SDIWD - Chapter 75
Chapter 75
"Sister Bai Zhen!"
The Fude Building's elevator was external, allowing a clear view of the scenery outside. Suddenly falling from the height of the twentieth floor, even if the initial speed wasn't very fast, was enough to terrify Hua Mu. What's more, the elevator doors hadn't had time to close, and it was clearly out of control, its descent accelerating.
Bai Zhen held Hua Mu, pressing tightly into a corner as countless thoughts raced through her mind.
Was it their doing? Why didn't I get out of the elevator faster? Are we going to die here? Who on earth wants Mumu dead?
"Sob… I'm so scared, Sister…"
Hua Mu was completely terrified. Bai Zhen could only hold her tightly and comfort her, "It's okay, Mumu. It's okay. I'll protect you… Hati!"
Her spirit animal was an ice wolf. Over two meters tall and more than five meters long, its appearance filled the elevator to the brim. The spirit animal that Bai Zhen had once feared so much had now become her only hope.
The ice wolf had a pair of deep, emerald-green eyes, and its entire body seemed to radiate a chilling aura.
Bai Zhen desperately issued a command in her mind. Hati glanced at her nonchalantly, then passed through the elevator wall and vanished from sight.
Bai Zhen still couldn't control it well and felt uncertain, but a sudden chill made her realize that her spirit animal was carrying out her command to stop the elevator.
"Sister!"
The temperature inside the elevator plummeted, and the exterior glass was covered in frost. A violent lurch accompanied the screech of scraping metal. Bai Zhen fell to the floor with Hua Mu in her arms, only managing to shield the girl with her body.
The elevator continued to fall for nearly several dozen meters before finally slowing to a stop. Thick frost on the outside had wedged the car between the fourth and fifth floors, more than twenty meters above the ground.
The inside of the elevator was pitch-black, and the temperature was low enough to make one shiver uncontrollably. Hua Mu had cried herself hoarse, calling out anxiously for Bai Zhen.
"Sister, Sister, are you okay?"
Bai Zhen coughed a few times, spitting up a mouthful of blood. Her ears were ringing, and she could barely hear a thing.
"Mumu…"
"Sob, Sister, I'm so scared and so cold…"
Hua Mu hugged her tightly, crying helplessly.
"I-I'm sorry…" Bai Zhen wanted to comfort her but found she couldn't even lift her hands. Although the elevator had stopped, the method used had been too crude, and now the low temperature had become their greatest threat.
Her spirit animal had already returned to her mental landscape as if it had nothing to do with the matter, while she was completely drained from using its power.
The only thing they could do was wait for rescue.
But Bai Zhen didn't know how long she could last, nor if Hua Mu would survive until help arrived.
"Sister, Sister, are you hurt? Are you in a lot of pain?"
Realizing the other girl couldn't move, Hua Mu held back her tears and asked.
"Mumu, I-I can't move. Listen to me. Take off my clothes and put them on. Wait… wait for the people your father sends to rescue you. You'll be safe then."
"No! Sister, are you cold too? I don't want your clothes. We'll wait for my father to rescue us together."
"Mumu…"
Hugging her, Hua Mu shook her head and said in a tearful voice, "Sister, my father will definitely come for us soon. We'll wait for him together. If you're cold, I'll hold you."
Bai Zhen rested for a moment. Some feeling gradually returned to her hands, and she managed to hug Hua Mu back with some effort.
"Mm…"
Bai Zhen's body was very warm, enveloping Hua Mu completely in her embrace. Hua Mu felt a trace of warmth and forced herself to rally her spirits and talk to her.
"Sister, let's talk for a while."
"Okay…"
Hua Mu wiped her tears and took the initiative to find a topic.
"Sister, where did you live before? You don't seem to know about anything. Are you not from the Imperial Capital?"
"Mm… My hometown is in the south of the empire, in the rainforests south of Hezhou."
Hua Mu said, "That sounds very far. I went there with my father on a trip once. It was a flight of over two hours."
"Yeah, I was on a hovercar for a long time when I came here."
"Why did you come to the Imperial Capital? Was it because… because you awakened as a Sentinel?"
Feeling even colder, Hua Mu snuggled deeper into Bai Zhen's embrace.
"Yes. Because I was the only Sentinel in my clan, the clan leader didn't know what to do, so he sent me to the Tower's branch in Hezhou. After some tests at the Tower, they quickly brought me to the Imperial Capital."
Bai Zhen was shivering from the cold, feeling as if she would lose consciousness at any moment.
"All by yourself? Didn't your parents come with you?"
"I don't have a mother or father. The clan leader said they passed away when I was very young."
Hua Mu was silent for a moment. "My mother also passed away when I was very young."
A bitter sense of shared sorrow arose between the two girls.
"But you still have your father and your aunt… I also had my grandma to take care of me, and my little sister Qinqin was very good to me too."
"You… you have a sister?"
"Yes, she's my grandma's granddaughter. She's about your age and very cute too."
