Invasion - Chapter 131

Chapter 131

The space inside the bunker wasn't very large.

But Ni Ji kept himself busy, tidying the scattered debris, cleaning the trash on the floor.

He handed Lin Yuan a string of golden flowers he had picked somewhere along the way, and let Lin Yuan sit in a corner to pass the time.

The golden petals were like small, inverted lanterns. Plucking them off, the bell-shaped calyx contained quite a bit of sweet nectar. A gentle suck, and it could sweeten one's mouth.

Lin Yuan, her attention captured, sat in the corner, picking the petals off one by one and eating them.

Only after all the nectar in the string of flowers had been eaten, seeing that Ni Ji was still busy, did Lin Yuan realize that he was feeling embarrassed.

So she waved to Ni Ji, "You should sleep for a while."

The first time they entered a bunker, Ni Ji had been responsible for keeping watch and hadn’t rested. The second time, they had experienced a passionate and intense bonding heat, and after it ended, Lin Yuan had fallen asleep, while Ni Ji, maintaining his vigilance, had guarded them.

So Lin Yuan, sitting in the corner, waved to Ni Ji and pointed at her leg.

Although this was her first time being in love, she was a very proactive person, now that it had begun, she was determined to be a good partner.

Which Guide in the empire hadn’t been brainwashed by countless romance dramas?

Weren’t there many such scenes? The Guide letting the tired warrior rest his head on her lap, looking gentle and sweet, it seemed like something people in love should do.

Learning and imitating was what Lin Yuan was best at.

Clearly, when Ni Ji heard her words, his entire body stiffened.

The tall and thin sentinel stood there in the narrow cave, looking flustered for a while.

The tentacles could clearly sense his mixed feelings of awkwardness and shyness, but also his strong desire to come over and lie down.

Without the influence of the bonding heat, who knew how much courage it had taken him to overcome that short distance, walk to Lin Yuan's side, and let himself lie down.

Finally, stiffly, he carefully placed his head on the Guide’s soft lap.

They were actually very familiar with each other, close comrades who had fought together many times. How many times had they, on tiring battlefields, rested against each other's shoulders? When injured, helped each other bandage their wounds?

Physical contact should have been something they were used to.

But after what happened yesterday, it seemed like something had completely changed.

Now, any physical contact, the slightest touch of their fingers, made their skin tingle, making them think of that time, entangled in sweat and heat.

The sentinel’s hair was very soft. In the dim bunker, the shadows of his hair covered his eyes,

Making it difficult to see his expression. From Lin Yuan's angle, looking down, she could only see his pale jawline, and the tip of an ear, peeking from beneath his hair, its edges red.

Lin Yuan’s fingers stroked his soft hair, the cold, short strands slipping between her fingers again and again.

She knew that she wasn't good at expressing herself with words, that her personality might not be very good.

At least, at this quiet and peaceful moment, she could try to express her feelings through actions, gently stroking his soft hair, letting Ni Ji also feel her tenderness and love.

She hoped that when he thought of their time together, it wouldn't just be restraint, control, and bullying.

That he wouldn’t just feel her sharp attacks.

She hoped he could feel more joy, more pleasure.

The sentinel rested his head on her lap, letting her fingers stroke his hair. After a while, Lin Yuan heard his voice,

"You… you can do anything to me."

When they were together, they had become very accustomed to connecting their minds.

When Lin Yuan sensed the sentinel's various emotions, the sentinel could also often perceive her strange thoughts.

You can do anything to me, he said to Lin Yuan, don’t hold back, I won’t dislike anything, and when I remember it later, it will also be a good memory.

When he said these words, his face hidden in the darkness, his ears burning red, Lin Yuan could even sense that his toes were curled up in embarrassment.

But he still clearly expressed his meaning.

"I’m a Sentinel, with a strong physique and a strong mindscape, I’m not easily injured, you don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Just… happily… do what you want.”

"Okay, okay, I know," Lin Yuan's fingers gently patted the sentinel’s firm back, a light, soothing touch, coaxing him to sleep.

"I am doing it, doing what I want."

"I'm loving you."

Doing what she wanted to do — loving him.

【Wow.】

【Woah.】

【Hidden depths.】

【Once awakened, so straightforward, I love it.】

【Little Fish can’t take it anymore, the sea is boiling.】

The light in the bunker was dim. The sound of burning fire from above, the letters left by her companions in her hand, scattered golden petals by her feet.

