The First Order

Translator: Legge

The next day, Ren Xiaosu went to school as usual. Last night, he had been waiting for Qin Sheng and Old Li to come and ask him if he was the one who killed that supernatural being. However, Qin Sheng did not come over.

But actually, it was unnecessary to ask too much. The moment that armor appeared, many questions were answered.

It was as though everyone tacitly understood what had happened. I know that it was you, and I know that you already know…

This was probably what the situation was like.

When Ren Xiaosu walked into Qinghe University, he could hear some students discussing last night’s incident.

Ren Xiaosu approached and listened in on their conversation.

“A big battle had broken out between superhumans in the city last night. Could that be the reason why our school is under lockdown? It looks like something big is really going to unfold in Luoyang City.”

“But Professor Jiang said these matters would not affect the school.”

“On the contrary, I’m paying more attention to that superhuman. I heard he defeated the other superhuman in a one-sided battle and killed his opponent. I wonder where that superhuman came from and which organization he belongs to?”

“Hehe.” A knowledgeable student said, “I’m better informed than you. I know he’s from Fortress 178 as my friend’s cousin told him so. During the war in which the Zong Consortium was destroyed, he single-handedly brought down an entire stronghold. It’s someone who’s on par with the Demon Whisperer and has been placed on the watchlists of all the major organizations.”

When the student said that, a flurry of wows and other exclamations rang out all around him. Ren Xiaosu was overjoyed.

“Is he really that powerful? But why did someone from the Northwest come to Luoyang City?” someone wondered. “I heard he’s still a young man, but I don’t know his actual age.”

The powerful superhuman they were talking about was actually close to their age? He was strong, mysterious, and young. Just these characteristics alone were already enough to attract the yearning of the female students at the school.

“But I don’t think he’s the most powerful person yet,” a male student said.

Ren Xiaosu raised his eyebrows and was about to interrupt. However, the male student continued, “I still think the person who saved Xu Zhi is better, not for any other reason but because he has a maid.”

This male student’s words showed that he was full of disdain at being single. Ren Xiaosu felt better when he heard that. In the end, he was still the one being praised.

When he found the classroom where the first class was held for the day, Ren Xiaosu realized Yang Xiaojin’s classmates were also discussing last night’s incident.

There was simply too little entertainment around these days. This was why the presence of someone like Li Ran was so popular with the people.

Any of the more interesting topics in life could be discussed for extended periods. If one was not up to date with the major incidents that happened in the stronghold while living here, they might as well just stay home.

Basically, the landline phone’s role in a stronghold was simply a channel for people to pass on news from the grapevine most of the time.

Ren Xiaosu thought that if he reunited with Yang Xiaojin, she could come back to school and say to her classmates, “Do you know so and so? He’s the guy I like.” He wondered if the students would be jealous of him or not.

As he was thinking about that, someone next to him said, “Hey, you, what are you snickering about at the door?”

The students in class were still unaware of Ren Xiaosu’s name, and Ren Xiaosu did not intend to tell them either. Therefore, they would just address Ren Xiaosu as “hey, you” when calling out to him.

Ren Xiaosu came back to his senses and found a seat and sat down. A male student beside him asked, “Have you told Zheng Hang about what happened yesterday? We couldn’t get through to him at all. By the way, why did Professor Jiang summon you to his office?”

Ren Xiaosu glanced at him. “Is that any of your business?”

The male student was speechless.

The students next to them looked over. Weren’t they getting along quite fine just yesterday? What was going on? Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?

However, Ren Xiaosu did not explain to them and just waited quietly for class to start.

Yesterday, Jiang Xu told him that Yang Xiaojin’s relationship with her classmates was not good. If that were the case, Ren Xiaosu would definitely not treat them nicely either.

Jiang Xu only held two classes per week. After attending the other teachers’ lectures, Ren Xiaosu found there were two slightly more interesting classes. One of them was Modern History, which recorded some of the events that occurred after The Cataclysm.

For example, it talked about how everyone worked together to establish the Alliance of Strongholds and how they ended up splitting and fighting against each other.

At the end of the lesson, Ren Xiaosu was about to head to the cafeteria for lunch as usual. In fact, the food at this university was really cheap. Apparently, this was because of the Qinghe Group’s subsidies.

If Qinghe University were not under lockdown right now, Ren Xiaosu would have liked to have taken Zhou Yingxue, Wang Yuchi, and the others here to eat as well.

But just as the students were about to rush out of the classroom, Jiang Xu suddenly appeared outside the door. He smiled and waved at Ren Xiaosu. The entire class was shocked as everyone knew Jiang Xu’s habits. If Jiang Xu did not have any classes for the day, he would definitely not come to school. After all, he was only a visiting professor and there was a lot of work to handle at Hope Media.

Everyone looked at Ren Xiaosu. What could have made Jiang Xu so concerned about a student?

Ren Xiaosu walked out of the classroom. “What are you doing here? I don’t think you have any classes today, right?”

“Yeah, whatever!” Jiang Xu cut him off. “I’ll treat you to a meal at the staff cafeteria. Wanna come?”

“Sure!” Then Ren Xiaosu followed Jiang Xu out.

Many of the students were utterly confused. A female student said, “Did Professor Jiang just say he was taking him out for lunch? It’s obvious that their relationship isn’t typical.”

…

While they were walking to the staff cafeteria, Jiang Xu asked, “You were the one who killed that superhuman last night, right?”

“Mhm.” Ren Xiaosu felt there was no reason for him to deny it.

Jiang Xu said with a smile, “A weak and frail-looking scholar like Zhang Jinglin actually chose to entrust Fortress 178 to a superhuman. It looks like he also thinks the world is starting to get dangerous. I heard you destroyed a Zong Consortium stronghold by yourself?”

“I’m really not that great at fighting. Luck still played a major role in the outcome. Mr. Zhang chose me…” Ren Xiaosu said modestly, “… probably because I’m wiser and smarter than most people.”

Jiang Xu was speechless for some time. He changed the subject and asked, “What exactly is that steel armor you were wearing yesterday? I think none of the consortiums have developed something like that yet, right?”

“They’re nanomachines from the Li Consortium and the Yang Consortium,” Ren Xiaosu explained as they walked along the secluded path. Seeing that no one was around, Ren Xiaosu stretched out his hand. Jiang Xu saw with his own eyes how the nanomachines turned into a steel-like armor around Ren Xiaosu’s hand like an illusion..

He asked in surprise, “Are these nanomachines inside your body?”

“Yes.” Ren Xiaosu nodded. “They depend on a bioenergy source to charge up. They can also temporarily take the place of bone and muscle in case of injury. They’re connected to the human body’s neurons and controlling them is like controlling your own fingers. Say, if you connect them to your neurons, getting your broken bones repaired will definitely not be a problem.”

Ren Xiaosu said this because he felt it was a great pity for someone like Jiang Xu to walk with a limp.