Once both of them relaxed, they chatted idly in the hospital room, drifting from one topic to another.
One day passed just like that.
The next afternoon, after the doctor finished Lu Ren’s physical examination and confirmed that everything was fine, Lu Ren was successfully discharged.
After returning to the school dormitory to pack his things, Lu Ren took one last, lingering look at the school.
Then, he turned his head away, saying a final goodbye to the place.
The car picking them up drove forward steadily.
The driver, who was also the Chief of the City A Monster Response Department, Xu Panfeng, excitedly introduced their new living arrangements to them.
According to Director Xu, he had personally selected and arranged their new residence.
It was fully equipped with convenient appliances like washing machines and air conditioning.
They could move in immediately after putting their things away.
Furthermore, the new residence was exceptionally close to a certain grand hotel — a trip of less than 20 minutes.
If Lu Ren wanted to have morning tea, he only needed to go downstairs and walk for a short while to get there.
Although Lu Ren was somewhat uncomfortable with Director Xu’s enthusiasm, he still thanked the elderly man in a soft voice.
Director Xu waved his hand magnanimously, saying that what he did were just minor things that could be settled with money.
However, Magic Girls had to put their lives on the line to fight.
They should enjoy themselves while they could and not worry about all that nonsense regarding life and death.
Hearing Director Xu’s rambling words, Lu Ren’s lips twitched, not knowing what to say.
It wasn’t until they arrived downstairs at the new residence and helped them move their clothes, computers, and other belongings into the house that Director Xu finally waved and bid them farewell.
Watching Director Xu’s receding figure, Lu Ren leaned back on the sofa and breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest for a bit, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
“Who is it?”
Xu Wenxing was a bit puzzled, wondering who would come looking for them. He walked straight to the door and opened it to look outside.
To his surprise, he saw a calm-looking, black-haired girl standing at the door, waving slightly at him.
Standing behind her was a girl with glasses, a bowed head, and a fine figure.
“Good afternoon, Xu Wenxing.”
“Oh, hello, Miss Jiang Yuening. And this is…?” Xu Wenxing looked at the girl behind Jiang Yuening with a hint of suspicion.
“Meteor. You can also call her Lin Yiyi.”
“She — she’s Meteor?!”
Xu Wenxing suddenly started shouting, looking the beautiful girl with glasses up and down with excitement.
He hadn’t expected his luck to be so good — he was actually meeting the true identity of his favorite Magic Girl in person.
Although the real Meteor appeared introverted and shy, and wore glasses, seemingly having nothing special about her other than her outstanding appearance, she was still incredibly cute!
“Ah… H-hello.”
As if frightened by Xu Wenxing’s excitement, Lin Yiyi subconsciously took a few steps back and greeted him timidly.
Noticing Xu Wenxing’s behavior, Jiang Yuening coughed twice and said sternly, “Mr. Xu Wenxing, please calm down. We have serious business to attend to later, and it’s not appropriate to waste too much time here.”
“Oh, right, right.”
Reminded by Sapphire, Xu Wenxing realized his previous loss of composure.
He calmed down, nodded to the two girls, and invited them into the house to sit.
Once the two were seated on the sofa, Xu Wenxing closed the door and served tea to the three Magic Girl Transformation Users.
He asked curiously, “Did you come to see me for something? Could it be about my pre-job training?”
“Exactly. We’ve come for that very reason.”
Jiang Yuening picked up the black tea and took a sip, her eyebrows relaxing.
Even though the tea was brewed from black tea that only cost a few dollars, this young lady didn’t show the slightest hint of disdain.
“Director Xu told us the location of your new residence. It just so happens that Meteor lives nearby as well. So, after discussing it with Meteor, I decided to conduct specialized training for you every day from 9 AM to 2 PM.”
“Does that mean you’re going to teach me theoretical knowledge?”
“You could understand it that way, but what we teach will be more practical and grounded than the textbooks outside.”
“Meaning what you teach will lean more toward actual combat?”
“Of course. Since you said you wanted to help, we will certainly spare no effort in making you a reliable member of the support staff.”
“Well, that’s true.” Xu Wenxing scratched his head. “Then I’ll be in your care for the next few days.”
“It’s no trouble. And to be honest, you should say thank you to Lu Ren.” Jiang Yuening gently swirled her cup, blowing away the rising steam.
“If he hadn’t helped our City A Monster Response Department so much, City A would have been in a dire situation long ago. We wouldn’t be able to live so peacefully.”
“A crisis? How is that possible? Didn’t the latest reports say the casualty rate has dropped…”
“Nothing is impossible. The strength of the Shadow Beasts City A has encountered over the past few months is the strongest in the world so far, without exception. It’s to the point where Monster Response Departments in other cities are privately saying that City A is the headquarters for the Shadow Beasts.”
Before Xu Wenxing could finish his rebuttal, Jiang Yuening interrupted him directly.
She took a sip of tea and dropped a bombshell known only to insiders, her expression remaining unchanged.
Hearing Sapphire say such words personally, Xu Wenxing was completely stunned.
He looked at Lin Yiyi, who was sitting with her head down in silence, and then at Lu Ren, who was reading a novel on his mobile phone.
He asked hesitantly, “Then what is the situation in City A now? Has there been any assistance?”
“Of course there has, since City A currently has the highest combat intensity,” Jiang Yuening replied.
“But to be honest, those reinforcements haven’t been very useful. Sending resources only improves our quality of life; it would be better to transfer Magic Girls from other cities to help.”
“Well, there are so few people becoming Magic Girls now, and special talents who meet the criteria are becoming rarer. Other cities wouldn’t let them go, would they?”
“Exactly. No one wants their own area to suffer major casualties because of a lack of special talent — that would lead to facing a firing squad,” Jiang Yuening sneered.
“So they all rejected City A’s application, stating that resources are negotiable, but people are off the table.”
“This…”
“Don’t worry. The frequency of Shadow Beasts appearing in City A isn’t as high as it used to be. As long as nothing happens to us, City A will be fine.”
Jiang Yuening drained the tea in her cup. “We’ve strayed a bit far. Let’s talk about the training.”
“Oh, okay.”
Xu Wenxing hurried to nod. He couldn’t help but look at Lu Ren, who remained silent beside him, feeling a bit uneasy.
He had originally thought the battles in City A were just minor skirmishes, but he hadn’t expected the intensity to be so high.
‘How much effort and how high a price did Brother Ren pay for this city?’
No wonder Brother Ren was qualified to be a Magic Girl despite being male.
If he wanted to keep up with Brother Ren’s footsteps, he would have to work even harder from now on.