The palace occupies several floors of the White Tower. The queen is the only one living in this huge space.

The main hall has a high dome, numerous jade pillars and is painted with murals that are rich in artistic atmosphere.

In the empty and silent palace, the slender figure of Her Majesty the Queen sitting on the throne seemed a little lonely.

Her cold white fingers picked up a white chess piece and landed it on the black square of the chessboard.

The crisp sound of a chess piece falling echoed in the spacious hall.

Commander Luther knelt before her throne, reporting on recent important events in the empire.

Several powerful mutants have appeared in the wilderness near Kyoto, injuring many people. Special operations team sentinels have been dispatched to deal with the situation.

Your Majesty need not worry.

Several contaminated areas have experienced changes, and the monsters inside have become more agitated.

Fortunately, the empire's internal military had just received a large number of reinforcements, and there were sufficient weapons and ammunition, so it was still able to cope with the situation.

Your Majesty need not worry too much.

Every time he reported something, he couldn't help but add a word of comfort, for fear that these troubles would make his respected Majesty sad.

The queen sitting in front of him had her face covered with a white veil and was moving the chess pieces casually with her fingers.

"The warriors were given powerful weapons and launched attacks on the contaminated areas. Another small contaminated area was destroyed by the sentinels a few days ago."

"This is really good and reassuring news, Your Majesty." Luther raised his head happily.

Only then did he realize that His Majesty on the throne was looking at the black and white chessboard, somewhat absent-mindedly, as if he had not heard anything he said.

The Queen hummed softly and asked, "What has Lin Yuan been doing recently? Has she gone to the contaminated area again?"

Luther was stunned. "Director Lin has been to many polluted areas recently. I assigned her several dedicated sentries every time according to your instructions."

Lin Yuan has been in and out of the contaminated area frequently during this period. On the one hand, he wants to train his ability to cooperate with multiple sentinels in combat. On the other hand, he doesn't want others to know that his real destination is the City of Zombies.

Every time she came to apply to Luther, Luther readily equipped her with multiple sentinels, which could basically be regarded as the strongest configuration in the Royal Guard.

"Been to many places?" The queen tapped the chessboard lightly with her fingers.

Luther felt a little strange. During this period, Her Majesty the Queen seemed to be particularly concerned about the matter of Guide Lin.

He had been with the Queen for many years, and rarely saw Her Majesty caring so much about anyone or anything.

If Your Majesty is not confident in Director Lin Xiang, why doesn't he keep her by his side?

After all, places like contaminated areas are too dangerous, and no matter how many people are sent to guard them, they are not safe.

He could sense that His Majesty had encouraged Lin Xiang to go out, and had even personally taught the young guide. This seemed to be different from the Empire's usual protection strategy for guides.

"Do the Sentinels like her?"

Luther heard a voice coming from the throne.

"Yes, I like it very much." Luther said, "Even in order to grab a chance to be selected, those guys would fight each other several times."

It wasn't the kind of courtship type of love. Luther knew that after word of his battlefield experience spread, the Sentinels really wanted to fight with this leader.

Everyone is saying how amazing it is to have a guide join the fight.

You no longer have to worry about mental turmoil, you can let go of your hands and feet on the battlefield. You can get feedback on your comrades at any time, and mental communication is more convenient and faster than any communicator. The guide can interfere with the enemy's actions and reduce your own pain...

In short, every sentinel who had worked with Lin Xiang described the cooperation as extremely beautiful and desirable. So much so that every sentinel in the camp was eager to make a move.

Luther wanted to suggest to His Majesty several times that if this was the case, why not just train the guides in the guidance academy as well.

After all, there are more than just Lin Xiang-ling in the empire. Since Xiang-ling is so suitable for fighting, it would be a pity to let them stay in the White Tower to arrange flowers and make tea.

But for some reason, he didn't dare to mention it.

Every time the words came to my lips, I subconsciously avoided them.

There was a piercing fear that went through my spine. I felt as if I had said this before, but I was severely punished by a cold and terrifying gaze.

