Chapter 106
(Part 2)
Luo Shizhen easily developed favorable impressions of three types of people.
Those with good grades.
Teachers.
Chefs and cafeteria servers.
The first two needed no explanation.
Liking chefs was because he got hungry easily, and chefs were the ones who cooked. In the past, at the school cafeteria, some windows had the chef serving the food directly, while others had dedicated servers.
And Luo Shizhen’s fondness was always reciprocated.
From childhood to adulthood, he had always had a great affinity with cafeteria staff. Whether they were chefs, servers, or handymen, they would always speak to him with a smile.
And now, Chef Wang of the East District had followed in the footsteps of his predecessors.
After all, who could dislike a person whose face was full of pure sincerity and whose eyes clearly screamed that they liked you?
Especially when that person had just saved your life.
Luo Shizhen wasn’t one for flattering words, but he also didn’t know how to lie. Whatever he was thinking internally was practically written on his face.
For example, right now, Luo Shizhen was holding a bowl of noodles and eating. He ate very seriously, bite by bite, his eyes glued to the bowl as if he feared the food would run away the moment he looked elsewhere.
As he ate, the young man’s eyes narrowed slightly in an expression of pure enjoyment. He didn’t look like he was eating a simple bowl of tomato and egg noodles; it looked more like he was attending a state banquet.
Having his cooking appreciated so enthusiastically made Chef Wang feel incredibly comfortable. He sat nearby, beaming as he watched them eat:
“No rush. If you’re not full, there’s more in the pot.”
Luo Shizhen swallowed a mouthful of noodles, nodded enthusiastically, and took another massive bite. Soon, he had completely polished off his third bowl of noodles, not even leaving a drop of broth.
He was about to stand up and get another bowl, but Chef Wang was quicker: “I’ll go get it, you just sit.”
The young Purifier thanked him softly: “Thank you, Chef. Sorry to trouble you.”
Ah, what a polite child.
Stationed in the East District, facing a bunch of lifeless Guardian squads every day, Chef Wang had never experienced such treatment.
Even before he was assigned to the East District, he had never met an Awakener like this.
But… are Purifiers all this powerful?
Chef Wang looked outside.
The pollution that had practically taken over the entire cafeteria had already been cleared out by seventy or eighty percent by the Purifier’s Qi.
Only a few residual traces remained in the corners, but the white mist was pursuing them aggressively, not even sparing the ceiling beams.
Chef Wang’s Qi could clearly sense how relentlessly the white mist pressured the pollution.
At first glance, this Purifier’s Qi looked even more like the villain than the black pollution did.
Nevertheless, he was ecstatic.
He had thought he was going to die here this time, but he never expected such a twist of fate. Chef Wang cheerfully went to scoop more noodles.
Luo Shizhen picked up a napkin, carefully wiped his mouth, and tossed it into the trash can.
“Has the message been sent?”
He looked up at the holographic image projected in front of him.
Cheng Yunshao pressed the send button on the console: “All sent. Now all the Guardian squads in the East District will know the cafeteria is a safe zone. They’ll be heading this way.”
Xiao Shan frowned as he looked outside. There was pollution everywhere; only the cafeteria and a five-meter radius around it remained a pure sanctuary.
“Will they run into any trouble on the way here?”
Luo Shizhen, however, had complete faith in these Guardian squads: “Teacher Sui said these squads have been fighting for at least five years. They have experience resisting pollution. They won’t run into any major issues in the short term.”
He patted his chest: “Even if there’s a problem, it’s fine. I’m Rank 5 now. As long as they haven’t completely mutated, I should be able to try purifying their pollution.”
Although it might still be a bit strenuous, he could at least reduce their pollution levels to a non-dangerous range and help them survive the current crisis.
As they spoke, Chef Wang brought over a fresh bowl of noodles. Luo Shizhen buried his head and ate rapidly. After finishing, he wiped his mouth and stood up:
“I think I’d better switch to a basin!”
