Chapter 175: College Survival Pack

Zhao Jianguo stood at the doorway of the university dormitory, holding the parcel he had just received from the system. The hallway lights flickered, but he paid no mind and pushed the door open to enter.

Chen Xiao Jian was bending over to tidy the bed when he heard a sound, looked up and asked, "Back?"

"Mm." Zhao Jianguo placed the bag on the desk, gave it a couple of pats, and said, "Just finished the enrollment paperwork and signed in on the way."

"Sign in?" Chen Xiao Jian sat up straight, a hint of doubt on his face, "You can still sign in to get stuff?"

"It's the school's new student activity." Zhao Jianguo unzipped, pulled out a thermos, its polished shell reflecting the light, and said, "Look, here's a gift."

Chen Xiao Jian came over, glanced and said, "That's a good thing; it's hard to find on the market now."

"There's more." Zhao Jianguo also produced an enamel jar, red background with white letters reading "Advanced Producer," set it on the desk, and added, "It's a matching item."

Chen Xiao Jian picked up the jar, turned it around, laughed, "My dad got one back in the day, but it broke."

Zhao Jianguo gave no reply, kept rummaging. A thick book emerged, its cover blue leather with a few foreign characters printed on it.

Chen Xiao Jian's eyes narrowed, "Is this… an English dictionary?"

"Ah." Zhao Jianguo nodded, "I saved tickets to buy it before, and never could bring myself to use it."

"You know English?" Chen Xiao Jian asked bluntly.

"Studied a bit." Zhao Jianguo tucked the dictionary closer to his chest, "It might come in handy for future classes."

Chen Xiao Jian stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly said, "You're not quite like others."

"Where's the difference?" Zhao Jianguo smiled.

"Can't say." Chen Xiao Jian sat back at the bedside, "It just feels like you're prepared for anything you do."

Zhao Jianguo gave no answer, lowered his head to look at the bottom of the bag. The last item was still there—a palm‑sized iron box with a knob and a short antenna on its surface. He calmly grasped it and slipped it into his pocket.

"What else are you hiding?" Chen Xiao Jian caught the motion and asked casually.

"Personal belongings." Zhao Jianguo patted his pocket, "An old item I'm reluctant to take out."

Chen Xiao Jian stopped asking and began folding the blanket. Zhao Jianguo put the thermos and enamel jar back into the bag, intending to bring them to the Siheyuan tomorrow.

He knew Jia Dongxu's side was lacking these. The kids have long class hours, and getting a sip of hot water isn't easy. That thermos could be very useful.

As for the dictionary, he needed to keep it. Not for himself, but for looking up material when teaching later. Some terms are poorly translated and can mislead students.

He never looked at that iron box again. System Prompt said it was called a "Cross-Time-Space Broadcaster" that can receive signals at specific frequencies. Though it's useless now, he recalled that on the night of Chapter 173, after the Shuang Baotai whispered "Time's up," the system had sounded an alarm once.

Such a thing can't be placed casually.

He wrapped the iron box in a towel and slipped it under the mattress. The movement was light, as if afraid to disturb something.

Chen Xiao Jian made the bed, took the pocket watch from his luggage, and placed it beside the pillow. Zhao Jianguo glanced over, saying nothing.

Both finished their tasks, and the room fell quiet.

"Do you have class tomorrow?" Chen Xiao Jian asked.

"Two periods in the morning." Zhao Jianguo opened the Lesson Plan, "Basic Economics and Political Common Knowledge."

"What's the professor's surname?"

"Haven't met them yet."

"If the lecture is too rigid, don't interject." Chen Xiao Jian said as he lay down, "Some people can't stand opposing views."

Zhao Jianguo smiled, "I'm just going to listen."

"Listening's fine," Chen Xiao Jian, eyes closed, "but don't stand out."

Zhao Jianguo gave no reply. He sat at the desk, pulled the dictionary from the bag, and opened to the first page.

Words beginning with the letter A were densely listed. He scanned them one by one, silently mouthing the pronunciations.

Chen Xiao Jian turned over, "Aren't you sleepy?"

"Not ready to sleep yet," Zhao Jianguo kept turning pages.

In truth, he wasn't trying to memorize words. He just wanted something to do, to suppress the unease inside.

Since the incident with Xu Da Mao, he always felt something was unfinished. That day the Special Forces arrived quickly and left just as fast, but their gaze didn't seem like a routine inspection.

Even stranger, the System Prompt never sounded an alarm again. Logically, if a temporal Virus had approached, it should have left a trace.

