The air in the ventilation room seemed to freeze.
Zhao Rui nervously swallowed, while Ling Xuan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, looking completely indifferent.
Shu Bai raised her eyes to look at the audacious guide in front of her.
Li Yuheng's eyes sparkled in the cold light, filled with undisguised expectation and confidence.
What makes this person so certain?
Shu Bai suddenly felt a surge of irritation.
He was used to being feared, isolated as a dangerous individual, and even pitied.
But the way Li Yuheng looked at him was like he was looking at an...ordinary person.
No, even more so than the average person.
His eyes held an open interest and a sense of eagerness.
"Whatever." Shu Bai finally uttered two dry words and turned to leave.
“That means you agree.” Li Yuheng’s voice came from behind, filled with the joy of a victor. “From today onwards, I will be your personal guide, Shu Bai Sentinel.”
Shu Bai paused almost imperceptibly, without turning around.
But everyone saw that the snow leopard spirit unusually circled around Li Yuheng once, its tail tip gently brushing against his calf, before chasing after its master away.
Zhao Rui wiped the sweat from his forehead: "So... it's settled then?"
“Of course.” Li Yuheng stretched. “Now, take me to my new dormitory, preferably one that’s close to a certain sentry.”
Ling Xuan finally couldn't help but speak up: "Are you serious? His mental fluctuations could go berserk at any moment."
Li Yuheng turned his head, a bright smile on his face: "What's there to be afraid of? I'm an S-class guide." He glanced meaningfully at Ling Xuan, "Besides, aren't some people just hoping I'll take on this 'trouble'?"
Ling Xuan's expression froze for a moment, then returned to calm.
Li Yuheng is absolutely right.
Ling Xuan said no more and turned to Zhao Rui, speaking in a businesslike tone: "Supervisor Zhao, please report the situation to headquarters as soon as possible. Given that Li Xiangdao has successfully established a preliminary connection with the Shubai sentry, I request to end this temporary deployment and return to the Central Tower immediately to await deployment to the First War Zone."
His voice was steady, devoid of any emotion, as if the dramatic counseling session just now was merely an insignificant interlude.
For him, once the optimal solution to the task is found, there is no need to waste any additional resources, including his own time and energy.
He didn't want to stay in the Third War Zone, a place rife with instability, for even a moment longer.
His only goal was the front lines, the battlefield where he fought the Zerg in real combat.
Zhao Rui was taken aback for a moment, seemingly not expecting Ling Xuan to withdraw so decisively, but quickly nodded: "Understood, Guide Ling. I will prepare the report immediately."
Upon hearing this, Li Yuheng's lips curled into a half-smile, but he said nothing.
He was naturally happy to see this happen, and couldn't wait for this "originally planned protagonist" to disappear from his sight as soon as possible.
…
In the original timeline, there was no S-rank guide named Li Yuheng who appeared out of nowhere.
Yes, our young master is unregistered again this time.
However, that's not the case, because this time, through the operation of S+ system 0090, Li Yuheng successfully upgraded from an "unregistered" to an "open" account.
In the original storyline, the Central Tower only dispatched Ling Xuan, a newly promoted S-class guide, to the Third War Zone to attempt to establish a mental link with Shu Bai and provide guidance.
At that time, Ling Xuan was filled with a deep hatred for the Zerg and only wanted to rush to the front line to take revenge. Therefore, he had high expectations and goodwill towards the so-called "powerful, stable and reliable" Sentinels.
Ling Xuan was extremely resistant to being assigned to take over Shu Bai, a notorious "problem sentinel," but military orders were absolute, and he had no choice but to obey.
Upon their first meeting, Shu Bai greeted him with an icy demeanor and an extremely aggressive mental energy.
However, Ling Xuan was, after all, an S-class guide with strong and resilient mental strength.
Despite the immense difficulty of the process, he ultimately withstood the initial mental onslaught from Shu Bai and persevered for five and a half minutes.
This timeframe far exceeded that of all previous guides.
This result, for the first time, caught Shu Bai's attention and caused a very slight wavering.
In six years, this was the first guide who could truly withstand his unconscious attacks, and Shu Bai himself was more eager to return to the battlefield than anyone else.
In the subsequent series of forced attempts at psychological counseling, Ling Xuan, with his formidable strength and a calm, almost ruthless rationality, repeatedly and painstakingly penetrated Shu Bai's violent and chaotic mental landscape.
This process was like torture for both of them: Shu Bai suffered the pain of unconscious backlash, while Ling Xuan only saw it as a difficult task that had to be completed.
But unknowingly, this unique and strong spiritual connection has woven a twisted and profound bond between the two.
