Arknights, I'm going to beat Kal'tsit, really?

Page 4

The implication is clear: with both parents deceased, how can a student afford the high tuition fees and make ends meet for four years? If all else fails, apply for a student loan.

However, how to repay the student loans in the future is not something the school needs to consider.

"Thank you for your kind offer, but my parents have already prepared everything for me—so I will definitely achieve my dream."

Kane wasn't worried about falling into financial trouble in the future. The simplest and most direct way was to go and try his luck in the Colombian stock market—which was also what Mark had started. Stocks and securities made Colombia the best stage for getting rich overnight, and it was also the goal pursued by countless immigrants.

But most of them ended up being exploited by Colombian capital and eventually "voluntarily" went to struggle in the pioneering project.

Terra is relatively backward in this regard. The only financial market that can rival Colombia's is Lonmen in the far east—Lonmen currency is issued throughout Terra.

Therefore, Kane plans to leverage his advantages to make a fortune from this gold mine.

"Then I wish you all the best."

After leaving the admissions office, Kane immediately took a paper brochure from the senior students who were guiding him—it contained a map of Trimont Polytechnic University, information on the school's distinguished alumni, and introductions to many clubs and organizations on campus.

Kane had little interest in club activities.

He focused on the map and found his location. He immediately started walking clockwise around the entire school from there.

Trimont Polytechnic University has no walls in the traditional sense. It occupies a single, massive, independently dismantled and movable urban block. All buildings and facilities within the block belong to the university. The edge connecting the block to the main city is a dangerous area filled with giant transmission structures—a slight fall would result in death or serious injury. Apart from professional maintenance personnel, it is rarely visited.

As a top-tier engineering school, the map clearly marks several cutting-edge research institutes and laboratories, along with their research directions and access restrictions—these are naturally beyond the reach of freshmen. Experimentation is the domain of experienced professionals; the primary task for freshmen is to thoroughly understand those brick-thick textbooks.

Besides the teaching buildings, this area also has many living and entertainment facilities, including cinemas, sports fields, a trendy street, a police station, and a courthouse...

Just as Kane continued to gradually combine the reality he saw with the planar information on the map, a Waiva woman was also slowly walking towards him, holding a map in her hand.

She wore simple and casual clothes, but the torso revealed by her rolled-up sleeves clearly showed the firm muscle lines and training marks; her long, silver-white hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, and four thick, black-orange horns extended from the back of her head forward, with long black tails covered in orange spikes hanging down naturally. Her cold face was slightly serious, and her amber eyes were currently scrutinizing Kane.

Kane nodded slightly in greeting, and the other person returned the same gesture—both instantly recognized each other as proactive individuals familiar with the campus environment. Since neither was an obstacle, there was no need to linger. They brushed past each other, tacitly retracing the path the other had taken, continuing to fill in the gaps in their own understanding of the campus.

After spending the entire morning, Kane had only completed a preliminary exploration of about a quarter of the campus. The university was far larger than he had anticipated, and he hadn't even delved into the interiors of the buildings to conduct a detailed survey of this quarter of the area.

The afternoon's schedule was already set aside by the school—a simple opening ceremony. The new students simply went to their respective colleges to listen to the speeches by the president and deans, after which they were free to do as they pleased.

Kane Mordred chose to major in two highly sought-after fields at Trimont Polytechnic University: "Originium Applied Science" and "High Energy Physics".

This is the field where Columbia's scientific and industrial communities are most eager for talent. As long as graduates don't have disastrous grades, they will receive offers from major companies.

However, this was not Kane's first choice. He was more inclined towards "biology" and "pharmaceuticals"—the former might hold a faint hope of solving his core lifespan problem; the latter could serve as a stepping stone to approach or "greet" Rhodes Island in the future.

Unfortunately, his current area of ​​study... is probably more suited to researching how to unleash the devastating energy of Originium, thereby blowing the entire Terra into the sky?

Chapter 10 Christen Wright

August 10, 1093 in the Terra calendar, morning.

Kane Mordred's first day as a freshman at Tremont Polytechnic University began with his core mission—learning. At this moment, he was in the circular lecture hall of the introductory course "High Energy Physics".

