Chapter 82 Guide 10
Combination heat – a spontaneous physiological response that occurs when a sentinel or guide encounters someone with whom they share a deep spiritual connection.
Sentinels in a state of heat are less composed than guides and temporarily lose their ability to think. Driven by instinct, they seek physical or spiritual union with a specific object. Sexual desire and the urge to unite will overwhelm rational thinking, making them irritable, easily angered, and jealous, and prone to violence or compulsive behavior.
As a physiological mechanism inherent to Sentinels and Guides, pheromones are actually a niche topic within the Federation. Being labeled as "prone to pheromones" would jeopardize future promotions, so both Sentinels and Guides strictly control their pheromones, generally preventing leakage. Sentinels also periodically use tranquilizers and Guide pheromone preparations to intervene in hormone levels in order to maintain stability.
But whether it was because she had just come from the battlefield and her blood was still hot, or because the alcohol had clouded her mind, Lu Xuejin and Wan Hong's pheromones leaked out uncontrollably against their owners' wishes.
Without warning, the guide's pheromones erupted, plunging the entire hall into a chaotic silence, which was then replaced by heavy breathing and suppressed growls.
The situation spiraled out of control in an instant.
Many sentinels' spirit forms emerged: a colorful tiger's shadow, a wary lynx, a restless cheetah... even a translucent poison dart frog appeared out of nowhere, hopping anxiously at its master's feet. These spirit forms are the most direct manifestation of their physical state, and they are uncontrollably agitated.
Most striking was a vulture with an astonishing wingspan. It stood firmly on Chu Jianfeng's left shoulder, its dark brown feathers shimmering with a metallic sheen. Its cold, emotionless eyes were fixed on the guide in the eye of the storm, revealing a human-like greed, as if it were about to swoop down and tear open its prey's throat with its sharp talons at any moment.
Veins bulged on Wan Hong's forehead, as if he were enduring immense pain. His tall frame swayed, and his knuckles clenched so tightly they made a terrifying cracking sound. His eyes lost focus, replaced by a frenzied, almost bestial rage, on the verge of collapse.
Strangely, despite such a violent reaction, his spiritual body never appeared.
His guide, his guide...
Lu Xuejin tilted his head slightly, his eyes half-closed, his long, thick black eyelashes dampened into a few strands, partially obscuring the brimming tears in his eyes. He looked very uncomfortable, and instinctively, the sentry stepped forward to comfort him.
Just as Wan Hong's body was stretched to its limit, and his suppressed rage was about to break through the critical point, at the last second—
"Get out of the way!" A sharp shout rang out.
Luo Mang charged in from the side, unhesitatingly spreading his arms to shield Lu Xuejin behind him. His movements were undeniably forceful, his eyes sharp as knives, fixed on Wan Hong's empty and dangerous gaze. His spiritual entity—a similarly highly tense gray wolf, though not fully materialized, was faintly visible behind him, emitting a low, warning growl.
The appearance of the unfamiliar sentinels has turned the situation into a more dangerous one—combined with the sentinels' increased aggression in their hot state, any of their kind appearing in their field of vision will be fatally attacked.
[Dedication Points +5]
Lu Xuejin looked up. He remembered this person; he always hid in the preparatory class line and would intentionally or unintentionally sized him up.
Lu Xuejin still looked distressed, but she was chatting with Dong Yao in her mind: "Guess if they will fight."
Dong Yao didn't care about any of that; she only cared about his health: "Are you alright now?"
Lu Xuejin smiled and didn't say anything more.
"Silence! Take control of the spiritual entities immediately!"
A cold, authoritative, and emotionless voice pierced the chaos as several garrison officers in white tower uniforms and silver armbands slipped into the crowd like phantoms. They moved swiftly, wielding tranquilizer spray, precisely and efficiently striking all the sentries. An invisible mental barrier opened, like a icy tide engulfing the entire area. The restless, excited sentries felt as if they had been forced into a cold bath; all their desires evaporated on the spot, and they gritted their teeth, withdrawing their mental energy.
Seeing this, Lu Xuejin took a deep breath and forcibly controlled the source of the out-of-control guide hormone.
The garrison officer immediately pushed aside Luo Mang, took control of the space around Lu Xuejin, pointed his gun at Wan Hong, and asked, "Sentry, are you conscious?"
When the garrison officer's cold barrier touched Wan Hong, his violently trembling body stiffened abruptly. Then, as if a giant, invisible hand had abruptly severed his frenzied aura, his taut muscles relaxed abruptly, the veins on his forehead disappeared, and his empty eyes quickly focused. Wan Hong took a half-step back under the gun barrel, slightly lowering his eyelids to conceal the last flicker of emotion in his eyes.