The sweet scent of nectar and the rich aroma of Guide pheromones filled the small space.

Lin Yuan’s fingers gently patted. The sentinel’s tense muscles finally relaxed, his shoulders loosening, his breathing becoming slow and even.

A few faint rays of sunlight moved along the stone wall by the entrance, then gradually disappeared.

When the stars once again filled the night sky, the two set off on their journey again.

This way, having been fully rested, both their minds and bodies in top condition. But the teammates traveling ahead of them clearly hadn’t been so lucky.

There were even more traces of battle along the way.

Experiencing so many battles on such a time-sensitive journey was incredibly dangerous, and unsettling. But these traces were things that had already happened, and couldn't be changed.

And it was precisely because her companions had passed through here before, clearing all the dangers, that the two of them had been able to travel like this, maintaining their best condition.

As they went, Ni Ji suddenly stopped. In the flower-covered land, he found a broken mechanical arm.

The metal prosthetic limb was mangled, a large chunk of its wrist missing, exposing charred wires and metal pipes.

That arm, having been burned by the flames during the day, had lost its metallic luster, like a piece of charred wood.

Its incomplete fingers spread open weakly, lying among the swaying flowers.

Yun Luo’s arm.

They didn't know what kind of battle he had been through here. Even Yun Luo’s prosthetic limb had been discarded.

Lin Yuan and Ni Ji reached the next bunker.

Because they saw Yun Luo’s severed arm, they had run all the way here, at full speed.

As they opened the roof, they hoped to see their companions' faces.

The cover was removed, and the bunker was silent.

No one was waiting inside.

The empty bunker was even messier than the last one, with more discarded items, blood-stained gauze, empty food wrappers, and used medicine packets.

This time, the letter left for Lin Yuan was from Rachel.

Rachel’s handwriting was steady and neat, his words, unlike Nicole’s, less emotionally charged.

Reading it, it made one think of the sentinel captain with deep blue eyes.

Guide Lin:

At the last bunker, when Nicole left you a message, we even laughed at her, saying that you wouldn’t possibly find those letters, only I didn’t expect that I would now be doing the same thing.

Knowing that Guide Lin and Vice-captain Ni are still safe, that there’s still a chance you’ll see this letter, brings me a lot of comfort.

Things haven't been going very well for us, both Du Yuanyuan and Yun Luo are seriously injured.

The most unsettling thing is Guide Nicole. Since entering this bunker, she’s been suffering mental attacks, drifting in and out of consciousness.

We had planned to rest here for a “day and night” cycle, to wait for you, but after entering, we found that something here isn't right.

There’s a powerful mental force, from who knows where, constantly attacking our Guide.

Along the way, Guide Nicole has been participating in battles, also helping us Sentinels with treatments and mental channeling. She’s very exhausted.

We don’t know who is attacking her. In this enclosed space with no exit, we can’t protect her. So we decided to leave as soon as night falls, and head to the end of the City of Mantis, to find a solution.

Perhaps there are even more terrifying things waiting for us there, or perhaps we’ll meet you two there.

Guide Lin, I originally had a lot more to say. But it seems there’s no need for words.

You’re a Guide, able to perceive hearts, and you’ll always understand the gratitude in my heart.

In any case, I will always remember you, standing on the bamboo raft, in that torrential flood, pulling the small lion cub from the water.

And I will always remember the changes you brought,

you helped us understand anew the relationship between Sentinels and Guides.

The letter wasn’t very long. Rachel’s name neatly signed at the bottom, with a simple drawing of the Golden Lion family crest.

Lin Yuan read the letter twice and placed it together with the one from Nicole.

This letter had been left by Rachel during the last “daytime,” it had already been several hours.

And now, they had been delayed by the rising sun again, unable to catch up, and could only sit here, waiting.

This waiting was suffocating.

The temperature on the surface continued to rise, the fire raging, the hearts of the people below also felt like they were being scorched.

Lin Yuan’s face, which had gained some liveliness, returned to its usual expressionless mask.

She sat in a corner, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the shadow on the ground, her face like porcelain.

She didn't even touch the nectar flowers Ni Ji handed her.

She just held the petals in her hand, twisting them repeatedly until the golden petals were crushed, her fingers stained with flower juice.

"We’re very close now," Ni Ji spread the map out before them.

It was a very simple drawing, but he used a pen to mark all the giant amusement park rides they had seen along the way.

