flash of blue light streaked across his pupils. In an instant, a violent current coursed through his body, causing him to convulse violently, like a fish pulled from the water. The old-fashioned streetlamp he was leaning against emitted a dazzling light, which vanished like fireworks in an instant.

Everything returned to darkness, the world collapsed, and only consciousness continued to fall.

"Ugh." Gu Chengyan woke up with a start, the lingering feeling of weightlessness making her shudder.

"I'm sorry you had a nightmare." A deep voice came from the side.

“But we need your help, Miss Gu.” With that, he extended his hand to Gu Chengyan.

Section 4, Chapter 4: The Hermit's Game and Dream Guidance

Miss Gu... Song Shiyan's words stirred up a thousand waves in Gu Chengyan's heart.

How could he know about the dream just now? Hypnosis? Thoughts raced through Gu Chengyan's mind.

“I know you have many questions.” Song Shiyan stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes. “I will answer them one by one, but not here.” He walked to the door and grasped the handle.

From the very beginning, Song Shiyan held the initiative, possessing prior research, an official identity, and a strange hypnotic ability. Gu Chengyan had no choice but to follow Song Shiyan.

The two men walked out of the interrogation room and got into a black Volkswagen.

The car interior smelled faintly of tobacco. There were no fancy decorations, only a rusty metal box serving as an ashtray. It sat forlornly at the front, the barely legible "囍" (double happiness) character worn down to just half an opening. Gu Chengyan glanced at it briefly before looking away, taking out her phone to check the time. It was 2:30 PM, while she had entered the interrogation room at 2:10 PM.

“That’s not hypnosis, it’s entering a dream.” Song Shiyan noticed Gu Chengyan’s actions, and his calm tone seemed to have a hint of approval.

"Entering the dream," Gu Chengyan repeated, a vague guess forming in his mind.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Song Shiyan, Director of the Hermit Branch of Lanjiang City, primarily responsible for handling paranormal phenomena in this area." With that, he turned the car key and waited for the engine to warm up.

Supernatural? Gu Chengyan's already shattered worldview was further shaken. "So what exactly was that dream?" Gu Chengyan brushed aside the long hair obscuring his eyes and gently touched his forehead with his palm. The sticky, fleshy sensation hadn't completely faded yet.

"Do you know what 'profiling' is?" Song Shiyan didn't answer directly but asked a question in return. "Criminal profiling?" There was an old TV in the bedroom of the rented room, and Gu Chengyan had watched a lot of crime dramas on it, so he was familiar with the term.

“That’s right, it’s similar to the principles of profiling and deductive reasoning.” As he spoke, Song Shiyan shifted gears. “So, the dream I just had… was a replay of last night?” Gu Chengyan asked tentatively.

"Yes, but not entirely." The car started with a deep rumble.

“The things in your dreams originate from your own perception. I only need to set a general framework. Your subconscious will then search for information on its own, and then analyze and deduce.” Song Shiyan shook his head and continued, his tone quite meaningful.

"The you in my dream is different from the you I see in real life; this is the subconscious mind making a correction to the overall direction."

"As expected, he only just figured out my identity," Gu Chengyan thought. "Of course, this correction isn't comprehensive; many minor errors will be overlooked. Ultimately, it's just a simulation." If it were truly as the dream portrayed, Gu Chengyan should have been discovered by Su Wanxi and the others last night. Song Shiyan gripped the steering wheel, then changed the subject. "However, your reaction tells me you seem to have amnesia."