The two girls sat side by side.
One leaned toward the left.
The other leaned toward the right.
It was as though an entire galaxy separated them.
Everyone on the shuttle bus belonged to Cen Wu’s new class.
No one chatted with each other.
They were either minding their own business or resting with their eyes closed.
The bus was incredibly quiet.
Lu You couldn’t stand the silence.
More than that, she couldn’t stand not being the center of attention.
“Classmates, let’s sing together!”
She took the lead, her childish voice ringing through the bus.
The students: “…”
Even Teacher Jun, who was seated near the front, felt secondhand embarrassment for Lu You and stepped in to ease the situation.
“I suggest everyone get some rest. After we get off the bus, we’ll have to walk quite a long way.”
Lu You was stunned.
Why were the teacher and classmates in this class so cold toward her?
Based on her previous experiences, shouldn’t everyone have joined her in singing?
Even if they didn’t want to sing, perhaps the people of Base No. 18 had simply never heard such a beautiful song before.
But how could no one compliment her melodious singing voice?
Back at Base No. 9, she only needed to perform a little, and countless people would rush to praise her.
After sulking for a while, Lu You caught sight of Cen Wu playing with her wristband.
She finally felt that an opportunity had presented itself.
She let out a soft scoff before taking a communicator out of her white lace handbag.
“This is so boring. I’ll just go online for a while.”
Lu You deliberately leaned closer so Cen Wu could see her communicator.
Of course, Cen Wu understood exactly what she was trying to do.
She immediately closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
As for why she didn’t simply take out her own communicator?
Because she had spent too much time online the day before, Xie Yuanchuan hadn’t slept well.
Early that morning, he had confiscated both her and Cen Yuxing’s communicators.
Then he had confidently declared,
“Children aren’t allowed to bring communicators to the academy.”
Cen Wu remained calm on the outside.
Inside, she was pounding an imaginary wall with all her might.
She wanted to go online too!!!
Seeing Cen Wu act like an unmovable dead pig that wasn’t afraid of boiling water, Lu You wished she could pry her eyelids open and force her to look at the custom-made communicator in her hands.
Unfortunately, Cen Wu didn’t give her the slightest chance.
It was infuriating.
…
The familiar hissing sound of the bus doors opening echoed beside them.
They had arrived.
Cen Wu glanced at her wristband.
It had taken them three hours to drive here from Base No. 18.
Ordinary people usually traveled no farther than twenty kilometers when gathering supplies.
Just how far had they come today?
“Students, all of you are Ability Users who have awakened Innate Abilities. Whether you like it or not, once you grow up, you will all serve Base No. 18.”
Standing atop a large rock, the principal raised a loudspeaker in one hand and shouted,
“I’ll personally lead the experienced students. Teacher Jun will take charge of the newcomers. But don’t worry—we’ll do everything we can to ensure your safety.”
After finishing his brief speech, he casually wandered over beside Cen Wu and cleared his throat.
“Work hard while gathering supplies. If you discover any previously undocumented species, I’ll apply for a reward from the higher authorities on your behalf.”
Lu You assumed those words were directed at her.
Clenching her little fists, she smiled brightly.
“Don’t worry, Principal. I’ll do my best!”
The principal: “…”
Who was talking to you?!
Cen Wu didn’t care whom he had been speaking to.
With both hands in her pockets, she walked over to Teacher Jun to collect a basket.
Teacher Jun’s group consisted entirely of younger Ability Users.
There were quite a few of them.
After handing everyone a basket, she held up the textbook in her hand.
“It’s time to put what you’ve learned at the academy into practice.”
“If you encounter mutated plants or animals, you may collect or eliminate them directly. But if you come across frenzied mutated species, you must contact a teacher first. Understood?”
Lu You obediently nodded.
When she turned her head and saw that Cen Wu, Cen Yuxing, and another boy were all wearing masks, she immediately asked Teacher Jun for one as well.
Teacher Jun spread her hands helplessly.
“They brought those themselves.”
Lu You bit her lip in dissatisfaction.
Although the fog was thick, it currently posed no real harm to the human body.
Yet somehow, the three of them looked effortlessly cool wearing masks.
For someone like Lu You, who never wanted to blend into the crowd, that only made her want one even more.
Carrying her little basket, she walked over behind Cen Yuxing and Chu Yueyue and tapped them both on the shoulder.
“Your masks are really unique.”
Cen Yuxing nodded proudly.
“Of course. My younger sister custom-made them.”
Chu Yueyue’s voice came out muffled through his mask.
“No wonder they’re different from the ones sold at the base. My throat doesn’t even itch as much anymore.”
Lu You waited for a long time.
Not a single person offered to give her a mask.
After listening to all that nonsense for nothing, her expression darkened.
Just then, Zhao Zhao caught up to them, panting.
“Lu You, what a coincidence.”
Already irritated, Lu You had no desire to respond to him.
“Cen… classmate,” Zhao Zhao said, “my dad told me that boys should be gentlemen. If there are girls traveling with you, you should take better care of them.”
Cen Yuxing answered with complete seriousness.
“You and I aren’t traveling together.”
He turned toward his sister.
“Little Wu, I’m going to find my own partner.”
Cen Wu chuckled and waved him off.
Chu Yueyue rolled his eyes at Zhao Zhao.
“Come on. Are you planning to stay here and expect the girls to protect you?”
Zhao Zhao’s male pride immediately flared up.
“That’s nonsense! I just came over to say hello to Lu You.”
The two of them continued bickering as they walked away.
That left only Cen Wu and Lu You.
The moment their eyes met, both saw the same impatience reflected in the other’s gaze.
Slipping her basket over her arm, Cen Wu stepped into the thick fog first.
Perhaps because of what Teacher Jun had said earlier, Lu You suddenly felt that every breath she took without a mask was like inhaling moldy cotton.
“What’s the point of being pretty if you have no social awareness at all?”
she muttered before following Cen Wu into the mist.
After walking less than fifty meters, she spotted a cluster of mushrooms growing beside a pile of rotting wood.
Their blood-red caps were longer than her forearm.
Their surfaces were coated in sticky slime, making them glisten with an oily sheen.
Lu You had never seen mushrooms like these in her textbook.
She thought about picking one to bring back.
If it turned out to be an unregistered species, she would earn glory for Base No. 9.
After putting on a pair of protective gloves, she bent down.
Just as her fingers were about to touch one of the stalks—
Someone forcefully yanked her arm backward.
Smack!
The pain nearly brought tears to Lu You’s eyes.
“Cen Wu! If you wanted all these mushrooms for yourself, there was no need to hit me!”
Cen Wu merely gave her a cold glance.
“Haven’t you ever heard that the brighter a mushroom’s color, the deadlier it is? If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you.”
Lu You froze.
Still unconvinced, she argued,
“I’m wearing gloves! Even if it’s poisonous, it can’t poison me.”
“But it releases spores. Breathe them in, and your lungs will rot.”
Cen Wu continued walking without a care.
“I’m wearing a mask anyway. If you still want to pick it, go ahead.”
Lu You immediately lost her nerve.
Now that Cen Wu had mentioned it, she suddenly seemed to catch a faint, rotten fragrance drifting from the mushrooms.
Cold sweat instantly broke out across Lu You’s back.
She hurriedly held her breath and rushed after Cen Wu in just a few quick steps.
“Wait for me!”
Cen Wu stepped around the decaying log and onto a patch of unknown ferns.
Putting on her gloves, she carefully picked the tightly curled young shoots growing on the ferns, each one coiled into the shape of a lollipop.