The classroom layout is classic: at the lowest point in the center is the podium, a touch-sensitive Originium projection screen, and a traditional writing board. Tiered seating rises in tiers around it, forming a semi-enclosed structure. This design ensures that no student, regardless of their position, has an unobstructed view and can clearly focus on the professor and the teaching content.

However, its downsides are also obvious—students in the back rows have an excellent panoramic view, not only of the lecture hall but also of the desks of students in the front rows. If you are using a personal mobile device to assist with learning, remember to hide your screen wallpaper and private files, otherwise… you'll end up like Kane right now.

His gaze was subtly sweeping across the screen of a classmate to his right. The classmate was dressed in the cover style of the latest Columbia luxury fashion magazine, highlighting his affluent family background. Even from a meter or two away, the top-of-the-line screen displayed clear and sharp content without any glare or blur.

At the top of the screen is the search keyword: "Wright family".

The related entries below are: "insider revelations," "arrogance," "embroiled in scandals," "economic fraud," "academic fraud," and so on. The search results are filled with sharp criticism and negative reports. If this information is true, the so-called Wright family cannot be considered unjustly prosecuted by the Colombian courts.

To understand why all this happened, we need to go back ten minutes.

The origin of this scene dates back to ten minutes earlier.

Trimont Polytechnic University's teaching system is imbued with Columbia's philosophy of "freedom." The first two weeks of the semester are a valuable "trial period." All professors in the same subject follow a unified teaching pace, and freshmen are free to choose to attend any professor's class—provided there are still seats available. The aim is to allow students to experience different professors' styles firsthand. After two weeks, students select their advisors and enroll in elective courses through a unified system.

Beneath the seemingly fair system lies a cold reality: ordinary students can only judge a professor's merits based on past reputations or snippets of advice from upperclassmen. Meanwhile, students from elite families have already secured their places in top professors' research labs thanks to their family connections and recommendation letters.

The result was that most of the top professorships were "reserved" internally, while the remaining spots sparked a fierce battle the moment the system opened. The losers had no choice but to settle for the second-best option.

Kane had no intention of getting involved in this competition. His target was neither a top-tier professor (the competition was too exhausting) nor a mediocre one (whose teaching quality was questionable). He had his eye on the professor who had consistently ranked in the third tier in overall evaluations over the years.

At the start of the trial class, the atmosphere in the classroom was relatively harmonious. The students maintained reserved social etiquette, exchanging pleasantries and tentative inquiries. Among them, the children of elites made up the majority—they deeply understood the value of connections and possessed the capital to maintain social relationships. Students with names like "Kane Mordred," which exuded an air of ordinariness, were naturally excluded from the circle of wealthy children.

Schools are a microcosm of society. Ordinary students have only three paths: firmly believe in their own extraordinary potential, stand firm against the barriers of capital with pride, and either end up as bones or become legends; attach themselves to the powerful, tie their own value to a "benefactor," and naturally enter their family business after graduation; or continue to be ordinary—completing their coursework step by step, accumulating enough credits, submitting papers, and finally throwing themselves into the melting pot of Columbia's vast talent market.

As a microcosm of society, it is not surprising that "villains" and "scoundrels" appear.

The moment she stepped into the classroom, the air seemed to freeze for a second. The expressions of those well-informed rich kids changed drastically, their eyes exchanging silent messages, and their hushed whispers buzzed like mosquitoes.

She had meticulously styled, smooth, and flowing golden curls, adorned with a simple yet striking black headband. Unlike the erect, pointed ears of the Lupo tribe, her pair of golden ears, belonging to the Pero tribe, drooped softly on either side of her cheeks, and her fluffy golden tail should have added to her cuteness. However, at this moment, her expression was completely at odds with this "cuteness"—she had clearly sensed the thick, malice permeating the air, and her previously calm face was now covered with a layer of cold hostility and aloofness.

Her style is trendy yet not blindly fashionable, revealing a unique personal taste. Clothes can be bought with money, but that innate, inimitable "nobility" cannot be faked.

This young lady clearly belongs to the elite class... so why would she attract such undisguised rejection?

