Maybe There Is One

On the way back, Xu Tui realized that the passage An Xiaoxue had mentioned, between the Gene Research Institute and Huaxia Gene Evolution University, was just a small door cut into the wall.

It had an access control system and a surveillance camera.

Xu Tui had already gotten his intern assistant pass, so he swiped his card with a flourish, and the little door swung open.

It took Xu Tui only six minutes to get back to Mysterious Academy.

He still felt a pang of regret over the braised pig's trotters that had disappeared.

"I'll get you settled in first, then I'll comfort you."

Xu Tui patted his belly as he spoke.

The New Student Reception Center had already called to tell Xu Tui to move out as soon as possible. Another batch of freshmen would arrive and check in that evening.

And Xu Tui still had plenty to do today.

He still had to write an incident report for the Discipline Department.

The Discipline Department had told him to submit it by nine o'clock the next morning.

His luggage was easy enough to move.

When a handsome guy like Xu Tui went out, the main thing he had to bring was his face. He didn't need much else.

He had a suitcase and a black travel backpack.

Xu Tui had been assigned a double suite in Room 1604, Building 3, C District—the fourth room on the sixteenth floor.

Building 3 had eighteen floors in total.

The sixteenth floor was a fairly quiet and decent place to stay.

The upper floors had elevators.

The elevator buttons started at the sixth floor, and a large slogan had been pasted beside them.

"If you're a real man, climb to the eighteenth floor and see how many seconds it takes."

Xu Tui stood by the elevator and stared at the slogan, hesitating for a moment.

He was a real man.

But he also wanted to take the elevator.

"There must be plenty of ways to prove I'm a real man, and climbing the stairs isn't the only one."

After a little self-comfort, Xu Tui took the elevator straight to the sixteenth floor and entered Room 1604.

He swiped his key card and went in.

The room felt stuffy, so Xu Tui quickly opened the window to air it out.

He looked around. The double suite was well worth it.

Each person had a separate living space, about fifteen square meters. The bed and wardrobe were combined, but it wasn't one of the bunk beds common in student dorms. It was more like the bed at home, and comfortable.

There was a desk with drawers and a single-seat sofa with a small coffee table.

The bathroom was just to the left of the exit.

It wasn't big, only a few square meters, but the sink, shower, toilet, and laundry areas were clearly separated.

"Worth it!"

Now all that remained was to see what his roommate was like.

As long as the guy wasn't too messy, Xu Tui could put up with a lot.

"Heizi, have you finished registering yet?"

Xu Tui called Cheng Mo first.

"Don't even ask. I'm still in line, but I'm almost done. I just finished my grade assessment. There are too many people in the Limitless System."

"How did your assessment go?"

The moment Cheng Mo heard the question, he grew excited.

"Little Leg, tell me, am I impressive or what? I'd only activated eleven Gene Points when I took the Gene Aptitude Test, but in just five days, I managed to activate three more.

"Fourteen Gene Points. The school rated me High E-grade, and during today's assessment, they found that my bones healed really well because of my injury. They gave me a 'good' rating, which raised me by one minor grade.

"I'm currently Low D-grade."

"Low D-grade. Not bad!"

On the other end of the call, Xu Tui frowned slightly. Low D-grade was decent, but the scholarship still wasn't much.

The Low D-grade benefits didn't include E-grade Energy Supplement Potions.

"Also, the assessor said I couldn't take some of the tests because of my fracture. I'm allowed to retake them in seven days.

"I think I can reach Mid D-grade by then. No problem."

The benefits for Mid D-grade were genuinely good.

He'd get at least one E-grade Energy Supplement Potion a month.

For now, students could still get enough energy to support their physical needs and training just from their diets.

But once they began training systematically, Energy Supplement Potions became crucial.

"By the way, Little Leg, what grade did you get?" Cheng Mo asked excitedly.

"Me—"

"Why are you dragging it out? Just say it. Don't worry, I won't laugh at you."

"I got a Mid C-grade rating."

As soon as he said those words, the other end of the call fell silent. After a long pause, only two words came out.

"Holy shit!"

Xu Tui didn't mention the fact that he was enjoying High C-grade benefits.

"By the way, a Divine Person showed up at the academy today."

