Chapter 349: Probing and Results

For the next dozen days, Jie Ming lived like a wound-up learning machine.

Ever since the conjecture that "the knowledge of this world likely originated from other fallen wizards" took root, an unprecedented "opportunistic" mentality grew wildly within his heart.

Learning the core knowledge of other wizards for free?

Such an opportunity, no matter which wizard encountered it, could be called a once-in-a-lifetime miracle, almost impossible to replicate!

If his previous obsession with learning had been driven by a researcher's instinctive thirst for the unknown and a wizard's respect for knowledge,

then now, this drive contained a touch of fervor akin to a bandit's pillaging.

During this time, Jie Ming would open his eyes and immediately start learning; he was either listening to lectures in the classroom or searching for information in the library.

Or, he would use his personal terminal to connect to the academic database, frantically downloading, reading, and comprehending those profound theories and applied technologies.

That tireless drive not only drew side-glances from surrounding classmates and teachers but even left his "parents" feeling terrified.

They urged him time and again to take care of his health and balance work with rest.

Jie Ming agreed with his mouth, but his body remained honest, diving deep into the ocean of knowledge.

It wasn't until this rest day, more than ten days later, that he somewhat reluctantly lifted his head from the sea of learning.

Today was the day of the "Clean Ocean" public welfare activity.

The so-called Clean Ocean activity, to put it plainly, was volunteers manually cleaning trash off the beach along a designated coastline.

Given the technological level of this world, such work could be completed efficiently by low-cost automated robots.

But according to the community managers, keeping this activity was to "enhance citizens' environmental awareness" and "promote community neighborly interaction"—a typical social behavior where form outweighs substance.

Jie Ming arrived at the designated beach assembly point and registered with the administrator.

He received a large, biodegradable black trash bag and a pair of long-handled tongs, and was assigned a section of the beach to be responsible for.

His peripheral vision swept seemingly casually across the crowd of volunteers who had already dispersed, and he quickly locked onto that familiar figure.

Wei Aola was wearing light sportswear, sporting a wide-brimmed sun hat, and holding tongs and a trash bag in her hands.

A flawless, gentle smile hung on her face as she elegantly picked up scattered debris on the beach.

A small circle seemed to form naturally around her, consisting of both men and women, all willing to strike up a conversation with her.

Jie Ming did not approach her immediately.

Like other ordinary volunteers, he kept his head down, began to earnestly clean up the trash in his assigned area, and patiently waited for the right moment.

Halfway through the activity, the organizers announced a fifteen-minute break.

The volunteers finally finished their work in a relaxed manner, gathering in twos and threes under the shade provided for drinking water.

Jie Ming slowed his pace without changing his expression, adjusted his direction, and "happened" to encounter Wei Aola, who was also walking toward the rest area.

"Senior Sister Wei Aola? What a coincidence." Jie Ming revealed an appropriately surprised expression, tinged with a hint of fatigue.

"It's Jie Ming, what a coincidence." Wei Aola responded with a smile, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. "It seems Amy was right; you've really been studying hard lately, your complexion looks quite tired."

"Yeah, my parents have been nagging me for a long time, saying I'd grow mushrooms if I didn't go out, so they insisted I come out for some activity."

Jie Ming shrugged helplessly, then said with a tone of "surprise": "I didn't expect you to participate in this kind of activity, Senior Sister. And looking at how people around you are greeting you, you seem to be a regular?"

The smile on Wei Aola's face remained perfect: "Yes, I do participate in various public welfare activities often. Contributing to society feels very meaningful."

If anyone else heard these words, they might think she was kind and socially responsible.

But Jie Ming, who knew her true nature well, deliberately revealed a particularly subtle expression: "I really couldn't tell, Senior Sister Wei Aola is such a loving person."

Hearing this, the arc of Wei Aola's smile deepened subtly, and a trace of imperceptible playfulness flashed in those beautiful eyes.

She lowered her voice slightly, speaking at a volume only the two of them could hear: "Spirit of dedication? Perhaps. But—it seems you should have already learned about my situation from Amy, right?"

"To be honest, watching these volunteers laboring hard under the scorching sun, with aching backs and tired expressions on their faces while they force themselves to keep going—that subtle sense of 'pain' also makes me feel quite happy."

Jie Ming felt a layer of fine cold sweat break out on his back instantly.

Recalling the group of men and women gathered around her just now, Jie Ming suddenly thought of something: "So, the reason you were hanging out with those people just now was to supervise whether they were working hard?"

Wei Aola laughed upon hearing this: "Oh my, don't put it so harshly. I was just encouraging them to strive to create contributions for the community."

55

As expected!

It's still that same flavor!

Jie Ming gave a dry laugh, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Can one only say she is worthy of being a Senior Sister?

