Chapter 22 : Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Time flew by, and soon it was the middle of the semester.
There was still no progress in the search for the World Book, but seeing Xie Chang'an's worried frown brought Ji Qing an inexplicable sense of relief. Perhaps the right time just hadn't come yet.
He and Xie Chang'an communicated entirely through their terminals.
Ji Qing had specifically gone out and bought a terminal. After studying the instruction manual and the device for a long time, he realized the terminal in his possession had been specially modified.
Although its exterior looked no different from the common models on the market, its internal components were clearly more sophisticated.
Ji Qing began to understand his past self's intentions.
The person he was before his amnesia must have anticipated what items he would come into contact with. As the universal communication tool in this wasteland world, a terminal was something he would inevitably pick up and study.
But it still didn't tell him how to recover his memories...
Ji Qing sighed at the empty air.
He found it hard to imagine what his situation would be like now if the System hadn't bound itself to him. In completely unknown surroundings, he had even received an inquiry from a terrorist organization...
All signs pointed to utter doom.
The second time he met Xie Chang'an as Li Yuan, Ji Qing gave him this unregistered terminal, saying with a cheerful pretense, "This will make it easier to stay in touch in the future~"
Xie Chang'an frowned subconsciously but still took the offered terminal.
After all, Li Yuan had threatened him during their very first meeting; it would have been difficult for Xie Chang'an to refuse. Ji Qing thought with some amusement, Is this why adults like to tease children?
He was starting to get it.
And so, a new account for Xie Chang'an was added to Ji Qing's hidden communication software.
At the same time, Ji Qing overtly and covertly revealed a few pieces of information to Xie Chang'an:
1. Li Yuan was not often in Yancheng; he had his own business to attend to.
2. Li Yuan was not in a hurry to find the book, but he had his own intelligence channels and could not be fooled.
With these maneuvers, the matter with Xie Chang'an could be set aside for now. Ji Qing returned to his campus life, occasionally seeing Xie Chang'an sighing melancholically around the school.
And then came the ability assessment.
Li Xuehua announced the time for the ability assessment in the class group chat, emphasizing that all students were required to attend. As soon as she said this, Ji Qing immediately felt a sense of anticipation.
He was quite curious to see the abilities of the others.
The day of the test was clear and sunny, and the athletic field was packed with people. Countless students from their year had gathered, many of them slowly walking towards their class' designated meeting spot.
Li Xuehua, dressed in a red and white tracksuit, appeared at the entrance to the field. Upon seeing Ji Qing and the others, she waved her hand as their homeroom teacher.
When they drew near, Li Xuehua smiled. "Are the theory classes very boring?"
"Super boring," Zhou Que complained bluntly. "Teacher, I already know all this stuff by heart. Reviewing it again is pointless."
Li Xuehua wasn't annoyed by his comment. With a smile in her eyes, she teased, "In a few years when the database is updated, you won't have a choice but to review it."
"We'll see when the time comes," Zhou Que said dismissively.
Li Xuehua just smiled at that. She turned to Ji Qing, her tone gentle. "I saw that you and Zhou Que came to class on the first day. Is there a problem with my curriculum planning?"
"It's alright, just a bit too detailed," Ji Qing said with a helpless tone.
Ji Qing noticed that their homeroom teacher seemed to be a stickler for details. But since she could face Zhou Que's critique without any annoyance, she probably wanted honest feedback.
"Is that so?" Li Xuehua made a gesture of understanding.
She gave a wry smile. "But this is quite difficult to balance. The students in the later classes have never been exposed to this material at all. Hmm... before the summer break, let's focus on the differences in Aberrants discovered in recent years."
"Okay~" Zhou Que replied lazily.
This time, no one complained about the class being boring.
"Has the school arranged a location for the winter break yet?" Shao Huayu, who was standing to the side, inquired. He was paying close attention to this matter, as train ticket purchases and subsequent travel plans all depended on it.
"Not yet. But if any of you have a place you'd like to go, you can let me know," Li Xuehua said, winking playfully. "I can help give some feedback on my end."
