Way of the Devil

Xia Cheng walked over to him. In a soft voice, she asked, “Would you like to go to the Logistics Department together?”

Lu Sheng looked at her. With the edge of his gaze, he caught a glimpse of Shajay talking softly to a girl with a purple ponytail.

“No, thanks. I’m not thinking of modifying it for the moment,” he replied calmly.

The modifications he sought were different from the others. Hence, he wanted to avoid being seen by the others as much as possible.

“I see. Would you like to go boat-rowing sometime? They’ve brought in some hand boats on the small lake near Mount Dulan. It’s very fun.” Xia Cheng invited him generously. “Five of us will be going later.”

Lu Sheng knew that Xia Cheng was helping him in her own way. Jorin kept too much to himself. However, in the Alan Federation, even if he hailed from the best academy, without a wide and powerful network, he would end up suffering losses eventually. After his graduation, he would not be looked after even if he joined the army or went to the front lines.

Xia Cheng was actively trying to establish her small network. Now that she was inviting him of her own accord, she was trying to pull him into her network as well to help him.

However, Lu Sheng was destined to reject Xia Cheng’s good will.

After his Arrival, Jorin’s future was destined to be different from the others.

“Alas… I’m quite busy these few days. I have many things to attend to. You guys have fun, though. Be careful of the weather, don’t let the rain dampen your spirits.” Lu Sheng turned down her invitation politely.

Xia Cheng raised an eyebrow. “Very well, then. It’s important for you to attend to your affairs. However, you can still change your mind before the next Thursday. Just tell me if you do.”

“Alright.” Lu Sheng looked on as Xia Cheng turned to leave. Nearby, Xia Cheng’s close friends heard their conversation. They directed dissatisfied expressions toward Lu Sheng.

It was apparent that they were annoyed by Lu Sheng’s ingratitude.

It had to be known that not everyone liked an average guy who did not know to read the atmosphere and socialize in their circle. In a team, guys such as this would serve no other purpose than ruining the mood.

Xia Cheng’s act of inviting Lu Sheng risked affecting the other students in the circle.

She kept explaining to the other companions. With her apologetic smile, she quickly gained the understanding of the others.

Lu Sheng’s expression remained unchanged. He committed Xia Cheng’s kindness to his memory. She was always nice to Jorin. This was not the first time.

‘If I have the chance, I can look after her in secret.’

He swiftly wore his armor again. He tried flexing his limbs. Like the other students, he tested the other parameters of the armor.

‘There are no enhancements in strength and explosive strength. There’s a buffer system which reduces the consumption of my own energy and increases my stamina. As for the others… it’s no different from the training armors students use.’ Lu Sheng quickly calculated the actual numbers.

He walked back to the dormitory with his armor on. He waited for a while so that he would not bump into the other students, and slowly went over to the Logistics Department.

The Logistics Department was located at the end of the academy. It was closely connected to three silvery-white mushroom-shaped warehouses.

When Lu Sheng arrived, there were still many students walking out from the main gate. He was an insignificant person in his class, and he had no connections with anyone. Aside from classes, he would not be seen by his classmates. Because of this, 90% of his classmates did not even know who he was.

He walked against the current to the doors of the Logistics Department. He was met with a spacious and clean white hall. Faint golden chandeliers like the ones you would see in a grand hotel hung elegantly from the ceiling and shone brightly. This made the building seem like a luxurious hotel, and not the Logistics Department where equipment was stored.

Lu Sheng asked the staff at the information counter for directions. He immediately took a right turn, entered the elevator, and pushed the button that would bring him to the lower fifth floor.

As the elevator descended slowly, a sweet electronic melody played.

“Welcome to the Modifications Unit of the Logistics Department. The Modifications Unit is divided into three areas: the Modifications Area, the Testing Area, and the Resting Area. Here, you’ll be able to find most of the latest armor techniques found in the market and the most comprehensive collection of armor parts in the entire federation. What’s more, the prices here are merely 80% of the market price.

“For safety considerations, the modifications process carried out here will be kept secret. With staff to guide you and the automated precision modifying equipment, we can satisfy most of the modifying needs of a General Armor.”

The female voice kept introducing the abilities and advantages of this place. At the same time, it announced the only restriction here at the end.

None of the accessories could be brought out from the department. In other words, every accessory bought had to be installed on the armor. It would not be possible for customers to buy the accessories and install them on separate visits.

If the accessories could not be installed in time, then they would have to give up. They would not sell the item, and the customer would have to wait until they had the chance next time.

Lu Sheng could understand the reason behind this rule.

“Ding…” The elevator doors slid open.

A few male and female students entered the elevator in pairs. Lu Sheng glanced at the floor number. It was the fourth floor, the Combat Simulation Area.

“I’ve seen the record list just now… Quan Shihui’s still at the top. I’m afraid that she’ll be this year’s best student again,” said a male student with a fourth year’s emblem. He spoke in a slightly gloomy tone with his head lowered.

“Can’t President Kayla catch up?” asked another female student. She sounded disappointed as well.

“No, the gap is too wide. Quan Shihui has passed the 19th level, while the president is only at level 13. They can’t be compared.” The man wiped his face with his hands. He seemed troubled.

“So powerful…” The female student was also helpless. “Perhaps only elite seniors who already graduated can suppress her if they ever come back. That woman is too powerful.”

“Maybe.” The man shook his head. Perhaps it was because of Lu Sheng’s presence inside the elevator, but he swallowed back his words. In the end, he remained silent and said nothing.

