The System is Abstract, Luckily, So Am I

Chapter 162 : I Am Willing to Become a Bank Card and Wait for You

Time had reached Friday.

For the past two nights, Lin Li had been staking out that hotel street, preventing one "sports match" after another from breaking out.

By now, the progress bar for Task Four was mostly filled. Since there was no evening self-study session tonight, he could go early to push the task forward. He would likely finish it today.

As for the spirit stones from the past two days, they were unsurprisingly low-grade.

He encountered terrible luck, facing an infinitely powerful monster that he couldn't defeat even with all his might.

Lin Li didn't use these two spirit stones and temporarily stored them away.

This was in case he encountered another magic artifact that required refinement, like the "Flask of Hidden Passions."

As for the "Ability Amplifier," since he felt it was necessary to keep at least half a month's worth of system currency reserved for spirit stones, he hadn't exchanged for it these past two days.

His system currency currently stood at 410.

"That's all for this class. Is there anything else you guys don't know?"

Physics teacher Luo Hao dusted the chalk off his hands as the bell rang. Seeing no questions, he grabbed his teaching materials and left.

"Sometimes I feel truly despairing, because I don't even know what I don't know. How am I supposed to answer that question?"

Bai Bufan covered his face, leaning his chair back to balance on its two hind legs.

Lin Li stealthily reached out, grabbed the back of the chair, yanked it backward, and then lifted it up. Watching Bai Bufan yell in weightless panic, Lin Li smiled smugly.

This scene was a classic repertoire of the back row, as everyday as it gets.

It just goes to show: when there's no danger, never entrust your back to your bros.

"Lin Li, I heard that after a person dies, they can still hear for a few hours, but they can't understand anything anymore. That's exactly my state during class. Tell me, am I already dead?"

Bai Bufan complained after his futile attempt to beat Lin Li up.

"Understood. I'll help you post your obituary on the bulletin board later."

"That's not what I meant..." Bai Bufan raised his middle finger, then skipped the topic and asked, "Lin Li, what are you doing this weekend? Studying?"

"You asked me this yourself, so it doesn't count as me provoking you. Of course I'm studying," Lin Li nodded.

"Then let's go together? The monthly exams are next week, so I'm planning to stay at school this weekend. Want to go to the library together? If there's something I don't know, I can ask you, and if there's something you don't know, you can ask yourself," Bai Bufan immediately followed up.

Lin Li: "..."

"So I'm just bringing along dead weight, huh?" Lin Li responded with a middle finger.

"We're bros, why are you being so petty? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is also mine," Bai Bufan patted Lin Li's shoulder, looking at him with an expression that said 'you shouldn't be like this.'

In the past, the two of them used to study together, exchanging pointers and sympathizing with each other. Unfortunately, Lin Li had now betrayed their social class.

"This Saturday I'm going with..." Lin Li explained his plans for tomorrow, then asked, "Why don't you just come along? I'll tell them. If you have questions, you can ask the three of them."

Ding Sihan's grades were better than Bai Bufan's, Qu Wanqiu's grades were much better than Bai Bufan's, and comparing Chen Yuying's grades to Bai Bufan's was practically an insult.

"What a coincidence," Bai Bufan scratched his head, then said, "Then ask them for me. If any of them mind, I won't go. I can do perfectly fine on my own without my bro's company."

"Why would they mind? You are man's best friend. Who would refuse having an ugly little dog beside them while studying?" Lin Li patted Bai Bufan's shoulder. "So Bufan, you're underestimating yourself. You need to be confident."

Bai Bufan: "..."

*Confident my ass, is this how you build confidence?*

"Are you not even willing to call me a *cute* little dog?" Bai Bufan focused on the wrong blind spot.

"Please watch the VCR," Lin Li borrowed a mirror from the desk in front of him and showed it to Bai Bufan.

Bai Bufan admired himself for a moment, then nodded in grief: "You're right."

...

Last period of the afternoon, Math class.

"So for this question, do we choose A or C?" Xue Jian pointed at the example question on the smartboard with his laser pointer and asked the class.

"Ayyyee—" Because the question was a bit difficult, the collective voice of the class sounded like a slurred mix of the two letters.

Xue Jian: "..."

The students present had at least ten years of studying experience. In the workplace, they would be considered solid veteran employees. How could they not know how to handle this situation?

When the teacher asks if it's the top one or the bottom one?

If you don't know, you drag out your voice and answer "the tottom one."

Teacher asks if it's right or wrong?

If you don't know, drag out your voice and answer "rrong."

Teacher asks if it's an anion or a cation?

If you don't know, drag out your voice and answer "an-cation."

This was the cultivation of the older generation of artists, basic operations.

When encountering this situation, a new teacher who had just started might choose to press aggressively until a clear answer was given. But a truly smart, zen veteran teacher would "hear" the correct answer themselves and nod in relief, saying "correct."

