What a Coincidence

Cao Liwen looked up. "Why?"

"I've finished all the books on my desk and in the dorm."

Cao Liwen immediately quizzed him, and some of the questions were especially tricky.

Chu Fei answered smoothly.

A smile appeared on Cao Liwen's face. He studied Chu Fei for a while, then nodded. "From now on, you're allowed to come and go freely here.

"The books on the shelves to the left are commonly used by the teachers. You may only read them here and may not take them away.

"You can take the rest out, but leave a note recording what you took."

Chu Fei was overjoyed. "Thank you, Teacher."

He could freely read the books here now. These were all cultivation resources!

Looking around, he saw bookshelves packed full against all four walls.

The mathematics, physics, and other teachers all worked here.

And being free to come and go also meant he could ask the teachers whenever he had questions.

He would inevitably encounter problems while studying on his own. Even with the Wisdom Tree Seed and Wisdom Dewdrop, they could not replace a teacher's guidance.

Besides, with someone guiding him, the Wisdom Dewdrop accumulated ten times faster than through self-study.

Chu Fei quickly picked out new textbooks. They were clearly marked with labels like First Year, First Semester and Second Year, Second Semester. He mainly chose mathematics and physics textbooks for the second semester of the first year, taking quite a few.

Cao Liwen smiled. "Can you finish them? The books are all here. No one's going to fight you for them."

"I can. Um... I should be more or less done by this weekend. Oh, no, the courses next semester are harder. I'll do my best."

Cao Liwen asked, "Since you've already finished self-studying, does that mean you don't need to attend class anymore?"

No! I need to attend class. You can't cut off my source of income.

Chu Fei said solemnly, "Teacher, self-study can only teach me eighty percent of what's in the textbooks.

"But attending class can teach me the remaining twenty percent and broaden my knowledge beyond that.

"The experience accumulated by teachers over decades can't be replaced by self-study."

Not to mention that first place in every exam came with a reward—one hundred yuan!

Cao Liwen smiled. "All right, then."

Chu Fei left carrying a stack of textbooks. The moment he stepped outside, he ran into Li Honggang and Lu Hong. Chu Fei flashed them a brilliant smile, nodded, and strode away.

Chu Fei smiled at me, so why did that make my scalp tingle?

Seeing Chu Fei's retreating back with the textbooks in his arms, Li Honggang suddenly grew wary. He chased after Chu Fei. "Chu Fei!"

"What is it?" Chu Fei wore a friendly smile.

Take a deep breath, take a deep breath. Countless thoughts flashed through Li Honggang's mind. In the end, he forced out a "smile" and cautiously asked, "Chu Fei, why did you take the books out?"

Chu Fei narrowed his eyes, and his smile became even brighter. "I just applied to the homeroom teacher. From now on, I can freely enter and leave the office to read.

"And these books were approved by the teacher for me to take out. Is there a problem?"

Li Honggang's body instantly stiffened.

After standing there stunned for a long while, he finally stammered, "No... no problem."

Then he stiffly turned around and left with Lu Hong.

Chu Fei rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Li Honggang had been far too nervous. If Chu Fei knew nothing, that would be one thing, but he had overheard their conversation.

As Chu Fei walked toward the classroom, he pondered:

Could the thing they're looking for be hidden inside one of the books?

That made sense. This was just an ordinary office, with nowhere much to hide anything.

The things on the desks were rummaged through every day. If there were anything valuable, Zhao Xiaofeng and the Flying Cloud Battle Team would never get a chance to covet it.

So it should be tucked inside a book. A treasure map? A memory card? Technical documents?

Why had it been hidden in a book in the first place?

Judging from Cao Liwen's attitude, he clearly knew nothing about it. Then where had the Flying Cloud Battle Team gotten the information?

For now, though, the information was limited. It was already remarkable that Chu Fei could think this far.

No matter what, he had stumbled onto the right track. Since the problem was likely in the books, it would be easy enough to deal with. He just had to read through them one by one. That had been his plan anyway.

