Chapter 89 Too Pretentious

Chapter 89: So Extra

Zhong Wan stood before a small stall, while Lu Wenchuan, expressionless, devoured a pile of food, clearly helping his guide finish the leftovers.

"Fang Ran, look," Zhong Wan gestured towards the food on the stall.

Fang Ran followed his gaze.

Fried meat chops? What’s so special?

But the texture of the meat... its color...

Mutant boar meat again?

If it were just one stall, it might be an anomaly, but with so many vendors selling it... that suggests District 5 has a substantial supply.

"Fang Ran, do you remember?" Zhong Wan asked, a conflicted look on his face. "We saw this back at the camp too. I didn't dare try it then and always regretted it. Should we give it a go today?"

Fang Ran smiled, about to reply, but the Sentinel behind him spoke first.

"This meat is delicious and super nutritious. You should let your partner try it—guaranteed to make him full of life."

Fu Zhangzhou approached at that moment.

His expression had returned to its usual calm, a meat skewer still dangling from his lips.

"Look how good my Fang Ran is to me," he winked at Zhong Wan. "He fed me himself, wanting me to boost my energy."

"Alright!" Zhong Wan finally made up his mind. "Boss, give me five portions! No—ten portions!"

His words made Lu Wenchuan, standing beside him, blanch. But the Sentinel didn't dare object and could only silently take out his terminal to pay.

"Coming right up," the stall owner responded to Zhong Wan, skillfully frying the meat chops. "You've got good taste, young man. This is a specialty of District 5."

A specialty of District 5?

Fang Ran was puzzled. How did mutant boar meat become a District 5 specialty?

Hesitantly, he asked, "Boss, this meat of yours..."

"Ah, it might look a bit unusual, but it tastes great," the stall owner replied, clearly accustomed to the question. "Don't worry, we source it from the Hua Yan breeding farm. It's not always available, so you're in luck today."

"Really?" Zhong Wan asked curiously. "Hua Yan's breeding farm can raise mutated animals?"

"Yep," the vendor nodded. "I heard it was approved not long ago. They're the only ones in the Federation doing it."

The stall owner was quite talkative, continuing enthusiastically, "But I heard they only raise mutated animals with low danger levels and no harmful traits. Otherwise, with the farm so close by, regular people like us would be scared. Hahaha!"

Fang Ran drifted into thought as he listened to their conversation.

Breeding mutated animals?

District 4 isn't too far from here, yet we haven't heard much about it.

There's a large stretch of farmland northwest of District 5. If they're confident enough to breed mutated animals, what about mutated plants...?

He instinctively glanced toward the northwest of the safe zone but, upon turning, noticed Fu Zhangzhou looking up, gazing at the statue in the center of the square.

Fang Ran followed his gaze upward.

The statue depicted a female Sentinel with short hair, gripping a longsword and looking up at the sky. Even with its somewhat blurred features, the imposing aura of someone who could stand against an army was still palpable.

This was actually quite common in the Federation.

To commemorate pioneers who sacrificed their lives in major battles, many squares and parks erected such statues.

The prototypes could be Sentinels, Guides, or even ordinary people without superpowers.

The Federation government seemed to use this method to remind humanity how many had shed blood and flesh to build the hard-won peace they now enjoyed.

Fu Zhangzhou was still looking up, seemingly entranced.

The August sunlight was too glaring, making it impossible for Fang Ran to fully discern his expression. Yet, he felt the Sentinel seemed different at this moment, with a faint, almost imperceptible hint of emotion in his eyes.

Perhaps sorrow, or maybe nostalgia.

Fang Ran’s mind raced with possibilities.

Was the statue modeled after someone Fu Zhangzhou knew? A friend? Or even... a relative?

At that moment, he only wanted to be closer to the Sentinel, so he took Fu Zhangzhou’s hand.

The Sentinel shifted, finally snapping out of his trance, and looked at him.

The two locked eyes amid the bustling crowd.

Fang Ran pointed at the statue, but Fu Zhangzhou shook his head, his gaze seeming to say:

I have you. That’s enough.

Fang Ran’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

He didn’t understand what was happening to him and could only look away from the Sentinel, turning back to look at the statue.

His eyes fell on the statue’s base. Perhaps due to the distance, the name on the plaque was blurred in the glare of the sun. Unable to make it out, he was about to pull the Sentinel closer for a better look when a chorus of shouts rose up.

"Look, look!"

"They’re here!"

A large crowd had gathered on the other side of the platform, many pointing and shouting toward a certain direction in the sky.

Fang Ran turned and saw a large airship approaching.

The emblem on its body was all too familiar—Fang Ran had seen it countless times during his first mission.

Black with blue stripes: it was the Guardians.

Zhong Wan, also distracted by the noise, looked toward the sky. "Isn’t that the Guardians’ airship? What are they doing here?"

"District 5 has always been the Guardians’ headquarters," the stall owner in front of him replied. "Their main base isn’t far from here."

"They’re holding an event here today, which is why we came out to set up shop."

The airship hovered above the square and came to a stop, apparently preparing to land.

Black-clad staff began to disperse the onlookers from the ground, and some media crews were even setting up cameras around the perimeter.

"They're still so flashy, like celebrities on a public outing," Zhong Wan complained again.

The airship descended slowly under the gaze of the crowd in the square.

As soon as it landed, figures emerged from within.

Zheng Mingyu, dressed in a crisp white uniform, led the way, followed by a team of Sentinels, cutting an impressive figure.

He glanced at the crowd in the square, immediately eliciting countless screams.

"......"

So pretentious.

What’s there to even scream about?

Back when I read the book, I never thought the male lead was this showy.

Fang Ran glanced a couple of times and lost interest. Just then, his terminal buzzed, and a message popped up.

"Fang Ran, I’m here."

The message was from Lu Tang.