Chapter 30: The Eccentric Roommate

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Bunker Year 2061, July 17.

As the epidemic gradually came under control, the passageways from the lower levels began to reopen.

Some of the new students at Three Towers Academy were once again given the chance to return to the school.

On July 18, they would attend their first class.

By July 17, the student dormitories were more or less fully occupied.

People from every level and every corner had begun introducing themselves to their roommates.

Although Three Towers Academy managed its students according to a class system, the students would need to form teams for their simulated examinations, so each class was further divided into numerous groups.

The members of a team were not necessarily roommates, but during one’s student years, friendships with roommates tended to develop the fastest.

Most people were also more willing to place their trust in their roommates and form teams with them.

Thus, getting along well with one’s roommates was extremely important.

Many people had already arrived at the dormitories before July 17.

Yue Yun had assumed he would be the earliest to arrive.

Ever since witnessing the same-aged genius Wen Xishu single-handedly transport a Level Six facility and change the fate of countless people, all his pride had vanished. He had sworn to push himself to the limit and become the most dazzling new student at Luta Academy.

So he had arrived at the dormitory early, intending to familiarize himself with the academy.

But Yue Yun had not expected that he would not be the first to arrive.

“My name is Wen Xun. I’m a new student at Luta Academy. We’ll be roommates from now on.”

Wen Xishu had been assigned to Luta Academy by Albert.

In practical simulation classes, Wen Xishu would undergo various forms of physical training and learn all kinds of combat techniques.

Albert had always believed that the meaning of Luta lay in more than simply killing enemies in a virtual world.

Therefore, he believed Luta was no less important than Guita.

Still, Wen Xishu was not entirely disconnected from Yuta, either. He could choose to attend lectures at Yuta Academy as an auditor.

In short, Wen Xishu’s specialization was in Guita, his academic track was Luta, and his usual electives were in Yuta.

Yes, he was one of the few students studying all three disciplines.

But back to the matter at hand: Wen Xishu had been the first to arrive at the dormitory.

Several days earlier, when the epidemic in the lower levels had yet to ease and the upward passages remained sealed, Albert had already brought him to the academy dormitories.

Naturally, Yue Yun could not have arrived earlier than Wen Xishu.

Yue Yun was the sort of genius who did not look especially tall or muscular. From a distance, he even seemed somewhat… frail.

But once one drew closer, there was no mistaking it: every person would feel that this boy knew how to fight.

At first sight, Wen Xishu had thought of the lean, muscular Bruce Lee, the late martial-arts superstar of the world in his previous life.

Yue Yun was rather aloof. After hearing Wen Xishu introduce himself, his first reaction was not to give his own name, but to ask:

“Wen Xun? Which Wen? The Wen in Wen Xishu?”

After the incident of floating comments in front of Albert, Wen Xishu had gained much greater control over his emotions.

So when he suddenly heard a new student say his name—and say it to his face—his first thought was:

This is trouble. Could he be some noble who has a grudge against the Wen family, giving me a hellish start by assigning him as my roommate?

The enemy at the Honnoji Temple? An old foe hiding right under my roof?

It ought to have been shocking, but Wen Xishu calmly replied:

“The Wen in culture, and the Xun in seeking.”

His expression was perfectly natural.

He had to admit that after coming to this absurd world, his ability to manage his emotions had improved yet another step.

Sooner or later, he might even cultivate a truly eternal poker face.

Yue Yun noticed nothing unusual. He merely looked a little disappointed before saying coldly:

“My name is Yue Yun. I hope we can look after each other.”

Yue Yun began putting away his luggage, while the tiny ripples in Wen Xishu’s heart gradually settled.

Ah, don’t look so disappointed. We may not share the same surname, but I have heard of Wen Xishu.

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Wen Xishu still decided to draw a little more information out of him.

“You’re looking into Wen Xishu, too?”

Yue Yun’s brows drew together slightly. To Wen Xishu, he looked just like one of those bitter, vengeance-driven protagonists from early fantasy novels.

“Too? Who else is looking into Wen Xishu?” Yue Yun asked coldly.

“No one. I just thought there might be others who wanted to know more about him,” Wen Xishu said with a smile.

His smile was the sort that could even soothe Gui-Jennifer.

Yue Yun seemed to sense Wen Xishu’s friendliness. He gently pressed his index finger against the side of his nose and said in a particularly profound tone:

“He is mine.”

Wen Xishu had not expected to be caught off guard so quickly. He had thought that after all his efforts at emotional control, hearing the other man mention him would not provoke any particular reaction.

Yet those words—He is mine—caused his expression to break. The muscles in his face twitched slightly.

Fortunately, no floating comments appeared.

Seeing Wen Xishu looking at him as though he were some kind of little pervert, Yue Yun realized that his words had been ambiguous. He turned away and continued in the same cold, solemn tone:

“He is my target. I will surpass him. There is a vast gulf between us right now, but thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west.”

At last, Wen Xishu understood, and he could not help laughing aloud.

“What are you laughing at?” Yue Yun asked sharply.

“I thought of something amusing.” Wen Xishu was completely at ease now.

So he was not an enemy after all. He was a devoted fan.

Wen Xishu knew why he had fans. His supplies and facilities had earned him quite a reputation.

He decided to nickname Yue Yun the King of Swagger.

The boy had the air of a born show-off king: that bitter, grave expression, that piercing gaze, that icy tone.

“You’re mocking me. You think I’m indulging in wild fantasies?” Yue Yun frowned slightly.

Heaven knew Wen Xishu did not consider surpassing him to be any great achievement.

After all, he had entered the academy through connections, and he was still far behind those who had been admitted on the strength of their abilities.

“How could I? I just think having a roommate like you will give me plenty of motivation.”

