Chapter 44: The Aloof God Is Unattainable (19)
The second semester of high school began. Class 9 remained the same—the same students and teachers. The only change was that a few students had their seats rearranged.
“[Huo Xian, He Wenqu seems to have changed!]” Huo Yuan reported to Huo Xian after two days of observation.
Huo Xian flipped through his book without looking up, “[Young men have self-respect.]” He had spoken harshly to He Wenqu during the winter break, each word piercing him. If He Wenqu still tried to get close, calling him “masochistic” wouldn’t be an overstatement.
“[It’s better if he doesn’t bother you. Isn’t being alone great?]” Huo Yuan said cheerfully.
“[Being alone is the best.]” Huo Xian agreed.
Huo Yuan continued, “[But You Zi’an has changed a lot after the winter break. Maybe he completed a system task and got a reward… Huo Xian, can you live longer?]”
Huo Xian paused, surprised by the sudden change in topic, “[Why?]”
Huo Yuan said matter-of-factly, “[I want you to live longer than You Zi’an. That way, after he dies, I can get his system and get whatever’s hidden in it. I can use it for you in other mission worlds.]”
Huo Xian: “[…]”
Huo Xian: “[…………]”
Huo Xian: “[………………]”
He facepalmed and chuckled, “[Do you guys at the Management Bureau not get any tools or something for missions?]”
Huo Yuan was disgruntled at this. “[The official explanation is that our mission targets are all children of destiny, protected by the world, so no additional tools are needed.]” He paused, then added, “[Actually, I suspect the Bureau is too stingy and lazy to collect props.]”
Huo Xian wanted to laugh, but remembering his aloof persona, he suppressed it, solemnly agreeing, “[I think your guess is very reasonable.]”
“[Right? Right?]” Huo Yuan was delighted to receive affirmation, continuing to mutter, “[The Bureau also severely restricts our use of abilities, deducting points as if they want to use us as tools for life. To be safe, I need to save up some resources.]”
Where would he get the resources? From mechanical life forms!
Huo Xian suddenly remembered something, “[That rogue system I destroyed before also mentioned a store.]”
“[It was lying!]” Huo Yuan said indignantly, “[That rogue system had nothing. At most, it had contacted a few advanced mechanical life forms, so it knew about stores and point exchanges. Its purpose was to devour your soul, filled with destiny, to enhance itself.]”
Huo Xian: Fortunately, he was cautious enough not to fall for it.
“[It’s good you’re smart and didn’t believe its lies.]” Huo Yuan was relieved.
Huo Xian raised his lips slightly, teasing, “[It didn’t even have official documents; I wouldn’t dare to believe it.]”
=v=
For the rest of the semester, Huo Xian truly achieved “being alone,” described as “ignoring all outside matters and concentrating solely on studying.”
Logically, someone who only studies should give off the image of a bookish nerd. However, the word “nerdy” seemed to clash with Huo Xian’s aura. Even when he held a book, he didn’t appear clumsy or confused.
Time flew by as he immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge. In a blink of an eye, the end of the first year of high school arrived—the time for choosing between the arts and sciences.
With the highest score in the entire grade, Huo Xian temporarily joined the science “rocket class.” This class was modeled after the rocket class at Haida High School. The original owner didn’t have this class in his memory, so it was unknown which butterfly’s wings had caused it.
It was he who was that butterfly.
The reason? His near-perfect scores in all subjects.
Haida High School’s rocket class was established because a top student from the school achieved outstanding results, becoming a role model. For fans, he was an idol-level figure.
Now, Huo Xian from Experimental High was even better than that student. After an entire semester’s discussion and research, the school leaders decided to try it.
Huo Xian was only slightly surprised and accepted it calmly. He wasn’t overestimating himself; he genuinely believed that his class wouldn’t affect his studies, except for one thing—You Zi’an, with the third-highest score in the grade, became his deskmate.
The boy, who was 1.65 meters tall and thin in the first semester, was now nearly 1.8 meters tall. He was still thin, but with a great physique. His thick hair was short and neat, his skin fair, and his small freckles were gone.
“[Huo Xian, You Zi’an’s personality is quite similar to yours.]” Huo Yuan said after observing You Zi’an.
Huo Xian: “[Huh?]”
“[Quiet and aloof.]” Huo Yuan summarized, then added, “[But I think you’re better.]”
Huo Xian seemed interested, “[What’s better about me?]”
Huo Yuan truthfully replied, “[Looks, family background, grades, height… everything is better.]” He paused, adding, “[Actually, not just you, the original owner, without the system’s enhancement, wasn’t any worse than You Zi’an. If he hadn’t met that scumbag He Wenqu, he wouldn’t have had such a hard time.]”
Indeed, He Wenqu was the source of the original owner’s tragedy, but he was only part of the reason. The original owner’s lack of communication with his family and his cold personality also caused him to fall into a rut. His inability to cope was the real reason he went down that dark path.
But dwelling on the past wouldn’t help. It was better to look forward and live well.
