Chapter 259: Leave for Family Visit
Chapter 259: Leave for Family Visit
Lu Xin remained silent, his expression appearing somewhat vacant.
Actually, he had been able to sense Teacher Xiaolu’s fear a long time ago; he just hadn’t wanted to think about it.
But now, seeing the terror on her face, he still felt sorrowful inside.
Even he himself couldn’t tell if he felt this sadness because he saw Teacher Xiaolu was afraid of him, or because of the sight of Teacher Xiaolu—though clearly feeling fear—still forcing herself to try and comfort him.
He didn’t know why Teacher Xiaolu’s fear of him actually surpassed her fear of the dean.
That was originally the question he wanted to ask, but right now…
A certain amount of data had already popped up on the lens of his left eye, displaying her exceptionally strong mental fluctuations.
The psychic magnitude of an ordinary person was only around 10 units. Under normal circumstances, their own psychic radiation was almost undetectable. But when even these glasses had a reaction, it could only mean one thing: she was already experiencing an extremely intense emotional surge. Perhaps, with just a little more pressure, she would immediately collapse because of this…
How could he push her any further?
…
Lu Xin forced himself to put a smile on his face, though it was likely very stiff.
“I knew it, I do look quite fierce. When I lose my temper, it’s scary too…”
He struggled to make his voice sound calm, even wryly amused: “See, it even frightened you.”
“…Y-yes.”
Teacher Xiaolu was also struggling hard to cooperate with Lu Xin at this moment.
But no matter how hard she tried, her smile couldn’t return to how it was before, when nothing had happened.
These two people, each trying hard to convince the other they were okay, were awkward and clumsy.
“There…”
Lu Xin sighed softly, slowly stood up, and said to Teacher Xiaolu, “I have work this afternoon, so I’ll head out first.”
“You might have to wash the bowls yourself…”
“…”
Teacher Xiaolu seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she could only give a small nod.
Picking up his bag, Lu Xin slowly left the office, a heavy feeling weighing on his heart.
He lifted his gaze slightly and saw down the corridor and in the adjacent classroom, a bunch of small eyes holding lunch boxes watching him.
Children have sharp ears; they had probably already heard Teacher Xiaolu crying.
“Big Bro Strong, what happened?”
A boy with a runny nose sniffled, quietly asking the red-nosed boy.
The red-nosed boy looked deeply at Lu Xin, then said meaningfully, “Fighting.”
“Huh?”
The sniffling kid was surprised, even showing a flicker of delight: “Then do I have a chance?”
“You don’t.”
The red-nosed kid glanced at him. “You can’t even afford candy.”
Lu Xin walked through the midst of these softly gossiping, curious gazes, slowly descended the stairs. As he turned the corner on the third floor, the Security Guard Elder was sitting with a small table before him—set with one plate of shredded potatoes, one salted duck egg—cradling his small wine cup.
He sipped slowly, not lifting his head, speaking in a low voice as though not talking specifically to Lu Xin:
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not you she’s afraid of.”
“…”
Lu Xin glanced back at the elder, gave a slight nod, and continued downstairs.
Walking along the street, pale sunlight spilled down from above his head. Lu Xin felt a hollow emptiness inside.
He went first to the Guard Bureau to retrieve the Motorcycle he had left there. Riding it, he drifted aimlessly through the streets.
After all, motorcycles run on gasoline, so he rarely indulged in the luxury of driving around aimlessly. But today was different. For a while, he didn’t even feel like saving money. However, he soon stopped at a plaza…
…after all, the motorcycle runs on gasoline.
He sat on a bench in the plaza, slowly smoking a cigarette.
On a bench not far away sat a couple who looked very intimate, so sweetly close they seemed glued together.
The boy had a Rose hidden in the satchel behind his back, seemingly preparing to pull off a magic trick.
Lu Xin glanced at them, a touch of envy stirring.
But the envy quickly faded because he saw a third person appear between the two.
It was Little Sister. She was crouched on the back of the bench, watching the pair.
Soon her eyes lit up, and with a mischievous grin, she started plucking all the Rose petals off the stem.
“da da da da… tada!”
The boy exaggeratedly swung his arms and brandished a bare pole toward the girl’s face.
He was dazed, and the girl froze momentarily.
Then, one angrily stood up and walked away, while the other hurriedly chased after her, incessantly explaining.
Lu Xin’s mood instantly brightened considerably.
……
“Little Sister, I didn’t get the answer I wanted.”
When Little Sister crouched beside him, Lu Xin exhaled a thick cloud of smoke and spoke softly, “Actually, when I came to ask Teacher Xiaolu, the answer I longed for most was that she would tell me the dean was truly a good person, that all those things were just my strange thoughts. But in the end, I didn’t get the best answer, nor even a moderately bad one… I got the worst one…”
“So it turns out she was so… terrified.”
Little Sister hugged Lu Xin’s arm, rubbing her small head against it. “I’m not afraid of you.”
Lu Xin chuckled and didn’t call her out.
“Want to go out and play again?”
After pondering for quite a while, Lu Xin suddenly asked his sister with a smile.
Little Sister blinked, tilting her head as she looked at him, puzzled.
Lu Xin raised his head, gazing in the direction beyond the satellite city walls. “Isn’t it wonderful that people from the orphanage are still alive?”
