Chapter 53: Departure

Early morning.

"Yu Sheng, time to get up!"

"Get ready for the exam!"

Liu Qingfeng's voice was tinged with excitement, making it seem as though he was the one about to take the exam, especially in contrast to the calm Yu Sheng.

"Hurry up! Hurry!"

"This uniform is truly ugly!"

"What exactly have you and the Principal been studying?"

"Right, and don't forget your backpack."

"Take this with you!"

"After all, it has my handwritten words on it, which should bring you good luck!"

Liu Qingfeng was bustling about, trying to think of what else might be needed.

Yu Sheng simply watched silently, meticulously wiping a dagger and placing it within easy reach.

He checked if the crossbow was strung.

Several steel needles were attached to his uniform.

And a few indistinguishable pills. Finally... with a flick of his right hand, a blade appeared between his fingers and then vanished with another flick.

Liu Qingfeng, watching this scene, was somewhat entranced.

It didn't feel like Yu Sheng was preparing for an exam; it felt more like he was preparing to kill.

Moreover, most of the items had been modified to ensure they would pass through metal detectors.

...

"Let's go!"

They checked the recently updated address, which was just outside the city.

Not too far away.

Liu Qingfeng, with pride swelling in his chest, led the way.

Soon, they joined other students in uniform on the streets, each accompanied by a parent, all converging in the same direction.

Many parents were holding their children's hands. Liu Qingfeng tried a few times to do the same but eventually gave up.

In this way, Liu Qingfeng and Yu Sheng blended seamlessly into the crowd.

Nothing seemed out of place.

...

"Remember, keep the battle area as far away from the crowd as possible."

"If there's trouble, evacuate the public immediately."

"Of course, the Cult wouldn't dare go too far; they couldn't withstand the wrath of Mo Pavilion for the consequences that would follow."

"So, this is likely just a confrontation between awakeners."

"But still, keep your spirits up. If anyone dies in a pathetic manner, believe me, I won't even apply for your bereavement fund!"

Not far from the city gate, at a breakfast shop, Luo Yun looked around and spoke in a low voice.

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for An Xin, who seemed somewhat distracted, tilting her head, lost in thought.

"Is there a problem?" Luo Yun asked, glancing at An Xin.

An Xin shook her head, her twin ponytails swaying gently in the air: "I was just wondering why Mo Pavilion is so sure... that the Cult will let these students leave unharmed..."

"After all, logically speaking, since the Cult has come to Mobei to cause destruction, there’s nothing more impactful than harming these students..."

"So... it doesn’t make sense."

An Xin's smile had faded, and she furrowed her brow slightly.

Luo Yun wasn't surprised, biting into a bun with relish: "At the end of the day, the Cult is just a bunch of profit-first zealots."

"They may be mad, but they aren't foolish."

"You might be smarter than all of us, but you're still just an intern and haven’t had much contact with the Cult."

"Let me give you a lesson today."

As he spoke, Luo Yun swallowed the rest of his bun in one gulp, looking rather fierce, his words slightly muffled: "If you look at every move the Cult makes, you'll see that each action has its own profit motive."

"Some benefits aren’t immediately apparent, merely because we haven't discovered them yet."

"These people don’t differentiate between humans or demons; they only see benefits."

"But the reason the Cult has survived is because of their vigilance and caution. Compared to Mo Pavilion, they'd shatter on contact."

"So they don't overly provoke Mo Pavilion, usually just targeting awakeners."

"To avoid provoking Mo Pavilion’s wrath to the point where, even at the cost of chaos at their rear, they would eradicate them entirely, understand?"

"So this confrontation... ultimately, it’s still between us and Mo Pavilion, not much to do with ordinary people. The only thing to watch out for is to avoid accidentally harming those civilians when things really start to escalate."

After finishing the last sip of soy milk, Luo Yun sprawled contentedly in his chair, a picture of ease.

For them, it seemed that only when they were sent on missions could they enjoy a good meal.

After all, no one knew... after the mission ended, if there would be another chance... to have such a meal again.

The other team members felt the same, the four burly men slumped uniformly, forming a striking scene.

Only An Xin still wore the somewhat solemn expression from earlier.

She understood all that Luo Yun had said.

Though her experience was limited, it didn't mean she was naive...

The Cult... profit above all.

But profit also drives people to madness.

If the benefits were sufficient, even facing Mo Pavilion would not be daunting.

However... looking at the four simpletons across from her, An Xin swallowed her words back down, thinking it better to believe that Zhao Qingyi was a chuunibyou girl than to expect serious discussion from these Reserve Forces members.

...

This morning, the entire city of Mobei carried a subtle, tense atmosphere.

The air seemed heavier.

Wang Wenxuan, Zhao Qingyi, An Xin, Luo Yun... prominent awakeners, known throughout the province, were all gathered in this small city.

And they were being very conspicuous, with no intention of hiding their movements.

It was as if they were declaring...

I'm right here, come at me if you dare!

Oozing with bravado.

At the rooftop of a high-rise in the city center, a God-Servant youth was scanning the surroundings with a telescope, while behind him stood several unusually excited individuals, dressed no differently from ordinary citizens.

"Has everyone arrived?"

"What exactly does the God-Envoy plan to do, and the God-Attendant is nowhere to be seen."

"Am I just cannon fodder?"

"Damn it!"

He cursed under his breath, his mood darkening as he read a text message that had just appeared on his phone. It was brief:

'Strike now, crush the student group, mask your identity, stir chaos in Mobei.'

The text was sent by the God-Attendant.

The young man stared at the message, his face grim. He knew how Mo Pavilion valued the ordinary citizens and students; this was Mo Pavilion's bottom line.

If he acted rashly, the only outcome would be...

Mo Pavilion launching a relentless purge, and his likely fate would be death.

"Am I really just cannon fodder?"

The young man looked toward the east city gate where crowds were still leaving the city. His expression was indifferent, showing no intention of taking action. Instead, he took a deep breath and addressed the excited followers behind him: "The God-Attendant said to wait a bit longer!"

"The divine glory will descend upon this land sooner or later, and when that time comes... we will all be divine."

"All we need to do now is to patiently wait."