Amazing Math Scores

The cramped economy class cabin had three people sitting in a row.

The scenery outside the window flew by.

For the Jiang siblings, the holiday was over.

Four hours later, Jiang Xueming would return to Hung Hom to visit the Huating Mountain Scenic Area.

Bu Liuxing lived there—

—he needed to ask A Xing to handle a few matters related to Bailu.

Bailu also had to return to school. Jiang Xueming remembered the school was called St. Maiden's Middle School, located near Fragrant Incense Peak, very close to A Xing's home.

He leaned against the window, contemplating. He couldn't possibly stay by Bailu's side twenty-four hours a day.

If A Xing, like him, was being watched by the Armadillo Hunters and was under the protection of the attendants, then sticking together would be much safer than going it alone.

The first thing he needed to ask A Xing to do was to protect Bailu.

This rich guy's family was wealthy, and their living, food, and transportation should be quite particular. Their security would definitely be more reliable than Xue Ming finding just any place to stay himself.

The second thing he asked A Xing to handle was for the siblings to take Seventh Brother in with them.

As for the third matter, Xue Ming felt the passenger security card in his pocket.

There were many, many stories and secrets within that card.

He couldn't figure it out—

—why his mental power, will to survive, and Inspiration had exceeded human limits.

—why his combat skills were rated S-class. Even David Byrne, the small arms expert, didn't have such an outrageous rating.

He highly doubted the authenticity of these stats and needed to ask A Xing to find some professional coaches in combat, shooting, and martial arts to conduct a proper physical examination.

The changes in his body made him feel very uneasy. He hadn't had time to investigate thoroughly before, but now he needed to truly reacquaint himself with himself.

It was like entering a kitchen; if the chef didn't even know the size of the knife in their hand or what kind of beast it could butcher, it would be hard to cook a good meal.

It wasn't just his limb coordination; he could feel his logical thinking and spatial comprehension abilities also strengthening.

He had always harbored a hidden worry: his brain was like an overclocked CPU. Although its power had increased, were there no side effects? Even overclocking a CPU would increase power consumption and heat.

Yet, these past few days, he could still barely control his sleep schedule, just like his old biological clock that started work on time—he could fall asleep and wake up at will.

Including his intake of water, salt, or sugar, the amount of food he ate hadn't increased.

Aside from the obvious improvement in his speed reading and memorization abilities, he had secretly snuck into the corridor while Seventh Brother was sound asleep and sung a song.

Tapping on the fire alarm box as a metronome, clapping and snapping his fingers for drumbeats, he recalled the classic hits from the 1960s from a pirated CD.

His memory was becoming clearer and clearer.

Song Title: I Will Survive Singer: Gloria Gaynor

After Xue Ming sang the first chorus, he realized that the language centers and vocal abilities in his brain had significantly improved compared to before.

He recorded this section and listened to it repeatedly.

The powerful, resonant notes and the playful jazz embellishments, combined with the fire alarm box metronome and the finger-snap drumbeats, were incredibly precise.

He had considered busking for money in the subway stations before, but with his voice back then, he definitely wouldn't have earned a stable income.

But now, he was confident that his voice might earn him a few dozen yuan a day, but no more.

At this moment, Xue Ming murmured, sighing, "This is truly mysterious."

He didn't know if these changes were brought about by the encounter in the underground world or if Panacea had other side effects. At least, he couldn't see any abnormalities in Bailu.

Getting back to the point, all things considered, he was prepared to owe Bu Liuxing a huge debt of gratitude this time.

Either don't borrow, or find a reliable person to borrow a large sum from and repay it slowly later.

That was how simple the thoughts of an ordinary person were.

As for whether Bu Liuxing was truly reliable—

—on that gray, sandy beach, outside the Western-style house of the Canaan creature.

When The Faceless Lady toyed with her fingers, holding the passenger log and phone, and issued a [Duel Invitation] to the two of them.

Bu Liuxing, that young boy, repeatedly asked Jiang Xueming about Bailu's condition, understanding the necessary conditions for obtaining Panacea.

The two of them mistakenly thought they were about to bid farewell in front of that Western-style house.

A Xing unhesitatingly ran towards that terrifying and bizarre building, venturing into a path of unknown life or death.

And when they first met—

—A Xing wept profusely over the story Xue Ming, a stranger, told him.

All of this already explained a lot.

Xue Ming was an ordinary person who worked hard for a living, his life as fragile as paper.

Liuxing was a pleasure-seeker who left home to see the sea, his heart as high as the heavens.

Words spoken by A Xing and Xue Ming.

Xue Ming silently noted them down at this moment.

Changing perspective made observing people clearer.

"It's like two parallel train tracks; we might never have crossed paths in our lives. Setting off from different stations, heading to different destinations."

"Without a doubt, at the entrance of that tunnel, I saved your life."

"Every word I spoke to you, you've kept firmly in mind. We've finally converged on this train."

"You will share life and death with me, and you won't leave me until you've repaid this kindness."

"Thank you."

Jiang Xueming smiled and closed his notebook.

Opening his phone, he found strange photos in his album.

