Urban System in America-Chapter 55 - 54: D-Day

The next day, 6 AM.

The sunlight poured through the blinds in golden slants, brushing against Rex’s skin like warm silk.

Rex woke up, feeling refreshed and clear-headed—completely unlike the tense night before. His mind felt clearer, his emotions steadier—like ripples on a pond finally going still.

It seemed the divine body was far more beneficial than he had imagined, not just physically, but mentally too.

He stretched leisurely, toes brushing against the cool edge of the sheet, and slowly got out of the bed.

Freshened up, changed clothes, slipped into running shoes and went about his morning routine with a seamless grace.

Everything felt automatic, as if his body had already memorized it to perfection.

Outside, the world was still stretching awake. The air held that crisp, early-morning sharpness. He slowly took off, not sprinting, but gliding across the pavement, his breath steady, his stride clean.

As he ran, he clearly felt that his body had gotten stronger, his stamina vastly improved. For the first time since he started training, he ran to the park without needing to stop or catch his breath.

When he returned home, slightly glistening with sweat, he didn’t collapse into a chair or flop on the floor. He walked straight to the wardrobe, pulled out clean clothes, and changed into a comfortable pair of loose black pants and a sleeveless tee. Then, barefoot, he strolled into the kitchen.

The morning sun lit the countertops in soft gold as he cracked eggs into a bowl and began whisking, casually humming a tune from his previous life—a nostalgic melody only he remembered.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was Adrian.

Rex glanced at the screen, answered, and tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear as he kept whisking.

"Yo," he said.

"Hey, You’re up?" Adrian’s voice sounded hoarse like someone who hadn’t seen a bed in 24 hours.

"Of course."

"What’s all that noise?"

"Nothing much. Just making breakfast. "Rex replied casually, as the sound of sizzling butter filled the background.

"Bro—seriously? Adrian groaned. "Today’s the day we’re exposing Clement, and you’re here making breakfast?"

Rex chuckled. "Hey, chill. We’ve already done everything we needed to do. Now, we just sit back and watch the drama unfold like a reality show."

Adrian kept rambling, his words tumbling over each other. "You... I haven’t slept all night, man. I kept thinking something would go wrong. And here you are acting like it’s a holiday morning..."

Rex interrupted calmly, "No buts. Don’t worry—I’ve thought everything through. it’s foolproof, nothing will go wrong, just trust me"

Adrian sighed on the other end and was about to continue, "But...B-but..."

"Alright..." Rex said, placing the phone down as he returned to his eggs. "I gotta finish cooking. Meet you at the usual parking lot, yeah? Bye."

Click.

The call ended with a sharp du-du-du tone, leaving Adrian staring at his phone screen, speechless.

There he was, a mess of nerves on the brink of a breakdown, while Rex was humming and making breakfast like it was a weekend.

Adrian looked at himself in the mirror—his hair was a bird’s nest, his skin pale with dark circles under his eyes, and his clothes crumpled beyond saving.

He couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly, it seems like he was too nervous. As he got up, his mood, much better.

Somehow, Rex’s attitude was contagious.

Shaking his head, He began fixing himself up.

Meanwhile, Rex leisurely plated his eggs, toasted some bread, and sat by the window. Sunlight pooled across the table. The chirping of birds and rustling of leaves enhancing the tranquility of the moment. He chewed slowly, savoring every bite, letting the silence wrap around him like a warm shawl.

Emma’s song played softly in the background—he didn’t know when it happened, but her voice had become part of his mornings, almost like a ritual.

Why was he so calm? There were several reasons, but most importantly,

First of all, he knew that everything was under control, especially due to the system’s rewards. He didn’t have to worry about leaving any traces and risk getting caught.

Second, He may have lived an ordinary, even shitty life in his previous life, but he still had some maxims in life that he absolutely followed and one of the life principles he had long followed was: The more urgent the situation, the calmer the heart must be.

That mindset had pulled him out of messes before. And It certainly wouldn’t fail him now.

Finishing the breakfast, he washed his plate, walked back into his room, and opened the wardrobe.

Today felt different.

It called for color.

He pulled out a crisp red summer shirt—short-sleeved, lightweight, with a loose yet tailored fit. Paired it with slim, light khaki trousers and brown loafers. Maybe it was symbolic, or maybe he just liked the color. Either way, it fit him perfectly.

He grabbed his keys, slid on a pair of sunglasses, and stepped out.

he hopped in his car and, despite the morning rush, made it to the university in no time.

Checking the time, it was exactly 8 AM—perfectly timed arrival.

As he drove towards the parking lot, catching the envious gazes of some boys, he happened to spot Adrian anxiously pacing back and forth. looking like a man on the verge of a breakdown.

The moment Adrian spotted his car, he rushed forward like he’d seen a lifeline.

Rex barely managed to brake in time.

And even waiting for him to open the door, Adrian slammed his palms on the window. "Where the hell have you been!? I’ve been here for an hour. A whole hour! I-i thought you’d chickened out!"

Rex rolled down the window slowly, completely unfazed. "Relax. It’s 8. We’re right on time. The staff meeting starts at 8:30—we’ve got plenty of time."

"But... doesn’t hacking take time?"

"For others? Sure. For me? Piece of cake." He said getting off the car.

Adrian gradually calmed down as they walked together, but halfway through the walk, Rex suddenly stopped.

"Crap."

Adrian blinked. "What now?"

Rex spun on his heels and jogged back to the car. He unlocked the passenger door and pulled out the laptop.

Seeing this, Adrian felt even more dumbfounded, "Y-yo.... You..."

"You forgot the laptop?! The laptop?!"

Rex looked mildly embarrassed but quickly did what a good friend should do, "Hey, and whose fault do you think it is? You jumped in front of my car like a lunatic. And threw off my rhythm, Okay!?"

Adrian sighed. "Okay, okay... It’s my fault. Happy?"

"Very." Rex smirked and strolled forward like nothing happened.

Laptop in hand, they found a quiet bench at the edge of campus. It had great signals, was out of direct sight, and gave them a clear view of the main building—perfect for what they were about to do.

Rex powered up the laptop and started configuring the connection.

Meanwhile, inside the main campus building, a conference room in the faculty building buzzed with light conversation and polite laughter. professors were beginning to gather in the conference hall for their weekly departmental meeting.

There were still twenty minutes left, so most were casually chatting and joking among themselves.

Among the gathered professors, one man sat slightly apart.

Professor Clement.

He wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t sipping coffee or gossiping about students. He sat stiffly, staring into his own reflection in the dark gloss of the table, while occasionally, watching others laugh and mingle with a dark glint in his eyes.

After much deliberation, he had made up his mind.

Today, he would take the first step to ruin Rex. He had decided to take action against Rex and seize this opportunity by telling others about his bad behavior.

Naturally, he wouldn’t tell the truth—he planned to twist the narrative to spark hatred against him, just enough to poison the well and turn others against him

Alone. He may not be enough against John Johnson, but if he could get the support of others in the room, no matter what he tried, he wouldn’t be able to save Rex this time.

And push for disciplinary action. Maybe even expulsion. His eyes shone with sinister glint as he thought about it.

To be honest, this move came with risk.

If not for his elder brother’s pressure, he wouldn’t have dared.

On one hand, this could damage his reputation—people might laugh, some colleagues would question his credibility. Others might mock him saying he couldn’t even control a student.

But the real weight—the real danger—came from one name.

John Johnson.

Everyone in the room remembered how John had intervened for Rex the last time, and how the man had refused to approve Rex’s expulsion last time despite resistance.

But still... he had no choice.

He had to do this.

Otherwise...

(End of Chapter)