SDIWD - Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Running out of Little White Pills was undoubtedly a disaster for a Sentinel on a mission. Because their senses were too acute, they needed the protection of a barrier at all times, except when in a soundproof room. And establishing a barrier required the support of a spirit animal, while soothing the spirit animal required Guide-hormone.
It could be said that Guide-hormone was the food for a spirit animal.
Regarding Sentinels and Guides, there were several theories, the most famous and mainstream of which was the higher-dimension projection theory. Simply put, a spirit animal was a projection from a higher dimension—for example, the fourth dimension—cast into this dimension, the third dimension.
The spirit animal was an interference image seen by three-dimensional humans, and the reason it manifested as various animals—including creatures from myths and legends—was the brain's re-materialization of that interference. This also explained why only Sentinels and Guides could see the projection, because they themselves were the objects of the projection and had a connection to the higher dimension.
After a Sentinel or Guide awakened, their spirit animal also grew with the host, because the projection deepened. For example, when a sphere passes through a plane, it starts as a very small point, then becomes a small circle, and as it gets closer to the center of the sphere, the circle gets larger. This was why the spirit animal grew with the host.
And when the host passed their prime, after the plane had passed the center of the sphere, the spirit animal's abilities would also begin to slowly weaken, just as the projected circle on the plane gradually shrank.
Humans didn't know the purpose of these higher-dimensional beings, but from a historical perspective, they seemed to be very fond of humans—or rather, of inhabiting human bodies. So they not only helped the host acquire abilities that ordinary people didn't have, increased the host's lifespan as much as possible, and extended their prime, but they would even alter the host's body to help them produce offspring.
Many facts proved that the offspring of Sentinels and Guides were more likely to become hosts.
It was just as three-dimensional beings could manipulate two-dimensional beings at will—even though humanity's current technological level could not yet interfere with a true second dimension, as they hadn't even found a reliable method of observation.
But from the ease with which one could change the structure of a cartoon character on a drawing, it was clear that if humans could observe, they could certainly interfere. Therefore, to those higher-dimensional beings, the human body was completely transparent. If they wished, changing its physiological structure would be as easy as turning over a hand.
This theory was extremely difficult to prove, because researching higher dimensions was even more difficult for current technology than researching two-dimensional beings. But because it explained most of the situations that actually existed, it was widely accepted by Sentinels and Guides.
Hua Mu also knew this theory, and she also knew that the food for a Sentinel's spirit animal was Guide-hormone.
The projected images from the higher dimension were bizarre and varied, with almost no repetition—"almost" because although none had ever been found, the possibility could not be ruled out for the future. Their special abilities also varied, but in terms of basic abilities, there were only two types—Sentinel and Guide.
A Sentinel's spirit animal could enhance the senses, while a Guide's spirit animal mainly focused on mental maintenance. The higher-dimension projection theory also explained this situation, calling Sentinels "explorers" who used the host's senses to learn more about this dimension, and calling Guides "maintainers" who helped stabilize and maintain the explorers.
The relationship between the two was like that of information-gathering robots and logistics robots sent by humans to other planets.
This could also explain the issue of compatibility. If the robots were of different models or from different batches, they might not be compatible for maintenance.
And now, the most fortunate thing for Bai Zhen was undoubtedly that Hua Mu was a universal logistics robot, capable of "fixing" almost any Sentinel. Unfortunately, this robot hadn't worked in a long time and had suffered great psychological trauma, leaving her completely at a loss now.
Bai Zhen's Little White Pills had run out? Why was she only finding out now? Why was she only being told now?
No, that wasn't it. Even if Bai Zhen hadn't said anything, she should have noticed. It wasn't that she forgot; she had deliberately ignored it, thinking that if she didn't think about it, it wouldn't happen.
Before rescue could arrive, the Sentinel's Little White Pills had already run out. This was undoubtedly a difficult predicament for her.
Watching the other woman kneeling on the ground, incredibly weak, Hua Mu was a little lost.
What should she do?
What... should she do?
Even if she removed the inhibitor, she had no idea how to soothe a Sentinel or how to tend to a spirit animal. She had only even seen her own spirit animal a few times, and only knew it was a black unicorn named Luna, with a pair of wings, that looked like a pony—six years ago.
What was she to do?
Bai Zhen didn't hear Hua Mu's answer, but she no longer had the strength to seek one. She had already fallen into a frenzy once in the jungle. If she hadn't heard the gunshot, she might not have had the chance to see the Young Lady one last time today.
The ice wolf, seeking Guide-hormone, was growing restless, as if a sharp knife were slicing through her nerves. After losing her barrier, information from her surroundings rushed at her all at once. The sound of the waves, the wind, Hua Mu's crying—all sorts of sounds drilled into her ears. The smell of the seawater, the firewood, the food—all kinds of scents assaulted her sense of smell. The feel of the sand, the fabric, the wind—all manner of sensations pricked her skin like needles.