"Sure enough, the sentinels all like that child very much." The queen, with her face covered in white veil, put down the chess piece and turned around.

"What about you? Luther, do you like me?"

The powerful commander's body trembled slightly, as if his soul was captured by something.

"Yes, I have always admired you, Your Majesty."

Of course he likes Her Majesty, hasn't he always been like this? Everyone knows that he deeply loves Her Majesty the Queen.

"Be loyal to me forever and never betray me, right?" The queen emphasized again in a cold voice.

"Yes, I will always be loyal to Your Majesty." Luther replied blankly.

"I heard that you have an adjutant named Ji Xuan. I haven't met him yet. Bring him to me." The queen then said, in a contemptuous tone, as if she was speaking on a whim.

Luther's mind was in a mess and it was difficult for him to think carefully. Only the scar on his eyelid was slightly painful, which made him subconsciously resist this matter.

"Your Majesty, Ji Xuan is a boring guy, timid and dull, so you'd better not..." he said dryly.

A few cold fingers grasped his chin and forcibly lifted his face. Luther was being stared at by the gaze from the throne, and there was no way to avoid it.

After a moment of silence, he murmured, "Yes, all right, bring him here right away, my majesty."

…

Lin Yuan, who was in the contaminated area, saw her sentinels.

These days, she has been running around and visited many polluted areas.

It has been a long time since I last saw Ni Ji, and the sentries following him have changed several times.

But as soon as she saw the big fish, she would subconsciously put the sentinel's crown on his head.

This is contaminated area No. 35. This is Lin Yuan’s first time visiting this contaminated area.

But this place had left a deep mark in her memory at a very early time.

That time, at the execution ground of the Military Control Office, she saw in Ni Ji's mental picture a scene of an entire team of young lives dying tragically there.

The memory is too tragic.

As a result, challenging Area 35 became something Lin Yuan was very reluctant about. After much deliberation, he finally made up his mind.

Lin Yuan didn't expect to meet Ni Ji here. At the moment before they met, Lin Yuan and his friend had just experienced a fierce battle.

Du Yuanyuan's spiritual body grew to its maximum size. A mountain-sized glutinous rice dumpling rolled down from a great height using tons of pressure, breaking through the encirclement of the deformed creatures along the way.

Everyone followed closely and took the opportunity to break out.

"What's going on? It seems like all the mutants here are rioting." A sentry in the team shook off the sticky white fluff and frowned, "When did Area 35 become so terrifying?"

Each contaminated area is different. Many of the contaminated areas that are very old have relatively stable internal environments, and the rules of exploration have long been understood by the sentinels.

As long as you strictly follow the rules and don't go deep into the core area at night, it is not too dangerous for most mature sentinels, and it is relatively easy to obtain the key to open the escape door.

In their minds, Area 35 was a place that was not too difficult. Therefore, it was chosen by Lin Yuan's team as the place to practice actual combat.

But this time, for some unknown reason, a large number of mutants suddenly rioted and wandered around, and the dense groups of mutants chased them for a long distance.

If it weren't for the extremely high configuration of the team and the guidance of the leader in overall control, it might not have been so easy for them to escape from the war zone.

The pursuit accidentally led them deep into the contaminated area.

From where they were, not far away, a team of sentinels with tacit cooperation were launching a fierce attack on the giant mutant that stood tall in the center of the contaminated area.

That is the "pillar".

The core of Contaminated Area 35.

The team of sentinels wanted to push down the "pillar" and forcibly destroy the core of this contaminated area.

Lin Yuan saw Ni Ji at first sight in the chaotic battlefield.

A huge killer whale floated in the air, and the sound of its cry spread far into the polluted area filled with flying catkins.

It's like a requiem to comfort the dead.

I never thought that Ni Ji would lead the team into this place again.

Lin Yuan knew that this place was the little fish’s deepest nightmare and the most severe wound deep in its heart.

A place that can never be healed and cannot be touched.

Even if it was just a fragment of the painful memories of the past. When Lin Yuan stepped into this land, he couldn't help but think of those dead faces.

