48: Chapter 48 Are you free tonight?

Lu Cheng followed the crowd into the auditorium. It was brightly lit, and the long tables were laden with fruits, energy drinks, and some high-calorie food.

The tense atmosphere from the playground had finally relaxed a bit here.

Many students gathered in small groups, whispering about the awards ceremony that had just taken place, and some would occasionally sneak glances at Lu Cheng.

He had originally planned to find a corner with Xia Xi to grab a bite to eat, but when he looked up, he saw two familiar figures.

Qian Duoduo was holding a plate and devouring meat with gusto, his mouth stuffed full. Beside him, Qian Shuying stood ramrod straight, holding only a glass of water, completely out of place compared to the overly relaxed students around them.

Lu Cheng walked over and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you guys from Rongwu Private High School?"

Qian Duoduo swallowed a mouthful of meat, looked up, and chuckled. "That's right."

Lu Cheng looked around, then back at the siblings. "Then why are you here at the No. 3 High School party?"

Qian Shuying looked at Lu Cheng, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. The smile was faint, but it softened the usual coldness about her.

She gently swirled the glass in her hand and continued, "Someone might come to talk to you in a while, so I stopped by to check on the situation."

"Talk to me?" Lu Cheng's eyes twitched, and the corner of his mouth spasmed.

He was about to ask more, but the auditorium door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. With a creak.

The students near the door subconsciously quieted down and turned to look.

Two soldiers walked in. Lu Cheng recognized the one in the back; it was Instructor Qin Feng.

But the one who really caught his attention was the female officer walking in front of Instructor Qin Feng.

She was tall with a sharp, crisp uniform, her shoulders and back held straight. With her clean-cut short hair and stern features, she exuded a tough aura.

Instructor Qin Feng followed half a step behind her; it was obvious that she was his superior. And her rank was likely not low.

The auditorium, which had been a bit noisy, quieted down significantly.

The female officer scanned the room, quickly locked eyes with Lu Cheng, and walked straight toward him.

Qian Duoduo forgot to chew the meat in his mouth and hurriedly scooted to the side.

Xia Xi had been getting a drink on the other side, but seeing the situation, she immediately walked over quickly and stood next to Lu Cheng.

The female officer walked up to Lu Cheng, stopped, and raised her hand in a standard military salute. Her movements were crisp and sharp.

"Hello." Her voice was clear and carried the crispness typical of a soldier. "I am Commander Ji Yunlan."

After speaking, she looked at Lu Cheng, her tone very polite. "Sorry to bother you... I wonder if you have time to have a quick chat with us, Student Lu Cheng?"

Lu Cheng's gaze fell on her face, then naturally swept toward her shoulders. The next second, his eyelids twitched slightly. A Major? And so young?!

Lu Cheng withdrew his gaze and nodded. "I do. May I ask what this is about?"

Commander Ji Yunlan didn't answer immediately, instead glancing at the students nearby who were pricking up their ears to eavesdrop, then scanning Xia Xi and Qian Shuying.

"This isn't very convenient. Please follow me."

After speaking, she turned and walked toward the conference room on the side of the auditorium. Instructor Qin Feng followed quietly, as upright as he was during daily training, though there was a hint of complexity in his eyes when he looked at Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng and Xia Xi exchanged glances, then looked at Qian Shuying, and all three followed.

Qian Duoduo also wanted to follow, but as soon as he took a step, a look from Qian Shuying pinned him in place. "You stay here." "Oh."

Qian Duoduo obediently shrank back, his heart itching with curiosity, and he could only take a fierce bite of a chicken leg to calm his nerves.

The conference room was not large, brightly lit, with tables and chairs neatly arranged, and the air smelled faintly of woody cleaner.

After Commander Ji Yunlan walked in, she gently closed the door. Instructor Qin Feng stood by the door without speaking.

Commander Ji Yunlan turned around, looked at Lu Cheng and the others, organized her words briefly, and then got straight to the point. "Hello, my name is Commander Ji Yunlan. I am here primarily for two matters."

She took a long, rectangular box and a sealed document envelope from the black briefcase she was carrying and placed them on the conference table.

"First, this is in recognition of Student Lu Cheng's performance this time." She pushed the box over. "The military has prepared an extra gift for Student Lu Cheng: a pair of C-grade shoes engraved with acceleration runes."

