As the plane completed its ascent, Xia Youhui couldn't contain his excitement. His eyes gleamed as he eagerly observed the vast sea of clouds outside.
Suddenly, he said, "Ah Chu, do you think when we get there, we might face missile attacks or something before the plane even lands?"
"...Can you say something encouraging?" Chen Chu was dumbstruck.
If they encountered a missile attack in the air, he and the other novice cultivators could basically do nothing but wait for death. Even if they were at a low altitude, parachuting wouldn't guarantee a safe landing.
"Hehe... I’m just nervous," Xia Youhui chuckled.
Chen Chu cast a sidelong glance at him. "First time on an airplane, huh?"
Xia Youhui rolled his eyes. "Says you, Ah, Chu, as if you’ve been on a ton of flights yourself. Things are different from fifty years ago. Airplanes are considered a risky way to travel now, and no one does that unless they have to."
"Alright, the plane still has a long way to go. I'll take a nap first." Chen Chu smiled. Of course, he wouldn't mention how he used to throw up every time he traveled for work by plane. He closed his eyes, appearing to be asleep; in reality, his consciousness shifted over to the armored beast, beginning today's hunt for prey.
The key to the armored beast’s growth was eating, just like in the beginning. Most of the biological energy gained from food became nutrients for physical growth, and eventually, the essence was extracted and transformed into evolution points.
As a result, the armored beast was either eating or on its way to find food. It rarely returned to the den during the day, instead submerging itself in the riverbed mud whenever it had its fill to lurk in wait. To ensure the growth didn’t slow down and remained consistent, Chen Chu had to allocate half of his energy every day to his avatar, making him appear busy.
During the long journey that followed, Chen Chu would only wake up during meal times. Every other moment was spent resting with his eyes closed.
Xia Youhui looked at him with envy. He wished he could also be that composed.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Chen Chu was jolted awake by a sudden roar. Just as he opened his eyes, he noticed commotion inside the cabin from his fellow classmates.
At the cabin door, a flight attendant promptly shouted, "Everyone, please remain calm, please remain calm. We've just encountered a flock of ordinary mutated birds."
Just then, a resonant low growl echoed through the cabin, shaking everyone to the core. The somewhat disoriented students were all instantly alert and fell silent.
Pang Long stood at the door to the first-class cabin and said in a deep voice, "As cultivators, we should remain calm and steady even if the sky falls. Stay sharp and observe everything around us. In a situation where we're not sure about the circumstances, you’re already in chaos. How absurd!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
While Pang Long was giving his speech, Chen Chu saw missiles hanging under the wings take off, spouting flames as they shot out. At the same time, the cannons beneath the cabin roared continuously, and the recoil made the aircraft shudder slightly.
A violent shock erupted with a thunderous roar. Even Pang Long couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly. "They even deployed the energy cannons."
After a few minutes, the roaring of the cannons tapered off, soon after followed by the news that the group of mutated birds had been completely annihilated.
"So thrilling!" Xia Youhui exclaimed, his hands trembling with excitement.
Chen Chu shook his head. "It might be thrilling, but the feeling of not being able to control your own safety isn’t."
In the next hour, they encountered several more attacks from ordinary mutated birds. It seemed that there were many mutated beasts in the area the plane was currently traversing.
Once they passed completely through, however, there were no more unexpected incidents. They flew for over three more hours and finally arrived at their destination, Leisteru City.
They had departed a little after ten in the morning, and due to the time difference, it was already evening when they reached Leisteru. The temperature was also a bit lower than in Wujiang. From the plane, they could see that the city below was in ruins. Many areas were nothing but rubble, with collapsed buildings and damaged roads.
Once they landed on the runway, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, then proceeded to disembark one by one.
The airport they were now in was somewhat dilapidated and not very large. The distant tower buildings gave off a sense of antiquity, looking like they had been built several decades ago.
On the side of the runway, a group of soldiers dressed in black combat uniforms was already waiting. Pang Long and the other two teachers walked over and engaged in a quiet conversation with the officer in a second lieutenant's uniform, as the students waited in the distance.
Chen Chu idly looked over the desolate airport, then shifted his gaze to the submachine guns and rifles the soldiers were carrying. These guns were somewhat different from ordinary firearms. They had a larger caliber, longer barrels, and gleamed with a black metallic sheen all over. They looked heavy and powerful just at a glance.
Chen Chu could also sense the aura of First Heavenly Realm cultivators from those soldiers. Unlike the students, however, the soldiers' vitality and auras were more steady and profound. Over ten soldiers seemed to blend into one entity, lacking the liveliness that the students exhibited.
At that moment, Pang Long walked back over and said, "Everyone, line up, collect your weapons and armor, then go to the building over there to put on your gear."
Chen Chu's expression sharpened. They were being instructed to put on their armor right after getting off the plane. Could it be that the situation here wasn’t as optimistic as he had imagined?
He quickly received his long saber and a suitcase, then walked over to the indicated building. When he opened the suitcase, he found a set of black and red folded combat armor.
Following the provided instructions, he picked up the equipment and started putting it on. First, he put on pants made of special steel wire, then attached the lightweight, yet tough alloy pieces to his thighs, knees, and shins.
Next came the upper body armor. Except for the joints, to allow for movement, the front, back, shoulders, and arms were all covered with lightweight alloy. Following that, he put on special gloves and metallic combat boots.
Finally, he picked up the futuristic helmet, almost entirely made of the same reinforced alloy aside from the viewport shielded with bulletproof glass.
With these sets of equipment, all of the students’ demeanor suddenly transformed. They exuded solemn auras, resembling super soldiers from the future.
Xia Youhui, holding his helmet, came in front of Chen Chu, showing off. "Ah Chu, do I look good?"
Chen Chu nodded. "Not bad, you look somewhat decent."
"What do you mean 'somewhat decent?’ I look strong and domineering," Xia Youhui protested.
With a height of 1.85 meters, Xia Youhui appeared well-built after putting on the body armor. If he was to wear the helmet, there would be no trace of the youthful look of a sixteen-year-old.
Chen Chu was similar. With the continuous improvement in his physique, coupled with his cultivation and a well-nourished diet, his height had skyrocketed to 1.82 meters in the past two months. Compared to the robust Xia Youhui, however, he had a more balanced figure, the classic inverted triangle shape.
With the black and red combat armor, he looked even more heroic. Several female students couldn't help but brighten up at his handsome and unparalleled appearance when they saw him walking out.
Noticing their gazes, Xia Youhui looked resentful. "Ah Chu, I feel like I need to keep my distance from you when we go out in the future."
"Why?" Chen Chu, with the long saber on his back, looked puzzled.
"No particular reason, it's a man's choice."
Chen Chu was completely confused. "What nonsense."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the other students, each carrying weapons like long sabers, swords, staffs, and even some unique ones, such as Xia Youhui’s massive spiked shield, wider and taller than a person, and Li Hao’s three-meter-long pillar, as thick as a thigh.
Looking at everyone who had geared up, Pang Long said, "The road to Leisteru City from here was completely destroyed when the Federation launched its attack, and it has not yet been repaired. We will have to travel roughly a dozen kilometers by foot to pass through the destroyed section. There will be personnel carriers waiting for us on the other side.
"The current situation in Leisteru City has not been stabilized yet, and we are the first batch of freshmen to arrive. The Federal Army only controls the city area, and there are still small groups of rebels resisting in the outskirts and beyond.
"There is a chance that we might be attacked later. Everyone needs to put their helmets on to avoid injury in the event that they catch us by surprise. Understood?"