Invasion - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The sentinels had excellent vision and hearing. Even if the intruders approached silently, they would quickly discover them.

In the distance, by the shore, a group of powerful sentinels were stealthily approaching.

By the time they were discovered, those figures were already standing far away, blocking their retreat.

Underwater, there was an even more powerful something that had, at some point, already swam very close to the sentinels.

Sha Nan Bay was a crescent-shaped bay, and those figures were standing at the part of the bay that extended furthest into the sea.

They exuded a powerful aura, all high-level sentinels. Standing or crouching, their eyes shone with the cold gleam of battle readiness.

The seawater reflected the dark, silent shadows of the sentinels' mental bodies.

The veteran soldiers at the outpost all knew that sometimes, the most dangerous thing when traveling in a contaminated zone wasn’t the monsters, but their own kind.

Especially when you found treasure and were accidentally discovered by others.

This was a dark forest, a godforsaken land. Human life, in this place without law or supervision, was exceedingly cheap.

"They're all experts, with powerful equipment," Dahu lowered his voice and said to Xiao Niao. "Not like us, they seem to be from the White Tower."

"Especially the one underwater," Dahu took off his coat. "You keep an eye on those above, I'll go down and check it out."

The sentinel, transformed into a striped tiger, dove into the water.

Xiao Niao, her hand on the gun at her waist, stared at the people by the water.

We’re no match for them.

Not just because of the pressure from their powerful mental strength, but also because of the weapons those people carried.

Those people all carried electronic pulse guns, products from a different era than the firearms in their hands that needed bullets.

It was common knowledge that White Tower sentinels were far stronger than local soldiers. Most importantly, with the empire’s strong financial support, they were equipped with the most powerful weapons from the old era, collected from all over the place.

The people standing by the sea, although they seemed far away, for a sentinel’s speed, it was a distance almost impossible to escape.

With Xiao Niao's eyesight, she could see the relaxed and indifferent looks in the eyes of those people by the water, the mocking smiles on their lips.

Those people could probably also see her tense state, as if facing a formidable enemy, they could even see the cold sweat dripping from her forehead.

Xiao Mu underwater completely panicked.

His perception was incredibly sharp underwater.

He knew he had been targeted. In the depths of the ocean, a behemoth was approaching him.

Silently, at an alarming speed.

In just a few breaths, it was already very close, as fast as a ghost in the deep sea.

It was a sentinel. Xiao Mu had seen many powerful sentinels, but this was the first time he had encountered such a strong person.

That sentinel’s overwhelming pressure permeated the entire sea, making it almost impossible for him to even think of escaping. He felt pathetically small for the first time.

And that sentinel's mental body was a seal’s natural enemy.

My god, it was an orca.

The orca's unique call came through the surging waves.

It made his tail go weak, he was almost going crazy.

There was no escape.

He had been targeted.

Should I just surrender obediently?

It was over, he could almost see that huge, dark figure.

【It’s okay.】

【Don't be afraid.】

【Come to the boat.】

That voice, which occasionally rang in his mind, came again at this time. Like a lifeline, it instantly soothed his panicked heart.

Xiao Mu saw the bottom of the boat, which was already very close, and Brother Hu coming down from the surface to get him.

The little seal summoned his courage again, using all his strength, desperately swimming towards the surface.

Several huge and mysterious tentacles appeared in the ocean around him, protectively surrounding him, separating him from the huge shadow approaching from the water.

Tentacles? Where did these tentacles come from?

They were clearly mysterious and strange creatures. But Xiao Mu inexplicably felt a sense of reassurance.

These unseen beings actually brought him a sense of security.

As if they had accompanied him all this way, talking and chatting with him.

The seal boy leapt high out of the water and jumped into his own boat with a splash.

Lin Yuan handed him a blanket. He wrapped himself in the blanket, and after regaining his human form, he poked his head out from the blanket.

Seeing all his fully armed comrades standing beside him, seeing Lin Yuan's calm face, he finally calmed down a little from his trembling.

Lin Yuan's shared vision with him had already ended, but he still subconsciously looked for the Guide sister.