Then, she tapped the document envelope. "And the reward for eliminating the illegal martial artist: three hundred thousand in cash. The paperwork is complete, and it will be deposited directly into your account after you sign to confirm."

Lu Cheng's eyes brightened when he heard the first half. When he heard the second half, they brightened even more. Three hundred thousand? Plus a pair of C-grade rune shoes? The military was indeed more generous than the school.

He reached out and opened the long box. Inside lay a pair of black combat boots. The material looked high-end, and there were fine silver patterns on the surface, with faint fluctuations of Source Energy circulating.

Although Lu Cheng didn't know the specific market for rune equipment, he knew that anything labeled C-grade would definitely not be cheap.

Xia Xi glanced over, also a bit surprised. "Shoes with acceleration runes... The Military District is really generous this time."

Qian Shuying's gaze swept over the shoes, her eyes flickering slightly, but she didn't speak.

Commander Ji Yunlan waited for Lu Cheng to finish looking before continuing. "The second matter..." At this point, she slowed down her speech, and her gaze fell on Lu Cheng's face.

"I heard that the talent awakened by Student Lu is called Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck, which can judge auspiciousness and inauspiciousness." "We, the Military District, have a rather special operation recently."

"So, I would like to ask, is it possible for Student Lu to serve concurrently as a special operations personnel for the Military District?"

As soon as these words came out, the air in the conference room tightened. Lu Cheng frowned slightly; getting involved with the Military District would certainly have many benefits.

Resources, status, protection, and even having an extra layer of weight behind him if he encountered trouble like the Zhou Family in the future.

But the fact that the Military District had to specifically come to find him meant that this matter was definitely not simple. And what was his current strength? Body Refining Realm. If he really threw himself into some special military operation, if one link went wrong, his life would be over.

Lu Cheng frowned slightly and tapped his finger gently on the table. "What would I need to do?"

Lu Cheng was not the type to get carried away and agree to everything; his strength was too weak... every step needed to be taken with caution.

Commander Ji Yunlan looked at Xia Xi, then at Qian Shuying, seemingly hesitant. But in the end, she let out a breath and lowered her voice slightly. "To be precise... we need your help."

Xia Xi's expression changed immediately upon hearing this. She stood up almost immediately, causing her chair to slide backward. "Absolutely not."

Her tone was sharp, her eyes fixed directly on Commander Ji Yunlan. "Not to mention that Lu Cheng just suffered such serious injuries; he hasn't even fully recovered yet. And he is just a student!"

Instructor Qin Feng, by the door, twitched his mouth, his expression a bit stiff.

Commander Ji Yunlan stood where she was, neither refuting nor getting angry, only tensing her shoulders slightly.

Seeing that the atmosphere was wrong, Qian Shuying reached out and grabbed Xia Xi's wrist, whispering, "Miss Xia... calm down." Even for the eldest daughter of the Xia Family, it was not appropriate to speak to a Major like that.

Xia Xi bit her lip, her chest heaving a few times, but she didn't sit back down, only lowering her voice a bit. "I just don't agree."

After calming her down, Qian Shuying looked up at Commander Ji Yunlan, her tone returning to steady. "Military District matters are still a bit too early for us students."

"However, for this reclamation operation, the Qian Family will increase its support for the military."

This statement carried a lot of weight. For a family of the Qian Family's level, resources, manpower, and material supplies could all significantly reduce the pressure on the military.

Commander Ji Yunlan listened, was silent for two seconds, and nodded. "Thank you, Miss Qian."

After she finished speaking, her gaze fell back onto Lu Cheng, with a trace of fatigue that was hard to suppress in the depths of her eyes.

Lu Cheng also noticed something unusual at this moment. He stared at Commander Ji Yunlan for a few moments; her hands were trembling slightly. The amplitude was very small, so small that ordinary people wouldn't notice it at all. But Lu Cheng's perception was much stronger than before, and he still saw it.

It wasn't nervousness... it was that she was suppressing something, suppressing it for too long, and she was almost at her limit.

Commander Ji Yunlan seemed to realize that her state was not quite right; she slowly clenched her palms and withdrew them to her sides. Her voice remained steady. "In that case, thank you, Miss Qian, Student Lu. Sorry for the disturbance this time."

