Chapter 93 Guide 21

Jiang showed no sign of pain; instead, she burst into laughter.

He didn't care about Wan Hong at all; in his eyes, Wan Hong was nothing more than Lu Xuejin's next unfinished project. In his dying moments, he only wanted Lu Xuejin, and for the beautiful guide to insert a knife or something else into his body.

"Why are you just watching?" His body was completely swallowed up, leaving only his left eye, which was covered in bright red blood vessels and twitching. "Come on, come on! I've been waiting for so long."

Lu Xuejin walked up to Jiang Gu as instructed, his eyes still gentle. Shadows adorned his brows and eyes, making his downcast gaze appear so compassionate. As if he were in pain for Jiang Gu, he frowned slightly and deftly pushed the knife into Jiang Gu's dark abdomen, sliding it slowly and methodically, like cutting a piece of pastry.

"Keep an eye on him." Even when instructing Wan Hong, his voice was as gentle as the wind.

My eyelids slowly lifted, reflecting the now unrecognizable shape of Jiang Gu within them, allowing me to admire it—

Screams.

Wailing.

ferocious.

Her mental power could have crushed the pollutants in an instant, but Lu Xuejin had the leisure to appreciate it, so everything turned into a long, torturous, and sharp pain, as if a knife was prying into the edge, slowly digging out a person's eyeball or scooping out brain tissue.

In the end, Jiang Gu couldn't even utter a sound, his pupils trembling as he recorded the guide's image.

Wan Hong gripped his neck, and no matter how much force his subordinate exerted, he silently carried out all orders, his calm expression revealing no hint of ulterior motives.

After everything was finished, Wan Hong withdrew his discolored, corroded palm, cleaned away the residue, took out a clean towel, and knelt down to wipe Lu Xuejin's palm. He then used a high-concentration solution to dissolve the fruit knife, wiped away the marks in the yard, trimmed most of the flowerbeds to make it look like the owner had gotten tired of it and made some changes, and used air freshener to cover up the smell in the air.

So fluent and swift, without the slightest hesitation or doubt, as if it had been simulated a thousand times in his mind, as if it had been planned in advance with Lu Xuejin, so that when it was actually executed, it was as fast as if he were an accomplice.

"Does it hurt?" Lu Xuejin took the faded hand in hers.

Wan Hong said, "I didn't feel anything."

The guide stopped laughing and looked at Wan Hong sadly. The moonlight shimmered in his eyes like drops of tears. He took a deep breath: "...I shouldn't have dragged you into this."

"But he had to die."

After speaking, Lu Xuejin remained silent, a few stray hairs tucked behind her cheek, swaying in the night breeze, the furrowed brow seemingly concealing countless stories. Those brief yet profound words, coupled with the Federation's already corrupt system and the ever-present threat of heinous events, evoked a flood of speculation and concern for his situation among everyone.

Who cruelly used him, treating such a pure and world-loving person as a tool, and dragging him into a vortex of conspiracy and evil?

He smiled so weakly, seemingly overwhelmed by the death he had brought upon himself.

Any normal person would be heartbroken.

Wan Hong: "Mm."

"Aren't you afraid of me? Don't you hate me?"

Lu Xuejin was hoping Wan Hong would show a look of annoyance.

The sentry reached out and wrapped his hand around Lu Xuejin's slender palm, letting him sleep soundly in bed.

"Um."

"What does 'um' mean?"

The lights were turned off, leaving only a nightlight illuminating the bedside. Wan Hong's body was mostly in shadow, his eyes calm and steady: "I will do anything for you."

Wan Hong liked this kind of storyline.

...

Meanwhile, on the southeastern border, at a battlefield that had just ended.

The battlefield was littered with corpses. A sentry lay in the heart of the battle, his combat uniform riddled with holes. Beneath his protective shield was a pale face, with blood still wet around his eyes and nose.

His companion was on the verge of death, exhausted, and his blue hair had turned into a disheveled and irritable mess.

