School Registration

Because of the aftereffects brought on by raising his attributes, Link did not leave his room until the following morning. He even had room service deliver his meals, though the results were equally gratifying.

Link could feel that once his attributes reached 15 points, they underwent a kind of stage-by-stage transformation. Constitution was difficult to test, but his strength had indeed increased dramatically. At the same time, his five senses had become sharper, and his mind more agile.

Of course, Link had not forgotten to keep an eye on the relevant news during this time. So far, he had found no reports concerning that incident.

If the murders had been discovered, they would certainly have become a shocking case. The fire Link had set might have concealed some evidence, but human bones would not burn away completely.

With so many deaths, it could even have made the news on the Three Major TV Stations. Besides, this was not something the police could simply cover up if they wanted to.

Yet there had not been the slightest movement from the media, which meant the matter had either not been discovered, or it had been discovered and quietly suppressed. It was also possible that the forces behind those people had not called the police and had handled it privately instead.

Link thought the latter possibility was quite likely. In that case, they could only search for him through private means.

In fact, it was not difficult to understand why they had chosen that approach. If the police investigated thoroughly, they might uncover what those people had been doing before. Even though those people were dead, that would not be good for the families or forces behind them.

This was unquestionably good news for Link. A case this large might even draw elite FBI agents and consume enormous resources. But if it was investigated privately, then even if they hired experts, they likely would not be able to freely mobilize vast public resources. Their efficiency would be greatly reduced.

Moreover, Link had carefully reviewed the entire sequence several times along the way, repeatedly confirming that he had not left behind any clues.

It was only the 1990s. Many of the advanced technological methods of solving cases had yet to emerge. After such a massive fire, they would not find much.

Of course, that did not mean everything was settled. An overlooked detail could still expose him, which made Link even more eager to improve his strength.

Improving his strength involved two aspects. The first was his basic attributes and various abilities; the other was earning enough money.

The benefits of the former went without saying. As for the latter, if Link became a billionaire now, traveled with bodyguards, rode in bulletproof cars, and lived in a private villa equipped with strict security measures, his safety would also be greatly enhanced.

Even if the matter came to light and the police came knocking, Link could hire elite lawyers to keep himself out of trouble if they lacked evidence. And if the forces behind those people wanted revenge, they would have to think twice. Link could even uproot them completely.

In short, this incident gave Link, who had originally planned to live a more leisurely life, a greater sense of urgency. He intended to draw up a new business plan and move it forward into his college years.

For now, though, Link first needed to register at school.

As everyone knew, American universities generally followed the principle of easy admission and strict graduation, while top private universities were strict in both admission and graduation. The California Institute of Technology was among the strictest of all.

It admitted only around 800 undergraduates each year, yet only a little over 600 earned their bachelor's degrees. On average, around 200 students at the bottom of the rankings were eliminated every year, including many outstanding students from countries around the world.

Graduate and doctoral students faced similarly harsh elimination rates. Few other universities could match the sheer academic burden, demanding pace, and workload here.

The California Institute of Technology did not use either the semester system or the quarter system common in the United States, but something in between.

The fall term began in late September and ran until mid-December. The winter term lasted from January to late March, while the spring term ran from April to mid-June. Summer vacation was the time to rest.

Each student took an average of five courses per term, for a total of fifteen courses across three terms a year. Most students took even more than that.

Although Link had received a full scholarship, that did not mean he could rest easy for the next few years. His grades had to meet certain standards every academic year in order for him to receive the scholarship for the following year.

As early as last year, Link had begun taking some college-level courses at his top private high school, while also studying additional subjects on his own.

As a result, Link had already studied more than half of the core courses he needed to complete during his freshman and sophomore years.

The school also required students to be proficient in a foreign language, which was even easier for Link. Besides Chinese, he had taken French and German as electives over the past two years.

Needless to say, he knew Chinese. With his exceptional intelligence, he could also handle everyday listening, speaking, reading, and writing in French and German without any problem.

Because he had prepared in advance, Link was able to relax a little now.

These days were registration season, and the campus was exceptionally lively. However, the campus itself was not very large, and parking spaces were limited, so they were reserved for faculty and staff. Even ordinary employees could not necessarily apply for one.

Just like in The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon and Howard had once argued over a parking space. That showed just how scarce they truly were.

Therefore, Link could only park his car farther away and walk onto the California Institute of Technology campus.

The overall architectural style of the place did not seem especially noteworthy to Link. He spent over half an hour roughly walking around the campus.

Because he had a full scholarship that waived both tuition and housing fees, Link's registration process was very simple. Much of the paperwork had already been completed beforehand, so all he had to do now was sign a few forms.

After registering, Link went to the dormitory and found his assigned room.

American college dormitories were coed, unlike universities in China, where male and female students lived in separate dorm buildings.

The California Institute of Technology's undergraduate dormitories were standard double rooms. Link took out his key and opened the door, only to find that his roommate had not arrived yet.

The room was fairly spacious, around twenty-five or twenty-six square meters. There were two single beds, with two desks by the window. Between the desks was Storage Space, which was currently completely empty.

Each bed had a built-in wardrobe. The room also had a small bathroom with hot water available around the clock.

These dormitory conditions were much better than those Link had experienced while attending university in China. Of course, the tuition and housing fees were not cheap either.

The dorm was currently empty and bare, with nothing much to see. Link opened his travel bag and put away the books and clothes he had brought.

Since he had driven his own car, Link had brought two large travel bags and had nearly everything he needed. There was not much left to buy at the supermarket, and he quickly organized his side of the room.

Once he was done, Link called home to let Robert and Lisa know he had arrived safely. Then, using the number Peggy had given him before he left, he called her. After a brief conversation, he left the dormitory and headed for the apartment where they were staying.

Linda had ultimately been unwilling to leave Peggy alone. Even though the school had arranged a host family for Peggy, she had decided to stay with her in California until Peggy graduated with her bachelor's degree. The California Institute of Technology had also provided Linda with a job.

The apartment was more than ten minutes' drive from the California Institute of Technology. Link followed the address there, but because he was unfamiliar with the roads, he lost a little time before finding the apartment.

Following the address Peggy had given him, he quickly found the room and knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Just a few seconds later, the door opened. Peggy was the one who answered it. When she saw Link, she immediately came over, took his hand, and said, "Mom, Link is here."

Link followed Peggy inside. The first thing he saw was a living room, with an open kitchen beside it where Linda was busy.

"Hello, Aunt Linda."

"Link, have a seat first. Lunch will be ready soon. Peggy has been saying since yesterday that you should have arrived by now. If you hadn't called today, I think she would have driven me to death with her nagging."

Link smiled. "I was delayed a little on the road and only arrived last night. Since it was already late, I didn't want to disturb you, so I found somewhere to stay. I only came over after registering this morning."

Linda said, "You don't need to be so polite. Even if you arrived late, you could have come here and stayed with us first. Hotels cost quite a bit too."

Link did not respond. Peggy then pulled him around to show him the place. The layout was somewhat similar to the apartment Sheldon and Leonard lived in in The Big Bang Theory.

Perhaps because it had been tidied up, the entire apartment looked very neat. The two bedrooms were each just over ten square meters, and the living room was not large either. Including the kitchen, it was around thirty square meters, making the entire apartment a little over sixty square meters.