Electric Light Thread (Part 1)

The long filament was not actually that long, only around seven or eight centimeters, but compared to the dense circuitry, it naturally felt very different.

As the filament was pulled out, the students' attention naturally shifted over. Someone asked, "What is this?"

"Metallic? Seems pretty tough."

"How did it get mixed in there? Was it there from the start?"

Zhai Gong gave no answer to any of these questions. He examined the object while checking the instrument scan results. After a moment, he simply put on a pair of thin-film gloves, pinched the filament off the mechanical hand, weighed it in his palm, and finally said:

"The weight's off. It feels quite heavy."

As he spoke, Zhai Gong prepared to place the filament on the electronic scale to weigh it. The students all crowded closer curiously.

"Wait."

Ronan suddenly spoke. Once everyone's eyes turned to his face, he lowered his head slightly. "Sorry, I'm not having it repaired."

His words instantly stirred up a hornet's nest. Over by the repair bench, the club members erupted in outrage:

"You did this on purpose, didn't you!"

"Damn, you really came here to make trouble? What grade are you in?"

"We've already taken the cover off, and now you pull this? You think the Precision Electronics Interest Club is easy to push around?"

Ronan's expression did not change as he repeated himself. "Sorry, I've decided not to have it repaired."

On one side were boiling emotions; on the other, an unyielding stance. The two sides collided, with every sign of escalating further.

Zhai Gong, however, recovered from his surprise and stepped in to smooth things over. "No repair, then no repair. It's his property, after all. I don't think this student is just here to mess with us... Anyway, he won't be shorting us on the labor fee, right?"

No one played along with Zhai Gong's joking attempt to ease the tension. Ronan, however, was sincerely grateful. He bowed again.

"Thank you, Zhai Gong. Sorry for the trouble today."

Still smiling, Zhai Gong tried to settle the club members down. "All right, I'll restore the device first. It won't take much time. There are a few tricks involved, though, so pay close attention."

Ronan admired the man's composure, but still had to remind him, "Zhai Gong, that filament..."

Zhai Gong immediately understood and chuckled. "To be honest, I really don't know where I'm supposed to put this thing."

He took a thin-film pouch used for packaging tiny Parts from nearby, put the filament inside, and handed it to Ronan.

Ronan had lost count of how many times he had thanked him. He carefully reached out and accepted it. More than a dozen cold stares fell on him. Without question, he had become the most unwelcome person in the Precision Electronics Interest Club.

Ronan paid no attention to that. At this moment, his eyes held only that fine thread.

Ten minutes later, Ronan walked out of the club hall. He held his notebook in one hand and the thin-film pouch in the other, dazedly wondering which one weighed more.

The gradually slanting sunlight fell on him, warm and gentle, like a soft, warm breeze brushing past.

After thinking for a moment, Ronan raised his hand and let the thin-film pouch catch the sunlight. He narrowed his eyes; otherwise, the brilliantly flowing Electric Light Thread might have scorched them.

The Electric Light Thread came from the filament. Or rather:

The filament existed within a bright, blazing strand of electric light.

Yet not a single person around him showed any unusual reaction. Even those who noticed him only did so because of Ronan's inexplicable pose.

Like the Burning Demon Shadow, or the long ribbon of cloud-light winding around Zhang Yingying, this Electric Light Thread existed only on an unfathomable level. Ordinary people could neither see nor hear it, neither know nor perceive it.

Only in Ronan's eyes was it so dazzlingly bright, so fiercely eye-catching!

Ronan lowered his arm, then clenched his fingers around the pouch, nearly crushing it. Yet the tighter he gripped it, the more clearly he could feel the filament's marvelous texture—utterly at odds with its delicate form.

Such a strange object had been hidden inside the Imitation Paper Soft Screen all along, silent and traceless, without the slightest clue to suggest its presence—just like its previous owner.

Something so unbelievable had come from that coward!

Had he made it? Or acquired it through some channel?

Why had he hidden it in the Imitation Paper Soft Screen and mailed it back?

Why had he left no hint at all?

What exactly was that coward planning?

Ronan's mind was in complete chaos. Distracted and dazed, he took a step forward and suddenly felt his knees go weak. He lost his balance and pitched forward.

"Whoa, are you okay?"

Just as he was about to fall, Xue Lei caught up from behind and grabbed hold of him. His face was filled with both concern and confusion. "What's wrong? I called you several times just now, but you didn't answer. Did something happen?"

Only then did Ronan remember that Xue Lei was still waiting to go with him to see their grade advisor.

"What time is it?"

"Four fifty..."

"It's that late already?"

Ronan was startled at first, then remembered that he had spent at least forty minutes at the Repair Center. Of course it was almost time.

Xue Lei had been stubborn enough to wait for him all this time.

"Then let's go."

Ronan slipped the thin-film pouch containing the long filament into the flat space inside his notebook cover and set it aside for now. He needed to calm down and sort out his thoughts.

Xue Lei had been anxiously pacing earlier, but when he saw Ronan's physical condition, his attention naturally shifted. "I'm telling you, Nan Zi, you're far too frail. You don't exercise much, do you? If you trained at our dojo for a few months, you'd definitely see a huge difference."

Ronan flagged down a campus tram and pulled Xue Lei aboard. At the same time, he used his wristband to map out the shortest route to the grade advisor's office, casually replying:

"If I have time."

"Then it's settled!"

"..."

Ronan suddenly understood why Xue Lei and Chen Xiaolin were a couple!

With a well-planned route and a bit of luck, Ronan and Xue Lei arrived at the grade advisor's office almost exactly on time.

There were not that many new students who had enrolled halfway through the school year, and even fewer who still had not joined a club by the end of the month. Still, with a dozen or so people gathered together, the office was packed.

Ronan and Xue Lei were the last to enter. They had intended to hide behind the crowd, but Xue Lei's build was simply too conspicuous among a group of fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds, dragging Ronan into the spotlight as well.

"The last ones in, come to the front."

The grade advisor, Li Mingde, was known as "Old Immortal." Nearly seventy and close to retirement age, he had kept himself in good shape—tall and lean, with the air of an immortal sage. Usually stern and unsmiling, he looked difficult to approach. As it turned out, he truly was difficult to Deal with.

A slight stir ran through the crowd as Ronan and Xue Lei helplessly became targets, shuffling to the front row.

Li Mingde's stern gaze swept across Ronan and Xue Lei's faces before moving on to the others. The tactic of making an example out of them proved effective. The students, who had been somewhat lax before, all stiffened and put on obedient expressions.

Because Zhi Xing Institute used a class rotation system, students in seventh grade and above had no homeroom teachers. Instead, each grade had dedicated advisors responsible for students' daily lives, psychological development, and so on. It sounded rather modern, but in actual practice, quite a few advisors still performed the duties of disciplinary deans, focusing on discipline, evaluations, and the like.

Li Mingde was a typical example. As if conducting a class, he first called roll to confirm that everyone was present, then began with a lecture. "You all know why you've been called here, right?"

Everyone remained silent. No one spoke.