The answer was quickly revealed by searching on the terminals of the students in the front row.

Following the Wright family as a clue, we can soon find out the young lady's identity.

Kristen Wright – a member of the infamous Wright family of Colombia. The family was once prominent in academia, finance, and business, with her parents being highly regarded scientific stars within the family. However, a disastrous accident during a test flight of their self-developed aircraft not only claimed the lives of the Wrights but also ignited an ugly infighting within the family over their inheritance.

The ensuing scandals became the perfect tool for other families to exploit, and the Wright family's wealth was so enticing that it drew fierce condemnation from all sectors of Colombian society. Today, the Wright family is a stain that Colombian high society avoids like the plague.

As the "surviving member" of the Wright family and the daughter of those "mad scientists," Christensen's appearance at Tremont Polytechnic University was seen by many as an "inappropriate" offense. Ordinary students might have a vague impression of her name appearing briefly in the newspaper, but the children of elites were afraid of being tainted by this "bad luck," and the ridicule and mockery behind her back were inevitable.

Kane was indifferent to it all. Whether it was an arrogant young master or a down-on-her-luck noblewoman, to him they were at most just passersby under the temporary label of "classmate." Any deeper interaction? Absolutely impossible.

This firm belief was ruthlessly shattered by reality when the bell rang for the next class.

Kristen Wright walked straight to the empty seat next to Kane and sat down.

This action directly drew the attention of many on Kane, who were all curious: Who was this guy? Why would the infamous Wright sit down next to him?

Chapter 11 Movie Scenes

The air froze for a moment. Kane glanced sideways at Kristen Wright beside him. She noticed the scrutiny but didn't respond, only straightening her back and raising her chin slightly, maintaining her cold aloofness.

Kane began calculating the optimal solution. He hoped that the young lady would be sensible enough to move aside on her own, rather than attracting everyone's attention like a magnet and forcibly dragging him, who originally intended to remain hidden on the sidelines, to the center of the stage.

However, to directly expel him? That would be blatant, foolish malice. While the elite youths present harbored a deep-seated resentment, their outward appearance was impeccable. If Kane were the first to yell "Get out!" at Wright, he would inevitably face relentless trouble—he abhorred unnecessary waste of energy.

Unfortunately, Christensen remained motionless until the bell rang for the next class.

Thus, a subtly tense lesson passed in an eerily "peaceful" atmosphere. An invisible wall of ice stood between the two. Christine was intently recording the professor's key points on her personal mobile terminal, her fingertips tapping softly on the keyboard. Kane, on the other hand, was completely different—he neither held a pen nor activated his terminal. He simply "listened" quietly, while the core processor synchronously received, analyzed, and archived the professor's output stream of information. This was the efficiency advantage of the "non-human."

Finally, all the classes in the morning ended, and there was only one class in the afternoon. The remaining free time would be used by various clubs to recruit new members.

The morning classes have finally come to an end. There's only one class in the afternoon; the rest of the time will belong to the various clubs' bustling recruitment drives.

“Hey buddy,” a well-dressed rich kid approached after Christen left, his tone deliberately familiar and barely concealed with curiosity, “You weren’t feeling too good just now, were you? That Wright guy, is he keeping an eye on you?” Clearly, these bored young masters were intrigued by Kane, this “outsider” in social circles. Wright actively approaching a “commoner”? The “fun” behind this was worth digging into.

“Wright? That girl?” Kane’s response was swift and detached, perfectly portraying a bewildered outsider. “Sorry, I don’t know her. She probably just saw the seat next to me was empty.” He desperately wanted the matter to end there.

Upon receiving this uninteresting answer, the other party lost interest, shrugged dismissively, and returned to his small group to share the "information"—it was just an unlucky civilian who had been afflicted with bad luck, nothing worth paying attention to.

After lunch, the afternoon classes quickly resumed, and Christensen sat next to Kane again—even though he had changed seats compared to the morning.

*Colombian profanity*, Miss, what exactly do you want?

Kane realized he had miscalculated. If he had known it would turn out this way, he should have arrived at the classroom just in time and deliberately avoided Christensen.

