Invasion - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The leader of the rescue team kindly consoled the surviving Guides.

Saying that he had failed in his duty, and that they had been subjected to undue fright. Calling this incident a terrible accident.

He also boasted about how effective and timely the rescue had been, which was why the Guides had been well-protected inside the airship, and at least most of them hadn’t suffered any fatal physical injuries.

The rescue officer asked everyone about their next steps. He said that vehicles had been arranged to continue transporting them to the various outposts, but considering that everyone had suffered such trauma, it was understandable if anyone wanted to return to recover.

In his heart, he thought this group of frightened Guides would definitely no longer want to go to the outposts.

They would definitely be trembling, crying, and clamoring to go back. That way he could easily take everyone back to the White Tower and complete his task. He wouldn't have to travel long distances, sending these people one by one to those dangerous and impoverished places.

As for whether the soldiers at the outposts needed Guides, whether they were waiting for the Guides' treatment, that was not something an official like him, high up in the White Tower, needed to worry about.

After all, it was just a formality, wasn’t it?

"I, I'm willing to continue going to the outpost. The sentinels there are still waiting for us," a young man said. His mental strength had been overdrawn, making his face pale, he looked like he couldn’t even stand up, yet he sat on the ground, raising his pale arm.

Oh, it was Shu Jingtong, the top student who ranked first in his class. The rescue officer recognized this person. He curled his lip inwardly. Good students were always so rigid, there was really nothing he could do about it.

But on the surface, he still put on a smile, praising him for his loyalty, selflessness, and putting the big picture first.

"Me too, I still want to go," the girl who spoke this time had a bird's nest-like afro, her face still covered in snot and tears.

Oh, it was the young lady from the Marquis' family who had been spoiled. The rescue officer thought, it was normal for a young lady to be unfamiliar with the world.

"I’ll go too," another person quickly raised their hand.

"Yes, I'll go too."

"Although I’m a little scared… I’ll still go."

"Count me in."

One after another, Guides raised their hands. Although it wasn’t everyone, the number still greatly surprised the rescue officer.

These Guides, who usually lived delicate lives in the White Tower, now looked disheveled and haggard. They sat scattered around, exhausted. But every hand that was raised was so firm.

Their eyes held a spark that the official, comfortably situated in his high position, could not understand.

The rescue officer had no choice but to complain inwardly while taking out a notebook to record the destinations of each Guide. He started arranging vehicles and personnel for their escort.

Some went to Luolong, some went to Zidian, and a Guide in a dark sports suit, who said she was from the Special Research Department, said she was going to the Dongbin outpost.

---

Ni Ji, who had already left with his team and traveled quite a distance, suddenly stopped in the wilderness.

“Dongbin,” he seemed to have heard something, softly reciting a place name.

“What's wrong, Brother Ji?” Song Yuansi, who was walking next to him, asked. “You remembered wrong, we're not going to the Dongbin outpost, we’re going to Zidian. Although the two outposts are pretty close to each other.”

…

By the sea in the early morning, the dawn was just breaking. Fishermen returning from their catch dragged their fresh seafood onto the seawall.

People gathered on the dock, forming a small seafood market.

The fishmonger woman raised her knife and chopped down, severing a huge fish head. The blood, mixed with fish scales, gathered on the ground, forming small streams that flowed along the sides of the road to the lower areas.

Passersby walked through the mud.

The sounds of bargaining and shouting mixed with the fishy smell, filling the market. It was dirty, messy, and noisy.

Captain Shen Fei stood amidst the commoners and the mud, uncomfortably adjusting the silk scarf around his neck.

Wearing an imperial uniform in a place like this felt really out of place. It had been many years since he last wore it.

Behind him, several sentinels, leaning against their jeep, laughed at him.

“Captain, look at what you're wearing, like a peacock. Hahaha, you look so ridiculous, didn’t you see everyone looking at you?”

“Captain, this uniform might be suitable for a ball at the White Tower, but standing here in the market, it’s just funny.”

