Invasion - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Although they had just been excitedly gossiping, as compassionate and courteous Guides, they felt that it was a bit rude to bring up someone's heartbreak in front of Lin Yuan, the person involved.

So after an awkward silence, they began to change the subject and talked about the trip.

“This is terrible, why was I chosen?” someone sighed. “I’m so scared, I heard those places are very dangerous, and the living conditions are very poor.”

“Yeah, I heard they don’t even have flush toilets there. I won't be able to live.”

The pampered Guides from the White Tower felt anxious about the harsh environment they were about to go to.

Although they had to go because of the order, the atmosphere was filled with sadness and dejection.

“They say that the sentinels there are very crude, have no manners, and are dirty all over.”

“They’ve even had cases of Guides being harmed in previous years. It’s really terrifying. Everyone be sure to protect yourselves when you get there.”

“I’m definitely not giving any of those people mental guidance. Why should I treat those lowly civilians?”

The Guides began to discuss their upcoming trip. When they thought about coming into contact with those vulgar and barbaric low-level sentinels, and not the polite and courteous nobles, they felt very resistant.

“That’s right. I don’t understand why we have to go. Those people can also survive on Guide supplements, can’t they?”

“Do you really want to finish the mission? Anyway, I'm only planning on going through the motions.”

“That’s right. I’m going to make an appearance, and come back immediately. I won’t stay there for even a second longer.”

Speaking of this, they couldn’t help but feel envious of those Guides who had already been matched to a partner and had entered marriage.

In most cases, Guides who already had a partner didn’t need to undertake missions like this, where they had to leave the capital and go to dangerous places.

How wonderful it was that Guides, a rare species, even those from civilian backgrounds, had a very good chance of being matched to a noble, or even the royal family, and live a comfortable and stable life without needing to work.

The young Guides quickly forgot their worries and began to fantasize about the future.

They enthusiastically discussed which unmarried noble Sentinels were still left in the capital.

Lin Yuan sat amidst them. When they laughed, she laughed along with them.

When they became quiet, she also remained silent.

Even though she didn't understand their jokes at all.

Actually, getting along with others was not so hard, Lin Yuan thought. As long as she could read their emotions and imitate their expressions, they would think that she was just like them.

She had rarely been with this many classmates. I'm doing okay, she encouraged herself.

But, she should probably be a bit more proactive and say something.

So, she looked around at everyone and said to the classmate sitting by the window, the only person she recognized, “Shu Jingtong? Do you want to say something to me? I noticed that you’ve been secretly glancing at me several times.”

She had not noticed, but her unoccupied tentacles had discovered that classmate's subtle actions.

Shu Jingtong's face immediately flushed bright red.

Nicole, who was sitting next to Lin Yuan, laughed so hard that she fell onto the table.

“No wonder everyone says that you’re a weirdo. You’re really too funny,” she said to Lin Yuan. “I thought that I was the most tactless person in the academy. I didn’t expect that there would be a Guide who’s even less subtle than me.”

Lin Yuan remained expressionless. She didn’t know what she had said wrong.

It was the truth, wasn’t it? Although she had not noticed, her unoccupied tentacles had clearly seen his secretive actions.

Nicole covered for Shu Jingtong, “He’s just curious about you. We all want to ask you if you’ve really broken off your engagement with Jiang Yangshuo.”

“Mm,” Lin Yuan said as she counted with her tentacles secretly. “I’ve already answered this question 230 times.”

“Hahaha.” Nicole laughed again. “Okay, I won’t ask this question then. I just want to know if you’ve really applied to work in the Special Research Department.”

Lin Yuan took out her work ID and showed it to Nicole.

“Wow,” Nicole said as she looked at her permit. “I heard that people who work there are often sent to contaminated zones. It’s very dangerous.”

“You, why did you apply for a job like that?” Shu Jingtong, whose redness had just subsided, could not help but ask again. “No Guide has ever applied to survey contaminated zones. Are…are you very confident in your own mental strength?”

