Like Yesterday

"Lu Ran."

"Hm?" Lu Ran put down the red cloth and turned to look at Beauty Jiang.

She was wearing a white raincoat that matched her fair and beautiful face, looking pure and serene.

The girl asked, "Did you level up?"

Lu Ran smiled, "Guess."

Did this scene not play out a few days ago?

Jiang Ruyi rolled her eyes at Lu Ran, annoyed and amused. "Who cares."

With his proud and confident demeanor, anyone could guess the answer.

"Heh heh." Lu Ran grinned.

Still daring to use chopsticks when I'm treating you to a feast? I'm bringing out the plastic bags again!

Sorry, everyone.

I'm showing off again!

"Good!" Deng Yutang shouted, startling Lu Ran. "You learned Immortal Hoof too, right?"

Lu Ran nodded as if it were obvious. "Don't worry."

Deng Yutang's heart settled. Brother Lu truly lived up to his expectations.

He was envious of his companion for leveling up again, and felt a slight pressure.

But the joy in his heart was greater. After all, the stronger Lu Ran was, the higher the survival rate for everyone in the team!

Especially with the Divine Technique Immortal Hoof, Lu Ran's movement speed would be faster, allowing him to better connect the whole team and provide support everywhere!

"So amazing," Tian Tian looked up at Lu Ran, her small mouth slightly agape.

Lu Ran looked at Tian Tian's adorable little face and couldn't help but reach out and pat her head.

Even though they were the same age, the well-behaved and cute Tian Tian always gave him the feeling of a little sister?

"Mmm." Tian Tian lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, not daring to dodge.

It was Goddess Jiang who mercifully rescued her people, pulling Tian Tian behind her and shielding the petite figure.

"Everyone assemble! Line up according to your team number!" On the podium, a male teacher holding a microphone commanded loudly.

The playground was in chaos, but the teacher's voice continued, "Today, you will participate in a city defense operation to protect this city!"

Amidst the male teacher's lengthy speech, the students finished lining up.

The playground was solemn, and the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.

Compared to the previous Evil Dog Village assessment, this fifteen-person city defense was undoubtedly a hundred times more dangerous!

As their homeroom teacher Li Yanzhu had said before, today there would be no soldiers to filter out the weakest evil spirits for the trainees to practice on.

Tonight, a single misstep could truly be fatal!

"Attention!" the male teacher said loudly, "The teams whose numbers I call will come to the front of the podium one by one."

Deng Yutang suddenly spoke, "I think I saw my sister."

"Oh?" Lu Ran looked into the distance, searching for Great Nightmare's figure.

As expected, amidst a sea of dark raincoats, he saw a bright yellow figure.

"Your sister has a pretty high position, doesn't she?" Lu Ran whispered as he leaned behind Deng Yutang.

In front of the podium, a group of Moon Gazers were neatly lined up, and Great Nightmare was standing to the side with five other people.

Deng Yutang shook his head. "She's only been working for a few months, what kind of position could she have?"

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly. Then this position... is it because she's from the City Bureau?

Highly likely.

Even if Deng Yuxiang was just a nobody in the Cloud City Divine Affairs Bureau, in Rain Alley City, she was sent down from a higher authority.

"...Team number 33!"

"Team number 57!"

"Team number 98!"

"Here!" Deng Yutang instinctively responded, his voice loud and clear.

Under the gaze of the trainees, the four-person team quickly moved through the ranks and arrived in front of the podium.

"These ten teams are each assigned a Moon Gazer leader and will carry out their mission at the West District Gymnasium," the male teacher said solemnly. "From now on, obey the Moon Gazers' arrangements in all matters!"

As he spoke, men and women in black raincoats came to the front of their respective teams.

The Moon Gazer leading Team 98 was a middle-aged man with a rather kind face.

"Let's go," the man said first, waving to the four of them.

Deng Yutang took the lead and followed.

However, as he reached the side of the rostrum, Deng Yutang greeted, "Sis."

Before, Deng Yutang's voice was loud and clear, but now he seemed reluctant to greet her, yet afraid not to speak.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, was very forthright and waved his hand, "Hello, Sister!"

"Mm." Deng Yuxiang ignored her own brother and scrutinized Lu Ran.

She tilted her head slightly, her posture quite nonchalant, "Little Lu Ran, don't you dare die."

"That's why you're my sister." Lu Ran directly gave her a thumbs-up, "You really know how to show concern!"

"Heh heh~"

"Haha." For a moment, several colleagues from the City Bureau burst into laughter.

"You brat," Deng Yuxiang also cursed with a laugh, "Get lost!"

