Zhao Mengxi opened her mouth but was at a loss for words. She couldn't even feel angry.
"The number of anomalous spaces around Earthstar City is really high, or rather, there are a lot of breached anomalous spaces—over thirty of them. Unlike our Microglow City, which has fewer than ten," Kent remarked as he continued to browse.
"Are you really that interested in anomalous spaces?" Zhao Mengxi asked softly.
"Yeah, anomalous spaces have great value. My dream is to own a super-large anomalous space and become the lord there," Kent said, his voice full of longing.
"Then you'd better work hard. Humanity hasn't yet captured a super-large anomalous space," Zhao Mengxi said, not discouraging him but instead showing admiration in her eyes.
"Alright, when I become the lord, I'll capture you and make you my captive wife," Kent said with a mischievous grin.
"Ugh... do you just like bullying people?" Zhao Mengxi said, feigning sadness, though secretly pleased.
"Not exactly. I only bully those I like. If I didn't like you, I'd just beat you up," Kent laughed.
More and more people entered the waiting area.
"Kent, I didn't expect the airport to have a restaurant. Let's order some food," just as Zhao Mengxi was about to speak, Zhou Yun appeared at an inconvenient moment.
"That's fine, I haven't eaten much this morning," Kent replied immediately, standing up. "Zhao Mengxi, would you like to join us?"
The word "classmate" snapped Zhao Mengxi back to reality, and she pouted. "No, I ate already this morning."
At 9:40 AM, Kent and Zhou Yun passed through security and successfully boarded the plane.
Their seats were next to each other.
"Hey, where's the campus beauty?" Zhou Yun looked around.
Kent pulled him back to their seats. "Stop looking. She's in first class."
"Ah, right," Zhou Yun muttered, quieting down.
At 10:00 AM, the plane took off. Kent had never flown before, so he was curious. His seat was by the window, and he could see the view outside clearly.
The vast land below gradually receded, and Microglow City shrank in the distance until it was obscured by clouds.
The plane flew smoothly.
Kent understood that they had entered the stratosphere. Outside the window, the sky was a clear blue, and the clouds were pure white, creating a dreamlike, almost celestial atmosphere.
About twenty minutes later, a sharp screech echoed from outside.
Curious first-time passengers looked out in surprise. In the distance, over the cloud layers, more than ten large birds soared. Despite the distance, their immense size was still apparent.
Kent activated his system scan, but due to the distance, he couldn't get a full read. All he could tell was that the creatures were royal-class monsters around level 50, with the leader being a level 60 bird king—a rumored emperor-class beast.
"Everyone stay calm. This is a safe flight route," an air stewardess said.
Seeing that there was no immediate danger, the passengers settled back into their seats. Over the course of the flight, Kent noticed several other large flying monsters, most of which were level 50 or above.
"I always wondered why there were no big birds in the sky. Turns out they're all hiding in the stratosphere," Zhou Yun mumbled.
Kent thought to himself that it seemed to be true, though he didn't understand why. The stratosphere was at least 10,000 meters above the ground, and even monsters couldn't stay in the air forever—there was no place to rest.
He wanted to check his phone for more information but suppressed the urge, knowing it could interfere with the plane's flight.
Suddenly, the air around them shifted dramatically. The entire sky seemed to darken, and flashes of lightning illuminated the dark clouds.
"Not good, we've entered a thunderstorm zone. We need to change course."
A middle-aged passenger with experience spoke up, his face showing concern.
There was no choice—altering the flight path could lead to unforeseen consequences, such as encountering an anomalous space that might disrupt the signal, potentially cutting off contact with the headquarters. But it was the only option available.
The plane changed course, veering away from the storm, with four fighter jets escorting it closely.
This was a large civilian transport aircraft, which wasn't equipped with weapons. To avoid potential monster attacks during the flight, several fighter jets were always dispatched to provide security.
The plane flew quickly, nearing the edge of the thunderstorm. It soon passed the dangerous area, with the fighter jets trailing behind.
"Huh, is there life inside that storm?"
Kent, seated by the window near the storm zone, noticed something large moving inside the lightning. The creature appeared to have twin wings growing from its ribs, and its snake-like head bore long deer antlers. Its large, glowing eyes seemed to emit an ominous gleam, sending a chill down his spine.
"What is that thing?" someone exclaimed.
Zhou Yun's eyes widened in shock. "What a terrifying monster! It's at least 200 meters tall. If it charges at us, we're done for."
Kent's chest tightened as he whispered, "You jinxed us, now shut up."
Zhou Yun instinctively fell silent. The people around them looked at him with strange expressions, as though he were a criminal.
Luckily, the massive creature in the storm seemed indifferent to the passing aircraft. Such encounters were not new, as the giant beasts, though terrifying, didn't usually attack humans. The accompanying fighter jets were armed with heavy weapons capable of dealing with such threats.
Once they passed the thunderstorm zone, the plane returned to its original route without incident.
Around 3 PM, the plane exited the stratosphere, and the vast land below reappeared. In the distance, a colossal city loomed, standing tall and unmoving on the earth.
As they neared the city, it grew larger and larger…
After a successful landing, passengers disembarked one by one. The students who had been accepted into Earthstar University and received interview invitations gathered together to board the bus that would take them to the campus.
"Ah Yun, go ahead and take the bus to the university. I'll meet you there," Kent instructed.
As they rode the bus, Kent couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as he gazed out the window at the bustling streets. No doubt, this was once the capital city—now the first city of the Earthstar region.
An hour later, the bus arrived in front of the ancient university gates.
"Finally, we're here," Kent breathed a sigh of relief, a glimmer of longing in his eyes.
The other students were equally excited, their faces lighting up with joy. Zhao Mengxi smiled softly and curiously looked around.
"Welcome, students from Microglow City, to Earthstar University. I am the lead instructor, Liu Yingchen."
A middle-aged professor appeared before them, his voice deep and magnetic.
"Please follow me for your registration, and we will settle you in. The interviews will begin in three days, and we will assign you to your respective majors."