“No matter what the reason is, it sounds very cool.” Nicole put an arm around Lin Yuan’s shoulder. “I’m envious of you. Actually, I really want to leave the White Tower and go around to take a look. But my family disagrees. I had to put in a lot of effort this time to get my father to agree.”

A Guide with permed hair who was sitting by the window rolled her eyes inwardly as she heard their conversation.

“Oh please, pretending she’s that noble and impressive. She was clearly rejected, made a fool of herself, and has no place to stay, so she found an excuse for herself.”

She lowered her voice and said to the person sitting next to her,

“Which Guide actually wants to work? I just want to be matched to a wealthy and important partner as soon as possible. So that I won’t ever need to work again and can live a comfortable life.”

Sitting next to her across the window, was a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair. When she heard her words, she nodded with a smile, seemingly agreeing with her opinion very much.

The permed-haired girl was about to continue speaking when she saw the person agreeing with her. She opened her mouth but then froze.

A chill rose from her back, making her body stiffen, and goosebumps rose on her skin.

She suddenly remembered that she was by the window.

And it was thousands of meters high outside the window. How could there be someone there?

If it wasn't a person, then what was it?

Outside the window, the soft long hair of that girl was gently swaying in the wind. Her black eyes were glowing, her face was smiling, and she kept nodding.

The permed-haired guide’s hands and feet were cold, as if something icy had crawled up against her skin. It made her body go limp, and she didn't dare to move at all.

Her teeth were chattering, and she stiffly turned her neck to pull at her classmate who was sitting on her other side.

“What are you pulling me for?” The classmate she had pulled turned to her with an unhappy look.

The permed-haired girl’s body trembled, and she couldn't say anything. She simply pointed a trembling finger at the window.

Her classmate followed her hand and looked outside with a smile.

She saw a human head with flowing long hair.

That creature, which had a human head, was floating outside the window, tightly clinging to the glass. When it saw her looking, it grinned, making a “hee hee hee” sound.

“Ahhh—!” A piercing scream rang out in the airship.

The dining table was knocked over, food was scattered all over the floor, many people fell out of their chairs, and some started to run.

The entire airship was filled with screams.

The human-headed monster outside the window began to change its shape. The long black hair stuck to the glass, as if it had some sort of stickiness, allowing it to crawl on the glass.

The nose and mouth parts slowly extended, forming a sharp proboscis.

The monster, whose hair had stuck to the outside of the window, began to nod rapidly, and its long proboscis pecked at the glass rapidly like a woodpecker.

Tap, tap, tap. A dense and strange knocking sound could be heard.

The glass of the airship's window, which was said to even be able to withstand grenades, now quickly formed cobweb-like cracks.

The cabin that had been filled with screams became eerily quiet.

All the passengers huddled together in groups of three or five, staring in terror at the growing cracks.

As if they could stop them from expanding with their gazes.

In the midst of the silence, only the dense sound of tap, tap, tap could be heard. It was like a death knell from hell.

However, that was not the end of the despair.

Just at this moment, a dark cloud appeared in the distant sky, swaying against the glare of the sun.

As they got closer, they discovered that the cloud, which was floating like a balloon in the air, was all made of human heads.

The monsters, who had human-like features, were especially terrifying.

A middle-aged man with moles on his face and messy stubble. An elderly woman with loose skin and lipstick on her lips.

They were like the passersby on the streets, the neighbors from the building next door. Their ordinary and common appearances seemed so bizarre.

Heads with messy hair were floating, and they were moving toward the airship.

“Mut…mutated species. They’re mutated creatures,” someone looked out of the window and said in despair. “We, we’ve entered a contaminated zone.”

Large and small human heads quickly surrounded them and stuck to the outside of the portholes. Some were laughing, and some were crying with pained expressions.

Someone threw up, and several Guides fainted on the spot.