It was a selfie of Bu Liuxing. After Xue Ming fell asleep, on the second-floor dormitory of the supply station, A Xing took a selfie facing the camera.

In the photo, A Xing made a V-sign at the camera, smiling with a mouth full of sparkling white teeth--

--Xue Ming in the background was still fast asleep.

The A Xing in this photo seemed to be speaking.

Saying, "Ta-da! Look! This is my new good friend!"

This photo was transferred over with the copied data.

A sharp glint flashed in Seventh Brother's eyes.

She glanced at Mr. Xue Ming beside her.

"Were you just looking at another man?"

Xue Ming: "No. I..."

Seventh Brother immediately grabbed Xue Ming's arm: "Look at me! Look at me! ~ Could it be that I'm not reliable enough? Not handsome enough?"

Xue Ming: "Don't have an episode."

Seventh Brother pouted, her eyes full of drama: "Look at me! ~ Look at me! ~"

Getting further and further away from home.

Getting closer and closer to Hung Hom.

Xue Ming thought carefully; he still had many blind spots regarding spiritual disasters, spiritual entities, and people with exceptional Inspiration in the mortal world.

Since Mr. Chen was unwilling to say more, he would ask Seventh Brother.

He took out his notebook again and spoke softly to Seventh Brother beside him.

" Seventh Brother, when you met Mr. Chen, did you feel anything unusual? Do you know about his Bodhisattva statues and paper money?"

Seventh Brother shook her head: "I'm not clear, but he explained it quite clearly-- he's just a barefoot doctor. Our station has its own way of dealing with spiritual disasters, and besides."

Seventh Brother pondered, stroking her chin as she searched her memory: "The spiritual disasters at the station are different from those in the mortal world, so they can't be generalized. Perhaps his methods wouldn't work in the underground world."

Xue Ming asked again: "What do you think of this person?"

Seventh Brother's eyes lit up: "The Master is a wonderful person! Every word is full of philosophy. You should listen more to these shrewd people. It would be great if our two sect leaders could get together sooner and become a wealthy couple."

Xue Ming covered his face: "That's not what I meant."

"Oh, oh, oh." Seventh Brother's expression dimmed again: "Are you talking about this group of people with extraordinary abilities?"

Xue Ming nodded: "Ah, yes. How do you view these people?"

"We look at them with our eyes." Seventh Brother said nonchalantly: "There are so many genius scientists, singers, and mathematicians in the world. Aren't they superhumans to ordinary people? Honestly, I've always thought mathematicians were Kryptonian Supermen. Also, that Master cooked up a lot of tricks to make a living, and he's even doing underground self-media. We shouldn't pry into people's private lives."

Then, Seventh Brother smacked her lips, looking embarrassed.

"I don't know him well enough to approach him. The station doesn't pay much attention to such people. Occasionally, individuals with exceptional Inspiration get tickets and can perform a few amazing feats once they enter the station. But they are still far from the Senior Passengers of the station."

"What are Senior Passengers?" Xue Ming asked.

Seventh Brother leaned close to Xue Ming's ear and explained in a low voice.

"What Senior Passengers means is, they are senior passengers. When you've traveled in the underground world for a long time and have explored several areas. Not only that, but you've also learned many, many combat skills, are both handsome and capable, and have spent months in the Grand Library, knowing the customs and habits of many celestial residents."

"At this point, your experience is rich, and your body and mind are healthy. You can consider submitting a transfer application to the BOSS. You can choose to report to the customer service department, become a attendant, or a teacher for new passengers."

"You can also go to the armed forces or medical departments. If your Inspiration is up to par, you can try your luck at the research station, but you'll probably have to read a lot more books."

"Of course, you can quit and do some small business at various trade transit stations, find a place to start a new life."

"But the difficulty of these jobs-- none of them are as hard as being a Senior Passenger."

Xiao Qi gestured to describe it.

"Senior Passenger passengers are the darlings of the station. They appear in remote areas, exploring in wild lands where even the train tracks haven't been laid. They are active where assault teams and engineering personnel haven't gone."

"They might face various extreme geographical environments, various newly discovered strange life forms, potentially deadly ancient viruses, or even the Canaan people you encountered before."

"The protective gear the station can provide can at most withstand environments from minus fifty degrees Celsius to three hundred degrees Celsius. If Senior Passengers encounter worse terrain, they can only rely on their own survival abilities. Besides that, there's Vita Imprint."

"Alright, I understand," Jiang Xueming decided to skip this topic. Whoever wanted to take on this cursed job could have it. It was the kind of work a normal person would never consider, sounding like an eternal injustice.

"But, most Armadillo Hunters don't attack Senior Passengers," Seventh Brother said in a super hushed voice. "The reason is simple: ordinary passengers and Senior Passengers have vastly different survival experience and combat skills. As long as the station issues you a certificate, no hunter will dare to actively cause you trouble."

Xue Ming remained unmoved, also speaking softly, "Of course. What kind of rat that can't see the light of day would go looking for trouble with a cat?"