As a truly smart but absolutely not zen veteran teacher, Xue Jian sneered at this situation: "Lin Li, stand up and answer. Does this question choose A or C?"

Lin Li: "..."

Xue Jian chose the playstyle that would generate the most internet heat.

Targeting. Naked targeting.

"I'll choose A," Lin Li answered after recalculating it once more, unable to be vague this time.

"Look again."

Lin Li: "..."

*Why are you giving me the death by a thousand cuts?*

"I still think it's A!" Disloyalty comes with a price, so Lin Li stated firmly.

"Very good, being able to stick to your own opinion. Sit down. The answer to this question is C. This is indeed a difficult question that's easy to get wrong. The last multiple-choice question on the monthly exam will very likely be like this. Everyone needs to read the question stem carefully..."

Lin Li, who was laughing at himself for winning the bet during the first half of the sentence, couldn't laugh anymore during the second half.

*Ah, life. So fleeting, so fleeting.*

"Send me a message tomorrow when you're coming to the library, and I'll send you the exact location." School was over for the week after math class. Lin Li stood up to pack his things and said to Bai Bufan.

He had mentioned it to Chen Yuying at noon, and she naturally agreed without any objections. After all, the four of them had bonded over mountain climbing. As for "Little Ponytail" (Qu Wanqiu), she was a cheerful and generous girl; if anything, Bai Bufan should be the one with social anxiety.

"Alright. Are you heading home now? Not grabbing a bite together?"

Lin Li rejected Bai Bufan's invitation; his mind was set on completing the task.

...

[Task Four has been completed.]

[You have received rewards: Physique Improvement: Image Charm increased by 10%; Holy Dragon's Essence Blood 1; System Currency 100.]

Lin Li changed locations today.

He went to stake out a hotel near the entrance of a vocational school that was quite notorious in Xiling.

He could only say that geniuses are geniuses; Lin Li's successful absorption rate tonight was not low at all.

He was truly doing good deeds now.

He could reduce the number of new Earth Online accounts where the spawn point is a toilet and the tutorial quest is to survive and avoid being discovered by mom.

For these kinds of accounts, being trafficked would be considered changing their fate against the heavens, and even human traffickers, those animals could be considered their noble benefactors.

And why is it that hospitals always have difficult labors, but vocational school toilets always have smooth deliveries?

He suggested the hospitals come here to learn a thing or two.

"Hey handsome, can I add your WeChat?" Just as Lin Li was about to leave, a vocational school girl wearing a crop top, tight pants, and dyed, dry, half-faded yellow hair walked up and asked.

*Holy crap.* Lin Li read the legendary "sexual harassment" from the girl's gaze!

"No, thank you."

Leaving this sentence behind, Lin Li got on his bike, ready to leave.

"Don't go, handsome. Let's play a role-playing game together, okay? You play the bank card and I play the ATM. You insert it, and I'll give you money~~" The girl behind him didn't give up. Along with her voice came the sound of her approaching footsteps.

*Thump! Thump!*

Lin Li's eyes widened drastically. It was the most terrified he had been in his entire life.

Without hesitation, veins bulging, Lin Li stood up on the pedals and rode his bicycle away, leaving her in the dust.

Until he left the vocational school area, Lin Li didn't even dare to turn his head back. Although taking one more look wouldn't make him explode, Lin Li was afraid he'd catch a disease.

...

Returning home.

Lin Li took out the "Holy Dragon's Essence Blood."

The system was quite humane, providing it in a mini porcelain bottle.

Looking at the size of the bottle, it probably only contained a single drop.

Before Lin Li even opened the porcelain bottle, he felt the temperature in the room begin to slowly rise.

Lin Li carefully opened the bottle, and instantly, a surging aura rushed at his face. Lin Li felt the blood and qi in his entire body churning non-stop.

Because it was too uncomfortable and his whole body felt unwell, and also because he was worried the stuff would evaporate, Lin Li immediately recapped the bottle and put it back into his [Inventory].

Obviously, this "Holy Dragon's Essence Blood," just like the "Thunder Seed," was something he absolutely couldn't utilize at his current stage.

And the former was probably more than just a little bit higher in tier than the latter.

If he consumed the "Holy Dragon's Essence Blood," there would probably be a very shocking transformation, assuming he didn't die.

But it wasn't something he should be considering at this stage.

Lin Li then manifested the "Flask of Hidden Passions."

Three days had passed, and the body of the flask was already covered in dense white lines. He felt it wasn't far from shattering.

Lin Li decided to find an opportunity to waste its durability until it "broke," and then wait for it to automatically recover.

Because the "Flask of Hidden Passions" in front of him was like a phone with 30% battery that couldn't be charged and could only have its battery replaced after the power was completely drained.

Lin Li was the kind of person who would try to charge his phone even if it was at 89%.

Considering that there might be many occasions to use this "Flask of Hidden Passions" in the future, it was better to "replace the battery" early rather than run out of "power" when he needed it.

*(End of Chapter)*