Learning

Xi Chunzhi, however, cast aside her earlier melancholy and lifted her chin with an air of haughtiness. "I'm watching my figure. I don't eat greasy stuff like that."

Uh...

Tu Ran glanced at her curvaceous figure.

"Fine."

When the fried chicken arrived, Tu Ran carried it back to her own room.

Although she hadn't eaten anything since waking up in the Threshold, strangely enough, she didn't feel hungry at all.

She guessed it was probably thanks to the nutrient solution she'd been soaked in.

She stashed the fried chicken straight into the fridge, then took a serious look around the place she now called home.

One bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, one bathroom—not exactly spacious, but not cramped either. More than enough for one person.

The furniture was sparse, just the bare necessities, with no extra decorations.

Maybe because there was so little in it, the whole apartment looked exceptionally tidy.

But the moment she pushed open the bedroom door, Tu Ran immediately revised that assessment.

The large desk was piled with books, stacked layer upon layer in complete disarray. Some couldn't even fit on the desk and had been tossed haphazardly onto the floor.

The bookshelves were crammed full too, row after row, with some books sticking halfway out because they didn't fit—a sight that made Tu Ran, with her obsessive-compulsive tendencies, itch to shove them all back in right away.

But now wasn't the time to organize the bookshelves.

She stepped closer and saw that these were all highly technical professional texts.

Criminal investigation books took up half the collection, with another portion on aberrants, and, of course, wilderness survival guides.

Such a well-rounded selection—as if it had been deliberately prepared for a newbie like her.

Tu Ran didn't hesitate. She pulled out a weapons usage guide and started reading from the beginning.

This world had no gun control; everyone had the right to bear arms.

She'd be going on her daily patrol mission tomorrow, and there was no telling whether she'd run into armed thugs. Learning some basic knowledge couldn't hurt.

Perhaps because the nutrient solution nourished her body, Tu Ran didn't feel the least bit drowsy even as she studied past midnight. On the contrary, her nerves were buzzing with excitement, and her memory was exceptionally sharp.

But Tu Ran didn't let herself pull an all-nighter. She worried the body couldn't take it. She stretched comfortably, checked the time, and saw there were still three hours left until her agreed meeting time with Xi Chunzhi.

She set an alarm, hurried into bed, and forced herself to fall asleep.

The alarm rang, and Tu Ran opened her eyes.

The heavy curtains blocked out the morning light completely, with only a few thin rays slipping through the gaps.

The room was dim. Catching sight of that faint light, Tu Ran immediately noticed the bead she'd casually set on the corner of the desk last night.

The chicken-spirit's stone.

The light happened to hit it, and combined with its own glow, it was almost as bright as a small lamp.

Tu Ran rubbed her eyes. All of a sudden, she felt that bead looked oddly familiar.

Like the inner cores of gods or demons in those xianxia dramas.

It contained all their lifelong cultivation.

Eat their inner core, and you'd inherit their corresponding power.

Could this thing be the chicken-spirit's inner core?

It was so shiny and luminous—and with all her years of medical training, she'd never seen a glowing stone before.

The alarm's vibration kept buzzing.

Tu Ran's thoughts snapped back from the fantasy world to reality.

She patted her cheeks, forcing herself fully awake.

She had to believe in science.

Inner cores—something so illusory and intangible—how could something like that possibly exist in a world with such advanced technology?

Time was running short. Tu Ran composed herself, climbed out of bed, washed up quickly, and opened the door right on schedule.

Sure enough, Xi Chunzhi was just about to knock.

They locked eyes. Xi Chunzhi lowered her hand.

"Let's go."

They stepped into the elevator. Xi Chunzhi pressed the button for the first floor and suddenly spoke up. "How did you sleep last night?"