A young girl hugging her dead body, a boy who had no time to send her a love letter, and a father who had turned into a steel tower.

The souls of those who died innocently on this land seemed to come alive from the dusty memories the moment they stepped in, which was really heartbreaking.

Lin Yuan didn't know how Xiaoyu was determined to come here and face the most painful memory in her heart.

"They want to force this contaminated area, it's amazing." Du Yuanyuan looked at the battle zone, "It seems that the leader is Ni Ji."

"Strong push" has become a popular term among Sentinels in the past two years.

Since the Golden Tree Contaminated Area and the Eyeless Land were disintegrated one after another, more Sentinel teams began to try to forcibly push down the pillars in the contaminated area.

It is extremely difficult and there are very few successful attempts. Even if there are successes, they are only limited to very small and isolated polluted areas.

But even now? Only once or twice.

After the contaminated area is dissipated, the recovered land, materials, money and weapons will be able to boost morale for a long time.

The "pillar" in front of me has a huge human face, a human-shaped body, pale skin, and long, cotton-like hyphae growing all over it.

A huge human figure stood between heaven and earth, covered in large patches of pure white mycelium, like a hybrid of human and mushroom.

Countless spores of all sizes grew from the land around it. High above the sentinels' heads, a poisonous umbrella was opened.

The entire war zone is like a weird and terrifying tropical rain forest.

People become very small in it and need to fight against the tall mushrooms that keep growing.

The spores continuously secrete viscous liquid sprays. Once contaminated by the slightest bit, the mucus will wrap around the human body layer by layer, tightly covering it and refusing to let go.

This fierce battle has been going on for a long time. At the last moment, both the enemy and our side are fighting for their lives.

White umbrellas opened one after another. The soldiers' gunfire illuminated the sky.

Half of the mushrooms were burned, charred, and collapsed on the ground. Most of the soldiers were entangled in the sticky mycelium and were trapped and struggling on the spot.

The only warrior who could still move smoothly was Ni Ji. He was alone with a long sword in the deepest part of the battlefield, fighting with the "pillar" that was already half destroyed.

Red blade lights overflowed, cutting through long sticky threads. Every time the red light passed, the huge pillar let out a painful wail similar to a human voice.

The white sticky hyphae fell like rain, covering Ni Ji's limbs and body layer by layer. Almost burying him completely, the sentry was covered in blood, gritting his teeth and trying his best to hold on.

Whoever lets out his last breath first loses.

Before Lin Yuan was ready to go down to support, he looked around at his comrades.

"Don't be like this, Director Lin. I have to go." Du Yuanyuan crossed her hands and made a cross.

She is the sentinel who has cooperated the most with Lin Yuan during this period, and she can understand the other person's thoughts with just a glance.

She was already injured and it was very dangerous down there, so Lin Yuan wanted her to stay.

"You go down, and I'll stay up there as a sentinel. I won't be able to put my face where it belongs when I go back."

A miniature version of the panda appeared at Du Yuanyuan's feet, rolled twice on the spot, twisted its chubby body and ran towards the battlefield first.

Du Yuanyuan yelled in a very immature way.

"Rolling around with nothing to do? Fear!"

Lin Yuan looked at Nicole again.

Nicole is the daughter of a noble family. She insisted on joining this operation and should not be allowed to go into danger.

Before she could say anything, Nicole's silver python had already followed the panda and started running forward.

"Go, big snake! There is nothing to fear from the big snake!"

These two girls have been spending too much time together lately, and as birds of a feather flock together, their behavior patterns have somewhat influenced each other.

The strong support from a fresh force like Lin Yuan was like a shot in the arm, which quickly turned the tide of the battle.

Large spores were curled up by the flames of the flame gun. The sticky hyphae were cut off, and the trapped comrades were pulled out from the white slime.

With the support of dense artillery fire from a distance, the huge and soft humanoid column in the center of the battlefield finally couldn't hold on any longer, and fell down slowly in the smoke of artillery fire with a low mournful sound.

