Party Accident

He sat obediently in the seat marked with his candidate number. Three teachers were invigilating them in total, with two women handing out the exam papers.

The other was a bearded man with a balding head. His eyes rapidly swept over every candidate, watching for anyone whispering to each other and preventing them from colluding to cheat.

The ACT, also known as the American college entrance examination, was held six times a year across North America. As long as students felt prepared, they could register for it.

If they were dissatisfied with their previous scores, they could delete them and retake the test. It was a relatively fair type of exam, one that did not force students to stake their entire lives on a single test. Everyone could take the ACT twelve times in their lifetime, more than enough for high school students to squander.

The first exam was English: forty-five minutes, four passages, and seventy-five multiple-choice questions. Only after the proctor announced the start of the exam did Link open the sealed paper.

English exams differed from Chinese exams. Each word could carry different meanings in different passages and sentences, requiring students to possess both a broad vocabulary and a strong feel for the language.

But this posed no difficulty for Link at all. He finished in twenty minutes and used the remaining time to check his answers. After confirming there were no problems, he grew bored and opened his Stats Panel.

Name: Link Bennett

Race: Human

Biological Level: 1 Star

Attributes: The average attribute value for a normal adult man is 10 points.

Strength: 12.7 (Muscle: 13.1, Physical Robustness: 12.3)

Agility: 13.75 (Hand-Eye Coordination: 13, Flexibility: 15, Reaction: 15, Balance: 12)

Constitution: 14.2 (Health: 14.8, Endurance: 13.6)

Intelligence: 14.8 (Learning Ability: 15.1, Mental Activity: 14.5)

Perception: 11.5 (Willpower: 12.5, Common Sense Judgment: 11.5, Perceptiveness: 11.5, Intuition: 10.5)

Charisma: 12.7 (Courage: 13, Persuasiveness: 11, Personal Appeal: 15, Leadership: 12, Physical Attractiveness: 12.5)

Skills: Baseball (Some Accomplishment), Mixed Martial Arts (Some Accomplishment), Basic Science (Some Accomplishment), Basic Firearms Proficiency (Some Accomplishment), Violin Performance (Beginner).

Special Abilities: None

Evolution Points: 0

Possessions: None

Evolution Points: 0

Space-Time Mission Function: Requirements not met. Unable to activate.

His Strength, Agility, and Constitution were all far above those of ordinary people in terms of experience values, and his Intelligence needed no further mention. Perception and Charisma, however, were not easy to improve, especially Perception. Many methods had limited effect on it, which was why it had now fallen to last place.

Of course, in terms of current practicality, Perception was not especially useful either, so Link was in no hurry.

He did not have to wait long. As soon as the forty-five minutes were up, the math test began. They had sixty minutes to complete sixty multiple-choice math questions, selecting the correct answer from five options.

These questions were exceedingly simple for Link. He only needed to look at the problem, glance at the answers, and he could practically pick the right one instantly.

Other students might still need calculators to help with their calculations, but at Link's current level, every calculation on the test could be done mentally.

Many top mathematicians had mental arithmetic abilities that could rival computers to some extent. Compared to them, Link still had a long way to go.

In no time, he had swept through all the math questions, leaving him idle again. At Link's current level, taking this exam was practically bullying ordinary students.

The SAT was only two days after the ACT. Once both exams were over, Link felt his scores should not be a problem, so he simply took a few more days off to relax.

On the day he finished the exams, Lena called Link. After he transferred schools, several girls he had been close with at Lola High School had stayed in touch with him. Most of them knew he had been busy with exams these past few days.

To keep Link from being invited away first, Lena had asked him to attend this party before the exams.

That was why, not long after he finished dinner on the day of the exam, he heard a car horn outside. Link glanced out the window, then got up to head out.

Before he even reached the door, he heard Robert ask, "Link, where are you going?"

"There's a party tonight. Uh, don't worry, I've got protection ready."

Robert froze for a moment, then raised his eyebrows. "Heh heh, then I won't wait for you to come back. Oh, right, I've got lubricant too. Want some?"

Link said, "No need. I'm more experienced than you."

Robert immediately glared. "Get lost! You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you want to compete with me?"

After getting his driver's license two months ago, Robert had bought Link a used car. But since Lena had driven over in her sports car, there was no need for Link to take his used Ford.

Ever since transferring to Wilmott Academy for Gifted Children, Link no longer earned money tutoring Lena, while his miscellaneous expenses had not decreased.

Fortunately, participating in school activities, such as the previous camping trip, and winning prize money after joining the Math Olympiad Class some time ago had kept Link's little savings from shrinking.

Still, buying a car was a major expense for Link. Since Robert was paying for it, and since both Elizabeth and Link had scholarships for college, the family was doing better financially. Link was happy to save that money.

Lena gave Link a passionate kiss. Ever since Link transferred schools, she had been exceptionally enthusiastic whenever they met.

This party was being held at the home of a classmate named Dart. His family was well-off. His father dealt in wholesale meat and had connections with distributors in several major cities, so their income was absolutely first-rate in this small town.

As a result, even by Texas standards, where bigger was better, Dart's house was enormous: a three-story main building with a total area of nearly a thousand square meters.

There were also broad lawns in the front and back large enough to play soccer on, as well as a garden. Several large trees had even been transplanted into the yard, making the entire estate look quite beautiful.

Behind the house was a swimming pool fifty meters long and twenty meters wide. When Link and Lena arrived, it was exactly six forty-five—not too early, not too late.

At a party like this, as long as someone brought you in—or even if you snuck in by yourself—it was fine.

Lena parked some distance down the road, then let Link put his arm around her as they entered the courtyard. They soon heard all sorts of noisy sounds. Under a large tree not far away, several girls in shorts and tank tops were laughing loudly on the swings.

It would not have been an exaggeration to say the place was full of long legs. Most of the girls had wheat-colored skin, though. After all, Texas had intense sunlight, and any girl who enjoyed outdoor activities tended to have healthy, sun-kissed skin.

The main attraction of tonight's party was the pool. The rooms inside the house were reserved for couples who needed a little privacy.

Near the pool, people were roughhousing, chasing each other, chatting, flirting, eating, drinking, and having fun.

On a small raised platform nearby, a curvy, voluptuous bikini-clad female DJ swayed to the music. With the lights and two speakers, she had whipped the atmosphere into a feverish frenzy.

Perhaps they had noticed Link. Several girls quickly gathered around him, their eyes shining. If not for Lena standing beside him, they might have already pounced on him.

Realizing she could not let Link linger here, Lena directly pulled him upstairs. They checked several bedrooms, only to find people inside every one of them. In the end, they went up to the attic on the top floor. There was a small rooftop terrace there overlooking the swimming pool.

Having finally found a suitable spot, Lena immediately wrapped both arms around Link's neck, gave a small leap, and hooked her legs around his waist. Leaning down, she gave him a deep kiss.

The two whispered sweet nothings against each other's ears, and their hands grew increasingly bold and hurried.

Just then, a commotion rose from the pool below. It was not the sound of people egging each other on or even fighting; the voices sounded far more serious.

Link looked down. From this angle, he could see a bikini-clad girl lying on the ground, while another girl beside her performed CPR.

Before, it would have been difficult for him to make out the girl's appearance. But with his enhanced senses and eyesight, he recognized the girl lying there as Mira, the school cheerleading captain.

After all, she had once received his extracurricular guidance, so he still remembered her somewhat.

Link could not help frowning. As he looked around, he saw a figure at one side of the pool. Unlike most people, who were crowding closer, that person was walking away and disappearing into the darkness.