Chapter 87: First Gathering

After returning to school, Li Mochen hurried into the locker room's shower to wash off the smell of gunpowder and change clothes.

At this moment, the entire school was in an uproar, everyone watching the smoke and flames rising from the north. Atlanta, usually a fairly peaceful city, had not seen such a scene in a long time.

Li Mochen, however, listlessly returned to his apartment on the top floor of the Unicorn Apartments, stood before the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, and looked helplessly at the ruins in the northeast that had settled.

He was reflecting, realizing that although he had seemed careful today, he had actually left many clues. The situation had been urgent and unavoidable; time was short, the outlaws nearby, and Tianxin Li Mochen had been too lazy to help him cover up. So the traces he left at the scene would likely not fool experienced police and detectives.

After a moment's hesitation, Li Mochen directly called Mike Ross. Only after confirming that he had not committed a crime, and that there were corresponding exemptions in the Rescue Responsibility Act and the Good Samaritan Act, did he feel relieved.

The government and legal forces in this world far exceeded those of the Primordial Dome, and he could not afford to ignore them now.

In fact, even the so-called 'outlaws' were not truly beyond the law.

Under the iron curtain of over four million armed police across various American police departments and as many as fifteen intelligence agencies, even those powerful legends or demigods who could easily destroy a city had to tread carefully.

Li Mochen thought that if the police came to find him, he would just tell the truth. At worst, it would expose his true strength, which might bring some new troubles later.

Once reassured, Li Mochen felt joy. Because his 'Divine Sky Luck Purple Gold Pagoda' was now entwined with some colorful spiritual light.

Li Mochen was very familiar with this thing, knowing it was the power of merit, and a considerable amount at that—enough for him to use the Wish Spell three times in a row without paying a price when facing that eleventh-level Wildfire Mammoth earlier.

Was it due to killing that assassin? Probably not just that. It was more likely that he had interfered with some people's destinies, causing changes in the future, which gathered merit to him.

The figure of Lina Aldridge appeared in Li Mochen's mind.

He guessed it was mostly because of this girl. If he hadn't acted, Angela might have survived, but this blonde girl would have certainly died on the spot.

This surprised Li Mochen and filled him with anticipation. On the very first day of saving her, she had given him so much merit? It showed that this girl carried significant weight in the river of fate and had a great impact on the future.

Although at this stage, Lina only provided him with three Wish Spells, which seemed insignificant, merit was never settled all at once. As time passed, it would continue to flow steadily into the 'Divine Sky Luck Purple Gold Pagoda.'

In the years Li Mochen had experienced, the merit Lina first gave him ranked among the top ten.

What surprised Li Mochen again was that until the next morning, no doorbell rang at his door.

He found it somewhat strange but couldn't figure it out, so he went to school with a head full of questions.

That day was the midterm exam, with six courses tested throughout the day, all electives he had chosen at the start of the semester. Li Mochen handled them with ease, finishing each paper within fifteen minutes.

He felt that the exam questions this time were clearly designed with care. Some questions, though within the syllabus, were set up to be quite complex, with traps mixed in.

Just look at the expressions of his classmates—several top students were scratching their heads, looking helpless. Next door, William Jacques was craning his neck to peek at his paper.

Even Li Mochen himself, if not for his recent extensive reading to understand this world and his broadening knowledge, would have stumbled badly this time.

After finishing the questions, he occasionally gathered spiritual energy to his eyes to check on William next to him. Then, as appropriate, he inadvertently leaked a few answers to William.

Wen Jian Taoran had never been one to stick rigidly to rules and be inflexible. He knew that recently, this guy had been spending less and less time on studying due to his intense practice of swordsmanship and fitness training.

It wasn't that William wasn't working hard, but while focusing on improving his magical profession, he simply couldn't manage everything. Coupled with the unusually difficult exam questions, it was highly unlikely that William could maintain his previous grades.

Li Mochen didn't intend to leak too many answers and let this guy develop dependence. That would be harming rather than helping.

As for whether this cheating would harm others' interests, Li Mochen couldn't care less. The Immortal King of the Primordial Dome had never been a selfless person.

If one day he became a teacher, he might treat all students equally and be fair. But from his current standpoint, should he abandon William, who was going to find Hancock for him alone, and consider the thoughts of unrelated people?

"I've checked the answers; all the questions you gave me were correct."

As they walked to the club together, William looked excited: "I asked around, and no one in the class solved the last math problem. Unbelievable. I thought you'd definitely bomb this exam. Not rock bottom, but not as good as before. Tell me, you've been studying hard at home these days, right?"

Li Mochen thought that was true; he had indeed read a lot at home, though not in the way William imagined.

"You really helped me out this time, buddy! I bet if my grades drop, that Georgia guy will take the opportunity to cancel our scholarships. I guess he'll also revoke our work permits and mess up our part-time jobs."

William continued talking to himself: "Just wait, Amo, I'll repay you sooner or later. Within five years, I'll definitely join NMOSA, and then you'll be my agent—"

His voice suddenly stopped. Because ahead of them, a stocky, balding middle-aged white man was walking toward them—their grade advisor, Richard.

When he approached, he patted Li Mochen on the shoulder: "Good job, young man. I've seen your papers—six A's. In terms of scores, it's full marks except for British English. Considering your grades, Bird and the others decided to let your truancy slide this time. But don't slack off, okay? I expect you to become a lawyer or a doctor. You can do it, Andre."

"Six A's again? And full marks? Wow!" William exclaimed. "I bet by tomorrow, Andre, you'll be the talk of the whole school. Not many people got so many A's this time."

Richard punched him hard in the chest: "I heard what you said, William. Want to join the National Comprehensive Cold Weapon Combat Alliance, huh? I admire your ambition, but before that, please be an honest and hardworking person, okay? Coach Inez told me that yesterday he assigned you two thousand meters of frog jumps, but you only completed thirteen hundred. Kid, don't waste the opportunity Miss Louise gave you, or you'll end up with nothing!"

William gave an awkward smile. Richard continued to warn: "Also, I heard you've already got a sports scholarship? Then I suggest you give up the part-time job. It's for your future. Think about it—while you're earning those insignificant gold shields, the fighting geniuses are all in the gym working hard. Do you think you have any edge to compete with them?"

After Richard left, William scratched his head helplessly: "That guy really doesn't give any face. I'm a future star. He's so naggy—"

"But he's right."

Li Mochen glanced at him sideways: "I think you can give up the dream of a pickup truck now, for the future Maranello or Lotus sports car."

William paused, then stood still, lost in thought: "You've convinced me, Amo. That's a strong argument."

Li Mochen chuckled and continued walking toward the club.

After the third math exam ended, he saw Angela. So that black-haired girl might very well continue tutoring him today.

Li Mochen was looking forward to seeing Angela. On one hand, he was still a bit worried about yesterday and wanted to know how she was doing; on the other hand, after missing two of Angela's classes, the original owner of this body seemed to have fallen into a state of craving.

Damn! He had dreamed of this girl at least twice last night.