The red warning lights inside the airship were flashing back and forth, and a piercing alarm sounded.

“Warning, warning. The airship has strayed into a high-altitude contaminated zone. Everyone remain calm, take cover where you are, and wait for rescue. All sentinel units, assemble immediately.”

“Repeating, all Guides take cover where you are and wait for rescue. All sentinel units, assemble immediately!”

In the green wilderness where the shadow of the airship had just passed through.

Several fully armed sentinels pushed aside the thick vegetation and climbed to a high ground with an open view.

“It's gone? That airship from just now?” a sentinel said as he looked at the green floating clouds in the sky above him.

Just moments ago, a huge and luxurious airship had clearly been flying there. The high-tech vehicle from the old days, gleaming under the sunlight, had been very noticeable.

But, within just the blink of an eye, that noticeable, huge thing had disappeared.

He looked around. It was an open wilderness under a low sky, and the blue sky contained nothing but a few strands of thin cloud.

The sun was warm, and the world seemed calm and peaceful. It was as if everything had just been an illusion.

The officer in charge of the team came up. It was Tan Shu, Cao Junmin’s right-hand man from the Public Security Bureau. Tan Shu frowned in thought for a moment and then said in a low voice, “What do you think, Ni Ji?”

The vegetation behind him parted, and a tall young sentinel with long legs appeared.

That man came out from the trees, and with force in his feet, he leaped onto the top of the rock and looked into the distance, frowning. It was Ni Ji, the one Tan Shu had called out for.

“It’s a newly formed contaminated zone,” Ni Ji said with a grave expression after looking at the clouds in the sky for a moment. “It appeared not long ago, and it’s still floating in the air, so it’s hard to detect. That airship just crashed into it.”

“I heard that it was full of Guides on their way to the border.” The sentinels shook their heads sympathetically. “How pitiful. I wonder if they have a chance to get out of there alive.”

Tan Shu stood there and pondered for a moment.

They belonged to the Public Security Bureau. Logically, they should offer help when encountering an incident like this. At the very least, they should apply for help from the White Tower once they returned.

Tan Shu’s expression changed a few times. Finally, he waved his hand. “Let’s go. It’s none of our business. Our orders from the Principal are our priority.”

He had come here this time under Cao Junmin's orders, leading several experts from the Public Security Bureau, to carry out a private mission outside the capital.

Seeing the sudden disaster before him, he simply wanted to pretend he didn’t know and leave as soon as possible.

“Are…are we not notifying anyone for rescue?” a sentinel muttered. “That was an entire airship full of people.”

Tan Shu gave him a fierce glare. He hated such ungrateful, inconsiderate people the most.

“If we’re delayed here, and something goes wrong with Teacher’s important matters, are you taking responsibility, Song Yuansi?”

“But, we were the only ones who saw it. If we don’t report it, then they’ll all die.” Song Yuansi’s voice gradually became softer under Tan Shu’s cold stare, until it was almost inaudible by the end. “At…at least we should send out a distress signal,” he whispered, his voice as soft as a mosquito.

He knew that if a distress signal were sent out, those security soldiers who had a duty to perform would have no choice but to handle the matter.

Saying this would definitely anger Tan Shu.

But, that was an airship filled with people’s lives. As security soldiers whose duty was to protect and serve, if they didn’t even send out a distress signal for those people, they wouldn't be able to clear their consciences.

Tan Shu was just about to yell at him.

When he saw Ni Ji suddenly leap directly from the high rock.

His thin figure fell all the way down. When he got close to the ground, he gently tapped his toes on the rock to stop his descent. Then, using the momentum, his body surged forward, and with a few leaps, he charged towards the place where the airship had disappeared.

He didn't even say anything.

“I, I’ll go take a look too. Anyways, we have to wait for Ni Ji, right?” Song Yuansi, who had just been yelled at by Tan Shu until he couldn’t even lift his head, stammered. He didn't dare to look at Tan Shu, as he followed Ni Ji and ran.

