: They Came So Fast

On August 24, 3177, the fourth day of military training at Galaxy University, the rain stopped and a clear ray of sunlight shone on the floor-to-ceiling windows of the rented apartment in Jiangnan Building.

Both the decorative golden glazed tiles and the reliefs on the exterior walls of the Suzhou-style gardens have been completely renewed, displaying a beautiful Tyndall effect under the sunlight.

It actually rained for a while in the early morning, on and off. He didn't fall asleep until 2 a.m., so now it's...? Qiao Yuan rubbed his eyes and stared blankly at 7:50 a.m.

Thankfully, the baby had prepared breakfast for him.

Sigh, sometimes I'm really envious.

Yan Baobao is like a perpetual motion machine, always having inexhaustible energy.

I was planning to wake up at 7 a.m. to check the files on my quantum hard drive, but now I don't have the time.

I'll take a closer look when I get back tonight.

Although he didn't know what was inside, he figured it must be the Night Project.

This is the only one left.

He actually wanted to take the school to see it, but the weather cleared up and they had to go to the playground for military training, so it wasn't very convenient.

However, the metal playing card, the King of Spades, revealed itself in detail before his eyes after he played with it for a while.

I received it last night, but it hasn't reacted yet. It seems like it needs to be activated by playing cards, just like the substitute ring.

He didn't react when he first received the ring; it only became effective after he put it on his finger.

[Relic: Wings of Ariel.]

[Rank: Second-order chaotic side.]

[Effect: Can resist any natural attribute ability. When corrupted by the dark consciousness of the multiverse, it will cause chaos in natural forces, making them completely uncontrollable and backfiring on the enemy.]

[Characteristic: One of the sealed fragments from Archangel Ariel (the Lion of God). After being played, it transforms into a pale pink wing, allowing flight and rapid healing of injuries. It suppresses darkness and has an overwhelming advantage against low-level hellish creatures.]

[Available uses: 5 times.]

Qiao Yuan was a little stunned. Huh? Wasn't it supposed to be a demon pattern? How did it turn into an archangel?

He specifically looked it up on his phone and found out that the original angels, in order to intimidate demons, all had appearances that were even more terrifying than the devils.

Later, in order to promote religion and popularize it among the public, the image of angels gradually became more beautiful.

This is quite similar to the original image of the male Guanyin transforming into the female Guanyin in ancient times.

He also looked into the Archangel Ariel, and indeed he is a messenger of animals, nature, and healing, and is often seen with lions.

Five times is not many, and it would probably be difficult even against a high-level nature-type ascendant.

Because the level of the relics is based on the twelfth order of sublimation, it is barely enough to deal with the third order of natural sequence, but it is far from enough to deal with the fourth order.

But what Qiao Yuan values ​​most is its special feature: wings for flight and rapid healing of injuries—it's incredibly powerful!

It also has an overwhelming advantage against hellish creatures, although it's limited to low-level ones, which is still great.

He was already carrying a flight backpack, and the combination of the two speeds would inevitably make him incredibly fast. Using this as a trump card was perfect; it was truly like divine assistance.

"Let's go, we're going to be late!"

Qiao Yuan quickly stuffed the metal playing card into his pocket, preparing to register it at school, just like a ring, so he could carry it with him at any time.

When he first enrolled, he noticed that many of his classmates had brought their belongings with them for registration.

I got dressed in one minute, washed up in two minutes, grabbed a beef sandwich and milk, changed my shoes and went out in one go. I checked the time and it was only 7:57.

Living across from the school is definitely more comfortable.

Today the temperature has returned to the twenties, and the air after the rain has a sweet taste. Yan Baobao is wearing a gray preppy knitted cardigan, which he bought when he went to Bubble Plaza earlier.

It looks perfect now, and the baby's faint body fragrance is especially lovely.

He was eating a hot sandwich when he said to Yan Baobao, "It feels like winter comes really early here in the main city. The weather right now is like October in Huanxi Prefecture."

Yan Baobao was drinking pure milk through a straw and nodded slightly: "Hmm, it should snow."

"It definitely will," Qiao Yuan said confidently, looking at the sky. "Just thinking about it is wonderful."

"Then we'll build a snowman," the baby laughed.

Qiao Yuan replied with great interest, "Okay."

He wolfed down the beef sandwich, then crossed the elevated road with his baby as usual, waving goodbye at the east gate of Galaxy University.

I received a message from Hu Tu on my phone. We'll meet at the playground today, the usual spot.

He activated his jetpack and flew down from the small square of the dormitory building, which was 500 meters above the ground.

