Chapter 58: Chapter Fifty-Eight
“Yongzhou is equipped with a nano-sensor network, fixed fire suppression systems, an oxygen regulation system, and an air isolation layer.”
A man dressed in a dark green military uniform looked at the messy scene before him. He then glanced at the two wood spirits nearby, their wings fluttering and their large eyes wide with lingering fear, their cheeks smudged with ash.
The sharp brow bone above his deep-set eyes twitched slightly.
“We even have two wood spirits on duty.”
“That a fire could still break out under these circumstances… I wonder if I should praise the Oversight Directorate’s Inspector for his truly formidable destructive capabilities.”
Even Sui Anâs usually immaculate face was currently stained with patches of black soot. However, on his lazy yet subtly dominant features, it somehow added a touch of roguish unruliness.
Compared to him, Luo Shizhen looked much more disheveled. When it came to fighting the fire, he had undoubtedly been the most hardworking and proactive one; even Chen Heyan couldn’t hold him back.
The young Purifier’s hair was now a mess of tangles and dust. His face was smudged here and there like a little puppyâs, but his entire being radiated spirited energy.
Chen Heyan held a handkerchief, gently wiping the boyâs face. “Why did you rush to the front? The firefighting robots would have handled it.”
Luo Shizhen gave an embarrassed laugh. “I didn’t think much about it. I just saw the fire and felt I had to put it out.”
His high school had held fire drills, and Luo Shizhen had studied them earnestly every single time. Wasn’t he just putting his education into practice?
In truth, Luo Shizhen was still a bit dazed.
At the time, he had been focused on washing the vegetables while Professor Chen and Professor Sui were outside chatting as they prepared other things.
A food preparation robotâone that looked quite old-fashioned but seemed high-end to Luo Shizhenâhad slowly entered the room with the ingredients.
Then the alarm blared, and suddenly, there was a fire.
Decisively, Luo Shizhen had picked up the basin of water he was using to wash vegetables and charged in.
He moved so fast that by the time the firefighting robots emerged, Luo Shizhen had already successfully doused more than half of the flames.
He cast a cautious glance at the military officer, then at the scattered components on the floorâthe remains of a robot that had somehow been reduced to scrap metalâand whispered guiltily:
“We know we were wrong. We will definitely pay for the damages.”
When the officer looked at Luo Shizhen, the biting sarcasm heâd used with Sui An vanished. He appeared to be in his early thirties, and he was naturally more gentle toward a budding youth than toward the cold, stone-like Sui An.
Furthermore, before Luo Tianâen took medical leave, he had been this manâs subordinate.
“Itâs a minor issue; thereâs no need for compensation. Weâll just have the robots come in and clean it up later.”
Sui An nodded. “Itâs actually a good opportunity to upgrade the kitchen robots. Most robots nowadays are networked, but this one was offline. It wasn’t very useful anyway.”
The officerâs tone turned cold and hard again. “Is that why you destroyed the kitchen prep robot?”
Sui An leaned lazily against the wall, acting as if he hadn’t heard a word.
The officer truly had no way to deal with him. Sui An possessed immense military merits; forget about dismantling a single robot, even if he tore down the entire canteen, he wouldn’t face the slightest disciplinary action.
Luo Shizhen, however, felt extremely guilty and small.
He rarely saw robots in his daily life and always assumed they were very expensive. Although he wasn’t the one who started the fire, he was the one who suggested having a home-cooked meal, so he felt responsible.
If they had to pay for the robot, he felt he should contribute. Fortunately, he had received his salary, and with future payments, he figured it should be enough.
Seeing that Luo Shizhen was overcome with guilt despite not being the one scolded, the officerâs lips twitched as he tried to force a smile.
Unfortunately, because he rarely smiled, the expression looked exceptionally stiff.
“Don’t worry. This robot really was due for retirement. Being offline is inconvenient; they can’t receive the unified broadcast messages. Weâll be replacing the whole batch.”
Suddenly, the robot parts on the floor twitched. A distorted, crackling voice rang out from the half-dismantled machine.
