Everyone chatted and laughed along the way, and time flew by.
Suddenly, Enju sprang up. "Rentaro, look! Is that the place?" Everyone hurriedly looked in the direction she was pointing.
Not far away, beside the sea, an old-fashioned square city wall stood within an area five hundred meters across. Its design felt modern yet carried the solemn grandeur of classical Western Europe. Dozens of mechanical weapons with honeycomb-like barrels were mounted along the walls, their muzzles constantly swiveling. The city itself looked rather empty, with only a few scattered buildings. Soldiers in Silver Armor stood atop the walls, straight as pines.
Shoma frowned slightly at the sight. "Rentaro, are you sure they're strong? Armor undoubtedly offers good protection, but it also slows you down when fighting Gastrea. That's usually a mistake only rookie civil security officers who are afraid of dying would make."
"Shoma, they're different. Even in armor, they won't be any slower than you or me in a fight! And don't treat them like ordinary people. Enju wasn't joking about what she told you." Rentaro answered with an awkward smile.
Shoma regarded his junior disciple, whom he hadn't seen in ages, with a doubtful look. "Rentaro, are you sure you aren't joking with me?"
"Shoma, do I look like I'm joking?" Rentaro spread his hands and looked earnestly at his senior disciple.
"Helicopter ahead, halt immediately. You have entered Academy City's airspace. If you ignore this warning, we reserve the right to use force to bring you to a stop." An authoritative voice rang out.
The Osprey pilot looked back at Rentaro, asking him what to do with a glance.
Rentaro thought for a moment. "Land here. We'll walk over."
The pilot nodded and began descending. The Osprey landed steadily on the grass, and Rentaro and the others