Chapter 275 : Not Here
Chapter 275 - Not Here
What's meant to come will come.
Ye Sheng only felt nervous for a brief moment before quickly calming down. She believed Gu Luoyu could handle any trouble, so she shouldn't become a burden.
In just a short time, the convoy had already reached the base's city gates. The closer they got, the clearer it became just how many people had come out to greet them, roughly three to four hundred.
Compared to the small patrol squad leader who had welcomed them last time, the difference in numbers was at least severalfold…
What a grand spectacle!
The moment the vehicles came to a stop, the crowd's gazes locked onto Gu Luoyu and Ye Sheng as if guided by tracking devices. In an instant, countless eyes, filled with unreadable intentions, fell upon them.
To be precise, they were scrutinizing Gu Luoyu cautiously, with Ye Sheng merely as an afterthought.
After all, the powerful esper was the main attraction here. The ambitious onlookers were already scheming how to persuade her to join their respective factions.
Seeing this, Gu Luoyu raised an eyebrow in surprise. After scanning with her psychic senses, she realized none of these people were sent by the base's official forces, they were all from various aristocratic families.
Whether the convoy had deliberately withheld information from the base authorities or the authorities had other plans remained unclear.
While mulling this over, Gu Luoyu didn't forget to reassure Ye Sheng, “They're all from different families. They must've heard reports from others in the convoy and want to recruit me.”
“Did the base officials not send anyone?”
“Not here.”
Gu Luoyu's voice eased Ye Sheng's nervousness, and her curiosity made her ignore the stares from the crowd. She leaned in close to Gu Luoyu, and the two began whispering as if no one else was around.
Their relaxed, carefree demos showed no regard for the others present, which immediately rubbed some people the wrong way.
Seeing was believing, and those gathered at the gates hadn't witnessed Gu Luoyu's strength firsthand, they were only acting on reports from their family members.
Used to throw their weight around in the base thanks to their family influence, they had no intention of bowing to some unknown figure. In their minds, serving their family was already an immense honor!
She shouldn't push her luck.
However, with so many families present, no one was foolish enough to act rashly.
Despite their displeasure, they maintain a veneer of politeness.
Some even signaled members of the returning convoy to act as intermediaries and introduce them. But when their family members met their gaze, the convoy members could only hesitate helplessly.
They couldn't even get close to Gu Luoyu right now!
Under these circumstances, unless Gu Luoyu was willing to engage, there was no chance of an introduction. Worse, if they angered her, she might just kill someone on the spot.
The base's rules barely constrain espers. Even if severe punishment followed, most espers were far from normal and didn't care.
Even if the families sought retribution, given Gu Luoyu's strength, the outcome might well be mutually assured destruction.
With that in mind, they quickly messaged their people, warning them not to provoke Gu Luoyu.
Thanks to this advance warning, when Gu Luoyu ignored the crowd and drove straight into the base, no one dared to stop her.
Everyone is waiting for someone else to act first, to be the one to intercept Gu Luoyu.
But as they waited, no one stepped forward… Just as Gu Luoyu was about to drive into the base, someone finally lost patience.
A few burly men stepped forward and blocked the vehicle.
The leader, his voice booming, announced, “Ms. Gu, I'm Zhou Long from the Golden Leopard Zhou Family. We've heard of your strength and would like to invite you to join the Zhou Family as a hired guard!”
Having successfully stopped the car, Zhou Long didn't mince words, he cut straight to the point.
His tone brimmed with confidence, as if certain Gu Luoyu wouldn't refuse.
Among the noble heirs who had gone on the wilderness hunting mission, none were from the Zhou Family, only a few distant relatives had tagged along. After witnessing Gu Luoyu's power, they eagerly spread the word.
If they succeed in recruiting her, their family will reward them with resources. No more life-threatening missions, they could just lounge comfortably in the base.
But because the messengers were mere distant relatives, Zhou Long, dispatched by the family, looked down on them. Even after receiving warnings not to provoke Gu Luoyu, he dismissed them.
He had only held back because of the other families present.
But now that she was about to leave, he couldn't restrain himself any longer, leading to this scene…
Seeing Zhou Long's arrogant expression, Ye Sheng, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't help but whisper, “Wow.”
Then she leaned in and murmured to Gu Luoyu, “Who'd have thought I'd witness a scene straight out of a novel in this post-apocalyptic wasteland? Feels like watching a face-slapping urban story, hehe.”
The more she thought about it, the funnier it became.
Ye Sheng's eyes curved with laughter, though she quickly remembered that her journey from a peaceful world to this one was even more fantastical than fiction. She couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
“So, how would things unfold in a novel's plot?”
Gu Luoyu gazed at her fondly. Although the base had a supernetwork for online communication, the wasteland world's cultural offerings were barren, movies, TV shows, and novels had long since disappeared.
People here prefer combat and more primal desires, like hunger and lust.
Unlike Ye Sheng, who had read novels in her peaceful world, Gu Luoyu could only guess: maybe the next step was for her to kill these idiots on the spot?
Unaware of Gu Luoyu's straightforward assumption, Ye Sheng perked up at the question. She straightened in her seat, practically bouncing with excitement, ready to elaborate with animated gestures.
“Of course, just when they thought you're some pushover, a much bigger shot suddenly appears and says, ”
“Everyone, we're members of the base's Esper Research Institute. We suspect this esper, Ms. Gu, is the long-missing Erensu. We'll need to conduct an investigation, please cooperate.”
An unfamiliar voice cut Ye Sheng off, perfectly completing the scenario she had been imagining.
But the next second, hearing “Esper Research Institute,” Ye Sheng immediately tensed up.