A Lifetime of Lao

Earlier, because he couldn't be disturbed, he had put his phone on silent. Now, when he opened it, dozens of missed calls all popped up, chiming nonstop.

Wuling took a closer look and saw that almost all of them were from Calcharo and Lingyang. Judging by the calls coming in almost every two minutes, he could roughly tell how desperate they had been.

"I'm screwed, I'm screwed, I'm screwed, I'm screwed."

Wuling didn't dare waste a second. He hurried toward the dorm, afraid that if he was any later, the two of them would be roasted.

Running at full speed, Wuling reached the dorm door about ten minutes later. Without hesitation, he yanked it open.

"Lao Ka! Snow Leopard! You..."

Wuling hadn't finished speaking when he saw the scene inside. His voice cut off abruptly.

Inside the dorm, Calcharo and Lingyang weren't panting with their tongues out from the heat as he had imagined. Instead, he was greeted by two naked men wearing nothing but underwear, each holding a small electric fan.

The air fell silent for three seconds.

Wuling froze in the doorway, his mouth half open. The urgent "Are you two all right?" caught in his throat, leaving him unable to move forward or back. It was painfully awkward.

He looked down at his palms, slightly hot from running, then looked up at his two carefree roommates. For a moment, he didn't know whether to go in or retreat.

"Oh, look who finally came back. Busy man, aren't you?"

Calcharo was the first to break the silence. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Wuling standing dazed in the doorway, the little fan in his hand whirring away.

"We called you so many times and you didn't pick up. We thought you'd eloped with the remote, set up a home somewhere else, and decided not to come back to our sweltering little home."

Wuling stepped into the dorm and turned on the air conditioner. A helpless look crossed his face. "Sorry, my phone was on silent. I didn't see the calls."

He pulled out his phone and showed them the screen. The densely packed missed calls and pop-up messages were still refreshing. The barrage of calls, one every two minutes, was enough to imagine how frantic the two had been when they couldn't find the remote or reach him.

"You knew your phone was on silent and still dared to take the AC remote with you?" Lingyang turned his head, a hint of resentment in his eyes. His voice was unhurried. "We called from two thirty, the hottest part of the day, until after three. A whole hour, and every call vanished into the void. We almost went to the campus radio station to put out a missing person announcement."

Calcharo immediately chimed in, launching into a furious complaint. "A missing person announcement? Snow Leopard and I already agreed that if we still couldn't reach you, we'd post on the campus forum. I even came up with the title: 'Shocking! Star Torch Academy freshman goes out for a part-time job and steals his dorm's AC remote, leaving his roommates to live or die!'"

He grew more exaggerated as he spoke, his tone pure drama, with a built-in snark buff.

Wuling didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out and gently set the remote on the table.

"It was an honest mistake. I was in such a rush to leave that I wasn't paying attention."

"A mistake?" Calcharo raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly, clicking his tongue twice as he stared at the remote. "That was one deadly mistake. You carried off the whole dorm's only lifeline to cooling, and the two of us almost evaporated on the spot."

"We thought we'd just have to tough it out until you came back. Good thing we'd prepared in advance."

Calcharo proudly waved the little fan in his hand. Its motor buzzed, and though the air it blew was warm, it was better than nothing.

"A portable fan, an essential for the start of school. The ultimate emergency tool for power outages and lost AC remotes. Ever heard of preparing for a rainy day?"

Lingyang added mildly, "We stocked up on them for military training. I didn't think we'd need them, but they really came in handy today."

Wuling glanced at the equipment in their hands and immediately understood.

No wonder the intervals between their calls had grown longer toward the end. He had thought the two were about to die of heat, but they had a backup plan.

"Well, that's a shame. I should've come back later."

"Huh? Say that again?"

Calcharo wondered if there was something wrong with his ears. After an hour of suffering and a barrage of dozens of calls from him and Snow Leopard, this guy thought there was "no need to save them early"?

"So you're disappointed we didn't collapse from the heat?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Wuling walked in unabashedly and adjusted the air conditioner's temperature. Cool air spread steadily through the room, dispersing the lingering heat.

"Is that something a poet would say? You part-time poet!"

"All right, all right, come over here first. I have something to tell you."

Wuling sat down in his own seat and beckoned Calcharo and Lingyang over. Though the two were still puzzled, they came over.

"Come on, Snow Leopard, why are you standing so far away? A little closer."

Seeing Wuling gesture for him to come closer again, Lingyang hesitated for a moment before inching forward.

Wuling didn't know whether to laugh or cry at how cautious he was, but he couldn't say much. After all, he knew what had caused it, so he didn't press him.

Then Wuling gradually told them that after tomorrow, he would be going to his part-time job and most likely wouldn't come back in the afternoons.

Calcharo's eyes immediately widened when he heard that, and the little fan in his hand whirred through a turn.

"Wait, after tomorrow, you basically won't be in the dorm in the afternoons? Does your part-time job run until dusk?"

Lingyang raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression growing more serious. Unlike Calcharo, he didn't start with a joke.

"Is the workplace far away? Will the trip there and back take a lot of time? The academy has an evening curfew, so don't end up unable to get back in time."

"It's not too far. My classroom building is pretty close to the school gate too, so the round trip won't even take half an hour."