When he landed on the playground, Instructor Zhou happened to walk over, and Ye Yutang, who was even later than him, hurriedly ran over from the main gate.

Hu Tu nudged him with his elbow: "I heard something big happened in the Weilen New District last night."

"What's the big deal?"

"Cult members have appeared in the new district of Velen, and it's said that one of their middlemen has died."

Qiao Yuan was stunned for a moment. A middleman? What the hell? Oh, it should be that Old Jin.

A middleman is someone who solves problems for clients, connects them with mercenaries and assassins, and is usually quite mysterious and knows many secrets.

Veronica, who dispatched the snake man, was essentially a middleman and should be responsible to Simon.

"I arrived early," Jack said. "This middleman is called Old Jin. He knows a lot of secrets. His employer is very angry and is said to be going to take action against some cult members of the Night Church."

Qiao Yuan became increasingly confused: "Take action against the Church of the Night? What kind of background do they have that gives them such confidence?"

He was about to speak when he closed his mouth again, noticing that Instructor Zhou was looking at them.

At that moment, Instructor Zhou coughed twice: "Today, military training officially resumes. I hope you will not slack off. In fact, your daily performance will be one of the references for whether you can enter the Galaxy Class in the future."

In an instant, Charlie, Meng Zimo, Jin Yunxi, and the others became more or less restless.

The two Galaxy Classes, representing the Heavenly Palace and Earthly Treasury, are the ultimate goal for all geniuses.

Although the Yaoguang Class is already very high, as the saying goes, water flows downhill and people strive to go higher. Constantly breaking through one's own limitations and climbing to the peak is the only way for geniuses to succeed.

It has remained unchanged throughout history.

Qiao Yuan was just as moved.

Yan Baobao is in the Heavenly Palace Class. He never dared to think about these things before, but now he just wants them all!

Even though he knew it would be difficult, he still wanted to try and challenge his own limits.

Hu Tu, breathing heavily, said, "It's said that our Beidou Class 7 can only learn the traditions of each class. For example, our Yaoguang Class can learn the power of the Yaoguang Emperor, and the Lieyang Class can only learn the techniques of the Lieyang Martial God. But the Yinhe Class can freely choose all the traditions of Yinhe University from ancient times to the present!"

"No wonder," Qiao Yuan said belatedly, "Teacher Daisy had hinted at it to me before."

"What did you say?" Hu Tu leaned closer.

"It's nothing, you know what I mean, after all, the Galaxy Class has such great authority."

"Oh, I see," Hu Tu said in a low voice, "It's pre-arranged, right? That's for sure. Your sister's situation is very rare. They are all promising talents with great potential. Otherwise, with your first place in the Seven Towers, you would have been able to get in no matter what. After all, Lu Qiuhai, who was second in the Seven Towers, was able to get into the Ksitigarbha Class. Sigh, it's nothing."

Qiao Yuan smiled and said, "I don't care. It's university after all, the most important thing is to enjoy the process."

"Haha, I can tell."

Instructor Zhou then continued, "Today's exercise is frog jumps. You all had a whole day of squat training in the classroom yesterday, so it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Similar to long-distance running, walk around the east edge of the track with your guide hand. Let's begin."

Instructor Zhou's words stunned Hu Tu, who suddenly felt a cramp in his legs and his legs go weak: "Holy crap, a 20-kilometer lap of frog jumps? Are they treating us like the Japanese?"

"It's alright, we're in the first tier, take a break whenever you want," Qiao Yuan coughed twice and said, "We'll probably just warm up in the morning, and the exam will be in the afternoon, come on."

Hu Tu laughed heartily: "Here comes my good brother."

They took the wristbands and, at Instructor Zhou's whistle, began to jump forward.

"What did you just say? That the middleman, Lao Jin's, employer is running a Black Night Church?"

"Uh...yes," Hutu nodded, "Jack just told me quietly that Old Jin has been working for the Hell Cult...their financial backers are all from there."

Qiao Yuan said thoughtfully, "I understand."

He was somewhat puzzled. If this old Jin could enrage the Hell Cult behind him and even launch an attack on the Night Church, it could only mean that this person was very important to the Hell Cult.

For example, the playing card in his hand?

It's interesting that a middleman who works for a secret cult in Hell possesses a fragment of an angel that can suppress Hell. They're probably both traitors.

After witnessing the bearded man's betrayal of the bald man last night, it seems perfectly reasonable for Old Jin to betray the Hell Cult.

Leave it alone.

Anyway, it's in his best interest; we'll see if we can collect more Night Masks later.

Three cards is not a small number, but it's not many either.

