The dorm room fell silent for a full five seconds.
Then Zhang Wei let out a howl. "Fuck! Godfather! That was a vicious strike straight to the heart!"
Li Feng clutched his chest, his face twisted with anguish. "It's over, it's over. If the hardware doesn't make the cut, no amount of software optimization will help..."
Wang Hao still looked utterly baffled. He lowered his head to glance at his crotch, then looked at Lin Mo and muttered:
"You're just dating someone, and you still have to pull that thing out... to compare sizes?!"
Lin Mo was amused by their reactions and waved his hand. "All right, all right. Hurry up and eat breakfast before it gets cold."
He walked over to his desk and sat down, continuing the short drama he had not finished watching.
Zhang Wei leaned over, unwilling to give up, and pressed him again:
"Godfather, seriously, what did Su Wanqing say to you just now? Her eyes looked red to me. Was she crying?"
"Just a personal matter." Lin Mo brushed it off vaguely.
"A personal matter..." Zhang Wei's eyes spun, and a lecherous grin instantly spread across his face.
"Don't tell me you were playing both sides and got caught red-handed?"
Lin Mo shot him a glance. His eyes were cold enough to send a chill down Zhang Wei's spine, and Zhang Wei immediately shut his mouth.
Seeing that he could not pry out any gossip, Zhang Wei switched to a new topic. Lowering his voice, he said mysteriously:
"Have you guys heard? There's been a sudden increase in cases of brain death recently.
"My cousin is interning at the First City Hospital. She said there have been new cases every day these past few days, and they can't figure out the cause. It's like someone pulled their souls right out of them! It's pretty terrifying!"
Those words caused the atmosphere in the dorm to freeze.
Li Feng swallowed. "Could it have something to do... with those 'Awakened'?"
"Who knows?" Zhang Wei shook his head.
"Anyway, things outside are getting more and more chaotic.
"My parents even called me specifically about this and told me not to go off campus unless I had something to do."
The three of them chatted animatedly, spitting as they talked, discussing all the abnormal incidents that had recently caused such a stir.
Lin Mo listened silently, pondering to himself.
It had only been three days since the internal test began, yet more than two thousand of the ten thousand Internal Test Players worldwide had already died.
Once the second batch of one hundred thousand players entered tonight, the number of deaths in the real world would inevitably surge in a terrifying wave.
By then, the chaos would only grow worse.
Just as he was thinking, his phone suddenly chimed.
It was a message from Su Wanqing: "I'm heading out with the girls! See you at the south gate! Remember to dress handsomely. (Snickering)"
A cute sticker followed.
Lin Mo's fingers moved slightly, and he replied with a single "Okay."
He looked up at the clock on the wall. It was nine twenty.
There were still forty minutes until the agreed time.
"You guys take your time chatting. I'm heading out first." Lin Mo stood up, opened the wardrobe, and picked out a clean white shirt and a pair of black casual trousers.
"Going to see Su Da's beauty again?" Zhang Wei raised his eyebrows, his voice filled with envy.
"Yeah. The girls in her dorm are going out together." Lin Mo answered casually as he changed clothes.
"The girls in her dorm?!" Zhang Wei's voice suddenly rose by an octave, and his eyes bulged like brass bells.
"The legendary dorm packed with beauties from the Art Department? Godfather! Take me with you!
"I'll carry your bags, fetch your drinks, and serve you hand and foot!"
Li Feng also came over, his face full of anticipation.
"Exactly, exactly! Godfather! Take all three of us brothers! We guarantee we'll be excellent wingmen and never steal your spotlight!"
Wang Hao gazed at him longingly, his eyes filled with yearning.
Lin Mo fastened the last button of his shirt and adjusted his hair in front of the mirror.
The person in the mirror had a well-proportioned, upright build and sharp, lively eyes. It was still the same face, but his bearing had completely changed.
The changes brought by level-ten Attributes came from the inside out.
"Maybe next time." Lin Mo said indifferently. "There are too many people today. It wouldn't be convenient."
"Ahhh—" Zhang Wei let out a wail. "Godfather! You can't keep all the good stuff to yourself!"
Lin Mo could not be bothered with him. He slung the black backpack containing emergency supplies over his shoulders and walked out the door.
"Remember to bring me back some information!" Zhang Wei shouted after him. "Like which girls in their dorm are single! And what their measurements are!"
Without turning his head, Lin Mo tossed back a single word: "Get lost."
At nine fifty in the morning, at the south gate of Jianghai University.
Students came and went through the campus entrance on the weekend, heading out in groups of two or three, filling the place with youthful energy.
When Lin Mo arrived, he spotted a group of attractive figures gathered beneath a parasol tree in the distance.
Su Wanqing stood at the front, looking pure and captivating in a white T-shirt and jeans.
Five girls surrounded her. They were all familiar faces from the Art Department: Xu Weiwei, Li Yutong, Zhou Xiaoyu, Zhao Mengmeng, and Liu Qian.
They had been in the same department for three years. Even if they were not in the same class, they had all become familiar with one another.
There were also three boys standing among the crowd.
Two of them had unfamiliar faces and were probably from other departments.
But the other one...
Lin Mo's gaze sharpened slightly.
Chen Zihao.
One of Su Wanqing's three most devoted admirers. Lin Mo had just put him in his place in class yesterday.
Today, the guy was dressed in a full set of designer casual clothes. His hair had been carefully styled, and a gleaming Rolex adorned his wrist.
He leaned against a white BMW 3 Series, holding two cups of milk tea and eagerly offering one to Su Wanqing.
"Wan Qing, this is your favorite taro boba milk tea, with thirty percent sugar." Chen Zihao's voice was gentle. "I went all the way to that famous shop downtown to buy it for you."
Su Wanqing accepted the milk tea and smiled politely. "Thanks, but you don't have to go to so much trouble next time."
Before you continue