Chapter 17 The Guide is the Sentinel's Home

Training ground halfway up the mountain outside the base.

Along the edge of the spacious grounds, rows of large, leafy trees are planted.

The rabbit is standing under the tree, starting a fire in front of the barbecue grill that has been set up.

Xie Tu moved tables and chairs out of the training room, took fire tongs in his hand, and sat down to boil water.

A short while later.

Duan Xi, Tao Haohao, and Song Liang returned carrying more than ten kilograms of meat and some vegetables and fruits.

They're quite far apart.

Duan Xi shouted, "Captain, you're doomed! My aunt is looking for you everywhere!"

Xie Tu looked up. "What do you want with me?"

"Minister Duan went to the conference room and brought back the S-level guide, saying he wanted to conduct a compatibility test for the two of you."

Tao Haohao chuckled, his expression revealing a hint of schadenfreude, "So you ran away, which infuriated Minister Duan."

The appearance of the S-class guide caused a huge sensation within the base.

The top leadership unanimously decided to keep it a secret for the time being and not to announce it to the public.

But those researchers were like madmen.

If it weren't for the base manager stopping her, he would have immediately taken her to the lab for comprehensive testing of all her indicators.

"It was you who kept insisting on eating meat and urging me to leave."

Xie Tu said slowly and deliberately, "Besides, the minister didn't tell me to stay there and wait for her before she left."

Duan Xi choked.

It seems... he was the one who pulled the captain away.

Is it his fault?

When we get home, will my aunt scold him...?

"Never mind, let's eat meat first!"

Tao Haohao put the meat he bought on the table, turned around and called out, "Rabbit, is the fire ready?"

The rabbit rolled its eyes. "It's been ready for ages. We've been waiting for you guys to come back. Hurry up and take the meat to wash it twice before bringing it over to roast!"

A bunch of rough men, do they intend to eat him directly?

Tao Haohao paused for a moment, sighed, picked up the meat again, and left, taking Duan Xi with him for help.

Song Liang put down his things, went inside to pour himself a glass of water, and came out to sit next to Xie Tu, his eyes occasionally glancing at his team leader.

I have a feeling that something is off about the captain.

He was the one who was supposed to find the guide, but when they were in the contaminated area, he avoided seeing the person even though they were on the next street.

After returning, he deliberately avoided the situation.

What's going on?

Xie Tu bent down, grabbed some wood from the side, threw it into the fire, and asked him, "How many points did it cost?"

"More than 1,800."

Song Liang took out the points card and handed it back to him, "That's only if I'm watching over them, otherwise those two bandits would have wanted to carry everything back."

The rabbit snorted, "The captain is so rich, he won't go bankrupt from eating."

The captain is the richest person in the entire base, with a six-figure bank account balance.

One person can earn so many points that they can't possibly spend them all!

Song Liang ignored the rabbit and said cautiously, "Captain, why don't you call Minister Duan back? Let's do the compatibility test as soon as possible."

Everyone felt that the two were a very good match.

"Let's talk after we finish eating," Xie Tu replied casually, putting his points card in his pocket.

His teammates were unaware that the S-rank guide could influence his mental state.

It could even affect him personally.

Song Liang shrugged. "I'm afraid that before we've even finished our meal, Minister Duan will show up."

“That’s right.” The rabbit nodded vigorously from the side.

Xie Tu paused for a moment, thinking it was very likely, and tossed the fire tongs to Song Liang, "Watch the fire."

Seeing him get up and head towards the back mountain, looking like he was about to leave, the rabbit quickly called out, "Captain, where are you going? We're about to start grilling the meat."

"You guys eat first. I'm going to call Minister Duan back and talk to him about having that guide join Team Zero." Xie Tu left without looking back.

Escaping is useless.

The "salvation plan" is of paramount importance.

With the addition of S-class guides, team members no longer need to be restricted when carrying out missions, and they don't have to worry about mutations occurring in contaminated areas.

The lives of his team members were more important than the influence the guide had on him.

Times have changed.

Guides were even rarer during the Dark Ages.