The biggest thing now is to snowball the demand for medicine again; he can't wait any longer.

After a moment, Hu Tu hesitated before speaking, "Um, I have a question for you about girls."

Qiao Yuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "What's wrong? You and Qin Xue didn't have a fight, did you?"

"No, no," Hu Tu quickly shook his head and muttered, "It's just that she suddenly wants to live on campus again. She said she made two good girlfriends at school, and that the dormitory just happens to be short-staffed, so she wants to experience it."

"Oh, I don't know what she was thinking. She was playing games last night and was doing fine, but before going to bed she suddenly brought this up with me," Hu Tu scratched his head. "I still can't figure it out."

Qiao Yuan fell into thought, then frowned and said, "Has Yaoguang University already started classes?"

"Yes, he said he made some good friends." Hu Tu kept rambling on, "I was wondering if I did something wrong? Living together is so comfortable, I really don't understand why you have to squeeze into those dorms. My place is just as good as yours."

"Stop!" Qiao Yuan shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

Qiao Yuan raised his hand and patted Hu Tu on the shoulder: "Hey bro, even though I've never been in a relationship, I don't think you can always be this humble."

"You paid for the rent, so you need to stand up for yourself. What I mean is, you don't owe Qin Xue anything, so don't start by feeling guilty, okay?"

Hu Tu immediately became somewhat excited and grinned sincerely, "Qiao Yuan, thank you. You've always been encouraging me. Yes, I don't want to reflect on myself, but I don't know how to express it. It's a headache."

"How about this," Qiao Yuan suggested, "I don't know Qin Xue's specific thoughts for the time being, so I might just say it casually. You can tell her later that you think about her every day at Galaxy University and that you're thinking about meeting her tonight, and that you shouldn't be shy, and then see her reaction."

"If she doesn't mention boarding school again, then it was probably just a passing thought, so there's no need to take it too seriously. Just go about your business as usual."

"If she brings it up again and becomes persistent, feel free to contact me anytime."

Hu Tu listened attentively and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Okay, I'll listen to you, brother."

Qiao Yuan smiled. He had initially thought that he might go to Yaoguang University that evening to meet Qin Xue and use the timeline to help Hu Tu take a look.

There's no need to think about it. Perhaps Hu Tu is just overthinking things because he's always been insecure and blushes when talking to girls.

Before we knew it, it was noon.

On his way to the cafeteria, he saw Tu Shanlin fiddling with his phone in the distance, looking rather mysterious.

A moment later, he received an email.

[Tu Shanlin: Um... um...]

He blinked and replied, "[The same as yesterday? Should I bring you some extra fish?]"

[Um...no...I meant to say...]

[Speak quickly, or the fish will be gone.]

[ah?]

Tu Shanlin sent two emails in a row. The second one simply said, "[Fish...eat fish...]"

After a while, in the pavilion outside the cafeteria, Qiao Yuan handed over the thick lunchbox: "There's blackfish soup today too, it's at the bottom, very hot."

Tu Shanlin gently wagged his snow-white tail, his face flushed as he thanked her, seemingly very happy.

Then she took out a ruby ​​the size of a fingernail from her pocket and shyly pushed it in front of Qiao Yuan: "Thank you for these past two days. I may continue to trouble you in the future... Please accept this."

"Too many," Qiao Yuan shook his head.

This ruby ​​is dozens of times more magnificent than the one Old Jin wore yesterday. It must be worth millions. This is the extravagance of the top nobility.

Tu Shanlin exclaimed in surprise, then asked in confusion, "How many? But this is the smallest one I have."

"..." Qiao Yuan was stunned.

Good, good, so this is the life of a chaebol? Even a small tip can be worth millions.

"You...you can keep it..."

Qiao Yuan thought for a moment and still refused: "It's okay, the school cafeteria is very cheap, this meal will only cost a dozen yuan, we can save up more later."

Tu Shanlin hesitated for a moment, feeling quite confused, before finally thanking Qiao Yuan again: "Okay, if you need any help, feel free to ask me, although I don't think I can really help much..."

"Eat up," Qiao Yuan said with a smile.

He discovered that Tu Shanlin was particularly naive and had no concept of money, but seemed to have some inferiority complex.

As the daughter of a top noble family, Fang Cai's second-tier advancement is quite unusual.

The person who got into the Yao Guang Class must be a genius, so their talent shouldn't be too bad. If they wanted to get a guaranteed admission, they could easily get into the Yinhe Class.

Confused, he thought for a moment and then asked, "Um, why didn't you go to the Galaxy Class?"

