"Why haven't you replied to my messages these past two days?"

In the classroom, Wang Congshan looked at Li Ang with a touch of resentment. "Do you know how badly my ranking dropped yesterday? Are you secretly supporting someone else?"

"Girl, you've been playing too much King's Glory."

Li Ang, still sprawled on his desk, answered lazily without lifting his head, "Didn't I tell you? I've been busy with academic research these past two days."

"What research?"

Wang Congshan retorted, her eyes glinting sarcastically, "Getting dissected and studied by a mental hospital?"

"I'm always the one chasing doctors, hehehe. The doctor who could catch up to me hasn't even been born yet."

Li Ang added casually, eyes still closed, "Lately, I've been pondering some very important philosophical questions."

Wang Congshan also leaned onto her desk, resting her head on her arm. "Like what?"

Li Ang said offhandedly, "Like, what's the difference between a black zebra with white stripes and a white zebra with black stripes; how a centaur should wear suspenders; how a Tyrant Dragon with such short arms manages to use the toilet; and how a bald Saiyan lets readers know he has transformed."

"So, have you reached any conclusions?"

Li Ang drawled, "Absolutely~ nooone~"

Since Li Ang often disappeared on weekends, Wang Congshan just assumed he was off doing something foolish again and didn't dwell on it.

As the bell for class rang, the homeroom teacher, Tang Hanyi, walked in.

Li Ang, who had been sprawled on his desk, wriggled like a maggot before straightening up. Led by class president Wang Congshan, he and his classmates bowed. "Good morning, teacher~"

"Good morning, students. Please be seated."

Tang Hanyi nodded. Instead of rushing to open her lesson plan, she spoke with a serious tone, "The school has issued a notice. This afternoon, the first, second, and third periods will be replaced by a school-wide educational lecture. The fourth period will still be PE, and evening self-study will continue as usual. Tomorrow morning, the first and second periods will be replaced by physical examinations."

Hmm?

Li Ang listened to the whispers of his classmates and raised an eyebrow.

Usually, these safety education lectures were announced in advance; they didn't spring them on you like this. Besides, all schools in Yin City, big and small, had just undergone physicals two months ago. Why another one so soon?

With suspicions lingering, the morning classes concluded. After the lunch break, the audiovisual committee members in each class turned on the TVs to watch the safety education lecture.

Unlike previous educational lectures, this one covered not only legal education, patriotic education, and national defense and military education, but also fire safety, war preparedness, and even nuclear war safety.

Towards the end, several stern-faced, robust men with an obvious military bearing appeared on TV. They gave a direct yet veiled explanation of how residents should maintain order and evacuate safely under the guidance of relevant authorities in the event of a nuclear war.

High school students these days weren't naive. The proliferation of mobile information terminals had greatly expanded their access to information. Even without paying close attention, they could see signs of monumental changes emerging in daily life.

The "PE classes" evolving towards militarized training, the increasing frequency of nationwide physicals, the tightening restrictions on foreign entry, and safety education covering war, even nuclear war... All these factors pointed to one truth: a storm was brewing.

When the three periods of educational lectures concluded, the young students in the classroom exchanged uncertain glances and whispered among themselves, their faces a mixture of apprehension and uneasy excitement.

After the TV was turned off, Tang Hanyi walked to the podium, holding a stack of papers, and had the students in the front row pass them back.

The document's content was simple: all major secondary schools in Yin City, including the Experimental High School, would introduce a new history education course. This course would last for several months. Its main purpose was to reacquaint students with the massive Third Front Construction project and to instill in them the "spirit of battling heaven and earth" associated with the Third Front.

That was the official line. However, according to subtle hints in the document, all students, from middle school through university, would, over the next few months, study the history of human technological development. They would also learn how to improvise and build basic agriculture and industry from scratch in harsh environments.

The other students didn't seem to find anything amiss, but Li Ang felt a prickling on his scalp.

This is clearly preparation for rebuilding civilization! What is the Special Affairs Bureau thinking?! Has the situation really deteriorated to this extent?

Li Ang let out a slow breath, forcing himself to calm down.

The gap in intelligence gathering capabilities between him and the Special Affairs Bureau was immense. It was difficult for him to ascertain if the Bureau had received some specific intel. However, looking on the bright side, perhaps this was merely a precautionary measure against natural disasters and man-made calamities. It might not even be necessary for Li Ang's generation to rebuild civilization in the future.

With a somewhat heavy heart, Li Ang got through the rest of the school day. Upon returning home, he immediately turned on his computer and started searching for news.

The Yin City civil air defense reconstruction project had officially launched.

Hundreds of billions in industrial support funds were officially established, covering fields such as materials, information, biology, energy, environment, and marine sciences, aiming to cultivate an oversupply of specialized technical talent at any cost.

Fourth-generation ID cards might incorporate implanted chip technology.

The United States' Gen-Sys Biotech Company had developed a new plastic material. It combined the advantages of polymethyl methacrylate, polycarbonate sheets, and fluoroplastics, resulting in a product that was lightweight, durable, inexpensive, and reliable. It possessed excellent radiation and impact resistance, with mechanical properties comparable to alloys.

The United States announced plans to use Atlanta and Detroit as pilot cities over the next five years. They would construct several colossal buildings using this new plastic material, each a kilometer in length, width, and height, serving as templates for future cities.

Changes are happening all around the world...

Li Ang leaned back in his chair, hands cushioning his head, and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling.

In places unseen by him, players worldwide were struggling desperately. Conglomerates and government agencies alike were actively studying, researching, and utilizing the various "special products" players brought back from the scenario worlds.

He wasn't the center of the world.

"The whole world is progressing... This feeling isn't actually bad at all," Li Ang mused, standing up from his chair and glancing at the time.

Over twenty-four hours had passed; the Forging Furnace should have finished crafting that piece of equipment by now.

Li Ang walked into the side bedroom, took the Magic Box down from the shelf, and pressed the button to activate the Alchemy Workshop. To support our work, please read on *.

Inside the workshop, the steampunk-style Forging Furnace had stopped vibrating. A metal drawer extended from beneath its trapezoidal funnel. Within the drawer lay a plain, black Short Dagger.

[Name: Virulent Poison]

[Type: Weapon]

[Quality: Rare]

[Attack Power: Medium]

[Special Effect: Unknown Toxin. When the blade injures a biological target, it can infect the organism with a currently known human virus through exposed mucous membranes and all bodily fluids. The virus type is random, refreshes every minute, and can stack on the same host.]

[Equipment Requirement: Agility Attribute of at least 6]

[Note: Do you have the courage to bear the price of wielding her?]