She was cold, yet felt an intense burning sensation. Her chest felt like it was boiling with magma, and every stimulus made her want to explode. She wanted to scream, to gouge out her eyes, to claw at her skin—to do anything to make it all stop.
Mixed in with the sound of the waves was the sound of fish swimming. Within the sound of the wind was the frequency of seabirds flapping their wings. Lugworms wriggled beneath the sand—did they make noise too? Were the bees coming after her? She had just emptied their hive.
She knew this feeling. She knew it. Shortly after she had first become a Sentinel, during the time she ran away from the Tower, she had experienced this feeling.
It was as if army ants were crawling all over her body, gnawing at her flesh, eroding her body, biting her nerves, and sucking her marrow. She experienced every uncomfortable sensation: pain, tingling itches, burning heat, freezing cold, helplessness, and despair.
The world was pitch black. It would be better to just let her die like this.
"Bai Zhen..." Hua Mu finally understood the source of some of the wounds on the Sentinel's body—she had inflicted them on herself.
The Sentinel, who had always been tough and strong, was now as fragile as a child. A shrill scream escaped from lips that had never once cried out in pain. Her tall, straight body collapsed onto the sand, curling into a ball. Her fingertips dug deep into her skin, tearing out bloody scratches.
Bright red blood seeped from her mouth, nose, the corners of her eyes, and even her pores. Bai Zhen was quickly drenched in blood.
Hua Mu was terrified. She stared blankly at the scene, only reacting after a long moment that she had to stop this self-harming behavior. But when she touched the Sentinel with her hand, the other woman let out an even more terrifying cry and then shoved her violently to the ground.
The inhibitor!
Hua Mu had no time to think about what irreversible consequences removing the inhibitor might cause, nor could she worry about whether she could even use a Guide's abilities. She fumbled to take off the necklace from her neck and flung it far away.
"Bai Zhen!" She lunged toward the Sentinel again, but this time she didn't dare touch her. "Bai Zhen, tell me what to do, Bai Zhen!"
She had clearly removed the inhibitor, but she felt nothing. How was she supposed to summon her spirit animal, how was she supposed to tend to it, and how was she supposed to release Guide-hormone?
No, wait. Isn't Guide-hormone released naturally? So...
Hua Mu was kneeling on the ground when she suddenly felt an icy chill on the back of her neck. It seemed as if some creature's breath had fallen upon her neck, but that breath was incredibly cold. Immediately after, slightly coarse fur stuck to her skin, but the sensation was ethereal, as if it wasn't real fur touching her, but something making her feel the sensation of being touched by fur.
What was it?
Hua Mu's body stiffened, and she slowly turned her head.
A pair of emerald green eyes were right in front of her, bearing the gaze of a hunter. The wolf's frosty breath sprayed onto her face, making her entire body cold.
It was Hati.
Just as Hua Mu had imagined, but even larger and more ferocious. The ice wolf had sharp fangs, a cavernous mouth, a long, scarlet tongue, and stood nearly three meters tall. Its snow-white fur was smooth and glossy, and its massive body was like that of a horse.
So scary.
Hua Mu had a strong near-death experience. She trembled all over, her mind went blank, her limbs felt weak, and the medial aspect of the precentral gyrus of her cerebral cortex almost lost control of her spinal reflexes.
Hati stared intently at her face and tentatively stuck out its tongue.
A scream was caught in her throat. When the cold, soft tip of the tongue touched her skin, Hua Mu finally fell backward in fear.
It's over. She's really lost control.
Behind her was Bai Zhen. The Sentinel's tall body became her cushion. The ice wolf also pounced forward at this moment, sandwiching her in between.
Only then did Hua Mu realize that Bai Zhen had quieted down at some point and seemed to have fallen unconscious.
Bai Zhen!
She remembered her purpose and knew she couldn't let things continue like this. This conviction allowed her to gradually regain her senses, and her vocal cords were finally able to produce sound.
"Bai Zhen!"
Bai Zhen couldn't hear her, but Hati reacted strongly. It stopped its tongue and looked at Hua Mu's face in confusion, then continued to lick her happily—it was clear the ice wolf was very fond of the Young Lady.
Hua Mu didn't feel any weight, but the sense of pressure still left her breathless.
Only a spirit animal can deal with a spirit animal. In a flash of inspiration, the Young Lady finally remembered a bit of her past lessons. And the easiest way to summon a spirit animal at the beginning is to call its name, letting it become familiar with its master's will.
"Lu-Luna, Luna!"
Hua Mu called this unfamiliar name more than a dozen times. Just as she was about to fall into despair, filled with regret for her poor attitude in class in the past, a black creature finally came rushing from behind her, ramming its small head hard against the unprepared giant wolf.
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