Shopping

The bus sped along the dedicated lane at 150 km/h.

For most residents, the bus was their primary mode of transport—one of the fastest ways to travel through the city. And because of the "Corner Law," there was no such thing as a subway here.

The meeting place the class monitor had chosen was the largest supermarket in the city, a place Luo Di had only been to once, five years ago.

≮Next stop, Terminal Supermarket (Front Plaza). This is a high-density platform; doors will remain open for ninety seconds. Please exit in an orderly fashion.≯

Outside the window, the massive landmark building loomed.

The exterior walls were covered in a dynamic projection lighting system, providing constant illumination while cycling through various avant-garde product advertisements.

Each entrance bore the supermarket's logo—"The brain placed inside the shopping cart."

The bustling front plaza made Luo Di uncomfortable. Aside from school, he hadn't been in such a crowded place in a long time. He quickly dialed the class monitor's number.

Almost the moment he called, a familiar voice came from the side, accompanied by a slender arm waving back and forth in the air.

"Luo Di!"

Today's class monitor wore a white T-shirt with a cute rabbit printed on the chest. Her lower half was still in form-fitting sweatpants and white sneakers.

The practice team members she'd mentioned earlier were all standing beside her.

One of the boys was a classmate who had been on leave recently.

His athletic performance ranked third in the class, just behind Luo Di and the class monitor, but his academic scores were always first.

He wore custom glasses over five hundred degrees, a casual shirt paired with sports-friendly capris, stood 183 cm tall, and clearly fit the mold of a well-rounded top student who excelled in both sports and academics. He was also the vice class monitor of Class Five.

Luo Di rarely interacted with his classmates and wasn't familiar with this guy either. In two years of high school, they'd exchanged fewer than ten sentences.

Of course, the vice class monitor himself was somewhat aloof and odd. He liked to spend non-class hours alone at the end of empty stairwells or on the rooftop, reading.

As for the other member of the team, she was the class monitor's friend from another school.

Under a cascade of light golden hair were emerald-green eyes and fair skin.

She wore a short-sleeve shirt similar to the class monitor's, like a couple's outfit, with a cartoon fierce dog printed on the chest. Her lower half was also athletic shorts.

Compared to the class monitor's slender legs, this white-skinned girl's legs were noticeably thicker—more precisely, her muscle mass was greater and more defined.

Worth noting, she towered over the rest of the team, the tallest among the four.

As soon as Luo Di approached, the class monitor enthusiastically introduced them.

"There's no need for much introduction for our Vice Class Monitor Gao, right? Gao Yuxuan was still recuperating at home, but he agreed to join the practice as a favor to me, the class monitor."

Luo Di and Vice Class Monitor Gao exchanged glances and nodded politely.

The class monitor then turned to her friend from another school.

"Anna Ivanova. She attends the best school in our city, First Middle School. Her grades are only above average there, but in our school, she'd be at the top.

I think only you, Luo Di, could beat her in sports."

Anna had already stepped closer, sizing up the seemingly ordinary young man. In standard Russian, she said, "So you're the Luo Di who's better at sports than Wen? Want to arm wrestle?"

Before Luo Di could refuse, the class monitor stepped between them.

"Anna~ Don't scare off the teammate I worked so hard to get. Talk about that after you two get to know each other. We're on a tight schedule, so let's hurry up and buy the essentials for this practice."

Anna seemed a bit disappointed about missing the arm wrestle. She walked ahead, flexing her biceps repeatedly.

Terminal Supermarket (T.S.M.)

At the entrance was a security checkpoint similar to a smart airport. Every customer had to be screened before entering. Scanning devices also read the identification wristbands each person wore, pulling up their recent "psychological reports."

As students, the four of them went to the school clinic every half month for psychological checkups, so this was convenient.

After passing security, a manager in a tailcoat immediately approached Wu Wen, the class monitor.

"Respected VIP customer, how may I be of service?"

"No need. Just open the express lane for us when we check out."

"Then I won't disturb you. We'll keep an eye on your movements. If you need anything, just wave at the cameras."

Luo Di watched silently. Word had it that Terminal Supermarket's membership wasn't something you could buy with money—members were few.

The class monitor skillfully pushed over a large shopping cart and reminded them, "We have three hours to shop. Let's start with the essentials."

[Daily Items - Outdoor Survival Equipment Section]

Here, you could buy everything needed for camping and survival in the wild.

Luo Di didn't know the specifics of the practice, nor what items would be suitable for fieldwork. He silently watched the others pick things up.

"Long-lasting high-intensity flashlight," "Electric lamp (portable)," "Windproof lighter," "Matches," "Portable first-aid kit," "Backpack and tool set."

At first, everything was relatively normal.

Until Vice Class Monitor Gao brought over a standard Field Knife, Anna chose a Tactical Axe stamped with a military insignia, The class monitor didn't pick any self-defense weapon for herself. Instead, she looked toward the back of the group. "Luo Di, why aren't you picking anything? I told you, all expenses related to the practice are on me. Don't be shy."

"No, it's just—are these cold weapons meant for dealing with beasts?"

"Oh right! I haven't explained the specific type of 'practice' to you yet. This is a brand-new kind of practice never mentioned in our textbooks. It might even become mainstream in the future."

The class monitor stepped lightly and quickly moved to Luo Di's side, Rising on her toes to lean in, her warm lips nearly brushing against his ear as she whispered, The words slipping between her teeth and lips felt like a baby's arm massaging his ear, "Since we're all considered top students, I asked my dad to help secure a high-difficulty 'New Practice.' A research institute in our city is running a practice project aimed at outstanding youth.

This project can effectively simulate scenarios of encountering an [Anomaly Event], Don't worry—these simulated events are far from the real thing, and with the institute's precise control, they won't endanger our lives."

"Simulated Anomaly?" Luo Di had never heard of it before.

"Yeah, lately some of the top students have been doing this kind of practice privately. It's a huge help for advancing to higher education."

"What about the difficulty?"

"Between three stars and full stars—it depends on the 'lottery result' when we get there. So, Luo Di, hurry up and pick a self-defense tool that suits you.

If you don't usually do extra training in this area, I personally suggest going with the Field Knife we drill with in Physical Education Class."

"Mm, let me look around on my own first."

Temporarily leaving the team, the Corner of Luo Di's Mouth twitched faintly a few times. Upon learning that the practice could involve Simulated Anomalies, an excitement buried deep in his thoughts began to slowly Gush Out.

He even wanted to customize his mask in advance, but there was no Time To.

Since it involved killing simulated targets, Luo Di immediately thought of a slashing weapon like the ones in movies, stopping in front of a Machete.

Just as Luo Di reached out to grab the handle, the sound of an engine suddenly came from Behind Him.

Turning to look, Luo Di's pupils instantly fixed and contracted, the excitement hidden within them oozing outward like pus, His gaze locked onto a special display in the supermarket—

[Chainsaw Section]