The die is cast. To openly stand up and "distance" himself from Christensen in class? That would only create more chaos. He could only endure the piercing stare until the bell rang, a welcome relief.

Kane practically launched himself off the ground, even faster than Christensen, who was packing her things, as if trying to shake off the mess of complicated relationships behind her.

He rushed out of the teaching building, only to be instantly swallowed up by the clamor of club recruitment on the main road outside.

Each club showcased its achievements in its own way: the Mobile City Research Club placed a "miniature mobile city platform" the size of a land vehicle in the middle of the road, its intricate transmission structure and miniature Originium core shimmering with a faint light, the details of which were astonishing; the Film Research Club and the Opera Club posted visually striking posters, warmly inviting freshmen to visit their club's headquarters to experience the charm of art.

Colombia is well aware of the strategic value of "cultural invasion." Lancawood films and cultural products flooded Terra, weaving countless immigrants' "Colombian Dreams"—starting from scratch, opportunities everywhere, marrying a wealthy heiress, achieving the pinnacle of life… even though reality often shows that the wilderness consumes more resources than the legends of rise. This officially guided cultural prosperity inevitably gave rise to such communities.

Before the start of the semester, Kane had also "studied" several representative works from Blue Cardwood. Thanks to the enhancements of Originium Arts and technology, their audiovisual spectacle was indeed breathtaking; however, the lack of cultural depth in Terra meant that truly touching works that could reshape perceptions were extremely rare. He even listed "writing scripts to enter the film and television industry" as an alternative plan for his future money-making endeavors.

But whatever the future holds, all he wants now is to leave as quickly as possible.

Just as he was moving forward quickly, a figure darted out from the teaching building ahead. She was nimble and agile. Because both of them were moving at a fast pace, by the time they realized what was happening, they couldn't keep up.

Bang!

The final attempt to save the day avoided a painful head-on collision, but the impact caused Kane to stagger backward and fall, while the other person, due to inertia, lost his balance and fell solidly into his arms.

"Ouch—that hurts a bit. Oh! Excuse me, are you alright?!"

The person nestled in Kane's arms quickly got up to check on him, while Kane himself was slightly stunned—because theoretically, the collision had been too sudden.

Because of the Terrans' unique characteristic—they all have Originium particles in their bodies to varying degrees—Kane, who holds authority over Originium, senses the presence of these particles in the Terrans' bodies when they move around him.

This trait isn't very useful; at most, it means you don't have to worry about someone sneaking up on you from behind.

But before the girl bumped into Kane, he didn't feel any response—clearly, either the girl's Originium microparticles were incredibly low, or there weren't any Originium microparticles at all!?

Kane used his visual module to look over—the person in his arms had already stood up, her flaxen green hair slightly disheveled from the impact, and her amber eyes filled with genuine worry and apology. The beauty mark at the corner of her eye added a unique charm to her concern, and the skin exposed beneath her sun-protective clothing was fair and delicate. As for her racial characteristics... she had no animal ears or feathers on her head, no tail, and no scales or glands on her neck... her human ears were very pointed, like—

"Elves?"

"Huh?" The other person was clearly taken aback, then a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes. "You can actually recognize my race?... Our lineage is very rare in Terra, and many people have never even heard of it." Muirsey's tone carried a subtle sense of emotion; this was the first time she had encountered someone whose identity was recognized without her having to introduce herself.

Chapter 12 Soft and Sweet Commander

"I've only seen it once or twice in the race encyclopedia, and I found it interesting so I remembered it. You are the first elf I've encountered outside of books."

This topic unexpectedly eased the awkwardness of the collision. After confirming that neither of them was seriously injured, they apologized to each other and Kane prepared to let the matter drop.

"No, no!" Muelsys waved her hands repeatedly, her flaxen green hair swaying gently with her movements, her amber eyes sparkling with a lively light. "I was just running too fast and didn't watch where I was going! Hey classmate, let's exchange contact information? I'll treat you to dinner this weekend as a formal apology~" Her tone was light and playful, leaving no room for refusal, as if this wasn't an apology but a fun invitation.

