Invasion - Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Lin Yuan was picked up by Shen Fei and the others and brought back to the Dongbin outpost. She returned like a star surrounded by her entourage, receiving a warm welcome.
Dongbin didn't have a treatment pod, not every outpost could have such high-tech medical equipment.
Xiao Niao, her arm still bandaged, rushed down from upstairs, and hugged Lin Yuan with her only movable arm.
"Yuan Yuan," Xiao Niao buried her head in Lin Yuan's shoulder. Lin Yuan patted her back, she didn't move.
"I thought I had left you there too," her voice as soft as a mosquito.
Xiao Niao's mother, her family, and her childhood friends had all been left in that contaminated zone when she was very young.
This was an eternal thorn in her heart.
She held Lin Yuan tightly, not moving. Shen Fei coughed loudly, reminding Xiao Niao to be mindful. No matter what, you were a sentinel, and she was a Guide, a Guide from the White Tower.
Lin Yuan had no choice but to say, "I’m fine, aren’t I?"
When Xiao Niao finally let go of her, Lin Yuan found a small wet patch on her shoulder.
A tiny bit of moisture, not painful or itchy, shouldn't have been a big deal. But Lin Yuan felt like something had been left on her shoulder.
After walking a few steps, she looked down. After a few more steps, she looked again.
If I had really died in there, she would have cried even harder, right?
If she died, someone in this world would be sad and cry for her, not just one person, perhaps several, all shedding tears for her.
Thinking of this scene, Lin Yuan, for some reason, suddenly felt happy. The corners of her mouth started to curve upwards.
Shen Fei, seeing her in a good mood, her face not as cold as before, invited her to dinner at his home tomorrow.
"There’s nothing fancy, not even a proper dinner party, just a casual gathering. They all come to my house often."
Shen Fei was the captain of Dongbin, but his home really wasn't spacious. Several tall sentinels crammed into the living room, there was almost no room to turn around.
The kitchen in Lin Yuan’s home was much bigger than this living room.
But Lin Yuan felt that this crowded feeling wasn’t so bad, it seemed more comfortable than being in her own empty home.
She was arranged in the most comfortable spot, a soft single-seater sofa with cushions, a small blanket over her legs, and a warm cup of fruit tea in her hands.
Rachel, with his golden hair, even placed a small vase in front of her, with a few freshly cut evening primroses.
Lin Yuan, small, nestled in the sofa, her fair, delicate hands holding the steaming mug, half of her face hidden behind the evening primrose's light purple petals, like the moon among clouds.
Wasn’t she the moon? This precious Guide from the White Tower, having come here, didn’t put on any airs, and had even risked her life several times to save their lives. Everyone was willing to treat her like the moon, taking care of her.
"Are you that Guide from the White Tower?" A four or five-year-old little girl, hiding behind Rachel's legs, peeked out.
Her round eyes looked at Lin Yuan, a little shy.
The little girl was wearing a clean dress, a white bib with lace, two black braids, a small hair clip, and was holding a rag doll made of scraps of cloth.
She looked like a child who, although her family wasn’t wealthy, was much loved by her parents.
Lin Yuan didn't like children who lived such happy lives, she didn't want to pay attention to her.
The little girl came closer, offered one of her two rabbit-shaped lollipops. "Do you want a lollipop? My mommy made it herself."
She was a little nervous, knowing that most "adults" didn't like to eat candy. The sentinel brothers and sisters who came to visit never really ate her candy.
Who knew that this Guide sister, who looked so cold, after looking at the lollipop in her hand for a moment, would open her mouth and take the golden, rabbit-shaped candy.
Seeing her snack being accepted, the little girl immediately relaxed.
"My name is Xiao Yuan," she came closer to Lin Yuan. "Is it good? I made it with my mommy, using malt sugar, and we added osmanthus flowers."
Lin Yuan licked the candy in her mouth, the malt sugar’s sweetness mixed with the rich aroma of osmanthus flowers, it was very delicious.
The two girls, one big and one small, quickly became acquainted. Xiao Yuan brought her snack jar and shared it with Lin Yuan.
These are honey cookies, those are purple candies, Lin Yuan ate until her cheeks puffed out.
"My mommy usually doesn't let me eat so much," Xiao Yuan was also very happy. "It's because you’re here today, I’m benefiting from your presence. Mommy said that as long as you want to eat, I can take out anything."