"Next ‘night,’ we can reach the end," Ni Ji's pen pointed at the end of the lines he had drawn, “And we’ll meet them there.”

"Rachel’s an experienced veteran, and so is Yun Luo. Even I’m not sure I could win against Du Yuanyuan in a fight,” Ni Ji said. “And Nicole is very strong too."

The temperature on the surface was incredibly high, but it was cool in this underground cave. A dim light shone on Ni Ji’s face.

He crouched down beside Lin Yuan, his fingers, holding the pen, pointing at the map, his eyes on Lin Yuan, a firm look in them.

It was as if he was certain that his companions wouldn’t meet their ends, that they would definitely meet again at the end.

"They’re all strong," Ni Ji said.

Lin Yuan made a soft sound of agreement.

A little warmth returned to her body, she put the crushed flower petals into her mouth, the faint sweetness calming her racing heart.

The sentinel’s hand reached out, wiping the petal stains from her lips, he hesitated for a bit, and lowered his head, kissing her.

This was the first time Ni Ji had actively kissed her. Very gentle, a brief touch, his face already flushed.

"There’s a powerful enemy ahead, he's very strong mentally," Ni Ji’s fingers lingered on Lin Yuan’s cheek, lightly caressing, before pulling away. "So, you should rest well, stay in your best condition.”

Lin Yuan licked her lips.

Very sweet, she had been fully recharged.

He was beside her, such a big candy, a human-shaped food reserve, her pheromones, her placebo.

So there was nothing to be afraid of, it was much better than being alone.

Lin Yuan, holding the two letters, leaned against the sentinel's shoulder, and closed her eyes.

Vaguely, her mental tentacles, incredibly thin, stretched far away.

Their slender tips lightly touched a powerful mental body.

There, a colorful castle faintly appeared, countless shed white shells.

From afar, a pair of eyes suddenly opened, their cold gaze, across space, looking over here.

…

When Lin Yuan opened her eyes,

Ni Ji had already stood up, ready to leave, the ground outside was still very hot, the sun's light still far away, the heat not completely dissipated, they had to travel in the heat.

The last bit of white disappeared from the horizon behind them. And in the flower sea ahead, a colorful castle appeared.

It was a small castle built with multicolored stones, the starry river flowing above, the earth covered with a flower sea, the small castle with its pointed roofs standing between heaven and earth.

That was the location of the Pillar.

The origin of the entire City of Mantis Contaminated Zone. The Pillar that supported the formation, expansion, and stable operation of this alternate dimension to this day.

The most dangerous, and most mysterious, central area of this small world.

Around the small castle, in the wilderness, empty shells lay scattered.

Pale, and huge, those translucent exoskeletons, retaining the last form of the bodies within before they left.

Like sculptures standing in the flower sea, silently facing the castle.

Lin Yuan and Ni Ji carefully walked past those giant shells.

A gentle breeze blew, lifting the flower petals on the ground, and the surroundings were incredibly quiet.

Those giant shells remained silent and motionless, not reacting at all to the two humans passing by. And not a single giant creature, sleeping underground, jumped out to attack as they passed either.

Everything seemed strangely quiet.

Lin Yuan carefully examined the sculptures.

At first, they looked like a hybrid of some creature and human genes.

Further along, those shed exoskeletons gradually became stranger, insect wings, shells, and limbs fused together, even mixed with the fur and limbs of mammals.

As if the hand of a god from some unknown place had simply grabbed all the creatures on earth, kneaded them together, then irresponsibly discarded them here.

Those pale, shed exoskeletons stood in the wilderness, surrounding the castle.

Even at the castle gate, two “sculptures” with human-like appearances stood on either side.

The giant shed skins had beautiful faces, their eyes downcast, looking at the intruders.

The two faces identical, their bodies incomplete, hollow inside, one seemingly male, the other female, judging by their bone structure.

Ni Ji reached out and pushed open the castle gate, the heavy gate creaking open easily.

The light inside the castle was dim, and other than the sound of the opening gate, it was completely silent.

High above were colorful stained glass windows, the moonlight shining through, casting mottled shadows that slowly moved in the dim courtyard.

Ni Ji observed for a moment, then stepped inside.

He discreetly pointed with his finger, giving a signal to Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan's gaze followed his finger, and in a very inconspicuous corner by the gate, she saw a mark painted with blood.

She was very familiar with that symbol. She had just seen it on the letter not long ago.

It was a sign left for her by her companions.

Rachel and the others had, not long ago, entered this strange castle.

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