Chapter 31
Locals call that mountain "the veil of the goddess," or simply "the veil."
Firstly, it is because of its towering and graceful appearance, like a beautiful woman standing alone in the world; secondly, because of its steep sides, with a nearly vertical drop of two thousand meters from the valley floor to the peak, it inspires awe and seems to veil the beauty with an untouchable veil.
To explore the mysterious ancient castle on the summit, the archaeological team once arrived by helicopter, only to find that the castle had long been abandoned and was empty inside.
Later, some extreme sports enthusiasts came to the foot of the mountain and tried to challenge themselves with outdoor rock climbing.
They spent a day and a night climbing to the summit. The journey inevitably involved traversing several thorny areas, resulting in numerous cuts and bruises. Therefore, when climbing "Veil," in addition to ropes and hooks, one must bring ample bandages, gauze, and anti-inflammatory ointment.
Those who have climbed it once never want to come back a second time.
Noah, however, went once a week.
He started from the stone house, hiking over the mountains, running at his limit the whole way. His speed was no less than that of the Wolf King and Da Bao. He only paused to catch his breath after crossing a mountain, and then he was like Tarzan, darting through the forest.
Sentinels are physically different from ordinary people. They have extremely high bone density and a special type of muscle fiber that accounts for a much larger proportion than that of ordinary humans, giving them the explosive power and endurance of lions and tigers.
Noah, nicknamed "Taishan," raced through the forest and, upon reaching the foot of "Veil," began to climb it by hand without any ropes or tools.
Three hours later, covered in sweat, he stood on the summit.
Upon entering the ruins of the ancient castle, I collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.
In fact, he only needs one dose of the Crystal Clan's specially made compressed nutrient solution, and he will recover in a few minutes.
But he remained motionless, like a corpse, intending to lie there all day.
The crumbling stone wall was covered with vines, and a few small white flowers timidly peeked out.
Noah remembered that long ago, he had proposed to Claire here.
At that time, he had carefully decorated the castle in advance: every corner was spotless, soft carpets were laid in the main hall and in front of the door, and the severely damaged corners were cleverly covered with antique stone carvings. Flowers were placed everywhere just right... After such care, the dilapidated ruins were transformed into a warm and touching relic, and no one could bear to say no at this moment.
Claire readily agreed with a smile. Noah excitedly picked her up and spun her around, and then, amidst the ruins where the sky was their blanket and the earth their mat, they became husband and wife.
Afraid she would catch a cold, he kept the air cushion on all night, like a warm, transparent little house, until dawn.
He couldn't bear to let go. He took a short break in the middle of the journey, and when he opened his eyes again, the person in his arms had turned into... Su Yue!
Su Yue wrapped her arms around his neck, her thin lips slightly upturned and pursed, her eyes red and moist, looking at him with an expression of grievance and expectation...
Noah jolted awake, fully waking up. He found himself "corpse" lying in the ruins of the ancient castle for a day and a night.
Whether it was the black mist of his internal energy disrupting his functions or the cold night in the mountains, he felt stiff all over, like someone who had been ill for a long time.
The surrounding walls and ruins remain, covered in dust and grime, exuding a desolate atmosphere.
He rose, shook off the withered leaves, and walked out of the castle, disheartened. He returned to the stone house.
It was physically and mentally grueling, yet it felt like a ritual, which he insisted on doing once a week.
In addition, he has recently started other extreme sports, becoming even more reckless.
For example, when skiing on a smoothboard, he turns off all safety features, leaving only basic line indicators on, treating the high-tech skateboard like an ordinary ski, and relentlessly attempting difficult maneuvers.
It sped down from the mountaintop, sprinting and turning at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
Performing a 720-degree somersault on a steep cliff forced the smoothboard's intelligent program to issue continuous warnings:
"The buffer zone has not been activated; it is not recommended to perform such dangerous actions!"
"The buffer air mass has not been activated, and the current speed is too high. It is recommended to reduce the speed to below 40 km/h."
"The buffer zone is not activated. Please switch to an easier route immediately!"
...
The AI's prompts nearly wore him out, but Noah ignored them completely.
Finally, he crashed while making a high-speed bend. His brakes failed, and he crashed hard into a boulder, breaking his leg on the spot.
As it turns out, no matter how dense a sentry's bones are, they can't be as hard as rock.
The smooth plate detected the accident and strongly recommended that Noah "activate the buffer air mass and set up automatic return."
But he reached out and closed the program, rolled the smooth plate back into a glow stick shape, and retracted the arm armor.
Then, dragging his broken leg, he limped over half the mountain and returned to the stone house.
As soon as he arrived in the front yard, Da Bao and the wolf king smelled the blood and rushed over anxiously, whimpering and howling around him.
Noah dismissed it: "So what? It's just a broken leg, not a death sentence."
The two animals were frantic, but they didn't know how to stop the bleeding or bandage the wound. All they could do was wail in a chorus of high and low cries, the sound echoing across the mountainside.
"Alright, stop arguing," Noah waved impatiently before taking out a miniature medical device from his armor and setting his own bones.
Similar minor accidents happened every few days. After a few months, he practically became a bone-setting expert.
He wasn't always like this. Although he was passionate about extreme sports, he always carefully activated his cushioning system or wore protective gear, returning unscathed each time. Because Claire would be more heartbroken than he was if she saw him injured. She couldn't tolerate even a trace of the black mist of his supernatural power within him and was determined to purify it completely.
To avoid worrying her, he always took full precautions.
This habit was maintained even decades after Claire left.
...When did he become so indifferent?
He thought of Su Yue.
That silly boy once slipped and fell off a 100-meter cliff; he was incredibly clumsy. But how much smarter am I now than him?
Perhaps it was because he knew he was going to die that nothing mattered anymore.
When he wasn't doing extreme sports, he would sleep for three days straight in the stone house, completely immobile.
If the wolf king and Da Bao hadn't woken him up, he might have slept for a week, a month, or even... a lifetime.
These two spoiled brats don't like dog food that's half additives and half nutrients. They always clamor for freshly cooked hot dishes and chase after Noah, barking and howling incessantly.
Da Bao was adopted by Claire, while the wolf king was brought back by him to keep Da Bao company. If it weren't for Claire, he would have sent these two good-for-nothing creatures away long ago.
When preparing stir-fries for Da Bao and the Wolf King, he often thought of Su Yue.
I remember Su Yue and the wolf king sometimes bickering and sometimes being affectionate; I remember him bullying Da Bao and haphazardly ruffling the bear's fur.
Remembering how Su Yue seemed polite while eating, yet devoured his food without ever being picky? Not only did he resemble Claire in appearance, but their tastes were also strikingly similar…
And the expression on his face when he paints, so focused and absorbed, is so endearingly earnest.
However, Su Yue was a terrible sleeper. Several times during midnight room checks, the silly boy was found drooling and his blankets kicked off in a mess, completely lacking any semblance of decorum...
Thinking of all this, Noah felt a tightness in his chest.
Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com