[Throw the handkerchief, throw the handkerchief, lightly drop it at the child’s feet~]
[Detected… illegal entry into Yongzhou…]
[Today’s menu: Chef’s Special “Pig’s Trotter Stew with Kelp”…]
[Food is the people’s heaven, sizzleâ]
âCrunch.
A black combat boot stepped unceremoniously onto the scrap, completely putting the old-fashioned robot out of its misery.
Under everyoneâs gaze, Sui An retracted his leg nonchalantly.
“Why are you looking at me? Even though itâs broken, since it mentioned an illegal entry into Yongzhou, we should perform a security check according to the regulations. Captain Yin, Iâll leave that to you.”
The officer waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to run a scan.
The subordinate checked and shook his head. “Everyone present has access clearance for Yongzhou. No issues.”
After all, there were only a few people there, and they all knew each other. One glance was enough to know the alarm was a malfunction; no scan was even necessary.
Clearly, the robot was the problem.
The officer immediately ordered, “Replace the final batch of non-networked robots today.”
“Yes, sir!”
After giving the order, the officer turned to Luo Shizhen and offered another stiff smile.
“I haven’t thanked you yet. I am Yin Qing, Luo Tianâenâs superior. Thank you for saving him.”
“It was only right. I am a Purifier; my mission is to purify polluted Awakeners.”
Luo Shizhen couldn’t help but stare at Yin Qingâs shoulder.
Yin Qing wore the epaulettes of a Major. Back when Grandma Luoâs eyes were still good, she loved watching the news. She had once pointed at the soldiers on screen and said that Luo Shizhenâs father had wanted to join the army when he was young, but he was too short to be selected.
Influenced by his grandmother, Luo Shizhen had a natural awe and fondness for soldiers. This was the first time in his memory that he had encountered a “Major-level” officer in real life. He was curious, nervous, and filled with admiration.
His thoughts were written plainly on his face. Seeing this, Yin Qing took a step forward to let Luo Shizhen see more clearly.
Setting aside Luo Shizhenâs ageâwhich made elders naturally more tolerant of himâhis status as a Purifier who could cleanse those with off-the-charts mutation values was enough to earn him high regard.
Before Yin Qing was sent here, his superiors had told him: “You brat, even if you don’t usually smile, you better pull the corners of your mouth up today! You must make that young student have the best possible impression of you, of us, and of Yongzhou!”
Yin Qing was usually stern, but he wasn’t completely socially inept.
Luo Shizhen had made a stunning debut. What put Yongzhou most at ease was the fact that he was already one of their own.
However, there were various departments within Yongzhou, especially those that went to the front lines. Every single one of them had Guardians under their command who were either already polluted or in the process of being so.
People are naturally biased, and when the conditions of these Guardians were all critical and the battle for humanity was so urgent, it was impossible to prioritize one over another.
Every department head hoped their subordinates would receive treatment faster, but the decision wasn’t theirs to make.
The number of polluted Awakeners far exceeded the number of energy users. Everyone was in a crisis; everyone was in danger. In such circumstances, some polluted Guardians would suddenly mutate before a treatment slot could even be allocated to them.
It was an unavoidable tragedy. There were only so many energy users; no matter how hard they worked, it was impossible to purify every Guardian.
But now, Luo Shizhen had appeared.
He was still a student and a Purifier serving the front lines, not yet integrated into the medical treatment system.
This meant that the front-line departments of Yongzhou could actually ask him, in a personal capacity, to help treat their polluted Guardians.
Yin Qing wasn’t actually in charge of the fire safety department, but his superior oversaw that area.
The moment the superior heard that the exceptionally gifted studentâsuspected to be a Mutant Purifierâhad caused a small fire while cooking with his teachers in the Yongzhou canteen, he had hurriedly called Yin Qing back and sent him to handle it.
The purpose was to create an opportunity for Yin Qing to get to know this young Purifier. They didn’t expect a deep bond immediately; they just wanted a foot in the door.
Then Yin Qing arrived and saw Sui An.
He also learned that the fire hadn’t been caused by Luo Shizhen. The culprit was, in fact, Sui An.
