Return to School

When Shen Qian walked into the Class 109 classroom, it was completely empty, eerily quiet.

He lowered his head and checked his wristband in confusion. That was right—today was Monday, and it was nine in the morning, exactly when the first class should have begun. Where was everyone?

Bang! Bang!

Just then, party poppers suddenly went off at the classroom door. Shen Qian turned around in surprise and saw the students swarm in under Lin Xiaoqian's lead, applauding loudly.

"Warmly celebrating Shen Qian's recovery and return to class!"

Looking at the banner Zhou Xu and Old Wang had pulled out, then at all those sincere faces, Shen Qian could not help laughing, though he was also touched.

"Hey, hey... it's class time. Isn't this a little inappropriate?" Shen Qian hurriedly said when he saw Zhang Liangwei eagerly preparing to lift him up.

Zhang Liangwei looked at his own pale, slender arms, then at Shen Qian, who seemed much sturdier lately. He could only give up regretfully, pushing up his glasses as he said, "Teacher Liu specifically told us to do this. She said it was to help you get over the psychological trauma."

Shen Qian nodded, warmth filling his heart.

When she learned that he was being discharged after only four days, Liu Simin had been just as adamantly opposed as Shen Qian's parents. Only after the doctor repeatedly confirmed Shen Qian's physical condition was he finally freed from the smell of disinfectant yesterday.

Even the attending physician could not explain why Shen Qian's injuries had healed so quickly. But after Shen Qian subtly revealed that he had some connections at the Medical Research Institute, the doctor stopped asking questions.

Some special medicines truly had miraculous effects.

As for the nurses on duty, they could not wait for Shen Qian to leave the hospital.

The reason was simple... Shen Qian could eat far too much.

The special care ward provided freshly made meals for free, and Shen Qian ate like a starving ghost, basically having eight meals a day. Even after everything was switched to the simplest fried rice, he still wore them out.

Liu Simin had originally wanted Shen Qian to rest for a few more days, but he insisted on coming to class. Considering that the college entrance examination was drawing near, Liu Simin ultimately agreed.

When Shen Qian changed his dressing last night, he looked in the mirror. The wound on his back had not fully healed yet, but new flesh had already grown over it. Other than the unbearable itch, it did not affect his normal activities at all.

After messing around with his classmates for a while and promising Lin Xiaoqian and the others that he would get the compound as soon as possible, Class 109 gradually returned to normal order.

Shen Qian sat down, pulled a large bag of buns from his backpack, and casually picked up his World History textbook to read.

The pleasant time spent studying always passed quickly. When the bell rang for the end of class, Shen Qian reluctantly closed his book.

Shen Qian subconsciously touched the peach-pink stone hanging from his chest.

The Obsidian Spirit Stone he had previously worn had long since lost all its luster and become an ordinary gemstone. Shen Qian had already listed it online and sold it for three hundred.

The stone he wore now was called tourmaline. It was also a mutated Spirit Ore and was extremely valuable. Shen Qian did not know exactly how valuable it was; he was afraid that once he found out, he would not be willing to wear it anymore.

After being discharged yesterday, Shen Qian had secretly returned to Hospital 998 and retrieved the spoils he had buried in the back garden.

It had to be said that the Scavengers were indeed pitifully poor. The four of them together had left behind only three items.

A tourmaline stone, a map, and a small bottle filled with an unknown dark green liquid.

Tourmaline had roughly the same effects as an Obsidian Spirit Stone and could nourish Mental Power. Such priceless, hard-to-find items were actually common among Scavengers. Shen Qian guessed it was because Spirit Stone Mines were all located within restricted zones.

The map was hand-drawn. Most of it covered areas outside the restricted zone, with several special locations marked on it. A small portion depicted Jing City's urban area, which looked like it had been added later.

The route the system had taken Shen Qian out of the city was in that section.

Lastly, there was the small bottle, something neither Shen Qian nor the system knew anything about.

Clearly, the system's database did not contain information on this item, so it most likely came from outside the restricted zone as well.

Ever cautious, Shen Qian buried it underground again. If he could not figure out what the liquid inside was, then he would keep it buried...

The tourmaline stone alone already made Shen Qian feel as though he had struck it rich. Everyone liked treasures that could increase their intelligence.

Today had originally been a training day, but having already missed two consecutive weeks, Shen Qian did not plan to go today either. Zhao Hanhai probably would not ask him about it proactively.

Zhao Hanhai had not visited him once since he was hospitalized. In his eyes, Shen Qian, who was utterly ordinary, probably would not affect anything by being absent.

Shen Qian had something else to do today.

To test his current strength and... the limits of his body.

Suppose A was Burst Strength, B was Physical Strength, and C was Bottleneck Strength.

Normally, a person's realm was measured by A, but what it actually reflected was B. The system could mobilize the vast majority of Physical Strength, so when Shen Qian was under the system's control, A was often infinitely close to B.

C, meanwhile, was a person's theoretical limit at their current realm. This value was usually fixed as well.

For example, 149 kg of Burst Strength was the threshold for a Quasi-Martial Artist. Then for the vast majority of ordinary people, C was the Physical Strength B corresponding to 149 kg of Burst Strength A. After Shen Qian opened his apertures, the value of C would rise.

That was what made an Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artist so powerful.

Lost in thought, Shen Qian, carrying a bag, had already arrived at the Physical Testing Hall.

Following the familiar route around to the administrator's office, he pushed open the door. The familiar old man was still sitting in the familiar spot.

"Oh, a rare guest. It's been a long time since you came around, kid."

For once, Grandpa Xu was not reading the "newspaper." Instead, he sat before the computer wearing reading glasses, typing away rapidly.

"Hehe, Grandpa Xu, busy with work?"

Seeing Grandpa Xu working seriously for the first time, Shen Qian curiously leaned over.

"Isn't it because we have to cooperate with the school in submitting materials to the admissions offices of all the major universities? These old eyes of mine get a headache just looking at all this data." Grandpa Xu sighed and pointed at the spreadsheet he was working on.

Shen Qian glanced at it. It was filled with the Physical Testing data of this year's graduating students over the years.

"Why do these universities need the data from our usual tests? Wouldn't the college entrance exam results be enough?" Shen Qian asked curiously.

"What do you know?" Grandpa Xu took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "There are only so many promising students every year. If they don't scout them out in advance, how can they get a head start on recruitment... It's all about getting to them first!"

"So it's like a disguised form of early admission?" Shen Qian suddenly understood.

"You could put it that way. Although all the major universities have early admission mechanisms, there are always people who do not want early admission, as well as some who slip through the cracks. You should know that quite a few geniuses are competing for the title of top scorer!"

"Oh, I understand. Since you're busy, shall I inspect the hall on your behalf?" Shen Qian said with a grin.

"Get lost, get lost!" Grandpa Xu directly threw his work badge at him.

"Right away!"

After thinking for a moment, Shen Qian asked another question. "Grandpa Xu, can the Martial Arts Simulator test the upper limit of Physical Strength?"

"It can. Log in with the work badge and switch the data to detailed mode," Grandpa Xu answered casually.

"Got it!" Shen Qian dashed off like the wind.

Grandpa Xu picked up the gift bag Shen Qian had left on the chair. When he opened it, he could not help freezing.

"Authentic Lake City Longjing Tea... that's a rare treat. When did this kid get so rich?"

Thank you, Big Dou Dou and Lu Yuhuang, for the rewards, and thank you all for the monthly votes and recommendation votes... I think I can take even more. More!