"...I am now awake."
The celebration banquet was abandoned after the chaos.
Lu Xuejin had been serving on the border for two years, and this was the first time he had been aroused by a sentry. The sentry took this very seriously and separated him from Wan Hong for further investigation.
"The matching rate is as high as 100%... It's an unbelievable number." The leading garrison officer held the report, her face cold. She was sent by the White Tower to take care of Lu Xuejin, so she knew that with Lu Xuejin's talent and level, the matching rate with any sentry would be very high, but 100%... It was really hard to believe.
It's important to know that since the Federation was established, a 100% match has only appeared in some fantasy works, and has never occurred in reality.
The inspector measured it several more times, but the results remained unchanged, which made her look even worse.
Lu Xuejin remained calm as he took the report: "Hmm, no wonder I suddenly entered a state of binding heat."
“You helped him with counseling before, and it was probably that time that made your subconscious trust him.”
The garrison officer's vigilance towards Wan Hong reached its peak. If possible, she suggested killing Wan Hong directly, because the existence of such a sentinel was extremely dangerous to Lu Xuejin. The Federation could lose any S-class sentinel, but it could not lose Lu Xuejin.
However, the final decision rests with headquarters. The officer in charge could only remind her junior, Lu Xuejin, to keep the two separated as much as possible: "Lu Xuejin, you must be careful."
She said dismissively, "Most of these young sentries are arrogant and easily impulsive. If he dares to force you, just destroy his brain. I know you're always soft-hearted, but in this matter, there can be no hesitation whatsoever."
As the garrison officer, her sole duty is to protect the Federation's most precious assets, so she is full of hostility towards anything that might threaten Lu Xuejin.
"...This was actually an accident, the result of multiple coincidences. I didn't notice anything unusual when we met normally. He also kept to his boundaries and never did anything offensive," Lu Xuejin explained on behalf of Wan Hong.
Upon hearing this, the garrison officer sighed, her gaze softening as she looked at the guide. Her young junior was too naive, like a child carrying gold in a bustling marketplace, unaware of the wickedness of human nature, and even less aware of how terrifying the sentries' savage beastly nature could be if unleashed.
That's why they need to be protected even more.
“Lu Xuejin, you’re good at everything, but you’re too soft-hearted towards others, especially those sentinels. How many times have you provided guidance in a month? It far exceeds the limit of S-level. Even if the level is high, you can’t do this.” The garrison officer’s tone suddenly became stern. “I will ask White Tower to let you go back to District 1 to rest properly once the border matter is settled.”
Most of the time, the garrison officer has no way to interfere with the guide's decisions, but when it comes to the guide's own safety, the garrison officer's decision-making power will surpass that of the guide.
Lu Xuejin had no choice but to reply sullenly, "Yes, sir."
The side dishes in the bowl seemed to sense his mood, turning into a limp, lifeless mess.
The cafeteria was packed with people, yet so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The sentries rarely talked while eating, their faces were expressionless, and they ate like they were chewing wax. Compared to the hot but bland food, many of them preferred to drink cold nutrient solutions.
Someone brought dishes and sat down next to Lu Xuejin.
"Hello." Curly-haired guy grinned and winked at him. "Look at me today, what's different about me?"
Lu Xuejin tilted her head and carefully examined Curly Hair for a while, making Curly Hair's smile a little stiff, before slowly saying, "Where did you find a hairdresser?"
Curly Hair said, "I got a little singed by the fire before, so I thought I'd just straighten it. Otherwise, you guys will keep calling me 'Curly Hair' all the time, and you won't even remember my name. If you're going to call me anything, you should call me 'Straight Hair'!"
After Zhi Mao finished speaking, he lowered his head and rummaged through the meatballs in his bowl, but didn't take a bite for a long time.
He glanced at Lu Xuejin and said gloatingly, "Wan Hong has been locked up for several days. He was just released this morning and someone is already causing trouble for him. Now all the sentries are watching him. This kid is famous even before his probation period is over. Lu Xuejin, you're such a femme fatale."
Lu Xuejin chuckled: "It's not his fault."
"But that kid did look pretty scary back then. If the garrison officer hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid he would have bitten you right then and there." Straight Hair said, forking a meatball, taking a disgusted bite, then looking up a second later, chewing twice, his eyes widening in surprise. The tender aroma of the meat burst in his mouth, mixed with the spiciness of ginger that he hadn't tasted in a long time. "No, sir..."
