Chapter 86 part 1
“It’s hard to say.” Even though Cheng Yunshao still had a heart full of melancholy, Luo Shizhen’s stroke of genius left him completely drained of his temper.
“However, if a Guardian is sacrificed, the state issues a pension to the family. The amount is roughly this much”.
He performed a casual search and handed his phone to Luo Shizhen.
Luo Shizhen gasped in amazement. “That’s so much!”
Cheng Yunshao felt a bit strange. He remembered that Luo Shizhen had no living relatives. Even if there was a pension, who would it be issued to?
It wasn’t a question he could easily ask, but Luo Shizhen had already volunteered the information himself.
“I filled in Chu Xiao as my beneficiary. If I really am sacrificed, Chu Xiao will help me visit my grandmother’s grave”.
Cheng Yunshao felt an indescribable sensation in his chest. “You two really have a good relationship”.
To even list each other as beneficiaries.
Luo Shizhen answered naturally, “Of course. We grew up together. Chu Xiao and I are each other’s only family”.
Cheng Yunshao thought to himself that it was no wonder Xiao Shan and the others found Chu Xiao so eyesore.
Luo Shizhen was kind to everyone, but his affection for Chu Xiao was irreplaceable.
However, even with such a massive head start, Chu Xiao had only managed to secure the title of “family member.” He was truly useless.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yunshao’s expression improved slightly.
Luo Shizhen studied Cheng Yunshao’s face but couldn’t read anything into it, so he just asked directly:
“Are you okay now?”
Cheng Yunshao: “I’m fine”.
He was just about to say thank you and keep Luo Shizhen for a few more words of conversation when he saw that, having received his answer, Luo Shizhen stood up immediately.
Luo Shizhen hadn’t noticed at all that Cheng Yunshao wanted to keep chatting; his departure was utterly devoid of lingering attachment.
“It’s good that you’re okay. I’m going back to my room to pack my things, too. Remember to pack after you’ve rested a bit”.
The young Purifier smiled at him and headed straight back to his room.
Cheng Yunshao: “…Okay. Go ahead”.
He watched Luo Shizhen’s retreating back, unable to stop himself from wondering: what kind of person was Luo Shizhen, really?
He was gentler and more tolerant than anyone, yet he also detached himself faster than anyone.
It was as if everyone else was suffering over the upcoming separation, yet Luo Shizhen had quickly accepted the fact and begun anticipating his career as a Guardian.
He didn’t even seem worried about being separated from his best friend, Chu Xiao, yet at the same time, his sincerity and friendship remained genuine.
How could one person embody such a mix of deep affection and cold detachment?
Back in his room, Luo Shizhen didn’t think about such complicated things and seriously began packing his luggage.
Separation was something he was quite accustomed to.
From elementary school to junior high to high school—wasn’t every graduation a parting?
Close teachers and familiar classmates would all leave Luo Shizhen’s life with every step up the educational ladder.
To him, even if they weren’t assigned to the same squad, it was fine.
They could chat online, or meet up for a meal when they were free, just like they did when Zhang Cai visited.
Perhaps their relationships might fade over a long period of not seeing each other.
But that was okay, too, as long as everyone was doing well.
After finishing his packing, Luo Shizhen thought of something and opened his Penguin app to send a message.
[The “Love and Care” Classmate Group]
[Kill Wu Song joined the group]
[Whole Family Die Out joined the group]
[. joined the group]
[Who is Prettier: Me or My Pet Dog joined the group]
[2D Equation joined the group]
[Bro, Give a Hug joined the group]
The Penguin group, which originally had only three members, suddenly surged to nine.
Yet, despite having nine people, no one spoke for a while, and the chat fell into a strange silence.
Even in the digital space, it felt as though they were all warily scrutinizing each other.
Only Luo Shizhen was diligently maintaining the group.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence changed nickname to Luo Shizhen]
Luo Shizhen: [Now that there are more people, everyone should change their nicknames to their real names so it’s easier to recognize each other.]
Cheng Yunshao looked at the various names in the group and thought to himself that even without changing to real names, they probably all knew who was who.
With nicknames like those, it was hard not to recognize them.
Inside the crowded yet silent classmate group, everyone began changing their names one after another.
Out of a class of twenty-eight, their group now held a third of them. Luo Shizhen was quite satisfied with this result for his first group creation.
It made his effort in seeking out Zhang Chuan to learn group management experience worthwhile.
Though some of the management tips Zhang Chuan gave were quite bizarre, such as:
“The group leader must maintain a cold attitude in the group to facilitate management”.
“The group leader cannot private chat with group members or send personal photos to avoid chaotic management”.
“The group leader should not send voice messages; text communication is more convenient, but no communication is best”.
Luo Shizhen studied these seriously, feeling that just as he had thought, being a group leader was indeed difficult, with so many tricks to learn.
Seeing the member count at “nine,” Luo Shizhen sent another message.
Luo Shizhen: [We have nine people now. Should we ask the other classmates if they want to join?]
The group members, who had been warily testing the waters, immediately exploded with messages.
Rong Nian: [Don’t ask. Nine is enough.]
Ying Liu: [Yes, this is fine. Don’t ask them; they don’t like joining groups anyway.]
Chu Xiao: [You aren’t familiar with them, so it’s inconvenient for them to join. This is perfect.]
Cheng Yunshao: [While more people might seem lively, in my experience, larger groups are hard to manage. We’re going to be very busy, so let’s not.]
Lu Qiujin and the others also sent messages, their thoughts aligning with everyone else. Essentially, they all meant that the current setup was great and there was no need for extra members.
Luo Shizhen: [Okay, then we won’t add anyone else~]
After this episode, the group was no longer as silent as before; at least everyone was willing to chat more.
They were terrified that if the group fell idle, Luo Shizhen would think there were too few people and try to add more.
But they didn’t have much to talk about, so eventually, the conversation drifted toward missions.
Ying He: [So that was your mission. I heard that Bizarre is at least Rank 7. Guillotine has taken the case.]
Ying He @Luo Shizhen: [Have you guys left that area yet? Pack up and leave early. There was a case last week where a High-Rank Bizarre was being hunted and took a Low-Rank Guardian hostage to threaten Yongzhou. These Bizarres are getting smarter and smarter.]
Luo Shizhen: [We’ve already packed. Leaving now.]
The very first thing taught at school was to never approach danger if your strength didn’t meet the standard.
In fact, the same applied to ordinary people. You could hardly see crowds gathering to watch commotions anymore; most people turned and ran the moment they heard an uproar on the street.
The group boarded their vehicle and set off. This time, Sui An did not protect them from the shadows but sat openly in the car.
As it turned out, he was right to do so.
Just as the vehicle drove out of the city area, the road ahead exploded.
Exploded in a literal, physical sense.
First came a thunderous boom, then a dark shadow plummeted from the sky above the vehicle, crashing directly onto the roof.
A dent immediately appeared in the car’s ceiling.
Luo Shizhen, who had been using his laptop to write his case-closing report, was startled by the commotion and instinctively looked toward Sui An sitting next to him.
Sui An remained as calm and lazy as ever. “It’s fine. It’s someone from Guillotine”.
The car stopped and the group got out. Sure enough, a young man in a combat uniform who looked somewhat familiar patted the dust off himself and jumped down from the roof.
“Yo! What a coincidence. Hello, students”.
The young man’s arm appeared to be broken, hanging at a twisted angle. He gave it a slight twist, and with a few sickening cracks, the arm rapidly grew back and returned to normal.
Upon seeing Luo Shizhen, his eyes lit up. “Little Purifier, we meet again~ I heard you were the ones who discovered this High-Rank Anomaly~”
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