Chapter 11: Whom Do You Wish to See?

Chapter 11: Who Do You Wish to See?

Back in the dormitory, Zhou Zhihan carefully put the daily necessities back into their original places inside his packed bag.

The most abundant items were socks and shorts.

Washing socks every day was such a nuisance, and the same went for shorts.

If someone could invent disposable underwear and socks, it would surely be profitable in America.

At least, it would work well in a military academy.

Zhou Zhihan was not the only one troubled by the daily worry over dirty underwear and socks; every cadet in the dorm harbored a deep-seated grudge against grimy undergarments.

He had a solution for dealing with socks and underwear: buy plenty and wash them all at once to save trouble.

The system had said that to unlock continuous surprises in the future, the host needed to earn more Air Combat Coins.

This warranted serious study.

For now, he couldn’t leave yet. How much longer he would need to stay here, Zhou Zhihan did not know.

Participating in the graduation class’s physical training tests and the Red versus Blue military exercises definitely wouldn’t be completed in a day or two.

That was not bad, though; getting a head start on understanding West Point’s training and competitions would help him quickly adapt to military academy life after the time travel, and would also prove advantageous when he returned to his homeland.

After all, he had already crossed over and could not return.

Earlier, in his rush to leave, he had chosen the Thirty-Six Stratagems’ “Best to Flee” plan.

Now, back in his dorm, Zhou Zhihan lay on his bed with his legs raised, and with a thought, opened the system.

The interface was clear and simple, rendered in black and white.

Air Combat King System:

Host: Zhou Zhihan, a man with innate tactile perception ability;

Intelligence: Exceptionally intelligent with photographic memory;

Physical Reserve Level: Level One Reserve, qualified for all Marine Corps training; each physical exertion by the host marks a metamorphosis;

Skills: Slightly Superior Combat Technique. Many other skills await unlocking once the host earns enough Air Combat Coins;

Air Combat Coins: 1700.

Beneath the text was a dividing line, and below it everything was hazy with numerous small lock icons faintly visible.

Human curiosity is one of the greatest motivators of progress.

Feeling an unspoken excitement, Zhou Zhihan tinkered with the interface for a good while, but the small locks at the bottom remained blurry—clearly requiring corresponding Air Combat Coins to unlock.

He tried using 1700 Air Combat Coins to unlock the first lock, but there was no response. This meant the coins were insufficient.

The system had said that earning more Air Combat Coins was necessary to gradually unlock various combat skills and reveal more surprises. How to earn them would have to be discovered bit by bit.

A man with innate tactile perception?

Zhou Zhihan honestly didn’t know what that entailed; it would have to be decoded later.

As for the physical exertion marking a metamorphosis, he knew this well—he both hoped for more such transformations and dreaded the intense pain and exhaustion that accompanied them. It was truly agonizing.

Regarding the Slightly Superior Combat Technique, he had already used it in his shuttle run competition against Sakamoto Ryunosuke, enabling him to precisely control the winning time down to the second at will.

This skill was designed to irritate others—making them feel unfairly defeated, yet simultaneously curing the resentment.

It was like playing chess against a grandmaster; after one game, you realize the gap is insurmountable no matter how hard you try.

But when competing with someone close to your level, losing in the final moves drove you crazy with frustration and disbelief.

1700 Air Combat Coins?

Zhou Zhihan recalled and understood. The first victory over Sakamoto earned 100 coins; the second doubled to 200; the third was 400; the fourth 800; along with 100 coins each for binding the system and debuting the Slightly Superior Combat Technique, totaling exactly 1700 coins.

This meant consecutive victories over the same opponent doubled the rewards.

Moreover, the system said he could earn more Air Combat Coins in future life, competitions, and battles.

But how to earn coins in daily life?

That was something to explore and discover gradually.

Putting aside the thought of unlocking more surprises for now, Zhou Zhihan had just closed the system when suddenly an overwhelming urge to go cycling swept over him.

