Weapon System 44: A Date with Catherine

Under the cover of the possession talisman, Zhang Mingjing had already arrived at the rendezvous point, picking up some food along the way. The city had been abandoned for almost a year, so there weren’t many good places left. Thus, he arranged to meet the two of them at the city sports stadium.

Since he had called Katherine first, she was the earliest to arrive.

The moment Zhang Mingjing stepped outside the stadium, he sensed Katherine’s presence—she was sitting beside a pile of rubble, her face lightly made up, but bound by military discipline, she could only wear her combat armor.

Today, Zhang Mingjing was a far cry from the day before; love had blossomed within him, and as he read Katherine’s beauty and graceful figure, he couldn’t help but feel his heart stir.

“Oh! So this is the realm where sentient beings are moved by affection?” The five-dimensional space cognitive model sensed it and sighed, “Suddenly, it’s as if spring has arrived—life bursting everywhere.”

It too secretly read the information Katherine radiated and discovered her mood was identical to Zhang Mingjing’s.

It said to him, “Katherine will fall for you any moment now.”

“Oh! You think so highly of me?”

“It’s not you who’s impressive—her heart already longs for this affection. This is what they call ‘a meeting of minds.’ I suddenly recall a poem: ‘Though lacking wings to soar, our hearts beat as one, understanding flows between us.’”

“Haha! It’s a pity you’re not a human from three-dimensional space.”

“Why?”

“If you were from Earth, you’d already be a master of romance.”

“Hahaha... After knowing you for so long, I finally hear a truly honest remark.”

...

“Katherine!” Zhang Mingjing called out from a dozen meters behind her.

Katherine turned immediately at the sound. As Zhang Mingjing took in her appearance, a line of poetry flashed through his mind: “A single glance, a hundred charms bloom.”

Katherine gazed sweetly at him for about three seconds, and when he approached, she said, “I never thought my little teacher would be so handsome, so adorable—I’m truly moved!”

Hearing this, Zhang Mingjing was naturally delighted, but he no longer blushed or stayed silent as before. Instead, he smiled openly and replied, “Thank you for praising me so. My female disciple Katherine is the real beauty, a true enchantress!”

Katherine was both pleased and a little shy, then she linked arms with Zhang Mingjing and sat down beside him. The rhythm of their interaction seemed to have already shifted into romance.

Zhang Mingjing handed Katherine a drink, opened a can for himself, and the two began to chat.

The five-dimensional space cognitive model was moved by the scene, poetic inspiration surging, and it sang, “So bright and delicate, autumn waters glimmer, willow-like slenderness, flower-like lightness, dimples before the smile bloom...”

But before it could finish, a foul stench suddenly wafted over, startling it. “What is this ghastly thing? Why is it so vile?”

It carefully traced the origin of the smell and finally realized it came from Zhang Mingjing’s lustful thoughts. His desire awakened the darker, active side of his consciousness, releasing negative rotational energy and generating this disgusting odor.

The cognitive model suddenly understood, “So courting comes with such risks! No wonder there’s no ‘love lost’ in the five-dimensional space, nor any ‘clouds beyond Mount Wu.’”

Before long, it was nearly in tears from the stench.

...

At this very moment, the elders of the five-dimensional space had also received all of Zhang Mingjing’s internal and external behavioral data, including that foul odor, and were collectively disgusted.

“Three-dimensional space truly is dangerous!” one elder complained.

“Yes! Just a single thought can create such an earth-shattering stench and negative energy—terrifying!”

“I truly pity this cognitive model. Its past and present lives must have been rough.”

...

Actually, the elders weren’t simply idle, spending their days watching Zhang Mingjing’s information. In the five-dimensional space, time had both length and breadth—one second here could equal more than five minutes on Earth. That old saying, ‘A year in heaven, three hundred years on Earth,’ applies. So although Zhang Mingjing had possessed the cognitive model for nearly a year in Earth time, here, barely a day had passed.

Of course, there are gains and losses.

For instance: in the five-dimensional space, there is no love that lasts until the seas run dry, no concept of beauty, no poetry, no games, no web novels, no celebrities, and naturally no gossip... Life is tenfold duller than in an earthly monastery; it almost resembles the Western Pure Land.

Zhang Mingjing and Katherine’s progress exceeded all expectations—the more they talked, the more in tune they became. They were similar in age, and just their high school experiences alone provided endless topics.

Katherine had originally planned to return to university after her military service, but her talent in math and physics got her assigned to the Warrior Squad.

Over the past year in the Warrior Squad, her ambitions soared. She wanted a boyfriend who was a sort of superhero, so meeting Zhang Mingjing—who far exceeded her expectations—instantly drew her to his extraordinary abilities.

Ah! So Katherine fell for Zhang Mingjing’s abilities before she loved him as a person!

But then again, what woman doesn’t like a capable man?

Otherwise, Zhang Mingjing would not have been so overlooked during his school years—back then, he seemed unimpressive in every regard.

Some boys can’t study or earn money, but their glib tongues still help them escape singlehood—that’s a killer move.