Hua Mu felt a little jealous, but thinking about their current miserable situation, she felt there was nothing to be petty about.
"Well, you have me now, Sister Bai Zhen. I'll be good to you too. When we get out of here, you can come to the Grand Duke's residence."
Bai Zhen shook her head. "Mumu, if we really get out, I'll go back to the Tower. I'll come find you when I'm stronger."
She wasn't good enough now. Right now, she had no strength at all.
"Really? You… you don't have to go back to your hometown?"
"Yeah… There are no other Sentinels in my clan. They… they think Sentinels are a symbol of disaster. I can't go back anymore."
Hua Mu was both sad and angry. "Why? You're obviously so good and so strong."
"Because Sentinels can't live without Guide-hormone. They'll go berserk and lose their minds, so they're afraid… I've heard that many ordinary people are afraid of or hate Sentinels."
Bai Zhen remembered how the other villagers had looked at her like she was a monster. The scars buried deep in her heart began to ache again. When she left, only her grandma and Qinqin came to see her off.
"Well, I don't hate you, Sister Bai Zhen. I like you, and I like Sentinels. I think you're all amazing. Even if no one else likes you, I will."
Bai Zhen was moved by Hua Mu's innocent words. "Mumu, you're such a good child… But they're right. We really can't live without Guide-hormone. Right now, I… I can't control Hati because I don't have my Little White Pills. In a little while, I'm afraid… I'm afraid I'll hurt you."
It felt like a knife was slowly slicing her brain apart. The cold pierced every inch of her skin with pain, and the slightest glimmer of light in the darkness stung her eyes. Only Hua Mu's voice allowed her to cling to a shred of sanity.
Hua Mu hugged her and said trustingly, "You won't, Sister. We only met for the first time today, but you've been protecting me the whole time. You're a good person, so you won't hurt me."
"But, if a Sentinel doesn't have Guide-hormone…"
Hearing the worry and unease that still filled her voice, Hua Mu had a sudden idea. "Then how about this? When I become queen—my aunt says I'll inherit her position someday—I'll issue a decree that Sentinels don't need Guide-hormone anymore, okay?"
Bai Zhen knew she didn't understand such a complex matter and gave a wry smile. "But it's not something that can be fixed with a decree…"
"Why not? Anything is possible if you work hard enough. My aunt says the queen is a very powerful person, so I have to make myself more outstanding. If I become more outstanding, I'll definitely be able to do it, right?"
Yes, a girl as strong, intelligent, and kind as Mumu could surely do anything.
"Mm."
"Then it's a promise. You'll become stronger and come find me, and I'll become more outstanding and make it so Sentinels no longer need Guide-hormone."
"Okay."
"Bai Zhen, how are you feeling today?"
The Young Lady had been concerned about her physical condition for the past few days, even though she herself had been injured not long ago and should have been the one receiving care.
Bai Zhen smiled as she prepared a coconut crab. "I'm fine, Young Lady. You're the one we should be worried about. Are you sure you've recovered?"
"What could be wrong with me? It's been so long!"
If there was a problem, it was from being pent-up!
"Are you really okay? It's been so long since you've had any Guide-hormone."
Hua Mu felt she was one step away from asking directly, Why hasn't your binding heat started yet?
Bai Zhen seemed very happy. "Young Lady, perhaps your… your Guide-hormone is especially effective. My barriers have been very stable lately, and my psychic energy has remained at a normal level."
She was just a beginner, how could her Guide-hormone be especially effective!
No, wait. Even if the binding heat wasn't coming, couldn't this person be a little more intimate with her? They had confessed their feelings for each other; they were dating, weren't they?
Hua Mu sat off to the side, puffing her cheeks out in a sulk as she watched Bai Zhen dismember the coconut crab. They had caught it while gathering fruit in the coconut grove. As their life gradually stabilized, their diet had become more and more varied.
Bai Zhen had fenced off a small area by the sea to raise fish, and each fishing trip provided them with food for several days. They had also put some effort into the fruit grove to the east, making scarecrows and driving away insects, which had recently increased their harvest. They could often catch coconut crabs and sea urchins there, so they made a trip every few days. The breadfruit trees to the west were still their staple food, and Hua Mu was trying to figure out how to use breadfruit starch to make real bread. Unfortunately, without yeast, she had failed many times and could only make things like flatbread.
Most importantly, the addition of seasonings and sauces had greatly improved their meals. They had already made finished batches of oyster sauce and shrimp paste, and were now working on crab roe sauce.
Hua Mu also planned to extract palm sugar from the sugar palm trees Bai Zhen had recently discovered. After all, while honey was good, it was a rare find and not a stable source.
The improvement in their living conditions gave Hua Mu more time and energy to think about other things. So the saying "a full belly and warm clothes lead to lustful thoughts" was really true.
But why wasn't this Sentinel making a move?
No matter how innocent she was, couldn't she at least aim for the lips with her goodnight kisses? Hua Mu had it all planned out: as long as Bai Zhen took that first step, she would cover the remaining hundred steps all at once!
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