Chapter 8
The morning light shone through the protective shield, giving Lin Yao's silver hair a light golden hue.
He stood at the window of his dormitory, his fingertips gently stroking an old-world coin - one of the few old things he had left.
"Why are you up so early?" Lu Cheng's voice came from behind, hoarse from just waking up.
Lin Yao quickly hid the coin in his sleeve and turned around, his expression already familiar to Lu Cheng. His blue eyes drooped slightly, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow on his face, perfectly concealing the calculation in his eyes.
"It was a nightmare," he whispered. It was the safest answer.
Three months ago, he had only implanted the most basic information into Lu Cheng's memory: his name, appearance, and a full favorability rating. As for what kind of love story Lu Cheng had imagined, he had no idea.
Lu Cheng showed a distressed expression as expected. He stood up and hugged him in his arms: "Did you dream about the time we got separated in the contaminated area again?"
Lin Yao's body stiffened for a moment, almost imperceptibly. Lost in a contaminated area? That was new. He buried his face in Lu Cheng's shoulder and muffled his voice, "Hmm... It's scary."
"It won't happen again." Lu Cheng tightened his arms and said firmly, "I swear, I won't let you face that alone again."
Lin Yao raised an eyebrow from an angle Lu Cheng couldn't see. It seemed the city lord's son had conjured up a poignant drama of shared suffering. It was amusing, but also dangerous. He had to be even more careful to avoid revealing flaws in the details.
"We're going to the lab today to get our abilities tested." Lu Cheng let go of him and took out an exquisite velvet box from the bedside table. "I asked a friend to bring this from City A. They say it's a crystal that can stabilize mental strength."
Lin Yao took the box and felt a slight energy fluctuation the moment his fingertips touched the crystal. Good stuff. Although it would only help his damaged core to a limited extent, it was indeed a rare treasure in this world.
"It's too expensive..." He lowered his eyes and looked hesitant.
"Compared to what you've endured, this is nothing." Lu Cheng gently stroked his silver hair, his eyes so gentle they could drip tears of tears. "Remember when we first met in Area D6, you didn't even have a complete protective suit..."
Lin Yao's eyelashes trembled slightly, hiding the surprise in his eyes. Area D6? That's the edge of the heavily polluted area.
It seemed that Lu Cheng had not only imagined the romance, but had also fabricated a complete encounter. He had to get more details as soon as possible to avoid being exposed later.
"Lu Cheng!" The dormitory door was flung open, and a red-haired boy rushed in. "The dean wants to see you about next week's dungeon—oh, sorry."
Lin Yao quickly retreated from Lu Cheng's arms, a perfect blush on his face. This reaction made Lu Cheng smile like a cat stealing fish.
"I'll be right there." Lu Cheng said to the red-haired boy, and his voice softened as he turned to Lin Yao. "The test is at ten o'clock. I'll try to get back to be with you."
Lin Yao nodded obediently and watched Lu Cheng leave. The moment the door closed, the shyness on his face immediately disappeared, replaced by a cold scrutiny.
"Are you the F-rank Lin Yao?" The red-haired boy hadn't left yet, leaning against the doorframe to assess him. "I'm Chen Mo, Lu Cheng's childhood friend. He's never been this crazy about someone before, even being late for a family meeting."
Lin Yao narrowed his eyes slightly. Chen Mo, Lu Cheng's childhood friend, was a Class B fire-type psychic. His profile indicated he had feelings for Lu Cheng beyond friendship. He was considered a medium-risk individual.
Chen Mo suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Listen, I don't know what means you used to make Lu Cheng so devoted to you, but if you dare to hurt him——"
"Chen Mo!" Lu Cheng's voice came from the corridor, "What are you still dawdling about?"
Chen Mo took a step back and put a smile on his face again: "I'll be right there."
He gave Lin Yao a final warning glare and turned away.
Lin Yao raised his lips to a cold smile, a childish threat.
He opened the crystal box and felt the faint energy within. This little energy was less than one ten-thousandth of what he had at his peak, but it was better than nothing.
Lin Yao put the crystal close to his body and changed into a plain white uniform.
Today was the day for routine ability testing, and it was also a good opportunity for him to investigate the academy and learn more about it. While Lu Cheng's absence meant one less layer of protection, it also meant one less pair of eyes watching over him.
…
The academy's medical center was perpetually filled with the smell of disinfectant. Lin Yao sat quietly on a bench in the hallway, several students pointing and talking at him. Ever since entering the academy as an F-class loser, he'd grown accustomed to this kind of scene.
"Lin Yao?" A young woman in a white coat pushed open the door to the testing room. "Professor Zhou has something urgent to do. I'll be in charge of your testing today."
Lin Yao looked up, meeting the woman's calm gaze. Su Rui, the academy's pharmacist, was a Class C healing psychic. The collected data indicated she was unusually sensitive to psychic energy, making her a potential threat.
"Thank you." Lin Yao said softly and followed Su Rui into the testing room.
The supernatural power detector in the center of the room resembled a giant metal cocoon, surrounded by various tubes and wires. Lin Yao lay deftly inside the instrument, appearing calm, but in reality, his mental threads were quietly unfurling, ready to interfere with the test results at any moment.