He had exerted a lot of energy today, and his already massive appetite was multiplying.
Even Chef Wang was a bit surprised. He had seen plenty of Awakeners with large appetites, but never one this large.
Still, he readily agreed: “Tell you what, I’ll fry up a few eggs for you. The chicken soup simmering on the side is almost done too; you can have it all together.”
Over here, Luo Shizhen blissfully enjoyed being fed by the chef.
Meanwhile, the various squads in the East District received the alert relayed through Eternal Day.
—”Go to the cafeteria? The cafeteria is a safe zone?”
—”Everyone up, pick up the pace. We’re heading to the cafeteria now.”
—”Looks like a Purifier really did come to the East District. Stop tangling with these Bizarres. Get in the cars, let’s move!”
—”You little brat, relax, you’re not going to die. We have a safe zone now. Two of you, support him and let’s go.”
Luo Shizhen held a basin larger than his face, eating noodles while listening to Chu Xiao’s analysis:
“The East District is the largest and has the most stationed Guardian squads. Counting our school teachers’ squad, there are nine squads in total.”
“Each squad has about five to seven members. Counting us, there should be fifty-one people here in total.”
Fifty-one people didn’t sound like a lot at first glance. But considering that Awakeners had strong territorial instincts and their Qi bodies naturally repelled each other, the cafeteria space was going to be a bit cramped.
Luo Shizhen, however, didn’t catch the underlying meaning of these words.
After all, whether at school or heading to the South District for missions, he and his friends were always squeezed together.
Sometimes, even when they could sleep separately in several cars, they inexplicably ended up with a whole group sleeping in one car.
Luo Shizhen only cared about one problem.
“We might have to stay here for several days. With over fifty people, does the cafeteria have enough food reserves?”
Yes, in his eyes, the most critical issue was whether there was enough food.
Chef Wang immediately guaranteed: “Plenty, plenty. Enough to last several months.”
He had been stationed here for a long time and knew the temperaments of the squads inside out.
Forget a few months; this food could last half a year without an issue.
After all, quite a few Guardians were practically “fairy boys”—eating just a little bit to maintain basic vital signs and then eating no more.
In the past, seeing them like this made Chef Wang lose all motivation to cook.
But now it seemed like a good thing. What they didn’t eat could perfectly feed Luo Shizhen and this group of young folks.
However, hearing that all the squads in the East District were rushing over and would be camping out in the cafeteria, Chef Wang quickly claimed the innermost room for himself. Out of the goodness of his heart, he also invited Luo Shizhen and his friends to stay in the adjacent rooms.
“Thank you.”
Luo Shizhen didn’t overthink it and happily picked out rooms with his friends.
Cheng Yunshao, however, could tell that Chef Wang was afraid that the clash of Qi from nine assembled squads would affect Luo Shizhen, a Purifier sensitive to Qi.
But since Luo Shizhen hadn’t noticed, he didn’t point it out either.
Why bring it up? The inner rooms were furthest from the outside, which was perfect for avoiding the crowded chaos.
Not only did Chef Wang pick out the rooms, but he also dug out his combat uniform, changed into it, and sealed his windows.
After sealing his own, he went to help seal Luo Shizhen’s room.
Curious but already pitching in, Luo Shizhen asked as he worked: “Chef Wang, why are we sealing the windows?”
This clearly wasn’t to block the pollution. If windows could block pollution, everyone would just live in sealed rooms and that would be that.
Chef Wang spoke from profound experience, his tone grave:
“When nine squads are gathered together, even if they can control themselves, they can’t control the Qi on their bodies. The clashing of Qi is the easiest way to shatter windows.”
Luo Shizhen: “Ah? Does that really happen?”
“Of course it does. Back at your school, didn’t you see windows shatter all the time?”
Luo Shizhen thought hard for a moment.
“I don’t think so. The windows at our school have always been perfectly fine.”
