Chapter 94 Guide 22
The sentry still carried the damp smell unique to the southeastern border, causing Lu Xuejin's eyes to flash before the overlapping, sunless, green cloud-like treetops.
“He Cang.” Lu Xuejin’s face lit up with a bright smile, and her gaze turned to the other side of Ji Yangxia.
He Cang explained, "Wei Jing hasn't accumulated enough merits, so only I came back to relieve him."
Ji Yangxia said, "He is the best sentry in this batch, with numerous merits and strong abilities. He is now working for me. Would you like to add another subordinate officer?"
Lu Xuejin shook her head: "Why should he follow me? Let him learn by your side."
Yingying's eyes met He Cang's, and she said with concern, "If you encounter any difficulties, come to me anytime. Wan Hong, your captain is here too."
Wan Hong and He Cang exchanged a glance. He didn't have any professional relationship with He Cang, but just as he looked away, Wan Hong suddenly stopped—because he had been paying attention to Lu Xuejin the whole time, and only now did he realize the strangeness about He Cang.
A damp, rotten smell.
His kind of scent.
That usually eccentric and aloof face now had a mannequin-like quality, as if some substance had burrowed inside, devouring the flesh beneath the skin, taking over the body from its original owner, and donning human skin to conceal its alien identity.
My vision suddenly blurred, and then several images spun wildly in front of me.
The handsome man, manipulated by others, obediently allowed Lu Xuejin to put on the humiliating neck ring.
There were also crows flying over the torrential rain, their scarlet eyes fixed on the low, silent buildings. In the shaky perspective, his chief suddenly ran out of the building and talked to the young man who was being drenched in the rain and trying to suppress his anger.
Strangely, the leader's hair and eyes in the picture are both jet black.
There were several other scenes, but Wan Hong couldn't see most of them clearly.
What are these?
Could it be that, like the nightmares he had before, Lu Xuejin's experiences with other people?
I've never heard of Lu Xuejin having dyed her hair black, and the buildings in the picture have never been seen in the Federation or the Dark Zone.
The sudden influx of information caused Wan Hong's temples to throb with pain. The image that Lu Xue had just repaired seemed to be swept away by a storm, tearing the barrier apart. The mental pressure made the sentry gasp involuntarily.
"What's wrong?" Lu Xuejin turned her head.
Wan Hong smiled nonchalantly: "It's nothing. I was probably just too happy to see my old teammates."
He avoided looking at He Cang; the more he looked at that face and what was behind it, the more disgusted he became, and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist punching him on the spot.
Ji Yangxia's main purpose in coming here was to appease Lu Xuejin and leverage his subordinate status to increase Lu Xuejin's sense of security in District 1. Ji Yangxia had been silently observing Lu Xuejin for a long time and knew his junior's personality very well. He was someone who cared more about others than himself, and the more people he cared about in District 1, the harder it was for him to leave.
Thinking of this, Ji Yangxia sighed silently, feeling both gratified and worried for Lu Xuejin's noble and selfless character.
Sentinels can die at any time, even if he is the chief. As he gets older and his vision is overdrawn, he is getting closer and closer to the abyss of collapse. Ji Yangxia did not want to cause any more losses to the Federation before he died, so he had planned to end his life before the collapse.
Because he was well aware of the Sentinels' vulnerability, Ji Yangxia was certain that no Sentinel could become the leader of the Federation, because they were too unstable.
Lu Xuejin was the exception.
With a resilient yet gentle personality, godlike strength, and unparalleled control over mental landscapes, she is free from the risk of developing berserk disorder. From any perspective, she is the perfect candidate to lead the way.
Ji Yangxia firmly believed that Lu Xuejin would be the one to take his place after his death.
Out of personal affection, he liked this junior; out of public duty, he also valued Lu Xuejin highly. The path of a leader is destined to be difficult. Even without going mad, a guide still has the hidden worry of arrogance. Ji Yangxia hoped that while he was still alive, Lu Xuejin could live a happier life. He was still a child and shouldn't live such a tense life.
"The situation on the southeastern border is very good. The contaminated area has receded, and the number of times pollutants have attacked has decreased several times, so many people have been able to take turns resting." Ji Yangxia saw that Lu Xuejin's smile had deepened significantly, a dimple had appeared on her lips, and the worry between her brows had been swept away, revealing a youthful spirit.
What a gentle child.
"And..." Ji Yangxia coughed twice, picked up the thing behind him, and removed the gray cover, which turned out to be an oil painting.
Lu Xuejin's eyes flickered slightly, which Ji Yangxia interpreted as a sign of affection.
“I was on a business trip to District 3 before, and there happened to be an exhibition of emerging artists there. I thought this was your style, so I found the artist and bought it.” Perhaps it was the first time Ji Yangxia had given a gift and tried to curry favor, so her movements were stiff and her speech rigid. She wanted to smile and ease the atmosphere, but unfortunately, her limited skills meant that any expression on her cold face looked strange.
The painting he picked up was carefully sealed in its frame. Under the bright light, every color was vibrant, clearly painted with the finest pigments. But it depicted neither a breathtaking landscape nor anything else; instead, it was a chaotic jumble of red, orange, indigo, jet black, and deep green threads scattered across the snow-white canvas, each thread containing an oval, eye-like object.
Very bizarre.
