At that moment, the door was pushed open. Yellow Hair and his two friends walked in, talking and laughing. Seeing Su Ming, they came over, put an arm around his neck, and said eagerly.

“Bro, I heard there’s an open-air fashion show on Blue Valley Street today. Lots of hot girls. How about we take you to feast your eyes and relax?”

Although this was a boarding school, the rules weren’t very strict. They could still sneak out.

“No thanks, I’m going to the library.”

Su Ming tactfully refused their offer. His time was very tight, and he had to seize every second to catch up.

“The library?”

The three of them stared at Su Ming, dumbfounded.

In their memory, Su Ming was hardworking, but not to the extent of spending his time in the library.

“Yeah, see you later!”

Su Ming didn’t explain further and hurriedly left the dormitory.

A dozen minutes later, Su Ming appeared at the entrance of the library.

He looked up at the barrel-shaped building and fell into deep thought.

The Miente Intermediate Academy he was in was ranked third in the Thirteenth District. It was an academy that many people would do anything to get into.

Not only was the teaching quality excellent, but the hardware facilities were also outstanding. Not to mention anything else, their school could provide numerous mecha training pods, allowing the entire class to train for long periods of time.

Other poor schools, as well as schools on other backward planets in the Old Federation, probably only had one training pod, and the entire class had to take turns learning.

And their school had a very large library with relatively complete materials.

This was also why Su Ming was so eager to return to school. Only by returning could he learn most efficiently.

Su Ming strode into the library. Soon, a spacious and bright hall came into view. Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, shining on the smooth marble floor.

On the edge of the barrel-shaped building, rows of bookshelves lined the walls, reaching a height of seven meters, filled with a dazzling array of books.

Next to each bookshelf was a small, automatic hovering device that one could stand on to easily reach the books on the upper shelves.

In the center of the hall, a spiral staircase elegantly wound its way up to the second-floor reading area. The handrails were made of bronze-colored metal, revealing the charm of time.

The huge library was filled with students who had come to study, but it was relatively quiet.

However, with Su Ming’s arrival, he still attracted the attention of many students.

Their gazes fell on Su Ming, and some students who were in groups whispered.

“Isn’t that Su Ming, the one who tried to hang himself? Why is he in the library?”

“He’s probably not given up and wants to run into Lin Chuyu here.”

“He’s already a joke, and he still hasn’t given up. I don’t know what to say. He has no self-awareness.”

...

Su Ming ignored the strange looks and whispers from the crowd. He walked to the borrowing area, his eyes quickly scanning the dazzling array of books on the shelves.

From time to time, he would reach out and pull out a book he needed.

A short while later, Su Ming, holding five books, walked up the stairs to the second-floor reading area.

He found a seat by the window and sat down, then flipped open the first book he had borrowed, A Chronicle of the Old Federation's Modern History.

The book was at least twenty centimeters thick, with very small font, but the content was very comprehensive.

Although history questions didn’t account for a large portion of the basic score in the City Exam, they were also very important.

Su Ming took a deep breath and began to read seriously. He flipped through the pages very quickly, spending less than ten seconds on each page.

In the distance, some students who saw Su Ming flipping through the book so quickly showed a look of disdain.

“He’s flipping so fast, just skimming.”

“This guy isn’t here to study at all, he’s just here to show off.”

“Don’t mind him. Let’s hurry up and study. If we fail the City Exam, we’re done for.”

“That’s true.”

...

Time passed bit by bit. Su Ming was highly focused, constantly flipping through the chronicle of the Old Federation.

The modern history of the Old Federation, though boring to some, was particularly interesting to Su Ming.

Su Ming was immersed in his own world, ignoring everything around him.

At dusk, the glow of the setting sun gradually disappeared, and the sky slowly darkened.

At this moment, a pleasant broadcast suddenly sounded throughout the Thirteenth District.

“Dear citizens, it is now 6:00 PM on May 7th, 4618 of the Old Era. The Thirteenth District will usher in its annual Rain Festival. The District Administrator, Mr. Zhou Jinglan, has officially authorized the activation of the rainy season system. The Thirteenth District will experience 60 minutes of artificial rain. We wish all citizens a happy and enjoyable festival.”

As the broadcast ended, a gentle breeze began to blow, and light raindrops fell from the dim sky.

The ground and rooftops made a soft pattering sound.

Many citizens and students went outdoors to embrace the light rain.

Although the entire Thirteenth District had a complete rainwater collection and water resource recycling system, activating artificial rain would still cause a significant loss of water resources.

The most direct reason was that many people in the lower city would use various containers to collect rainwater, which could save a considerable amount of money.

Therefore, artificial rain was only activated during the annual Rain Festival, and the duration was not fixed. It depended more on the water resource reserves of the Thirteenth District.

From this, it could be seen how scarce and precious water resources were.

At this moment, Su Ming, who was focused on reading, turned the last page of the chronicle. He looked up, feeling a little unsatisfied, and subconsciously turned to look out the window.

Outside the window, light rain fell continuously, washing the spotless ground. Rows of streetlights lit up in the rain, and students joyfully rushed into the rain. Some looked up, letting the cold rain wash over them, some knelt down and embraced the falling rain with their hands, and some danced gracefully in the rain.

Su Ming looked at the rainy scene outside the window and was mesmerized for a time. In an instant, the whole world seemed to stand still, becoming exceptionally quiet.

At this moment, the falling raindrops in Su Ming’s eyes were like feathers falling slowly…

Su Ming was stunned, his eyes showing disbelief. The rainy scene outside the window seemed to be frozen at this moment. No, to be precise, it had become stagnant.

The next second, Su Ming’s heart trembled slightly, and everything returned to normal. The rain fell with a patter.

Su Ming was in a trance for a while, constantly replaying the strange phenomenon just now.

Just as Su Ming was in a daze, a figure suddenly jumped up and sat on the side of his desk.

Su Ming looked up and saw a tall boy with a high nose, an arrogant expression, a hint of rebelliousness, and a silver earring in his ear. Behind him stood a group of underlings with unfriendly eyes.

At this moment, the students who were studying nearby all stood up in fear and left, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.