Chapter 148: Young Brother

After careful discussion with his family, Wang Lu ultimately chose not to sell his admission quota.

After thorough consideration, he decided to cooperate with the military.

The military promised to guarantee his direct admission to any military academy in the country, along with a relocation allowance of twenty million, plus an unlimited spending limit inside the Fantasy Park.

He figured that even if he returned empty-handed from the park, he could still attend the National University of Defense Technology, and with those twenty million, he and his family could live a worry-free life in the future.

He had originally wanted to test into a military academy, but given his academic standing, even studying day and night without sleep would make it impossible for him to pass the entrance exams for such a prestigious institution.

Under the hopeful gazes of his parents and younger sister, Wang Lu boarded the special vehicle bound for Yunwu Mountain, watching his family's figures grow smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror.

Arriving straight at the outskirts of the Fantasy Park via the exclusive transport, he was escorted directly into the military camp.

That very day, he attended six lectures aimed at him and other fortunate individuals who had signed contracts with state departments.

The keynote speakers were all veterans who had served as volunteers in the Fantasy Park, briefing them on the precautions and guidelines for each respective zone.

Wang Lu listened with utmost concentration, filling eighteen full pages of his notebook.

Yet, when he stood before the long queue the following day, the contents of those notes vanished completely from his mind.

Facing the massive, black-furred behemoth towering inside the gates, his mind went blank for a fleeting second.

"Is this King Kong?" he muttered to himself.

This was far more awe-inspiring than anything seen in videos.

"What is that?" he heard someone shouting.

Many people pulled out their cameras, snapping away at something in the distance.

Quite a few individuals immediately started running forward.

Following the direction of the voices, Wang Lu looked over and was instantly startled.

Ten enormous dinosaurs were standing there, nodding their heads, shaking their bottoms, and wagging their tails in astonishingly synchronized movements.

They were actually dancing!

Dinosaurs could dance?

Wang Lu felt his worldview shattering slightly.

Though he had previously followed Liang Xiaoyu's livestreams, he had never witnessed such a spectacle.

Could this be some newly invented dinosaur dance?

He hurriedly took out his phone, captured the scene, and posted it to his class chat group.

Instantly, a swarm of dormant lurkers was stirred into activity.

[Awesome, awesome!]

[Brother Lu, bring back two pounds of dinosaur meat for me when you return.]

[Since they dance so well, Brother Lu, go up there and treat them to a snack.]

[Wuwuwu, I want to go in so badly too.]

[Wow, Wang Lu looks so handsome!]

[Li Hui, you sycophant, Wang Lu hasn't even shown his face yet.]

...

Wang Lu glanced at the messages, a faint smile curling the corners of his lips.

Being such a marginal figure usually, becoming the center of attention in his class made him immensely happy.

"Brother, let's go check it out," a young man suddenly patted Wang Lu on the shoulder.

"Ah, sure," Wang Lu said somewhat awkwardly.

He turned his head to look.

The young man was tall, handsome, and radiated an air of self-confidence that made Wang Lu feel a bit inferior.

"I'm Zhang Wei, what's your name?" Zhang Wei asked with a smile.

"My name is Wang Lu."

"You aren't very old, are you?" Zhang Wei remarked.

Wang Lu nodded: "I'm seventeen this year, currently in my second year of high school."

"Not bad," Zhang Wei said. "When I was your age, I was still gnawing on steamed buns at school."

"You're joking, Brother Zhang, right?" Wang Lu found it hard to believe.

The young man standing beside him wore a gray T-shirt, possessed an upright posture, and exuded a vibrant confidence, looking far more poised and stylish than the city kids in his class.

"Why would I lie to you?" Zhang Wei chuckled. "I'm from the mountains. Before going to college, the only time I ate meat was when I went to a feast at a neighbor's house."

Wang Lu asked curiously, "Then what do you do now, Brother Zhang?"

"I currently hold a sinecure position with the military," Zhang Wei replied.

"What a coincidence, I just signed an agreement with the military myself," Wang Lu said pleasantly surprised.

The two of them chatted casually for a bit longer.

The dinosaur dance ahead had already concluded, and ten dinosaurs were now holding a banner in their jaws that read "Welcome to Dinosaur Park," posing freely as tourists came forward to take photos with them.

The Indominus Rex watched these underlings coldly from the side to prevent them from treating the tourists as appetizers.

Wang Lu and Zhang Wei had already walked up to the dinosaurs.

"Brother Zhang, I want to take a photo. Do you want to join?" Wang Lu looked at the dinosaurs, feeling eager to try.

"I'll take the picture for you," Zhang Wei offered with a smile.

After obtaining the photo, Wang Lu promptly posted it in his class group, sparking a wave of envy.

Nearby, Transformers were already waiting on standby.

Wang Lu intended to pick a random vehicle and head over to the Dinosaur Park to try his luck first.

Even if he found nothing, gaining some worldly experience would be fantastic.

"Brother Zhang, let's take that vehicle," he called out to Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei shook his head: "You go ahead. I'm waiting for someone."

Ever since acquiring Magneto's X-gene a few days ago, he had been recruited into a newly established national department and was specially permitted to visit the X-Mansion daily alongside others to study.

Of course, today he wasn't waiting for his fellow X-Mansion trainees, but rather for his girlfriend.

Wang Yiyi, whom he had taken home to meet his grandfather a few days ago, and with whom he had recently made his relationship official.

Unlike him, Wang Yiyi, as a member of the administrative center, had a single dormitory inside the park.

Although a series of happy events had made him much more cheerful and far less gloomy and introverted than before, he wasn't thick-skinned enough to sneak over for a sleepover yet.

Even though he occasionally did harbor such thoughts.

Just as Wang Lu was about to speak, he suddenly saw a woman in the distance waving in their direction.

"My girlfriend is here," Zhang Wei said, his face glowing with radiance.

"Yiyi," he beamed stupidly as he watched his girlfriend walk closer.

Wang Lu glanced sideways at the fairy-like woman before him, then looked back at the older brother he had only known for ten minutes, suddenly believing what the latter had said earlier.

This silly, foolish expression really did look like someone who had walked straight out of the deep mountains.

Could I also find such a pretty wife in the future?

For a moment, he felt that the girl he secretly had a crush on didn't seem quite as appealing anymore.

"Such a goof!" Wang Yiyi smiled, reaching out to hook her arm around Zhang Wei's. "A-Wei, who is this?"

Only then did Zhang Wei remember he had a little brother standing next to him.

He gave a light cough and said, "This is a little buddy I just made acquaintance with. He's still in high school, and his name is Wang Lu."

"Hello, sister-in-law," Wang Lu scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Hello," Wang Yiyi smiled and nodded. "Where is your hometown?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Lu boarded a dinosaur's back and followed the others into the Dinosaur Park.

Atop the dinosaur's back was also a dark-faced volunteer, explaining the various flora and fauna of the Dinosaur Park to the visitors.

Watching him leave, Zhang Wei turned to his girlfriend and said, "My class doesn't start for a while yet. Let's walk around."

"How did you meet him?" Wang Yiyi asked curiously.

An ordinary-looking teenager seemed to have no overlap with Zhang Wei's life.

"The way he looked when he first came in reminded me of my past self," Zhang Wei smiled slightly.

Wang Yiyi had long known about her boyfriend's past.

Hearing this, she leaned her shoulder against her boyfriend's and said softly, "I will be by your side from now on."

Zhang Wei's left hand hovered and swayed in the air for a moment, before he finally couldn't help himself and gently rested it on his girlfriend's waist.

Soft.

Very comfortable.