224 Explosive Maniac (1/2)
”Consider it carefully. Will you become stronger if you don’t recharge?”
Where was the logic? Cullen fell into deep thought.
After a few minutes, the student council’s moderator felt his school badge vibrate. He realized it was Cullen after answering it.
”Ingres, do you still have points?” Cullen asked quickly on the other end of the call.
”Yeah, and some saved up.” Ingres counted in his head. ”Probably around ten-thousand.”
”Is anyone around you? Ask them.”
”I asked and we probably have thirty-thousand together. Cullen, what’s wrong?”
”Don’t ask, just transfer them. I’m in a hurry and I need them now…”
”You…wait a bit. I’ll do it now.”
Ingres felt slightly unsettled, but he trusted Cullen and transferred the points. After a few minutes, Cullen entered the illusion once again, armed with a bag of small shovels, gunpowder, and siege hammers, and the grave determination of dying if he could not succeed.
Outside the door, Charles watched as the number on his badge grew rapidly and was overjoyed. ”I hit the goldmine, the goldmine.” He laughed quietly. ”Ten-thousand points in a few hours. This is faster than robbing a bank! The khorium system is so amazing. I’m a genius!”
Done with counting his money, he cackled weirdly and looked at the long line of students. In his eyes, these students had all become man-shaped ATMs for school points. They looked lovable.
”Please be patient and don’t shove. Take your time. We’ve added ten more locations…”
The surging crowd came in waves and left in waves after using up all their points. In the end, everyone finally gave up and lost confidence in this thing.
”There’s no way to pass this!” someone yanked Charles’s collar and yelled. ”You’re just scamming us!”
”Ah, don’t get so worked up.” Charles patted his shoulder. ”There’s always hope in life, don’t give up so easily. Want to try again?”
”In your dreams!” the student roared. ”You still want my money? This thing is just for scamming people! It’s impossible to pass! Give me back my points!”
The other depressed students crowded over. Passerby were angered by the injustice and pulled at Charles too, yelling, ”Give us back our points!”
”Otherwise we’ll report you to the school board!”
”Can’t believe you’re like this…”
But just then, a hoarse cheer rang out. Like a firework, the burst made everyone’s head spin. They turned toward the exhibit in shock. ”No way?”
A dazed man with bloodshot eyes ran out of the illusion. He danced and yelled, ”I passed! I passed! I finally passed!”
A group appeared around him in the illusion. They crowded around him and clapped energetically in celebration. These people clad in extremely weird clothing had smiling and satisfied expressions, as if humanity had been saved.
”Congratulations Cullen!”
”Congratulations!”
”Congratulations on your victory!”
”Congratulations on finding the meaning of life…”
”Humanity has been saved…”
On the side, Bai Xi felt chills at this and quietly asked Charles, ”Where did you think of all this?”
”I dreamed about it.” Charles glanced at her in confusion. ”Don’t you think it fits?”
”…Not at all!” Bai Xi did not want to talk anymore.
”Congrats, Cullen. You’ve finally received the final victory!” Charles went up and shook his hand strongly. ”You’ve become stronger with the khorium!”
”I—I—I…” Cullen was speechless and felt tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. ”I finally passed.”
”Yes, I saw it!” Charles nodded. Before Cullen could speak, Charles pressed his badge onto him. ”Here are your points. Take them!”
With a ding, Cullen had one-hundred and seventy-thousand more points. It was incredible. The happiness made him feel as if he was on cloud nine!
”Did you really pass?” someone asked.
Cullen nodded; he was so happy he could cry. He had spent more than one-hundred thousand points on khorium, and had practically used up all of the student council’s points. If he still had not passed, he would have had to kill himself as an apology.
But for some reason, he felt empty after the short period of joy. But he plastered a smile onto his face to make it seem as if his efforts were worth it.
”Is there a trick to passing?” someone asked enviously.
Cullen’s smile stiffened and said, clenching his jaw, ”It’s actually really easy. You just have to focus.”
The crowd rustled as they mused, but before they could speak, they saw Charles hang up two-hundred thousand points.
”Whoever passes this time will get two-hundred thousand points!” Charles raised his voice as his smile grew stranger. ”Two-hundred thousand, first come first serve…anyone want to try?”
The crowd rustled again. This time, there was an example of success. The ones who had failed felt determined once again; they borrowed points from friends, used khorium to buy tools, and charged into the illusion.
”Are you stupid?” Bai Xi muttered. ”We lost one-hundred seventy-thousand and now you’re giving two hundred thousand?”
”Everything’s going as planned.” Charles smiled mysteriously. ”They’ll forget their own failures once someone succeeds and want to try again. The people who were just looking will want to try too. Just watch, more and more will come give us points…And we’re not losing either.”
With that, Charles showed her the income from the short period secretively. Bai Xi gaped for a long while and gasped. ”Did you rob the Church’s bank?!”
”Are you kidding? This is better than robbing a bank!” Charles whistled and smiled at the students in line. He suddenly sighed. ”Ah, I don’t know why, but I keep thinking they look like chives…Am I seeing wrong?”
-
At the entrance, Cullen, who was getting ready to leave, suddenly felt a chill go down his spine. It felt as if an eerie wind blew at the back of his head. He glanced around in suspicion, but could only conclude that it was his mind playing tricks.
”Oh right, where’s Ye Qingxuan?” He glanced at Charles, who was not far away. ”I remember he was still sleeping here when I first came.”
”Don’t know.” Charles ate baked seeds and spoke casually, but his smile was mysterious. ”Maybe he went out to play.”
For some reason, Cullen had a bad feeling again. He shook his head, trying to shake it away, but his badge that he had blocked began shaking wildly after he left. Dozens of student council members were trying to contact him. He froze and then connected with a bitter smile.
”Cullen, you…”
”I know, I know” He sighed, ”I’ll return the points right now. I’m sorry.”
”It’s not the points!” Ingres interrupted. ”There’s a problem! Hurry back, that Eastern concertmaster is coming! He’s almost here!”
The call cut off. Cullen sprinted back without even thinking.
Something has still gone wrong!
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