Despite his weak voice, Wei Jing cursed, "Damn the commander! He sent us to our deaths! That little punk is just jealous of my good relationship with the chief! Damn you, I'll beat you to a pulp when I get back to the outpost!"

After cursing, he glanced at the corpse and said, "Brother, don't worry, I'll avenge you. I'll cut off the bastard's testicles and bring them over to worship you."

Death is a common occurrence, devoid of any sorrow or melancholy. Having rested enough, he stood up and dusted himself off. With no one to meet him at the post, he had to walk back alone.

At that moment, the corpse at his feet stirred.

His tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and a pair of dim gray pupils gradually lit up above the blood and tears.

He stubbornly propped himself up, swaying and looking utterly pathetic.

But at least something was moved.

Wei Jing shouted, "Brother, you're not dead!"

He quickly accepted the good news, grabbed his companion's shoulder, and happily dragged him away: "You're really lucky. I saw you almost get shot right through, and you're still alive, haha."

Exhausted, He Cang had no strength to respond to Wei Jing's words. His head swayed and tilted, and his pupils suddenly wandered around before quickly settling back into place.

This battle brought the two of them a huge amount of merit, and just then news of their rotation arrived. Wei Jing counted on his fingers and said, "I'm still a little short, brother, it seems like you can go now!"

He Cang had almost no worldly desires, and he hadn't touched any of the merits he had accumulated. At this moment, his merits were far ahead of others at the sentry post.

"If you don't go back to District 3, you'll still have some money left, enough to rent a place. Those damn Black Towers treat us like dogs, giving us no benefit at all."

He Cang's eyes trembled: "I want to go to Zone 1."

"Dude, if you go to Zone 1, you'll have to clear all your merits, right? How will you survive then? Sleep under bridges?"

"Go to Zone 1," He Cang repeated persistently.

"Sigh, fine. We won't die even if we sleep on the streets, so let's just be stubborn. Don't forget me, once I've accumulated enough merits, I'll come to District 1 to join you." Wei Jing quickly convinced himself.

Zone 1...

A towel covered his wet hair, and his gray eyes took on a reddish hue, with a patch of night sky floating on his iris.

That night sky was more bloody than ever before.

...

The chief is not in a good state.

Luo Mang and the others stood outside the classroom, pondering silently.

The morning light, filtered through the window frame, was divided into sections, perfectly framing Lu Xuejin's upper body, like a camera lens focused on a star. He was turned slightly to Luo Mang; within the simple kraft paper, layers of petals lay like crumpled, dewy pink sunset petals, their weight bending the supple stems and gently draping them over Lu Xuejin's lapel. Through the gaps in the petals, the guide's pupils reflected the milky blue of the sky before sunrise, possessing a dreamlike, oil painting quality.

His eyes were upturned at the corners, a gesture of smiling. He left reluctantly amidst the guides' earnest attempts to persuade him to stay, like a glamorous star leaving the stage.

However, no matter how Luo Mang looked at it, he felt that Lu Xuejin's smile was forced. His performance during the lecture today was also lackluster, absent-minded, and when he was quiet, his eyebrows and eyes seemed to be soaked in sour green apricot juice, carrying a bitter and sorrowful expression.

It looks very familiar.

The last time Luo Mang saw him was when Lu Xuejin personally ended the life of her former colleague. Her expression was not only sorrowful, but also filled with indescribable weariness, making one want to go up to her and smooth her brow.

A slight emptiness filled his heart, and an ominous premonition surged up. Luo Mang suppressed the urge to ask questions and silently helped Lu Xuejin accept the dazzling array of gifts.

The guide smiled helplessly: "Thank you for your help today. The children are so enthusiastic."

Those guides, whose personalities were unpredictable and whose methods were cruel and vicious, seemed to him as innocent and naive children.

As Román thought about it, he couldn't help but sigh—weren't the sentries the same in his eyes?

