Chen Mo didn't care who was sitting next to him. After sitting down, he started reviewing nuclear energy knowledge, fully focused and tuning out the world around him.
Nuclear energy was the most important energy source on Blue Star.
Not only was it needed for restarting nuclear power plants, but it was also crucial for Black Domain Technology's expansion into the energy sector. Humanity's future wars would essentially be wars over energy.
So... there was no downside to learning more about nuclear energy.
Flip. Flip. Flip...
The familiar sound of pages turning echoed again.
Chen Mo scanned the pages quickly, turning one every few seconds. His reading speed was astonishing. With Red Queen tutoring him on the side, he seemed supercharged, with nuclear knowledge pouring into his mind like a torrent.
Su Qin frowned slightly at the relentless flipping sound.
Why so fast again?
Is he learning faster than me?
What a freak.
She turned to glance at Chen Mo and saw his defined, sculpted facial features—handsome like a finely crafted statue. His deep-set eyes sparkled like stars, his nose was straight and prominent, making his features more striking.
His clothes were clean and well-fitted.
His body was evenly proportioned.
He was... pretty good-looking!
Su Qin's face flushed. She quickly shook her head and refocused on his reading. Chen Mo was holding a dense nuclear energy textbook filled with complex formulas and jargon, yet he flipped a page every few seconds.
He occasionally scribbled calculations on scrap paper.
After observing for a while, Su Qin confirmed one thing—he was indeed reading, and understanding it too.
How...
How is this possible?
From elementary school to university, Su Qin had always been a top student. She consistently ranked first and had been the national top scorer in the college entrance exam. For most, a perfect score was virtually impossible. But for her, the only reason she didn't go higher was that the perfect score had a cap.
The test's upper limit had restricted her—
Not her ability.
Su Qin had always felt alone. Her intelligence made it hard to relate to others. Over time, she became quieter, with fewer and fewer friends.
Everyone knew she was brilliant—
But few knew she had mild social anxiety, blushing easily in conversation. Only in the ocean of knowledge did she find her confidence again.
But now, she found someone who learned even faster than she did.
And it thrilled her.
Suddenly—
Chen Mo, seemingly on autopilot from being immersed in reading, reached over with his right hand and grabbed a chip from the pack Su Qin had left on the table. He casually tossed it in his mouth and bit down—crunch—without taking his eyes off the book.
Completely focused.
As if it had been a subconscious action.
Su Qin's cheeks turned even redder. What's with this guy? Just helping himself to a girl's snacks? Doesn't he feel even a little embarrassed?
She quietly shifted the snack pack farther away, hoping he'd get the hint and stop taking them.
However... the next second, Chen Mo reached over again—this time taking the entire pack and munching away.
Crunch... crunch... crunch...
It had rhythm.
"…"
Su Qin was flushed, her heart pounding—and slightly helpless.
That was my snack!
I even moved it aside, and you still took it?
This was the first time in her life a guy had so boldly stolen her food. She had no idea how to respond. Should she grab it back?
An hour later—
Chen Mo had finished all the nuclear textbooks he brought.
Su Qin watched in silence as he casually finished her snacks too, leaving only empty wrappers on the table. Her eyes were misty.
Chen Mo put down his book, pulled out his phone, and placed it on the desk horizontally, preparing to watch a sci-fi movie before heading back to the dorm. He suddenly noticed the empty wrappers and memories began to surface. He quickly realized what had happened.
He'd been so absorbed in reading—
His mouth got bored.
So he grabbed the snacks near him and ate them.
The result: he'd finished the campus beauty's entire snack stash.
Chen Mo felt a little guilty. He thought for a moment...
Then he tore out a page from his notebook and neatly wrote a line:
[Sorry! I accidentally finished your snacks. If you want money, just let me know and I'll pay you back.]
When Su Qin saw the note he passed her, her face turned even redder. Her hands, which were resting neatly on the desk, instinctively pulled back.
Why write me a note?
Back in high school, only couples passed notes and love letters like this.
Su Qin wasn't sure whether to take it.
Or why he was even trying to talk to her.
But after a moment—
Curiosity got the better of her. She took the note, read it, and fell into deep thought.
"..."
Is this about the money?
...
Chen Mo had been observing Su Qin. Her reaction amused him. It was just a note—why so shy? Like she's never interacted with a guy before. And she didn't even return the note.
A real treasure of a girl.
In today's open society, a shy girl like this was rare.
Feeling more guilty, Chen Mo silently vowed: next time he came to the library, he'd bring her some snacks as compensation.
With that thought settled—
He stopped worrying and opened his video app, watching sci-fi films at triple speed. Occasionally, a funny scene would make him chuckle softly.
He watched until the library closed.
Then returned all the books and left slowly.
Su Qin packed up her study materials and left right after, without saying a word.
Chen Mo had considered saying goodbye to her—
But then thought better of it.
A girl like her, with social anxiety and blushing at the slightest thing, wasn't someone easy to approach. He'd just keep studying at the library regularly and gradually build some rapport.
Of course...
Chen Mo wasn't lusting after her. It was because Red Queen said she was a genius, and he was simply curious—nothing more.
Now it was clear—Su Qin was a genius, no doubt.
But when fate opens one door, it closes another.
She was a top student—
But lacked social skills, blushing at a single word from a guy.
Way too one-sided in her talents.
Chen Mo packed up and returned to Dorm 404.
He didn't go back to his rented apartment. Since he had no pressing matters, the dorm was more convenient.
His three roommates were all there.