Zhou Que exclaimed, "I want to go to the North Pole!"
You Xingluo said, "As long as it's not too far from Central City."
Two completely different opinions were voiced one after the other.
You Xingluo shot Zhou Que a mock-annoyed glare, while Zhou Que scratched his head sheepishly. Alright, he knew they couldn't go that far...
Ji Qing couldn't help but smile at the scene.
He then scanned the field but didn't see the remaining two members of Class S.
Song Xiaoran and Ling You'er weren't there.
It seemed they would have to wait a little longer. Ji Qing understood. However, Song Xiaoran had already said in the group chat that he would be there. What was the situation with Ling You'er?
So far, Ji Qing had only seen her on the first day of school. At all other times, he hadn't even heard her name mentioned.
Ling You'er was as unnoticeable as her ability.
Just as Ji Qing was thinking, Song Xiaoran's figure appeared at the end of the asphalt path. Zhou Que was the first to spot him and waved from a distance. Song Xiaoran raised his hand in response.
As he approached, Song Xiaoran smiled faintly. "I'm not the last one, am I?"
The moment he spoke, the Class S students present all looked at him in surprise. The Song Xiaoran they knew before would never have smiled so naturally.
Ji Qing quickly noticed an elf-ear cuff on Song Xiaoran's earlobe.
A verdant green vine coiled around a metal frame that served as its base, assisting Song Xiaoran's reception of external information much like a hearing aid.
His world was no longer just a vast emptiness.
Ji Qing subconsciously looked back at Li Xuehua, only to see her raise her chin proudly. "The school does get things done, you know. We applied for assistance from the four upstream universities, and this solution came from Snow City University~"
"This seems to be an Aberrant..." Shao Huayu noted sharply.
Zhou Que immediately moved closer to Song Xiaoran, his eyes fixed on the green vine on the metal frame. The vine flinched, timidly retracting back into the frame.
"It really is an Aberrant!" Zhou Que exclaimed in surprise.
Song Xiaoran quickly took a few steps back and reached up to comfort the small vine by his ear. The vine softly and delicately touched Song Xiaoran's outstretched finger.
"Has its safety been considered?" Shao Huayu frowned as he looked at Li Xuehua.
Li Xuehua looked back at him helplessly. "There was no better solution. Student Song's degree of mutation is too high. If we don't intervene, it will only worsen."
"Symbiosis with an Aberrant..." Ji Qing murmured to himself.
You Xingluo glanced quietly at Ji Qing but said nothing. His dark eyes were exceptionally calm, yet they couldn't help but reveal a trace of worry.
Li Xuehua began to explain, "The professor at Snow City University said that the Horn Vine is a relatively harmless plant-type Aberrant. Its side effect is that it absorbs the host's mental energy, so it can't be worn for long periods, and it's best not to take it into a Danger Zone."
"It's a new genetically engineered species cultivated in a lab and has never been exposed to the wasteland environment."
Shao Huayu asked seriously, "Which professor? What's their name?"
Li Xuehua became wary. "...Student Shao?"
Sensing his teacher's caution, Shao Huayu blinked innocently. "I don't have any particular intentions. I just want to develop some new connections."
"No can do~" Li Xuehua refused with a smile. "That professor worked hard to create this solution for us. We won't sell them out~"
Shao Huayu feigned hurt. "So... Teacher doesn't see me as one of your own?"
"Ahem~ Don't make things difficult for your teacher~" Li Xuehua continued to smile. "After all, I had heard about Student Shao's exploits even before you enrolled~"
"Sigh..." Shao Huayu sighed lightly and said no more.
It seemed his attempt at networking had failed.
Ji Qing thought to himself: Shao Huayu probably wanted to recruit the professor who proposed the solution for the Shao family, or perhaps he wanted to warn them? Regardless, it would have disturbed the professor's peaceful life.
Suddenly, the terminals of everyone present lit up simultaneously.
Ji Qing instantly guessed that Ling You'er had sent a message in the class group chat.