An Inspector had borrowed the Yongzhou canteen to cook, only to start a fire because his culinary skills were abysmal.
Yin Qing only regretted that the Guardian Center didn’t have an entertainment section; otherwise, Sui An would have definitely trended for seven days straight.
He had been so focused on mocking Sui An that he nearly forgot his superiorâs instruction to build rapport with Luo Shizhen.
Yin Qing sized up the boy.
This child was different from what he had expected.
His eyes were very pure, and his personality was far too well-behaved. The aggression that should belong to an Awakener was completely absent from his gaze.
In fact, before Yin Qing even began his friendly overtures, Luo Shizhenâs eyes were already filled with kindness toward him.
This made Yin Qing, who was used to the wariness of most newly met Awakeners, feel a bit unaccustomed.
Nevertheless, he began to speak to Luo Shizhen in a serious, methodical manner:
“Luo Tianâen is one of my capable subordinates. You saved him, and I owe you a favor. Additionally, I have a small gift for you. Itâs the latest full weapons system that can be fitted onto a combat suit. I hope you like it.”
These words were meant to convey warm, polite gratitude, but for some reason, coming out of Yin Qingâs mouth, they sounded like he was formally reciting a script.
Sui An raised an eyebrow. He could tell at a glance that someone had written these lines for Yin Qing to memorize, but he didn’t expose him.
Luo Shizhen, however, didn’t notice anything wrong. He simply thought that was how Yin Qing spoke.
Being thanked so formally and receiving a gift was a first for him. Luo Shizhen wasn’t sure how to react or whether he should accept it, so he couldn’t help but look back at Chen Heyan.
Chen Heyan smiled and said, “Go ahead and take it. Captain Yinâs Special Task Force has always been deep-pocketed; this gear is nothing to him.”
Only then did Luo Shizhen accept it happily. “Thank you.”
The weapons module was half the height of a person and weighed nearly three hundred pounds. Yin Qing held it with one hand, intending to say he would have it delivered to the school.
However, Luo Shizhen had already reached out and taken it with one hand.
The look in Yin Qingâs eyes instantly gained a touch of admiration. “Student Luo, your strength is quite impressive.”
Speaking of something in his comfort zone, Luo Shizhen said with a hint of pride, “Iâve been strong since I was a kid!”
Originally, Yin Qing only thought Luo Shizhen was talented and had a good temper. Now, looking at him, he truly felt the boy was prime material for a Guardian.
If he could join their Special Task Force…
“Thatâs good. With great strength comes a better ability to protect yourself. Recently, several intelligent anomalies have appeared; they ambush and specifically target Guardians. A school was even deliberately lured into an ambush recently.”
“You are a Purifier with such high talent; these anomalies might target you as well.”
These words were clearly Yin Qingâs own thoughts; the flow was natural and not at all scripted.
He genuinely believed that someone with Luo Shizhenâs talent was likely to be targeted by anomalies.
After all, he was the first Mutant Energy Userâcapable of both offense and support. If he appeared on the battlefield, he would be a progressive threat to the anomalies.
Although he knew Yongzhou would definitely send people to protect him, Yin Qing shared a trait with all Awakeners: he only trusted himself.
He soon thought of a perfect solution:
“Our Special Task Force has ten squads that take turns on leave. When they are on leave, they have nowhere else to go. Why not have them rotate on duty at your school? It would also serve to deter any low-level troublemakers.”
Another military officer who had hurried over laughed directly. “Captain Yin, the beads of your abacus are practically snapping against my face.”
If the Special Task Force took turns protecting Luo Shizhen, he would undoubtedly prioritize saving them whenever their members were polluted or mutating.
Yin Qing didn’t think he was “playing the abacus” (scheming), nor was he good at it.
“The Special Task Force is the official branch with the most personnel. Even if I didn’t suggest it, the officials would eventually dispatch them to protect Luo Shizhen anyway.”
Sui An was currently using a handkerchief to slowly wipe the ash from his face. Only now did he speak up in a leisurely tone:
“Have you all forgotten? I am the instructor at that school.”
With a slight wave of his hand, a protection order just issued by Yongzhou appeared before everyone as a holographic display.
