Diary

"August 2, 1735. Today was my first day at the Training Center."

"The cafeteria served a lavish spread, and we could eat as much as we wanted!"

"After the meal, I met Senior Wen. We had so much in common."

"My classmates were very friendly to me. Whether at meals or in class, they never fought me for a seat."

"This morning, I attended the first alchemy class of my life and learned a great deal."

"After class, I went to the library. I was a little disappointed and decided to spend more time on tutoring."

"August 3. Today was my second day at the Training Center."

"I had another terrible night's sleep. I couldn't remember dreaming last night, but it felt as though someone had been telling horror stories in my ear."

"Today's lesson was Basic Combat. I did terribly. My body was as stiff as a wooden puppet."

"After class, I put in some extra practice on my own and almost had to crawl to the library afterward."

"August 4. I still didn't sleep very well last night."

"No one was telling horror stories, but someone was belting out songs."

"I suspected Room 305 had bad feng shui, so I changed the position of the head of my bed."

"We were supposed to have Gourmet Appreciation Class today, but it was suddenly canceled for some reason."

"I discovered a little secret: Gourmet Appreciation Class was actually the most popular subject."

"All the Basic Class students were present. There were 235 of us in total."

"August 5. My secret feng shui technique failed. No one was singing last night, but someone was reading the news."

"Unfortunately, the Training Center had cut off contact with the outside world. Otherwise, I could have checked whether what I heard in my dreams was a hallucination."

"I attended another of Teacher Lu's lessons today. Though all my classmates were fast asleep, I felt I learned a great deal."

"The fourth law of life alchemy: [All life fluctuates]."

"August 6. My sleep was getting worse and worse."

"I had to accept reality. My poor sleep had nothing to do with feng shui. The Blood-Red Antenna was probably behind it."

"It was making me receive all kinds of information indiscriminately, especially when I slept."

"We had combat class again today. My performance was exactly the same as last time."

"August 7. My condition was getting worse and worse. I even had dark circles under my eyes."

"Senior Wen noticed something was wrong and advised me not to push myself so hard with my studies."

"Gourmet Appreciation Class was canceled again today."

"I only felt a little disappointed, but my classmates were visibly getting worked up."

"August 8. The dark circles got even darker."

"But in my sleep, I heard that gentle female voice again."

"My mood bounced back from rock bottom because of it, but Old Lu actually missed class."

"August 9. I was certain now."

"My worsening sleep was a side effect of the Blood-Red Antenna!"

"When I was awake, my body instinctively suppressed the Blood-Red Antenna, or rather, restricted it."

"Under those restraints, the Blood-Red Antenna could only detect life fluctuations, and it mainly worked within my body."

"But when I fell asleep, my body's suppression weakened. The Blood-Red Antenna could not only detect the fluctuations of cells within my body, but also receive electromagnetic waves traveling through the surrounding space."

"I discovered this secret because I noticed people in the nearby dorm rooms secretly listening to radios."

"August 10. After careful observation, I finally identified the three guys hiding radios."

"I now had two ways to improve my sleep."

"First, I could apply to change dorm rooms and get away from the sources of interference."

"Second, I could report them and make them pay."

"But both methods would only treat the symptoms, not the cause."

"Gourmet Appreciation Class was canceled yet again today. I finally realized something was wrong."

"Many of my classmates, who normally ate as though they were swallowing medicine, actually began drooling uncontrollably."

"The sight reminded me of a conditioned reflex."

"August 11. I decided to take a third path and find my own way to bring the Blood-Red Antenna under control."

"I gathered materials and made myself a helmet that blocked electromagnetic signals."

"August 12. I failed!"

"My head wasn't the key. I wanted to try sealing every pore on my body, but I was afraid I would suffocate."

"August 13. Another day of failure."

"August 14. I felt the food was getting less and less palatable!"

"August 15. I finally finished teaching myself the entire secondary school curriculum. The speed of my learning stunned Old Wang, the librarian."

"August 16. I ran into Old Lu at the library."

"He had probably heard about my diligent studying and thought highly of me."

"August 17, August 18, ... August 25. I ran into Old Lu at the library for nine days straight."

"I believed this was definitely no coincidence. Old Lu was secretly observing me."

"I asked Senior Wen about Old Lu and learned that he was a man with a story."

"I suspected Old Lu had taken an interest in me!"

"August 26. Another day of running into Old Lu."

"The food kept getting worse."

"But whenever I saw my classmates having an even harder time swallowing it than I was, my appetite suddenly improved."

"For some reason, Gourmet Appreciation Class hadn't been held even once since I enrolled."

"Whenever that time slot came around, my classmates' eyes practically glowed green."

"August 27. I didn't run into Old Lu."

"I was already in a bad mood, and then Senior Wen told me someone was asking about me. That made my mood even worse."

"I suspected it was the Wutu Gang. They had finally remembered me."

"August 28. Today was a good day. Old Lu actually struck up a conversation with me."

"August 29. With me-"

"Old Lu and I were growing closer, and he was increasingly pleased with my intelligence and diligence."

"August 30. The true agenda came to light."

"With utmost solemnity, Old Lu posed a question to me: [What is the origin of life? Why did life come into being?]."

"I instinctively realized this was a test that would determine my fate."

"I scoured all the knowledge from my previous life and gave what I thought was a perfect answer."

"[Lightning. Life originated in lightning]."

"Old Lu called me a heretic and stormed off in a huff. He never spoke to me again."

"Ah, good fortune lurks within misfortune!"

"I never expected that just as my connection with Old Lu ended, Gourmet Appreciation Class would resume."

"I wondered what magic this class possessed to make every student drool."

On August 31, warm sunlight fell on Lu Zhan's face.

Although he had still slept poorly the night before, the human body had a remarkable ability to adapt.

Lu Zhan had grown used to people disturbing him in his sleep. Even those noises had begun to form fragments of dreams.

Today, he would finally get to experience the gourmet class that all the students had been dreaming of day and night.