That morning, Chu Fei listened attentively in class. Yet he still noticed that Li Honggang and Lu Hong beside him were restless.

My guess was right! The thing really is hidden in the books! I may have stumbled into it by accident, but that also means I'll clash directly with the Flying Cloud Battle Team. I need to be careful!

Chu Fei felt both secret delight and vigilance.

Thinking of how many resources the Flying Cloud Battle Team had poured into Li Honggang and Lu Hong made Chu Fei's heart stir.

That thing was definitely not cheap!

Should he take some time at noon to go down the mountain and discuss it with Captain Huang?

Go? Don't go? Go? Don't go...

His thoughts churned, but in the end, Chu Fei decided to make the trip.

Making Huang Gang more vigilant would add another layer of protection for himself.

If it really was something like a treasure map or memory card, it would be useless even if he got it.

After lunch, Chu Fei headed straight to the Dawn Team. Captain Huang was basking in the sun.

After hearing Chu Fei's explanation, Huang Gang narrowed his eyes. "Besides treasure maps, memory cards, and technical documents, it could also be cultivation techniques, meditation methods, and so on.

"You did well. But it's also very dangerous. The Flying Cloud Battle Team may resort to desperate measures and stop at nothing. Be careful when you go back."

Chu Fei nodded.

Huang Gang told Chu Fei to wait, then went out to get something. Before long, he returned with twenty-four paper-cased bullets.

"These are twenty-four shotgun shells. With your current marksmanship, I'm afraid you can't lock onto warriors with extensive combat experience."

Chu Fei thanked him and calmly changed his ammunition.

His pistol currently held twelve rounds, using two six-round magazines that could be switched freely.

Chu Fei loaded six shotgun shells and replaced six ordinary bullets. He fired several test shots, using up six shotgun shells and six ordinary bullets. Satisfied, he holstered the gun and reloaded it.

He dozed for a while at the Dawn Team headquarters, only leaving shortly before class.

But halfway there, Chu Fei suddenly stopped. Something about the atmosphere felt off. Right—there were no birds or insects chirping!

Chu Fei immediately used a drop of Wisdom Dewdrop. Dodging, drawing his gun, and aiming happened in one fluid motion as he barked at a boulder, "Come out!"

The gentle mountain breeze rustled the leaves. Chu Fei pricked up his ears, carefully distinguishing every unnatural sound carried by the wind.

Now that Chu Fei's Potential Index had increased and he had used a Wisdom Dewdrop, his processing power had strengthened. His ears' ability to discern sounds had improved, allowing him to clearly catch a faint unnatural trace.

At the same time, he remained alert to his surroundings—he could not let the enemy creep up behind him like in the movies without noticing.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot!" A voice drifted over as Tang Zhengang stepped out from behind him.

Chu Fei smiled. "Oh, Brother Tang. What a coincidence."

Chu Fei lowered his gun and approached Tang Zhengang.

Tang Zhengang laughed heartily. "No, no, no. I was waiting specifically for you."

Chu Fei nodded. "I see... so what is it?"

As the two drew close, Chu Fei suddenly raised his hand.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out. Tang Zhengang's chest exploded, blood spurting forth like a fountain.

Birds throughout the surrounding forest took flight in alarm.

Tang Zhengang stared at Chu Fei in disbelief. His body fell backward, then rolled down the slope.

Chu Fei looked indifferently at Tang Zhengang and waited quietly.

Before long, the sound of chaotic footsteps rose. Huang Gang was the first to rush over, roaring from afar:

"Who fired that shot?"

"Captain Huang, it was me." Chu Fei remained very calm.

Huang Gang stepped out from behind an obstacle. Once he saw the scene clearly, he pointed at Chu Fei and suddenly began to stammer. "You... killed someone again!"

Chu Fei placed his gun and ammunition on the ground. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing a smile. "Captain Huang, please preserve the evidence."

Huang Gang: ...

I'm not a storage locker.