Chapter 52: The Gathering of Companions

The scent of cooking smoke began to drift from the camp, signaling the end of classes.

Considering the numerous exchanges and sparring sessions among the reservists, quite some time had elapsed since classes concluded.

Evidently, it was now dinner time within the camp.

From a distance, Lu Zhichuan gazed into the camp, where a comfortable recliner was positioned beside the communal campfire.

Although he possessed a pass, it didn’t grant its holder unrestricted access to the camp.

After all, the training program for reserve magical girls involved promising candidates from the ‘first generation.’

Beyond mere safety, their privacy was also of paramount importance.

Consequently, the camp operated under strict lockdown whenever it was in use.

Only in rare, urgent circumstances were Peacekeepers permitted to enter for rest or to render aid.

At present, a considerable number of City Defense Army personnel were scattered throughout the forest, persistently escorting out anyone who had ‘strayed’ within its bounds.

Their patrol duties would persist until this particular squad of magical girls departed the camp for their actual ‘training ground.’

This pass merely ensured Lu Zhichuan wouldn’t be expelled; the camp designated for them was considerably more primitive.

It consisted solely of a campfire, a cleared patch of ground, and a few self-service portable outdoor essentials.

Today, Lu Zhichuan wore a simple tracksuit, his pass dangling from his neck.

At this moment, he was leisurely engrossed in the book he held.

It was safe to say that not every parent possessed the abundant time, energy, or even the necessary sense of urgency for such matters.

Consequently, the information Lu Zhichuan had acquired indicated that typically, not many would attend as companions.

Furthermore, the absence of intercity expressways meant relying on one’s own methods to traverse nearly an entire district.

Undeniably, such a journey still demanded a significant investment of time.

Fortunately, from Lu Zhichuan’s perspective, all necessary precautions and preparations had already been meticulously completed.

Indeed, having Su Qingyao present was, in itself, the greatest assurance.

A faint smile played on Lu Zhichuan’s lips.

His finger brushed against a page, turning it over.

Suddenly, Lu Zhichuan’s hand froze. Concurrently, the distinct crunch of fallen leaves echoed from not far off.

“Well, it seems this is the temporary camp, then.”

A boisterous voice followed closely after the rustling leaves. As Lu Zhichuan looked up, a woman in a brown overcoat approached, a cigarette-shaped hard candy held casually between her lips.

A blue pass dangled from her wrist, swaying with each step she took.

“If you’re looking for the Peacekeepers’ camp, you’ll need to head a bit further in that direction,” Lu Zhichuan offered, pointing towards the main camp with a friendly gesture.

He discerned that this woman, who already bore a somewhat weathered appearance, was also a Transcended belonging to the magical girl branch.

There were always subtle differences in how Transcended individuals were treated, especially between those of different branches and those within the same.

At the very least, gaining entry to the camp wouldn’t be an issue for them.

“Oh, no, no,” the woman demurred, waving an empty hand as she took a moment to push the hard candy further into her mouth.

“If I were to go over now, both my child and I would find it quite awkward. This arrangement is perfectly fine as it is.”

“My name is Lin Yushu. May I ask what I should call you, friend?”

“Lu Zhichuan,” he replied, offering a gentle smile.

For the time being, they would be spending some time together, and fostering a congenial relationship certainly wouldn’t be detrimental.

“Are there others coming besides myself?”

“Yes, there are. However, they likely headed straight for the camp,” Lu Zhichuan paused, then added with a slight chuckle, “They’ve probably just been turned away by the gatekeepers.”

“Heh,” Lin Yushu chuckled, a clear, uninhibited sound.

Reflecting her age, Lin Yushu’s voice carried a slight, appealing hoarseness.

Rather than detracting, it lent a certain charm to her tone.

“In that case, I definitely shouldn’t go.”

Lin Yushu surveyed her surroundings, quickly grasping the utility of the sparse arrangements.

She pulled out a box-like stool and settled onto it.

Scarcely had Lin Yushu settled down, and Lu Zhichuan had only turned a couple of pages in his book, when the faint sounds of conversation drifted over from a distance.