Ling You'er: [Hello Teacher, hello classmates, and... can we go somewhere with fewer people QAQ...]
Seeing this, Zhou Que let out a disdainful "tsk" and typed a question: [Where are you?]
Ling You'er: [I'm not telling you TAT.]
Li Xuehua: [Crying_laughing.jpg]
After sending the sticker, Li Xuehua clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Since everyone is here, let's head to the gymnasium now."
"Our class will measure mental strength first."
With that, Li Xuehua turned and walked towards the gymnasium, motioning for Ji Qing and the others to follow. Ji Qing found it amusing, thinking, This really feels like the fitness tests from my university days...
The familiar feeling was just old wine in a new bottle.
***
The gymnasium of the Third Ability Academy was located behind the library, quite a distance from the athletic field.
By the time Class S arrived, there were only a few scattered teachers inside. Li Xuehua first greeted her colleagues, then turned to Class S with a smile.
"Let's get this over with quickly today so everyone can go home early."
"Okay~" Zhou Que responded lazily.
Just as Li Xuehua was about to call out Ji Qing's name from the roll, Ji Qing casually raised his hand. "Teacher, can we go in reverse order this time?"
"Hmm?" Li Xuehua paused, her gaze meaningful. "Does Student Ji Qing want to see how the other students fare first?"
"Yes," Ji Qing answered crisply.
Li Xuehua said, "I have no objection. I wonder what the other students think?"
"He can go first during the ability test later," Shao Huayu said elegantly.
"I have no problem," You Xingluo said with a smile.
Song Xiaoran nodded obediently, not minding at all.
"Alright, then where did Ling You'er run off to?" Zhou Que looked around eagerly. His reaction was much bigger than the others', mainly because he couldn't figure out where Ling You'er could possibly be hiding.
Zhou Que quickly typed a question: [@Ling You'er, where are you? Teacher is calling you for the mental strength test.]
Ling You'er: [QAQ]
Ling You'er: [...You bunch of scheming bad boys.]
In the class group chat, Ling You'er replied swiftly. From her tone, Ji Qing figured she was secretly complaining about the sudden idea the Class S boys had jointly agreed upon.
This really isn't my fault... Ji Qing thought with a wry smile.
Compared to their abilities, he was more interested in the others' mental thresholds. After all, Ji Qing couldn't gauge what a normal mental threshold for a Class S student was.
While Zhou Que was messaging furiously in the group, Ji Qing saw a purple volleyball roll out of thin air from a corner of the gymnasium towards where they were gathered.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to the volleyball.
The volleyball retreated a few steps in a human-like manner before reluctantly rolling behind the teacher.
Ling You'er's transparent figure gradually materialized. She was still wearing her oversized school uniform jacket, the volleyball resting at her feet. Her large, pitiful-looking purple eyes gazed timidly at the group.
"Damn, a natural-born assassin," Zhou Que blurted out.
Ji Qing nodded in agreement.
He had originally thought Ling You'er's ability could only be used to possess people, but he hadn't expected it to work on inanimate objects as well. If used properly, it would be almost impossible to defend against.
"Boys, don't stare at a girl like that." Li Xuehua stepped forward with a sense of helplessness, shielding Ling You'er behind her. "Student Ling is already timid. Staring at her will frighten her."
Zhou Que: "Who told her to make such a cool entrance."
Shao Huayu: "It is the first time we've seen it, after all."
Song Xiaoran: "Me too..."
You Xingluo: "What a marvelous ability. I'm starting to feel a little envious."
"I'm just surprised," Ji Qing said, blinking innocently. His tone was suggestive as he added, "It makes me even more curious about the other students' abilities now."
As expected, Ji Qing's words were met with agreement from the others.
Everyone wanted to get the mental strength test over with quickly.
"Alright, alright—" Li Xuehua clapped her hands with a resigned sigh. She walked to the side and motioned for Ling You'er to place her hand on the crystal ball in front of her. "Use your mental energy to perceive the image inside the crystal ball."