Yue Yun nodded slowly.

“Keep working hard. Let’s strive together and become people like him as soon as possible.”

To be honest, Yue Yun’s earnest determination to surpass him made Wen Xishu feel rather awkward.

If, after the midterm examination, Yue Yun discovered that the person he had been trying to catch up with was his own roommate… would he suffer a complete collapse of faith?

Wen Xishu did not dwell on it, because their next roommate arrived.

He had thought the King of Swagger was already the ultimate example of an eccentric roommate, but he had still underestimated the caliber of Three Towers Academy.

If even the principal was this unhinged, how could the students recruited by the admissions office be normal?

Where there was a hidden dragon, there was bound to be a young phoenix.

“Yo, yo! Follow my rhythm, we’ll fight side by side! You shout six from behind while I put on a show up front!”

“Hey! Hey! My name is Nissen, and my big spear goes in deep! This year at Luta Academy, I’m sure to get a perfect score!”

A rap so painfully embarrassing that it made Wen Xishu’s hair stand on end came from the mouth of a Black man.

It had a certain rhythm, but the lyrics were truly mortifying.

Nissen.

Wen Xishu’s second roommate was a towering figure. Compared with Yue Yun’s lean build, Nissen was enormous. Wen Xishu estimated that he stood around two meters tall.

Yue Yun was cold, while Nissen was excessively enthusiastic. The moment he pushed open the door, he began swaying his body and singing the embarrassing lyrics above.

He looked like a black chimpanzee.

Nissen slapped hands with Wen Xishu in an exaggeratedly rap-like manner, and Wen Xishu returned the gesture.

It was more or less like those scenes in movies from his previous life: the two men’s palms met, then their hands shifted through a rapid series of gestures.

Yue Yun, meanwhile, watched Nissen’s frantic, painfully awkward performance with a cold expression.

“Yo, bro! We’re roommates now! Shake it with me!” Nissen paid no attention at all to Yue Yun’s attitude.

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He was genuinely exuberant. He kept making beatbox sounds, spraying flecks of saliva everywhere.

Yue Yun frowned, but he was more or less used to it and could not say he disliked Nissen. There were plenty of young Black men like him in the lower levels.

Wen Xishu thought for a moment, then decided to greet him.

“My name is Wen Xun, and this is Yue Yun. Also… you don’t have to force a rhyme into every sentence. He’d probably be more willing to talk with you normally.”

He sensed that Yue Yun did not particularly like Nissen and seemed to have no intention of giving his own name.

Unexpectedly, Yue Yun asked:

“Were you recruited after getting perfect scores in every subject?”

Nissen waved both hands.

“Yeah! My cultural studies score wasn’t perfect, but I got full marks in all the other simulations. The cultural examination was way too hard for me. But the instructors said I had tremendous talent, so they made an exception and admitted me.”

Wen Xishu let out a breath of relief. It seemed this roommate could speak normally after all.

Still…

He could already imagine how much painfully awkward material he would be forced to listen to in the future.

A competitive spirit arose in Yue Yun’s heart. He, too, had achieved full marks in every subject.

But he knew that a perfect score did not necessarily prove anything. Some people scored that highly simply because the maximum score was that high.

His goal was to rank first among the new students, then surpass the upperclassmen, and finally catch up with the geniuses of the bunker.

If Nissen had been admitted by special exception, perhaps he had displayed abilities that surpassed even a perfect score.

With Nissen around, the dormitory became much livelier. The frosty air surrounding Yue Yun melted away in the face of Nissen’s painfully awkward singing.

Nissen seemed to transform the entire atmosphere of the dormitory into hip-hop.

Wen Xishu did not like most Black people, especially the limited-edition variety from the two Guang provinces in his previous life, but there were indeed some who radiated positive energy and knew how to bring joy to others.

Wen Xishu and Yue Yun barely spoke, while Nissen sang without pause.

Calling it singing was something of a stretch. He was really just forcing his words to rhyme as he talked. The general meaning was this:

During the sixth class for new students, an instructor would lead them into a low-level Luta trial.

Wen Xishu did not know how Nissen had learned this, but if it was true…

Then he would probably be logging into Luta in the near future.

Apart from that, Nissen also shared another piece of news.

The academy supposedly concealed a treasure, and new students had always been encouraged to search for it. This was no secret.

Yet since the founding of Three Towers Academy, not even its most outstanding students had ever located the treasure.

Normally, after searching for about a year without success, students would give up.

But Three Towers Academy had to keep enrolling new students, and new students were always full of energy.

Perhaps it was merely a gimmick. Still, the students felt that even without such a gimmick, people would be breaking down the doors to get into the academy.

So, in the eyes of the new students, the thought was probably something like this:

This treasure and I are fated to meet. The reason none of you found it is that it was waiting for me.

Nissen extended his hand.

“Bro, should we search for the treasure together? Tonight! It won’t be just us, either. A bunch of people from the neighboring classes are coming, including students from Yuta. Let’s form a three-man team!”

Yue Yun had heard something about the treasure.

He was the King of Swagger. Before Wen Xishu appeared, he had believed that he would one day stand shoulder to shoulder with Xun Hui and Wenren Jing.

A defining trait of the King of Swagger was believing oneself to be the chosen one.

Yue Yun nodded and, surprisingly, shook Nissen’s hand.

“I’m in.”

Wen Xishu said nothing. If students from every class had failed to discover the treasure, it was naturally extremely difficult to find.

But then Wen Xishu suddenly remembered that Albert had once said:

“The academy does have a way to help people become stronger. You could call it a small surprise. But no one has ever figured out where it is, because everyone has been looking in the wrong direction.”

He stood up and nodded.

“There’s no harm in giving it a try.”

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