Wuling explained calmly, "The time I finish work is fairly fixed. Normally, it won't conflict with the curfew. It's just that after afternoon classes end, I'll have to leave right away and won't be able to come back to the dorm."

"Well, damn. So from now on, it'll just be me and Snow Leopard holding down the fort in the afternoons?"

Calcharo clicked his tongue twice, set the little fan on the table, and ran a hand through his hair.

"That's a shame. We won't be able to play games together as often. Just don't take the AC remote out again next time."

Hearing Calcharo's teasing tone, Wuling looked a little embarrassed.

"By the way, do you know a student named Kusaba Chisaki? I think she's a freshman this year too."

"Kusaba Chisaki?"

Calcharo quickly searched his memory for the name, but it didn't ring a bell.

"No, I don't know her. Doesn't ring a bell."

Lingyang also shook his head, indicating that he didn't know her either.

"I see."

Wuling thought about it briefly, then put it aside. He would probably meet her tomorrow afternoon anyway, and then he'd find out.

"By the way, want to play a couple of games now? After all, we really won't have much time later."

"Yes, absolutely. I just learned a cool move recently. I'll give you a proper demonstration."

The three exchanged a knowing look, returned to their respective beds, and opened a game.

"I sent you the room number. Hurry up and join."

"Okay!" ×2

Before long, Wuling saw the notifications.

Cheese Snow Leopard has joined the room.

Strongest Person in Solaris has joined the room.

With the two notifications, two figures, one black and one white, appeared in the room.

"Which one are we fighting?"

"Arkveld, obviously. It's time I showed you my true strength."

"You're not going to use the great sword again, are you?"

"What's wrong with that? The great sword is a man's romance. One hit for 999, you get it or not?"

"Can you shut up, Qu?"

"Maka."

"All right, stop arguing. We're here."

Both of them stopped arguing at the same time and looked at the enormous white figure on the screen.

Calcharo controlled his great-sword-wielding hunter, lowering his stance and charging forward under cover of the terrain, all while shouting.

"Watch this! I'll seize the initiative with this ambush, and once I stagger it, I'll go straight into a True Charged Slash. It'll be the coolest thing you've ever seen!"

Lingyang steadily pushed the controller stick, guiding his dual-blade hunter lightly around to the side, blades crossed as he prepared Demon Mode.

"Don't charge straight in. Arkveld loves to open with a chain sweep, and the great sword has poor mobility. One whip can easily send you flying."

"Shut up, Snow Leopard."

Before Calcharo had finished speaking, his character had already charged to Arkveld's side. The great sword swung across, and a rising slash struck hard against a wound on the dragon's flank.

Just as the attack began, Arkveld abruptly turned sideways. Its chain forelimb whipped out, sweeping across with a rush of wind.

"Crap!"

Calcharo hastily pulled the stick to roll away. The great sword's recovery animation locked him in place, and he couldn't completely evade the attack. The chain grazed his body with a vicious sweep, and a chunk of his health bar vanished.

"Come on, why is this dragon so ridiculously alert?"

"I warned you."

Lingyang seized the opening after the giant beast's attack. His dual-blade hunter spun forward and smoothly entered Demon Mode, a flurry of slashes chipping away at its health and continually keeping Arkveld from turning.

Wielding a long sword, Wuling held a suitable distance without rushing, calmly watching the giant beast's movements.

"I'll watch for the weak point on its head. When it gets heavily staggered, we'll unleash everything together."

Wounded, Arkveld threw its head back and let out a deafening roar. White steam rose from its scales, and its four chain limbs glowed red. Its furnace burst form was about to activate.

"Here it comes! Furnace mode is starting. Focus your damage on the chains!"

Calcharo quickly adjusted his position, braced his great sword, and began charging.

"This time I definitely won't miss!"

Six minutes later, the three stared at the red words "Quest failed" on the screen and fell into a long silence.

"Lao Ka, I'm begging you. Don't use the great sword next time. Why do you like these lao things so much?"

Wuling put down his controller and gently rubbed the space between his eyebrows, his voice full of resignation.

The replay on the screen clearly showed the moment everything fell apart: during the golden opportunity when Arkveld was down, Calcharo's long-charged True Charged Slash missed completely. The giant beast sprang up and swept out its chains, sending Strongest Person in Solaris flying and giving him his third cart.

"No, this definitely isn't the great sword's fault. I don't believe it. It must be my fault. Right, next time I'll use the hammer. I'll hit for 80 with one swing."

"Get lost!" ×2

"One more round. I refuse to believe it."

"Again?" Wuling raised an eyebrow. "If we wipe again, I'll be almost out of potions."

"Let's finish this one! Last round!"

Calcharo refused to give up and quickly reopened the quest room.

"I swear, I'll play it safe this round. I won't blindly charge a True Charged Slash. I'll wait for the right opening before I strike. If we wipe again, dinner's on me tonight!"

Half an hour later

"Thank you, young master Ka, for the three big chicken drumsticks. Thank you, young master Ka."

"Thank you, young master Ka, for the sweet and sour ribs and kung pao chicken. Let's give young master Ka a round of applause!"

At a cafeteria table, Wuling and Lingyang leisurely picked food from their trays, both looking at Calcharo, who sat opposite them with a long face.

"My money..."