Chapter 402: No. 165 No Need to Doubt Your Position

The sun at two o'clock in the afternoon, even though the city's temperature control system made macro adjustments, still showed a bit of heat.

When human voices fade and cicada chirps appear faintly, you then have a stronger sense of being in midsummer.

Frankly speaking, although it could clearly create a pleasant summer climate, it seems to want you to know this is summer by retaining the flavor of heat.

It's somewhat infuriating.

Aomo really wanted to stuff the person in charge of the temperature control system into Gaia's flamemountain device, but he only thought about it.

After all, he also knew that temperature involves many factors—not just humans, but many other animals and plants have life cycles closely tied to it.

Compared to adjusting each item individually, the upper management's choice is obviously to keep the original plan.

Whatever it originally should have been, let it be so, making minor adjustments based on the premise of distinct spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

The final result is the present Jiemen district.

Without rain, the air is filled with palpable heat.

Training in this climate likely risks heatstroke, so Aomo also had to send a message to Chengtian BaiRen.

Have her pay attention to the temperature there, or let Suzi and the others rest, or alternatively request permission from the president's side to obtain the right to use the training field's temperature control device.

As for requesting permission, it's generally unnecessary.

After all, as vice president of the student council, Chengtian BaiRen naturally has some authority.

But as a long-time slacker, whether those authorities are truly deserved remains to be seen.

In fact, the reply Aomo received at this moment is——

Chengtian BaiRen: 【Understood】

——such a conventional response, revealing little information.

Regardless of the authority, at least receiving it is enough; this normal reply also makes him a bit hesitant.

It's not that it doesn't match his impression of BaiRen; in fact, as the relatively quiet member of her team, her speech is indeed either conventional or concise and aloof.

It's normal, just let it be normal……

The cool sister's fidgeting demeanor still retains an astonishing presence in his memory, but only this once; what she thought, what she wanted to say, has become a pangolin‑like mystery.

And the expectation in that private message asking when to run again……

Aomo feels he probably sensed something wrong.

Merely speculating between the lines, gaining some unrealistic feelings is not surprising; his accumulated experience is still insufficient, and there is a long road ahead……

Thinking that, he reset the terminal's light screen from in front of him to one side, and saw an unhappy little face replace where the screen was.

This is seeing Aomo not paying attention to her speech, instead poking at empty space, apparently a pink‑haired JK in the water chat room.

With a glare of big, angry eyes she conducted a silent protest, yet the other person remained calm, face expressionless, raising a hand to poke the tip of that face's nose.

Thus that face immediately shrieked and pulled back: 'Ah——! My nose is not a screen button!'

'My face is not an electronic display either.'

Aomo tugged at the corner of his mouth, then looked at the girl covering her nose with a half‑smile.

"Your virtual avatar fits you perfectly, doesn't it, Kerif…‑san?"

"It's just a mouth guard anyway, and you already know Kerif yet you say this—I'm really going to get angry!"

Clearly for those two years she had been quite proud and smug… Aomo smiled wordlessly.

The only difference between then and now is that I've watched SSSS. Gridman.

Having learned who Alexis Kerif is, and also receiving Qian's acknowledgment of its content: although the process of mindset change differs, in terms of experience it's pretty much the same.

She is completely open about her past.

But regarding the fact that her online image directly appropriated Kerif…… she adopts an attitude of confronting a dark history.

Mentioning it triggers full‑blown resistance.

Aomo, who hasn't talked with her in the deep‑immersion chat room for the past two days, is unsure whether she has taken any action.

Like…… carrying out some kind of identity split.

After all, neither of them is the type who can talk directly but must communicate online, even needing to role‑play as top‑tier social anxieties.

Just mentioning Kerif forces one to face that angry expression; bluntly asking if she's changed skins risks getting kicked straight away.

Worth noting, Miss Qian Xintiao once, in a fit of anger, barefoot‑attacked a display screen—a prior offense.

Although in some groups' eyes it is also a kind of perk.

But Aomo is clearly not a member of that group.

Moreover, rather than worrying whether she can kick him painfully, it's better to simply avoid the premise of being kicked.

"Sorry, sorry, let's not bring it up, but yesterday the Witch Beast noticed a network area resembling a monster graveyard, and it also has the appearance of some real‑world man‑made structures……"

While apologizing, he offered that topic which would obviously prompt her to ponder; Aomo observed Qian's expression shift as she snapped out of a dazed thought, then he also offered the following words after a few‑second pause:

"You've got some ideas, right?"

"Maybe… just a similar place?"

"Indeed, just as many transmigrators think that the digital beast groups considered other transmigration elements are actually local inhabitants like us."

"The computer world might also have local versions."

Compared to Qian's merely hard‑to‑believe skepticism, Aomo appeared quite enlightened, offering a more complete possibility.