There was no time to say anything else; he quickly lowered his head and shoveled rice into his mouth, stuffing it full.
"Lu Xuejin, how are you today? How are you feeling!"
He swallowed with difficulty, and Zhi Mao was so flattered that he became incoherent.
"Oh, tell me, what do you need me for? I'll make sure you get it all sorted out."
Sentinels suffer from severe sensory impairment, limiting them to bland and tasteless food, making life unbearable. Guides, on the other hand, can grant sentinels access to shared tastes, even allowing them to detect delicacies in ordinary food. However, this requires a high level of mental strength and is a delicate task that demands prolonged concentration. Many guides would rather provide a briefing or therapy session for the sentinels than feed them for them.
At this moment, Zhi Mao was practically ready to go through fire and water for Lu Xuejin.
The guide leisurely picked up the plate and stood up, glancing at him with a smile: "Consider it my apology. After all, he's someone you brought along, so you should take care of him. Otherwise, people will say that we in the southeastern border region are bullying newcomers."
“I knew you were being overly helpful… Well, you were just trying to curry favor with me for someone else’s sake, huh? I’ll definitely take care of that kid…” The sentry stammered, rarely seen doing so, as the guide’s smile played on his lips, finally managing to squeeze out, “I told you to stop smiling.”
Lu Xuejin strode away, leaving Zhi Mao alone. The sentry patted his cheeks, feeling the heat rising, and muttered, "Pathetic."
He lowered his head, bit into the meatball, and wailed.
"...It's lost its flavor again! Lu Xuejin, you're the one who kills but not the one who buries!"
...
At the end of the observation period, except for a few who could not adapt to the battlefield and those who voluntarily applied for a transfer, 70% of the sentries in the reserve department remained. Because of their high rank and outstanding performance, Wan Hong, Luo Mang, and two other A-level sentries formed an elite squad, with Luo Mang serving as the captain.
However, during the mission, the squad became trapped on the edge of the contaminated zone, and the commander suddenly went berserk. With no one to command, the sentry eventually found Lu Xuejin and asked him to temporarily take over as the squad commander.
"I don't agree with this decision!" the garrison officer exclaimed angrily. "They know you shouldn't have met with him, what are they up to!"
Perhaps because she had been away from Zone 1 for too long, she could no longer understand the decisions made by the Tower. Since the report on Lu Xuejin's sudden onset of heat and her vacation plans was submitted, the White Tower had not responded at all, not even issuing any orders to transfer Wan Hong or Lu Xuejin. It was as if Lu Xuejin had suddenly become an ordinary sentinel, no longer the rising star that the Tower was carefully watching.
The garrison officer was both disappointed and angry, suspecting that someone was interfering, but without orders, she had no right to interfere with normal military movements.
All I could do was keep reminding Lu Xuejin to be careful.
“I know, senior.” Lu Xuejin softened her voice, reassuring the garrison officer, “But the most important thing now is to save my team members.”
The elite squad and their commander first met over the communications channel.
"Soldiers, is communication clear?"
A clear voice rang out, dispelling the bone-chilling cold within the contaminated area.
Luo Mang said, "Reporting to the commander, everything is clear."
Lu Xuejin: "Alright, now listen to my instructions. The objective is to leave the contaminated zone boundary."
Lu Xuejin closed his eyes, and his mental synapses arrived in an instant. He had already guided Wan Hong and Luo Mang, and quickly found their mental responses. The boundary of the contaminated zone they were in appeared in his field of vision in a different form.
In this magnificent, heterogeneous dimension, danger lurks everywhere. The reason the elite team has been unable to leave the boundary is that their vision has been clouded by contaminants. These contaminants were only recorded a few days ago and have not yet been uploaded to the system, so the team is unaware of their habits and weaknesses, and is at a loss in the face of this mental siege.
Lu Xuejin gave the crisp instructions: "Close your eyes and walk to your left. Listen to my count: 1, 2, 3, 4, stop."
With the sentries losing their sight, the commander becomes their second pair of eyes and the core brain. They must place their complete trust in Lu Xuejin, otherwise, if they make a mistake, the entire team will be wiped out.
Fortunately, those selected were all highly qualified sentries. Under Lu Xuejin's command, they cleverly avoided all hidden dangers and quickly escaped to safety.
"Damn, finally we're out of that awful place. What kind of pollutant was that? It's so weird."
"Take a five-minute break in place."
The four sentries, who had only recently started working together, sat on the ground, their eyes meeting each other with unfamiliarity, distrust, and cold scrutiny.
At that moment, the commander suddenly smiled over the communication channel, his voice softening: "I know you."
