CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: TERRIBLE CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT

Lu Luo held his breath and continued to walk forward. His dormitory number was 6-6-20, which meant he was in dormitory number 6, in the middle position of the sixth row.

After finding his bed, Lu Luo breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about how he had to live here for the next two years, he suddenly felt a wave of desolation.

"This kind of life is a bit too cruel!"

As Lu Luo was arranging his things, a guy from bed number 19 suddenly came over, reeking of alcohol, and belched a garlic-scented burp right in Lu Luo’s face.

"Bro, got a smoke? I’m out and could use a few," the man said. He then reached out to grab Lu Luo’s clothes, but Lu Luo easily dodged and pushed him back with a single finger against his forehead.

"Sorry, I don’t smoke."

After being pushed away, the drunkard sized Lu Luo up. Seemingly realizing that Lu Luo, who could repel him with a single finger, wasn’t easy to deal with, he suddenly became apologetic.

"My apologies, I drank too much and couldn’t hold my tongue. HEH HEH! My name is Quan Pu, from the Physics Department. We’ll be roommates for the next two years."

"Biology Department, Lu Luo."

The anger just now wasn’t pretense. He actually managed to suppress his own rage, which is rare for an alcoholic. However, there’s also another possibility—everything he’s done could be for a clear purpose: to test you.

Actually, Lu Luo was also surprised. The guy reeking of alcohol in front of him didn’t seem like the rational type; his backing down had been too decisive.

If it was a test, then it made sense.

It seemed that even though the environment at East Ring Alliance University was lacking, a university was still a university, and it was home to many remarkable people. After all, in the populous Fourth Ring, there were only four universities.

After arranging all his things neatly, Lu Luo sat on his bed, thinking about what he should do next.

Earning money, studies, and cultivation—all three were important. He definitely needed to expand and strengthen the Circular Agency to help him accumulate resources.

He couldn’t neglect his studies either, since his knowledge base was related to the Observer’s abilities. Acquiring knowledge would be beneficial for his future battles and reconnaissance.

So, he must prioritize his studies as well, especially the acquisition of various kinds of intelligence.

Last was cultivation. He possessed the Devourer’s tentacles. However, such a large communal dormitory was not a place where he could cultivate, not even at night, because there would always be someone going to the toilet or staying awake.

"If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll just have to sneak out at night."

After organizing his belongings, Lu Luo and the other two gathered in the open space in front of Dormitory Building 1, their prearranged meeting spot.

It wasn’t until they met that Lu Luo noticed Gu Fangyi already had injuries on his face.

After a brief thought, Lu Luo wasn’t surprised. While Gu Fangyi had a good attitude towards him, he knew Gu Fangyi was incredibly proud by nature.

He was only good to people he respected or considered friends.

To others, Gu Fangyi was gloomy, difficult to communicate with, and very arrogant. In this type of communal living environment, such a person was most likely to clash with others.

Zhou Kai, on the other hand, was all smiles, suggesting he was getting along well in his dormitory. But his expression turned serious the moment he saw Gu Fangyi.

"Brother Gu, how did you get hurt?" Zhou Kai asked.

"Did you win?" Lu Luo asked.

Both questions were simple, yet it was clear Gu Fangyi preferred Lu Luo’s way of asking.

"Yes, I won."

UH-OH! Little Gu has met a tough opponent—his injuries aren’t as minor as he’s letting on. His previous wounds hadn’t fully healed, and they were torn open again in this recent fight.

"How many?"

"Three!"

Lu Luo frowned slightly; this number was much lower than he had expected.

Although Gu Fangyi was not as strong as him, two successive life-or-death battles had led to a drastic improvement in his strength.

Hawk Eye was not only a powerful long-range Sequence but also excellent in close combat. Lu Luo believed Gu Fangyi could take on ten ordinary people.

But now, only three opponents had managed to heavily injure Gu Fangyi. This corroborated Lu Luo’s earlier thought that this place concealed many skilled individuals.

"They’re pretty tough!" Lu Luo remarked.

"Why would you say that, Bro Luo? Are you looking down on Brother Gu? Three against one, and they still didn’t manage to beat him! Each one of them is trash!"

Zhou Kai spoke with great bravado, as if he had been the one who took on three opponents.

Lu Luo glanced at Zhou Kai and nonchalantly commented, "I think if three of *you* ganged up on him, Gu Fangyi probably wouldn’t get hurt at all."

Zhou Kai stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.

"Bro Luo, how could you say that? I’m really strong too, okay?"

Before he could finish, Gu Fangyi twisted the knife, adding for Lu Luo’s benefit, "If it were him, it’s not ’probably’; he *definitely* wouldn’t get hurt."

Perfect. That was the ultimate put-down.

"What do you mean? Are you saying I don’t even measure up to trash? Have you forgotten I’ve bled with you guys too?" Zhou Kai fumed. "Forget it! A straightforward guy like me isn’t playing with you anymore. I’m going to get familiar with the campus environment for future development!"

With that, Zhou Kai turned and left, leaving Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi alone.

After Zhou Kai departed, Lu Luo supported the somewhat unsteady Gu Fangyi. They stood so close it might have given rise to strange thoughts.

"You really know how to put up a strong front. But for three people to injure you this badly is quite something. Need help?"

Gu Fangyi let Lu Luo help him to a nearby rock, then waved his hand. "I thought you wouldn’t ask such a question."

"Hmph, have you forgotten? We’re partners now. You’re not alone anymore."

"No need. They’re hurt worse than I am."

"I’ll take you to the infirmary."

Gu Fangyi refused. "I’ll go to the infirmary myself. You should take a walk around too. Although it’s unlikely to be dangerous on campus, it’s still an unfamiliar environment. It’s good to get acquainted."

Sure enough, Little Gu only speaks in such long sentences with you.

"Alright." Lu Luo didn’t insist. Not wanting to waste time, he left immediately to familiarize himself with the campus.

All three were sponsored students from the Wasteland Orphanage, elites who had stood out from numerous other orphans.

Even Zhou Kai, with his two Sequences, was considered an elite among most people and naturally understood the importance of familiarizing himself with his surroundings.

Besides, even if Lu Luo himself didn’t remember the environment after scouting it once, the Observer would help him retain the information.

Lu Luo first went to the cafeteria. It was quite empty at this hour. He glanced at the server dozing off and casually bought a disgusting-tasting cereal bar. Why emphasize ’disgusting-tasting’? Well...

Because, in all his time in this world, Lu Luo had assumed all cereal bars tasted the same. It wasn’t until he bought this campus cereal bar that he realized they could be this horrible.

Sour and gooey. If Lu Luo hadn’t never actually eaten shit, he would have used that word to describe this stuff.

Leaving the cafeteria, Lu Luo then visited the library. Though it was a campus library, reading there, unbelievably, cost money.

Ten Alliance Currency a month, supposedly to prevent ’low-quality students’ from damaging the books. But in a wretched place like the Fourth Ring, charging a fee was somewhat understandable.

After leaving the library, Lu Luo wandered around the academic buildings. Quite a few freshmen, like himself, were also exploring. Along the way, girls hit on him twice.

After touring the academic buildings, Lu Luo had a basic understanding of East Ring University’s main structures. Leaning against a railing, chin in hand, he let out an incredibly punchable exclamation, "Ah, constantly being hit on is also a hassle! This damned, irrepressible charm of mine!"

"Oh! Quite full of yourself, aren’t you? Student Lu Luo, you’ve just entered the campus and already have such profound insights?"

A woman’s voice came from behind.