"It's just like the tests you took when you were little. Relax~"
Ling You'er placed her hand on the crystal ball and calmly closed her eyes. She was very familiar with this process. Children from noble families were required to train their mental strength as soon as they awakened their abilities.
Mental strength was a derivative of one's ability, and it was the only thing children could train through practice. As for everything else, it had been determined at birth or upon awakening.
[Mental Threshold: 8,701]
"A very impressive mental strength," Li Xuehua praised as she recorded the number with a pen and paper. Even though she knew the mental thresholds of Class S students would not be low, she also knew that very few could ultimately be rated S-rank.
"Next, You Xingluo."
[Mental Threshold: 8,627]
"It's passable. At least I haven't regressed," You Xingluo said, visibly relieved as he looked at the number displayed before him. "This ability of mine makes it impossible for me to train..."
"Next, Zhou Que."
[Mental Threshold: 8,879]
"Still didn't break nine thousand this time..." Zhou Que clicked his tongue, looking displeased.
"When will I ever break nine thousand..."
"Next, Song Xiaoran."
[Mental Threshold: 10,547]
Zhou Que exclaimed, "Wow, so high!"
Shao Huayu said, "This is a bit beyond expectations."
Li Xuehua and the teaching assistant helping with the test both widened their eyes in shock. Li Xuehua quickly had Song Xiaoran retest twice. The new readings were 10,532 and 10,552.
They were not far off from the first value.
Then it wasn't a machine error, but Song Xiaoran's actual level. Li Xuehua sucked in a sharp breath. "It seems I've underestimated you all."
A mental threshold above 10,000 was extremely rare, not to mention Song Xiaoran's S-rank ability strength. This almost guaranteed that Song Xiaoran would become one of humanity's key combat assets in the future.
"Next, Shao Huayu."
[Mental Threshold: 9,211]
Shao Huayu feigned disappointment and muttered to himself, "It's a pity I couldn't give you a new surprise, Teacher, but this is my normal level."
"That's already very impressive, Student Shao," Li Xuehua said in a faint voice. "Also, please don't be modest about your strengths. It puts a lot of pressure on the other students."
"Next, Ji Qing."
Hearing his name, Ji Qing paused for a moment before walking towards the crystal ball. He had now completely grasped the normal standard for a Class S student and just needed to keep his value at an appropriate level.
8,500 to 9,200 was the normal range, above 9,000 was excellent, and above 10,000 was extraordinary. All he needed to do was stabilize his value in the 9,000 to 9,300 range.
Ji Qing quietly closed his eyes.
He couldn't say why he was being so cautious, only that he knew his own value was definitely not normal. An image flickered in his mind, like a burning flame.
Through the blue and white flames, Ji Qing saw a strange scene.
Dilapidated ruins, withered flower bushes, and an ominous red star... it was like a scene he had witnessed in the past. Ji Qing's eyes snapped open, and the crystal ball displayed the data at just the right moment—
[Mental Threshold: 9,203]
"Student Ji Qing is quite impressive as well." Li Xuehua clapped with a smile. "Alright, everyone—there's no time to lose. Let's hurry to the training ground~"
"Okay~" Zhou Que's lazy reply came from behind.
"This whole thing is taking quite a while," Song Xiaoran murmured softly.
As the footsteps of the others faded into the distance, Ji Qing silently stared at his open palm. He felt as if he had seen an important scene...
But now was not the time to delve into it.
Ji Qing turned to leave in silence, but then his steps suddenly halted. "Are you waiting for me?" he asked.
"The Federation's mental strength test can easily make people recall impressive memories from their past," You Xingluo said calmly. "Although I don't know what you saw, it probably wasn't a pleasant feeling..."
So, did he mistake him for being secretly sad?
Ji Qing glanced back at him warily. But he soon gave up on explaining and said coolly, "Let's go."
Halfway there, however, Ji Qing couldn't resist asking, "Did you see a normal scene?"
"It was alright, I guess," You Xingluo replied. "No matter how hard I try, what a prophet can change is ultimately just an insignificant branch in the long river of fate..."
That sounded rather pessimistic.