“Shut your traps.” Shen Fei cursed at them. “Everyone from the imperial capital dresses like this. This is a uniform, it shows that we take her seriously.”

Shen Fei had been born in the imperial capital and raised in a branch family of a noble family. Compared to the local sentinels, he knew the etiquette of the White Tower.

He considered himself a refined gentleman, only now, having spent so much time at the Dongbin outpost, he had picked up the crude language of the rough soldiers. He had almost forgotten the etiquette he had learned from a young age.

“Stop making fun of the Captain,” a female sentinel with a buzz cut, who was sitting on top of the jeep, said. “This is the Captain’s last uniform, before we left, his wife stayed up all night, washing and ironing it so the Captain could wear it.”

The sentinels stopped laughing.

Most of them still remembered that when the Captain had first come here, he had had many such colorful clothes. Over the years, most of them had been sold, leaving only this one, which he occasionally wore for formal events, to maintain appearances.

They really shouldn’t have laughed.

“Boss, is that Guide really coming? We’ve been waiting here since yesterday, and we haven’t seen even a shadow of a Guide. Could it be that she’s not coming at all?” The one who spoke was a large sentinel, with thick eyebrows, bushy beard, and over two meters tall. He was already very impatient from waiting.

“That’s impossible, Dahu. The Guide coming is from the Special Research Department, she's here for the No. 5 Contaminated Zone.” Shen Fei shook his head. “She has a research task in the No. 5 Contaminated Zone, she’ll definitely come.”

Although he said that, he was also worried in his heart, repeatedly looking into the distance. “Strange, she should have been here by now. Guides usually wear those white silk dresses, they’re very noticeable, everyone’s been keeping an eye out.”

Actually, it was another outpost next door that was closer to the No. 5 Contaminated Zone.

The Guide wasn’t supposed to come here, it was because he had asked a favor from a distant cousin of his cousin’s. That cousin, named Roy, had some connections in the Special Research Department. Shen Fei put in a lot of effort, repeatedly assuring Roy that he would take good care of their Guide, before Roy agreed to let the Guide stay at their Dongbin outpost during her research period.

As long as the Guide came and stayed with them, there might still be a little bit of hope.

The sentinel nicknamed Dahu grunted. “Even if she comes, what then? It’s not like the White Tower hasn’t sent Guides to us these years, after coming here, they either dislike the poor living conditions or dislike the food, every time they come, they just clamor to leave. Has any of them ever sincerely helped us?”

Someone immediately chimed in. “Yeah, the one who came the year before last, when she had just arrived at the outpost, she accidentally saw Dahu’s half-beast form and fainted on the spot. After waking up, she refused to stay any longer. She didn’t even unpack her luggage, she packed everything back up and ran away. Hahaha.”

“So you all better behave yourselves this time.” Shen Fei scolded them unhappily. “No cursing, no showing your half-beast forms, and keep your mental bodies put away. No one’s allowed to release them and let them run around.”

“Why?”

“We’re going to die from holding it in.”

“Yeah, think a Guide is so great. Who cares?”

“I don’t want to pour tea and water and carry luggage for those guys, only to be given a cold shoulder. I’m tired of giving them a warm welcome only for them to slap our faces.”

“Those guys from the White Tower have never treated us like human beings.”

The rowdy soldiers started clamoring.

“Then what do you want?” Shen Fei turned around and shouted. “Do you not want Rachel’s life anymore?”

When the sentinels heard this, they instantly quieted down.

Shen Fei’s burning gaze swept over each sentinel’s face, and everyone he looked at lowered their heads.

“Do you even know what kind of state Xiao Lei is in right now?” Shen Fei’s gaze finally landed on Dahu, the leader of the commotion, and said coldly, “Dahu, you tell me. If you say you don't want your vice-captain’s life anymore, I won’t say anything more, I’ll turn around and leave right now. Who the hell has the patience to wait here for some Guide.”

“Boss, I didn’t mean that,” the tall and sturdy sentinel shrunk his head, lowering his head to apologize. “I’m sorry, I know I was wrong.”

