The following day.
"Wow! Last night's incident really blew up~" Su Xiaoli said in a flirtatious tone, leaning against Ren Kurogane.
"After all, those aliens didn't make any attempt to hide. Even if the higher-ups wanted to block the news, they would be powerless," Ren remarked. "Besides, that wormhole in the sky has been there for over six months; it's impossible to hide it!"
"Instead of being secretive and causing public resentment, it's better to tell the truth from the start. Alien invasion is coming soon anyway. With Earth's current strength, we have no power to resist."
Thinking about those aliens, Ren actually felt uncertain. He wasn't a super soldier yet, and whether he could obtain a Super Gene was still an unknown. Changing his destiny remained a daunting task.
Sigh, if only I could have been reborn into the 'Zombie Brother' world. At least there you can carve a path through hard work. Here, life and death depend on the whims of others, Ren thought to himself.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just as the three finished breakfast, there was a sudden knock at the door.
"Who is it? Knocking so early in the morning?" Su Xiaoli said, somewhat annoyed.
"Probably the police asking about last night," Rui Mengmeng added blankly.
Ren opened the door to find a man in a suit wearing sunglasses and a cold-looking redhead.
"And you are? Men in Black?" Ren asked, puzzled.
Qiangwei glanced at Ren, then looked at the two women behind him with a strange expression.
"Buddy... you really know how to live, don't you?" The man in the suit's eyebrows twitched. Even with his eyes covered, Ren could sense his animated expression.
However, in this peaceful era, Ren was not about to admit to anything publicly. He denied it immediately: "No, they are just my sisters. Anyway, who are you?"
The man coughed. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jess. This is Qiangwei. We're from the Superbrain Academy, and we're here to invite the three of you to join us."
"All three of us?" Ren frowned slightly. He understood why Rui Mengmeng and Su Xiaoli were being invited, but why him?
Was I also implanted with a Super Gene?
At that possibility, Ren's heart hammered against his ribs in excitement.
Seeing his reaction, Jess didn't think much of it and smiled. "That's right! All three of you are Super Gene carriers! See that 'chrysanthemum' in the sky? According to our calculations, aliens will invade Earth soon. Our Academy was created specifically for this. Join us, and let's protect our home together!"
Jess grew more excited as he spoke, eventually shouting to boost his own morale. However, both Ren and Qiangwei looked at him with disdain, leaving Jess feeling a bit awkward.
Qiangwei cleared her throat. "Let me explain the situation."
"I'm all ears."
Next, Qiangwei explained the concept of the Superbrain Academy and Super Soldiers.
"Protecting the country!" "Eternal youth?!" "Grandmaster at Arms? ME???"
Compared to Rui Mengmeng and Su Xiaoli's focus points, Ren was utterly bewildered! Does the Academy even have a Grandmaster at Arms? Well, even if it didn't originally, it did now—and it was him, the transmigrator!
Looking at the three of them, Qiangwei nodded. "Exactly. Once you join the Academy, all of that can become a reality."
Jess added timely, "That's right. By joining, you can activate your exclusive Dark Plane System and step onto the path of godhood!"
In truth, they didn't even need the persuasion; the trio had already decided to join. They packed their things and left the place they had lived in for six months, following Qiangwei to a massive campus.
Upon arrival, they were led to a dormitory.
"In consideration of your... relationship, the higher-ups approved a private dorm for you. It's a one-of-a-kind deal!" Qiangwei said teasingly.
Among the three, only Rui Mengmeng blushed; the other two felt nothing at all. The Academy was generous, providing a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment. This was far better than the conditions Qiangwei and the others lived in.
"This has one more room than our last place! As expected of a government department, very generous!" Su Xiaoli said happily.
"Gather at Classroom One on the third floor tomorrow at 8 AM. I hear a 'Goddess' is coming to be our boss. Don't be late!"
Seconds after Qiangwei left, a mechanical voice echoed in the ears of Ren and the girls.
[System initiated. Please name your system.]
Closing his eyes, Ren's consciousness entered a dark space. Before him was a console with a handprint. As he placed his hand on it, enlightenment flooded his mind. This system allowed him to manifest powerful weapons out of thin air. As he developed his genes, the energy cost of summoning would decrease.
"From now on, you are the Astral Weapon System. We won't be just simple masters of weapons; we will establish a fleet and build a true interstellar armada for Earth!"
Returning to reality, Ren and the girls shared smiles. Su Xiaoli discovered she had strange energy within her and shared the news. That afternoon, the three researched their Dark Plane Systems. Ren manifested a longsword in his palm—golden, translucent, with a blade that looked like flowing water. Feeling its sharpness, Ren was thrilled.
I'm a superhuman now!
Suddenly, Ren turned and locked eyes with Su Xiaoli. His mind went blank, and he began to move toward her in a daze. It lasted less than a second before he snapped out of it, looking at her warily. Su Xiaoli was panting slightly; that move had clearly cost her a lot of energy.
The two made eye contact, and Su Xiaoli burst out laughing. "I didn't expect my power to be this strong! With just a little beckon of my finger, you were completely charmed!"
Ren was shocked; his Dark Plane System had frozen like a crashed computer. I guess that's the power of the 'Great Sage' lineage, he thought.
As evening approached, the three headed to the cafeteria. On the way, Ren spotted a trio of somewhat "shady" brothers and called out with a smile: "Hey! You guys headed to dinner too?"
