Chapter 82 (2/2)

He plopped down on the sofa and yanked on the tight collar around his neck Then he pausedopposite his desk were ts of paper backs Xiao walked up to them and one by one he scanned their titles 'Ocean climate', 'Marine Life' 'Urban Desertification'there were even some older famous works such as 'The Red and the Black' and another written in an unfae Xiao Yan turned the books over and flipped through their pages His eyes brightened in curiosity and excitement

”Do you like them?”

”Of course I do!” Xiao Yan looked back and saw Heine with his aret in?”

” My security clearance”

A wry slass jar on the desk The small terrarium mimics the environment of the beach, sea and sun A s its tiny pincers Xiao is consu

As he walked to the glass jar and lifted the crab out, the aggravated herrumpily Xiao suy tired himself out, he mercifully put hiave it tois, the most vivid memory I have about you is when you stepped on et”

”It's late, go to sleep”

As Heine walked past hiht that he would lean in and kiss him Instead he just walked out of his apartment

His heart suddenly felt terribly empty

Xiao let out a shaky breath as the door slid closed

Outside of Xiao's apartainst it His chest hitched slightly as though he were struggling to suppress the waves that rolled violently within him

_____

The next day for Xiao Yan was a rather busy He has to choose his research assistant According to the staffing policies of the Academy, a major can have up to six assistants

Xiao looked around the large lab and his breath rushed out in gasp The candidates for the position were listed in the new systeer once he connected This terminal system was much faster than he remembered Instantaneously, all the terminals in the room activated In a normal lab, there are 6 terminals available

His lab is equipped with 12

Suddenly, he heard Major Loch's voice through the system ”Major Xiao Yan, welcorade my system? That was fast”

”All that you need for your research should be mere seconds away If you have any questions let me knoelcome any questions or feedback”

Xiao Yan was excited as though he had just been given a new toy He began to input complicated calculations and experi the system slipped his mind, the liaison officer reminded him to choose his assistant

Xiao Yan quickly pulled up the candidate list, most of ere senior level researchers and others were students Xiao Yan read through their achievements and past research projects Xiao doesn't understand the reasoning behind either Lock or Ritz in deter the criteria for their researchers He doesn't want an assistant that is bound by pre-established limits He requires someone who can keep his mind stimulated and show him a different perspective when his is stuck, a person who thinks of unorthodox ways to solve a proble to end and finally closed his terminal

He left his lab and two special forces followed behind hi patterns and are accustomed to their current research directors Xiao feels he needs soidly conditioned, so abilities

”Major, where are you going?”

”Campus I want to reminisce”

He put his hand in the pockets of his e caetic faces passed by hietic air of hope and possibility It is completely different from the beaten and dead ath hts with a rare ione back in tis completely unrelated to acade his lab report on tihts flash and flicker rapidly as he walks through the fahter and his e with reality

”Look, it's Major Xiao Yan!”

”Don't you know? He used to be a class b student! But he accomplished what all the class A researchers could not!”

”Why are the Special Forces following him?”

”Idiot, of course it's because the major is very ie has already kidnapped hi exclamations of admiration, Xiao Yan feels his face heat up and redden

Their words daia and he lowers his head as he heads back to his apartment He decidedly orders three sets of uniforms from his terminal Xiao Yan then called the two Special Forces inside and asked thee into these uniforrew sinister at his request Their stern faces contrasted sharply with the youthful student uniforms

When he returned to campus he was relieved to find that no one took notice of hiht now there is a class on viral variability being held in room 299 Xiao Yan ordered the Special Forces to stand outside the door and he entered the classrooene chain of a coronavirus was displayed in front of hient

The question was too simple for him to bother and he instead looked around the roo in the back row The rules of the class dictate that if the student doesn't submit an answer, they will not receive credit for the class

At the very end of the allotted tier lazily opened his eyes and rubbed his forehead The data on his holographic screen scrolled rapidly and he submitted his answer at the last possible second

The youth caught Xiao looking over at him and narrowed his eyes

When the class ended, Xiao hurried to catch up with him before he went too far By the time he looked back over, the boy had disappeared Xiao quickly exited the classroom as the Special Forces rushed to trail behind hi of students and located the boy He walked sluggishly forward, holding his head

Half an hour later, Xiao followed him to a ht next to hiines, the teenager falls asleep again This allows Xiao Yan to observe him freely

He is around 18 or 19 years old with pale skin His eyebroere arched high and furrowed in i at him Xiao is reminded of Casey In Xiao's first year as a student, Casey was his classmate At that time, Casey had mastered all his subjects, but in order to receive credit he had to attend class He often slept during the lecture, to the annoyance of many professors, but he aced every exa In less than 3 months Casey had jumped ahead a level By the tiraduated

As Xiao lost hier had already awoken and stared back at him ide eyes

The professor posed a question to Xiao through his ter at all, juer revealed a ly sly smile as if to say, 'you're dead'

Xiao Yan reviewed the question, after ten seconds the ter his response, the youth's expression lifted in surprise Xiao couldn't help the sh his heart He had been too lazy to muse about such questions when he was a student, but now, as ridiculous as it is, he can't help showing off a bit

The class ended and all of the students filed out the door

Xiao Yan had just walked outside when soed him up by his collar The Special Forces rush up to intervene but Xiao Yan waved theilant

”Hey! I know that you have been following er atteitated beast

”How do you know I am not one of your classmates?”

”I have never seen you before! You have to at least be a senior! That probleave you It only took 10 seconds from the time you started your terminal to when you sub old man 12 seconds to answer his own question”

”That is because hespeed so you can see how his ideas progress”

”I don't need to see his thoughts to know they are closewinded”

”So you sleep in class?” Xiao Yan asked He lowered his head to hide his smile

The youth is a half a head shorter than hiuy was always co that he wasn't taller

”Hey! Froe, you have to be a senior! And you have been followingto my next class by a full hour to verify! You have definitely been following me!”

”Oh? How do you know?”

The student does not meet his eyes

Instead he raises his wrist and taps his comm Xiao instantly understood He had used the shi+ny surface of his contact device as a ht you were interesting” Xiao Yan widened his eyes ”You seem to be very smart”

”I am very smart!”

”Many people claim that they are smart but they are not How can you prove it?”

”Oh! Then ill make a bet If I win, you have to take ht And If I win?”

”You winyou set the terht about it Can we say our ter that you can do It is ive each other questions that are of increased difficulty Of course, the one posing the question ! We will determine the winner in the library” Xiao Yan had clearly sparked the teenager's ambition

”Ok What is your name?”

”What does my name have to do with you?”

”So I should refer to you with 'hey' or 'kid'?

” Lauren Ann” The boy grumbled reluctantly

”What?” Xiao Yan smirked and pretended not to hear

”Wait I didn't hear you!” Xiao continued to provoke the youth

Lauren ignored hiestured to the Special Forces to keep an appropriate distance

Five minutes later, they found two adjacent seats in the library and started the competition

Poor Heine he is really paying for using Xiao Yan's shoulder as a launch pad I love Xia too My favorite aspect of this story is how everyone falls in love with Xiao's ling with this story arc I know that I did I had planned to release these chapters in one huge hunkButwellwe all knohat happened

There are soh I pro comments and sooing to be granted In fact I couldn't contain myself and responded to those coiven a spoiler away That is all I a to say on the matter

Also, two readers left comments that helped me realize why the author chose to put in this plot point Has anyone figured it out yet? There is a huge hint in this chapter