Chapter 208 – The Precious Young Masters and Misses
Tu Ran emerged from the interrogation room; it was already five in the afternoon.
She hadn’t eaten anything since seven in the morning. For a long time in between, she had been fighting, consuming a lot of energy, and she was now so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back.
Her [Diamond Body] had replenished some of her energy, but it was far from enough.
She needed to go to a convenience store near the Inspection Department to buy some quick meals, then hurry back to the Pandalin District. She wouldn’t be off duty until seven in the morning tomorrow.
Tu Ran couldn’t help but internally complain about the person who had designed this work schedule.
Twenty-four hours of work, twelve hours of rest.
Is this schedule something a normal human could handle?
After mentally cursing for several rounds, Tu Ran finally felt a bit relieved. The elevator stopped on the first floor.
Tu Ran crossed the bustling lobby, bought some nutrient solutions and rice balls from a 24-hour convenience store, quickly finished them, and then took the suspended train to the Pandalin District.
She first went back to her hotel in the Pandalin District, where she pulled out the laser gun parts hidden on her body one by one, placed them in a bag, and hid it in the farthest corner of the wardrobe.
Then, she contacted logistics to send a new combat helmet.
Her previous combat helmet was lying in pieces on the floor of the Sankar Arsenal.
She had changed combat helmets so quickly that within just a few days, she had already gone through two.
Her salary for this month was completely gone.
Feeling slightly sad, Tu Ran took a car to the Pandalin District’s Executive Branch meeting room.
Only one genetic monster had appeared in the Pandalin District today, and it had already been dealt with by the pioneers stationed there. Tu Ran went to the meeting room to remain on standby.
A few people were gathered in the meeting room, scattered around. No one was in the mood to talk; they silently sat in their places, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere that had been there in the morning.
A fellow pioneer from the same batch as her had sacrificed his life just a few hours ago.
He was unfortunately assigned to Xie Hong’s team. In the eastern zone, under Xie Hong’s command, everyone was wiped out except for Xie Wei, who managed to escape. This included the five second-generation pioneers that Xie Hong had been leading.
Other pioneers leading second-generation pioneers also suffered losses. For instance, in the team led by Xiao Di, one pioneer was completely devoured by several genetic monsters. In Min Tao’s team, two pioneers suffered severe head injuries and are now lying unconscious in the medical department’s nutrient pods.
These individuals had just graduated from the training base yesterday, and today they were hit with such heavy blows. The mood among everyone was particularly somber.
Compared to them, Tu Ran’s team remained the most intact.
They were among the best of the second-generation pioneers, with considerable strength. Additionally, Tu Ran was lucky; the southern zone, which she was responsible for leading, did not have swarms of large genetic monsters or explosive hazards. The dangers in the southern zone, compared to other zones, were much lower.
“Tu Ran… Senior.”
Seeing Tu Ran enter, several people stood up, their expressions somewhat uneasy.
“Sit,” Tu Ran said, hooking a chair with her foot and sitting down. “How’s your injury?”
Shen Yunhe looked up, knowing she was asking him, and quickly replied, “I took off my clothes just in time. It’s only a minor burn. I’ve already had two doses of restorative agents, and it’s healed now.”
“And the rest of you? How are you? I didn’t have time to check on you all during the battle,” Tu Ran asked, looking at the remaining four.
“We didn’t sustain any serious injuries either. A few doses of restorative agents took care of it,” the others replied.
“That’s good,” Tu Ran nodded, then glanced at Xiao Di, who was also in the meeting room. He was deeply mired in guilt over losing a team member.
Tu Ran walked over and patted Xiao Di’s shoulder in an attempt to offer comfort. She wanted to say something reassuring but couldn’t find the right words. She wasn’t very good at comforting people, especially those grieving the loss of a life; verbal consolation seemed inadequate.
Xiao Di felt her concern and managed a bitter smile, pulling at the corners of his mouth.
In Tu Ran’s view, this was a time when those emotionally scarred needed a break to recover. However, the relentless demands of the capitalist system wasted no time. Even after experiencing life-and-death situations, they were expected to return to duty immediately.
“Ding ding—”
The communicator vibrated twice.
Tu Ran looked down to see a task notification.
They were required to go to an aristocratic middle school in the Pandalin District to escort the students who were about to graduate this year to the Songwu Research Base for a study visit.
Tu Ran’s fingers clenched at her side, her jaw tightened, and her face grew as cold as frost.
The Songwu Research Base was one of many experimental facilities within the institute. It housed a variety of exotic species, including live specimens and preserved bodies of these creatures.
Most of these exotic species were brought out from the Threshold by pioneers. Some were parasites that had escaped from pioneers and fled to various cities, only to be captured again by pioneers.
Overall, these creatures were accumulated at the cost of countless pioneer lives.
None of the research labs in the institute were open to the public. Given that a middle school was sending students there for a study visit, Tu Ran didn’t need to investigate the school’s name further to know it had to be an elite aristocratic school, and one of the top-tier ones at that.
She glanced at the name of the school, searched for related information online, and quickly confirmed her suspicion.
Indeed, it was a school that even ordinary nobles couldn’t attend.
It was the Federation’s top-tier middle school.
It was reputed that half of the senior officials in the Federal Government graduated from this school.
No wonder they were allowed to visit the research institute, and no wonder they could have their Pioneer Team escort them.
Tu Ran sneered inwardly. This was the Federal Government for you. They wouldn’t care that the Pioneer Team had just been through a major battle, with some members losing their teammates and deeply grieving.
The upper echelons would never experience such things; they only cared about ensuring their next generation got to learn about alien species up close and personal. Since there was significant risk in such proximity, they required the Pioneer Team to escort them personally.
Aside from Tu Ran, everyone else also received the task notification.
Tu Ran glanced at Xiao Di and then addressed the others, “You all take some time to adjust your mindset here. I’ll handle this task.”
Xiao Di gave her a grateful look.
Shen Yunhe, He Leqin, and the others picked up their weapons and stood up, following Tu Ran out.
As they pushed open the door, they bumped into Diao Hongzhi, who was about to enter.
Tu Ran couldn’t be bothered to even glance at him. She walked past him without a word.
The five people behind her, seeing her attitude, were unsure of the situation but resolutely followed Tu Ran, ignoring Diao Hongzhi.
Diao Hongzhi, however, directly called out to her.
“Are you six going?”
Tu Ran turned around, her gaze fixed on him. “And so?”
“Six people won’t be enough. With so many students, if even one of them gets hurt, it will be your fault!” Diao Hongzhi craned his neck into the meeting room, shouting, “What are you still sitting around for? Six people can’t possibly handle this task properly. Those young masters and misses are precious; you can’t afford any mistakes!”