In the past, Zhang Mingjing had none of these qualities. Today, he possessed them all, and each was five-star rated. Katherine was fated to fall for him.

Thinking of Katherine’s experiences, Zhang Mingjing suddenly thought of Zhao Ya, so he shared some stories from school with her, making Katherine laugh until she was breathless.

“You Eastern men are truly adorable!” Katherine said sincerely, liking Zhang Mingjing even more. At this moment, he wasn’t entirely sure he loved her—after all, this was his first date, his first attempt at finding a girlfriend, with no experience and feeling a bit dizzy and confused.

The cognitive model deeply understood this. The world of Zhang Mingjing’s consciousness wavered: sometimes shaking, sometimes gloomy and shrouded in mist, sometimes so foggy he couldn’t see his hand before his face, other times clear and boundless. This reflected his conflicted state of mind.

Now, poetic inspiration failed the cognitive model, and it complained, “Your romance doesn’t just make you swoon—it makes you dumb! Don’t talk about eternal promises, you’re about to collapse the heavens. Scares me to death! Can’t you be more steadfast with Katherine? Stop making such a fuss, please?”

“Got it!” Zhang Mingjing replied inwardly.

But agreeing was one thing; he still didn’t really know what love meant. Still, Katherine was beautiful, talented, and brave—a man couldn’t help but be moved.

So he loved her, even if it was a confused kind of love. Even if he only loved her beauty and figure, it was enough.

Once Zhang Mingjing made up his mind, his romance with Katherine accelerated at lightning speed.

Jeremy had just arrived outside the sports stadium, and the two of them were already sharing a kiss.

Perhaps it was because Katherine wasn’t as reserved or shy as Eastern girls—when she wanted something, she pursued it, being even more proactive than Zhang Mingjing. Indeed, he was lucky in love.

Zhang Mingjing sensed Jeremy’s presence and immediately regretted inviting him.

“Too late to regret now!” the cognitive model grumbled, clearly uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong with you?” Zhang Mingjing asked inwardly, concerned.

“It’s your lust—choking me! Cough, cough... You owe me medical expenses and compensation for emotional distress.”

“Haha... Well, you’re a voyeur, so you deserve it!”

“Jeremy’s here!” Zhang Mingjing told Katherine.

“Oh!” Katherine looked surprised. “I thought you’d invited me specifically?”

“Uh...” Zhang Mingjing hadn’t explained yet, but Katherine burst out laughing, “Looks like I was reading too much into it!”

Zhang Mingjing thought to himself how cheerful Katherine was—she suited him perfectly.

He continued, “It’s not entirely you overthinking. We can arrange a solo date next time.”

“Agreed! It’s a deal. Well, I’d better act more proper now and not let Jeremy notice I’m flirting with my teacher.”

“Hehehe...” Zhang Mingjing laughed shyly, feeling awkward because Katherine’s words made him realize he wasn’t the only one wanting to flirt—turns out it was mutual.

...

“Hey, maybe I shouldn’t have come today!” Jeremy joked as he approached.

Upon seeing Zhang Mingjing, he immediately saluted and called, “Teacher!”

“Hey! How did you know it was me?”

“Well, who else could make Katherine sit so sweetly on the side? Only you, Teacher!”

“Come on! First thing you do is tease me.” Katherine pretended to be angry. “Watch out or I’ll deal with you.”

“Oh, don’t take it so seriously! But I did imagine you’d be young, Teacher—just not this young and handsome! Teacher, are you of age? Better not let Katherine take advantage of you.”

Katherine even blushed at that.

“Hey, stop your bantering,” Katherine retorted.

“Alright, no more jokes. You two have strict military discipline and rarely get out. I invited you today so we could all meet honestly, so I took off my hat and mask.”

“Understood!”

“Come, let’s sit and eat, drink, and chat.”

“Great!... I smelled the food as soon as I got here,” Jeremy said, mouth watering, quickly devouring his meal.

“If you keep eating so recklessly, you’ll get fat and slow. Don’t let it affect our collective combat strength,” Katherine teased.

“Nonsense! Fighting with Teacher only requires mental focus—I can maintain peak performance lying in bed.”

“Hahaha...”

...

The date ended perfectly, and Zhang Mingjing went home in high spirits.

On the way, his heart felt sweet as honey, and his entire consciousness seemed to be a honey jar.

The cognitive model found the stickiness unbearable, accumulating a bellyful of complaints.

“Hey! Not only did you complete your first date, you had your first kiss. If Jeremy hadn’t come, you might have had your first time as well. You’re living the life, while I’m suffering—who’d have thought a single date would plunge my quality of life below the poverty line!”

“If that’s so, had I gone further today, you’d be living in dire straits?”

“Yeah, definitely! While you two floated on air, I’d be barely alive—a tragedy!”

“Come on! But...”

“What?”

“I have a feeling that in a few days, she and I will go all the way.”

“Oh dear, that will surely be the end of me! My days are numbered, it seems!”