That big sister was sitting on the edge of the boat, looking down into the water, as if she knew what kind of behemoth was in the dark sea, but wasn’t afraid, just a little curious.

Now that he was a bit calmer, Xiao Mu understood what had just happened.

Those tentacles that had appeared at the end, protecting him, were Big Sister Lin Yuan’s mental bodies.

So, Guides could also have such powerful and reassuring mental bodies.

He had always thought that Guides could only have soft and cute little animals.

No, Big Sister Lin Yuan’s mental bod… ies, were also very soft and cute, just a little bit bigger.

Xiao Mu actually knew this, he had seen many of the empire’s advertisements and TV shows about Guides.

He knew that Guides’ mental bodies could soothe sentinels, but didn’t have much combat power.

As a sentinel of the empire, from a young age, he had been told that sentinels had the responsibility to protect the fragile Guides.

He didn’t expect to be protected by a Guide from the White Tower today.

Remembering how he had trembled in fear in the sea, the boy, with a strong sense of self-respect, blushed with shame.

But he had to admit that at that moment, when he was suppressed by the powerful sentinel and almost surrendered, the huge, mysterious tentacles had helped him greatly.

Their posture in the water, pointing sharply at the enemy, had brought him infinite security.

Fortunately, that orca had stopped in the end.

Strange, why did that powerful orca stop and not attack them?

…

Underwater, the starlight from the sky shone through the surface, scattering on the orca's black back.

Ni Ji, swimming in the seawater, saw a small seal.

It wasn't even a formal sentinel, just a ten-year-old boy.

Even though they were still quite far apart, his perception underwater was unmatched.

He didn't even need to enhance his vision, he could sense that the boy was holding a wooden box, coming out of the cruise ship, swaying his wide seal tail fin, happily swimming upwards.

"Eliminate him and get what Teacher wants," Tan Shu’s voice came through the diving headset. "We’ll deal with his companions."

Things were a little troublesome. The box in the boy’s arms might be the thing that Cao Junmin had specially sent them all the way from the White Tower to find.

The Mary had been discovered in the No. 5 Contaminated Zone.

This old ship, which had been sleeping on the seabed for many years, seemed to have been completely looted by expedition teams.

But its real, most valuable cargo hadn't been unearthed yet. It was a box of ancient, rare energy stones, stored in a top-secret location in the captain's bedroom. Currently, only a few high-ranking people in the White Tower knew about this.

No one wanted to report this to the empire. Everyone had their own little schemes, wanting to secretly pocket these rare treasures.

Cao Junmin wanted to use this to establish his image in front of his new backer, he was determined to get the contents of this box. He had even sent out the strongest elite soldiers under his command.

It just so happened that someone beat them to it.

And it also just so happened that these people hadn’t escaped yet.

Ni Ji knew there were many injustices in this world, he was now indifferent to them. He was no longer the hot-blooded and impulsive young man he had been back at school. But some things, as long as he didn't want to touch them, he would never touch.

Like using a boy's life to pave Cao Junmin’s path to promotion.

He would just scare him a little and take the thing.

Just as he was about to approach, the seawater around the panicked little seal surged, and a familiar feeling suddenly appeared in the dark currents, startling Ni Ji.

Like a flower suddenly blooming in the dark night, or like ghosts and gods reaching out their hands from a hidden place.

Tentacles suddenly appeared, protectively guarding the panicked little seal.

They were huge and powerful, all pointing towards him, in a warning posture.

Was it her? That Guide.

Ni Ji slowly stopped in the water.

Such a coincidence?

Just two days ago, he and she were still fighting side by side in the sea of clouds.

But now, the tentacles that had been guarding him were protecting another sentinel, their sharp tips all pointing towards him.

In an attack stance.

This was, rather normal, perhaps.

Friends who had fought side by side turning into enemies in a blink of an eye wasn't a rare occurrence for Ni Ji.

Tan Shu had also been a brother he had fought alongside. But now Tan Shu was plotting to kill him. Ni Ji didn’t have much of a reaction to this, he only felt a little disgusted.

Moreover, he and that girl hadn’t had any real interaction, they hadn't even had a complete conversation.