This also made Qian nod suddenly.

At that moment, the automated tram arriving at the stop opened its doors.

He greeted the girl who was unwilling to use the clearly convenient teleportation ability, didn't want to be taken by a Beta scooter to the destination, and insisted on planning her own route, urging her aboard.

After all, it's simply because she doesn't want to state her destination.

Thus Aomo's teleportation lacks coordinates, and driving himself also makes route planning difficult.

All he can do is plainly and simply walk the streets with her, board the tram, and then wait for her further instructions.

Consuming time is secondary; after all, as some expert once said, old friends aren't for discussing important matters but for chatting nonsense—talking for several hours, all nonsense, and looking back you don't even remember what you said, yet this kind of place always feels warm.

If there's time, it's fine to go out with friends for a walk and chat idly.

It's just that the temperature is often complained about, but Aomo had already noticed the sweat on Xi's forehead.

Unlike Aomo, who is of mixed human descent when filling out his race, Xi has also managed to develop psychokinesis, a common ability in special-effects troupes, here.

But her body is still a pure otherworldly human, unenhanced by any extraordinary means.

She hardly even trains!

To be honest, that's rare.

After all, Aomo's office has three horse girls.

Occasionally, they also produce additional warriors (horse girls) like a battle team.

Everyone maintains training as a norm; even when not training, they do daily exercise—this kind of environment makes it hard to persist in slacking off.

However, generally speaking, a slacking-off mindset like this is hard to sustain long-term in the Volume B group environment unless it's specially bolstered by something like a psychological shadow.

Aomo guesses that once she becomes visibly overweight, she'll probably be willing to run while being sandwiched by the other girls.

Of course… she shouldn't get fat in that kind of place……

He paused briefly at a side double seat, gesturing for Xi to take the inside window seat; she gladly sat down, and as she did, the upper body of her one-piece T-shirt visibly swayed, prompting Aomo to think of that certain horse girl who always feigns a sore waist and back to get him to increase her massage frequency.

If anyone really had a sore waist and back, it'd be her, right?

Then there's Bo Bang, a strong contender...

Pure, unadorned horse girls and otherworldly people already have this scale while still developing—Aomo's perception of otherworldly possibilities feels like it's gotten another refresh.

And while refreshing here inevitably makes the tea seat's '?' topic, on the other side Xi continues the topic from when she boarded.

The train's air conditioning seemed to revive her, and her tone returned to its former lightness and cheer.

"I've always thought I transmigrated from another world, but you giving this possibility makes it seem like I'm actually a local after all......"

"Or maybe there's another me in this world?"

Saying this, that lighthearted cheerfulness didn't last long.

The girl leaning against the window showed a hint of complexity in her eyes.

In such a situation, wanting to comfort her is hard to know where to start, but Aomo also didn't intend to comfort her, because he had a more effective rebuttal.

"It's not that bad; you returned to reality from Azalea Terrace, then transmigrated again after a while, right?"

"......"

The young man seated nearby, whose violet-red eyes swirled like a turbine, fastened his seatbelt.

The young man even raised his hand to point at her belt there, indicating she should also honestly wear it.

"With this, you're definitely a transmigrator—let alone the fact that Heaven Gate City once found your world number, and you refused to go back."

"And there's one more thing."

He said this, raising his index finger before Xi's eyes.

"This is a piece of information that circulates only among a minority."

"In this world, highly similar counterparts aren't allowed to appear; first, at least their names won't be the same; second, their experiences and personalities won't be especially alike."

"So, as long as you're here, no one can shake your 'position'."

"Even if it's another you, the same applies."

Actually, according to the book's setting, Xin Tiao Qi can not only top other versions of herself, but also top Teng Tang Wushi (originally a villain from the Gu Li Te source, later redeemed and becoming a hero in the sequel), because their similarity is too high, to the point that folk regard her as a gender swap—this point will also be mentioned in a chapter.

But if we actually compare, the Xin Tiao Qi from SSSS is a hybrid, because the original sequel has a project called 'Electric Shock Superman Gu Li Te F', featuring Xiang Yu Tai and also Xin Tiao Qi, who is set as being controlled by the Hei'an Demon King after Wushi, a female high school student, and it's true that the victim's lineage is passed on.

But the Xin Tiao Qi of SSSS is a hybrid creation based on Wushi from the original work, combining a name and setting dug up from scrapped drafts.

Even the color scheme is a mirror-image Optimus Prime, but that's just the color scheme—basically cannot occupy the mirror-image Optimus Prime's position (x)

——Can that righteous Heaven-Shaking Might be used? It just so happens it's also been cleared now.

——?? Bi Ze classmate, please go to the doorway and stand holding a book.

See you next time in the 'Character-related Mini-lesson'.