Rebirth 08: Equipment God

The most normal one in Chapter 239 is Wu Yue.
The last day of 2008.

Even students who are completely overwhelmed by studying for exams might suddenly have the urge to "do something" on this day.

After class in the evening, people would gather in twos and threes or in large groups at the school gate, heading off in different directions.

Class reunions, drinking parties with brothers, and 1v1 sessions between couples.

Even those who are used to being alone don't want to be a lonely figure in a corner during this special time.

The back gate of Harbin Institute of Technology was relatively deserted. Lu Tao tightened the strangely patterned scarf around his neck and stepped onto the quiet path along the river in "Shengmajiagou" with some doubt.

Despite being just around the corner from the back door, the area is eerily deserted due to a lack of business. Its unclear affiliation has caused the snow on the ground to accumulate into ice, where dark, shiny "ice assassins" often lurk.

The more he walked, the more panicked he became. Lu Tao subconsciously pulled out a black card from the pocket of his green down jacket. The front of the card only had the four big characters "Mist Tavern" on it, while the back had a small address.

After confirming that we hadn't gone the wrong way, a few more minutes passed before the light finally appeared ahead.

Lu Tao stood outside the tavern and peered into the distance for a moment. It seemed that only one person was busy behind the bar.

The appointment was for nine o'clock, and he arrived twenty minutes early. He gritted his teeth and pushed open the door to go in anyway.

It's too cold outside.
The crisp sound of copper bells, elegant music, and warm air all rushed in together.

"Hello. This place is not open to the public. Do you have a membership card?"

Lu Tao didn't say anything, but took out a black card and waved it.

The pretty older sister smiled and said, "Welcome, please have a seat. The menu is on the wall."

Lu Tao sat at the bar, and after a long pause, he finally mustered the courage to speak:

"Um... there don't seem to be any prices on the menu?"

Han Qi smiled and said, "It's free here. Members get everything for free, but we're only open from 6 PM to midnight. Just tell me what you'd like to drink."

Lu Tao found it increasingly strange, but being a socially awkward person, he decided to keep it to himself.

I ordered a drink called "Monastery" which I didn't understand, and was about to ask Zhai Da, who organized the gathering, when he would arrive, when the copper bell next to me rang again, and this time a tall young man came in.

Unlike Lu Tao, who wore a typical mix-and-match style of college student attire, this person wore an exquisite black trench coat, his hair was neatly parted in a three-seven split, and there seemed to be traces of perming. He also wore black-rimmed glasses.

He has a square face and looks quite mature.
The man in the trench coat proactively pulled out a black card and asked, "Excuse me, is this a membership card for this place?"

Han Qi, who was serving drinks, smiled and said, "Yes, please sit down. The menu is on the wall. It's free here. Just tell me what you need."

The boy in the trench coat sat down two seats away from Lu Tao, his gaze inevitably sweeping over him.

Seeing a black card in front of Lu Tao, the man with the ring finger stylishly pushed up his glasses and greeted him, "Hello, my name is Cheng Mo, from the Computer Science Department of Harbin Institute of Technology."

"Hello, hello, my name is Lu Tao, and I'm in the architecture department."

"You also submitted an article?"

"Submit an article? What kind of submission?"

The conversation seemed completely off-topic, and after only three sentences, Lu Tao visibly became nervous and awkward, leaning back.

Cheng Mo stopped talking and instead looked around.
The decor here is really stylish, with an old-fashioned record player, retro incandescent light bulbs, and a solid wood bar that seems to seat only a dozen or so people at most.
It's a great place to show off!
Cheng Mo was secretly delighted; he loved this feeling. He struck up a conversation with the bartender: "It's free here, but is the membership card expensive?"

Han Qi shook her head: "The membership card is also free; it's only given to the boss's friends."

Cheng Mo was taken aback: "Who is your boss?"

Could that top scholar be a rich second-generation?
Han Qi had a bit of a headache, feeling that it wasn't good to talk about it like this, but it really wasn't a secret, so she used a code name: "The big boss is Brother Da, and the second boss is Brother Yue."

At this moment, the copper bell rang again, signaling the arrival of the third guest of the day.

When Ge Qiaoqiao entered the room and saw Lu Tao, her eyes lit up. She immediately went over and patted the latter on the shoulder, saying, "You're here early, junior!"

This overly familiar and outgoing manner made even Cheng Mo, who wasn't socially awkward, feel a little embarrassed, as it seemed out of place with the tavern's ambiance.
Ge Qiaoqiao sat right next to Lu Tao, chattering away nonstop, and even greeted Cheng Mo over Lu Tao's shoulder.

Cheng Mo gave an awkward laugh.
He disliked that this personality trait ruined the atmosphere here.

With Ge Qiaoqiao joining, the tavern became much livelier. She chatted happily with three others, and no matter whether they responded or not, she kept talking.

At 9:00 AM sharp, the fourth and fifth guests arrived.

The two arrived together, holding hands, clearly a couple.

Qi Lin and Sun Ting.