Tan Shu’s face turned red with anger.

Although Ni Ji had returned, the teacher’s private business had still made him the leader of the team.

He felt very proud and smug and wanted to take this opportunity to show off his authority as the leader.

He also wanted Ni Ji to know that their positions had long since been reversed. Now, Ni Ji was the one who should be following his orders.

Who would have thought that Ni Ji, who had disguised himself so well, did not fight back, and always remained quiet and silent, would not take him, his leader, seriously at all during important moments. He didn't even bother to discuss things with him, he just turned around and left.

Tan Shu was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

This guy was still as arrogant as ever, going his own way. He had no respect for him at all.

Tan Shu thought angrily that he shouldn’t have let this guy come back at all. He would definitely report him to the principal when they returned and make him suffer. It would be best if he were to just die outside during this mission.

But the other sentinels simply looked at each other for a moment, before approaching him to say,

“Ni Ji is too unreasonable, Captain. Should, should we send a distress signal to the White Tower, then?”

“Yeah, we have to wait for them anyway.”

“Or we can also go over there and help out around the periphery or something.”

“After all, it's that many lives.”

“And there are quite a few Guides.”

Tan Shu felt even more resentful in his heart.

Shu Jingtong was blankly kneeling on the ground.

In front of him, a large pool of blood was slowly spreading and it had already flowed to his feet.

He knew that a corpse was lying in the blood, her beautiful white dress completely soaked in dark red blood.

She was his classmate, and she had curly, short hair, a few light freckles on her face, and could be a bit mean-spirited sometimes.

Just moments ago, they were still eating at the same table.

He didn't even know how it had all happened.

First, the outer layer of glass had been pecked through by that strange monster. When everyone screamed and backed away, that monster with long black hair had taken them by surprise, and it had broken through the glass and rushed in.

With just a single movement, that sharp, mosquito-like proboscis had pierced through the soft abdomen of the girl.

Even now, that mutated creature was still lying on the body of the dead Guide, making a clear and terrifying sound.

Right beside him.

He didn’t dare to look, and he didn’t want to see that image.

He knew he should leave and hide.

But his body was alternating between feeling cold and feeling hot, and his limbs felt limp and weak.

He didn’t know how many people had died, or how many monsters had come in.

All he knew was that there were constant screams, and the sounds of people running and falling around him.

Right in front of him, a huge head rose up from below.

That monster had the face of a middle-aged balding man, with a few sparse white hairs on his greasy head. Bags under his droopy eyes, and his cloudy eyes were staring at the group of people inside the glass window with a look of hunger.

It pressed its entire face against the window with a “splat,” and slimy drool dripped down from across the glass.

What should he do? What should he do at a time like this?

His entire body was frozen, but his mind was racing.

He had to think of something, he told himself.

Countless images flashed through his mind.

Since he was young, he had seen many scenes of humans fighting mutated species. Those movies, novels, broadcasts, and even advertisements all contained stories of humans fighting monsters.

But in those well-produced movies and TV shows, in those works of literature with their twists and turns, all the Guides who encountered such dangerous monsters…

Would all uniformly collapse on the ground, trembling and screaming.

And as long as they did that, they would definitely see a rescuing sentinel rushing in to save them.

Since he was young, this was all he had seen and heard.

At this critical moment, of course, this was all he could recall.

Could…could he only cry? He just needed to shout for help? Shu Jingtong’s teeth chattered. Right, he probably also had to watch his appearance. Cry beautifully so that it would evoke pity.

He actually had an answer in his heart.

In those movies, the Guides who were crying and screaming could always wait for a hero to save them.

But that didn’t work in reality.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the human head with the proboscis lift up from his classmate’s body.

That monster had become much larger than when it had first appeared, and strange pale red blood vessels bulged under its skin. It was grinning as it crawled toward him.

He…he had to move, Shu Jingtong told himself.

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