Wen Shiyan

My hearing improved this much?

This is definitely beyond the range of a normal person. This isn't normal at all.

Have I mutated? No, evolved?

In a corner of the cafeteria, Lu Zhan was still enjoying his roast meat, showing no sign that his mind had long since wandered elsewhere.

By then, Lu Zhan had focused all his attention on studying his ears.

Without thinking, he reached up and felt them.

Thankfully, his ears hadn't suddenly grown larger.

It seemed the dramatic improvement in his hearing had nothing to do with the shape of his ears.

I don't have any proof, but this improvement in my hearing definitely has something to do with the Blood-Red Antenna in my mind.

This thing just keeps getting more mysterious!

But it came from a Mutant Beast, after all. It's bound to bring trouble sooner or later.

Although his ears hadn't mutated, Lu Zhan still instinctively singled out the Blood-Red Antenna as the culprit.

It was the only thing about him that could be called "mysterious."

The Blood-Red Antenna could even "listen in" on other people's life information, so enhancing his hearing was only to be expected.

To this day, Lu Zhan still couldn't understand the form in which the Blood-Red Antenna existed.

There was nothing he could do about this side effect of "drastically improved hearing" except accept it.

With his worries dispelled, Lu Zhan began repeatedly testing his hearing.

Of course, his main goal was to overhear more information about the Training Center from Graham and his companions.

Unfortunately, Graham and the others seemed to have finished eating and simply left.

Unlike Graham's group of five, who had hurried through breakfast, Lu Zhan spent a full half hour on his meal.

Anyone who had watched his entire breakfast would surely have been stunned by how much he ate.

By Lu Zhan's own estimate, he had eaten at least six times his usual amount.

It was fair to say this was the most filling meal he had ever eaten in his life-this life, at least.

While Lu Zhan ate, other students from the Basic Class arrived one after another.

Perhaps his face was too unfamiliar, or perhaps his hairstyle was distinctive enough.

Almost every student who entered the cafeteria gave Lu Zhan a few extra looks.

Lu Zhan took the opportunity to memorize each of his classmates' faces.

Unfortunately, most of his classmates rarely spoke while eating.

Those who did exchange a few words discussed nothing more than boring small talk.

As a result, Lu Zhan overheard nothing useful.

Still, his efforts weren't entirely fruitless.

Through observation, Lu Zhan discovered that most of the Basic Class students seemed to suffer from a loss of appetite.

They mostly ate bread and vegetables. When they saw meat and boiled eggs, they looked at them as though they were beloved family members, unable to bring themselves to take a bite.

Although he had only observed them for a short while, Lu Zhan noticed a clue.

The Basic Class students seemed to be divided into two clearly distinct groups, with a hierarchy of contempt between them.

"Are you Lu Zhan?"

"I'm Wen Shiyan. I also enlisted through the District 13 Recruitment Office. Director Xu asked me to show you around the Training Center."

Just as Lu Zhan finished breakfast, a young woman appeared in front of him.

Her actions immediately drew attention throughout the cafeteria.

But the other students merely stole a glance before pretending not to care.

"Hello, Senior Wen!"

"Director Xu told me about you. He said we're the only two people with innate talents who enlisted from District 13 in the past six months."

"I hope you'll look out for me!"

Wen Shiyan had appeared a little earlier than Lu Zhan expected.

While handling his enrollment paperwork yesterday, Xu Dayong had said he would find someone to look after Lu Zhan.

Lu Zhan had assumed Xu Dayong was merely saying it in passing. He hadn't expected the man's influence to carry so much weight.

But it seemed he was owing him more and more favors.

"This isn't a convenient place to talk. Let's go outside!"

"I can show you around the Training Center while we're at it!"

Wen Shiyan glanced at their "classmates," who were putting on an act, then motioned for Lu Zhan to follow.

Instinctively, Lu Zhan felt that Wen Shiyan seemed to attract considerable attention among their "classmates."

Now that she had a "handsome bald guy" like him beside her, they drew even more looks.

"Does it seem strange to you?"

"The relationships between our classmates are a little complicated, aren't they?"

As soon as they stepped out of the cafeteria, Wen Shiyan got straight to the point.

Clearly, she intended to begin his orientation by helping him understand his classmates.

"It is a little strange!"

"The people in the cafeteria seemed to have some kind of unspoken agreement, or rather, they were deliberately keeping their distance."

With someone willing to clear things up, Lu Zhan was naturally happy to listen.

But since he didn't know Wen Shiyan well, he wasn't going to be too blunt.

"The Armored Warrior trainees who enter the Training Center fall into two categories."

"The first consists of those who sign contracts with the various major and minor factions in Yero City and receive their recommendations."

"The second consists of people like us, who sign contracts with the military."

"In the eyes of the first group, people like us will be shipped off to the Wilderness sooner or later."

"With their pride as city dwellers, of course they won't mingle with us."

Wen Shiyan laid bare the hierarchy of contempt among the students without any hesitation.

Everyone at the Training Center knew about it, so there was no need to avoid the subject.

"So that's how it is!"

Lu Zhan understood.

In fact, this prejudice wasn't limited to the students. Ordinary residents of Yero City's outer city felt the same way.

The most obvious example was the taxi driver who had urged Lu Zhan not to enlist.

"Lu Zhan, there's something I need to warn you about."

"Even within the second group, there's a hierarchy of contempt."

"I used to be at the very bottom. Now you'll be joining me."

At this point, Wen Shiyan gave Lu Zhan a deeply sympathetic

look.

The reason she was helping him so enthusiastically was precisely that having another "poor unfortunate" like Lu Zhan around would make her own life easier.

At least the two of them could stick together for support.

"What?"

"I'm at the bottom of the Training Center's hierarchy of contempt?"

"Senior Wen, what's going on?"

The sudden bad news left Lu Zhan utterly bewildered.

He had only just enrolled and didn't know a single classmate. How had he ended up at the bottom of the hierarchy of contempt?

If Wen Shiyan hadn't been an "ally," Lu Zhan would have wanted to ask whether she was the one who had dragged him into this.

"Before you showed up, everyone in the training class ostracized me."

"Even the other recruits did the same."

"Because they all thought I'd sold myself!"

Wen Shiyan exposed this embarrassing fact about herself without the slightest hesitation.

Lu Zhan was stunned by her "uninhibited" manner.

Was such a private, awkward topic really something she could casually discuss with a stranger like him?

"Senior, that's..."

"I've never sold myself!"

Lu Zhan genuinely didn't know what to say, so he could only state the facts.

Whether in his previous life or this one, he had always been a respectable man.

"Actually, neither have I!"

"But that doesn't matter. As long as we're from District 13, they'll assume we've done it."

"Blood. I meant selling blood. Don't get the wrong idea."

Seeing Lu Zhan's embarrassed, even slightly flustered expression, the cool and aloof Wen Shiyan suddenly broke into a smile.

This newly arrived "little baldy" seemed rather interesting.