Chapter 133: Plan Begins
Baifeng Building, the place where Lei Yuan lived while attending school.
Compared to other female student dormitories, all the rooms here were single-occupancy. Lei Yuan had moved into Baifeng Building back in her sophomore year.
The female students living here were all the proud daughters of heaven from the various departments of Qinghui Scientific Research University, reserve talents for the Alliance’s future scientific research.
At this moment, many of these proud daughters of heaven, who had learned the news from the academy wall, were hiding behind their windowsills, secretly watching Zhou Ming escort Lei Yuan back to her dormitory.
Being a top student and enjoying gossip were not mutually exclusive. They also wanted to see what kind of boyfriend Lei Yuan had found, someone who usually did not associate with male friends at all.
“Brother Zhou, why are you wearing glasses?”
Lei Yuan, being a top student, naturally did not lack intelligence. When she had first met Zhou Ming, the surprise had made her overlook the glasses he wore. However, during the meal, the cold light reflected off his lenses made her feel that Zhou Ming had changed quite a bit.
That kind of feeling was something she had sensed before on senior students from the medical department who often dissected corpses.
Faced with Lei Yuan’s sudden question, Zhou Ming merely smiled faintly, then took off his gold-rimmed glasses.
“After staying in the wilderness for too long, one always ends up carrying an aura that ordinary people don’t like. But I’m still the same Brother Zhou you know.”
Zhou Ming did not hide much at all. Instead, it made Lei Yuan feel that indifferent, unsettling temperament even more clearly.
“It seems Brother Zhou must have had a hard time these past few years. I’ll head back now. Remember to keep in touch by phone.”
Seeing Zhou Ming’s frank attitude, Lei Yuan revealed a smile. She then raised the phone in her hand toward Zhou Ming as a gesture before turning and running toward the main door behind her.
“Still a bit too pure.”
Zhou Ming put his gold-rimmed glasses back on, looked at Lei Yuan’s figure that was about to disappear, and gave a simple evaluation.
Sometimes, honesty was merely a way to conceal even deeper secrets.
As for Lei Yuan, who had hope of entering the Alliance Academy of Sciences in the future, Zhou Ming did not mind spending some effort to maintain a good relationship with her. Perhaps someday, he might need her help.
After sending Lei Yuan back to her residence, Zhou Ming then began wandering around Qinghui Scientific Research University.
Because winter break had not yet ended, there were not many students on campus, but there were still quite a few secretly observing Zhou Ming.
At first, Zhou Ming did not know the reason for this. When he heard the words “academy wall,” he immediately searched for Qinghui Scientific Research University’s academy wall on his phone.
“Talented woman Lei Yuan? I didn’t expect her to be even more outstanding than I had anticipated.”
After understanding the reason, Zhou Ming did not pay it much attention and continued strolling around the campus.
However, before long, he discovered that the back mountain of the school and certain teaching buildings were completely inaccessible to him with his status as an auditing student.
Especially near the low hills behind the school, Zhou Ming was not only warned by guards, but also sensed a dangerous aura.
Professional Beast Tamers in charge of security?
Although he was somewhat curious, Zhou Ming had no intention of investigating further.
After all, within the Qinghui Base, Qinghui Scientific Research University was second only to Qinghui Beast Taming University. It was perfectly normal for it to have research secrets.
After roughly understanding the internal situation of Qinghui Scientific Research University, Zhou Ming, having nothing else to do, prepared to head to the library.
The books preserved there were definitely more precious than those open to the public at the Qinshan Base library.
And at this moment, a young man walked over toward Zhou Ming.
“Brother, how did you manage to win over the talented woman Lei Yuan?”
Zhou Ming had thought the other party was coming to cause trouble, but instead it was a brave soul seeking guidance from him.
On second thought, anyone who could enter Qinghui Scientific Research University was at least not lacking in intelligence.
Previously, the girls he and Lei Yuan had encountered at the school gate had only mocked Lei Yuan quietly in private, not daring to show their jealousy in public.
After all, with the abilities Lei Yuan had displayed, the higher-ups of the school clearly knew who was more important.
“You want to know?”
“Yes. Big brother, teach me.”
Seeing how sincere the other party was, Zhou Ming asked with a faintly inexplicable smile.
“Do you know the high schools inside the Qinghui Base?”
“Yes, there are several high schools. Big brother, why are you asking that?”
The young man looked puzzled, not understanding Zhou Ming’s meaning.
“Go get to know people there in advance.”
After saying that, Zhou Ming turned around and left without looking back.
Left standing in place, the young man pondered Zhou Ming’s suggestion, as if he understood why Zhou Ming had been able to win over the talented woman Lei Yuan.
“But high school students seem to be minors… no, graduating seniors don’t count. Besides, I’m just getting to know them.”
Soon after, the young man thought of his younger sister who had just graduated from high school, and planned to pay some price to have her help introduce a few female classmates.
Fortunately, the young man still had a sense of the law. Under Zhou Ming’s “guidance,” he had not completely gone down the wrong path.
As for Zhou Ming, over the following month, he spent almost all his time soaking in the library, and there was no incident of someone coming to trouble him because of Lei Yuan.
The only change was that student gossip gained one more topic.
In the blink of an eye, a month quietly passed.
February arrived, the time when universities within the Alliance began their terms, and Zhou Ming also received the course schedule for the mental-type major.
Zhou Ming’s university life officially began.
Over the next two to three months, Zhou Ming did not immediately seek help from Mentor Lu Dabo. Instead, he attended the other party’s lectures as an auditing student.
Only with sufficient accumulation of knowledge would one be qualified to converse with the other party, or even draw attention and receive proactive help.
Aside from his studies, Zhou Ming would also leave the Qinghui Base on weekends, heading into the wilderness to obtain Ferocious Beast flesh and blood to feed his Ironthread Snake swarm.
Although there were no lord-level Ferocious Beasts or Legendary Beast Kings within the Alliance, the numbers of high-tier and low-tier Ferocious Beasts were not small.
Once he left the safe zone outside the walls of the Qinghui Base, he could encounter all kinds of Ferocious Beasts.
June arrived, the season of scorching sun.
When the class-ending bell rang, Mentor Lu Dabo on the podium suddenly spoke to Zhou Ming.
“Zhou Ming, come to my office after class.”
“Alright, Mentor Lu.”
Faced with this unusual situation, classmates who had already become familiar with Zhou Ming immediately asked about it.
In response, Zhou Ming did not explain much, only saying that he did not know either.
A moment later, inside Lu Dabo’s office.
“Zhou Ming, the concept you proposed about collective consciousness and mutual spiritual resonance is very interesting. How did you come up with it?”
On the desk lay a conceptual report submitted by Zhou Ming.
“Mentor Lu, I am also a Beast Tamer. I once dreamed of becoming a Shepherd, but my resources and talent were limited, so I hoped to achieve something of my own in another direction.”
Looking at the white-haired Lu Dabo before him, the cold and indifferent aura on Zhou Ming had already faded considerably, instead revealing a trace of expectation.
“So that’s how it is. The proposal you provided is indeed related to the Shepherd class advancement.”
“Since you’re so motivated, are you willing to become my private student?”
Because Zhou Ming was an auditing student, he could not enjoy the treatment reserved for formal students, so Lu Dabo could only take him in as a private student.
“Thank you, teacher.”
Zhou Ming did not care about the identity of a private student. As long as he could achieve his own goals, that was enough.
Zhou Ming’s plan to get close to Lu Dabo succeeded, and he had also made use of the other party’s regret at being unable to advance as a professional Beast Tamer.