By the way, He Wenqu didn’t make it into the top 40 of the grade on the branching exam; he was outside the top 100. Therefore, he didn’t get into the rocket class for now. The “for now” was because there would be two more tests before and after the start of the semester. The truly outstanding students would be selected based on the tests to join the rocket class. He Wenqu’s scores were good during his first year, generally in the top 50. With no arts subjects holding him back, his rank would improve.
The good news was that he didn’t have to be in the same class as Mei Heng anymore.
Huo Xian didn’t feel much about Mei Heng. Most school bullies followed similar patterns; not everyone is the same.
He knew Mei Heng still harbored ill will, but he had bigger goals and many things to learn. He didn’t want to waste time on irrelevant people. Mei Heng not bothering him was the best outcome.
“Little Squid,” Huo Xian heard He Wenqu’s voice while multitasking.
He didn’t look up. He Wenqu was surprised to see him and You Zi’an as deskmates and felt a bit awkward.
“[Heh.]” Huo Yuan let out a sarcastic sound.
Huo Xian paused his writing, humorously asking, “[What’s wrong?]”
“[I’m annoyed by that scumbag.]” Huo Yuan answered honestly.
Huo Xian chuckled, then asked, “[How tall am I now?]”
He had leg pain almost every three days last semester. His parents initially thought he was sick. A hospital check showed it was growing pains. Boys generally grow rapidly from the ages of 13-14, slowing down by 18. He was 17, already past the most rapid growth stage, but some have special physiques.
Over the past few months, Huo Xian had been taking in protein, calcium, and vitamins. His weight had only slightly increased. A month had passed since he last had Huo Yuan check his height, and he should have grown taller.
As expected, Huo Yuan immediately reported the data, “[186.5cm, wait a minute…]” He paused slightly, then happily said, “[Huo Xian, I just checked He Wenqu’s height; he’s only 184.3cm. You’re taller than him!]”
Huo Xian didn’t care about He Wenqu’s height. He was thinking: If I grow a little taller, I might surpass Huo Yuan.
Huo Yuan (188cm): ???
…
Summer vacation arrived, but Huo Xian wasn’t as relaxed as other students. Or rather, even Huo Xian’s parents didn’t expect that on the third day of the summer vacation, while they were planning their vacation, Bai Haihan, a pillar of the Huake Institute, would personally visit and ask to take Huo Xian as his student.
In addition to his studies, Huo Xian had been searching for books on antimatter. Huo Yuan even helped him find some unavailable books overseas. He would occasionally compile his questions and send them to Bai Haihan via email.
Bai Haihan, despite his busy work, would carefully answer them. As Huo Xian’s questions became more profound, Bai Haihan’s impression of him deepened, leading to frequent contact, with Bai Haihan agreeing to let him call him “teacher.”
His parents were shocked by Bai Haihan’s status and the fact that he was Huo Xian’s teacher. They looked at their son with astonishment.
Especially Huo Xian’s father. He had tried hard to get into the institute years ago but failed to become Bai Haihan’s student. How did his son silently become this heavyweight’s student? There was a bit of sourness amidst his surprise.
But after learning about Huo Xian’s private research, they were only shocked.
Not only Huo Xian’s parents but also Bai Haihan initially didn’t expect Huo Xian to be able to pursue his studies independently. Initially, he thought Huo Xian’s pride and boldness were common in teenagers; he had dreams and dared to pursue them. However, Huo Xian’s growth and progress exceeded his expectations. If it weren’t for the lack of a laboratory, his progress would have been even faster.
Bai Haihan wanted to personally guide Huo Xian during the summer vacation. If Huo Xian truly had the talent, the country would certainly recruit him early; talent wasn’t limited by age.
Therefore, the Huo family’s trip became a trip to Beijing. They left as a family of three, but only the parents returned to Haicheng; Huo Xian stayed in Beijing.
Huo Xian wasn’t the first high school student Bai Haihan brought into the institute. There was another one before him—Hua Jin.
Bai Haihan’s trip to Haicheng was to test Hua Jin. Hua Jin was his student’s student. After discovering Hua Jin’s talent in physics, Bai Haihan wanted to cultivate his talent, recommending Hua Jin. After some anonymous investigation, he decided to take him as a student. That trip to Haicheng, Hua Jin was the main character, and Huo Xian was an accident. Now, the accident had become the main character.
Hua Jin and Huo Xian had some similarities, but Hua Jin mainly focused on the magnetic field, while Huo Xian wanted to research antimatter weapons. These weapons are difficult to store, and scientists believe that magnetic fields are the most feasible storage method.
Therefore, before Huo Xian started his experiments, he met Hua Jin.
Hua Jin was admitted to Huada University, but his knowledge base far exceeded university textbooks. Being in the laboratory was his paradise.
Upon seeing Huo Xian, Hua Jin was stunned, then a blush slowly appeared on his fair face, adding a touch of beauty, making him a little flustered.
“[Ding dong.]” Huo Yuan quietly went online, reporting, “[Huo Xian, his heart rate went from 72 to 120, no, now 130, and it’s still increasing. I’d suggest he go to the hospital for a heart check.]”
Huo Xian: “…”
Huo Xian looked at Hua Jin, who seemed to be burning up, feeling inexplicably strange.
Recommended Reads