Only, only when those tentacles were coiled on the seabed, pointing at him like they would an enemy,

Ni Ji felt a strange sense of sadness welling up in his heart.

Like a soft spot had been stabbed hard by the sharp tip of a tentacle, an uncontrollable feeling of discomfort. He once thought that he no longer had such a place in his heart.

What could you do if I insisted on going against you?

Ni Ji narrowed his eyes, a surge of anger inexplicably rising in his heart. He knew it wasn’t necessary, but couldn’t control his emotions.

A certain spot on the back of his hand suddenly itched.

If it were that person…

He realized that if he did that, that person might give him a hard slap, like last time, and this time it might not just be on the back of his hand.

The huge orca stopped.

He didn't continue forward. Half of his body transformed into human form as he swam upwards, surfacing, revealing half of his head above the surging waves.

On the rippling sea, he saw the Guide.

She was sitting in a small boat, under the starry sky, on the sea not far from him.

Several sentinels carefully guarded her, she seemed to have just noticed him, a slightly surprised look on her face.

Lin Yuan saw the sentinel surfacing from the water.

So it was him, such a coincidence.

The sentinel emerged from the sea, his hair wet, droplets of water rolling down his jawline, along his Adam's apple.

Only his head was above the sea, and through the seawater, she could vaguely see a bit of the black markings on his body.

But inexplicably, Lin Yuan felt a sense of familiarity, as if she didn't need to look, she knew what the invisible part below the surface was. There was a beautiful black back, smooth lines, and a sleek tail.

She didn’t know why it felt so familiar, like she had personally touched it before.

This sentinel was very strange, every time she saw him, Lin Yuan felt a sense of both novelty and familiarity.

Clearly they hadn’t even formally spoken a word to each other.

But it was as if they were already very familiar.

The last time, just two days ago, on the airship in the sky, Lin Yuan had heard this man's unrestrained laughter.

He had laughed heartily as he jumped down from high altitude, slicing open the monster’s giant head with a single strike. A worthy powerhouse.

His laughter at that time had been joyful.

This time they met, he had silently swam up from the seabed, not even greeting her, just watching her from afar.

Lin Yuan vaguely felt like she had detected a strange emotion, a complex human emotion called "resentment."

Like a mermaid princess who had been abandoned by her prince, looking at the prince's ship, so wronged she was almost crying.

Lin Yuan felt that she must have been mistaken. The tentacles hadn’t been very sensitive recently, often bringing her things she couldn't understand.

"Did you bully him just now?" Lin Yuan quietly asked her mental bodies.

【No.】

【You gave the first order, to protect the seal.】

【We were carrying out the first order, didn’t even notice the big fish.】

【Ah, it’s the big fish.】

【Big fish, let me see.】

【I'll just give a hi.】

【Little fish seems to be in a bad mood.】

【It's okay, we’ll just… hey, who’s covering my mouth?】

While Lin Yuan’s tentacles were chattering, the sentinels' boat had already reached the shore.

For them, land was a better choice if they had to fight.

That exceptionally powerful something, floating in the water, not approaching yet constantly watching them with malice, was rather frightening.

"It’s quite rare to encounter a Guide in a contaminated zone," Tan Shu, standing on the shore, said to the sentinels getting off the boat with a smile. "There’s no need to be so nervous. For the sake of the Guide from the White Tower, we won't do anything.”

When he smiled, he looked a bit like those nobles who valued etiquette at high-society banquets. Smiling, refined, and polite, like a reasonable person.

But Xiao Niao and the others didn’t buy it. They held their weapons, as if facing a formidable enemy.

This person's face was smiling, but his men had spread out, their positions firm, blocking all escape routes.

The safeties on their pulse guns were off, and the fully charged energy bars on the guns glowed with a faint light. They looked like they were ready to kill and silence them at any moment.

"I would never be disrespectful to a Guide," Tan Shu bowed slightly and extended a hand to Lin Yuan. "As long as this Guide miss, you’re willing to give me that box."

Lin Yuan was reluctant, pouting as she hugged the wooden box that Xiao Mu had worked so hard to bring back.

The box was very old and looked worthless. Only from its slightly cracked opening, a captivating, multicolored light shone.