"What kind of Divine Person?"

"I heard there's a King of Pretenders who took down almost half the new students in the Limitless System all by himself. The guy's really arrogant!"

Xu Tui: "..."

"Remember, don't mention my name to your classmates. And definitely don't tell them we're close friends," Xu Tui warned him.

"Why?"

"You'll understand later."

"Damn, what are you even talking about? Forget it, I'm going to pay my tuition."

After that, Xu Tui sent Chai Xiao a message, thanking Brother Chai for helping him that day. He also gave him his dorm room number and invited him to drop by whenever he had time.

Then Xu Tui raced downstairs and bought some everyday necessities at the convenience store on campus.

Slippers, a foot basin, a laundry basin, towels, hand soap, and laundry detergent.

He stopped by the cafeteria and ate as well.

As an act of revenge, he got himself two more servings of braised pig's trotters.

He hadn't gotten enough at lunch.

By the time he got back to his dorm, it was dark. After tidying up a little, Xu Tui took out paper and a pen to write the incident report for the Discipline Department.

He had already decided how to write it.

Just stick to the facts.

Don't exaggerate anything. Just tell it as it happened.

The rest was up to the Discipline Department.

After all, the first thing the Discipline Department would rely on was the surveillance footage.

The surveillance footage these days was extremely clear.

The cause, the sequence of events, what happened, who was involved, where, and when.

All those years of writing school essays hadn't gone to waste.

But just as he was nearing the end, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

"Is my new roommate here?"

Xu Tui hurried to open the door, but the first thing he saw was a head of three-colored hair fluttering in the breeze.

It was Chai Xiao.

"Hey, Brother Chai, what brings you here?"

"I had something to discuss. Hey, you've even got a sofa. This place is nice."

"I don't have any tea yet. How about a cup of hot water? It was just boiled." Xu Tui poured him a cup.

"Sure."

Chai Xiao dropped into the sofa, but his eyes kept wandering.

"Brother Chai, whatever it is, just say it."

At that, Chai Xiao coughed awkwardly. "Brother, I'll get straight to the point. Don't take it the wrong way."

"Okay, I won't."

"So, the Yuan Family came to my family and asked me to mediate with you. They want to make a big issue small and a small issue nothing."

After he finished, Chai Xiao added, "They contacted my dad and had him pass the message on to me. I couldn't refuse."

"I understand."

Xu Tui nodded. "Brother Chai, does the Yuan Family have connections?"

"They do. Some pretty deep ones. Anyone who lives in Kyoto Prefecture has to show the Yuan Family some respect, more or less. My family is no exception.

"But you don't need to worry. Even if the Yuan Family has connections, they're in government departments under the Gene Committee. They can't reach Huaxia Gene Evolution University.

"This is the highest institution in the country, and that's no joke."

As he spoke, Chai Xiao gave a cold laugh. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone around in circles to approach my dad and ask me to mediate with you."

Xu Tui had already figured that much.

"Brother Chai, have I made an enemy of the Yuan Family?" Xu Tui asked.

"Not exactly. If one clash like this made enemies, the Yuan Family would have enemies all over the place. They wouldn't have lasted this long.

"But you did embarrass the younger generation of the Yuan Family. If they get a chance to make trouble for you in the future, they probably won't let it pass. Just be careful," Chai Xiao said.

"What if I refuse to let this go? How bad could things get?" Xu Tui asked.

"Refuse to let it go?"

Chai Xiao's expression shifted slightly. "If you do, they'll have taken the initiative to act tyrannically in a public setting despite their lower clearance level, provoked someone with a higher clearance level, and violated the freshman management rules. That could cause a lot of trouble.

"At worst, they could be expelled.

"But considering the other circumstances, the school probably wouldn't expel them.

"They'd be placed on academic probation."

"Even academic probation would be bad enough.

"Not only would their grade-based benefits drop by one minor grade, but they'd also lose access to some special equipment.

"It would interfere with their studies.

"Most importantly, it would go on their records.

"That could affect their prospects after graduation."

"Is that why they asked you to speak to me? They'd be placed on academic probation?" Xu Tui asked.

"Brother, take my advice. There's no point in refusing to let this go. You'd only make a few more enemies, and gain nothing else from it.