In fact, everyone was as gentle and kind as a lamb in his eyes. Everything in Lu Xuejin's eyes was beautiful, so her expression was always gentle and relaxed, and her smile was captivating.

His smile seemed to possess a mysterious magic; even the most unruly sentry would involuntarily shut his mouth when he approached.

The ferocious beasts sharpened their claws, concealed their gleaming fangs, and disguised their fierce expressions as gentle and harmless, wagging their tails as they approached him, begging for his mercy.

In the past, Lu Xuejin would have greeted each familiar face warmly, soothing the restless hearts of first-time applicants. But today, as the sentinels craned their necks to look at him, he merely nodded slightly, skimming past like a dragonfly, and returned to the evacuation room. The closed door blocked all view, and thanks to the filtering device, the highly sensitive officers, whom the sentinels considered a source of torment, could not detect anything happening inside.

Although they didn't utter a sound, the sentries' furrowed brows and serious expressions clearly showed what they were thinking—something was wrong, something was wrong! Chief Lu/Dr. Lu would never ignore me!

One of them turned to look at Luo Mang, who was a step behind, and asked stiffly with a face full of disgust, "Who offended him? Or is there a problem?"

It was as if Luo Mang could simply say a name and that person would deal with the source of Lu Xuejin's troubles after leaving.

Román said calmly, "Line up and don't make a sound."

The sentry glared at him fiercely.

Besides Lu Xuejin, Wan Hong was also in the counseling room. He was helping Lu Xuejin arrange flowers. His rough, hard fingers held the bouquet, and his movements were clumsy. The muscles in his arms rippled under his casually rolled-up sleeves, which Luo Mang saw as evidence of his seduction of the chief.

Summer's over, stop pretending! You'll die of heat if you don't roll up your sleeves!

A breath caught in my chest.

Luo Mang closed his eyes tightly, utterly bewildered as to why Lu Xuejin had taken a liking to this scheming sentry and entrusted the work of the evacuation room to Wan Hong. Could he even understand data and write reports?

No matter how well he wrote his report, it couldn't compare to Lu Xuejin's fondness for it. He didn't even have a formal job, so he could only shamelessly stay by Lu Xuejin's side, watching Wan Hong come and go, busy with his work.

One glance, two glances...

This was the third time Lu Xuejin had looked at Wan Hong.

Lu Xuejin was completely focused on her work and rarely paid attention to her assistant's actions, nor did she glance at Wan Hong so frequently. She herself might not have noticed, but Luo Mang, as an observer, saw it clearly—in those brief eye contact, there was even a hint of barely perceptible affection...

It was as if a secret had developed between the two that no one else could intrude upon, which made their relationship even closer.

A throbbing pain shot through his temples, and the pressure building up in his mind began to feel real. A restless energy filled his chest, making his movements unusually unsteady. Having briefly served as an assistant, he still had access to the counseling system and could access tomorrow's eligibility applications.

Many sentinels apply every day, regardless of the final outcome, and each time they can pull up more than a dozen pages.

They are all familiar names.

But one person disappeared.

The sentinel, who had been making a huge impact lately, was still remembered by Luo Mang as he walked into the evacuation room with a squinting smile, looking utterly infuriating. His erratic behavior had made Luo Mang question his condition countless times. Luo Mang was very dissatisfied with Wan Hong for letting him in so easily, but no matter how many times he investigated, Jiang Gu was just an ordinary sentinel with mediocre background, ruthless methods, and a mental disorder—the most common type of sentinel in the Federation.

This kind of person will only keep bothering Lu Xuejin; how could they possibly give up halfway through, unless they receive a mission along the way?

Luo Mang left the evacuation room and immediately investigated Jiang Gu's whereabouts. There were no mission records in the system, but among a series of maintenance and damage reports, Luo Mang found one—a security camera near Jiang Gu's residence had been damaged, and at the same time, a legion deputy commander had gone missing nearby. Luo Mang remembered that deputy commander; he had been pursuing Lu Xuejin very passionately.

