Li Xin was looking at Jiang Yu. She was covered in dirt and looked thoroughly worn down, with dark circles beneath her eyes and sweat stains on her face, as if she had spent the whole day working in the fields.
Jiang Yu was looking at Li Xin. He was utterly listless, with dark circles beneath his eyes and a dazed expression, like a senior high school senior or a graduate school entrance exam candidate buried in his books under immense pressure.
This...
Wasn't what they had imagined, was it?
"Why do you look like this?!" they asked each other in unison.
A moment later, Jiang Yu gave a bitter smile. "Studying."
Li Xin's face contorted with misery. "Studying."
Their eyes met, and each saw a tangle of emotions in the other's gaze.
"So you have to study too," Li Xin murmured.
At that moment, his feelings were beyond description. One moment he felt sorry for Jiang Yu, the next he felt sorry for himself, and there was also a strange sense of... satisfaction.
Jiang Yu felt much the same.
She hung her head, her voice weak. "It's not just studying. I have to learn all sorts of things about agriculture."
Li Xin said, "I have to study mathematics, physics, and chemistry. I'm a lousy student in my second year of senior high school, and they want to fast-track me straight to a doctorate."
"Who isn't in the same boat? Those videos and books pile up like mountains."
"Those textbooks come in stack after stack."
"You don't have it as bad as I do. I've got a whole string of teachers. The entire Research Institute is assigned to me, and they're all watching me alone!"
"I have it worse. I've got a Lecturers' Team, and every damn one of them is watching me study! A Lecturers' Team? To a student, they're practically demons."
"I have it worse. Not only do I have to study, I have to farm too. I drive a tractor and a seed drill every day, and I even have to install sprinklers."
"I have it worst. The mathematics, physics, and chemistry material is insanely complicated. Every single symbol could drive you to your grave. I can barely breathe!"
"I have it even worse..."
"I have it even, even worse..."
The two had gone from competing over who was more impressive to competing over who was more miserable, growing more animated with every word.
In the end, they clung to each other and sobbed.
Li Xin said, "Sis, isn't a metal-type ability user supposed to save the world, show off, and put people in their place? How is this even harder than my second year of senior high school before I awakened my ability?"
Jiang Yu said, "Little bro, isn't a storage space supposed to be for stockpiling supplies? At most, I'd grow some fruit and vegetables so I could still live well after the apocalypse. How did it turn into all this misery?"
"Sis!"
"Little bro!"
Tears streamed down both their faces as they cried in unison, "This isn't how the novels go!"
Then, as if something had occurred to him, Li Xin suddenly released Jiang Yu and stared at her, lowering his voice. "Sis, don't you want to fight back?"
Jiang Yu froze, then felt a spark of interest.
She lowered her voice too. "How?"
Li Xin gritted his teeth. "We could-"
Just then, the dorm room door beside them suddenly opened, and both instinctively turned to look.
Sheng An stood there in her pajamas. Her face was as beautiful as ever, but just as sharp and cold, sending a chill down their spines.
As her gaze swept over them, they instinctively straightened like students caught skipping school by the dean.
She took two steps forward and leaned against the half-open door, looking at them with a faint smile. "Still awake? You seem to have plenty of energy. I'll have the teachers turn up the intensity tomorrow."
"Aaah-!"
Both let out a miserable cry, then simultaneously let go of each other and dashed back to their rooms.
Jiang Yu said, "I'm sleepy. I'm going straight to bed."
Li Xin said, "It's plenty intense already. I'm going straight to bed."
Bang! Bang! Two doors slammed.
Their doors were already shut, and not another sound came from inside.
Only then did Sheng An withdraw her gaze, turn around expressionlessly, and close her door.
Inside her room.
The image on her computer was moving; she was clearly in the middle of a video call.
Wan Yuan asked, "Sheng An, what happened?"
Sheng An walked back and replied casually, "Nothing. Two immature brats were up late complaining together. I've sent them back to their rooms."
Wan Yuan grimaced and remarked, "Looks like the Special Affairs Office's aberrants aren't easy to manage."
"They're all right. How are things on your end?" Sheng An asked.
While Jiang Yu and Li Xin had been airing their grievances outside, Sheng An had been on a call with M Country.
She wasn't worried about Team 0, but with Li Wanyun sent out there, she had to check in and ask how things were progressing, and when Li Wanyun and Team 0 could return.
Group A wasn't her responsibility, but Team 0's captain, Qi Lingwu, and Li Wanyun were both members of her group.
At that, Wan Yuan's expression grew complicated. "Li Wanyun's storage space really is huge, and it's incredibly useful. But Sheng An, she's also a real handful!"
Sheng An raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"
Wan Yuan smiled bitterly. "She's incredibly cocky, and her nerve knows no bounds. After arriving, she contacted a 'local guide' and immediately started buying food and supplies, throwing down huge sums of money without even trying to hide it!"
Sheng An wasn't surprised in the slightest. She chuckled. "She's always been like that. That's exactly why I handed her over to you-to cover for her."
If Team 0 hadn't been in M Country, Sheng An would never have let Li Wanyun go.
That girl had no idea that every country was especially wary of "foreigners," particularly M Country, whose relations with their country were strained.
Besides, even without that factor, her blatant spending on huge quantities of supplies would attract attention.
If she went out there alone, she would have absolutely no chance of coming back.
Wan Yuan said, "Sigh, we've been cleaning up after her every day lately. She's nearly drawn unwanted attention several times, and we've dealt with it every time. Even Captain Qi is speechless."
"Well, she does have a storage space," Sheng An said. She had complete confidence in them and continued, "What about the weapons? How far along are you?"
At the mention of that, Wan Yuan perked up and smiled.
"Nearly done. We've already 'sold' her a batch at a 'low price,' probably less than one percent of the total. If we 'sell' her much more, even she would have to notice something, no matter how clueless she is."
In truth, the money Li Wanyun had paid couldn't possibly have bought even one percent of it.
They were taking advantage of her lack of knowledge about weapons.
"But she has 'noticed' us. Captain Qi had someone deliberately provoke her and seriously offend her. That girl really is bold. Lately, she's been buying supplies while keeping us under surveillance. Once she's finished buying, we'll put on a show for her." Wan Yuan chuckled.
Sheng An raised an eyebrow. "What kind of show?"
Wan Yuan said, "A shootout. Then we'll give her a chance to 'swoop in and shop for free.'"
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