Chapter 85
The mission was called off. Their disguises were removed, and everyone returned to the villa to pack their belongings.
Lin Ke was the most anxious of the group. “Since you guys aren’t doing the mission anymore, what happens to me? Do I still have my external member status?”
When he had joined them in the beginning, it was strictly to save his own life.
The others were unhappy because returning to school likely meant they would be split up and reorganized into different squads.
Lin Ke, however, was thinking purely of his own hide.
Luo Shizhen was currently messaging a teacher from the school. Hearing this, he waved his phone.
“I asked the school. They’re short-staffed everywhere right now. If you want to join the Guardians, as long as you don’t have a criminal record, the background check shouldn’t be a problem.”
Lin Ke hadn’t expected that Luo Shizhen’s constant focus on his phone was actually for his sake. He was momentarily stunned.
“You… you actually went out of your way to ask your school for me…”
“Aren’t you trying to hide from that Bizarre? Once we leave, you might be in danger.”
Despite the massive amount of information he had received today, Luo Shizhen had never forgotten the reason Lin Ke had sought them out.
“The Principal said that until your background check passes, you can stay at the school temporarily.”
Lin Ke: !
“Ahhh!!!”
He surged forward and pulled Luo Shizhen into an excited embrace. “Shizhen!! You’re the best!! Thank you so much!!! Ahhh, thank you, thank you! You saved my life!! You really saved my life!!”
Startled by the sudden hug, Luo Shizhen froze for a second. Feeling the sincerity of Lin Ke’s gratitude, his eyes crinkled into a smile. He hugged him back and patted him on the shoulder.
“No need for thanks. I just asked the Principal; it was his decision to let you stay at the school for a while.”
Lu Qiujin narrowed his eyes, watching Lin Ke jumping and shouting while hugging Luo Shizhen. He suppressed his irritation as long as he could, but just as he was about to step forward, Wen Hu had already lifted Lin Ke away.
“One hug is enough. Are you never going to let go?”
Lin Ke felt a bit embarrassed. Around Luo Shizhen, it was hard to see the usual boundaries between people; the other man always seemed infinitely tolerant. Lin Ke had actually forgotten the unspoken rule among Awakeners: keep your distance, no physical contact.
“Sorry, sorry! I’m just so happy! Hahahaha!”
Radiating joy, Lin Ke scrambled out of Wen Hu’s grip and immediately headed for his room. “I’m going to pack my things! I’m leaving with you guys!”
“Before that damned Bizarre is caught, I won’t step a single foot out of that school!”
He hummed a tune as he returned to his room. Watching Lin Ke’s retreating back, Luo Shizhen felt his own mood improve.
“Let’s go pack our things, too!”
Cheng Yunshao hadn’t said a word since the trip back. He sat silently on the sofa until now, finally speaking up:
“You guys pack first. I’m going to sit here for a while.”
Wen Hu frowned and punched him on the shoulder. “What’s with the ‘life is over’ look on your face?”
The punch made Cheng Yunshao lean to the side, and his somber expression shattered. He gritted his teeth and hissed,
“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m a glass-cannon Puppeteer! My body can’t handle physical blows! Can you please use a lighter touch?”
Wen Hu retracted his hand. “Alright, alright. I remember. I’ll be lighter next time.”
Cheng Yunshao: “That’s the eighth time you’ve said that. You’d better actually remember it.”
Luo Shizhen asked in confusion, “Cheng Yunshao, are you unhappy? Why?”
Cheng Yunshao thought to himself that while he had found Luo Shizhen reliable the other day, the man had quickly reverted to his usual self.
It wasn’t just him who was unhappy. Aside from Luo Shizhen and Lin Ke, was there anyone in this room with a smile on their face?
Yet Luo Shizhen managed to be completely oblivious, even asking why he was upset.
His chest felt tight, and he didn’t want to talk.
But since he wouldn’t speak, Chu Xiao spoke for him. “It’s because of the mission.”
Lu Qiujin leaned against a pillar in the back with his arms crossed. “His first official mission—he made so many preparations and even utilized Yongzhou’s resources. In the end, it ended abruptly with no real conclusion. He’s probably fuming.”
Rong Nian added, “He hasn’t died of anger yet, but he’s close. Humans and their deep-seated obsessions.”
Cheng Yunshao rolled his eyes and tossed a throw pillow at them.
“Stop with the snide remarks. I don’t believe for a second that any of you feel comfortable right now.”
Putting the mission aside, the Safety Officer had just revealed that everyone would be reassigned to different squads back at school. There was a high probability they wouldn’t be grouped together like this again.
That meant they might not be in the same squad as Luo Shizhen.