"Whether that Yuan Shu kid comes after you in the future is up to him.

"But if you get strong enough, what difference does it make whether he tries to cause trouble?"

As he spoke, Chai Xiao handed him a card.

"This is the Yuan Family's offer of good faith: four hundred thousand. It's the same amount that Yuan Shu offered you earlier.

"Now things are the other way around," Chai Xiao said.

Xu Tui didn't take it right away.

"Four hundred thousand, and all I have to do is write the report the way they want?"

"That's right. Basically, it'll say you were just messing around with a classmate, and you won't press charges.

"That way, it'll just be a clash between students, and it won't involve anyone's clearance level," Chai Xiao said.

"Fine!"

Xu Tui took the card. "No problem. Since you're the one who came to ask, Brother Chai, I'll do you this favor."

"Get out of here!"

"You think I'm blind? It's obviously the forty thousand's power!" Chai Xiao retorted irritably.

"Brother Chai, don't you think spending the four hundred thousand on training would be worth it?"

"Of course. That's why I came all this way."

Xu Tui promptly tore up the original report and started writing a new one based on what Chai Xiao had suggested.

At a restaurant outside Huaxia Gene Evolution University, Yuan Shu, Ma Zixu, and two other classmates sat together, all looking gloomy. Even the food in front of them tasted bad.

After all, the school year had barely started, and they might already end up on academic probation. No one could be happy about that.

Suddenly, Yuan Shu's Personal Communication Device chimed. The others quickly looked over.

After reading the message, Yuan Shu let out a long breath. "It's settled. There's absolutely no way we'll be put on academic probation or expelled.

"At worst, we'll get a warning or a serious warning."

At that, the gloomy expressions on the four men's faces finally faded, and they all relaxed.

They urged one another to eat and drink, enjoying themselves.

After downing a few bottles of beer, Ma Zixu, his face dark, suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice. "Brother Yuan, are we really just going to let this go?"

Ma Zixu had the worst injuries to his laryngeal cartilage: a fracture, swelling, and bruising. His voice was hoarse and grating.

Yuan Shu glanced at Ma Zixu. "My family said this matter ends here. If I want to get even someday, I'll have to rely on my own strength."

"He's from Mysterious Academy, and he's in the Wisdom Heart System. We're from the Limitless System. The chances of running into him again are tiny," Ma Zixu said regretfully.

"For now, we have no choice but to leave it at that." Yuan Shu sighed and gulped down a beer, clearly frustrated.

"Brother Yuan, I have an idea," Ma Zixu said suddenly in a low voice.

"My family said no."

"We won't lay a finger on him or provoke him. All we have to do is lift a finger to edit and repost some trending content. It should work.

"If this works, that kid might end up with endless trouble," Black-faced Ma Zixu said darkly.

"Pull a few strings? What do you mean?" Yuan Shu asked with interest.

"Brother Yuan, look at this trending post—it says a first-year student has appeared who beat up nearly half the first-years in the Limitless System." Ma Zixu brought up the post from his social feed.

"I saw it too. It's really getting on my nerves," Yuan Shu said irritably.

The more popular the post got, the more it embarrassed them.

"Brother Yuan, don't get mad yet. Just watch while I change a few words when I repost it."

Black-faced Ma Zixu made a few quick edits. When Yuan Shu looked again, the post's headline had changed.

"A first-year student has appeared who beat up most of the first-years in the Limitless System."

"Brother Yuan, I can change it even more: 'A first-year student has appeared who beat up most of the Limitless System!'"

"Or like this: 'A first-year student has appeared who's crushing the first-years in the Limitless System!'"

"And finally, it could say: 'A first-year student has appeared who's crushing the entire Limitless System!'"

Seeing headline after headline change, even Yuan Shu felt a shiver of alarm.

That was really stirring up trouble.

It was practically picking a fight with the entire Limitless System!

"But surely the upperclassmen in the Limitless System aren't dumb enough to go after Xu Tui just because they saw a headline, right?" another student asked.

"Of course not. But a tiger wouldn't go out of its way to step on a bug. Still, what if it happened to be convenient—and the tiger already hated that bug?" Ma Zixu chuckled darkly.

"Well, it could happen,"

Yuan Shu said.