After speaking, she cupped her fists at them and turned to leave. Instructor Qin Feng, standing by the door, clearly wanted to say something else; he opened his mouth, but in the end, didn't say a word, and could only follow Commander Ji Yunlan out of the conference room.

After the door closed, it was quiet inside for a few seconds. Lu Cheng leaned back against the chair, his eyes full of inquiry. "What exactly is going on?"

Xia Xi took a deep breath, her face a bit pale. She sat back down, her voice much lower. "After the beast tide that day, an Ancient Ruins was unearthed deep in the Wasteland Zone."

"The danger coefficient is extremely high. That ruin is very strange; after entering, all electronic information becomes invalid—positioning, communication, life monitoring, all useless."

"Not a single one of the first two batches of soldiers who went in came out."

Lu Cheng's brow furrowed even tighter. Ancient Ruins. These three words didn't sound like anything good. And to be able to make the Military District this anxious meant that the problem inside had already exceeded the scope of conventional handling.

Xia Xi continued, "They suspect that there is some kind of special rule in that ruin, and ordinary reconnaissance methods are completely useless." "That's why they targeted your talent."

"Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck such a capability, if it could really judge the direction of danger inside, it would be too valuable to the Military District."

After listening, Lu Cheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table, not speaking immediately. Qian Shuying also spoke up at this time. "Regarding the Ancient Ruins, the Qian Family has also received some news."

"It might be something left over from the last century... or even earlier. It's very dangerous inside..." She looked at Lu Cheng, her tone serious. "That's why I refused on your behalf just now."

Lu Cheng looked up at her. Qian Shuying's expression was calm, but her eyes were cold. "It's too early for you to go now."

Xia Xi also immediately added, "Right! This kind of thing is not for you to worry about. If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up."

That was what she said. But the anxiety in her eyes hadn't lessened at all; she knew that this matter was far more serious than it appeared on the surface.

But at this node in her dream, she was just an eldest daughter who didn't concern herself with worldly affairs, and she had very little information about this Ancient Ruins... She only knew that later, Rong City paid a huge price for it, but the specific details had always been suppressed, and it wasn't until a long time later that she heard a few words from her father.

By the time she had the ability, this matter had long since passed. There was very little she could do, so she was even less likely to let Lu Cheng get involved early.

He was silent for a few seconds, then closed the box containing the combat boots again. "Alright, I understand."

When they came out of the conference room, the atmosphere in the auditorium had mostly recovered; many people were still eating and chatting, obviously unaware of what had been discussed next door just now.

Qian Duoduo immediately came over, his face full of gossip. "How was it? Is the Military District going to specially recruit you?"

Lu Cheng glanced at him. "Why do you care so much?"

Qian Duoduo patted his chest. "Nonsense, I have to hug your thigh in advance!"

Lu Cheng chuckled. "Then you can hug it now. It's cheap; pay a five-thousand deposit first." "No problem!!"

They joked around for a few sentences, which diluted the oppressive feeling from the conference room earlier.

The rest of the party didn't have any more trouble. Everyone ate and drank, chatted about the events in the Wasteland Zone this time, and exchanged contact information.

It wasn't until 9 PM that the people in the auditorium gradually dispersed. The students walked out, still not wanting to leave, and the school gate was brightly lit, with many cars parked on the side of the road to pick people up.

Lu Cheng walked out of the school and stretched his shoulders. The night wind blew on his face, carrying a bit of chill, and he felt much more awake.

Xia Xi was picked up by her family's car, and before getting in, she didn't forget to turn back and warn him, "Don't run around lately," her tone like she was checking up on him.

The Qian siblings also left. After walking for a while, he realized there was someone else walking the same way as him. Su Wan.

She was carrying her school bag and walking very quietly; the streetlights stretched her shadow into a long, thin shape. The two walked side by side for a while, neither speaking first. The atmosphere was a bit subtle.

Lu Cheng had been thinking that she hadn't even sent a message since being discharged from the hospital these past two days, but just as he thought of this, Su Wan beside him suddenly spoke. Her voice was very soft. "Lu... Lu Cheng."

She actually stammered when she called his name. Lu Cheng turned his head to look at her. "Hmm?"

Su Wan's fingers gently gripped the strap of her school bag, the tips of her ears slightly red, and she didn't look at him. After two seconds, she asked in a low voice, "Are you... free tonight?"