Shu Bai quietly got up, walked to the door, but instead of opening it, he looked out through the tiny observation hole in the door.
The corridor was dimly lit.
A pure white peacock, its feathers shimmering with iridescent light, was strolling leisurely past his doorway with the most elegant steps.
It even deliberately and very affectedly flicked its long, magnificent tail feathers, the iridescent sheen drawing a graceful arc in the dim light.
Then, it stopped at Li Yuheng's door, turned its head to the side, and seemed to use its beak to tidy up the non-existent frizzy feathers under its wings, its posture reserved and proud, as if showing off its unparalleled beauty.
Shu Bai: "..."
The muscles in his face twitched almost imperceptibly.
This is clearly the spiritual entity of the new guide.
Why let a peacock out to wander around the corridor so late at night?
What kind of new kind of prelude is this for mental health intervention?
Or is it some kind of peculiar fetish of an S-class guide that he cannot understand?
The snow leopard spirit had somehow gotten to the door and was curiously watching the flamboyant white bird outside through the observation hole.
The tip of its tail swayed slightly unconsciously, as if its attention was drawn to the shimmering, shimmering tail feathers.
Shu Bai immediately sensed a hint of curiosity from the spirit and... an urge to pounce on it and play?
A slight throbbing appeared on his forehead. He grabbed the restless snow leopard's head and forcefully pulled it back.
"Quiet."
He gave the order in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment.
The spirit grumbled aggrievedly and lay back down on the ground, but its eyes still couldn't help glancing towards the door.
Shu Bai looked at the observation hole again.
The white peacock seemed to have completed its tour and then gracefully, with a swaying gait, strolled back to Li Yuheng's door, then walked straight in and disappeared.
The corridor returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.
Only a trace of that guy's cool aura of his guide essence and the aftershocks of a kind of mental energy called "smugness" seemed to remain in the air.
Shu Bai stood there, silent for a full minute.
The two small moles under his right eye seemed even clearer in the darkness, as if they were silent.
He ultimately said nothing, simply returning to the bedside with a blank expression and lying down again.
This time, he suddenly pulled the blanket over his head.
In the darkness, however, there seemed to be a slight, almost imperceptible warmth at the base of his ears.
Meanwhile, Li Yuheng, who was sitting next door, felt the white peacock return and, after perfectly (in his opinion) completing the "debut" task, lay down contentedly.
"Perfect! The seed has been planted, now we just need to wait for it to blossom and bear fruit!" he thought smugly. "My wife must be amazed by my beautiful bird!"
With this positive self-image, Li Yuheng finally drifted off into a deep, sweet dream.
In the dream, a majestic snow leopard was chasing a white peacock with its tail feathers spread across the starry sky, while Li Yuheng and Shu Bai sat to the side, watching with delight...
…
The first night in the Third War Zone passed quietly amidst one person's unsuccessful attempt to flaunt their peacock feathers and another person's silent, sound sleep.
…
The next morning.
The reveille in the Third War Zone was not a shrill bell, but rather a gentler imitation of birdsong and the sound of flowing streams in nature, attempting to awaken these tense sentries and guides in a more soothing way.
Li Yuheng opened his eyes almost the instant the bugle sounded, looking radiant and showing no signs of discomfort as a newcomer.
He nimbly rolled out of bed, already planning his "chance encounter" for the day.
"Good morning, my beautiful bird." He greeted the white peacock in his mental image that was preening its feathers.
The white peacock gave him a haughty glance, without reacting.
Li Yuheng didn't mind, humming an off-key tune as he quickly finished washing up and changed into the guide uniform issued by the base.
His dark blue combat uniform accentuated his upright posture, making him appear less lazy than yesterday and more sharp.
He opened the door, and almost simultaneously, the metal door next door slid open as well.
Shu Bai stood at the door, seemingly preparing to go out.
He was still dressed in a pure black combat suit, and his mental energy suppression ring shone with a faint orange-yellow, indicating that his condition was slightly more stable than last night, but far from being safe.
He didn't look well-rested; there were faint shadows under his eyes, making his two small moles stand out even more.
Their eyes met.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Shu Bai's gaze lingered on Li Yuheng's face for a fraction of a second before shifting away expressionlessly, as if he hadn't seen the white peacock posing at the door last night.
But Li Yuheng accurately captured that extremely subtle moment of stiffness in him.
"Good morning, Shu Bai Sentinel." Li Yuheng greeted him with a bright smile, as if they were old friends. "Did you sleep well last night? This place is quite quiet, perfect for sleeping."
Shu Bai: "..." His jawline tightened for a moment, but he didn't reply. He took long strides and walked out.
Li Yuheng naturally followed suit, walking alongside him: "Which way is the cafeteria? I'm new here and don't know the way. Want to share a meal?"
Shu Bai continued walking without stopping, coldly uttering three words: "Don't know me."
"Oh?" Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow, deliberately drawing out his words, "That's perfect, shall we look for it together? Maybe we'll run into your spirit form on the way. I think it likes my... oh no, it likes my spirit form quite a bit."
He was implying something.
Shu Bai paused almost imperceptibly, glancing sideways at Li Yuheng: "Guide Li, we're not acquainted."
"You'll get to know each other better after spending more time together." Li Yuheng didn't care about his cold face at all. Instead, she leaned closer and lowered her voice, "Look, I'm your personal guide now. Aren't we close enough?"
His breath brushed against her earlobe, and Shu Bai abruptly took a half step back, creating distance, a faint blush rising uncontrollably at the base of her ears: "...That was Ta's unilateral decision. I never agreed to it."
Li Yuheng shrugged: "But you didn't object. Doesn't 'whatever' mean 'okay,' 'no problem,' or 'you decide'? Am I right?"
Shu Bai seemed speechless at his sophistry, her face darkening further. She simply shut her mouth, quickened her pace, and tried to shake off this persistent pest.
But Li Yuheng followed closely, still chattering away: "Don't walk so fast, let's talk, shall we? What do you like to eat? Where would you like the counseling session to take place later? In the room or a dedicated counseling room? Or maybe somewhere with a nice view? I think that cliff over there on the back mountain is pretty good, the view is expansive, perfect for nurturing feelings... Hey, slow down, I can't keep up—"
He said he couldn't keep up, but he walked with ease and comfort, always trailing Shu Bai by half a step, admiring the other's slightly stiff back and slightly reddened ear tips due to anger.
Other sentries or medical guides encountered in the corridor stared in astonishment at the sight, instinctively pressing themselves against the wall to avoid it, as if they had witnessed something extremely terrifying.
That menacing Shu Bai, how dare anyone approach him with such a frivolous grin?
And he wasn't even blasted away by the mental attack?
Who is this new S-rank guide?
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