An Yang carried his pull-rod suitcase while Xiao You and the others waited to the side, and Xiao Xueer was still busy with all sorts of fee payments and stamping. The two siblings chatted idly, appearing very close at least in the eyes of others.
"Xiao You, your registration is on the thirty-first, right?"
"Why? I certainly don't need you to see me off."
"Uh... I was just about to say that. I'm going to be very busy in a couple of days, so I won't be able to come on the day of your registration."
Xiao You glanced at him indifferently, though a sour feeling rose in her heart.
"Heh, if you don't want to come, just say it straight. It's not like I'd be upset. Why sugarcoat it like that? You're just an unemployed, older youth—what could you possibly be busy with!"
It had nothing to do with her relationship with An Yang; truthfully, she didn't care whether An Yang came on the day of her registration. However, she was a very proud person. No matter what, An Yang was her biological brother—he came when Xiao Xueer registered, but wouldn't be there for hers. That made all the difference.
What was this supposed to mean? Wouldn't she lose all her face!
"...Unemployed, older youth!"
An Yang wiped the sweat from his cheek.
Xiao Xueer walked over holding an A4 form covered in stamps, smiling as she said, "It's finally done. You guys must have waited a long time. We can head straight to the dorm now."
An Yang nodded, pulling his suitcase behind Xiao Xueer and Xu Ling as they walked toward an old dormitory building.
The exterior of the dormitory building was very weathered, the paint on the walls overtaken by moss. One side was even covered in Boston ivy, and the fiber-optic cables were entwined with morning glories, their purplish-red flowers looking exceptionally vibrant under the midday sun.
An Yang admired aloud, "Not bad at all. As expected of a decades-old school, it has a strong sense of time and artistic atmosphere."
Xu Ling turned her head to look at him, smiling. "You must be Xiao Xueer's brother. You're spot on—this dorm building has quite a few years on it, and it's said to have been here since the school was founded. Most of the people living inside are art department girls, like from the music and dance departments."
"Right, my name is An Yang."
Xiao You smacked her lips. "It's so old!"
Xu Ling said, "Even though this dorm building is old, the facilities inside are really good. It's considered top-tier even across our whole Yizhou University of Science and Technology. After all, our school leans toward sciences and the number of female students isn't high, so the administration takes good care of them."
Entering the dorm and pushing open the door, they found a long-legged young woman already making her bed. Standing beside her were a plainly dressed middle-aged man and woman, presumably her parents.
The long-legged girl was very cheerful. Hearing the door open, she immediately turned around to reveal a delicate, fair face. Skipping past An Yang and Xu Ling—who was wearing her ID badge—she sized up Xiao You and Xiao Xueer. "Are you guys my roommates?"
"I am."
"I'm not, I'm just here to accompany Xueer for her registration."
"Ah, my name is Wang Yu, and we'll be spending the next three years together!"
"My name is Xiao Xueer, please take care of me."
An Yang hauled the luggage straight into the dorm and looked around. It was a standard four-person college dorm with modular beds, tile floors, an air conditioner, a water dispenser, a washing machine, and other amenities. It was considered a very nice room.
Well, it was much better than the guys' dorms at Yizhou University.
Wang Yu efficiently finished making her bed and pointed at Xiao You and An Yang. "Are these your friend and brother?"
Xiao Xueer nodded. "Yeah, this is my high school classmate Xiao You, and this is Brother An Yang."
Wang Yu immediately widened her eyes. "Wow, it's so great to have a brother tagging along..."
Xiao You curled her lips, feeling even sourer inside.
An Yang nodded and smiled at Wang Yu's parents. Xiao Xueer and Xiao You also obediently greeted the aunt and uncle before getting busy making the beds. Soon after, two more girls arrived successively: one with a nice figure and appearance named Wu Yalan, and the other a sweet, cute type named Li Qian. Both were accompanied by their parents.
Wang Yu was from the dance department, Wu Yalan from the music department, and Li Qian from the art department. True to form, they were all departments touching upon the arts, leaving only Xiao Xueer... in the architecture department!
By the time they got Xiao Xueer settled in, it was already two in the afternoon. The parents of the other three girls in the dorm had all left, and An Yang didn't linger either. Knowing the girls would definitely go out for a meal tonight to bond, he instructed Xiao Xueer and Xiao You to watch their safety, then used having matters to attend to as an excuse to leave.
Returning to the rented apartment, An Yang immediately took out his phone and checked the data on the screen.
Chosen One: An Yang
Physical Attributes:
Physique: 2.5
Strength: 2.1
Speed: 2
Brainpower: 2
Unallocated Attribute Points: 1
Mastered Skills:
Mastery of Combat (Intermediate)
Firearms Mastery (Intermediate)
English Mastery (Primary)
Military Literacy Mastery (Primary)
Instrument Mastery (Primary)
Driving Mastery (Primary)
Melee Weapon Mastery (Primary)
Unallocated Skill Points: 2
Item Abilities:
Portable Space (1 cubic meter)
Gate of Space (Pending Use)
Other Abilities:
Kunlun Art (Level 3)
Heaven and Earth, Limitless, Cosmos Borrow Law (Level 3)
Through nearly two months of cultivation, Kunlun Art had also reached level three. The speed wasn't slow; he already possessed a faint sense of qi, which he estimated was inextricably linked to his physique and brainpower that far exceeded ordinary people.
