"It's alright, you can stand up Tang Ruolan I made the request that I should go through the same channels as everyone else," Zhilan said in a slightly embarrassed tone. Looking at the two of them Feng Biao couldn't help but think the difference in appearance between these two was stark.
Perhaps Zhilan was too beautiful, or perhaps the impression Tang Ruolan had left was too negative, but there was a massive separation between the two. Although, Feng Biao wasn't head over heels for the Zhilan.
"Too pretty," Feng Biao heard Hunter mutter under his breath.
Feng Biao nodded; the girl was indeed too pretty. Zhilan appeared to him to be like a doll. Perfect in both appearance and dress. She was undeniably beautiful, but not what Feng Biao had known of as beauty in the slums.
Feng Biao only saw people in such clothing on old recordings of things before the Heroic Era. Simply put, Feng Biao had never met or talked to a girl like Zhilan, and therefore had never considered someone like her as a person he'd fancy.
"Even so Lady Zhilan for someone of your status to ride such a vehicle with such little protection is not a good idea."
"Tang Ruolan, it was my idea to come here and enter into the Heroic Coalition Forces like any other Marked."
Tang Ruolan went stiff as a board and shakily answered back, "I meant no disrespect Lady Zhilan."
"There was none taken, now may I have you check if I'm a Genuine Marked?" the girl inquired.
"Certainly not Lady Zhilan, what if you bit your tongue while speaking? You might die as a result," Tang Ruolan said with real concern in her voice.
"And what if I'm a Lesser Marked whose Divine Ability allows me to change my body's shape? Slipping by you with mere acting entering a bus full of Genuine Marked?"
"T-t-then you'd probably be found out and punished at a later date," Tang Ruolan stammered.
"Then let me take the test here and dispel that idea, don't worry, biting my tongue won't kill me."
For a moment Tang Ruolan looked at the floor, she then looked back to Zhilan and said, "Alright then, but please Lady Zhilan, take care not to make a mistake with a single word."
Zhilan then removed her right glove, and the entire process went without incident. Except inside the bus, where Feng Biao heard an audible gasp.
"A Primordial Divinity!"
Feng Biao had seen what was on Zhilan's right hand before she put her glove back on. 3 stars, 2 on the top and one on bottom, with what looked like a circle with a plus sign in it in between the stars.
'What pantheon is that even from? And 3 stars?' Feng Biao thought silently. As the girl walked by and a commotion was made of her presence Feng Biao decided to try to listen to the chatter around him for anything useful.
In the end, all he got was the term "Primordial Divinity," being used with frequency.
'3 stars, it must mean a Primordial Divinity,' this was the best guess Feng Biao could make. Again Feng Biao felt the limits of his upbringing. Feng Biao's education within the slums was above average. Lucky Duck had taught him basic math, grammar, and history.
Beyond that he had stopped attending school at 12, anything past that required serious money that Wang Hao could not afford. Still even this was higher than the education most in the slums received.
Feng Biao liked reading, but mostly fiction. His general knowledge was poor because the expectations people had of him were similar. He had never studied up on Marked or Divinities because he simply never expected to encounter one in his life.
Marked were either a part of the HCF or in safer, more expensive environments. Without any hope of becoming one, Feng Biao simply accepted his lot in life and ignored that part of life. Joining the Coalition Forces by signing up for China's Coalition Forces was a more realistic scenario than the HCF.
Feng Biao noticed Zhilan take a seat diagonally behind his own. Following behind here were the two soldiers, CCF plastered on their backs, they both took seats that made it obvious their goal was now defending Zhilan.
'I guess she's more important than the bus.'
In short order, the commotion eventually died down, although eyes never stopped gazing towards Zhilan, who sat at her seat with a posture that indicated she was used to stares.
When the last people entered the bus a boy tried to sit next to Zhilan, but one of the soldiers put his hands on the boy's arm and shook his head.
"He can sit where he wants," Zhilan said almost authoritatively.
The soldier's gaze shot towards Tang Ruolan who nodded back, and he let go of the boy's arm. The boy then took a seat near Zhilan and started to chat with her despite a large portion of the bus now focusing on them.
"Lucky bastard," Hunter said with a grin, "I shouldn't have come into this bus so quickly."
Feng Biao said "yeah," and decided to try and coax some information out of Hunter.
"Wow, I didn't expect her of all people to join a HCF boot camp like this."
"Same, not being transported to the boot camp by a Divine Ability is insane for somebody with a Primordial Divinity," Hunter said now looking at Zhilan.
"At the same time, I can't say I'm all that shocked, Zhilan's an abnormality even within that group of people."
"You've met her before?" Feng Biao asked.
"Hell no, but my dad has worked for her dad a bunch of times. He told me she's much nicer than him," Hunter said now looking back at Feng Biao.
"Hey but enough about that, Feng Biao why'd you join up with the HCF?"
"I'm not sure, to be honest," Feng Biao said now realizing he didn't have a good answer to that question.
"I get it, bro, not like you had much of a choice. Being a Marked and not joining up with the HCF? Not gonna happen."
What Hunter had said was true, if you were Marked you were obligated by law to sign up. However, Feng Biao did not feel it was fear that had motivated him to sign up.
"Well even if you don't have a good reason for signing up, you should have a goal."
"I don't have one of those either."
"That's fine you can come up with one later," Hunter said as he patted Feng Biao on the back, "Me personally? I'm gonna survive this crap and retire out to some cushy area with a sexy wife."
Feng Biao chuckled, but he understood what Hunter was getting at. Having a goal was important, it was at this time he remembered what Strong Man Zhou had told him
"take the opportunity to train seriously and get as strong as possible."
Feng Biao remembered how serious Strong Man Zhou was when he told him that. It was a warning to not repeat Zhou's mistakes.
"Hunter, what's the best way for a Marked to train in your opinion?"