Chapter 246: The Newborn

“It’s time for class. Hurry up and go over there.”

Everyone made their way toward the classroom, and Nie Yan and others entered.

“Bro, do you play Myth?” Zhai Hao asked beside him. At the moment, everyone’s conversations revolved around Myth. For many people, Myth had become an essential part of life.

Xie Yao couldn’t help but eavesdrop nearby. Her gaze lingered on Nie Yan. She thought he resembled that person too much—similar pronunciation of their names, the tone and manner of speaking, and that deep sense of familiarity.

Some people’s personalities in the game and in real life are completely different.

Take herself, for example. Xie Yao was relatively quiet in real life, but once she entered Myth, her thoughts became more active and her personality more outgoing. In the game, people could always release some psychological stress.

But some people remained consistent.

“Of course I play,” Nie Yan replied. The most frequent topic among classmates was undoubtedly in-game equipment and levels. Having high levels and good gear brought great prestige. Acquiring good equipment meant showing it off. It seemed a bit childish, but it was an indispensable topic for them.

“What level are you?” Upon hearing Nie Yan’s reply, Zhai Hao immediately became interested.

“23.” Nie Yan answered. Indeed, he was only level 23 at the moment.

Xie Yao showed a clear expression of disappointment beside them. That person had reached level 35 long ago and might now be even higher. Hearing Nie Yan say he was only level 23, could he really not be that person? Xie Yao thought for a moment. Considering Nie Yan’s low-key personality, perhaps he wouldn’t reveal his true level in real life.

Thus, her disappointment eased significantly.

Xie Yao experienced intense inner conflict. She both hoped Nie Yan was that person, as the two seemed so alike, and this unspoken understanding subtly affected her emotions. Yet, she also didn’t want Nie Yan to be that person. If it were truly him, she didn’t know how to interact with Nie Yan.

If the two were this close both in the virtual and real worlds, would she eventually end up with Nie Yan? Her heart raced.

She admired the leader who commanded crowds and dominated the scene—Nie Yan. Yet the distance between them was so vast. If Nie Yan entered her life, how should she deal with it?

“I’m level 26. A few of my friends and I formed a team of six. Next time, I’ll take you along to level up together.” Zhai Hao felt a bit proud. His level was relatively high among all players. Among his classmates, only a few could surpass him. Youthful nature always included a bit of vanity. Compared to others, Zhai Hao was quite down-to-earth, yet still couldn’t avoid this common weakness.

“Sure, just let me know when.” Nie Yan readily agreed. In his previous life, these people around Zhai Hao had all been Nie Yan’s good friends, and he definitely wanted to meet them again.

“Miss Class Beauty, do you play Myth? Want to join us?” Zhai Hao asked somewhat expectantly. If Xie Yao joined, the group of young men would surely be excited and thrilled.

Xie Yao smiled slightly, shaking her head. “I won’t go. You can invite Xia Ling and the others.”

Very few people in the class knew that Xie Yao played games, let alone her level or how well she played. Even the girls who played Myth well had never encountered Xie Yao in the game.

“Alright then. Will Xia Ling and the others agree?” Zhai Hao said, glancing toward the graceful figure in the distance, his expression slightly restrained.

Nie Yan saw Zhai Hao’s expression and couldn’t help but smile slightly. In his previous life, Xia Ling and Zhai Hao had been a pair of affectionate lovers. They had kept in touch during college, later got assigned to the same city for work, and after an eight-year long-distance relationship, finally got married. It was a story of lovers who eventually ended up together.

“They will definitely be willing, but you have to take care of them. Their levels aren’t as high as yours. I can help you invite them,” Xie Yao said. She had noticed Zhai Hao’s interest in Xia Ling.

“Thank you so much, Miss Class Beauty,” Zhai Hao said excitedly, looking at Nie Yan, “When are you available? How about tomorrow? We can meet up when the game starts.”

Nie Yan thought for a moment. It was indeed necessary to build rapport with these people, but tomorrow he seemed quite busy.

“That’s fine, but I can only play with you for about two hours. I have plans with a friend later,” Nie Yan said. He could spare an hour or two to catch up with his old buddies. Back in his previous life, they had often teamed up in games, evading pursuit from the Triumphant Empire and grinding levels in remote mountain areas. Recalling those days of mutual support, he truly missed them. He shouldn’t neglect these longtime friends just because he’d achieved success now. His priority was to meet them first and bring them into the Bull Tribe.

“Why are you so busy?” Zhai Hao asked in surprise. Their excuse for inviting Xia Ling and the other girls was also to have more interaction with Nie Yan, the new student. Nie Yan’s performance today had indeed surprised everyone, and all of them were curious about him. If Nie Yan left, what excuse would they have to keep Xia Ling and the other girls around?

“I’m just going to check on you. After I leave, you can continue leveling up, right? I’ll accompany you another day,” Nie Yan said. This was a rare opportunity for Zhai Hao and Xia Ling to spend time together, and he didn to want to spoil it because of himself.

