Chapter 60: The Allure of Comfort

"High school reunion?"

Hearing those words, I couldn't help but turn my head and ask more.

"Oh, it's nothing! It was just a gathering of former classmates from my old school. But your friend's name sounds quite similar to someone I know, and the resemblance is…." Wayne Peng's gaze suddenly shifted past me and landed on Reed. Since crossing over, Reed had always used her real name, which might have caught his attention from the start.

However, after becoming an angel, Reed's appearance had changed quite a bit, with her hair turning a pale golden color. So Wayne Peng only hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and brushing the thought aside.

"Let's not dwell on that! By the way, do you have places like schools in your world where people learn things?"

It was clear that he didn't want to spend more time on this topic and quickly changed the subject.

"Schools? Places for learning? Wouldn't that be like the mage towers in Crescent City?" Adrian's interest was piqued. Back in the day, we had spent a lot of time in those towering mage towers, so the memories were still fresh.

"Wow, mage towers? So those really exist in this world! You must tell us all about them when you have time!" The female translator's eyes lit up. She had been the most attentive when Reed was teaching about magic circles, and now that mage towers were mentioned, she wasn't about to let that information slip away.

"So, Wayne Peng joined the National Defense Forces of H-country. No wonder we haven't heard much about him since then!"

While the others continued discussing unrelated topics, Reed and I fell behind, exchanging a knowing glance.

It was almost certain now that this Wayne Peng was indeed our former high school classmate! He was lucky enough not to have attended that fateful reunion, so he didn't get caught up in the crossing-over event.

But the information he accidentally revealed was quite significant. Although he didn't explain exactly what the "accident" was, it hinted at what might have happened to our bodies after our souls left Earth for this world. It probably wasn't anything good.

The most baffling part was that the portal opened up right where our high school reunion had been held—in that KTV suite. This couldn't just be a coincidence; there had to be more to it!

"It's a shame Galadra isn't here. What is she up to, and why hasn't she shown up yet?"

In this situation, only Galadra, the master of the Cycle of Rebirth, could give us some authoritative answers. I suspected that everything was connected to the Cycle of Rebirth! After all, the Angel Descent Formation was related to the Cycle of Rebirth, and the portal opened right when the Cycle of Rebirth's projection was descending. The connection was too obvious to ignore.

As for the role of the necklace given by the future twelve-winged Nicola, that was harder to guess. Perhaps we would have to wait until Galadra finished her work with the Cycle of Rebirth to get some answers.

"This is the shelter! It's equipped with fairly decent living facilities. You can move freely within the designated area, but you can't leave without permission," Wayne Peng announced as we arrived at a courtyard surrounded by high walls. He swiped a card to open a small gate and led us inside.

The courtyard wasn't too small. Behind the gate, we saw three rows of temporary housing, with roughly twenty or thirty individual rooms. In one corner, there were some miscellaneous items that didn't seem like military supplies from Earth—they looked more like farming tools from this world.

"Some local villagers are also staying here, just like you. They can't leave freely either," the female translator quickly explained, worried we might feel unfairly treated.

"No problem, as long as we're let out as soon as possible!" I waved my hand to show I understood. In times like these, we had no choice but to cooperate.

After explaining some precautions, Wayne Peng and his team assigned us our rooms and then left.

"So this is what they call decent living facilities?"

I looked around the room and couldn't help but make a face. The setup was basic—a bed, a table, with a cup and an electric kettle on it, and nothing more. It was indeed quite bare.

But for the local residents seeking refuge here, these basic amenities were probably more than enough. After all, the electric kettle alone made boiling water much easier than using firewood. And with meals being delivered, there was no need to worry about food.

I hadn't used an electric kettle in a long time! As I rummaged through the room, I found a small packet of tea leaves in a drawer. I went outside to fetch some water and had just sat down with my cup when Adrian came over from the neighboring room.

"Did you notice? There are several patrol points set up in the corners of the walls, probably to keep an eye on us!" Adrian pointed out.

"I know, right?" I rolled my eyes at him. Why else would they keep us in this shelter? It's because they don't fully trust us yet! And it's not just us—those Empire civilians who came here earlier are also under surveillance. What if one of them is a spy sent to infiltrate the base?

The Earth army hadn't been in this world for long, so it was only natural to be cautious. It wasn't just the patrols Adrian saw—when we walked through the entrance earlier, I spotted at least four or five surveillance cameras in the corners! But since the people of this world didn't recognize such devices, they were completely unaware.

"You were so against being locked up before, but now you seem so calm?"

Adrian seemed a bit puzzled by my change in attitude. He glanced curiously at the greenish liquid in my cup. "What's that in your cup? It's all green—did you make it?"

"Uh, it's probably some kind of drink they provided. I think it's called green tea!"

This world does have black tea, but it doesn't brew up green like this. I pretended to take a sip for the first time, but honestly… it was delicious! I hadn't drunk much tea before, but after so long, I realized how much I missed it.

"Why don't you try some? It tastes great!"

I nudged Adrian playfully.

"Is it really good? But that color looks kind of…" Adrian eyed the clear green liquid in my cup suspiciously. To him, green usually meant something was poisonous, so he hesitated for a long time before declining.

"Forget it! I know you angels have strong resistance to poisons, but that doesn't mean you should just drink anything. Better to stick with hot water!"

"This is hot water!"

What nonsense! Watching him quickly retreat, I nearly threw the tea at him out of frustration.

By the way, the food at the base was pretty good too!

When mealtime came, the shelter's gate opened, and they brought in hot meals! It had been so long since I'd had a proper meal from my homeland that I was almost moved to tears. This wasn't some imitation made with local ingredients—it was the real deal, genuine H-country cuisine!

Suddenly, being locked up didn't seem so bad. At least out there, I wouldn't be able to enjoy this. As for when I might cross back through the portal and return to Earth, I hadn't figured out a solid plan yet. Anyway, Cyra had to be rescued, but staying on Earth for a while wouldn't put her in any real danger. So why not enjoy myself here?

Turning prison food into a family feast—maybe I'm the only person in the world who could manage that. But the good times didn't last long. That night, something happened.

"What's going on?" I was jolted awake by a loud siren. I jumped out of bed and rushed outside, only to see several flares lighting up the sky, turning the night into day.

Next came the deafening sound of artillery fire, one explosion after another. No need to guess—there was clearly a battle happening outside the base!

With all that noise, no one could sleep. Everyone in the shelter came out of their rooms, looking up at the dazzling display in the sky.

"These otherworldly weapons sound really powerful! Too bad there's a high wall blocking the view…" Mia said, covering her ears. Despite her many complaints about the Earthlings, she was still very curious about how the Earth army fought.

Perhaps the battle wasn't too intense, or maybe they had the situation under control. The Earth soldiers stationed around the shelter didn't leave their posts. On Reed's advice, Mia didn't dare unfold her wings and fly up to see the fight. So we all just stood there, gazing up at the sky.

"I asked the guards at the gate. They said it was a night raid by the Empire, but the numbers weren't large, so there's no need to worry. It was probably just a probing attack by the vanguard," Adrian came over and explained. If that information was accurate, it meant that the real war between the Ilandra Dominion Empire and Earth was about to start.

Sure enough, the battle came quickly and ended just as fast. After about half an hour, the gunfire gradually stopped, and everything slowly returned to calm.