For the sake of the Sentinels, the Guides had to voluntarily stay at the base so they could guide Sentinels whose mental energy was running wild at any time.

However, this tradition has gradually been distorted, becoming a shackle that confines guides.

The guide... was supposed to be like the sentry.

Their battlefield was in the polluted areas shrouded in gray fog outside.

Xie Tu's gaze deepened as he pondered how to persuade Minister Duan, walking towards the back mountain as he thought.

His home is right behind the training ground.

S-class Sentinels have exceptionally keen senses; the slightest disturbance could trigger a disturbance in their mental realm.

Xie Tu couldn't even live in the inner city; he could only live on the hillside outside the base, and he needed to play white noise every night to fall asleep.

Once stopped.

Countless noises, carrying violent emotions, would come crashing down on him.

Suppressants must be taken to temporarily suppress the riotous force.

Xie Tu recalled the unusual behavior of the Fire Phoenix, which, when it reached his mind, brought him a moment of peace, like being in a warm sea.

The guide is the sentinel's final destination...

It's a truly perverse and abnormal relationship; the two are more like a mental patient and a psychiatrist.

And he was that mental patient.

*

The residential compound at No. 128, East Third Street, was unusually lively at this time.

The residents of Qingshan Town are currently being allocated housing.

All the house numbers were written on crumpled paper and put in a basin. Each household sent a representative, and whichever house was chosen would be the one the representative stayed in.

He Xiangjia caught room 803.

He dragged his luggage and led his mother and ten-year-old sister upstairs to settle in.

In addition, the old town mayor said that it would be best if the six households on the first floor had sentries at home.

If someone voluntarily chooses to live on the first floor, each household in the town contributes some supplies and pays a fee each month to the six households on the first floor.

They are like community security guards, protecting everyone's safety.

Everyone agreed.

Besides Cheng Dongshu's family, five other sentries soon volunteered to live on the first floor.

They were low-ranking sentries, and their presence in centralized quarters had little impact.

What the large base is really like is something we haven't had a chance to find out yet.

I wonder if I'll be able to find a job to support my family in the future.

Being a community security guard is pretty good; at least you get some compensation.

Zhao Yan, with her two children, hesitated for a moment before approaching the old town mayor. "Mayor, I'd like to stay in room 1201. Zhao Zhao can't cook and needs someone to take care of her..."

Upon hearing this, the old town mayor, considering Yun Zhao's poor self-care abilities, agreed.

It's all thanks to Yun Zhao that everyone can settle down in the Dawn Base and live in such nice new houses.

In the eyes of the older generation, she has always been a child they watched grow up.

They definitely need someone to take care of them.

Zhao Yan breathed a sigh of relief, having finally received the key to apartment 1201, and quickly began moving her luggage with her two children.

He Pingping helped her mother carry things, while He An'an was responsible for carrying some of the lighter bags.

Both elevators were busy, and everyone lined up at the elevator entrance to wait.

*

Yun Zhao walked around the empty room, sorted out the living supplies she had received, and then studied the base life manual in the bag.

The main focus is on how points are earned.

Although housing is free, residents of the town have to pay for water, electricity, and management fees each month.

Everyone is now penniless.

Once you're settled, you need to find a way to earn points as soon as possible.

The sentries were alright, but it was difficult for ordinary people.

Without professional skills and connections, it is difficult to find a job to support one's family.

For example, basic labor such as street sweeping, garbage collection, and waiter/waitress work are jobs that anyone can do, so you can imagine how sought-after they are.

She hasn't even visited the two plots of land she acquired for planting.

Grain takes time to mature.

During this period, everyone could only rely on supplies brought from the town to survive.

As Yun Zhao pondered this, he flipped through the manual. Just as he turned to the section about the base's evacuation room, he heard the sound of the elevator doors opening in the hallway outside.

She put down the handbook in her hand and went to open the door.

The door opened, and you could see Aunt Zhao and her two children, dragging large bags of luggage out of the elevator.

"Sister Yun Zhao!" He Pingping and He An'an greeted her obediently.

Zhao Yan turned around and saw her, and quickly said, "Zhao Zhao, are you hungry? I'll go cook right away."