Chapter 2 The Loner

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Swish, swish, swish~

The ceiling fan in the classroom whirred rapidly, barely sweeping away the summer's stifling heat, yet the inner restlessness of the students was steadily increasing.

The upcoming National Founding Festival lasting half a month was near, with less than two minutes left until the end of the last class.

Most students in Senior Year 2 Class 5 were already packing their bags or looking out the window, as the ongoing "Cultural Studies" class seemed unimportant to them.

However,

A male student sitting next to the wall was still listening attentively to the class, his gaze swiftly shifting between the blackboard and his notebook, trying to jot down as much as possible.

Ding, ding~

The bell signaling the end of class rang.

The restless students left the classroom in small groups, sprinting and running as if they were worried about being left behind in the school.

This male student made sure he had copied down everything in his notes before he began to pack up his books slowly.

Just then,

A shadow spread over, clinging and covering the desk.

The male student instinctively clenched his fists and spun around quickly.

What caught his eye was a pair of hands lightly resting on the edge of the table,

Following the fair yet muscular arms upwards, a gentle and familiar smile quickly disarmed the male student's defenses.

The owner of the shadow was none other than Wu Wen, the current class monitor of Senior Year 2 Class 5.

With a height of 1.7 meters and nearly perfect body proportions, coupled with today's high ponytail, it was evident she was extremely athletic.

Today, on the eve of the holiday, there was no need to wear uniforms.

Class monitor Wu was dressed in a more casual summer sportswear; a white T-shirt covered with a light-colored sun-protective garment, while her lower half sported tight sports shorts and white sneakers.

After confirming the class monitor's identity, the male student let down his guard and continued collecting his books.

"Hey, Luo Di, I plan to go out for fun during the mid-holidays for two days. Are you free?"

"No."

The class monitor, not giving up, leaned in closer and lowered her voice,

"It's not just 'fun.' My family pulled some strings to get 'practical experience' opportunities in advance. You know this stuff, as long as it's successful, it will be recorded in our personal files, which helps with next year's admissions exams."

Luo Di did not respond immediately, continuing to pack his books.

The class monitor patiently waited.

After he put away the last book, he finally spoke, "Who else is going?"

"Including you, a total of four.

Including a guy from our class who's on leave, and a girl who's a friend from outside the school. Two boys and two girls, perfect balance.

Don't worry, they are all top students in sports, they won't hold you back."

This early practice was a rare opportunity, Luo Di nodded and agreed.

The class monitor stretched her arm out in front of him, almost occupying his entire field of view, and pointed to the flexible metal bracelet on her wrist.

"The practice is expected to start in seven days. However, I will call you the day before we leave, let everyone meet in advance, and then we'll go together to buy the necessary supplies for the practice."

"Okay."

At this moment, the school's broadcast coincidentally began.

"Attention all teachers and students, please swipe your cards and leave the school within fifteen minutes. The school will undergo a comprehensive check before the holiday. Failure to leave on time will result in a record, and the School Medical Room will conduct an integrated check."

"Luo Di, want to have a race? Let's see who can reach the school gate first?"

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"I can't."

The class monitor, already in a running stance, could only sigh, "Ah~Alright then."

The two walked through the campus one after the other, and no matter how frantically the class monitor waved his hand at the front, Luo Di maintained a normal walking speed, as if he had already calculated the time in his heart and wasn't worried about being left inside the school.

By the time he exited the school gates, the class monitor was already sitting in a rather expensive private car.

Luo Di could faintly feel someone watching him from inside the vehicle, but this kind of attention seemed something he was already used to and not worth caring about.

He instead boarded the familiar bus and took a seat at the last row by the window. Just as he was about to take a short nap, a loud special announcement came through the bus.

Buzz~Buzz~Buzz~

First, it issued three segments of high-frequency, ear-piercing alert tones, emphasizing the importance of the broadcast.

"Tomorrow marks the annual National Festival, and all citizens will enjoy a 15-day holiday period. A special reminder, please enjoy your holiday but also strictly adhere to the National Corner Security Law.

During the holiday, those designated as regional service providers must fulfill their duties, and subsequent holiday compensation will be provided.

Citizens must comply with the Corner Law of different regions during their holiday travels.

Those needing to travel to the suburbs should make necessary preparations in advance, showing a medical checkup certificate before leaving the city, and undergo a comprehensive psychological examination upon returning."

The first part of the announcement was played in Russian.

Although Luo Di holds Huaxia nationality, he could understand it perfectly, as Russian was included in the mandatory cultural classes.

Subsequent announcements were played in Mandarin, English, German, and Italian.

According to Luo Di's original plans, he would stay at home for the entire holiday, but now he needed to consider 'practice' and make some changes.

After getting off the bus with his backpack, Luo Di walked quickly to the deepest part of the district, where his [home] was located.

Hanging above the entrance shoe cabinet were the photos of a family of four; Luo Di had a sister besides his parents.

However, there was also a letter left on the shoe cabinet, informing him that his parents had gone on a vacation with his sister, leaving the responsibilities of watching the house during this busy student's National Festival to him.

Luo Di wasn't complaining; in fact, he was quite happy.

He preferred staying home alone, as going on trips was a painful event for him.

He took out frozen beef and green peppers from the fridge and steamed two large buns.

While cooking, Luo Di also took a beautifully packaged DVD and a 25kg metal dumbbell from his own bedroom and placed them in the living area beforehand.

Buzz~

The television turned on, the DVD player reading the disc.

The movie title "Friday the 13th Part III" appeared on the LCD screen, accompanied by the background music of that era.

Luo Di held a bun with beef and green pepper in one hand and a dumbbell in the other.

With each bite, he performed a corresponding dumbbell curl,

and throughout the entire process of eating and exercising, Luo Di never took his eyes off the screen, despite having seen the movie more than thirty times.

That's right.

He had always liked this kind of movie, especially fascinated by the characters within.

Unlike the class monitor who underwent systematic specialized training,

Luo Di received no guidance from others during non-school periods; he simply wanted to achieve the physique of movie characters in the most ordinary way through physical exercise.

Dumbbells, weighted squats, push-ups, and running more than ten kilometers every night were his training programs.

He believed that by persevering like this, one day he would be able to gain a physique similar to those murderers in the movies.