But now there's nothing.

He closed the dictionary and wrote a few words in the blank front page: "For use against temporal Virus."

After writing, he read it again, then slipped the book into the drawer.

Outside, wind rustled the treetops, shadows flickered on the wall. Zhao Jianguo stood, turned off the light, and sat back in the Chair.

"Aren't you sleeping?" Chen Xiao Jian asked groggily.

"I'll sit a bit longer."

"As you wish." Chen Xiao Jian turned over, and soon began snoring.

Zhao Jianguo stayed still. He listened to his roommate's breathing, his fingers lightly tapping the desk.

Three minutes later, he got up, walked to the bedside, lifted a corner of the mattress, and confirmed the iron box was still there.

Then he returned to the desk, opened the drawer, and took the dictionary out again.

Turning to a middle page, he stopped. That sheet had a small corner cut off, the edge uneven.

He recalled not noticing it when he retrieved it. Now it seemed someone had tampered with it beforehand.

He stared at the gap for a few seconds, then slowly closed the book.

Early the next morning, Zhao Jianguo left with his bag. Chen Xiao Jian was still asleep; he didn't wake him, and quietly closed the door.

The hallway was sparsely populated, and his steps were steady as he headed downstairs.

Just after turning the stairwell corner, he collided with a student carrying a stack of textbooks, who nearly fell.

"Sorry!" the person hurriedly apologized, squatted down to pick up the books.

Zhao Jianguo also squatted to help. His eyes scanned the covers, landing on one titled "Industrial English Common Vocabulary."

He paused, then asked, "You also study English?"

"It's necessary." the student forced a wry smile, "The department says they'll bring in foreign equipment in the future; without knowing foreign languages we can't handle it."

Zhao Jianguo nodded and handed over the last book.

The person thanked him and left. Zhao Jianguo stood where he was, thought for a moment, then turned and went back to the dormitory.

Chen Xiao Jian was already up, brushing his teeth.

Zhao Jianguo entered and said, "That dictionary of mine, you can borrow it, but don't take it out of the dormitory."

Chen Xiao Jian rinsed his mouth and mumbled a reply.

"Also," Zhao Jianguo took a thermos and an enamel jar from his bag, "I'll take these two first, for a friend's emergency."

"Alright." Chen Xiao Jian spat out the water, "I'll buy new ones later."

Zhao Jianguo said nothing more, grabbed the items and left.

At the school gate, he flagged down a tricycle and headed straight for Siheyuan.

Jia Dongxu was fiddling with an old generator in the Central Courtyard. Seeing him come in, he looked up and asked, "This early?"

"Bring some stuff over," Zhao Jianguo handed over his bag, "Thermos, enamel jar, leave them here for now."

Jia Dongxu opened it, grinned, "You actually managed to get them?"

"On the way," Zhao Jianguo leaned against the wall, "As long as the kids can use them, that's fine."

"Yesterday a teacher came asking if we could hold night classes," Jia Dongxu tightened a screw, "She said the kids get out of school early in the evening, so learning more would be useful."

"We'll hold them," Zhao Jianguo said, "I'll figure out the lamp oil."

Jia Dongxu nodded, "What about you? Is everything going smoothly at school?"

"Fine," Zhao Jianguo said, looking at the homework sheets hanging in the Courtyard, "No one's causing trouble."

"That's good," Jia Dongxu brushed dust off his hands, "That 'Open University' you mentioned last time is already being counted as an official title."

Zhao Jianguo smiled faintly and said nothing further.

He stood in the Courtyard for a few minutes, then turned to head back to school.

Before leaving, he told Jia Dongxu, "If you see anything I don't usually bring, don't take it, and don't touch it."

"What do you mean?"

"For example, a metal box with an antenna," Zhao Jianguo said calmly, "If someone sends one, burn it outright."

Jia Dongxu frowned, "Who would send that kind of thing?"

"I don't know," Zhao Jianguo said, looking at him, "But you must remember this."

Having said that, he left.

When he returned to the dormitory that afternoon, Chen Xiao Jian was absent. A note lay on the desk: go to the library to look up information, return before the Meal Ticket.

Zhao Jianguo glanced over, opened the drawer, and confirmed the dictionary was still there.

He sat down, opened the system interface, and clicked Daily Check-in.

【Today Check-in Successful】

Obtained item: none

He closed the page and leaned against the back of the chair.

The sky grew dim, and he didn't turn on the light. His fingers brushed the wooden box under the pillow.

The broadcaster inside hadn't sounded even once today.