"Relax." Su Rui adjusted the instrument parameters, her voice flat. "It's just a routine check."
As the detection beam swept across Lin Yao's body, he precisely released a trace of mental power to keep the instrument reading at the F-level. He had been playing this trick for three months and was very familiar with it.
"Strange..." Su Rui frowned suddenly, and slid her fingers quickly across the light screen. "Your energy fluctuation pattern..."
Lin Yao's mind tensed instantly. Was he discovered? He secretly gathered his strength, ready to control Su Rui's memory if necessary.
Su Rui suddenly turned off the detector. "The instrument may be malfunctioning. Your data... is not normal."
She turned and took out a light blue potion from the medicine cabinet. "This is a stabilizer. It can help psychic abilities calm down. I'll give it to you for free."
Lin Yao took the potion and keenly noticed the slight trembling of Su Rui's fingertips. Was she afraid? No, she was excited. This pharmacist seemed to have discovered something.
"Thank you." He pretended not to notice anything unusual and put the potion in his pocket. "Do you want me to come back for another test?"
Su Rui gave him a deep look. "I'll be on duty Friday afternoon. The equipment should be repaired by then." She paused, her voice barely audible. "The radiation level in the E-427 replica has recently increased abnormally. If you're going in... be careful."
Lin Yao's pupils shrank slightly. E-427? This was the very replica he'd been secretly investigating. How could Su Rui know about this?
Before he could ask, the door to the testing room was flung open. Lu Cheng stood at the door, breathless. "Sorry, I'm late. Is the test finished?"
Su Rui immediately regained her businesslike expression, "It's over. Lin is in stable condition, he just needs more rest."
Lu Cheng felt relieved and stepped forward to hold Lin Yao's hand, "That's great."
Lin Yao let Lu Cheng pull him away, but before leaving, he glanced back at Su Rui. The female pharmacist was staring at a set of data on the screen with a serious expression.
Interesting. It seems the academy still holds many secrets.
…
The afternoon's Basic Theory of Supernatural Powers class was Lin Yao's most hated class. Not only was the content ridiculously childish, but also because Wang Rui and his group always liked to pick fights when Lu Cheng wasn't around.
"Today we're discussing the defense mechanisms of psychic abilities," said an elderly B-level teacher. "Student Lin Yao, please come up and help with the demonstration."
Murmurs erupted in the classroom. Lin Yao sneered inwardly. This was clearly a setup. He slowly walked up to the podium, his silver hair tied loosely behind his head, making his neck look even more slender and fragile.
"Please try to resist my mental detection." The old teacher said and released a weak mental wave.
This level of detection wouldn't even harm a baby. Lin Yao pretended to be struggling, but in reality, he was secretly directing his mental waves towards the back of the classroom—where Wang Rui was.
"Ah!" Wang Rui suddenly screamed and squatted down holding his head. "Stop! It hurts!"
The old teacher hastily withdrew his hand and stared at his palm in shock: "I clearly controlled the strength well..."
Lin Yao swayed weakly at the right moment, holding onto the podium to avoid falling down, "Professor... I... I tried my best..."
No one noticed in the chaos that a silver light flashed across Lin Yao's fingertips, implanting a blurry image into the old teacher's mind...Wang Rui secretly released his supernatural powers to interfere with the demonstration.
This is enough to make the old man pay more attention to Wang Rui in the future.
"Yaoyao!" Lu Cheng's voice came from the back door of the classroom. He strode to the podium and hugged Lin Yao in his arms. "What's going on? Who asked you to participate in the dangerous demonstration?"
The old teacher stammered as he explained, while Lin Yao leaned weakly against Lu Cheng's chest, a triumphant smile flashing in his blue eyes. This farce not only taught Wang Rui a lesson but also convinced Lu Cheng that he needed protection, killing two birds with one stone.
"I'll take you back to the dormitory." Lu Cheng said with concern, completely ignoring the other people in the class.
Lin Yao nodded obediently, but when he passed the door, his eyes met with Su Rui who came hurriedly.
The female pharmacist was holding a familiar medicine box in her hand - it was the packaging of the stabilizer from this morning.
Her lips moved slightly, and she silently said two words: "Be careful."
Lin Yao narrowed his eyes. It seemed this pharmacist knew more than he thought.
After returning to the dormitory, Lu Cheng was called away by an emergency call. Lin Yao stood at the window, watching Lu Cheng disappear towards the main building of the college, the weakness on his face disappearing.
He pulled the Old World coin from under his pillow and tossed it gently. The coin spun in the air, reflecting his cold blue eyes.
Three months ago, twelve super-S-class esper beings from the old world orchestrated a plan to attack him at the lowest point of his power cycle. Ultimately, he self-destructed to save their lives, and traveled to this resource-scarce new world.
The coin fell into his palm, and Lin Yao clenched his fist. The energy characteristics in the E-427 replica were similar to the energy fluctuations in the old world, which might be the key to his recovery.
But first, he must find out what Su Rui is up to and why she knows his goal.
Outside, night fell. Lin Yao changed into a black suit, his silver hair hidden under his hood. It was time to investigate on his own.
As his figure blended into the night, a note slipped quietly under the dormitory door. It contained only one line of small words: [The key to E-427 is in the basement of the clock tower. —S]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
