Chapter 91 - 90: Lock, Favor, Inquiry

Ma Ran opened his eyes, put on the uniform distributed by Grass Hut Academy, and looked up: "Come in."

With Su Qiangwei’s words, there was no need to go over and open the door personally.

The last time she went to Yingchuan Academy, among the many abilities gained from Myriad Transformations, there was one under development-level superpower called [Unlock].

The name [Unlock] itself seemed somewhat intriguing.

The original owner of this ability once made great efforts, hoping to elevate this ability to a higher level through personal effort and imagination, combined with scientific thought.

For example: unlocking the brain’s limitations, unlocking computer passwords, unlocking muscle potential, unlocking sealed memories...

Unfortunately...

The harsh reality proved these to be mere empty fantasies.

The function of [Unlock] was merely to "unlock locks," nothing more.

In Ma Ran’s view, [Unlock] wasn’t the most useless superpower.

Sometimes when you forget to bring your keys, it could play a role.

Besides that, in a few specific situations, this ability could be of considerable use—like cracking the security door of a temporary base of alien invaders.

Though at first hearing, the ability [Unlock] might sound quite rubbish, seemingly of no use, it was nonetheless classified under the Victory Stone Superpower System, inheriting the system’s legacy of defying logic.

No matter if your lock was made on Earth or in the stars, regardless of its technological content, it treated all locks equally.

Padlocks, password locks, iris locks, DNA door locks, brainwave locks...

In the face of the [Unlock] ability, they were all the same, effortlessly unlocked in a second, with no distinction.

With a barely noticeable soft sound, Su Qiangwei pushed the door open and entered.

She didn’t regard herself as an outsider, leaving the door wide open, and sat unceremoniously on the office chair.

"You have fifteen minutes to wash up and eat."

"The meeting is about to start."

"Hurry up!"

Having said that, Su Qiangwei grabbed a macadamia nut from a special snack bag hanging at her waist.

With delicate fingers gripping it, Inner Qi swirled in her palm.

Crack!

The hard shell cracked open instantly, revealing the nut inside.

The faint aroma of nuts, wrapped in Inner Qi, delivered to Ma Ran’s side, stirred his hunger.

Gurgle...

Ma Ran set down the cup, expressionlessly spat out the toothpaste foam from his mouth, and delivered an objective evaluation to Su Qiangwei.

"Childish."

After rinsing his mouth and drying his face, he put on his shoes, disregarded Su Qiangwei, and left the dormitory heading directly to the cafeteria.

The young girl snorted, casually closed the door, and followed him distantly.

Su Qiangwei seemed to murmur something.

But her words shattered in the whistling morning wind.

What reached Ma Ran’s ears was only the bell-like laughter of the girl.

Being the first month in the Grass Hut Academy, Su Qiangwei was very happy.

Laughter is the most infectious thing.

Walking ahead, Ma Ran found his lips involuntarily curling upwards.

After being reborn, he rewrote the tragedy of thousands of families and changed the growth experiences of many Earth Civilization Guardians.

Raising his head, Ma Ran said to himself, "This is just the beginning."

When in a bright mood, even the cloudy sky appeared somewhat endearing.

...

After a simple meal of over a dozen meat buns, Ma Ran and Su Qiangwei arrived at the meeting hall.

Inside the hall, besides Grass Hut Academy’s President Huang Weiguo, there were many dignified middle-aged and elderly individuals.

Most of them were leading figures of various academic societies, with a few occasionally appearing on the nightly news.

At this moment, their spirits didn’t seem too good, eyes bloodshot, seemingly having suffered from insomnia.

These important figures arrived early, whereas Ma Ran and Su Qiangwei attended the meeting right on time.

While they couldn’t be considered "late," it did give an impression of lacking steadiness.

Yet...

As the only two "National Guardian" level ability users in the country, Su Qiangwei and Ma Ran naturally enjoyed a high stature and respect.

The strongest in Qinglian Academy, Zhu Hanyi, didn’t even qualify to attend this meeting.

The tolerance the elders showed towards the two even surprised Huang Weiguo, who had initially worried for them.

The middle-aged attendees displayed relative restraint, offering kind smiles to Ma Ran and Su Qiangwei.

The older folks were visibly more excited.

They hurriedly wore glasses to take a closer look at the two, stood up with the help of walking sticks, and scolded President Huang to serve them water...

All of the above happened.

The words like love and pampering, suitable for the younger generation, couldn’t describe the elders’ attitude anymore.

"Spoiling" was a more accurate reflection of their attitude towards the pair!

Huang Weiguo’s eye twitched slightly, feeling a bit emotional.

Luckily, Su Qiangwei and Ma Ran’s values were mostly set; otherwise, in just a year or two, they’d risk becoming spoiled.

"Ma Ran, that white hair... it makes one feel pity."

"Come, child, sit by grandpa’s side, let him take a good look at you."

"It’s us old folks who are useless; if only we could help."

"The pressure on their shoulders, can you bear it?"

"Thirteen days until Demon Mountain arrives, let’s think of a plan slowly, no need to get too nervous."

"Let the kids rest for a while, don’t overexert them!"

"The young girl is so pretty! She reminds me of my younger self... so much alike..."

"Old Huang! What’s going on? Is Grass Hut Academy’s funding insufficient? When the money is in your hands, you have to use it wisely! You can’t skimp on the children’s essentials! Look at you making the young girl hungry!"

"Why are you standing there? Go make a bowl of beef noodle soup for the little girl!"

"What rice noodles for breakfast! I’ll tell the canteen, make soy milk with fried dough! This girl’s appetite is quite big, make sure she’s full!"

"My granddaughter really loves spicy rabbit heads; ask the cafeteria to make a pot for Su girl."

"Ma Ran didn’t have breakfast either? How about steaming two Wuchang fish for you?"

This rosy view...

It’s almost distorted.

The elders became more and more exaggerated in their words.

Isn’t Su Qiangwei full?

She ate more than anyone!

The criticized Huang Weiguo felt quite wronged, yet he remained silent, enduring it.

Not everyone had the privilege to be scolded by these seniors.

On such formal occasions, Ma Ran wanted to maintain his dignity.

So he decisively declined the elders’ good intentions.

Su Qiangwei swallowed her saliva, angrily glancing at Ma Ran.

At this time, there’s no need for [Unity] to secretly pass messages.

Ma Ran understood her look—where’s our promise to advance and retreat together? You refused, so how can I comfortably accept?

Su Qiangwei gracefully smiled and said in an obedient girl’s voice, "I’m not that hungry... so... just a few dishes will do."

Recently, she had been trying new combinations of superpowers, which significantly increased her energy consumption, and she never felt full.

Having said this much, President Huang had no choice but to grudgingly head to the cafeteria to arrange an extra meal for Su Qiangwei.

At this moment, a man with a square face approached Ma Ran.

His brows were furrowed, and he spoke in a heavy tone: "I am Wei Zuxia, in charge of the Demon Mountain Special Operations Team."

"Time is tight, and the task is heavy."

"Therefore, I want to ask here in advance..."

"Comrade Ma Ran, do you have any unique insights or more information related to ’Demon Mountain’ regarding the global crisis arising thirteen days later?"