This style is extremely niche within the Federation. Even the self-proclaimed mad Sentinels have few admirers, as watching it for too long can negatively impact their mental state.
Lu Xuejin looked at the painting silently from top to bottom for a while, then held it carefully in her arms and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
They seem to like it exceptionally much.
Despite the pain, Wan Hong felt something was amiss. Although he hadn't known Lu Xuejin as long as Ji Yangxia, his instincts told him that his boss didn't seem interested in art, especially such avant-garde art.
But Ji Yangxia had previously shown that he was very familiar with Lu Xuejin's tastes.
Aside from rescuing Lu Xuejin, there's no news of the two being particularly close. Could it be that such a brief encounter was enough for Ji Yangxia to know Lu Xuejin's preferences so well, something that many people struggle to understand?
Wan Hong turned his neck, a sense of apprehension creeping into his heart.
At this moment, Dongyao exclaimed, "Baby, your husband really loves you so much. Even though he has no memory, he instinctively remembers your preferences."
"Yes, he really loves me." Lu Xuejin watched Ji Yangxia leave and smiled faintly.
He then asked, "Are you done with your work?"
【What? 】
Lu Xuejin lowered her eyes: "You haven't said much lately except for reporting the progress. I thought you had something else on your mind. You must be lonely."
"Baby! I only have you as my host, no one else!" Dong Yao thought Lu Xuejin had misunderstood him and hurriedly explained, "I didn't say anything because... um, I didn't want to disturb your train of thought."
"A thought process?"
Okay, actually I was watching videos.
"?" Lu Xuejin's expression was strange. "Xiao Yao, you're back?"
[Number 00010 is still in the punishment phase.] Dongyao explained, [Based on the data, the host prefers a lively type of system, so I've learned a bit about Xiaoyao's interaction module.]
Lu Xuejin nodded and tossed the painting to Wan Hong. Wan Hong chased after her and asked where to hang it. Lu Xuejin thought for a moment and said, "Anywhere... I'll hang it in the living room."
He had no interest in Ji Yangxia and He Cang, but suddenly felt a strong urge to explore the system that was bound to him.
Watching videos?
The fact that Ji Yangxia's identity was mentioned so deliberately doesn't seem like someone was daydreaming.
...
Another defeat.
One by one, she pulled out the fresh flowers carefully wrapped in kraft paper and placed the bouquet, which embodied the love of others, into the vase. As for the bouquet she had just received yesterday, Lu Xuejin had carelessly thrown it into the trash can, its petals withered and decaying, sadly leaning against the rim of the can.
Everything becomes dry after autumn arrives. As the leaves on the roadside trees turn yellow, a decaying magic sweeps across the Federation, and even the freshest flowers become unappealing within a day.
Every autumn is the most difficult time for the Federation. The atmosphere is tense with crazy, restless sentinels, grumpy guides, and active pollutants on the border. Everyone has a cold expression and no smile.
This autumn was more restless than ever before.
That higher-dimensional region, highly connected to the spiritual landscape and referred to by scholars as the "spirit realm," also seemed to be affected by the seasons, experiencing fluctuations of varying degrees that spread to the guides. Even Lu Xuejin was affected; the feeling of his spiritual landscape being invaded by external forces made him extremely uncomfortable.
He quickly grew tired of the Sentinel Patients and Guide Students, whom he considered an appetizer, and weary of this facade of "love." He used to find the students' quiet jealousy and rivalry pitiful and endearing, but now he saw them as nothing more than a pile of garbage, time-consuming and unrecyclable waste. Lu Xuejin's enthusiasm began to search for its next target, but all she found were boring individuals. Her gaze involuntarily fell upon Wan Hong.
Lu Xuejin smiled.
In the autumn, when problems frequently arise, they need more frequent and intimate interactions to maintain their mental stability.
From holding hands to hugging, to kissing, and then to becoming one, everything was so smooth and natural, and neither of them had any excessive moral or self-respect restraint.
Lu Xuejin sat on Wan Hong's taut, firm abs, looking down at the cigarette between her fingers. Cigarettes were high-end these days, costing a fortune each. Lu Xuejin wasn't a smoker, but she liked to light one up at times like this and watch the flickering flame in the dim light.
The dry, bitter taste and tarry smell lingered and spread, and the stinging, smoky sensation continued to assault the body. Lu Xuejin gently touched the beads of sweat on Wan Hong's abdomen, slowly savoring this lazy, fallen pleasure that she felt when she was human.
"Want a smoke?" He waved the cigarette between his fingers.
Wan Hong supported the guide's supple waist without uttering a sound.
Lu Xuejin chuckled softly, stubbing out her cigarette on the hardest muscle, leaving a burn mark on the sentry's rough skin. In the darkness, her azure eyes seemed to glow, her dilated pupils fixed intently on the sentry below—
Wan Hong was insensitive to pain, and this sensation was not as pronounced as Lu Xuejin's slightest movement. However, he realized what the guide, looking down at him, wanted to see.
He then frowned and tightened his abdomen to show that he was in pain.
"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt," Lu Xuejin said softly, grabbing his disheveled hair.
Wan Hong was so bewitched that he got up and offered his lips.
He held tightly to the guide's smooth, slender back, tracing his beautiful and gentle features. Their foreheads touched, their eyelashes almost intertwined when they blinked, their dark blue eyes reflecting each other's images.
It continues to fall.
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