“Moreover, according to that document, even the Old Dean might still be alive…”
“Truly, there are so many questions in my mind. I want to know what really happened back then, I want to know if all the people who deserved death are gone… Of course, if not all of them are gone, I wouldn’t mind letting them experience what they should experience again…”
……
As he said this, his expression was calm, as if recounting a minor incident.
But Little Sister, who had been clutching his arm, suddenly looked up alertly at Lu Xin’s face, her eyes wide and unblinking.
Lu Xin fell silent for a brief moment, as if sensing something off about his state.
After a while, a kind smile slowly reappeared on his face. “Anyway, I’m actually very happy right now. The orphanage back then was like a big, caring family. So every person from there is our family member. It was fine not knowing before, but now that we know someone from this family is still alive… how can I not go check how he’s doing?”
“As for these questions in my heart…”
A brilliant smile spread across his face. “When I greet him face to face, I’m sure he’ll be very willing to tell me, right?”
……
As Little Sister listened, her eyes gradually sparkled.
She suddenly threw her arms tightly around Lu Xin’s neck. “Big Brother, Big Brother, you know what?”
“Actually,” she whispered close to his ear, “we’ve been waiting a really, really long time for you to make this decision…”
……
Hearing his sister’s words, Lu Xin finally smiled brightly and happily.
Looking up, he saw Mother standing inside a high-end restaurant overlooking the Plaza on the second floor, nodding at him and smiling gently.
Even his own shadow beside the bench seemed to twist unnaturally for an instant.
A deep, chuckling sound rose… softly.
……
Logically, undertaking such a big task that required leaving the city should have involved convening a Family Meeting for discussion. But hearing Little Sister’s words just now, he knew this decision was already settled; there was no need to even wait for a formal Family Meeting.
The first step in undertaking this task was clear: request leave.
Lu Xin fished his Satellite Phone from his bag and dialed Chen Jing.
Chen Jing answered promptly, her voice cool and composed. “On what matter?”
Lu Xin was in good spirits. “Team Leader, good afternoon.”
“…Hmm.”
Chen Jing paused briefly, her tone softening slightly. “What happened?”
“Well…”
Lu Xin suspected she was likely very busy, yet had immediately dropped all her work to take his call. Feeling a twinge of guilt, compounded by the nature of his request, made him slightly embarrassed. Quickly gathering his thoughts, he spoke, “Uh, the reason for this call is… I need to take leave.”
“Leave?”
Chen Jing sounded surprised. “Aren’t you currently on your routine vacation after the mission?”
“Yes, yes.”
Lu Xin carefully considered his words. “But a few days probably won’t be enough this time. I need… to extend it.”
Chen Jing seemed to frown. “How many days?”
“…Perhaps around that long.”
The vagueness made Lu Xin struggle again. “It’s a bit hard to say right now.”
Chen Jing paused. “May I ask the reason for the leave request?”
“Well…”
Lu Xin thought for a moment. “Personal matters.”
Hearing his concise answer, Chen Jing’s voice softened marginally. After a brief pause, she said:
“You made significant contributions defending Qinggang against the Maritime Nation’s attack. Based on Contribution Points alone, you unequivocally qualify for promotion to Qinggang Tier-IV Special Talent. As such, you are entitled to special considerations from Qinggang. Therefore, even for personal matters, you can state your request. The Special Clean-up Department will assist however possible.”
“That probably won’t work.”
Lu Xin sighed softly. “This personal matter… I need to leave the city.”
Chen Jing sounded startled. “Where?”
Lu Xin reflected briefly. “Central City.”
“Central City…”
Clear sounds of commotion and surprise erupted from Chen Jing’s end, as if multiple people had gasped simultaneously.
This surprised Lu Xin. He hadn’t expected there to be so many people overhearing.
After a moment, Chen Jing’s voice regained its steadiness. “Can you tell us why you’re going to Central City?”
“That… wouldn’t be very convenient.”
Lu Xin felt awkward refusing his superior directly. Tentatively, he asked, “Considering it’s personal… would it be alright if I don’t specify?”
“Of course, that is your prerogative. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Chen Jing responded quickly, her tone tinged with apology, before shifting back to professional efficiency.
“Regarding your leave request, it can technically be approved.”
“However, your mission report for this deployment hasn’t been submitted. The documented changes correlated with your progression into the Second Stage are also incomplete. Furthermore, now that you are a de facto Tier-IV Special Talent, regulations dictate that regardless of your destination or purpose, you must submit a formal application. This allows the Special Clean-up Department to provide appropriate security protocols and informational support.”
“Ah…”
Lu Xin saw the logic in her points, feeling this call might have been too abrupt.
He finally responded softly after a long pause, “Then… I’ll go back and write up the mission report… and then… submit a formal application for leaving the city?”
“That is acceptable.”
Chen Jing gave a light laugh. “Your application needs to outline: the approximate distance/destination of travel, the proposed duration of your absence, and any requested supplies or equipment. Considering vast regions beyond the walls remain in Chaos, which poses considerable risk—especially given your single, brief prior excursion outside—it’s strongly recommended you receive specialized planning and potentially training.”
“Of course, this also helps us arrange coverage for your duties in Satellite City No.2.”
……
With that stream of information delivered, Chen Jing paused thoughtfully:
“Oh, one more thing, besides the points mentioned… shall we reserve a driver for you this time?” She added lightly, “The last stand-in driver… well, he lodged quite a few complaints afterward. So this time…”
“…We could notify him in advance.”