Chapter 136: I Knew Something Would Go Wrong

Ou Xiaolu arrived at the classroom just as the lecture was beginning. Upon entering, he immediately recognized the instructor as the same sycophant who had been trailing the old artist earlier.

Ou Xiaolu realized he had been lucky; had he followed Lawrence, he was certain the old artist would have hunted him down by tomorrow and driven him off the Stony Brook campus. Now, however, even if the old artist wanted to force him out, there was no pretext to do so. Finding a seat in a corner, Ou Xiaolu began listening to the lecture while contemplating Lawrence’s task.

To his surprise, these instructors were actually quite capable. Even though he had no idea what the lecture was about, he found himself drawn in as he listened.

Midway through the class, a sudden commotion erupted on campus. The noise grew increasingly chaotic, and several students curiously stood up, trying to look out the windows to see what was happening. Seeing this, the instructor bellowed from the front, "What is there to see? Do you intend to drop your brushes and run off to watch whenever you encounter such scenes while painting? Focus! Focus is the key to success."

These words made Ou Xiaolu feel that the instructor was actually quite professional, so he refrained from looking outside.

However, the more Ou Xiaolu avoided looking, the more trouble sought him out. Moments later, a thunderous crash echoed nearby, and the entire building shook. The wall where Ou Xiaolu was sitting cracked open, as if something heavy had slammed directly into it.

Ou Xiaolu could no longer sit still. He stood up and turned around just as a massive, agile figure—a giant, roughly two meters tall—forced his way in through the classroom window with a deafening crash.

The instructor could no longer maintain his indifferent, "nothing-matters" attitude. He was the first to shriek, a piercing sound that soared to the heavens, startling both the students and the giant. Finally, the giant roared, "Shut up! All of you, shut up! Behave yourselves and stay quiet, or I’ll tear every one of you apart."

It was only then that the instructor remembered his duty. He approached cautiously and said, "Sir, we will pretend you were never here. Please leave through this way."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the giant struck him with a single palm, sending him flying. Ou Xiaolu saw the instructor’s face swell up instantly upon impact. After he crashed to the floor, the nearby students scattered, none daring to step forward to help.

The giant, still riding the momentum of his strike, pointed at everyone in the room and warned, "Keep quiet! Whoever keeps yapping will suffer the same fate."

"It's fine, just a swollen face. No teeth were lost. You're quite lucky." Before the giant could finish his sentence, a voice spoke up from beside the instructor.

The giant looked over and discovered that Ou Xiaolu had arrived at the instructor's side and was checking his injuries. The giant was incensed; had he pulled his punch that much? And yet, someone still dared to jump out and court death.

The giant let out a roar and lunged at Ou Xiaolu, his fist whistling through the air toward Ou Xiaolu’s head. Ou Xiaolu didn't even turn his head; he reached back and drew his longsword in one fluid motion. The blade traced a magnificent arc, clashing directly against the giant's fist.

With a metallic "ding," Ou Xiaolu felt as if he had struck solid stone. He couldn't help but glance at the giant. "You actually pulled your punch just now?"

"I have no grudge against him; why would I kill him? I just wanted to find a place to hide."

"You don't look like a normal person. Where did you come from?"

"The laboratory. It took everything I had to escape." The giant realized Ou Xiaolu possessed immense strength, but since Ou Xiaolu was willing to talk, he saw no need to fight. "I am Android 8. What is your name?"

"An android?" Ou Xiaolu was somewhat surprised. "You can call me Ou. The fact that you didn't use your full strength on the teacher means you aren't a bad person. You should go."

"It's useless. The entire campus is on lockdown; I can't escape." Android 8 sensed Ou Xiaolu's strength and goodwill, and he said with a touch of indifference, "But this has nothing to do with you. I have no reason to attack you just to get out."

Ou Xiaolu studied Android 8 for a long time, unable to judge if he was truly good or evil, or whether letting him go would be a blessing or a curse. Ou Xiaolu was not a saint; even if he wanted to set something free, he had to consider the consequences, unlike some people who would release venomous snakes or little monsters on a whim. He had to be responsible for his own decisions.

The two remained at a standoff until the rapid sound of footsteps echoed from the stairs, and a group of researchers in white lab coats rushed in.

Ignoring the students entirely, they pulled out walkie-talkies and called out, "Android 8 located. Commencing retrieval."

With that, the researchers lunged toward Android 8. Ou Xiaolu noticed a metallic glint beneath their clothes. *These people are androids too,* he concluded.

After the researchers apprehended Android 8, they turned back toward the students and the instructor. One of them pulled out a flash-like device and said to everyone, "Come, look here."

Ou Xiaolu frowned. This was clearly an attempt to erase their memories. He had no intention of letting anyone alter his mind. He glared at the researchers and said, "You’ve caught your target, now get out."

The researchers flared with anger at his words; it had been a long time since anyone dared to speak to them like that. They drew their weapons, pointing them at Ou Xiaolu. Though they were only shock batons, they were quite intimidating to ordinary people.

Without waiting for them to strike, Ou Xiaolu knocked one researcher down with a single punch, then grabbed the one holding the flash device by the throat.

"I told you to get out. Didn't you hear me? Do you want to die here?"

With that, Ou Xiaolu lifted his hand and hurled the researcher into Android 8. He hadn't used his full strength; the researcher simply slammed into Android 8 and bounced back to the floor without suffering any major injuries.

The researcher scrambled up, glared at Ou Xiaolu for a long moment, and pointed a finger at him. "You just wait. I’ll make you regret this."

"And who exactly do you plan on making regret it?"