Deng Yutang: "."

Deng Yutang, who had been unwilling to greet her earlier, suddenly felt neglected.

What's wrong with me?

Ever since I was little, I've tried to avoid her, so what's going on today?

Lu Ran didn't say anything further but raised an eyebrow, his expression inquisitive.

Deng Yuxiang reacted quickly and immediately understood what Lu Ran was asking.

Her smile faded slightly, and she gently shook her head.

"Alright then." Lu Ran sighed inwardly and followed the team away.

"Is Little Deng your sister?" the team leader, Moon Gazers, asked Lu Ran.

"His." Lu Ran patted Deng Yutang's back, "If she were my sister, I wouldn't have lived this long."

Moon Gazers looked at Deng Yutang with a strange expression.

Deng Yutang could only nod.

Maybe she is my sister. Although... she doesn't seem very familiar with me, but she should be.

"Sir, what should I call you?" Lu Ran asked.

The man introduced himself, "Zhang Feng. You can call me Brother Zhang.

I'm from the Moon Gazing Squad of the Rain Alley City Divine and Human Bureau, and I'm a Sword Lotus Believer."

Jiang Ruyi looked at the girl beside her and whispered, "We've met a senior brother."

Tian Tian looked curiously at her fellow believer. Just then, Zhang Feng's expression turned serious, "From now on, until the mission ends, you will obey orders!

This post is not a child's play. You must be responsible for your own lives."

"Yes!"

"Yes." The responses from the others were also serious.

Ten small teams boarded the Divine and Human Bureau's bus and drove through the deserted streets towards the West District Stadium.

Rain Alley City had many shelters, and Lu Ran was quite familiar with this stadium in the West District.

Just last month, on the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, Lu Ran had spent the night here.

As the vehicle entered Stadium Road, he saw the circular building in the distance, and Lu Ran felt a sense of unreality.

This time last month, he was already inside the stadium, lying on his bed, bored, scrolling through his phone.

At that time, his mother would still call him amidst her busy schedule, offering encouragement and comfort.

But now...

Lu Ran subconsciously patted his pocket.

As expected, he forgot his phone again.

It's true that having the Immortal Goat made him forget his mother.

Moreover, ever since he became a believer, he had been training day and night and hadn't contacted his sister for a long time.

In the two years since leaving the Capital City, on the fifteenth day of each lunar month, the siblings would always exchange messages and chat about their recent lives.

Compared to Lu Ran, his sister's living environment was much better. She could stay at home and safely pass the time in front of the God Statue of Jian Yi, which their mother worshipped.

"Did you guys bring your phones?" Lu Ran asked.

Deng Yutang shook his head. Tian Tian in the back seat hurriedly searched and handed over her phone, "Here."

Her phone case was a cute, soft pink cartoon rabbit.

Lu Ran took the phone and handed it back, "Password."

"Oh, oh." Tian Tian extended her small hand and tapped the screen a few times.

Lu Ran accidentally caught a glimpse, "0607, is that your birthday?"

Tian Tian quickly pulled her small hand back, remaining silent.

Lu Ran: "Why didn't you say so earlier? We could have celebrated!"

"The seventh day of the sixth month," Deng Yutang mused, "If it's the lunar calendar, isn't that the day we formed our team?"

Hearing this, Tian Tian actually turned her head to look out the window, not daring to look at the others anymore.

Jiang Ruyi, intelligent and perceptive, seemed to understand something.

"It could also be a bank password, let's not ask," Jiang Ruyi said at the right time to ease the tension, placing a hand on Tian Tian's back.

As her palm rubbed up and down, Tian Tian's tense body gradually relaxed.

Jiang Ruyi smiled, looking at the girl sitting beside her.

She was just a little shy and not good at expressing herself.

She probably harbored many worries in her heart too.

A few minutes later, the vehicle drove into the vast stadium and stopped steadily in front of the gymnasium.

"Everyone, get off!"

A voice came from ahead. Lu Ran quickly sent out a message and followed the main group out of the car.

Under the rain, the stadium was silent.

The green fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, and other grounds were all empty.

"Let's get familiar with the environment first," Zhang Feng called the four of them, and they walked into the gymnasium together.

Inside and outside the building, it was like day and night.

The gymnasium was brightly lit, with possibly thousands of people!

Rows of single beds were neatly arranged, orderly and distinct. Most citizens were on their beds playing with their phones or tablets.

Some were gathered in small groups playing poker or whispering boastfully.

The occasional light laughter relieved the oppressive atmosphere.

Why were the people inside consciously lowering their voices?