As he approached the door, he heard their conversation from inside.
Zhang Dawei: "Man! Life is so cruel. Our homeroom teacher, Ms. Tian Tian, actually resigned. Now I've got no reason to attend class. How am I supposed to graduate?"
Deng Junlong: "I was only going for the black stockings. What's the point of class without them?"
Yu Guibo: "Who the hell stole her away? If I find out, I'm bringing a knife. Blocking my eye candy? That's unforgivable."
Then the legendary ladies' man Zhang Dawei said in a contemplative tone:
"Let's not guess blindly. Lately, Chen Mo's been spending a lot of time with Ms. Tian Tian. Let's ask him what's going on."
...
Cough, cough.
Chen Mo stood outside a moment, then cleared his throat and walked in like he hadn't heard anything. "Hey guys, I'm back."
Zhang Dawei's eyes lit up. He grabbed a stool, sat in front of Chen Mo, and asked:
"Chen Mo, we were just talking about why Ms. Tian Tian resigned. Do you know why she left?"
The other two also leaned in, ears perked.
Clearly, they were dying to know.
"Of course I do," Chen Mo smiled.
"Who stole her away? Tell us! Which scumbag poached my favorite teacher? I need names!"
The trio looked outraged.
Ms. Tian Tian was their goddess. Beautiful, kind, their dream teacher.
Now that dream was gone—no wonder they were so worked up.
"What if I told you I'm the one who poached her? She's working at my company now," Chen Mo said casually.
"Bullshit..."
"I don't believe it. No one in the world would believe that."
"Chen Mo! We buy the super-genius thing. But that you stole away Ms. Tian Tian? No way."
"We know your limits. You think we don't?"
Sigh!
Chen Mo sighed, then shrugged: "I told you the truth. If you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do."
Zhang Dawei laughed: "If you stop pretending, we'll still be friends."
Chen Mo: "Believe what you want."
Zhang Dawei: "If you don't know where she went, just say so. No need to make stuff up."
Chen Mo: "Whatever you say."
"..."
The roommates went quiet.
Zhang Dawei: "Forget that. Let's enjoy the moment. Tonight, let's game together—everyone in the dorm."
Chen Mo thought for a moment, then shook his head: "You three go ahead. I want to watch a movie."
Zhang Dawei looked up: "You sure you're not playing?"
Chen Mo nodded: "Yup. Sorry. I need to watch more sci-fi movies—extract tech from them—for the good of our country. For the people."
"..."
"How did I never realize you were such a show-off?" Zhang Dawei smacked his lips.
...
Chen Mo put on his earphones and started watching. The other three roommates dove into their game.
He was watching Iron Man.
Tony Stark, head of Stark Industries—the world's largest arms dealer—nearly died from his own weapons. To survive, he created a prototype suit that eventually evolved into the nano battlesuit.
Watching this, Chen Mo was deeply moved.
Even Tony Stark—wealthy, powerful, controlling nations—was still flesh and blood. Wounded, he bled. Hit in the right spot, he died.
So was Chen Mo.
Even with the ability to extract objects from movies, he was still human.
So safety... was paramount.
His ability was powerful, but if discovered, he'd be captured and dissected in no time.
Thinking further...
Chen Mo realized what his second movie extraction should be—something to ensure his safety.
Survival was priority number one. Only by staying alive could he advance Mother Planet's tech, build an unstoppable force, and venture into the stars to challenge other civilizations.
But what method of protection should he choose?
He had two ideas.
First: Use drugs to evolve his body. Extract a gene serum from a movie to enhance his stats and abilities.
Second: Boost strength through external tools.
External tools were quicker and safer.
Like extracting a nano battlesuit from Iron Man—becoming godlike while still human.
With a suit like that, he'd be virtually invincible in modern society. Maybe not immune to nukes, but probably impervious to missiles.
Chen Mo hesitated between the two.
Long-term, the first plan was better. Inner strength beat outer tools.
But evolution might take a long time to yield results.
Wait a second—
Only kids make choices.
Adults choose both.
Why couldn't he pick both options?
He could enhance himself with gene serums and extract a battlesuit for protection.
Worst case—
He'd just spend more time at the nuclear plant, charging up.
With this realization, Chen Mo felt a great sense of relief. His thoughts were clear.
He kept watching movies until 2 a.m., then climbed into bed.
His roommates were still gaming.
The next day, it was time for class. Chen Mo followed the routine—nothing unusual in his behavior.
Since Ms. Tian Tian had resigned, the school assigned a new homeroom teacher—a middle-aged man.
No one in class cared much. Soon, students began skipping.
Chen Mo followed suit.
He didn't immediately move Red Queen to the nuclear plant, as the investigation into the blackout was still ongoing. It would be safer to wait.
But—
Just now, he got a text—his online order for surveillance equipment had arrived at the nearby package station.
Chen Mo decided to go pick it up and head to the nuclear plant to install the 720-degree no-blind-spot surveillance. While there, he could also recharge.
He dialed Zhao Qiang's number. After two rings, it connected.
"Hello, boss," Zhao Qiang's honest voice came through.
"Drive the pickup truck to Qingmu University. Help me haul the surveillance gear back to the nuclear plant. I'm installing it today."
"Boss, do you have to install it yourself? Didn't it come with installation service?" Zhao Qiang asked curiously.
"Installing cameras is simple. I'll do it myself," Chen Mo laughed. The nuclear plant's surveillance was too important—only if he installed it himself could he truly feel secure.
He didn't trust anyone else.