“Listen up, when the Guide gets here, all of you better behave yourselves.” Shen Fei pointed at each of them. “I’m telling you, know your place, lower your heads, bend your backs, pour tea, carry water, just do whatever you have to do. If anyone ruins things, I won't let them off easy.”

“Boss, you don’t have to say anymore,” Dahu hit the side of the jeep, making a solemn vow. “If that guy can really save Captain Lei, I’m willing to even kneel down and lick her shoes.”

“What shoes?” A girl’s voice cut in at this time.

Shen Fei turned around and saw a young woman standing in front of him.

The girl was wearing a dark, loose-fitting outdoor outfit. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, a gun at her waist, and a small backpack on her back. Other than her pale face and slender hands, she didn't look like a Guide at all in his impression.

“Are you the sentinels from Dongbin?” she asked.

“Yes, I am Shen Fei, Captain of Dongbin.” Even though he had seen her photo, Shen Fei still couldn’t quite believe it. “You… are you…?”

“Lin Yuan from the Special Research Department.” Lin Yuan showed her work ID. “The airship had some problems midway. I hitched a ride here.”

Her tone was very flat, neither reserved nor enthusiastic.

But Shen Fei was overjoyed. Like he had found a treasure, he didn’t even know what to do with his hands.

He eagerly took Lin Yuan’s backpack, handed it to the group of guys craning their necks behind him, and personally opened the car door for Lin Yuan.

“I heard, I heard. You entered a contaminated zone,” Shen Fei said warmly. “It must have been very difficult. I’ve been so worried, afraid you wouldn’t come.”

The Guide who came two years ago had brought seven or eight huge suitcases, almost filling the back of the truck, which was why Shen Fei had specially brought several brothers to help carry things this time.

Who knew the Guide who came this time had a different style, she only had one backpack.

The sentinels all got in the back of the jeep. Shen Fei drove himself and invited Lin Yuan to sit in the passenger seat.

This jeep was the only motor vehicle at the outpost. It was very old, having been repaired many times, and while its performance was still decent, the interior really wasn't that great. Even though Shen Fei had organized people to carefully clean and wipe it before coming, it still looked rather worn.

There was a long and bumpy dirt road between the dock and the outpost.

To leave a good impression on the new Guide, Shen Fei had taken apart his daughter’s only rag doll before coming, letting his wife use the down feathers inside to sew a soft velvet cushion overnight. It was specially placed on the seat for Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan sat down on the cushion, and Shen Fei, who was in the driver’s seat, couldn’t help but sneak a glance at her.

The young Guide sat down in the car, casually adjusted the seat cushion to get comfortable, and then didn’t move. She didn't speak either, with her expressionless face, her wrist supporting her chin, she tilted her head to look out the window at the muddy road, looking rather bored.

She was a person with a cold personality.

Shen Fei started to get a little nervous.

He knew that right now, the seven or eight guys sitting or standing in the back were definitely listening intently, waiting for him to speak.

The hearing of those sentinels was better than anyone’s.

“This journey, with both the airship and the car, you must be very tired,” Shen Fei finally summoned up his courage, only to say something pointless.

The Guide didn’t respond, she just turned her gaze away from the window, to him, with an indifferent look that showed she wasn’t interested in talking.

Shen Fei couldn't continue the conversation, but he had no choice but to keep talking.

He had to force himself to continue speaking through the awkwardness.

“Originally, I definitely wanted to let you rest for a couple of days, let you adjust your state, before I had the nerve to ask you for this favor,” Shen Fei’s smile was a little stiff, it had been a long time since he last lowered his head to ask someone for something, it felt very unnatural.

“Only, a few days ago,” he said dryly, “you might also know, the nearby No. 5 Contaminated Zone suddenly expanded. One of our sentinels is trapped inside.”

“By the time everyone rescued him, he had already been tormented by those mutated monsters for several days. He’s almost mentally collapsed.”

Lin Yuan cut in. “You want me to give him mental guidance?”

