Old Laboratory Building, Main Gate.
Sunlight fell on him again, dispelling the cold, moldy smell.
It was peak class dismissal time.
The moment Lu Chen stepped out the gate, he ran head-on into several passing girls.
The visual was striking: A two-meter giant smelling of burnt matter, carrying an unconscious middle-aged man on his shoulder, and holding a broken box pitted by strong acid.
The girls froze instantly, mouths slightly open, staring at him in horror.
Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat.
Social anxiety passive triggered; his brain began a rapid self-check:
Why is everyone looking at me?
Did I zip my pants too fast just now?
Did the Slime acid burn a hole in my crotch?
Or does Teacher Wang's current posture look too much like a corpse, making me look like a murderer fresh from the crime scene?
In just 0.1 seconds, Lu Chen simulated ten scenarios of his own "social death."
To mask this awkwardness and panic, his body instinctively reacted defensively.
Muscles tensed instantly, facial expression locked down completely—to prevent leaking his inner panic.
He subconsciously pulled his hoodie hood down hard, trying to hide his face from being "scrutinized."
To avoid misunderstanding, he opened his mouth, trying to explain:
(Don't look! Teacher Wang just fainted!)
But due to chronic social anxiety, the words got stuck in his throat, turning into a low, raspy, single syllable full of intimidation:
"...Move."
However.
In the passersby's perspective, the scene looked like this:
The bandit-like tower of a man, upon finding someone blocking his path, furrowed his brows (impatience), pulled down his hood to hide his face (concealing identity).
Those deep eyes, devoid of emotion, swept coldly across the scene, finally spitting out a chilling command.
The oppressive aura of "Interfere and you die" hit them in the face.
The girls gasped in fright, stunned by this cold aura. Their legs went weak, and like startled quails, they instantly cleared a path, not daring to breathe loud.
Even the courage to pull out a phone to call the police was scared away.
Lu Chen only felt the crowd suddenly disperse.
He couldn't care less why; only one thought remained: Leave quickly!
Head down, he walked stiffly and swiftly, like an emotionless race-walking robot.
Only after rushing out dozens of meters and confirming no eyes were on his back did Lu Chen let out a long sigh of relief.
He secretly looked down to check his crotch.
"Phew... it's fine, no holes."
"Maybe Old Wang is too big, the posture is just weird."
To avoid another "public execution," Lu Chen started a mental dialogue to divert his attention:
"System... why are there things like that in this school? Or rather... is this world already leaking like a sieve?"
[System: This is an early clinical manifestation of "Gray Fog Erosion."]
"In English, please."
[Holographic projection unfolding...]
A miniature 3D map of Jiangcheng University instantly floated on Lu Chen's retina.
At the location of the Old Lab Building, a mass of faint, invisible gray mist was clinging to the depths of the foundation like mold.
[Science Time: The Gray Fog. Simply put, this is "Cancer of Reality."]
[Current Stage (Incubation): Like the old building now. Cracks appear in the world barrier, Gray Fog seeps in, breeding low-level monsters (like Slimes). If left unchecked, they will divide infinitely like cancer cells, slowly corroding the rules of reality, and eventually invading reality.]
[System Suggestion: This is a wound that hasn't festered yet. It is suggested that the Host treat it as a "Private Farm." Regular cleaning prevents deterioration and fills your stomach. Win-win.]
Hearing this, Lu Chen's stiff steps finally relaxed a little.
"Private Farm..."
This definition brought a sense of healing to Lu Chen, who was still reeling from the "social accident" just now.
Private = No outsiders. No outsiders = No staring. Most importantly—No one competing for food. The buffet in this entire building was all his.
Thinking of this, Lu Chen stopped and looked back at the gloomy ghost building.
There was no fear in that look, but rather a trace of... the benevolence of an old farmer looking at his own vegetable patch.
"This is good."
Lu Chen nodded heavily in his heart.
For the sake of a good place where he didn't have to meet people and could get free extra meals, he accepted this task of maintaining world peace.
At this moment, Teacher Wang on his shoulder groaned and moved, seeming about to wake up.
Lu Chen's heart trembled. Don't wake up! Please, don't wake up!
Lu Chen had checked just now; Old Wang had merely fainted from fright, his vitals were stable.
Since he wouldn't die, there was no need to go to the infirmary.
Going to the infirmary meant interrogation, filling out forms, explaining why he smelled weird... that was a social hell scarier than tearing monsters apart by hand.
Go straight to President Gu. He's a good person; he'll definitely take care of Teacher Wang.
Lu Chen sped up again. At this moment, he didn't look like a macho man who had just cleared a monster swarm, but more like a miserable worker rushing to dump a hot potato on his boss.
There was only one goal now: Dump this mess on the sucker Gu She, then hurry back to the dorm, lock the door, put on headphones, and shut this damn world out.