Artificial Rain

The door was pushed open. The blond-haired boy and his two friends walked in laughing and chatting. When they saw Su Ming, they immediately came over, draped their arms around his neck, and said ingratiatingly,

"Brother, I heard there's an outdoor fashion show on Blue Valley Street today. There'll be lots of gorgeous girls with amazing figures. How about we take you there to feast your eyes and relax a little?"

Although this was a boarding school, the rules were actually not that strict, so they could still sneak out.

"No, thanks. I'm going to the library."

Su Ming tactfully rejected the blond-haired trio's suggestion. He was extremely pressed for time and had to make every second count as he caught up on his studies.

"The library?"

The three boys stared at Su Ming in bewilderment.

In their memories, Su Ming had always been quite hardworking, but not so hardworking that he would spend time in the library, right?

"Yeah. See you later!"

Su Ming did not bother explaining further and hurried out of the dormitory.

A dozen minutes later, Su Ming appeared at the library entrance.

He raised his head and stared at the bucket-shaped building, sinking into thought.

Mient Junior Academy, where he studied, ranked third in the Thirteenth District. It was an academy that countless people would do anything to get into.

Its teaching quality was not merely excellent; most importantly, its hardware and facilities were outstanding as well. For example, the school could provide numerous mecha training pods, allowing an entire class of students to train for extended periods at the same time.

At other, less capable schools, as well as schools on the other backward planets of the Old Federation, there might be only one training pod, forcing the entire class to take turns studying.

Their school also had a truly massive library, with a relatively complete collection of all kinds of materials.

That was why Su Ming had been so eager to return to school. Only by coming back could he catch up on his studies as efficiently as possible.

Su Ming strode into the library. Soon, a spacious and brightly lit hall came into view. Sunlight streamed through the rows of stained-glass windows and shone across the polished marble floor.

Along the edges of the bucket-shaped building, row upon row of bookshelves stood against the walls, reaching a full seven meters high. They were filled with a dazzling assortment of books.

Beside every bookshelf was a miniature automatic levitation device. One could stand on it and easily reach the books on the upper shelves.

At the center of the hall, an elegant spiral staircase wound upward, leading directly to the second-floor reading area. Even the handrail was made of bronze-colored metal, exuding the charm of age.

Students studying could be found all over the enormous library, but it was extremely quiet.

Even so, Su Ming's arrival still attracted the attention of many students.

Their gazes landed on Su Ming one after another, and several students huddled together and whispered,

"Isn't that Su Ming, the guy who tried to hang himself? What's he doing in the library?"

"He probably hasn't given up yet. He must be trying to run into Lin Chuyu here."

"He's already become a laughingstock, yet he still won't give up. I really don't know what to say. He has no self-awareness at all."

Su Ming ignored the strange looks and whispered discussions around him. He walked to the borrowing area and quickly scanned the dazzling books on the shelves.

Every now and then, he reached out and pulled out a book he needed.

A moment later, Su Ming was holding five books. He climbed the stairs to the second-floor reading area.

He found a seat by the window and sat down, then opened the first book he had borrowed: Chronicles of the Old Federation's Modern Era.

The book was at least twenty centimeters thick, and the print was tiny, but its contents were exceptionally comprehensive.

Although history questions made up only a small portion of the basic points on the City Exam, they were still important.

Su Ming took a deep breath and began reading seriously. He flipped through the pages at astonishing speed, spending less than ten seconds on almost every page.

Some students in the distance noticed how quickly Su Ming was turning the pages and wore disdainful expressions.

"He's turning the pages way too fast. He's just skimming."

"That guy didn't come here to study at all. He's just showing off his presence."

"Forget about him. Let's hurry up and study. We're finished if we bomb the City Exam."

"True."

Time trickled by. Su Ming remained intensely focused, continuously reading through the chronicle of the Old Federation.

Although the contents of the Old Federation's modern history were extremely dull to some people, they seemed particularly interesting to Su Ming.

Su Ming was immersed in his own world, ignoring everything around him.

At dusk, the glow of the setting sun gradually faded, and the sky slowly darkened.

At that moment, a pleasant broadcast suddenly rang throughout the entire Thirteenth District.

"Dear citizens, it is now 6:00 p.m. on May 7, 4618 of the Old Era. The Thirteenth District will soon welcome its annual Rain Festival. District Administrator Zhou Jinglan has officially authorized the activation of the Rainy Season System. The Thirteenth District will receive sixty minutes of artificial rain. We wish all citizens a pleasant time enjoying this wonderful festival."

As the broadcast ended, gusts of breeze swept outside, and fine raindrops fell from the gloomy sky.

Soft pattering sounds came from the ground and the rooftops.

Many citizens and students came outdoors one after another, embracing the gentle rain.

Although the entire Thirteenth District had a complete rainwater collection and water-resource recycling system, activating artificial rain still caused a considerable loss of water resources.

The most direct reason was that many residents of the lower districts would take out all kinds of containers to collect rainwater, saving themselves a substantial sum of money.

Therefore, artificial rain was activated only during the annual Rain Festival, and its duration was not fixed either. It was determined primarily by the Thirteenth District's water reserves.

This showed just how scarce and precious water resources were.

At that moment, Su Ming, who had been absorbed in reading, turned the last page of the chronicle. Feeling somewhat reluctant to stop, he raised his head and instinctively turned toward the window.

Outside, fine raindrops continued to fall, washing the spotless ground. Rows of streetlamps lit up in the rain, while students rushed joyfully into it. Some tilted their heads back and let the cold rain wash over them; some knelt down and reached out to embrace the falling water; and some danced gracefully in the rain.

Su Ming gazed at the rainy scene outside the window, becoming somewhat transfixed. In an instant, the entire world seemed to freeze, turning extraordinarily peaceful.

The raindrops falling before Su Ming's eyes seemed to drift down as slowly as floating feathers.

Su Ming's expression froze, and disbelief appeared in his eyes. At that moment, the rainy scene outside the window seemed to have become fixed in place. No—that was not quite right. More accurately, it had become suspended.

The next second, Su Ming's heart trembled slightly, and everything returned to normal as the rain came pouring down.

Su Ming was dazed for a moment, repeatedly savoring the strange occurrence from just now.

While Su Ming was lost in thought, a figure suddenly leaped up and sat sideways on his desk.

Su Ming raised his head and looked over. A tall male student with a high nose bridge, an arrogant expression, and a hint of gangster swagger came into view. A silver stud pierced one of his ears, and behind him stood a group of underlings with unfriendly looks.

The students studying nearby immediately rose and hurried away in fear, worried that they might get caught in the crossfire.