Although Ling Xuan still disliked Shu Bai's "instability," he could not deny the astonishing power hidden deep within his spiritual landscape.
For the first time in his life, Shu Bai encountered a guide who not only "took care" of him but also showed no fear or excessive pity in his eyes.
In the midst of this awkward stalemate, during one of the counseling sessions, Ling Xuan inadvertently caught a glimpse of an old scar on Shu Bai's left forearm.
It is a serrated triangular mark left by the mouthparts of the Zerg.
This scene exploded in his mind like a thunderbolt.
The shape of the scar was exactly the same as the wound on the arm of the sentry who saved him, as he remembered it!
This discovery completely overturned Ling Xuan's mindset.
He went from being resistant and businesslike to actively paying attention to Shu Bai, even approaching him with a complex and urgent desire for confirmation.
However, the confirmation process was far from smooth sailing.
One side's cold, hard approach and coercion, the other's sharp resistance, led to more misunderstandings and harm.
The more entangled they become, the deeper their spiritual connection grows, which in turn catalyzes a painful and distorted emotion.
After a series of twists and turns, misunderstandings and mutual hurt, Ling Xuan finally confirmed that Shu Bai was the one who saved him back then.
Overwhelmed by immense guilt and emotional turmoil, Ling Xuan realized he had fallen in love with Shu Bai and finally shed some of his cold, hard exterior, attempting to truly get closer to Shu Bai.
Meanwhile, under the guidance and support of Ling Xuan, a specific S-level guide, Shu Bai's mental state gradually stabilized, and his mental fluctuation value returned to the average level of a Sentinel.
Ultimately, they went to the First War Zone together and became highly effective partners and companions.
…
After Ling Xuan left, Li Yuheng, led by Zhao Rui, went to the dormitory assigned to him.
The corridor lights were cold and even, reflecting a chilling light onto the metal walls.
With his hands in his pockets, Li Yuheng casually surveyed the place known as the "S-level danger zone," but his mind was racing.
"Little system," he said lazily in his mind, "would you say the original plot was cheesy or not? Hmm?"
[Your Highness, according to big data analysis, this 'savior-misunderstanding-discovery of the truth-emotional transformation' pattern accounts for 17.8% of the emotional narratives in multiple small worlds, and has a certain audience base...] 0090 attempts to explain with data.
"Stop, stop!" Li Yuheng interrupted with disdain. "17.8%? Does that mean the remaining 82.2% all think this plot is insane? Just because of a scar? My goodness, is Ling Xuan some kind of police dog? Recognizing people by their scent? Oh no, falling in love by their scars?"
He was so angry he almost laughed.
"So before, Shu Bai was just a troublesome, unstable person who could explode at any moment, someone you wouldn't even dare touch to get your hands dirty. Good grief, one look at the scar and wow! Instantly he became 'my benefactor, my life, the only light in my cold heart'? This emotion came faster than interstellar leap, where's the logic? Did the Zerg eat it?"
[Uh…it’s for the plot, an emotional catalyst…] 0090’s voice trailed off.
"Catalyze my ass!" Li Yuheng retorted mercilessly. "This isn't catalysis, it's degeneration! It's mental derangement! Just because they discovered he's their savior, all the previous 'instability,' 'danger,' and 'difficulty in getting along' have automatically been gilded? Pain and torment have turned into 'unique bonds'? This filter is even more intense than my dad's selfie videos!"
The more he thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed.
"So whether Shu Bai himself is worthy of love is unimportant. What matters is that he unintentionally did a good deed six years ago? Without that scar, Shu Bai would be nothing in Ling Xuan's eyes? What kind of love is this? This is nothing but self-indulgent gratitude and late-stage Stockholm syndrome!"
"Ling Xuan, that guy, has nothing in his head but hatred and gratitude. He doesn't love Shu Bai as a person, he loves the symbol of 'savior,' he loves the satisfaction of 'saving' the other person to achieve some kind of spiritual redemption. Selfish and twisted, and he thinks he's deeply affectionate? Ugh!"
Li Yuheng made an exaggerated vomiting face, luckily no one in the corridor saw it.
"My Shubai is so much better. Not only is she beautiful in spirit, but even her awkwardness is adorable. Unlike that lunatic, whose inner monologues are enough to make an eight-hundred-episode drama. And he calls himself the leading man? Does he even deserve it?"
0090 didn't care anymore and unconditionally cheered: 【Young Master, you're absolutely right! That's wonderful!】
Li Yuheng snorted, "So this twisted 'preordained plot' will be shattered by this young master himself. Saving my wife from this predicament is my duty!"
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