"It's strange, isn't it?" Ji Qing said as he walked, looking up at the floating clouds. "I feel like Song Xiaoran should have had the most difficult past among us."
"Actually, it's been difficult for everyone," You Xingluo's voice was as light as a sigh.
Ji Qing suddenly asked, "How do you plan to demonstrate your ability?"
"Are you still curious?" You Xingluo glanced back at Ji Qing cautiously.
Ji Qing's tone was frank. "Mainly because you occasionally say things that are very philosophical, which makes me wonder just what information you actually know."
"You're not the first to be curious~" You Xingluo repeated with a smile.
He cleared his throat, his tone serious. "But the truth is, I don't know much. Others think I know a lot because they themselves don't know what the future holds."
"At times like these, as long as I say something ambiguous, they'll fill in the blanks themselves."
"Sounds like a charlatan," Ji Qing commented.
Ji Qing then asked, puzzled, "But since your ability is Prophecy, haven't you ever looked into the fates of your friends out of curiosity?"
"...Mmm," You Xingluo fell silent.
"I have, but the results weren't very good," You Xingluo said, his gaze distant. "To be honest, I don't really want this ability. But since I can't change it, I can only accept it."
That sounded even more pessimistic.
Perhaps the mental strength test was also a factor.
Ji Qing smiled helplessly at this. He was in no position to say anything about it. Prophets were a minority, and only a minority could understand another minority.
During their conversation, the training ground came into view.
The students and teacher of Class A were preparing to leave.
Class A's homeroom teacher was a man, strongly built with a steady expression. He waved at Li Xuehua. "Good afternoon. I just finished up over here."
"That's wonderful," Li Xuehua said with a bright smile.
She casually walked past the Class A teacher and went to the indoor control console of the training ground, cranking all the environmental factors to the highest difficulty.
"Is this the trouble with being Class S?"
The Class A teacher joked, but his words were met only with a cold glance from Li Xuehua. The teacher gave an embarrassed laugh.
He gestured to Class A. "Alright, let's go. Let's give the Class S students some room to work."
Li Xuehua paid no attention to Class A.
A gentle smile returned to her face as she said to Ji Qing, "Student Ji Qing, you're first this time."
"Alright," Ji Qing nodded calmly.
He walked coolly into the training room. There wasn't much inside; it resembled a high-tech shooting range he had seen on television.
Ji Qing felt a sluggishness in the flow of his ability, as if it were being suppressed.
It's a bit like altitude sickness, Ji Qing frowned inwardly.
"Since Student Ji Qing has an attack-type ability, let's start by measuring its destructive power and precision," Li Xuehua's voice came over the broadcast. "A few moving targets will appear shortly. Just destroy all of them."
"Do you need any consumables like bullets?"
"Maybe..." Ji Qing hesitated.
The main reason was that Ji Qing didn't know the limits of his own ability, nor did he know what he needed to do to convince the others.
The title of top freshman came with some pressure.
"Then you can go to the armory over there and pick out a weapon," Li Xuehua's voice was still as gentle as a spring breeze.
"However, Teacher..." Ji Qing raised his hand casually and asked, "Isn't this kind of test a bit too slow? Do we only need to test destructive power and precision?"
"Um... what does Student Ji Qing mean?"
"Let's do it all at once," Ji Qing said with a hint of annoyance. "I want to finish quickly. Just tell me what needs to be tested."
After a brief silence, Li Xuehua chuckled. "It seems Student Ji Qing prefers a more direct approach. In that case, I'll send the list of tests to you. Take a look first."
"Okay," Ji Qing nodded, satisfied.
This wasn't him showing off; it was a calculated move. As the first student to undergo the ability test, all the items were unfamiliar to him.
The best solution was naturally to get the list of test items from the teacher.
Ji Qing stood alone in the training room, looking down at the test items Li Xuehua had transmitted to his terminal. What he didn't know was that the people from Class A had not left.
At that moment, they were standing quietly outside the training room, watching every move inside through a display screen.
—Including Liu Mu, Feng Youyou, and one of the protagonists, Gu Lingxue.