Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 5 "The Dark Sage's" Armor and Staff

In Lin Yi's memory, the area was relatively safe in the early stages of the disaster, with a moderate population density.

Most importantly, a miniature Abyss Beast Nest will be generated next to an abandoned newsstand less than 100 meters diagonally opposite the main entrance of Hongfulou.

Compared to the small or even medium-sized nests that might appear elsewhere, this is completely under control.

Furthermore, Hung Fook Lou will later become an official shelter initially set up by the authorities.

This place will not only be the perfect catalyst to ignite his "rising genius" storyline, but also an excellent starting point for him to reasonably showcase his combat talent in the public eye. Furthermore, it will prepare him to make early contact with and integrate into the officialdom, quickly increase his influence, and guide official decision-making.

Lin Ruiming and Zhou Jinghua exchanged a glance, both seeing unexpected surprise and relief in each other's eyes.

My son is always sensible and rarely asks for anything on his own initiative. This time, he not only agreed but also thoughtfully chose a place that was both affordable and convenient.

"Okay! Okay! Next Saturday noon! Hung Fook Restaurant!"

Zhou Jinghua's face lit up with a smile, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She replied repeatedly, "Mom will book a table first thing tomorrow morning! We have to have a really lively celebration!"

With the date and location of the graduation banquet finalized, Lin Yi began more detailed planning.

He found an old notebook and began to carefully list the invitations.

Close relatives, frequently visited neighbors, and good classmates and friends.
Each name written is accompanied by a surge of fragments of past life memories: faces vanished in the apocalypse, figures struggling to survive.
He couldn't issue a warning, nor could he guarantee that everyone on the list would attend the banquet on time. The apocalypse was like a giant sieve, and fate was unpredictable.

All he could do was, at the moment the disaster struck, bring the people gathered in Hung Fook Restaurant under his wing.

As for those who were absent for various reasons...
Lin Yi silently wished himself well, for this was their own choice in the torrent of fate.
-
High school graduates naturally enjoy gatherings with their friends.

In the evening, after a basketball game, the aroma of barbecue, mingled with the smoky scent of cumin and charred oil, filled the air of the summer night.

After finalizing the arrangements for the graduation banquet, Lin Yi immediately made a phone call and invited a few friends to gather for this small get-together that evening.

A group of sweaty young men, fresh from playing basketball, sat around a table, embodying the most exuberant aspect of youth.

After downing two bottles of ice-cold beer, Zhang Haotian, the school team's star player and also the class's sports committee member, sitting opposite Lin Yi, was arguing with Li Jie, another basketball whiz from the class next to him, about whether or not the last shot on the court, which had just missed, should have been passed.

Sitting next to him was a slightly chubby young man wearing a floral T-shirt and sporting slightly wavy blond hair. His cheeks were flushed, and he was talking animatedly about the interesting things in the game.

Lin Yi looked at his friend with a smile. He was supposed to die in the mouth of the Corrosive Abyss Wolf on the first day of the apocalypse.

This is his deskmate, Chen Yu.

Chen Yu is a rich second-generation, and his high school grades were not ideal.

Because of this, following the principle that underachieving students without connections should sit in the back and play by themselves, while underachieving students with connections should sit with good students without connections, Chen Yu became his deskmate not long after the start of the first year of high school.

In Lin Yi's opinion, Chen Yu was a really good person. He had a lot of connections both inside and outside the school because of his family background. In addition, Chen Yu was a righteous person. With him around, no one in the class had ever been bullied. Of course, he had never bullied his classmates either.

As for poor grades...

Lin Yi makes friends based on their academic achievements.

Chen Yu, on the other hand, had been discriminated against by good students a lot in junior high school. In high school, he was suddenly treated normally by top students, so the two quickly became friends.

We were deskmates and best friends; after three years, calling us best buddies wouldn't be an exaggeration. "Sorry, buddy, I have to use you for a bit right now, but it's for your own good."

Lin Yi muttered something to himself without any remorse, then casually swiped his phone screen. With a tap of his finger, a high-energy montage video of "Dark Monkey King" began to play. The rousing background music and the whistling of clubs cutting through the wind instantly drowned out the surrounding noise.

In the video, the figure clad in dark gold armor and wielding a black gold staff weaves and darts among the demons, the staff's shadow like a dragon, each strike carrying a fierce and domineering power that can split mountains and shatter rocks, full of primal power and beauty.

"Holy crap, that monkey is awesome!" Zhang Haotian, who was arguing about the ball, was attracted by the sound, glanced at the screen, and couldn't help but exclaim.

Li Jie, who was standing next to him, leaned over and said, "This is 'Dark Monkey King'? I heard it's really popular lately, and now that I see it, the special effects are amazing!"

"Tsk!"

Lin Yi put down his phone at the opportune moment, picked up a sizzling skewer of lamb, stared at the screen replaying the scene, and spoke with just the right amount of admiration and longing.

"That Monkey King, his outfit and the way he wields that staff are really cool! It makes me so envious, I wish I could get one like that and find an open space to swing it a few times and have some fun!"

These words were like sparks flying into dry tinder.

Chen Yu, this veteran gamer, had his eyes light up instantly, like a fish caught on a hook.

"Brother Yi! You've finally figured it out! I knew it! What man could resist the Monkey King!"

He excitedly slammed his hand on the table, making the beer bottle rattle, which caused Zhao Xiaowen, who had just picked up a grilled eggplant, to exclaim "Ouch!" and almost drop her chopsticks.

"Brother Yu, be gentle! The table is about to fall apart!"

Li Jie quickly chimed in, saying that he was reportedly pursuing Zhao Xiaowen recently and would shower her with attention whenever he had the chance.

Chen Yu didn't care about any of that at the moment. He immediately took out his latest foldable screen phone and started swiping away rapidly.

"Come here, let me show you a treasure! An official collector's edition art book, exclusively digital! Look at the details of this 'Qitian Armor,' the texture, the quality is absolutely amazing!"

The high-definition 3D rendering rotates on the screen, revealing the cold metallic luster and the ferocious beast-faced jaws in exquisite detail.

Lin Yi leaned closer, clicking his tongue in amazement, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration, which quickly turned into a hint of helplessness and self-deprecation:

"He's really handsome, but it's a pity I can only drool over him from behind the screen."

As he spoke, he raised his glass to Chen Yu, gesturing for him to have another one, and said at the same time:
"With my meager allowance, if I wanted to get a cosplay outfit like the Qitian Armor, the kind of refined craftsmanship you showed me is way too much. I can't even afford a leg armor. I guess I can only afford those cheaply made foam plastic ones. Forget it."

"Styrofoam? What's the point of wearing that stuff!"

Zhang Haotian chewed on a meat skewer and mumbled a remark, which drew a burst of laughter from everyone.

"COSPLAY equipment?"

Chen Yu seemed to have been enlightened, and he was so excited that he slammed the cup he had just raised on the table, slapped his thigh, and raised his voice several decibels.

"Brother Yi, I've recommended this to you so many times, are you finally interested?"

"You should have said you were interested earlier! Can you even wear those plastic sheets? You're kidding me! If you're going to do it, do it properly!"

(End of this chapter)