Jiang Gu was nowhere to be seen either. The series of records only intensified the sense of foreboding. Luo Mang's heart pounded, as if a fire was burning in his throat, and his rationality was on the verge of being evaporated.

Despite the chaotic state, Luo Mang remained calm, as if he hadn't noticed anything, and calmly left the counseling room. Lu Xuejin never inquired about his whereabouts. Arriving at the residence assigned to him by Bai Ta before Lu Xuejin finished work, Luo Mang stood outside the door and, through the crack, saw the flowerbeds in the yard that had been trimmed somewhat bare, and smelled a faint scent of residual air freshener.

"..."

Taking a deep breath, almost immediately, he logged into the system and erased several records, including Jiang Gu's application records, camera warranty records, and missing person records.

The death of a Sentinel is insignificant. Sector 1 has the most glamorous exterior of the Federation, but also the most filthy and foul interior. Death and killing happen every day. Except for a few high-ranking and documented Sentinels, the Federation does not care whether the rest are alive or dead. After all, the world lacks everything, but it does not lack Sentinels.

The sanctuary places greater emphasis on crimes against guides, while killings between sentries are not even considered sins in some cases.

Jiang Gu had no relatives or friends, and no one would investigate his disappearance. Even so, Luo Mang still tried his best to pay attention to every detail. He did not use the power of his family, but secretly manipulated the system using his existing permissions to forge a record of Jiang Gu's activities.

After he finished, he looked up and was surprised to find his forehead covered in sweat. The swelling heat even made his usually calm face turn frenzied.

Luo Mang waited until Lu Xuejin returned home. As the vehicle approached, he immediately stepped out from the corner and stood in front of it.

Wan Hong gripped the steering wheel, his expression calm. Lu Xuejin, in the back seat, rolled down the window and exclaimed in surprise, "Luo Mang!"

The sentry still blocked the front of the car. Lu Xuejin lowered her head to open the door, and for a moment a secret smile appeared on her lips. When she got out of the car, she returned to her gentle and flawless demeanor.

He walked up to Roman. The sentry's face was tense, his forehead damp with sweat. This sentry, of distinguished birth, maintained the demeanor of a gentleman from the old days, always presenting himself impeccably clean and tidy, except in a few disheveled moments. Emotional fluctuations seemed to him a sign of weakness; even towards his fellow human beings whom he disliked, he only showed cold indifference.

Now his body was so tense that it was even trembling slightly, and the veins on his neck were bulging, clearly indicating that he was immersed in some kind of emotion that was hard to suppress.

Luo Mang remained silent. Lu Xuejin brushed aside his hair and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, causing the sentry to tense up even more.

"What's wrong? What happened? Come in and tell me, we can have dinner together."

It's hard to imagine a killing machine wearing an apron and busy at a cutting board, and it's also hard to imagine a sentry becoming interested in cooking and actually spending time learning it.

Luo Mang could tell that Wan Hong's movements were skilled. After sitting down, he couldn't help but wonder if Wan Hong had won the chief chef's favor with his cooking skills.

But how is that possible?

The sentinel, whose sense of taste is impaired, produces nothing but garbage and dog poop.

“You left early today, I thought you went home.” Lu Xuejin pushed the fruit plate in front of Luo Mang. “Did something happen at home? If you encounter any problems, I’m always willing to help you.”

Luo Mang guessed that Lu Xuejin probably did the same when she was counseling others, talking to them in a gentle tone without any prejudice. He could even feel the mental synapses released by the guide secretly enveloping him, trying to soothe his emotions.

With some comforting words, Luo Mang's mental state improved. He belatedly realized how badly he had behaved, but there was no time for reflection. He leaned closer to Lu Xuejin and whispered in a very low voice, "My lady, who instructed you?"

He stared intently at Lu Xuejin's reaction. The guide's brows remained unchanged and his expression remained the same, but he still keenly caught a fleeting tremor in Lu Xuejin's eyelashes, like ripples suddenly spreading across a calm lake, revealing that she was not at peace.