This impulse had existed since his crossing, but today it was especially strong.

After a shower, he changed into a black Zhongshan suit, mounted his bicycle, and left West Point Military Academy.

He did not want to wait for his classmates to return and bombard him with questions about how he managed such a comeback.

One joke loses its charm after two repetitions.

Besides, flaunting one’s prowess is best done ascendingly; having just shown off successfully within the academy’s mid-tier, it was no fun to boast in front of fellow cadets again.

If he were to impress the director or superintendent of West Point instead...

West Point was about thirty kilometers from downtown New York City. Zhou Zhihan rode slowly, wanting to savor the American countryside of the 1930s and 40s.

Looking at the buildings and farms lining the road, he felt both fresh and strange, yet also deeply familiar—an odd sensation indicating the previous occupant of this body must have ridden this road often.

Perhaps due to the blending of memories with the previous owner, this feeling was both dizzying and exhilarating.

This state was wonderful beyond words.

Letting the previous occupant’s habits guide him forward, breathing in the fresh air between American towns and countryside, Zhou Zhihan reveled in the joy of having a system’s golden finger to flaunt at will.

It was like no young woman disliked handsome men, and no handsome man disliked showing off; the highest realm of showing off was to possess a system’s golden finger.

Zhou Zhihan pondered why most system golden finger hosts were handsome men.

Was it because handsome men were more likely to succeed at showing off?

Before powerful individuals, a golden finger could make an unattractive man invincible in flaunting, and likewise a handsome man.

If both ugly and handsome men were ordinary without golden fingers, before beautiful women, the effect of an ugly man trying to show off versus a handsome man would not just be a matter of a few layers of clothing.

It would be as if separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.

Several seventeen- or eighteen-year-old American girls rode bicycles toward him. They were tall and vibrant in their youthfulness.

Zhou Zhihan’s eyesight was sharp; from dozens of meters away, he spotted one girl with golden hair, blue eyes, a lively and cute upturned nose adorned with faint freckles on either side, chewing gum.

She seemed to sense his gaze and smiled from afar, greeting him.

Chinese men felt exotic charm when seeing foreign girls.

Foreign girls also drooled over handsome Chinese men.

Zhou Zhihan felt his face flush slightly and quickly nodded and smiled back at the girl, braking with both hands and placing one foot on the ground.

He looked back at the laughing girls as they rode away, overhearing them chatting about him.

He realized that the previous occupant, when seeing pretty girls, was timid and cowardly in this way.

This was understandable; a Chinese man from the 1930s in America would mostly be shy and awkward before the lively American girls.

Before crossing over, he himself was a 21st-century “loser,” blushing easily was embarrassing and a sign of weakness.

Still, experiencing the blush before a girl for the first time wasn’t unpleasant.

In fact, a man who blushes before the opposite sex is a secretly passionate soul.

This also reminded Zhou Zhihan that although he had taken over the body, residual consciousness from the former occupant remained.

Though not malicious, it might unconsciously cause him to slip up at critical moments.

He silently warned himself to control and gradually diminish the influence of the former occupant’s habits until they became manageable.

He cycled slowly into the city.

Zhou Zhihan felt that New York’s current prosperity did not compare to a third- or fourth-tier city in 21st-century China, but the city’s cleanliness and comfort surpassed that of Chicago.

Especially the air quality.

It was practically edible.

As of now, Chicago was considered one of the world’s most luxurious cities, with excellent facilities and lively atmosphere.

Some American girls, seeing Zhou Zhihan dressed in a black Zhongshan suit, greeted him warmly—unlike 1930s Chinese girls, who would immediately blush, lower their heads, and walk away quickly upon seeing handsome men.

Cycling through several familiar yet strange streets, taking a few turns, a Chinese-style teahouse appeared before Zhou Zhihan.

The Tang People’s Teahouse.

He parked his bicycle and, guided by the previous occupant’s consciousness, stepped inside.

Who was the previous occupant intending to see?

(End of Chapter)