After opening the door, the two showed their membership cards. The boy was rather shy, wearing a loose, old down jacket, while the girl was more lively, with a bright and beautiful appearance, and her pencil jeans accentuated her excellent figure.

Then, without ordering anything or greeting anyone, they found a small table in a corner and squeezed together to sit, their conversation making the others feel a little embarrassed.

"I've already booked a room, so don't go back to the dorm tonight~"

Qi Lin whispered, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"Nothing's too bad, but there might be a surprise!"

The sixth guest arrived shortly after. Wu Yue greeted Han Qi familiarly, removed his black leather gloves, exchanged friendly glances with everyone, and finally sat down in the seat closest to the bartender's counter. He was just a participant in today's game; although he was curious about what Zhai Da was doing, he wouldn't overstep his bounds and reveal his identity as the boss.

However, Zhai Da had asked him to help "observe" these people tonight.

Finally, at 9:10, the person who organized the gathering arrived.
The deep, resonant sound of an engine drifted into the tavern, and everyone inside instinctively glanced outside, but saw no car.

A few minutes later, two figures pushed open the tavern door; it was Zhai Da and Lu Wei.

Zhai Da looked around. He was seeing Cheng Mo, Qi Lin, and Sun Ting for the first time. The membership cards were issued by the student union.

He lingered on Qi Lin and Sun Ting for a few more seconds, quite surprised that the two were a couple.
You can't expect him to be ten minutes late and then start flirting with you right away, can you?

"Welcome everyone to the Misty Tavern for the first gathering of 'π' members. I am the guild leader, Zhai Da."

Ge Qiaoqiao was the most supportive and immediately replied, "Should we call you 'Group Leader' or 'Club President'?"

Zhai Da laughed and said, "Both titles are a bit ambiguous. I think it's fine for peers to call me by my first name. If you really want to add a title, then 'President' will do."

Wu Yue laughed and said, "The chairman sounds impressive."

Although I still don't understand why Zhai Da recruited such a group of problem children.
Yes, the problem child, City Hunter observed for about ten minutes and had already come to a general conclusion.

And he had secretly texted Zhai Da to tell him his own judgments on these matters.

Zhai Da sat down at the bar with Lu Wei. This Misty Tavern had never had so many customers before. He knew that although it was a bit formalistic, breaking the ice still needed to start with self-introductions.

"There are some new faces and some familiar faces. Let's all introduce ourselves. Wu Yue, why don't you set an example?"

Wu Yue accepted the beer that Han Qi pushed towards him, tapped the table lightly with his fingertips to express his gratitude, and smiled, "My name is Wu Yue. I'm an off-campus instructor in the club, not a college student. I run a small business, and my hobby is walking around the streets and alleys, hiking in the city."

The others wondered what a niche interest this was.
"My name is Ge Qiaoqiao, I'm a senior majoring in applied physics, but don't worry, I won't be leaving school anytime soon, I'm going to pursue a master's degree."

"My name is Qi Lin, and I major in bionics engineering."

As each person introduced themselves, Zhai Da mentally constructed a profile of each individual.

Qi Lin, a junior in college.

Talents: Bionics, guitar.

I played in a band in high school.

As the only person with talents in two different fields, this person doesn't seem particularly outstanding. He's handsome, but only moderately handsome, and seems to be struggling financially.

According to Wu Yue, he is suspected of being a money-grubbing enthusiast.

But Zhai Da had no idea how this guy figured it out.

Sun Ting, a sophomore.

Talent: Chemistry.

Wu Yue's note: Love-obsessed.

As an unexpectedly talented couple, Zhai Da can only say that if their characteristics were reversed, it might make more sense. The woman is love-struck, while the man is greedy and materialistic. This reverse combination makes it impossible for Zhai Da to form any "cognition" of them. He can only observe them further in the future.

Cheng Mo, a sophomore.

Talent: Computers or programming.

Although two different "special item manuscripts" were provided, they are too similar in field, so we will assume that they represent talents in the same direction.

Zhai Da had a good first impression of him; he was dressed smartly and stylishly, and seemed gentle and refined.

However, the note provided by Wu Yue reads: "Loves showing off."
Perhaps because the behavior pattern was too conspicuous, Wu Yue even gave a specific reason: this person pushed up his glasses eight times in ten minutes each time, and each time the hand posture was deliberately adjusted.

The remaining two are acquaintances.

Lu Tao, a freshman.

Talent: Architecture, spatial awareness
Note: Extremely socially anxious.

And Ge Qiaoqiao, a senior.

Talent: Face reading.

Note: Extremely social bull.

Oh right, and Lu Wei too.

Lu Wei's talent lies in mathematics.

Note: Actually, this is not a note. I have been diagnosed with alexithymia (improving).

Looking at it this way, this room full of "gifted" kids really are all problem children!

On the contrary, Wu Yue's presence in the story is remarkably normal.
　My liver is aching slightly.
　　Just to add, this project had a mishap before, so I'm actually a bit insecure. Plus, I stayed up late, and I'm really afraid of getting a flood of negative reviews when I wake up tomorrow…

　　However, I welcome any suggestions or opinions, and I will take them into consideration.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)