The benefits brought to him by level-three Kunlun Art were equally substantial. His physique had increased by 0.2, going from 2.3 to 2.5, though his strength and speed remained unchanged.
After pondering for a moment, An Yang retrieved a Chinese saber from the room and gently wiped it down with a cloth.
This saber was something he had ordered at great expense from the American Cold Steel Company, manufactured in Japan—the exact one from the online testing videos. Overall, it was much better than domestically produced knockoffs.
The performance of Cold Steel went without saying; paired with his speed and strength, it could easily decapitate a person!
Swish!
The saber abruptly vanished, replaced by a Cold Steel 26SXP folding knife, less than the length of an adult's arm, which he also stored away into his Portable Space.
By this time, the Portable Space was almost packed full. Most of it consisted of medicine, food, and of course, a sniper rifle and handgun were indispensable.
"System, consume one skill point to upgrade Melee Weapon Mastery to intermediate."
"Allocating skill points... Allocation complete, beginning information transmission..."
An Yang frowned as he felt countless pieces of knowledge—both things he could sense and things he couldn't—flood into his mind. However, his current physique and brainpower were both far stronger than before; he only felt a severe throbbing in his head without any sensation of fainting.
Soon, the information transmission concluded. He felt thoroughly familiar with many melee weapons, various force-generating and leverage techniques coming to him as naturally as breathing. Even complex melee weapons could now be wielded as an extension of his own arm, including ranged weapons like bows and crossbows.
The skills column had already transformed into—
Mastered Skills:
Mastery of Combat (Intermediate)
Firearms Mastery (Intermediate)
English Mastery (Primary)
Military Literacy Mastery (Primary)
Instrument Mastery (Primary)
Driving Mastery (Primary)
Melee Weapon Mastery (Intermediate)
Unallocated Skill Points: 1
Entering an Apocalypse World where people ate you without spitting out the bones, and having lost the ability to foresee the plot, An Yang remained very solemn and made thorough preparations.
At some unknown point, Nie Xiaoqian appeared at the doorway of the dim bedroom, gazing at him with grievance.
Over the past two months, An Yang had trusted her deeply and never avoided her when doing anything. She already knew An Yang wasn't a mere scholar and was quite extraordinary, gradually coming to learn certain secrets.
"An Yang."
"Yeah, what is it?"
Nie Xiaoqian walked over, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her head against his chest. "Where are you going? Can I go with you?"
An Yang froze, his gaze narrowing slightly. He lowered his head to stroke her long hair and said, "Be good, I can't take you with me. Wait for me at home, I'll be back before long."
Nie Xiaoqian asked, "Why can't you take me?"
An Yang rubbed her head. "Well... because I'm going to another world, and the spatial passage isn't very stable. I'm afraid you'd have an accident, and the system won't agree to let you go either, saying your power would disrupt the rules of the game."
Nie Xiaoqian was born in a feudal society filled with miraculous ghosts and deities, so her tolerance for such concepts was actually much stronger. She asked, "The system? Is that the black phone? And what are the rules of the game? Can't I just not use my own power?"
An Yang shook his head and said gently, "But the system doesn't trust you. Most importantly, the spatial passage is unstable; I'll be fine, but you're likely to meet with an accident."
Nie Xiaoqian was stubborn. "I know, but the... you know... probability of an accident happening is very low, right? Weren't we fine last time?"
An Yang was quite helpless as he explained, "Precisely because you've already undergone one transit that I dare not try it again. We got lucky last time; what if we're unlucky this time? I'd never get to see you again."
Nie Xiaoqian hesitated, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Then how long until you can come back?"
An Yang thought for a moment and said, "It won't take long, rest assured."
In truth, he had asked the system. According to a long string of complex spacetime calculations, the time ratio between Apocalypse World No. 94567 and the real world should be 3:1—one year in the mission world roughly equated to four months in reality.
Yet how could he bear to tell Nie Xiaoqian that he would only return in four months? The two of them... one human and one ghost had only been together for a little over three months. For Nie Xiaoqian, a four-month wait would be agonizing.
He had already made up his mind: upon arriving in the apocalypse world, his very first task would be to check whether it had development value. If it did, he would not hesitate to use the Gate of Space to first turn this world into his own backyard, ensuring he could come and go freely before doing anything else.
Night, approaching midnight.
An Yang held Nie Xiaoqian in his arms, lowering his head from time to time to look at the countdown on his phone.
Nie Xiaoqian's face was plastered with reluctance to part.
Finally, less than a minute remained on the countdown, and An Yang gently pushed her away.
"Time's up, I have to go. Remember to wait for me obediently at home, and be a good girl, understand?"
Nie Xiaoqian nodded, looking at him with eager eyes.
While watching his phone screen, An Yang glanced sideways at her. "Stay right where you are and don't move. Don't think I don't know what you're plotting, no way—"
Suddenly, the phone chimed with a beep.
Nie Xiaoqian's lovely eyes widened as she suddenly transformed into a black pearl, shooting forward like a streak of lightning.
"Thud."
The pearl collided with the wall, dropped onto the floor tiles, and bounced repeatedly. The room was already completely empty.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Nie Xiaoqian's figure materialized on the sofa, and she helplessly looked toward the spot where An Yang had previously stood, lowering her gaze in silence.
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