Lu Sheng was expressionless, but he remembered the name Quan Shihui in his heart. Iron Tower had also asked him about a person with this name before this.

The elevator soon reached lower fifth floor. The doors slid open into a silvery-white corridor which extended forward. The corridor was lined with modifications rooms on both sides, with every room separated by a few feet.

Lu Sheng exited the elevator. He could faintly hear the loud noises from some of the modification rooms.

He took a few steps forward. Then, he looked at the floor plan on the wall as he searched for the room he was interested in.

He quickly found the students’ free modifications rooms. There were 15 of them.

Lu Sheng kept walking along the corridor, and quickly found the new students’ free modifications room at the furthest end.

The 15 rooms were lined up in two rows from room one to room 15. It felt as if they were put against each other.

Lu Sheng strolled casually past the doors of the modifications rooms. He could see if the rooms were occupied or not by having a look at the door.

The vacant rooms would be marked by a green hexagon, while the occupied rooms were marked with red rings.

He quickly found a vacant modifications room and went inside.

“Come here to register your student card. Register the starting time of your modifications.” The room was packed with an assortment of metallic objects.

A man with a brandy nose who wore black uniform with white stripes was holding a registration book in his hands.

Lu Sheng quickly settled his registration.

“Remove your armor and come with me to the back. I’ll demonstrate how to modify your armor for the first time. After that, you’ll be doing it yourself. Ask if you have any questions,” the man instructed.

“Alright.”

Lu Sheng removed his armor without any change in his expressions. He followed the man to the back of the room. They were now in a spacious plot of land. Black lines that resembled power lines hung in densely packed patterns above the empty floor. At least 10 spotlights were installed on the walls of the room.

“As students who will be going onto the frontlines after graduating, everyone’s given an allocation to special modifications of their armors with the cost of the materials needed not exceeding 1,000 tibs. You should think carefully about your modifications plans. Don’t act too rashly,” reminded the man. Then, he gave Lu Sheng a booklet. “This is a list of the accessories that can be found here. The modifying techniques can also be found there. You’ll be charged for the materials if they exceeded what you are allocated.”

Lu Sheng nodded. He received the booklet and scanned through it. On the first row was the free modification fees for students worth 1,000 tibs.

For the great families, this amount was nothing. However, for students with ordinary backgrounds, 1,000 tibs was the equivalent of 100,000 renminbi[1. A bit over 14,000$.] on Earth. It was a huge sum.

He skipped through a series of systemic modification techniques. These techniques merely carried out overall coordination and modifications of the kinetic, armor, and long-range systems. Those did not fulfill Lu Sheng’s requirements. He skipped through them and flipped to the final pages with the lists of the accessories and materials.

He could not afford the expensive, high-grade accessories and materials. They easily cost 10,000 tibs. Moreover, they were the basic model at best, and could not even highlight the advantages of his Harmonizing Power. Lu Sheng had thought about his own way forward from the beginning.

He immediately scrolled toward the bottom of the list where the accessories he wanted to find were. Then, he found the cheapest, piled alloy bulletproof external armor.

“Piled alloy bulletproof external armor. Maximum energy capacity, 1000-1500 tara. It can effectively block small caliber bullets fired at close range. Able to defend against the piercing of sharp weapons to a certain extent. It’s weak against heavy armor-piercing bullets, cannonballs, and explosives. Price, 100 tibs.”

“Please give my armor a layer of bulletproof external armor,” Lu Sheng said simply.

“Alright, no problem. A layer of external armor costs 100 tibs. You sure you want it?” the man in charge of modifications asked casually.

He went into the control room next door. Two robotic arms quickly removed Lu Sheng’s armor and fixed its position in the center of the empty space. Then, there was a flurry of sparks and quick movements as the black armor plates as thick as a palm were pressed onto the armor.

The modifying process did not take more than 10 minutes.

Lu Sheng took a look at his modified armor, and was quite satisfied with the results. The original snowy white armor was now much thicker and heavier. Although it still looked no different from an ordinary foot soldier’s armor, the thick and heavy armor plates gave him an added sense of security.

“Please add another layer of external bulletproof armor.”

“You want more? Fine, why not?” Some of the stronger students would make such a request as well. Two layers of external bulletproof armors could provide good protection. Although it would slow the user down, it raised the overall defensive powers.

The modifying man lit a cigarette and began the second round of modifications with ease.

The second layer of external armor was added. The armor grew thicker and appeared one size larger than it formerly was.

“Please add another layer of external bulletproof armor,” Lu Sheng requested for the third time.

At this, the modifying man was slightly dumbstruck. He took a careful look at Lu Sheng.

“It’s still within my free allocations, isn’t it?” Lu Sheng said with a straight face.

“It is.” He had seen his share of those who were afraid of death, but he had never seen a person who was as afraid of dying as this one was.

Even for the strongest students, after lessening the weight of three layers of ordinary alloy armor with their Harmonizing Power, they would still have to use their entire strength to bear the weight of the armor.

If they got into a fight, they would not even be able to run, much less dodge attacks. They would only be able to slowly pace step by step.

The man was thinking about how this kid would be crying tears of regret during the final examinations. However, since he was the one who made the request, he made no comment. With the cigarette still in his mouth, he controlled the robotic arms and quickly added another layer of armor.

With a dance of sparks, another external layer was added onto the armor. Lu Sheng’s armor was currently half a meter thick. It appeared exceptionally bloated, and was twice the size of an ordinary student’s armor.