Because at the intersections of the beds, there were many small shrines. On the prayer mats in front of the shrines, a Moon Gazer was kneeling.

At a glance, in the vast space, there were probably thirty to forty small shrines.

Inside the shrines were small phoenix trees.

Sixth Rank God Biwu!

It was a typical plant deity. The divine techniques of the Biwu sect were characterized by their strengths in defense and healing.

"We're back," Lu Ran murmured, feeling as if it had only been yesterday.

"Thirty beds horizontally, thirty beds vertically. Including children, that's a total of a thousand citizens," Zhang Feng said softly, leading the team through the crowd.

"Memorize the layout of the hall and note the gaps between the beds."

"Although your posts are not inside the hall, we may need to come in at any time if necessary."

As the team moved, some citizens cast friendly glances their way.

Lu Ran and the others' identities were obvious, as they carried weapons and were led by Moon Gazers.

Some citizens, however, were not friendly towards these young people.

"Call the landlord!"

"I'll steal!"

Not far to the front right, a bald man was comfortably lying on his bed, playing Dou Dizhu on his phone.

Realizing someone was approaching, he looked up and his gaze swept over Lu Ran and the others.

Especially after seeing the petite and seemingly fragile Tian Tian, the bald man with a face full of flesh actually shot the girl a sideways glance.

His face was full of annoyance, not hidden at all!

"Do you know him?" Jiang Ruyi frowned slightly.

Tian Tian silently shook her head.

The sudden malice, seemingly without reason, actually had a cause.

In the eyes of some people, young believers like Lu Ran were extremely unreliable!

In a real dangerous situation, these kinds of believers might panic even more than ordinary people!

What's more, believers had physical qualities beyond ordinary people, and once they panicked, the chaos they caused would be even greater.

It would be better for these rookies to position themselves as ordinary people and accept the protection of the Moon Gazers!

The problem was that generations of young believers always needed to be tempered and grow, and their first duty was unavoidable.

It was only because the bald man was under someone else's roof and the team had a Moon Gazer leading them, otherwise, the man would have likely spoken up already.

"Lu Ran?" Jiang Ruyi stopped, because Lu Ran in front of her had halted.

The bald man glared at Lu Ran, who had stopped in front of him, with an unfriendly expression. "What are you looking at?"

What's wrong with a believer?

You brats can go wherever you want, just don't get assigned to my area!

Lu Ran pointed at the bunk bed and said, "On the fifteenth of last month, I slept in this bed."

The bald man sat up. "What do you mean, you're claiming this bed? Not letting anyone else sleep in it?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Ran suddenly looked up and pointed directly above him.

"Around ten o'clock that night, I watched a Split Soul Devil appear right there!"

The bald man: ???

Lu Ran then pointed at the bald man's feet. "If the Moon Gazers hadn't been quick, the Split Soul Devil would have fallen on my feet!"

"Holy crap!" The bald man quickly retracted his feet. "Kid, don't scare me, my heart can't take it."

"You're playing cards so well!"

"Hurry up, I've been waiting forever~"

Voices came from the phone.

The bald man's face, which was full of tough flesh, almost disappeared from fright. "Kid, brother, if you like this bed, I'll switch, okay? You must be tired from guarding the post at night, so come here and rest. I'll leave right now!"

"Sir, please calm down!" Zhang Feng immediately returned and pressed the bald man back onto the bunk. "Beds that have been assigned cannot be arbitrarily swapped. Don't panic, the Demon Race doesn't appear in fixed locations. There are many God sculptures in the hall, and many Moon Gazers are stationed here. We will definitely protect you, please rest assured."

Lu Ran nodded heavily. "Yes, safe and painless! At that time, I didn't even have time to call out before it was over."

The bald man: "."

After calming down the bald man, Zhang Feng turned to Lu Ran. "Some psychological trauma is inevitable. But you are no longer the same person you were. You need to learn to face it instead of living in fear."

Lu Ran looked up at the ceiling, his eyes shining brightly. "Brother Zhang misunderstood."

Zhang Feng: "Oh?"

Lu Ran hugged the cloth-wrapped Xiaguang Saber tightly and looked in the direction where the Split Soul Devil had appeared. "I'm not afraid. On the contrary, I hope to see it again tonight. To kill it with my own hands!"

"My mother's mother, my grandmother!"

The bald man sprang to his feet, his face a mask of despair. "Switch it, this bed absolutely must be switched!"

"Stop talking!" Zhang Feng quickly pushed Lu Ran and walked away swiftly.

Thank you to Burning Earth's Thigh Hair Big Cute for the reward. Boss is generous, thank you for your support!

Caw!