88: Chapter 88 Repairing the Fragments
The atmosphere on the plaza instantly became tense and hostile.
Everyone's eyes were focused on these eight top-tier geniuses among this year's freshmen.
Qin Wushuang stared fixedly at Wang Pingan, his narrow eyes bloodshot.
The six people behind him also looked unfriendly, radiating a faint hostility.
"Again?"
Wang Pingan felt a bit annoyed.
He just wanted to hurry to the archives to complete that five-thousand-credit mission; he had no time to waste here with these defeated opponents.
He didn't even bother to speak, merely lifting his eyelids to give Qin Wushuang a faint glance before preparing to bypass them and walk straight through.
However, Qin Wushuang seemed provoked by that dismissive look.
He suddenly took a step forward, blocking Wang Pingan's path once more.
"Wang Pingan!"
Qin Wushuang's voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a suppressed, extreme anger.
"Don't think that just because you won once, you can look down on us!"
"The Dragon Gate Baptism was just an appetizer! The real battle is only just beginning!"
"I admit I underestimated you before."
Qin Wushuang took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm his emotions.
"But remember this! I, Qin Wushuang, will absolutely not admit defeat like this!"
"The Freshman Ranking Tournament is in one month! When the time comes, I will pull you down from that position fairly and squarely on the stage!"
He pointed at Wang Pingan and then at himself, the flames of "revenge" burning in his bloodshot eyes.
Wang Pingan stopped in his tracks.
He looked at the hyper-agitated Qin Wushuang before him, a strange expression appearing on his face.
He sized Qin Wushuang up and down, then nodded solemnly.
"Mm, quite ambitious."
His tone was like that of someone praising an ignorant child.
"Keep it up, I've got high hopes for you."
After saying that, he even gave Qin Wushuang a "fighting" gesture.
Then, under the gaze of Qin Wushuang, whose face had instantly turned the color of pig liver, he coolly brushed past him.
"Pfft..."
From the surrounding crowd, someone was the first to fail to hold it in and burst out laughing.
Immediately following, waves of uncontrollable laughter spread throughout the plaza.
"Holy crap, that's heart-piercing!"
"This guy is too wicked! Qin Wushuang's dignity is completely gone today."
"Hahaha, I thought he was here for revenge, but after all that, he just came to talk tough? And it's fucking tough talk for a month later? I'm dying of laughter."
Qin Wushuang stood there listening to the blatant mockery, feeling like his lungs were about to explode from rage.
He whipped his head around, his venomous eyes staring fixedly at Wang Pingan's receding back.
"Wang Pingan! You wait and see! I definitely... definitely won't let you off!"
He let out a beast-like roar of resentment.
...
Wang Pingan ignored the farce behind him.
He proceeded without hindrance and soon arrived before the grand Central Archives, which looked like a fusion of an ancient library and futuristic technology.
The scale of the archives was even larger than he had imagined.
The entire building was hundreds of meters tall and divided into nine floors, each housing a vast collection of precious materials on martial arts, history, technology, and Alien Civilizations.
This was the knowledge treasury of the entire Xuanyuan University.
Wang Pingan swiped his Student Badge on the scanner at the entrance.
"Identity confirmed. Student Wang Pingan, welcome to the Central Archives."
He walked straight into the archives and took the internal levitating elevator directly to the seventh floor.
The seventh floor was an area specifically for storing various special documents and ancient relics.
The security here was much tighter than on the floors below.
As soon as Wang Pingan stepped out of the elevator, two guards in silver armor with unfathomable auras blocked his way.
"Halt. Present your mission credentials."
Wang Pingan showed them the mission information on his Personal Terminal.
When the two guards saw the mission details, surprised expressions appeared on their faces.
They glanced at each other before one of them spoke.
"Instructor Hera is waiting for you in the innermost 'Repair Room No. 07'."
Wang Pingan nodded and walked inward along the corridor paved with special crystals.
Soon, at the end of the corridor, he found an alloy door labeled "07".
He knocked gently on the door.
"Come in."
A cold, slightly weary female voice came from inside.
Wang Pingan pushed the door open and entered.
The space inside the repair room was large, filled with various high-tech precision instruments that he didn't understand.
A woman in a white research coat, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and appearing to be around thirty, with an intellectual and slightly aloof temperament, sat at a large laboratory bench, staring at a screen with a furrowed brow.
The screen displayed an extremely complex, 3D energy structure model.
"Are you the freshman who came to take the mission?"
Instructor Hera didn't even turn around, merely asking indifferously.
Her voice carried the characteristic indifference toward external matters common to those who deal with research year-round.
"Yes, Instructor. I am Wang Pingan."
Wang Pingan replied respectfully.
"Wang Pingan?"
Instructor Hera's movements finally paused.
She seemed to find the name somewhat familiar.
She slowly turned around, her eyes, as bright as autumn waters behind her gold-rimmed glasses, sizing Wang Pingan up and down.
When she saw Wang Pingan's excessively young face, her brow furrowed even deeper.
"A freshman?"
Her tone carried an undisguised hint of doubt and displeasure.
"Nonsense!"
"Students nowadays really don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"
"Do you know that even I find this mission difficult? You're just a newly enrolled freshman, still wet behind the ears, and you dare to take this mission?"
"Do you think this is a game?"
"Go back immediately! Don't waste my time here!"
Instructor Hera's voice was cold and filled with impatience.
She waved her hand as if shooing away an annoying fly.
Clearly, she took Wang Pingan for an arrogant novice who came here to seek attention through opportunism.