CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: SEEING THE PERIODIC TABLE AT THE START OF SCHOOL

So there are abilities that surpass Sequences, huh? Alright, the Observer keeps bragging all day; turns out he’s just small fry too.

"Brother Luo, are you okay?" Zhou Kai asked with some concern, while Gu Fangyi also gave him the same look. However, seeing that Lu Luo’s complexion had returned to normal, he didn’t ask.

Lu Luo waved them off and looked up at the high wall at a 45-degree angle.

"Nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking about going to school tomorrow. You’re aware of what I look like. When those wolf-like senior girls swarm me, I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it. I’m considering whether to buy the Imperial Pill from Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals—it’s quite expensive, and just the thought of it gives me a headache."

"Get lost!"

"Scram!"

「...」

「The next morning」

Lu Yu was banging forcefully on Lu Luo’s door.

"Lu Luo, get up; let’s go sign in together! We’re going to be late if we don’t hurry!"

"I’m coming, I’m coming! What’s the rush?"

After grabbing a very coarse grain bar, Lu Luo went downstairs with Lu Yu. Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai were already waiting for him below his apartment, which took Lu Yu by surprise.

From her impression, Lu Luo was always a gloomy person who didn’t like to make friends. Why did it seem like he had changed so much lately? What the heck had happened to him?

"Brother Luo, who is this?" Zhou Kai initiated the greeting.

"Lu Yu, my sister."

"Oh, it’s your sister! That’s great."

Hearing that Lu Yu was Lu Luo’s sister, Zhou Kai smiled like a blooming trumpet flower, and even Gu Fangyi took a few extra glances at her. Lu Yu was very youthful and pretty, and her attire was quite bold, truly eye-catching on the street.

"Alright, let’s go together; we’re pressed for time."

"Uh..." Zhou Kai lifted his hand, intending to say something to Lu Yu, but the other three were already walking away.

「...」

Taking the train in East Ring, the four of them quickly arrived at the entrance of East Ring University. After a series of strict checks, everyone pulled out their Alliance ID cards. Only after fingerprinting, blood tests, pupil scans, and detailed personal background checks were they allowed to enter the school.

"Such a hassle!" Zhou Kai couldn’t help but complain.

"Indeed, it’s a hassle," Lu Luo nodded in agreement. Even in my previous life, a smartphone and an ID card were enough to travel everywhere; there was no need for such complications.

Lu Yu then provided the explanation. "Haven’t you guys ever taken a history class? Before the Smart Machine Crisis, humans had already developed devices like one-card systems and DNA checks, making life very convenient. But after the Smart Machine Crisis, such things were no longer allowed to be manufactured. So now, people can only use more rigid recording and verification methods. It’s mainly to prevent overly intelligent devices from being corrupted by Dark Energy, which could lead to the creation of intelligent species, like Noah once was."

"Noah!"

[Noah, an Eighth Order intelligent species, completely disappeared in the year 381 of the Wasteland Era, having been missing for 19 years now.]

The name Noah existed in my memory. He was known as the source of calamity for intelligent species. It was said he was an abandoned AI brain from beyond the wall that, after being invaded by Dark Energy and merging with some kind of ghostly entity, became a formidable Exotic Species. Whether Noah had really disappeared or died, no one knew. But I knew that trouble was about to arrive.

They hadn’t walked much further when several second-year senior girls from Alliance University had already surrounded him.

"Junior, are you new to the school? What’s your name?"

"Can I help you carry your bag?"

"Junior, I won’t carry your things for you. If you don’t know the way, just hold my hand. I’ll lead you."

Listening to the increasingly bold and explicit conversation, even Lu Luo, who was battle-hardened, broke into a sweat. In my previous life, it wasn’t as though women were unattainably superior. But most of the time, women held a relatively higher status in romantic relationships, which was why phenomena like simps desperately fawning over them and manipulative ’green tea’ types easily taking control occurred. As a man who had lived through that era of what some called ’radical feminism’ in my previous life, when had I ever witnessed such a spectacle? It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand these women’s thoughts. Consider my previous life: men outnumbered women by only 3%, yet that still resulted in a large group of desperate men. In the Wasteland, women outnumber men by over 30%; the scarcity of men is self-evident. Especially a man like me, with handsome features—I represent the optimal choice for most ordinary women.

"Ah, no need. Thank you, Senior Sisters," Lu Luo politely declined each woman’s offer. Unlike him, Zhou Kai and Gu Fangyi accepted the senior girls’ help as a matter of course.

"Sheesh, it turns out Brother Luo is just a king of lip service," Zhou Kai muttered, while Gu Fangyi nodded in agreement.

"Wow, Lu Luo has finally done something human," was Lu Yu’s opinion.

The four of them finally made their way through the crowd and arrived inside East Ring University.

Returning to campus again, I always felt different. It was said that East Ring University had been around for over 100 years, making it a historic institution. Walking through the bustling corridors of this ancient campus, I could almost feel the century’s cultural accumulation—weighty, wise, profound. Even in the Wasteland Era, knowledge remained a treasured entity for all; it was a reason to strive for because it was one of the few things that could break down class barriers.

[Don’t entertain such thoughts. A Fourth Ring university is just a hotbed for campus violence, a gathering place for tough guys from behind the high walls, a hunting ground for Hunters, and a nightmare for weaklings.]

Those evaluations were certainly accurate.

"Lu Yu, we should say our goodbyes for now; we’re off to the dormitories," Lu Luo said.

"Yeah, go on. Don’t cause trouble in college; you’re not strong enough. There are plenty of people here you can’t afford to provoke. Otherwise, our big brother will have to clean up your mess again," Lu Yu replied bluntly, making Lu Luo feel quite embarrassed.

"Don’t worry, Brother Luo. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that," Zhou Kai said loudly.

「...」

The three of them headed to their respective dormitories, following the directions on their student ID cards.

Lu Luo’s dormitory number was 1-Year 6. When he arrived, he realized it was nothing like the college dormitories he had imagined.

What the hell, this is a giant bunkhouse!

Lu Luo was shocked. Even in my previous life, when university conditions were at their worst, a dormitory only housed eight people at most. But this dormitory... it probably had over 40 beds in a single row, and there were six such rows! My God! Is this a concentration camp? All the beds were bunk beds but only housed one person; you could store belongings on the top bunk and sleep on the bottom, or vice versa. Supposedly, it was a free choice.

Heh, "free" indeed.

Lu Luo, carrying his luggage, made his way further into the dormitory. As he passed an occupied bed, a pungent miasma—a mix of sourness and decay—assaulted his nostrils. It was as if ten-year-old pickled cowpeas had been dumped into stinky tofu mixed with sewage, thoroughly stirred, and then wafted right under my nose. Truly, horrifying beyond belief.

[Oh my god, my good heavens, my Lord and the Holy Light! If this man takes off his shoes, you’d find the entire periodic table in there!]

This scene finally made me realize just how excellent the apartment Lu Yang had arranged for us was.

"Outrageous!"