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Mingjiang University, near the male dormitory area.

"Luckily, you don't have spatial resistance, otherwise even teleportation would be troublesome. That's all for now, goodbye."

Ji Mo walked out of the void. When the surveillance camera captured Jiu Chonglou's figure on the other side of the void, the image was briefly distorted and the screen showed snow-like noise. The security guards in the main control room ignored it.

Once the noise dissipated, Jiu Chonglou was no longer visible in the surveillance footage, and the scene of Ji Mo emerging from the void was automatically blended together to show him walking along the way.

Ming Chiang University has relatively lax management of its students, with no mandatory lights-out or dormitory requirements. In addition, since today and tomorrow are holidays, you can still see a few students on the streets.

The dormitory was a standard four-person room. Ji Mo arrived late that year, and some classmates from his original class chose to drop out and retake the exam. The room should have been full, but there was one extra person, leaving him alone.

In the second semester of her freshman year, Mo Ruqiu, who originally lived in a four-person dormitory, moved to Ji Mo's dormitory 404 due to disagreements with her original roommates.

Since then, the remaining two beds have remained vacant, with no new occupants joining.

At first, Ji Mo, who was used to being alone, did not get along well with her new roommate, especially since the other person's lifestyle was completely opposite to her own.

Fortunately, although Mo Ruqiu is addicted to games and occasionally makes strange noises typical of anime while watching videos, he is generally receptive to advice and usually does not disturb his routine.

Even if Mo Ruqiu plays games all night, once it's confirmed that he needs to rest or study, he will quietly replace the clattering blue switch keyboard.

Thanks to Mo Ruqiu's outgoing personality, Ji Mo, who was almost invisible in class, gradually started to talk to her classmates and was occasionally pulled into some social activities.

As expected, dormitory 404 was still brightly lit.

The dormitory room had bunk beds with desks underneath. Mo Ruqiu, on the top bunk, was typing away on her keyboard, making a loud clattering sound that wouldn't make you turn around: "Oh, you're back? Not staying overnight today? Oh crap, that idiot teammate died again, this game is hopeless—"

"I'll come back once I finish my part-time job."

Mo Ruqiu, who was in the resurrection waiting period, listlessly poked her head out from the headboard and noticed the book open in Ji Mo's hand: "What's this? Wait a minute—"

Mo Ruqiu hated math the most. Those dense numbers and formulas that were intertwined like crawling insects were like a bunch of worms wriggling in front of her. A chill ran down her spine and straight to her brain, and for a moment it even overshadowed the anger of being betrayed by her teammates.

But the chill subsided when he caught sight of the hundred-yuan bill tucked in the blank space at the top of the page.

Those thin, bright red, stable-value banknotes were neatly tucked between each two pages, like bookmarks.

Ji Mo looked at the "Advanced Mathematics Handbook" in her hand, her feelings even more complicated: "She said it would motivate me to study hard for the final exam."

Turning to the preface, a line of elegant handwriting catches the eye: [Understand two pages and receive 100 yuan!]

He tried to remove the banknote from one of the pages, but a barely perceptible force held the banknote firmly to the page, as if they were destined to die together.

He quickly read the first two pages—basic review material for advanced mathematics, which Ji Mo already had a foundation in, so it wasn't difficult for him to understand.

He reached out again to grab the banknote, and sure enough, it fell off easily.

Turning to page 78, I quickly scanned the two pages without thinking, but the banknotes were still firmly stuck to the book.

Ah, so it was "understanding" not "reading".

Only she would have the leisure to use her abilities on something like this. Ji Mo felt helpless, but said aloud, "It seems she's in a good mood today."

"Giving you a copy of 'Advanced Mathematics' stuffed with money and you call that being in a good mood?" Mo Ruqiu looked incredulous. He knew his roommate too well; he was as old-fashioned as a relic from the last century, and might actually obediently read through the pages before taking the money.

After all, being able to learn and earn money at the same time is indeed a wonderful thing for Ji Mo.

"Wait a minute." Ji Mo thought for a moment, then pulled another book from the desk drawer and handed it to him: "Take a look for yourself."

"You slipped money into this one too? A repeat offender." Mo Ruqiu took it without suspicion, casually flipping to the first two pages. "A collection of online short stories? Let me see..."

A few seconds later, his face ashen, he returned the money that had fallen from the book to Ji Mo along with the book itself, and roared to the sky: "What do you mean by 'After trying to kill myself multiple times, I've finally achieved my wish of transmigrating into the body of an eldest legitimate daughter in ancient times, excitedly preparing to sell my illegitimate son, father, and sister'??? Especially when the illegitimate son is a third-rank minister?'"

"I told you, this is a gift she gives me when she's in a bad mood."

"So, you think you can ruin other people's eyes just because you're in a bad mood?!"

"So, I might as well not take the money." Ji Mo silently put away the money, thinking to himself, "Or, let others suffer while I collect the money."

During the chat, Mo Ruqiu's computer screen returned to color, and her game character had returned to the respawn fountain. Her character's prolonged inactivity drew criticism from her random teammates: "Is she AFK already? We'll report her later!"

"Stop arguing, I'm watching how the legitimate daughter will execute the illegitimate son of a third-rank minister who dared to talk back." Mo Ruqiu decided to share her pain.

The public chat screen was deathly silent.

A few seconds later, the opposing player couldn't help but type, "Hey, is that a woman over there?"

Mo Ruqiu: "Damn, I'm a real man! I just got really annoyed by the novel collection my roommate's girlfriend gave me!"

Ji Mo was completely unaware of the joyful and peaceful atmosphere of friend or foe that Mo Ruqiu was about to experience. Back in her bed, she couldn't fall asleep and started scrolling through her phone.

News about gas explosions and ground collapses caused by construction is noticeably more frequent, with comments criticizing the inaction of relevant departments and the increasingly rampant shoddy workmanship by construction teams.

Several of the locations looked familiar to Ji Mo, reminding him of what Jiu Chonglou had said before he left:

"The reason for creating this program? Hmm... You may not feel it deeply, but the data doesn't lie. In recent years, the frequency of extraordinary events in the mortal realm has increased significantly, especially the phenomenon of locals voluntarily or involuntarily traveling through time. I want to use this program to save as many people as possible, and also to see if there are any commonalities among them."

How could he not feel it deeply?

He restrained his temper and controlled his strength, ignoring the occasional strange behavior of Jiu Chonglou, all for the sake of living an ordinary life.

But the extraordinary event that occurred three years ago, which could not be prevented, destroyed his and many others' peaceful lives. Even now, the official news, disguised as a chemical plant explosion, is still posted on the homepage of local forums, making it arguably the deadliest and most devastating event in a century.

"Some things can't be avoided just because you want to..." Ji Mo sighed deeply.

"What can't be avoided?" Mo Ruqiu peeked out.

"I'm telling you, no matter how much you play video games to escape reality, you still have to take advanced calculus in the final exam."

The person on the upper bunk let out a groan that sounded inhuman, and Ji Mo fell asleep contentedly.