Ni Ji's face was covered in blood. He knelt on one knee on the ground, supporting himself with his blood-red long sword trembling. He raised his eyes to look at Lin Yuan who was rushing towards him.

He was in a state of panic, his murderous aura had not yet subsided, and his chest was filled with unspeakable grief and anger.

White fluff was flying all over the sky, and the curtain of the polluted area faded behind him.

The polluted area dissipated, and the sorrow of the world and the countless wronged souls trapped there were finally able to return to the human world.

If there is one person in this world who can understand Ni Ji's heart at this moment.

That is the guide before him.

She always appears when I am most hurt and in the most difficult time, and extends her hand to me.

Lin Yuan stretched out his hand and pulled Ni Ji up from the ground. His palms and the long knife were tied together with a cloth strip, which was stained with blood and trembling constantly.

But he looked at Lin Yuan and smiled at her.

Forehead? Leaning on Lin Yuan’s shoulder, trembling body, bloody smile.

"Why are you here?" The voice was hoarse and unclear, and no words of thanks were said.

Lin Yuan recalled what happened after he first saw this sentry.

Remembering that Ni Ji helped her get the key in Contaminated Area No. 5, she rescued Ni Ji from the rack.

Thinking back to the Golden Tree contaminated area, Ni Ji took her out of the Scarlet Egg's nest, and she took Ni Ji to break out of that dirty world.

A few months ago, Ni Ji accompanied her to the Land of No Pupils to find her mother's relics. Today, she is here to lend a hand to Ni Ji and help him fulfill his wish.

They helped each other countless times.

Even the words of thanks seem artificial.

With such a life-long friendship, one will lend a helping hand to the other without hesitation at any time.

The contaminated area was opened, and there were remnants everywhere.

Someone drove a transport truck and everyone pulled each other into the back car fight.

Two teams, one open truck, very crowded, everyone sitting next to each other.

The sentries bandaged each other, and everyone was excitedly discussing this victory.

Great victory!

Humanity once again defeated the contaminated area and regained its living space.

In today's world, the fate of the entire human race is full of hardships. They are forced into desperate situations by monsters, imprisoned, and retreated to isolated cities.

The White Tower is overcrowded, and the sentry tower is in danger. Survival is difficult, starving people are everywhere, and ordinary people have almost no place to stand.

Life is too hard and depressing.

Today, the Sentinels have successfully taken back the contaminated areas time and time again, which is tantamount to opening a gap in this dark and lightless world.

A ray of sunshine leaked into the darkness, as if giving hope to all those living in darkness.

I saw the hope for human survival.

Lin Yuan and Ni Ji sat next to each other in the car.

She heard many people around her whispering about Ni Ji, saying that he was a brave man, a hero, and an all-powerful captain.

He led the team to victory again. This was not the first time.

But Lin Yuan knew that the sentry captain sitting next to her was not an invulnerable iron man. He would also be frightened, weak and in pain.

I will tremble, cry, and have disturbing nightmares.

It's just that he has the courage to face his own vulnerability and dares to face his own horrific injuries.

Is a very cute and gentle person.

The sentry sat beside her, sitting upright, his bloodless lips pale, blood oozing from the corners of his mouth.

The car was shaking violently, and Lin Yuan could only see the bloody jaw and the tightly pursed thin lips.

A strange idea suddenly came to Lin Yuan's mind.

I couldn't help but want to reach out my hand, pinch that pale chin, and leave finger marks there.

As if she had ever done something this outrageous.

This is my sentinel, something I must protect.

Lin Yuan used to have nothing, but now she finds that she has more things to cherish.

It's like getting a pair of exquisite and sweet candies, and wanting to hold them in my hands and heart, guarding them well and not letting anyone get their hands on them.

Fortunately I met you.

"Captain Ni." One of Ni Ji's companions came over.

The companion blocked the view of most people and quickly made a sign language gesture.

"Adjutant Ji sent an encrypted text message. It doesn't look right. Take a look."