He said, as if addressing the entire team, or perhaps just one of them, "Long time no see."
Because of Lu Xuejin, the newly formed elite team had a common topic of conversation.
"It makes me so angry! I wish I could be assigned to one of your instructors. The benefits are so much better, and you even get to receive mental guidance from Commander Lu. I'm so envious! Our instructor is as cold as a corpse, and he's a sadist too." While chatting, they discovered that one of the A-level instructors wasn't as aloof as he appeared. He was quite talkative; Luo Mang only said one sentence, and he rambled on and on, mostly expressing his envy of the treatment Curly's instructor received.
In the preparatory course, Román was not very friendly and had a somewhat aloof demeanor, but at this moment he was able to joke and play with people in a very normal way, and his attitude was friendly. You would never guess that he had a congressman father.
On the contrary, Wan Hong remained almost completely silent except for his initial self-introduction.
"Captain, tell us about it," Wei Jing asked with a simple smile.
"say what?"
Wei Jing asked hesitantly, "So, what does it feel like during that time? I've never been guided by a guide before in my life."
He Cang, who was standing next to him, looked at Luo Mang upon hearing this.
Perhaps due to prolonged suppression, normal emotional guidance often becomes ambiguous and vague when spoken to by some sentries. Wan Hong noticed that Luo Mang's smile had turned somewhat cold, but the blue-haired simpleton was completely unaware of his captain's subtle displeasure.
"It's time, let's go." Luo Mang stood up and clapped his hands.
"Hey, Captain, you haven't said anything yet."
Luo Mang opened the communication channel, tapped the headset, and reminded, "It's mission time now, concentrate."
The Federation routinely exploits newly enlisted soldiers. Compared to veterans whose mental landscape has been damaged to varying degrees and whose personalities have become more extreme after long-term service, the new recruits are more useful and durable. The elite squads don't even have time to return to their posts to rest before being sent on a constant stream of missions, most of which are risky missions involving exploration and assassination in contaminated areas.
Lu Xuejin blocked some of them, but the number was still large.
They worked from the moment they opened their eyes, working day and night with almost no rest. For the past month, they hadn't even had time to meet the new commander. The two A-level sentinels could only imagine Lu Xuejin's various expressions through her voice, which was a bit of comfort in their long life of fighting.
Another assassination was completed. Wan Hong drew his tactical knife, and blood gushed out like a runaway water pipe, carrying a scalding, fishy smell. His vision was instantly covered by the thick, scarlet blood. Wan Hong closed his eyes and wiped away most of the blood with his hand, but bloodstains still clung to his lower eyelids, the tips of his eyelashes, and one side of his cheekbone.
Not far away, Luo Mang knelt beside a corpse, his calloused hands gently covering the bulging, unseeing eyes caused by berserk disorder, and he murmured indistinct syllables.
He Cang kicked away the pebbles at his feet in frustration, the soles of his boots scraping the ground with a sharp, piercing sound. He glanced at Wan Hong, whose face was covered in blood, as if he had just crawled out of a pool of blood from hell. His brows furrowed deeply, and his dark gray eyes were filled with a forced, unsoothed rage.
“Hey, boss,” he said in a hoarse voice, his tone laced with suppressed anger, “at a time like this, you still believe in that Holy Spirit sect? Giving them last confessions?”
He was agitated by his surroundings, and everything he saw made him angry. He just wanted to rest as soon as possible and felt that the captain was a waste of time.
Without turning around, Román's voice pierced the deathly silence: "They are our kind, only their berserk state has made them unrecognizable."
He slowly withdrew his hand, and the corpse's wide-open eyes finally closed.
"We'll become like that someday. It's just a matter of time."
These words were like cold needles, precisely piercing the gray-eyed sentinel's taut nerves. His face instantly turned so gloomy it could drip water. He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, glared fiercely at Wan Hong who was watching from the sidelines, and turned away with a gloomy expression.
This time, Wei Jing didn't have time to play peacemaker. He slumped against the wall, troubled by intermittent tinnitus.
Under the constant pressure of missions, both A-rank soldiers showed clear signs of emotional instability. However, Román, as the team leader, seemed unconcerned and made no attempt to intervene. During breaks, he cut off the communication channels to prevent the commander from hearing any vulgar fantasies and to avoid the guides being affected by the sentinels' erratic emotions.
Unbeknownst to him, the gray-eyed sentinel stepped into the shadows and leaned heavily against the wall, taking a deep breath. A gentle, worried inquiry came through his personal channel from the commander: "Your emotional indicators are off. Have Romang temporarily halt his mission and come back for some emotional support."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com