Xiao Niao quickly thought through various escape plans, not a single one feasible.

Dahu's face flushed red, and he gritted his teeth.

"Big Sister Lin Yuan," Xiao Mu gently tugged on Lin Yuan's clothes.

They all felt a deep sense of humiliation, but there was nothing they could do.

They knew that facing such powerful enemies, they couldn’t act rashly.

In this helpless situation, their lives were of course more important than completing the task.

Lin Yuan glared at Tan Shu, her face filled with shame and anger.

Finally, as if forced into a corner, she angrily threw the wooden box towards Tan Shu.

She was a Guide, her arms didn't have much strength, and in her anger, the box hit the ground.

The multicolored, invaluable energy stones inside rolled out onto the golden beach. Even the yellow sand couldn't hide their bright, alluring glow.

The old wooden box that had held the gemstones bounced a few times on the beach and landed far away, its opening empty.

Tan Shu spread his hands, as if understanding a delicate Guide's behavior in her anger, not holding it against Lin Yuan.

He opened his backpack and picked up the beautiful energy stones one by one, putting them all inside.

Of course, he didn’t bother picking up the empty wooden box that had landed far away. Perhaps he thought about it for a moment, but some unknown being silently swam by, distracting him from that thought.

"How is it? Did I do a good job?" Lin Yuan asked inwardly.

【Very good, quite human-like, the way humans get angry.】

【Not quite, you should clench your teeth tighter, puff out your cheeks.】

【Furrow your brows, wrinkle the center of your brows.】

【Too hard, that involves controlling so many muscles.】

【Look at Xiao Niao, copy her expression.】

【Whatever, the plan worked.】

Tan Shu put away the energy stones, patted his hands, and turned around to leave.

As if he was really going to keep his promise, leaving after taking the things.

Just as everyone slightly relaxed,

Tan Shu, with his back to Xiao Niao and the others, sneered, and made a thumbs-down gesture.

As everyone knew, this was a gesture of extermination.

Only, before his thumb could reach vertical, his wrist was grabbed by a hand dripping with seawater.

"Ni Ji!" Tan Shu gritted his teeth and hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Let them go," Ni Ji said calmly.

Here he goes again, this guy is at it again. Tan Shu thought furiously.

He was always like this, suddenly losing it.

Doing whatever he wanted.

Not taking him, the captain, seriously at all.

Tan Shu tried to break free from Ni Ji’s hand, but the hand gripping his wrist was like an iron clamp, no matter how much force he used, it remained as steady as a rock, unshakeable.

His face alternated between pale and livid. The thin veneer of refinement he had put on was long gone.

And Ni Ji, gripping his wrist, raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on his lips. "I said, let them go. Captain."

He had just come out of the sea, covered in water, his legs bare, one hand grabbing the towel around his waist, yet he restrained Tan Shu with a single hand.

This guy was always like this, no matter how docile he pretended to be, when he decided to do something, he rarely gave anyone room for discussion.

Tan Shu knew that if they fought here, he wouldn't be a match for Ni Ji, he might not even be able to shake off Ni Ji’s grip.

He couldn't lose face like this.

He could only clench his teeth, wave his hand for his team to retreat, and lead them away, thinking about how to kill Ni Ji over and over in his mind.

Ni Ji walked at the very end of the group.

He didn't even glance at the people left on the beach.

As he walked forward barefoot, he stepped on a wooden box buried in the sand.

He hesitated for a moment, and a small tentacle emerged from the shadows, wrapping around his bare ankle, its tip gently brushing against his sand-covered skin.

Ni Ji froze.

He was very reluctant to admit it.

But he realized, with a hint of sadness, that he had been longing for this.

Waiting for that person to give him a small hint, a silent greeting. His gloomy heart rejoiced.

So, this wooden box was what she really wanted.

Ni Ji pressed his foot down slightly, pushing the box into the soft sand, hiding it for her.

He didn’t pause, nor did he look back, lifting his sand-covered foot, catching up with the people in front.

The thin tentacle slid down from his ankle, into the yellow sand, wrapping around the small wooden box.

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