Seventh Brother put on a smug expression, transforming into a fan-girl. "It's not just that. In the underground world, Senior Passengers are treated like heroes. The hunter community wouldn't harbor any ill intentions towards heroes. They might even actively try to help Senior Passengers complete their missions, after all, that's..."

"Wait a minute." Xue Ming's inner doubts grew. He interrupted, " Seventh Brother, actually, there's something I've always wanted to ask you. You've said so much just now, it makes me want to ask even more."

Xiao Qi's eyes became distant.

Xue Ming looked through his notebook, cross-referencing item by item, and asked in a low voice.

"You've spoken from the hunters' perspective more than once before. First, you warned me according to the station's regulations, telling me to be careful of these hunters. Then, you privately told me that hunters don't involve families when they're out in the world, telling me not to worry so much. Isn't that clearly revealing your werewolf identity? This time, you mentioned that there's an option to become a server in the career change process for ordinary passengers. Based on that, even if I assume you're a decent girl, you were a passenger before, right? And not for a short time? Did you become a server through a career change?"

Seventh Brother remained silent, nodding vigorously, sweat all over his face.

Jiang Xueming added a reminder, "Don't lie to me."

Seventh Brother transformed into a frantic nodding group leader.

Jiang Xueming closed his notebook. "Alright, I believe you."

Seeing that Xue Ming had calmed down, Seventh Brother still pestered him relentlessly.

"Mr. Xue Ming, don't you really want to try? I think you have great potential to become a Senior Passenger. Aren't you worried about Bailu's safety? Let me tell you..."

At this moment, Xue Ming's gaze was as intense as a cat spotting a mouse revealing its tail.

He speculated inwardly--

--Before Nine-Five-Two-Seven became a server, was she also an Armadillo Hunter? Even if she didn't directly participate in hunting, at least this girl was very familiar with hunters, probably having many friends in that line of work. She just didn't make any major mistakes. BOSS captured her, and after her labor reform, she was registered and assigned as a server. She looks very young, not like a passenger who has experienced many journeys. To the other servers, she's a rebellious wild child.

Jiang Xueming didn't articulate this conjecture.

He just spoke kindly to Seventh Brother.

"I never even considered these things. The job of a Senior Passenger truly seems like a huge burden to me. Back at the shooting range, didn't you say my skills were decent? If it's for Bailu's safety, I can try my luck in the armed forces department. Those Armadillo Hunter rats would run even when they see a cat with a gun."

"You want to be a cop?" Hearing this, Seventh Brother tensed up completely. As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately covered her mouth, regretting it deeply. She looked as if she were in a trance, not daring to make eye contact with Xue Ming. This demeanor made Xue Ming even more certain--

--Seventh Brother must have done a lot of shady things before.

Just then.

Jiang Bailu, the younger sister, leaned in and innocently asked.

"Sister Xiao Qi! Sister Xiao Qi! How many boyfriends did you have before?"

Xiao Qi muttered and calculated, reciting a mnemonic: "Let me calculate... one times three is three, two times three is six, three times three is nine, four times three is twelve. Three? Oh no. Do two paper husbands count?"

Jiang Bailu secretly glanced at her older brother, then said to Xiao Qi, "Of course, they don't count."

Xiao Qi nodded. "Then none."

Bailu's smile was radiant. Like her brother, this girl was not only cunning but occasionally showed a captivating glint in her eyes, like the pressure of suspicion, speculation, and interrogation.

Xiao Qi quickly provided evidence, explaining to Xue Ming.

"Really! Everything I said is true! I promise! Among the things I said earlier, other parts might be false, but the number of boyfriends is absolutely true."

Bailu: "..."

Xue Ming: "..."

Xiao Qi continued, "Okay, I confess. I occasionally watch girl groups, thinking about having a few pretty little sisters to share a big bed with and fight amongst ourselves. Ah! It sounds so happy just thinking about it."

Bailu: "..."

Xue Ming: "..."

Xiao Qi nervously reached out to touch Xue Ming's chest. "I swear on my conscience..."

Bailu: "I can already guess the cheesy pickup line, Brother. It seems like Sister-in-law has some issues."

Xue Ming didn't care about the words his sister blurted out, nor the hand on his chest. "Mm."

Bailu asked Xiao Qi with a smile, "The next line should be, 'Hasn't Sister-in-law's heart already been stolen by my brother?'"

"Uh..." Xiao Qi chuckled. "I just learned that online. How did you learn to answer so quickly, you little rascal?"

Xue Ming had already closed his eyes, preparing to get some rest. He sent a text message to Bu Liuxing to arrange dinner for the evening.

"I don't know much about you, Seventh Brother. Although you like to lie, I don't really mind because you're very good to me and my sister."

Xiao Qi smiled. "It's okay! We have a long, long time to get to know each other."

"I'm going to sleep for a bit." Xue Ming wanted to catch up on sleep and casually closed the curtains. "The only thing I know for sure is..."

Bailu finished her brother's sentence for him, showing remarkable emotional intelligence.

"Sister Xiao Qi, your math scores must be astonishing."

Today is payday!

I'm sending out red envelopes for you all!

Feel free to check out other books, but remember to visit often!

OwO