Kane initially wanted to decline, but then he suddenly remembered the unique nature of the elves—"Unlike the mainstream races of Terra, the elves are suspected to be a direct descendant of the ancient behemoths."

Other Terrans may be of no value to his core iteration, but this particular race... especially the near-zero concentration of Originium particles within them, could it imply a potential similarity in some technological path? It's worth exploring.

“Okay.” Kane changed his mind and took out his personal mobile terminal.

"I can add you on the phone, but there's no need to have dinner. After all, I also bear some responsibility; it's not entirely your fault."

“That won’t do, an agreement is an agreement!” Muirsey grinned and took out her own terminal, quickly sending a friend request on social media. “My name is Muirsey, a freshman in the School of Ecology and Environment. Nice to meet you!”

Muirse's purpose in enrolling at Tremont University of Technology was to study biology and environmental science, because elves have a very special constitution and almost no resistance to Originium, which is also the main reason why the elven race has gradually become sparsely populated.

She didn't want to be a lonely shadow in the world; she wanted to find her people.

The person before her not only recognized her as an elf at a glance, but her special senses also began to race—Kane felt an inexplicable affinity for her, as if there was some kind of connection between them.

This is an elf's talent—the ability to see more in the ordinary world. Muirsey's current achievements are inseparable from the help of this talent; therefore, she decided to seize the opportunity to get to know this wondrous Rupo who might be related to the elf race.

"Kane Mordred, specializing in Originium Applications Science and High Energy Physics. I can't offer any guidance."

"It's settled then, I'll contact you this weekend! I need to hurry over to the club recruitment event now, that's why... uh, I bumped into you." Muirsey stuck out her tongue, a little embarrassed.

"You're walking this way too, are you also going to check out the clubs?"

“No, I’m not interested in clubs for the time being.” Kane shook his head.

"I hope you find your ideal club."

The two said their goodbyes politely. Kane was finally able to escape and took the city railcar back to his burgeoning "nest" on Henry Avenue.

Kane completed the class assignment given by the professor today with great ease—to understand the major outstanding achievements of high-energy physics in the Columbia science and technology community. Rather than an assignment, it was more like extracurricular practical teaching, making today's knowledge no longer a castle in the air, but a tangible technological creation.

After doing all this, Kane began to delve into his memory database to search for everything about Christensen and Muirsey. Although it was their first meeting today, Kane had a feeling that he already knew them well, which was not unexpected—because these two were extremely important figures; the future head of Rhine Lab and the head of the Ecology Department.

The time traveler's game memories left a deep impression on them—mainly Christensen, who drew an earth-shattering conclusion to her life.

Because they woke up relatively early, the Rhine Life Sciences, which would later dominate Colombia, hadn't even established a draft plan yet, and the two tech giants were still just beginners.

The situation... changed instantly.

Christensen has suddenly risen from a simple "troublesome young lady" to a "strategic node" with extremely high potential value. Kane clearly remembers his long-term plan: the future Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals is very likely to stand against him. Going it alone is by no means the best strategy. Although no organization can compare with the historical civilization inherited by Rhodes Island, it is not impossible to support Rhine Lab, which is backed by the power of the Columbia state, to effectively restrain Rhodes Island.

I'll ask her about her attitude tomorrow and see why this young lady has become so attached to me.

Kane acted immediately. The next day, there was only one class of high-energy physics, so Kane still had a chance to meet with Christensen.

Kane once again came to the classroom of the third-tier professors. Obviously, due to the "trial period", most of the people in the classroom had changed today, and familiar faces like Kane were rare.

If Christensen was just there for a trial lesson yesterday, then Kane doesn't need to worry about her anymore.

“What a pity,” Kristen seemed to like the professor too—she had appeared in the classroom once again, once again sparking a new round of whispers among the elite; then she looked around and spotted Kane.

Her usually calm expression changed slightly, as if she were somewhat surprised.

Then, under the watchful eyes of countless people, she took another step and walked straight to the empty seat next to Kane, where she sat down steadily.

The familiar scene unfolded once again. Inquisitive, curious, and even slightly gloating gazes were focused on Kane once more.

No way... Is this scenario going to repeat itself for the next two weeks? Have I fallen into some kind of time trap?