Ge Xiaolun, Zhao Xin, and Cheng Yaowen turned around, their eyes immediately glued to Su Xiaoli. Since her awakening, the already beautiful Su Xiaoli radiated a natural allure. These three "losers" had no strong willpower to speak of; they were entranced without her even trying.
Ren immediately felt displeased. Seeing his woman stared at so brazenly by three losers was insulting!
Time to test my powers!
With a thought, a glowing hammer appeared in his hand. It was the size of Mjolnir, with a chain attached to the hilt. Ren gripped the chain and began swinging the hammer.
Zhao Xin and Yaowen are 'squishy'; I might break them. So... I'll use Ge Xiaolun to test the weight first, then handle the other two!
Ren stepped in front of Su Xiaoli with a mischievous grin. "Hey brothers, is my wife pretty?"
The three nodded without hesitation, only to realize their rudeness a second later. They apologized awkwardly: "No! Sorry man! We didn't mean it! For some reason, we just couldn't help but..."
Ren nodded with a smile. "I get it, I get it. I'm well aware of how charming my wife is."
Just as the three breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Ren was a nice guy, his next question left them confused.
"Brothers, are you good at taking a hit?"
"Huh?"
Before they could react, Ren swung the chain. The hammer flew out and slammed squarely into Ge Xiaolun's chest!
THUD!!
With a muffled boom, Ge Xiaolun's body flew backward uncontrollably, sliding over ten meters and leaving a trench in the ground before coming to a stop. Zhao Xin and Yaowen were horrified; they never expected Ren to strike so decisively! One second he was talking, the next Xiaolun was airborne!
"Holy—! You mother—!"
Before Zhao Xin could finish, the hammer flew out again, blasting him away. This time, Ren used very little force. Not everyone was the 'Power of the Galaxy' who could tank a full hit. If he hit Xiaolun with 70% power, he hit Zhao Xin with only 20%.
Thanks to the Astral Weapon System, Ren could control his strength with pinpoint precision. With a tug of the chain, the golden hammer flew back to his hand. In the blink of an eye, he lunged forward, appearing before Yaowen. As Yaowen turned his head, he saw only a golden flash before losing consciousness.
"..."
Looking at the knocked-out Yaowen, Ren was speechless. He really didn't mean it. Who knew this prince who lived for 30,000 years was so "watery"? With just a tiny bit of force, he was down for the count!
Ge Xiaolun and Zhao Xin scrambled up, and seeing Yaowen out cold, fury surged to their heads!
"Dammit! You're really playing for keeps!" Xiaolun roared. "Xin-ye! Get him!"
Zhao Xin had already charged. Though they had known each other for less than a day, they were roommates and had to stand together. If they didn't fight back now, how could their dorm survive in this Academy?
The sentiment was noble, but the opponent was too strong. A few seconds later, both were flying back to land next to Yaowen, unable to get up.
Ren approached them and leaned down. Ge Xiaolun immediately surrendered: "Big brother! I was wrong! I shouldn't have looked at Sister-in-law! Please let us go this once!"
Zhao Xin followed suit, begging for mercy and offering to call Ren "boss" if he'd protect them in the Academy. Ren, of course, refused.
"Alright, get up!" Ren pulled them up. "Stop crying. We're going to be on the front lines fighting aliens soon. Crying like this is embarrassing."
At his words, Xiaolun and Zhao Xin forced a smile, but Xiaolun asked uncertainly, "Big brother, are we really going to fight aliens?"
"Really. And in the coming war, modern human weapons won't mean much. The outcome will depend entirely on the strength of people like us!"
The trio felt a mountain of pressure. Zhao Xin suddenly asked, "Big brother! That hammer just now—what was that? A superpower?"
Ren knew their personalities and explained the Dark Plane System to them. He manifested a golden energy sword to show them. Sensing its sharpness, the three immediately bowed: "Thank you, Great One, for not killing us!"
Ren waved them off. "Alright, we're comrades now. Cut the formalities. By the way, I'm Ren Kurogane. What are your names?"
"I'm Zhao Xin! People call me Xin-ye! But Big Brother, you can just call me Xiao Zhao."
"I'm Ge Xiaolun. My friends call me Xiaolun. To be honest, I still don't know what my superpower is..."
Ren was speechless at Xiaolun's lack of confidence. The Dark Plane system is already active; if you're bored, just research it! Why keep whining about being useless?
Never mind, he's just a loser college student...
Yaowen spoke up, breaking the awkwardness: "I'm Cheng Yaowen. I used to be a farmer before they dragged me here to save the world."
After they introduced themselves, Su Xiaoli and Rui Mengmeng did the same. The six of them had officially met. As they entered the cafeteria, a few others were already there: Qi Lin, Wei Lan, and Qiangwei, who sat alone in the distance.
The three women looked over. Qi Lin's eyes lit up for a split second before dimming. Seeing the intimacy between Ren and the two women, she knew he hadn't been joking—while she was confessing, he already had partners.
"No wonder he refused so decisively; he already had a harem," Wei Lan whispered.
Ren and his group split from Ge Xiaolun's trio and got their food. Ren sat down with a plate of meat and began to eat, thinking to himself: The current lineup of the Academy is almost complete, minus Liu Chuang. Now that Xiaoli and I are here as "extras," I wonder if they'll have Black Armor for us to wear?