Since the whole day was free time, the students quickly started enjoying themselves around campus.
Some went exploring the school in groups.
Some gathered together to chat.
Some lowered their heads and played on their phones.
Others flipped through their new textbooks to get a head start on studying.
Shen Qinghan was one of the students reading. She was bent over her textbook, studying the material in advance with intense concentration.
Lin Zichen had already looked through the textbook and found that much of it covered things he'd taught himself as a child. So he hadn't bothered reading more and had instead started playing on his phone, scrolling through the latest online news.
"Living Up to Expectations! The Kyoto Prodigy Who Once Shocked the Nation Has Been Recommended for Admission to Kyoto University, Where He'll Study at the Evolution Academy. He's Expected to Evolve into an Advanced Being During His College Years."
"Heartbreaking! The Mechanical Genius Girl Underwent Mechanical Modification Before Her Body Had Fully Developed. She Now Suffers from Numerous Health Problems, with Multiple Body Parts Developing Abnormally. She May Spend the Rest of Her Life Disabled."
"Wonderful News! Huawei Group Has Successfully Cultivated a Rare Tier 5 Spirit Plant. The Global Spirit Plant Market May Be on the Brink of a Major Shift."
Lin Zichen skimmed the three headlines on the home page. His attention quickly settled on the second article, about the Mechanical Genius Girl.
After reading it, he was left with complicated feelings.
Parents were great.
But it was obvious that not everyone who had a child deserved to be a parent.
The Mechanical Genius Girl's parents had subjected their daughter to all kinds of mechanical modifications, caring nothing for her health, just to market her as a genius and make money.
They were unworthy of being parents.
They were barely worthy of being human.
Lin Zichen shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. He scrolled down to browse other news.
He read more than twenty articles in a row and found a great many of them were about the Rat God Cult.
He counted them. They made up nearly half the news.
Lin Zichen frowned.
Why had there suddenly been so many articles about the Rat God Cult?
Had something happened?
Puzzled, he opened every article related to the cult and read through them.
He learned that the Municipal Public Security Headquarters had recently launched a roundup, arresting a number of Rat God Cult followers.
All the related reports had been published today.
Had they only caught the followers?
What about the Rat King, whom they worshipped as a god?
Had they caught it?
Lin Zichen's mind churned with questions, and he quickly continued browsing.
After finishing the recommended articles, he searched for other related reports himself.
To his disappointment, the Municipal Public Security Headquarters' roundup had been all thunder and no rain. They'd arrested a few followers but hadn't even caught a single Giant Mutant Rat.
He scrolled through the news a little longer, then started to feel bored.
Lin Zichen put away his phone and quietly left the classroom. He planned to find a secluded corner to exercise, rather than waste time sitting around.
After wandering around the school, he eventually reached a small, empty grove.
There were no people or cameras here, making it the perfect secret training spot.
He carried over a random stone weighing more than a hundred pounds and began an intense workout with the added weight.
[You are doing weighted push-ups. Vitality +2, arm muscle strength +2, chest muscle strength +2, push-up proficiency +1] [You are doing weighted sit-ups. Vitality +2, abdominal muscle strength +2, sit-up proficiency +1] [You are doing weighted squats. Vitality +2, leg muscle strength +2, squat proficiency +1...]
After who knew how long, Lin Zichen finally finished exercising, drenched in sweat.
He was exhausted, but it felt good. He could clearly tell that he'd grown stronger again.
"An ordinary adult Giant Mutant Rat has a Biological Rank of Ordinary Tier 5. If I evolve one more time, I'll be stronger than them..."
Thinking this, Lin Zichen lay down again, hoisted the stone back onto his back, and started pumping himself up and down off the ground.
[You did 300 weighted push-ups. Vitality +600, arm muscle strength +600, chest muscle strength +600, push-up proficiency +300]
After quickly finishing a set of weighted push-ups,
Lin Zichen figured it was about time to stop. He wiped the sweat from his face and took out his phone to check the time.
The upper-right corner of the screen showed it was already 5:20 p.m. School would be over soon.
Then he noticed a WeChat notification from Shen Qinghan at the top of the screen.
He opened it and saw three messages.
3:12 p.m.
[Hanhan: Xiao Chen, where did you go? Why have you been gone so long?]
4:22 p.m.
[Hanhan: Where are you? (confused emoji)]
5:11 p.m.
[Hanhan: Xiao Chen, school will be over in 19 minutes. I'm staying in the classroom to wait for you. When you see this, remember to come find me. Don't go home by yourself.]
5:22 p.m.
[Zichen: I was working out and didn't look at my phone. I'm coming back now.]
After sending Shen Qinghan that message, Lin Zichen put away his phone and returned to the classroom.
As soon as he walked through the classroom door, Li Chuxin saw that he was drenched in sweat and asked curiously, "What were you doing? Why are you covered in sweat?"
He Yu sounded puzzled too. "Yeah, where have you been all this time? Did you go play basketball or soccer?"
Shen Qinghan stayed quiet. She simply pulled out a few tissues and thoughtfully handed them to Lin Zichen so he could wipe the sweat off his face.
She'd wanted to wipe it for him herself, but there were too many people in the classroom, and she felt embarrassed.
Lin Zichen took the tissues and wiped his face as he answered honestly, "I didn't go anywhere in particular. I was bored sitting in the classroom, so I went outside and found an empty place to exercise."
Li Chuxin looked at him with admiration. "As if having talent weren't enough—you work so hard, too. No wonder you were the top scorer in our district's high school entrance exam."
He Yu teased him, "Man, you actually sneaked off to work out? Do you really have to be so competitive?"
He spoke loudly enough to draw the attention of several people nearby.
"He Yu, keep your voice down."
Li Chuxin gave him an annoyed look. She thought the Dongguan Boy was way too loud and boisterous. He spoke louder than a rooster crowing, which made her uncomfortable.
He Yu realized he'd been out of line and quickly gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, sorry."
Just then, the bell rang.
The students were free to go home.
Li Chuxin took three bags out of her backpack and handed one to each of the three people in her group. "Here, one bag each to put your uniforms in."
"Thanks."
"Thanks, Chuxin."
Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan took the bags at the same time and thanked her with faint smiles.
He Yu took his bag and, as boisterous as ever, exclaimed, "Whoa, you actually thought to bring bags in your backpack ahead of time? You're a genius!"
Li Chuxin saw him making a racket again and rolled her eyes at him, speechless.
Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan quietly packed their things. One was thinking about getting home early for dinner, while the other was eager to get home and read.
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