“Yes, yes, that’s it.” Shen Fei’s eyes lit up, earnestly pleading, “I hope you can help us. That sentinel is already on the verge of collapse, he’s about to lose it. We’ve given him several doses of Guide pheromones, they haven't had any effect.”

“But my mental channeling skills aren’t very good, I might not be able to help a sentinel on the verge of collapse.” Lin Yuan responded calmly.

She was simply stating a fact.

Mental channeling was delicate work. Back in the imperial capital, every sentinel who had received mental guidance from her always came out looking pained, and afterwards very few would dare to come find her again. It seemed that she wasn’t very qualified in this aspect.

Only, paired with her expressionless face, this sentence seemed overly cold.

Dahu, in the jeep’s back, suddenly stood up, only to be pulled down by several hands and forced back into his seat.

The female sentinel with the buzz cut glared at him fiercely, telling him not to be impulsive and ruin things.

Even though everyone had the same angry and sad look as he did.

Shen Fei, who was driving, felt a surge of anxiety in his heart. He didn’t know how to explain it to Lin Yuan, and his words became hurried.

“He got himself trapped in there to save people. When the edge of the contaminated zone started expanding, with his speed, he would’ve had enough time to escape.”

“Only there happened to be a temporary village there, with elderly people, and many children.”

“The children got out, but he didn’t. He was clearly the fastest sentinel in the entire outpost.”

“I saw it with my own eyes, watched him being grabbed by the ankle by that thing, and dragged into that black fog.”

“By the time everyone managed to rescue him, three days had already passed, he couldn’t even speak…”

Shen Fei knew that he was too agitated, his words were all jumbled.

He opened his mouth, swallowing the boiling emotions in his chest, forcing an awkward smile.

“Look at me, getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back first, let’s go back and talk.”

This wasn’t good, he told himself, the Guide’s emotions had to be stable, mental guidance could not be forced. If she wasn’t willing, things would be impossible.

When they got back, he would first settle her in, and then slowly ask her for the favor. There would always be a way.

Don’t mess things up.

He was just afraid that Xiao Lei, might not be able to wait.

Rachel was his best soldier. He had entered the military at 15, and Shen Fei had watched him grow from a boy into a trustworthy vice-captain.

Then he watched him become like this, half-dead, with nothing he could do.

There were so many Guides in the White Tower who could heal Sentinels. But they never came to the outposts.

He had finally, finally managed to get one here. He couldn't mess this up.

How could a Guide, raised and nurtured in the White Tower, carefree from a young age, understand the difficulties of the soldiers at the outposts? How could she understand the burning anxiety and pain in his heart right now?

It wasn't hard to understand, Shen Fei told himself. Back when he was still a child, living in the city protected by the White Tower, living in that peaceful dreamland, he had also been the same. He had never thought that some people lived such difficult lives, in such barren lands, living on the edge of a knife, with no guarantee of tomorrow, struggling to even get enough food to eat.

What did he think about every day back then?

Whether the cake had cream or fruit, whether he had a decent outfit for the ball.

This female Guide, from the White Tower, so young, was probably just like how he had been back then.

He couldn't blame her, after all, before seeing it with her own eyes, before experiencing it personally, a person couldn’t put themselves in another person’s shoes and understand their pain.

The car stopped. The outpost’s gate was right in front of them.

Shen Fei realized his eyes were a little moist. He suppressed his emotions, got out of the car to open the door for Lin Yuan, smiling at her. “Let’s go, I'll take you to your room. You can rest for a bit, and see if you’re missing anything.”

“Shouldn't we go see that sentinel first?” Lin Yuan asked strangely.

Shen Fei was stunned.

“I thought you were in a hurry,” Lin Yuan gestured to lead the way. “Since it’s an emergency, and there are no other Guides, I’ll give it a try.”

【This person is so strange.】

【Clearly almost crying from anxiety, yet still talking about resting.】

【Yeah, I don't get it, humans are the hardest to understand.】

【The big fish is gone, no fish to touch, so boring.】

【Boring.】

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