All the guesses came true.

Roman sat back down sadly, a deep, indescribable heartache lingering in his heart.

Perhaps because of preconceived notions, Lu Xuejin at this moment only appeared as a forced smile in his eyes, a forbearance for some lofty ideal, but a desolate and depressed posture after being unexpectedly discovered by a caring junior.

Luo Mang silently uttered Jiang Gu's name, and through the reflection in the water glass, he saw Wan Hong approaching silently. The sentry's eyes were indifferent, the tip of his knife sharp.

It seems Wan Hong has already gained Lu Xuejin's trust and is now working for him. Who knows, Jiang Gu might die at his hands.

“I’ve overwritten and modified his information; no one will notice.” Romang took a deep breath. “Sir, I can help you.”

He suddenly stood up and knelt down on one knee, his posture like that of a knight pledging allegiance to his lord in old-fashioned literature.

Lu Xuejin's dazed gaze finally fell on him. He silently lifted Luo Mang's chin with his palm, as if trying to see through the sentry's resolute and sincere expression to discern his true thoughts. Lu Xuejin's tone was indescribably calm: "Will you keep all my secrets?"

"Sir, you are my superior, and I will obey all your orders."

Facing Lu Xuejin's scrutiny head-on, Luo Mang's eyes showed no concealment or evasion. A few seconds later, Lu Xuejin withdrew her hand and leaned back gently on the sofa. The tense atmosphere around them instantly relaxed, and Luo Mang caught a glimpse of Wan Hong returning to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner.

He was an uncertain figure. Luo Mang couldn't trust his own kind because he knew their frivolous, insidious, and selfish nature all too well. But Wan Hong was already involved, so he could only endure it.

Roman continued to patiently inquire, "Now can you tell me who ordered you to deal with him?"

He knew that some Sentinels, acting as the Federation's gloves, had handled troubles that couldn't be known to outsiders for the higher-ups, or that they were part of a conspiracy themselves. The ruthless and profit-driven Federation leadership wouldn't let such people live long, and would either eliminate their existence quietly through missions or by using their lackeys.

But how dare they lay a hand on Lu Xuejin?!

Romans was furious beyond measure.

Lu Xuejin lowered her eyes, in an evasive manner, and finally only said, "Everything is for the Federation."

He still doesn't trust himself, or doesn't want to get involved.

The more pain Luo Mang felt, the more he hated the person hiding behind Lu Xuejin, using the promising guide as a puppet. His teeth clenched, his facial muscles tensed and spasmed for a few moments, his knuckles turned white, and boiling venom surged through his limbs, a primal savagery and ferocity resurfacing and roaring beneath his refined exterior.

It's okay, he'll find that person.

Luo Mang suddenly smiled.

He didn't linger. Before leaving, he specifically sought out Wan Hong and, despite his physical aversion, patiently and frankly said, "If you find any clues, be sure to tell me. Those people have ill intentions towards him."

Wan Hong just looked at him with a half-smile, seemingly not worried about Lu Xuejin at all. Luo Mang wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face.

The matter passed just like that. The disappearance of a sentry went unnoticed by anyone. Lu Xuejin continued teaching as usual, overwhelmed by the flowers and gifts from her students, and continued to come and go in the counseling room. Every day was filled with various things, leaving her no free time.

Lu Xuejin began applying to return to the front lines, but each time her application was rejected.

The guide's smile faded; he looked troubled and depressed.

Bai Ta couldn't bear to see his chief in such a dejected state, so he conscripted Ji Yangxia, who had just returned from a mission.

"Still thinking about the rejection? Look at your former subordinates." Ji Yangxia turned his head and gestured for his subordinates to step forward.

Stepping out of the shadows into the light, the sentry's cold face was revealed to Lu Xuejin; he had a pair of icy, dark gray eyes.

He Cang forced a smile.

"commander."