Cheng Yunshao didn’t even have to think to know that while these guys looked human enough on the surface, they probably wished they could find some dog leashes, strap them to their own necks, and hand the ends to Luo Shizhen.
A bunch of love-struck fools.
They were acting as if he were the only one brooding over the unfinished mission.
Cheng Yunshao closed his eyes and composed himself. “Don’t mind me. I’ll be…”
His voice trailed off.
He felt the sofa cushion beside him dip.
Someone had sat down next to him.
Without thinking, Cheng Yunshao knew it was Luo Shizhen.
In a room full of people, only Luo Shizhen would sit so closely and comfortably next to someone else.
He had zero sense of crisis, radiating trust and intimacy. His Qi never felt aggressive.
Even with his eyes closed, the memory of that day—Luo Shizhen throwing himself onto him, chest heaving as he asked if he was okay—flashed through his mind.
Cheng Yunshao’s breath hitched, and he quickly opened his eyes.
Sure enough, he was met with Luo Shizhen’s focused, worried gaze. His irritation instantly dissipated by half.
His voice was oddly hurried as he covered his face. “I’m really fine. It’s just that things turned out like this on our first mission, so I’m in a bit of a bad mood. I just need a moment to adjust.”
A look of realization dawned on Luo Shizhen.
“Are you just being self-conscious? Are you embarrassed to have everyone watching you?”
Cheng Yunshao: “…”
It was true, but why did he have to say it so naturally?
Luo Shizhen didn’t just say it; he turned to Chu Xiao and the others with a sense of loyalty.
“You guys go back to your rooms and pack. Stop looking at Cheng Yunshao.”
The group nodded and returned to their respective rooms.
Once they were gone, Luo Shizhen leaned in closer to Cheng Yunshao and whispered, “Actually, I think we did a pretty good job on our mission.”
He began to count the points off:
“Even without leads, we found out who took Zou Tangzheng. We treated many patients and captured two Bizarres. We learned that these Bizarres can possess humans and mimic them. We even met Lin Ke…”
Finally, the young Purifier offered a smile. “Didn’t we do well?”
Hearing the doors close, Cheng Yunshao lowered his hand and looked at Luo Shizhen. Finding that they were truly the only two in the living room, he relaxed slightly.
However, after rubbing his brow, he still felt a sense of regret.
“But the mission objective was to rescue Zou Tangzheng and capture or kill the Bizarre that kidnapped him. Not only did we fail, but we don’t even know what the target looks like or what its name is.”
“We know it’s a High-Rank Bizarre,” Luo Shizhen said, his view of things always being straightforward. “High-Rank should be at least Rank 7 or 8. We can’t beat that. We can’t go fight something we can’t beat.”
Cheng Yunshao’s tone softened further. “I understand the logic, but in this situation, I still feel… unsettled.”
He looked down at his hands. “I’m still not strong enough. I’m too weak. With the current situation changing, the most likely ending for me is dying at the hands of a Bizarre before my abilities have a chance to grow…”
These were words he would never say to Wen Hu or Chu Xiao.
It sounded too much like showing weakness.
But for some reason, saying it to Luo Shizhen didn’t feel difficult.
Perhaps it was because Luo Shizhen’s gaze was so harmless, or because he knew Shizhen wouldn’t look at him differently because of it.
Cheng Yunshao had always been a top performer among his peers.
Until he awakened—
After becoming an Awakener, ordinary people envied him, and even his family thought he was as excellent as ever.
But only Cheng Yunshao could feel the pressure of his strength being so slow to improve.
A Puppeteer was indeed a high-sequence role. Once grown, they were indispensable in any squad.
But a Puppeteer was too fragile in the early stages. Even at Rank 2, if they were forced into close combat with a Rank 1 Bizarre, they would still lose.
He had been forced to suppress the Awakener’s instinct to avoid their own kind in order to find companions who could protect him.
Cheng Yunshao considered himself smart enough, but in this world, intelligence alone was useless.
A Bizarre doesn’t care about your brainpower; it only cares if your brain tastes good.
Finally—finally he had found reliable teammates and was able to group with others. They lived together and completed missions together. Everyone had moved from mutual suspicion to the current state of knowing each other well enough to occasionally joke around. Then the situation changed, and everyone was to be split up.
Originally, he had at least three years to improve his physique and rank. Now everything had been moved forward. He was losing his teammates and didn’t even have time to improve.
Cheng Yunshao felt as if nothing was going his way.
He wasn’t afraid of death, but the idea of being able to grow into a powerful Awakener yet dying early because of a weak body was too stifling and pointless.
Just thinking about it made him feel a sense of suffocation.
He looked at Luo Shizhen, unable to understand why he looked so calm and had accepted the team reorganization so easily.