“Ah, I told you so. These people are keeping a truly tight watch on those children.”

A man in a suit, clutching a folder, emerged, flanked by a man and a woman whose faces were etched with worry.

A pair of stereotypical gold-rimmed glasses perched on the suit-clad man’s nose.

Lu Zhichuan had previously discerned, by the aura that lingered around him, that this man was most likely a Transcended of the “Anomaly Scholar” branch.

The exact sub-branch remained unclear.

The man and woman, who appeared to be a couple, were easily recognizable as members of the “Mage” branch.

Dressed in robes over light armor, each clutching a staff, their affiliation was hardly a mystery.

“Oh, hello, Little Brother Lu.”

The man in the suit, who had earlier introduced himself as Fang Yuan, greeted Lu Zhichuan first before turning his gaze towards Lin Yushu. “May I inquire about this lady’s name?”

“Oh, Lin Yushu,” she replied.

Lin Yushu, her eyes narrowed and the candy still in her mouth, waved a hand in greeting.

“Miss Lin—my name is Fang Yuan, the ‘Yuan’ as in ‘distant.’ These two are Yan Mi and Bai Pingping.”

Fang Yuan expertly facilitated the exchange of names.

Among the five individuals present, Fang Yuan had naturally assumed the role of conversation facilitator.

“I had hoped I might at least see my daughter during dinner,” Bai Pingping sighed, a note of dejection in her voice.

On her round cheeks, her eyebrows and the tightly squeezed wrinkles layered together, resembling a mille-feuille pastry.

“Ah, well, I’ll see her tonight anyway. Oh, and by the way, you can just call me Old Yan.”

Yan Mi wore a pair of round-framed glasses, which lent him a distinctly scholarly air.

Despite his appearance, his voice was anything but reserved.

“I was wondering, besides the five of us, will anyone else be joining?”

Lin Yushu inquired, a hint of perplexity in her tone.

Fang Yuan, naturally, was the one to answer. “Actually, everyone arrives at irregular intervals.”

“Little Brother Lu was naturally the earliest, followed by me an hour later. Old Yan and his group arrived last, only half an hour after me.”

“As for you, Ms. Lin, you must have arrived not long after Old Yan’s group—considering they immediately tried to head towards the main camp.”

“Judging by this pattern, it’s likely quite a few more people will be gathering here with us.”

As Fang Yuan speculated, Lu Zhichuan’s attention drifted to the wind.

A faint breeze rustled the fallen leaves. A branch, falling precisely before him, seemed to be guided by an invisible hand, sketching a crooked numeral ‘nine’ upon the earth.

“There are four more people.”

Lu Zhichuan lowered his book, interjecting into the burgeoning discussion among the parents.

“How do you know that, Brother Lu?”

Rather than questioning the veracity of the claim, Yan Mi’s immediate concern was the source of the information.

“I happen to know an insider.”

Lu Zhichuan smiled faintly. “Incidentally, they might be arriving a little later than expected.”

“Why is that?”

Fang Yuan inquired, his curiosity piqued.

“Because they’ll be causing the City Defense Army, who are just about to wrap up their shift, to work overtime—”

“Oh, those people detest trouble above all else.”

Yan Mi burst into uninhibited laughter, his face alight with sudden realization.

“If that’s the case, then yes, absolutely.”

Possessing a clear understanding of the City Defense Army’s eagerness to finish their shifts, the group exchanged knowing smiles. Lu Zhichuan, meanwhile, covered half his face with his book, only his eyes visible above the spine.

****

“Seriously, Senior Lu Zhichuan called just for this trivial matter?”

Su Qingyao leaned on her wooden staff, murmuring with a soft sigh.

While the City Defense Army had established a field nearby to block both electromagnetic and magical communications, it was evidently no match for the Blue Witch’s abilities.

She simply hadn’t anticipated just how inconsequential the matter Senior Lu had called about would be.

Next time he called, she vowed to let it ring for a good while before answering.