Hu Manduo

When Zhou Yi finally stopped, the once-intact mech had become a huge pile of parts before him.

From the tiniest connection points onward, Zhou Yi had dismantled every part that could be taken apart.

During the process, Zhou Yi had figured out most of the questions he had not understood before. Seeking truth through practice—the old saying of their ancestors was indeed correct.

As for how to reassemble the parts before him, that was tomorrow's problem.

Zhou Yi shook out his arms, stretched lazily, and slowly rose to his feet.

He had no idea how long he had been sitting there. His entire body had gone stiff and ached terribly.

After properly loosening up, he thought of how classes would officially begin tomorrow and could only reluctantly say goodbye to the pile of parts for now.

Having been completely absorbed, Zhou Yi had long since forgotten the time. Only after checking the Star Brain did he realize it was already late at night.

There was a message from Aunt Lan on the Star Brain.

It's too late, so I've gotten off work. Lock the door yourself at night from now on. I left you a key on my desk, so keep it safe. Good luck.

She had probably seen that he had not come out for a long time and did not want to disturb him, so Aunt Lan had left work on her own.

She had left Zhou Yi a key, making it much more convenient for him to leave whenever he wanted.

Thank you, Aunt Lan.

Zhou Yi was sincerely grateful.

After locking the main door and putting away the key, Zhou Yi returned to the dormitory.

Huadun was unlit late at night, with darkness everywhere. Fortunately, Zhou Yi's enhanced senses gave him night vision; otherwise, he might have tripped and fallen somewhere.

Once back at the dormitory, he changed clothes, took out a tube of Nutrient Solution, and gulped it down.

He had not eaten anything since noon.

After finishing one tube of Nutrient Solution, Zhou Yi looked at his thin arms, thought for a moment, then took out another tube to drink.

He had previously only drunk two tubes of Nutrient Solution a day to save money, which was why he was so thin.

That would not do. He decided to drink four tubes every day from now on. At the very least, he needed to put on another fifteen pounds!

Though Nutrient Solution was liquid, it contained no less energy. A normal adult drank three tubes a day, and drinking four really could help Zhou Yi gain weight.

Although Nutrient Solution came in all sorts of flavors to make it easier to drink, it was still far from tasty. Most people would never drink extra, which was why ordinary low-level Star Blocks had no fat people.

People like Zhou Yi, who actually wanted to gain weight, were truly rare.

The counselor had already sent the class schedules to the group chat. Mech Infantry and Mech Masters took different classes.

There was only one Mech Master class. Because there were too many Mech Infantry students, they had been divided into five classes, each with just over fifty students.

Each class had a different schedule, and Zhou Yi had been assigned to Class Three.

There were four classes a day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. The schedule was quite relaxed.

Zhou Yi set an alarm on the Star Brain, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

Surprisingly, even after drinking two tubes of Nutrient Solution at once, Zhou Yi did not feel very full.

Lying in bed, he quietly wondered, They say sleeping after eating makes you gain weight. That should be true, right?

When he opened his eyes again, it was already bright outside. He checked the time and saw that he had woken up five minutes before his alarm.

After washing up and changing clothes, Zhou Yi headed for the classroom.

On the way, he saw someone he knew: the girl who had greeted him that day.

"Morning, Zhou Yi. Which class are you in?"

"Morning. Class Three."

Zhou Yi remembered the girl's name. It was Lu Xiaoxiao.

"That's great! We're in the same class!"

Lu Xiaoxiao happily linked her arm through Zhou Yi's and pulled him along, as though they had known each other for years.

It was the first time Zhou Yi had met someone so outgoing. His first reaction when she grabbed his arm was to stiffen.

His personality was not introverted; if anything, he was quite polite. But he had very few friends, and the only person who could truly be called one was his childhood friend, Qin An.

However, sensing that Lu Xiaoxiao did not seem to mean him any harm, Zhou Yi let her do as she pleased.

Class Three's classroom was at the very end of the corridor. It was large enough to comfortably hold more than fifty people.

Zhou Yi found a seat in the back row and sat down, while Lu Xiaoxiao found a seat beside him.

They had arrived a little early. The teacher had not come yet, but most of the students had already arrived, excited for their first day of school.

The textbooks had not been handed out yet, and Zhou Yi was a little bored. He propped his chin up with one hand and looked toward the door.

Soon, a somewhat familiar, sturdy figure entered his view.

"Is that him?"

Zhou Yi had seen the chubby boy who came in before. He was the one who had stood in front of him at yesterday's opening ceremony, his back ramrod straight.

Zhou Yi was not surprised that someone with that build had chosen Mech Infantry, but it was quite a coincidence that they had been assigned to the same class.

After entering, the chubby boy looked around, his shoulders slightly hunched.

He had arrived a little late, and only seats in the first row and the last row remained.

After thinking it over, the chubby boy chose the seat at the very edge of the first row. He moved quietly, as if afraid anyone would notice him.

"Hey, don't you have any self-awareness? You're so fat, yet you dare sit in the first row?"

"Whoa, it's like there's a mountain blocking my view. I can't see anything."

The malice of teenagers sometimes came for no reason at all. Just because of someone's build, they could become vicious.

Their voices were not quiet. Even those in the last row could hear them clearly.

"They're so awful. They're already bullying a classmate on the first day."

Lu Xiaoxiao complained indignantly beside Zhou Yi, clearly already treating him as her friend.

"They are pretty awful."

The teacher had not arrived yet, and Zhou Yi looked in that direction.

He was not someone who liked to meddle in other people's business. Besides, he currently had no standing to interfere in a stranger's affairs.

But for some reason, he was curious about this chubby boy.

He felt that the chubby boy possessed a temperament that did not fit in here at all.

As though he was not from a D-Class Star Block.

The laughter behind him grew louder and louder. The chubby boy hunched lower and lower, as if he wished he could bury his head in his chest.

In the end, unable to endure it any longer, he stood up and slunk to the last row.

There were only two seats left in the last row, one beside Lu Xiaoxiao and one beside Zhou Yi.

The chubby boy stood in the middle and began hesitating again. In the end, he walked toward Zhou Yi.

"C-can I sit here?"

His voice was quiet, as though he was afraid Zhou Yi would reject him.

"Of course," Zhou Yi answered.

"Thank you, thank you!"

As though flattered beyond belief, the chubby boy straightened his back a little. He gently pulled out the chair and quietly sat down.

"Hello, I'm Zhou Yi. What's your name?"

"I-I'm Hu Manduo."