The girl's meaning was clear: as a top student from a prestigious university, she was on a completely different level compared to the ordinary people around her, many of whom had not even attended college.
This sense of superiority was natural.
Soon, the vehicle started and quickly moved out of the city, heading towards the suburbs.
Upon seeing the suburban landscape, Zhang Chen couldn't help but gasp.
Apart from the newly erected overpasses, tens of meters above the ground, the entire suburban area was in ruins.
Looking out of the car window, what met his eyes were not farmlands or forests.
Instead, there were rows of abandoned buildings and streets that had once been bustling with activity, with rusted cars parked haphazardly on the ground.
It was evident that, like the city, this had once been a prosperous metropolis.
However, it was now dilapidated, and occasionally, soft-bodied creatures resembling loaches crawled out from the rubble.
This was Zhang Chen's first time leaving the city and witnessing such a scene, and he was stunned.
He felt as though this scene was eerily familiar, yet he couldn't place it.
Perhaps he had seen it in a dream?!
There were also many students of similar age to Zhang Chen around him. Upon seeing the scene outside the window, they all displayed expressions of either nervousness or excitement.
"This is just like an adventure, so thrilling!"
"Canyang City is the lowest-level gathering place for demon spirits nearby. The reason the Spiritual Master Association hasn't completely eradicated it is said to be for new recruits like us to practice!"
"A ruined city, and all sorts of monsters, this is exactly like what's described in post-apocalyptic novels!"
"Let me remind you all, our world was originally fragmented. It was only because powerful individuals were guarding it that we enjoyed decades of peaceful development and prosperity. In reality, the battle with demon spirits has never stopped!"
A group of students whispered amongst themselves, occasionally pointing at monsters, not even possessing 1st-tier strength, outside the window and making comments.
As for the female students from Phoenix Academy, they had kept their eyes closed and rested since boarding the bus.
It was as if a major battle was about to commence, or perhaps they were simply disdainful of the ignorant people around them.
The bus sped along the highway.
Every few hundred meters, there was a streetlamp-like device.
These were energy barriers, designed to protect the highway from damage by external demon spirits.
An hour later, the bus slowly exited the highway and entered Canyang City.
Although Canyang City was a lost city occupied by demon spirits, there were still many people setting up stalls and doing business at the highway entrance.
Their services were varied: some sold weapons and equipment, some recycled spirit cores and demon spirit body parts, and some specialized in corpse retrieval services.
The so-called corpse retrieval service involved signing a contract with a corpse retriever.
If the contracted person did not return within the agreed-upon time, or was killed by a demon spirit in Canyang City, the corpse retriever would sense it and bring them back.
At least, if they hadn't been dead for too long, and their bodies were relatively intact, they could be revived through medical treatment.
Since Canyang City was populated by only Level 1 demon spirits, almost everyone killed by these spirits could be revived.
"Signing up for a corpse retriever?"
A short-haired girl from Phoenix Academy asked.
"Don't be ridiculous. A low-level area like Canyang City doesn't warrant signing up for a corpse retriever."
"If word of this gets out, won't I be laughed at by my classmates?"
The long-haired girl who had been sitting next to Zhang Chen said disdainfully.
"That's right, that's right. I heard corpse retrievers are not honest with their hands and feet!"
"They'll take advantage of you while you're briefly dead or unconscious and also steal valuable items!"
Another girl wearing thick-rimmed glasses chimed in from the side.
"Alright, enough talk, let's go!"
The long-haired girl tossed her hair and, along with several other girls, briskly broke away from the tour group and headed towards the city center of Canyang City.
"Then... I'll sign up for a corpse retriever."
Zhang Chen casually signed up with a corpse retriever, paying 300.
This was a deposit. If it truly came to the point where a corpse needed retrieving, an additional 5,000 would need to be paid.
Zhang Chen certainly didn't have 5,000 yuan, but if he were to be retrieved as a corpse, his parents would surely pay. They wouldn't abandon their son for 5,000 yuan, would they?
After signing up for the corpse retriever, Zhang Chen also followed the Phoenix Academy girls towards the city.
Behind him, over a dozen graduates from other schools also trailed along in groups.
In the distance, Canyang City was shrouded in a large mass of dark clouds, as if heralding the imminent arrival of danger!