"How about this, let's scheme together to help you chase after Suren and really put some pressure on that Dudu guy."
"Suren has become quite more handsome over the years, and if he joins a big company in the future, he will practically leap across classes. No wonder Dudu is being so proactive," another companion egged on.
To this, Clara didn't immediately answer but simply cracked open a bottle of soda and took a swig.
"Ah, this taste is not bad," Clara commented.
"We're giving you ideas here, Clara. Do you want to try chasing Suren or not? With your figure now, I don't think it would be hard to win him over."
"Exactly, if you catch Suren, married life will be much easier in the future."
Clara shook her head as she listened, "You guys go after him yourself, I'm really not interested."
Classmates who were once close now felt somewhat unfamiliar, as if there were a barrier between them. She didn't want to ridicule her friends' worldly thoughts because, for them, it might indeed be the right choice.
But now she had already stepped out of that worldly cage, and though she was neither at the pinnacle of strength nor incredibly wealthy, she truly felt unrestrained. She could go wherever she wanted, try whatever she fancied without any hesitation or confusion.
Picking up her soda, Clara walked to the window. She took in a breath of the refreshing cool air before leaning on the windowsill to continue drinking her soda. Occasionally, she turned her head back to look at the crowd joking and laughing in the room, feeling much more relaxed and comfortable.
"Such is life," she murmured softly, her voice lost in the music and lights.
High above North Zone Five, a grey flight vehicle shuttled through the night sky. Its blue indicator lights blinked on and off as it slowly traced across the heavens.
Hexia, dressed in an elegant grey and white dress, sat next to the window. Her gaze was fixed on the ground below, where cities adorned with scattered lights stood out prominently, though most areas remained in darkness, their features unclear.
The personal terminal in front of her occasionally popped up with a message or two, some from Edith Academy, others from Grey Dust Crystal, but only one was from Yilin asking a question.
Yilin: [When are you coming back? Do you want to go out during the vacation?]
Hexia: [Probably mid-August. I'm a bit busy recently.]
Looking back, Hexia stayed in touch frequently with only Yilin from her childhood classmates. Although the rest talked in the group chat, they would mutually agree not to disturb Hexia. The gap in status was quite considerable now, and Hexia felt somewhat helpless about it. Indeed, she no longer had the abundance of time like before.
Life is like a shooting star. Many familiar things slowly turn into distant backdrops, never to return.
Inside the cabin, the lights were off, with only a small box on the table emitting a faint glow, vaguely illuminating the surroundings. The box displayed the current time [21:27] at night.
Just as Hexia leaned back in her seat, lost in memories, several tiny dots of light rose from the dark land below and hurriedly approached the shuttling flight vehicle.
The dots grew larger, revealing themselves to be jet engine tail flames. Then, alarms sounded urgently inside the vehicle, and the emergency lights turned on.
[Warning, warning, unidentified flying objects approaching, passengers, please prepare for emergency.]
[Warning, warning, unidentified flying objects approaching—boom!]
A bright flash burst in the night sky, followed by the shockwave of an explosion. The sturdy flight vehicle cracked open, a wing broke off and fell, and smoke poured out of a torn hole.
As the flight vehicle threatened to crash into the dark ground, several deep blue laser beams scanned across the night sky, dismembering the remaining parts of the vehicle in successive explosions.
Burning flames carrying debris surged toward the ground, illuminating the increasingly near land. This was a deserted area in North Zone Five, with flat and barren ground, almost no place to hide or take shelter.
Dark red fragments hit the ground, spewing sparks and bits of debris, and continued to roll forward, leaving scorched marks and long furrows before slowly coming to a stop. The residual flames scattered on the ground, lighting up the surrounding wreckage.
In the midst of the flames, a woman in a blue uniform rushed out, carrying Hexia, and not long after, several beams of laser light scanned from the night sky, further tearing apart the ground wreckage. Their dazzling light momentarily lit up the land.
[Calling all surviving personnel, quickly regroup on me, protect Songstress Hexia.]
The woman in the blue uniform, with Hexia in tow, zigzagged while sending out signals. Soon, several surviving combat personnel emerged from the ruins and converged on her location.
The flight vehicle's combat personnel wore sturdy grey exoskeleton armor, which looked reliable. As long as they weren't directly hit by the laser light during the crash and explosion, they could survive.
Seemingly observing the escapees on the ground, several more laser beams shot out from the night sky, but due to the distance and the ongoing maneuvering of the people on the ground, they couldn't aim precisely.
After that, a blue disk shot up at high speed and bloomed midair into a semi-spherical blue dome that encased the people below. Even when laser beams shone upon it, the dome deflected them, not allowing any penetration.
The 'Sikne Defense System,' a flagship product of the Sikne corporate security provider, renowned throughout the Federation, could withstand even mecha laser beams for a short time.