Afternoon at Super God Academy

"Why do you look like you're not afraid at all?"

Nestled among winding mountains, surrounded by verdant pines and cypresses, stood a sprawling academy with an orderly layout.

The afternoon sunlight was just right, and the breeze was gentle.

At the edge of the training field, beneath the shade of an evergreen tree, Du Qiangwei sat on an ivory-white swing bench. Her lustrous hair resembled burgundy glass as one hand gripped the rope while the other held a thick book against her lap.

Her eyes were soft, carrying a quiet, tranquil ease. She glanced at the person beside her, sitting on an identical swing in an entirely different posture, and asked softly.

His young, handsome face was smooth and fair, its sharply defined contours giving him an air of leisurely comfort.

His dark, deep eyes were clear and bright; his nose was high, and his lips beautifully shaped and thin.

Tall and slender without being burly, he stood like a jade tree.

Dressed in an elegant white traditional-style outfit, he lay sideways on the swing, propping up his cheek with one hand while turning a page with the other.

The book was not thick, but it was an introductory text on Wormhole Theory beyond Earth's era.

"Afraid? Afraid of who?"

Wang Ji leisurely read while enjoying the breeze. The swing swayed along with the shadows of the leaves. Hearing her question, he casually raised his gaze, only to see his own raised thigh and knee.

He lowered his eyes back to the book and turned another page.

Although his database contained the knowledge from this book, its source would be difficult to explain. Besides, with such pleasant afternoon scenery, birds singing amid quiet mountains, and the breeze at his side, reading like this was far more enjoyable.

This was Super God Academy, and the book had been borrowed from its library.

Though his status did not yet qualify him, what he had accomplished over the past few days had been enough to grant him access to certain privileges in advance.

If even that was impossible, wouldn't people laugh at him...?

"I mean... the Taotie, and that big monster." A faint light flickered in Du Qiangwei's eyes. Her voice was pleasant and gentle. "You never seemed afraid. You weren't afraid of getting hurt... you weren't afraid of how vicious they were, or of them dying, or of blood."

"Aren't you afraid?"

A light breeze drifted over, carrying an unusual fragrance. It turned the page Wang Ji had finished reading and lingered in his breath.

The young man did not answer immediately. It was as though he quietly considered it for a moment, or simply paused in silence. Beneath the sparse, swaying patches of sunlight, he looked at his book and replied calmly, "I don't know. There's no reason to be afraid."

What was there for him to fear?

If he feared death and blood, they were nothing compared to the countless nights when he had awakened from dreams of that disaster.

If he feared their terrifying appearances, they were nothing compared to enduring the malice of the world alone and helplessly.

If there was anything he feared, he had probably grown tired of being afraid.

To him, those aliens and monsters caused less pain in his heart than ordinary people being hurt.

But he quietly digested that pain, perhaps along with a small measure of guilt. Since childhood, the one person he least wanted to make things difficult for was himself.

He wanted to treat himself well.

"Did you have confidence you could take them down from the very beginning?" Du Qiangwei did not know what he was thinking and asked with a smile.

"Mm. More or less." Wang Ji nodded.

That was part of it.

Although it had happened suddenly, Wang Ji had still been five kilometers away when he sensed Crocodile God Soton causing trouble. The time it took him to race to the scene at top speed had been short...

But from that fellow's somewhat clumsy movements, along with the information and energy he had read, he determined that whether or not his lightning could knock down the crocodile, there was a high chance he could safely subdue it.

The reason he acted was simple. He was a Super Soldier, recruited by the country. Protecting civilians was only natural.

There had not been much thought involved.

As for the Taotie, it had indeed been an emergency, leaving him no time to consider much. Still, his judgment had not been far off.

As for beheading that Soton, he had not spared it much emotion either.

Once he turned away, he stopped thinking about it.

He had long made plenty of preparations for war. Though he had once been an ordinary person, he had already prepared himself for one battle after another when he had planned to go abroad to build a career two days ago.

Though those preparations had not been for an alien invasion, otherwise he would already be overseas, preparing to welcome rocket artillery bombardment.

He leisurely turned through the book. His reading speed was fast.

Du Qiangwei pursed her lips almost imperceptibly. She stroked the unopened book in her hands, glanced at Wang Ji, who did not seem interested in talking, then lowered her eyes slightly.

She did not know what she felt. Still, she opened her own book and began reading quietly.

The two of them—one lay back leisurely, turning pages, while the other sat gracefully with her head lowered.

In the afternoon academy, ordinary students occasionally appeared in the distance outside the teaching buildings or along the campus paths, alone or in pairs.

Time passed neither quickly nor slowly, like the gradually slanting sunlight.

He really was not shy around strangers...

After beheading Soton that morning, he had been advised to come look around the school, move in a day early, and was then sent over by helicopter.

By the time Du Qiangwei finished what she had to do and arrived at Super God Academy, she found him already lying on this swing like a quiet, handsome young man.

Using nothing but his face, he had borrowed a huge pile of books from the library—introductory texts on all kinds of subjects. He was currently reading a basic text on wormholes... Heh, he was flipping through it pretty quickly. Who knew if he could even understand it?

Was he just flipping through it at random?

"My genetic ability is wormhole transport. I'm good at this kind of thing... If you don't understand something, you can ask me." After thinking for a moment, she suddenly offered kindly.

"It's fine. It's pretty simple." He nodded.

Simple...

Her pretty brows furrowed. Her burgundy hair drifted slightly in the breeze, and her fingers accidentally crushed the corner of a page.

He was obviously just flipping through the book at random~

Du Qiangwei sighed softly to herself, a hint of helplessness appearing on her beautiful face... She only wanted this pitiful, withdrawn boy, who was suspicious of others, to develop some trust in people and in the world~

Why had he been so childish before, but now he was acting so cold and aloof?

If he would not communicate or talk more, how could he come to trust her, his future comrade, and develop camaraderie with her?

He spoke so little it was like he had to force out every single word...

He had been easier to talk to when he was acting all childish before. The kid really had two faces~

"Have you prepared your toiletries? There's a supermarket in the academy too."

"Yes."

"Did you buy all your clothes yourself? I noticed you have really good taste."

"If you want to learn, I can teach you. Girls need to learn how to dress themselves up."

Wang Ji nodded. Ever since childhood, no one had taught him anything except schoolwork. If it had not been for the internet, where he could learn anything, how could he be so good at dressing, speaking, and being so polite?

He was fairly good at choosing clothes. He had always dressed rather fashionably.

"..."

Du Qiangwei silently picked up her book and disappeared through a wormhole.

Wang Ji turned another page, noticed that the person beside him seemed to be gone, and looked up. Sure enough, she had left.

Then he lay back down and sighed faintly. "Teleportation Hacks really are incredible."