Zhai Hao thought for a moment and said, “Alright then. Since you’re so busy, let’s just meet tomorrow and catch up another day. How can we contact each other?”

“What’s your in-game name?” Nie Yan asked. If he revealed his in-game name here, it would likely cause an earthquake throughout the entire class. The name of the infamous thief, Nie Yan, was already widely known.

Although he already knew Zhai Hao’s in-game name from his previous life, he still asked.

“My name is Furious Battle Armor, and I’m a Berserker,” Zhai Hao replied.

“I’ll find you tomorrow,” Nie Yan said. He didn’t want to talk about in-game matters here. Tomorrow, when he met Zhai Hao and the others, he could ask them to keep it a secret.

“You haven’t told me what your in-game name is yet,” Zhai Hao said. Nie Yan seemed a bit secretive about his in-game matters, which made him curious.

Nie Yan smiled and shook his head. “We’ll talk about that later.”

“Alright,” Zhai Hao said helplessly. This guy was indeed being mysterious.

If Zhai Hao knew Nie Yan’s in-game name, he probably wouldn’t think that way anymore.

Listening to Nie Yan and Zhai Hao’s conversation, Xie Yao looked at Nie Yan, blinking her clear eyes. She felt even more suspicious. Why wouldn’t Nie Yan reveal his in-game name?

“I’ll go invite Xia Ling and the others,” Xie Yao said, feeling a bit smug inside. Even if you don’t want to say, you’ll still have to reveal it tonight when we log in. Xia Ling was her best friend.

Soon, Zhai Hao received Xie Yao’s reply. Xia Ling agreed, and two other girls would be joining as well. They were around levels 21 and 22, not very high, but still decent.

The class bell rang, and everyone sat down in their respective seats.

Nie Yan pretended to look around and walked over to Xie Yao, smiling. “What a coincidence. My seat number happens to be right next to yours.”

Xie Yao looked at the name displayed on the computer beside her, which was indeed Nie Yan. Previously, a girl had sat next to her, but she transferred schools and the seat remained empty. Unexpectedly, it was now assigned to Nie Yan.

Xie Yao puffed her cheeks. How could it be so coincidental? There were at least a dozen empty seats in the class, yet Nie Yan ended up sitting right beside her.

Nie Yan sat down next to Xie Yao and looked at her, thinking to himself. Beautiful desk mate, we’re sitting together again.

The beauty was still there, just within reach.

He wouldn’t let her drift away again.

Nie Yan felt truly fortunate. Although he had suffered greatly in his previous life, he had been compensated in this life. There was a saying that was correct. Heaven makes people endure hardships so that they can appreciate happiness more when it comes.

Head teacher Yang Boyi entered from outside, scanning everyone in the class, his gaze finally settling on Nie Yan.

Nie Yan met his gaze without flinching. In his previous life, although Yang Boyi was strict, he was relatively fair.

“Today, we have a new student joining us, whose name you all probably already know. Regarding the incident with Liu Rui, I’ve already received news from the school clinic. He himself is fine, but he needs some time to recover. Since today’s incident was a sparring match rather than a fight, I won’t say much about it. According to the relevant regulations of the Federation for improving the overall quality of the population, Nie Yan is not responsible for this incident. Due to Liu Rui’s injury and inability to attend school, the position of assistant instructor will temporarily be held by Nie Yan until Liu Rui returns, at which point everyone will vote again.

Yang Boyi’s words sparked quiet murmurs among everyone. Liu Rui had really suffered a setback this time, even losing his assistant instructor position. However, many people were secretly delighted because Liu Rui had been too dominant, making many people very unhappy.

Assistant instructor. Nie Yan couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased. From now on, he would have more opportunities to interact with Xie Yao. The assistant instructor had the authority to keep underperforming students for individual tutoring. Xie Yao wasn’t an underperforming student; she was even considered excellent. However, finding an excuse wasn’t difficult. There was a saying: those nearby get the moonlight first.

Yang Boyi looked at Nie Yan and said, “There are still many students in our class who have great potential and a good chance of entering the First Military Academy. I hope you all work harder and don’t neglect your academic studies. To enter the First Military Academy, you must also pass your academic exams. Now, let’s take the entrance test.”

Everyone let out a sigh of despair as several pages of test papers were sent through the computer. The total score was 1200 points, covering subjects such as mathematics, mechanical theory, physics, and more. These questions were quite difficult, but most of them were practical.

Nie Yan couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia. This was the life of his high school days!

He turned to look at Xie Yao, who was lowering her head to stare at the computer screen, using her finger to tap on it while fully focused on the test. Sensing Nie Yan’s gaze, her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, betraying her faint unease and anxiety.

“Focus on the test!” Xie Yao stomped her foot. For some reason, she always felt disturbed by Nie Yan, possibly due to that sense of familiarity between them. Her tone lacked severity and instead sounded like playful banter between lovers.

Hearing her beautiful desk mate’s words, Nie Yan dared not act recklessly and focused his attention back on the computer screen.

Memories from his previous life flashed through Nie Yan’s mind, filled with a faint warmth, flowing like a spring in his heart.