Yin Qing: “…”
The other officer: “…”
Only Luo Shizhen stood there, seriously reading the words on the screen:
[Inspector Sui An of the Oversight Directorate, transferred to the position of Watchman. Ward: Luo Shizhen.]
At the bottom was the seal of the Guardian Centerâan hourglass icon.
“Watchman? I don’t think this position was mentioned in the textbooks.”
Luo Shizhen looked at Chen Heyan again.
Chen Heyan had finished wiping the boyâs face and had obtained a towel from the kitchen to dry his hair. He explained warmly:
“Itâs a new position. In recent years, a group of intelligent anomalies has emerged. They specifically target students who have high talent but are young and lack combat experience, aiming to suppress the development of Guardians. Thus, the Guardian Center established the Watchman role.”
“Watchmen are high-sequence Guardians who are responsible for the safety of young Awakeners with high talent who might be targeted by anomalies. Usually, itâs a one-on-one arrangement.”
Luo Shizhen understood. “So Professor Sui will really be protecting me all the time from now on?”
Sui An replied, “You can interpret it that way.”
Chen Heyan glanced at him, then back at Luo Shizhen, smiling. “At least for this year, Professor Sui will be protecting you.”
“Heâs from the Oversight Directorate. Even if high-rank anomalies show up, he can handle them. With him guarding you, youâll be able to grow safely until youâre capable of protecting yourself.”
Luo Shizhen couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed, as if he were taking up Professor Suiâs personal time.
Professor Sui usually didn’t seem to like moving much. During training, Professor Lin Qi would always appear in various corners of the training ground, yelling at students with all sorts of harsh words.
But Professor Sui spent most of his time lying on a lounge chair with his eyes closed, resting.
Thinking about such a leisure-loving professor being specifically responsible for his protection made Luo Shizhen feel more and more apologetic.
Professor Lin had said that Professor Sui loved to rest, and coming to the school this time was supposed to be his chance to finally get enough sleep.
Now, because of him, Professor Sui might not be able to rest properly at school anymore.
He said earnestly, “Thank you, Professor Sui. Iâm sorry for the trouble.”
Sui An looked at the young Purifier before him, watching as he lowered his eyes in embarrassment, looking a bit awkward.
“No need for thanks.”
He paused, then added a sentence:
“I applied for this position voluntarily.”
“Weâve wasted enough time. Letâs get back to cooking.”
Translator’s Note:
Welcome back! This chapter gives us a great look at the “office politics” of the post-anomaly world. Everyone wants a piece of our precious Shizhen!
Cultural & Context Notes:
- “Throw the Handkerchief” (ä¸ćçľš – DiĹŤ shÇujuĂ n): This is a very famous traditional Chinese nursery rhyme/game, similar to “Duck, Duck, Goose” or “A Tisket, a Tasket.” The fact that the high-tech (but old) robot was singing this while malfunctioning is both creepy and hilarious. It highlights just how “outdated” and glitchy the kitchen tech was before Sui An… uh… “decommissioned” it.
- “Food is the people’s heaven” (ć°äťĽéŁçşĺ¤Š – MĂn yÇ shĂ wĂŠi tiÄn): A classic Chinese idiom meaning that food is the most important thing to the people. It’s ironic here because their attempt at food almost blew up the kitchen.
- “Beads of your abacus are snapping against my face” (çŽç¤ç ĺé˝čŚčšŚĺ°ćčä¸äş): A funny Chinese expression used when someone’s ulterior motives or “calculations” are so obvious that they’re practically hitting you in the face.
- Watchman (ĺŽćäşş – ShÇuwĂ ng RĂŠn) and Ward (袍ĺŽćč – Bèi ShÇuwĂ ng ZhÄ): These are the official terms from the Guardian Center. It sounds very “The Witcher” or “Bodyguard,” doesn’t it? Sui An basically just secured a legal reason to hang out with Shizhen 24/7.
- Special Task Force (çšéŁé – TèqiÇnduĂŹ): Yin Qing’s unit. They are the “boots on the ground” who face the highest risk of pollution.
Enjoy the rest of the story!
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