Su Ming carefully recalled his blurry memories and finally recognized who the group in front of him was. The man leading them was none other than Zhang Tai, known as the Little Overlord. This guy was notoriously domineering and arrogant at the academy, and of course, he had the capital to be arrogant.
His family held significant influence in the Thirteenth District, rumored even to have connections to the mayor.
Zhang Tai frowned deeply as he looked at Su Ming, feeling something was amiss. Normally, this fatso should be peeing his pants and trembling with fear when seeing himself surrounded by a gang.
But now, the guy was sitting there, calm and composed.
However, Zhang Tai didn't let go of the situation just because Su Ming was acting out of character; he said viciously,
"Kid, you've got some nerve, huh? Chuyu is someone you think you can woo? Believe it or not, I'll break your legs?"
Su Ming, as if he hadn't heard, rested his cheek in one hand, turned his face to Zhang Tai, and replied indifferently,
"What do you suppose would happen if I jumped out of this window?"
At those words, Zhang Tai and his lackeys were shocked, each of them frightened and at a loss as they looked at Su Ming.
None of them expected such a response from Su Ming.
Zhang Tai was so angry he was about to speak when one of his lackeys hurriedly advised,
"Boss, don't. If he really jumps, we won't be able to clear our names."
Zhang Tai, of course, understood what his lackey meant. If Su Ming really did something crazy like jumping, they would be completely unable to defend themselves, and their futures would be ruined.
It would be like gambling their own prospects against the other person, and though his family was quite powerful, this fatso's family wasn't bad either.
The most critical point was that while others might say things like that just to scare them, this guy had already attempted suicide by hanging before and might just take the leap in a moment of madness.
Even the usually arrogant Zhang Tai didn't dare to gamble with his bright future. So he took a deep breath, his teeth clenched with resentment, and said,
"You're ruthless, just you wait!"
Su Ming looked on lazily at Zhang Tai without responding to his words.
Zhang Tai left angrily with his lackeys.
Watching their retreating figures, Su Ming sighed helplessly, thinking about what a nuisance it all was.
He set aside the modern chronicle he had been reading and picked up the Advanced Information Theory compendium to start perusing.
While cramming, Su Ming pondered over the issues of the city exam. The difficulty of the exam was no joke; since it was tied to one's future and very life, everyone was desperately studying.
The basic score had been driven to ridiculous heights, and as for the mecha discipline score, Su Ming felt somewhat uncertain.
...
In the dead of night, Su Ming closed the last book and looked around.
The entire second-floor reading area now had very few figures, and though the library was open 24 hours, most people had gone to rest.
Su Ming checked his phone. It was already 2 am, about time to head back. He got up with his books and headed towards the stairs.
Thud, thud~
As Su Ming descended the spiral staircase, just as he was about to reach the first floor, he was met by a girl who was 178 centimeters tall, wearing a white lace dress, with long black hair cascading smoothly over her shoulders, her eyes clear and lively, her nose finely shaped, her lips cherry red, and her beauty breathtaking.
Su Ming's heart instinctively constricted, beating uncontrollably faster, and for a moment, he felt dazed. He was completely stunned and muttered to himself,
"This is Lin Chuyu? She really is beautiful."
At that moment, Su Ming finally understood why that guy would fall for her. But then, Su Ming shockingly noticed that Chuyu's ears were long and pointed, not like a normal person's ears.
The next second, Su Ming instinctively realized—Lin Chuyu was a Second Generation of New Humans!
The so-called Second Generation of New Humans are those who have been genetically improved, possessing superior memory, intellect, physical attributes, and even a longer lifespan compared to normal humans.
In the space age, the normal lifespan of ordinary people had evolved to the range of 200-300 years, but the lifespan of the Second Generation of New Humans could reach 300-400 years.
The most important point was that the Second Generation of New Humans would possess a very high talent in a certain aspect based on different gene enhancements.
Of course, this was only for the Second Generation of New Humans; there were rumors of an even more powerful Third Generation.
As for how the New Humans came into being, Su Ming only knew that when ordinary people had children, there was a chance of naturally giving birth to a Second Generation New Human. Besides that, it seemed there might be artificial interventions, but he was not very clear on the details.
In fact, most New Humans were born through active intervention with Genetic Potions, already superior to ordinary people from birth.
It wasn't to say that ordinary people were completely incapable of enhancing themselves postnatally; they, too, could strengthen themselves through training and injecting Genetic Potions.
However, one thing was clear: the effectiveness of postnatal injections of Genetic Potions at an equivalent level could not compare to that of the naturally-born New Humans, and for this reason, New Humans were highly sought after.
At this time, Lin Chuyu also saw Su Ming and smiled, nodding her head at him as a polite greeting.
Su Ming immediately came back to his senses and slightly nodded in response.
The two passed by each other like acquainted strangers.
...
After a while, in the dimly lit dormitory corridor, Su Ming, slightly fatigued, was walking towards his room, his stomach occasionally emitting a rumbling sound.
From noon until now, he had only eaten a synthetic chocolate bar, and his body was instinctively protesting.
But Su Ming directly ignored it; his body had plenty of fat, and going hungry for a day or two wouldn't be a bad thing.
Soon Su Ming arrived at the door to his room and reached for the doorknob. Just as he was about to open the door, he suddenly stopped.
A glint shimmered in Su Ming's eyes as he keenly sensed an unusual sound coming from behind the door.
So, Su Ming lifted his foot and kicked the door fiercely!
Bang!
With the dorm room door kicked open, three cries of pain rang out.
Su Ming stepped into the room, slightly surprised, and asked the three blond-haired men sprawled on the floor.
"What are you three doing behind the door so late at night instead of sleeping?"
The three blond-haired men rubbed their heads, stood up in pain, and said to Su Ming,
"We were just worried about you, that's all."
Hearing their words, Su Ming looked at the three with interest and replied,
"Worried about what?"
The three blond-haired men showed a bit of unnatural expression upon hearing Su Ming's question.
Seeing their expressions, Su Ming immediately guessed most of the story. It looked like Zhang Tai managed to ambush him in the library, almost certainly because these three had sold him out.
But he wasn't angry; it was something he had anticipated.
The three blond-haired men awkwardly asked Su Ming,
"Bro, are you okay? We heard that Zhang Tai went to block you?"
"If he blocked me, he blocked me; isn't that quite normal?"
Su Ming spoke as if discussing something utterly mundane, his expression showing no fluctuation.
"Normal?"
The three blond-haired men stood there, stunned.