Cutting-Edge Technology R&D Center

Chapter 3: Into the Mountains

“You three, come out for dinner.” Wang Hao was teaching Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan singing techniques when he suddenly heard Zhang’s father’s voice from outside. “Let’s go.” Upon hearing the voice from outside, Wang Hao immediately stopped his lesson, while Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan looked as if they weren’t quite ready to stop. They felt that Wang Hao was not only a talented singer but also an instructor who made complex concepts easy to understand. “So, did you learn anything?” Zhang’s father looked at their expressions—he could tell right away that they had. “I’ve learned so much. You know so much, Brother,” Zhang Xin said excitedly. At that moment, she felt that with a little more practice, even those songs that had seemed difficult to her would no longer be a problem. Zhang Nan nodded in agreement. “Xiao Hao, are you still going into the mountains this week?” Mr. Zhang asked after a moment’s pause. “Yeah, I’ll head into the mountains first thing Saturday morning,” Wang Hao replied with a slight nod. “All right. We’ll go with you then,” Mr. Zhang nodded, glancing at Wang Hao as if about to speak… then continued, “Never mind. It’s settled. We’ll use this as a chance to toughen these two up a bit—otherwise, they’ll never realize just how privileged they are.” Mr. Zhang looked at Wang Hao’s clear eyes and his face, which still bore traces of youth, and suddenly felt a pang of emotion. “Children from poor families grow up fast”—that saying was absolutely true. For several days in a row, Wang Hao attended classes as usual. He didn’t sit idly by during class either; his mind was constantly racing with ideas on how to solve the problem of the accumulated Longnao waste. Moreover, his movements as he tidied up before leaving the classroom grew increasingly subtle—he always slipped out before Ma Ling could stop him. This time, however, he found himself in a bit of a bind. Just as he was about to stand up and leave, the beautiful class president, Ma Ling, blocked his path right in front of his desk. “Class President, what’s this about?” Wang Hao asked, his expression calm. “The class is going on a field trip tomorrow. It fits perfectly with your ‘work-life balance’ study method. You’re the only one in the class who hasn’t been notified yet,” Ma Ling said irritably. “Tomorrow? It’s Saturday—I don’t have time,” Wang Hao said, shaking his head slightly as he flatly refused. “Wang Hao, do you have to be so unsociable? It’s one thing that you didn’t participate in previous activities, but the college entrance exams are right around the corner… It’s such a rare chance for us to get together as classmates,” Ma Ling snapped, her voice rising significantly upon hearing Wang Hao’s firm refusal. “Wang Hao really is something else—he’s such a snob. He never participates in any class activities at all.” “You’re absolutely right. We’ve been in the same class since our freshman year, and he’s the most unsociable person I’ve ever seen.” Ma Ling’s slightly louder voice immediately drew the attention of the others, sparking a flurry of whispers among the classmates. Wang Hao cast a brief glance at the others, his expression remaining calm; he wasn’t bothered by their comments. It was true that he didn’t fit in—apart from sports, he really didn’t have much interaction with these classmates. People often say girls mature earlier than boys, but in his eyes, even “mature” girls weren’t all that mature after all. His mind had matured very early—partly due to his experiences, but even more so because of the learning system he’d acquired. Naturally, this created a generation gap with these high school seniors; his current breadth of knowledge far surpassed even that of a professor. “Class President, I really do have something to do tomorrow.” However, he found himself at a loss with this dedicated class president standing before him—she was so conscientious that he didn’t know how to respond. “All right… all right… your plans are important.” Ma Ling stormed back to her seat, fuming. She found him utterly infuriating—he was completely unyielding. Wang Hao gave an apologetic smile but didn’t offer an explanation—he knew that any attempt to explain would only make things worse. He strode out of the classroom, and one person inside, seeing this, immediately followed him. “Hao Ge, wait.” Hearing the voice from behind, Wang Hao paused slightly and said with a smile, “Brother Bing, how did the class monitor let you out?” The person who had come was Fang Bing, one of his few friends at school. “Why don’t you explain yourself?” Fang Bing said with a wry smile. “Explain what? I’ve been an outsider for so many years—I’m not going to worry about this one time. Have fun tomorrow, guys. My parents are here, so I won’t be around to chat with you.” Wang Hao gave a light chuckle, saying it nonchalantly. “Alright, say hi to your uncle and aunt for me.” Fang Bing nodded slightly, a hint of a smile crossing his face. “Alright, I’m off.” At 5:00 a. m. , Wang Hao, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, and one other person left the house. After loading their belongings into the car, they departed from Ganzhou City and headed north. At the same time, Ma Ling, Fang Bing, and others—along with Wang Hao’s classmates—were also getting ready. They had gotten up early specifically to go on an outing and spend the night camping. “The road ahead is rough—be careful.” Wang Hao was walking through the mountains and forests because the place he was headed to wasn’t accessible by paved roads, let alone mountain trails; the only way to get there was this narrow mountain path wide enough for just one person. “Xiao Hao, how do you usually get here?” Although Zhang’s father had long known that Wang Hao often went into the mountains to do volunteer work similar to teaching, he never imagined that after more than an hour’s drive, there would still be such a rugged mountain path ahead. And the person leading the way—who had been coming here every Saturday and Sunday for three years, ever since his freshman year of high school—was right in front of him. “Brother, how much longer until we get there? I’m so tired,” Zhang Xin said with a pained expression… She’d been walking for over an hour since getting out of the car. She considered herself fairly resilient, but now her legs felt like they weren’t even her own. Climbing up and down the mountains all along the way—in just this short hour, she couldn’t even remember how many peaks she’d crossed. But every time they reached the top, all they saw were more mountains. “Shut up. While you’ve been enjoying yourself every weekend, Xiao Hao has had to walk back and forth here at least once. What right do you have to complain about being tired…?” ” Before Zhang’s stern father could speak up, Zhang’s usually gentle mother spoke out in anger—though this anger wasn’t truly directed at Zhang Xin. Reflecting on the hour-plus walk she’d just completed, she thought of how Wang Hao had walked this round trip every weekend for the past three years, and her heart ached for him. Zhang Xin was startled by her mother’s outburst; as far as she could recall, this was the first time she’d ever seen her speak like that. Daring not to say a word, she walked in silence, though her admiration for Wang Hao grew stronger and stronger in her heart. “Let’s take a break. Sudden, intense exercise can indeed be exhausting,” Wang Hao said, noticing that everyone except himself was showing signs of fatigue. For him, this was nothing out of the ordinary, and his physical conditioning was far beyond that of an average person. Having trained to Level 6, his physical abilities were truly extraordinary; he had once tested his vertical jump and found he could reach a height of about 1. 5 meters. In this world, basketball players are probably the ones with the best vertical jumps, but he’d looked up the records and found that no one could reach such a height—the highest record was around 1. 23 meters. “No way. Let’s keep going. You all better hurry up. If you make Xiao Hao late for class, I’ll hold you responsible,” Mrs. Zhang said without hesitation. She called Wang Hao every day, so she naturally knew why he had gone into the mountains.