Xiao Yuan clung to Lin Yuan, telling her everything.
Everyone had been waiting for you to come.
Later, because they were afraid you wouldn't come, my daddy didn't sleep well for several nights.
The day you cured Brother Rachel, daddy came home so happy that he secretly cried.
This dolly was newly made for me by my mommy, it’s pretty too.
During dinner, everyone kept putting food into Lin Yuan’s bowl, piling it up until it almost reached her nose.
Shen Fei knocked on the table. "Have some manners, don't you know any etiquette? How is Guide Lin supposed to eat like this?"
After saying that, he wanted to give Lin Yuan a new bowl.
Lin Yuan reached out, protecting her bowl, and the food inside.
Was he kidding? This bowl was piled with the best parts of every dish on the table, no one was taking it away from her.
Naturally, sentinels couldn’t go without alcohol during dinner. The alcohol was rice wine brewed by Shen Fei’s family, sweet and fragrant, with a strong aftertaste.
Lin Yuan wanted to drink too.
Rachel poured her a small cup. "Just a little bit."
He was afraid that the Guide from the White Tower wouldn't be used to the strong alcohol here.
"I'll just have a little," Lin Yuan took a small sip, licking her lips.
【Wow.】
【Ah.】
【Good stuff.】
【Let me try some.】
The tentacles all came out.
Dahu stood up, raising his glass to Lin Yuan. "Guide Lin, I won’t say much, it’s all in the wine.”
Lin Yuan drank a cup with him.
Xiao Niao raised her glass, she happily drank too.
"This wine has a strong aftertaste, Guide Lin might not be used to it, don’t try to make her drink too much," Vice-captain Rachel stopped pouring, persuading Lin Yuan, "Don’t drink anymore."
"Just a little bit more," Lin Yuan said.
As the night deepened, all the sentinels at the table — the tall Dahu, golden-haired Rachel, capable Xiao Niao — were all down.
Only Lin Yuan, still holding her cup, her eyes bright, sat there, drinking bit by bit.
The tentacles, each one moist and satisfied, surged under the table, one finding the wine jar, prying open the lid, and soaking its entire body inside.
…
After the guests had all left, Shen Fei, cleaning up the house with his wife, asked, "What do you think of Guide Lin?"
"She’s really, completely different from what I imagined a Guide to be," his wife, by the sink, smiled. "She’s beautiful, kind, and has a childlike innocence. A truly rare and wonderful girl."
She remembered some of the rumors she had heard from her family about this Guide, and sighed.
"Someone actually disliked a girl like this. I really hope she can stay here with us, and not return to a place like the capital that eats people alive."
"Tell me about it," Shen Fei muttered.
Lin Yuan lived very comfortably at the Dongbin outpost, almost forgetting to return.
Xiao Niao often took her flying around, they flew over high cliffs, just to pick a flower from the cliff face.
Xiao Mu would sometimes invite her to dive into the sea to catch fish, the two sharing vision, bringing back many beautiful pearls.
Every time Dahu went on patrol nearby, he would bring her some delicious food. One day, he brought back a jar, Lin Yuan opened it and saw amber-colored wild honey. Incredibly sweet.
She gave every sentinel here mental guidance, feeling increasingly proficient at it.
Clearing away the deep-seated negative emotions in their mental landscapes was as easy as the autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, every time, precisely and swiftly, easily completing the treatment.
Rachel, just as he was about to go to the guidance treatment room, ran into Dahu coming out, and asked him, "How was it? Guide Lin’s treatment?"
"Brother, help me," Dahu put an arm around Rachel’s shoulder, burying his head in the captain's golden braid, whimpering. "My legs are weak with fear."
When the sentinels were training, Lin Yuan would lie by the window of the treatment room and watch.
Rachel came up and invited her.
"Do you want to learn how to use a blade?" He held a beautiful short blade, his wrist moving, performing a series of swift blade movements.
"You want to teach me this?" Lin Yuan’s eyes widened.
At the Guide Academy, she had once applied for a blade skills class, causing the whole class to burst into laughter.
"You’re so funny."
"That's a class for sentinels."
"Why would a Guide learn blade skills?"
"Learning some knife skills for cooking might be something to consider."
But here, no one said those things.