Even in a different life, she could still find a way to appreciate the suffering of others from a moral high ground.

—Normal people probably couldn't think of this operation even if they racked their brains.

Just then, he keenly felt a gaze filled with obvious hostility shooting from behind him to the side.

He tilted his head slightly without changing his expression, using his peripheral vision to glimpse a male volunteer who didn't look very old and had a fairly handsome appearance, staring at him with a furrowed brow.

Especially when seeing him talking to Wei Aola beside him, the dissatisfaction in those eyes was almost overflowing.

Jie Ming had an impression of him; this was also the person who had been the most attentive around Wei Aola before.

Jie Ming blinked, immediately "realized," turned his head back, and asked Wei Aola: "Senior Sister Wei Aola, is that—the boyfriend who came with you? But he seems a bit different from the one I saw at the mall last time?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Aola was not embarrassed at all; instead, it was as if she had been asked an interesting topic, and she shared enthusiastically: "Oh, you mean the previous one? That's already a thing of the past."

"Although I've heard about it from Amy, I didn't expect you to move so fast—" Jie Ming's eyelids twitched.

Wei Aola, however, looked at the male in the distance with a wicked, amused smile.

She deliberately leaned closer to Jie Ming, looking as if she were about to press against his ear: "The previous one was a very talented artist, emotionally rich and sensitive. I just used a little 'misunderstanding' and 'indifference' to make him think I had a change of heart when he loved me the most."

"You didn't see his expression of collapse, pain, and disbelief at that time; it was simply a masterpiece! It was truly wonderful!"

When she described the other person's pain, the light flickering in her eyes was one Jie Ming was incomparably familiar with: a pure appreciation and pleasure in "pain" itself.

"And after the misunderstanding was cleared up later, he showed me new pain—"

Listening to Wei Aola's chatter in his ear and feeling the hostile gaze behind him almost turning into substance, Jie Ming realized.

He leaned to the side without changing his expression and looked at Wei Aola with a bitter smile: "Senior Sister, you are willing to chat with me here for so long, could it be—also to enjoy the pain of 'jealousy' and 'unease' that your current boyfriend is tasting right now?"

Wei Aola did not avoid the question, even nodding with a bit of approval: "Very sharp, Junior Brother Jie Ming. Observing the subtle pain others produce due to emotions is one of the highest levels of enjoyment, you know."

The two were about to say something else when someone in the distance called Wei Aola's name loudly; it seemed the activity organizer had something to find her for.

Realizing that this brief contact was about to end, Jie Ming suddenly spoke: "Senior Sister, there is one last thing."

"Hmm? What is it?" Wei Aola stopped her turning motion and looked at him in confusion.

At this very instant.

Jie Ming maintained the relaxed smile from their conversation on his face, but his right hand suddenly lifted, and with lightning speed, he threw a straight punch, slamming it toward Wei Aola's bridge of the nose without warning!

Although his physical strength was sealed, under the blessing of extreme technique, this punch was still fast, accurate, and ruthless, carrying a sharp gust of wind!

In the blink of an eye, the smile on Wei Aola's face hadn't even had time to disappear completely, but her body had already made the most instinctive reaction—her head tilted sharply to the side at a tiny and precise angle, a movement so smooth and swift that it was definitely not something an untrained person could do!

That dodging posture faintly carried the shadow of some kind of combat art.

The fist carried a gust of wind, brushing past a few of her hairs.

And almost at the same time, the fist Jie Ming threw instantly turned into a palm.

The five fingers brushed gently past Wei Aola's temple, plucking off a tiny withered leaf that had landed on her silver-gray long hair at some unknown time.

The smile on his face remained unchanged, as if that earth-shattering strike just now was merely an illusion, and his tone was relaxed: "Nothing is wrong now, Senior Sister. You had a leaf on your hair, I helped you take it off."

Wei Aola froze in place, the color on her face fading a bit.

In those eyes that were always filled with smiles or playfulness, for the first time, surprise, vigilance, and a trace of undisguisable horror clearly emerged.

She stared fixedly at Jie Ming for a few seconds, her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.

She only quickly took half a step back and said rapidly in a tone of unprecedented distance: "Thanks—I'll go over there first."

After speaking, almost as if fleeing, she turned and walked quickly toward the crowd calling her.

Jie Ming stood in place, the formulaic smile on his face slowly fading.

He carried that large, half-full black trash bag and turned around expressionlessly.

Walking away steadily, step by step, in the opposite direction of Wei Aola.

On the beach under the sun, the volunteers were still chatting and resting.

No one noticed the thrill contained in that brief confrontation just now.

But Jie Ming knew that the probing had already yielded results.

> ===== CHAPTER 350 =====