At least since he enrolled, he had never seen a single classroom window shatter.
Chef Wang was incredibly envious: “From the sounds of it, your batch of students is quite gentle.”
He had worked as a chef at a certain school before. Every time mealtime rolled around, fights inevitably broke out outside.
Ever since then, he finally understood why school cafeteria tables and chairs were welded to the floor.
He had thought young people couldn’t control their tempers and that working somewhere else would be better. Finding a place with only adults would surely be an improvement.
As a result, it was exactly the same. The only difference was that veteran Guardians had a sense of propriety; they would deliberately avoid each other, and if they happened to meet, a cold nod was considered a greeting.
But the only reason they could maintain that dynamic was because they each had their own squad territories. Since they didn’t cross paths, there was naturally no conflict.
But now, a whole bunch of them were going to be crammed into a small cafeteria…
Chef Wang shuddered and worked even harder to help Luo Shizhen and his friends seal the windows:
“When the time comes, Qi will definitely be clashing everywhere. If you can’t handle it, just stay in your room and don’t come out.”
Luo Shizhen shook his head. “I can’t not go out. There will definitely be people infected by pollution, and I have to help purify them.”
Chef Wang assumed Luo Shizhen would only purify those he favored, which made sense to him.
Poor kid. As an Energy User, he should be the most susceptible to clashing Qi.
In Chef Wang’s eyes, Luo Shizhen was suddenly elevated to a martyr who was willing to endure the sensory torment of clashing Qi for the safety of everyone.
He gritted his teeth. “Then I’ll go out with you when the time comes.”
Chef Wang had been here a long time, after all. The various squads would give him some face. Plus, with a Purifier present, they would likely try their hardest to rein in their Qi.
Outside, just as Chef Wang had predicted, the squads—all somewhat affected by the pollution—were experiencing the most agitated and restless state of their Qi.
When ordinary people feel uneasy, their reaction might be to hide, finding a sense of security in concealment.
But when an Awakener’s Qi feels uneasy, its manifestation is the exact opposite. At such times, they lean more toward beasts, instinctively repelling all living creatures nearby.
Fortunately, the stationed Guardians were veterans and possessed a degree of self-control.
One by one, vehicles parked outside the cafeteria, and Guardians with broad shoulders and long legs stepped out.
There were no greetings between them.
They were putting all their effort into restraining the Qi that desperately wanted to burst out, seize territory, and drive away their peers.
It was like packs of wolves from different tribes meeting; the resulting clash of invisible sparks was uncontrollable.
Especially for the few individuals most deeply affected by the pollution—it took all their strength just to suppress the violently aggressive Qi within them.
“This is bad.”
A more mild-tempered Guardian frowned.
Pollution inherently triggers an Awakener’s aggressive instincts. With so many Awakeners crammed into a small space, surrounded by pollution, it was simply too easy to lose control.
The atmosphere was exceptionally quiet. Everyone silently agreed on their designated zones, standing with clear boundaries. Their muscles were involuntarily tense—the beast-like instinct of an Awakener.
That is, until a highly sociable, white Qi essence drifted out from inside the cafeteria as naturally as could be.
It wrapped itself around a Guardian whose pollution levels had exceeded the safe limit.
Without a shred of hesitation, the white python began to feast.
There was no prelude, no need for mutual approach or the cultivation of intimacy. It acted so naturally, as if they had known each other forever, wrapping its entire body around him.
This sudden intimacy shattered the stagnant deadlock.
The Guardian supporting his teammate initially reacted with instinctive wariness. But after realizing this was a purification of pollution, he relaxed slightly.
Following the trail of Qi, he looked toward the interior of the cafeteria.
The young Purifier walked out with hurried steps.
“Are there people whose pollution levels have exceeded the limit? Please line up over here.”
“Those with heavier pollution to the front. I’m going to purify you one by one.”
Recommended Reads