Rachel placed the hilt in her hand, teaching her how to hold a blade.
"I think you can learn it," the golden-haired sentinel lowered his head as he taught her, his braid hanging down. "If you’re willing, I can teach you everything I know."
He widened his stance, the blade hidden behind his body, his expression turning serious. "We'll start with the basics, you have to practice every day."
Lin Yuan, a little clumsily, held the blade, following him, lowering her center of gravity.
Sentinels would do everything in their power to protect Guides, but Rachel felt that no matter how much protection they offered, it was better to have the ability to protect oneself. Even if she couldn’t learn to be as powerful as a sentinel, it was better than completely relying on others.
This was the unique gentleness of a sentinel.
It was the most sincere way for them, who lived on the edge of life and death, who knew what the true abyss looked like, to show their gratitude.
Roy from the Special Research Department called several times. "You’ve been playing for too long, when are you planning to come back? How can you just disappear after being dispatched? I can’t cover for you anymore."
Lin Yuan just hummed. "Another day or two."
When they were about to leave for a contaminated zone, everyone would come and invite Lin Yuan.
"Are you going? The ‘daytime’ of the No. 103 Contaminated Zone is almost here, we want to go in," Xiao Niao, crouching in front of Lin Yuan, asked.
So, among a group of strong and valiant sentinels, there was a small Guide.
While waiting at the entrance of the contaminated zone, they ran into sentinels from another outpost.
Seeing Lin Yuan in their team, the other sentinel whistled, mocking Rachel, who was leading the team.
"Captain Lei, I see that trip to the contaminated zone messed with your brain, why would you bring such a delicate Guide into a contaminated zone?"
"Messed with your brain" was the worst insult for a sentinel.
When he said this, he was ready for a fight. Sentinels all had short tempers, and these guys from Dongbin were notoriously protective.
Who knew that the sentinels from Dongbin, surrounding their Guide, didn’t retort at all, instead, they looked at him with pity.
The sentinel, who had just spoken, didn't understand, muttering as he entered the contaminated zone.
He didn’t know why, but this trip, his journey was filled with mishaps. Although it was an old zone he was familiar with, and it was during "daytime", he inexplicably did several foolish things. He suddenly spaced out and fell, he accidentally provoked the monsters in the restricted area.
Making the whole team come out empty-handed, their faces covered in dirt, and he himself was even injured.
When they came out, they ran into those people from Dongbin again. Those damned guys, they didn’t know how they got so lucky, their abundant harvest was enviable.
Dahu and Rachel were carrying a new treatment pod, and Xiao Niao even had a pulse gun in her hand.
As they passed each other, they smugly glanced at them.
It was infuriating.
Not only were they unscathed, the small and delicate Guide in their team didn't even have a speck of dirt on her face, and she was even carrying a brand new rag doll.
Going into a contaminated zone, not hurrying to grab something good, actually taking a toy that only children would want.
The sentinel thought jealously, only a delicate creature like a Guide would do such a foolish thing.
He didn't know why, that expressionless Guide, as if hearing his inner thoughts, suddenly looked over at him, a cold gaze sweeping past, while he was complaining inwardly.
It inexplicably made his legs weak, and he fell again.
What bad luck had he run into!
When they got in the car, Xiao Niao, seeing Lin Yuan sitting on her exclusive cushion, playing with the rag doll, thought it was very cute.
"Yuan Yuan, you like this?"
Lin Yuan turned the soft toy over in her hand. "Not really, I have a lot of these at home."
"Then why did you run all the way over there to get it when you saw it?" Xiao Niao laughed. "We thought you were picking up some treasure, and were a little nervous."
Lin Yuan didn’t speak, resting her chin on her hand, looking out the window.
When they came, it was still autumn, the seaside was full of people. Now the ground was frozen, and everything looked desolate.
It was finally time to go back.
The next morning,
Xiao Yuan, waking up from her sleep, rubbed her eyes, and saw the gift placed at her bedside — a brand new, fluffy rag doll, filled with down feathers.
Xiao Yuan scrambled up, holding her new doll, twirling around a few times. "Mommy, Mommy, who gave me this present?"
Her mother crouched down in front of her, touching her excited little head. "It was Big Sister Lin Yuan who gave it to you."
"Your Big Sister Lin Yuan, she’s gone back to the capital."
This is so sweet! 🥰
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