Clearly, in this temporary squad, Luo Shizhen was the center. Shouldn’t he be the most reluctant to see the team dissolve?
Luo Shizhen looked at Cheng Yunshao. Having understood his thoughts, he said directly:
“Cheng Yunshao, you should quit.”
Cheng Yunshao’s somber expression froze. He looked at him in disbelief. “What did you say?”
Luo Shizhen said seriously, “Once we return to school, tell the Principal directly that you don’t want to join the Guardians.”
Cheng Yunshao suspected he was hallucinating, rather than doubting that Luo Shizhen had actually said those words.
He remained rigid, staring at the person before him.
the young Purifier’s gaze was as gentle as ever, and his tone was its usual earnest, methodical self. There wasn’t a hint of aggression on his face, yet every word felt like a needle to Cheng Yunshao’s heart.
“I’m serious. You think a Puppeteer is too fragile in the early stages and likely to die in a fight with a Bizarre. That’s a fact. If you become a Guardian, you’ll definitely have to face all sorts of Bizarres every day.”
“But if you quit and don’t become a Guardian, you won’t have to face them every day. Although there are many Bizarres out there now, the chances of encountering one will be much lower. You can safely improve your strength without worrying about being killed early on.”
Cheng Yunshao: “…”
He was shocked to realize that Luo Shizhen was being genuine; he was seriously giving him advice.
“No, things aren’t as simple as you think…”
Luo Shizhen was puzzled. “But that’s how it sounds to me.”
He held out his left hand. “Be a Guardian: 40,000 monthly salary, face danger, very likely to die.”
He held out his right hand. “Don’t be a Guardian: no need to be on the front lines, lower chance of death. If you want, you can wait until your rank is high before you go out.”
Luo Shizhen looked at him in confusion. “You just have to choose one.”
“Everyone has their own choices. You only need to choose what you want. When you make a choice, you should already be willing to accept the consequences of choosing wrong.”
If Chen Hean were here, he would have immediately recognized these as the words he had taught Luo Shizhen.
But Cheng Yunshao didn’t know. He fell into a deep silence.
He, who always prided himself on his quick wit, was actually at a loss for a response to Luo Shizhen’s blunt and simple logic.
“My own choice… indeed, it is my own choice.”
By staying and becoming a Guardian, he had already seen the future where he might die in battle with a Bizarre.
And no matter how much he agonized, Cheng Yunshao had never considered quitting.
At this moment, the resentment that had been in his heart ever since he discovered he had awakened as a Puppeteer suddenly vanished.
Most importantly, he could see in Luo Shizhen’s clear black eyes that regardless of what he chose, Luo Shizhen would support him.
“I’ll still be a Guardian.”
Cheng Yunshao let out a long breath. “The idea of hiding at home waiting for others to protect me just doesn’t sit right with me.”
Luo Shizhen immediately smiled and held out a fist. “Congratulations, you’ve made your own choice.”
Cheng Yunshao looked at those crinkled, bright eyes and raised his hand to bump fists with him.
As their hands touched, the corners of his mouth instinctively quirked up. He asked tentatively,
“Then what is your choice? Why do you want to be a Guardian?”
Was it because of Chu Xiao?
Xiao Shan?
Or Lu Qiujin?
Or perhaps, Chen Hean?
Cheng Yunshao had never thought about these things before, but now, he felt an almost desperate need to know.
Who was it that kept Luo Shizhen here?
“Because of the monthly salary.”
Cheng Yunshao: “…”
“The… monthly salary?”
“Yeah, the salary.”
Luo Shizhen made a gesture of ‘four’ with his hand, smiling happily.
“40,000 a month! That’s such a high income!”
Cheng Yunshao: “…Do you know that your status as a Purifier could allow you to amass wealth rapidly? Just the consultation fees from treating patients recently would be enough to buy a house.”
In order to fully replicate Zou Tangzheng’s life as a scammer, their consultation fees had been incredibly high.
After all, a scammer is in it for the money; they would never run a cheap business.
Luo Shizhen, however, had his own small-town logic: “That’s different. That’s unstable income. You still need a proper job.”
Cheng Yunshao: …A ‘proper job’ being a Guardian, where you basically keep your head tied to your belt and fight vicious Bizarres every day?
Luo Shizhen was giddy just thinking about his 40,000 salary.
“That’s just the base pay. We also have bonuses and various benefits. Oh right, I was looking over the Guardian salary and benefits package, and it didn’t mention the ‘Five Insurances and One Fund.’ Cheng Yunshao, I wanted to ask you earlier—you’re smart, you should know.”
“Since we Guardians have such a high death rate, can we still buy insurance?”
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