"Hmm~" Tu Shanlin muttered softly, "I participated in the Tower Challenge alone before~"

Qiao Yuan was quite surprised, yet somewhat expectant. He gradually realized, "I understand."

Tu Shanlin pricked up his furry ears, as if he was hooked by Qiao Yuan's words, looking like he wanted to ask a question.

Qiao Yuan didn't want to say anything at first, but in the end he smiled and said, "It takes a lot of courage to investigate Lin Xuan's case. You're much more capable than me."

His implication was that he could sense Tu Shanlin's desire to prove himself through his own efforts, rather than relying on family advantages. Whether it was participating in the Tower Challenge alone or investigating cases while dressed as a frog, it was all a way of proving himself.

In an instant, Tu Shanlin's golden eyes lit up slightly, as if he had been inspired and recognized, and his brows furrowed with great joy.

"No, you're much braver than me~"

Qiao Yuan immediately understood what she was referring to, and smiled knowingly, "Eat up, the fish soup gets cold easily outside."

Tu Shanlin was very well-behaved. He took a sip of the hot blackfish soup and comfortably squinted his eyes.

As she ate, she relaxed considerably compared to her restraint yesterday, but she was still quite reserved.

She was still curious whether Qiao Yuan's sister was called Bao Bao or whether Qiao Yuan had a girlfriend. She wondered to herself but dared not ask.

However, her intuition told her that Qiao Yuan in front of her most likely didn't have a girlfriend.

It's an indescribable feeling.

After finishing his meal, Tu Shanlin noticed that there weren't many people left in the cafeteria, so he said shyly, "I'll deliver the lunchboxes this time. It's always a hassle for you."

"It's okay, let's go together."

Qiao Yuan stood up with a smile, while Tu Shanlin walked to the side with a red face, his big tail wagging back and forth.

A few students who hadn't left yet glanced over, their eyes filled with intense envy.

……

In the afternoon, Instructor Zhou addressed them: "There will be an assessment later. Second-level students will have a two-hour time limit for completing one lap of frog jumps, while first-level students will have a three-hour time limit."

Hu Tu stuck out his tongue as he listened: "Oh no, I'm going to be at the bottom again. This can't go on. I'm going to buy a bottle of gene enhancement liquid to drink today."

"I should have bought it a long time ago," Qiao Yuan said with a smile. "I was drinking the enhancement liquid before."

"What? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Hu Tu muttered as he walked to the starting line next to him.

During the preparation phase, Charlie arrogantly walked over and sneered at Qiao Yuan, "Let's have a competition? Dare we each start ten minutes early this time?"

Qiao Yuan shook his head slightly: "No, thank you."

Charlie immediately burst into laughter: "Hahaha, you're scared, I knew you couldn't do it."

"I am indeed afraid, afraid that you will lose again, and then you will stammer and dare not call me 'Dad'," Qiao Yuan looked at Charlie meaningfully, "You really know how to tough it out."

Hu Tu burst out laughing, laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

"You're talking nonsense!!"

Charlie's face flushed instantly. He was so angry that his teeth itched, and he gritted his teeth and said, "A true man can bend and stretch. What does one defeat matter? Come and fight!"

"Alright, alright, let's talk about it after you get there today. We're all from the Yaoguang class, and you're just making a fool of yourself. You don't care about saving face, but I do."

"Fine! Hmph, I'll give you a day. Let's see what you have to say tomorrow."

Charlie stopped wasting words and returned to his starting line, determined to start ten minutes early today.

As soon as Instructor Zhou blew his whistle, Qiao Yuan unleashed all his skills.

Time passed slowly.

Two hours and fifty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and he completed the challenge, panting heavily.

Charlie, who had finished 1 hour and 50 minutes earlier, was now looking at the scene with some surprise.

A dozen or so students who knew about their arguments and challenges were amazed.

Instructor Zhou nodded with satisfaction at Qiao Yuan and said specifically, "Not bad, Qiao Yuan's grades are excellent every day, he has great potential."

Charlie's face had turned ashen...

If Qiao Yuan had accepted the challenge, wouldn't he have had to call him "Dad" again in front of everyone?

Qiao Yuan ignored Charlie's extremely embarrassed expression, as if he wanted to disappear into the ground.

It's all noise.

At that moment, Tu Shanlin waved to him from a distance with a solemn expression.

Qiao Yuan found it odd, but still wiped the sweat from his brow and walked over: "What's wrong?"

Tu Shanlin hesitated and said, "Um, it seemed like someone was watching you outside the school just now. That's so strange."

"Did you see what it looks like?"

His heart sank as he listened, and he immediately thought of Simon. Had he arrived so quickly?