Where was she supposed to find mental power at a time like this?
When she tried to summon her mental power, she could still sense a faint pulse at the same frequency.
But it was weak—barely a breath.
No matter how she called, Little Chubby Bird didn’t appear again.
Helpless, Su Yingli stood by the window, letting the breeze calm her. After a while, she went downstairs to wash up.
The housekeeping robot had already prepared breakfast, but it was all food the original owner liked: the usual fat-burning fare. Su Yingli didn’t have much of an appetite.
Still, for the sake of today’s guidance assignments, she forced herself to finish it, frowning the whole time.
The robot had just taken her plate away when her optical brain chimed and a message popped up.
Su Yingli opened it. The General Affairs Office had sent over her guidance schedule for the day.
There were thirty Sentinels in total: ten A-plus to S-rank Sentinels in the morning, and twenty A-rank to A-plus Sentinels in the afternoon.
It looked as if she had less work in the afternoon than yesterday, but by the end of the day, she wouldn’t get a single break!
Su Yingli: Not smiling.
She’d guessed right yesterday. The General Affairs Office really did want her to make up every day of work she’d skipped.
And despite living in such a luxurious villa, the original owner had squandered all her money.
That woman was the perfect example of someone who lived for today and spent extravagantly.
While shirking work, she’d either torment Sentinels or go on wild shopping sprees in the city. Even when she was fined afterward, she didn’t care—and she’d do it again the next time. So there wasn’t a bit of spare money left in her account.
Her salary would still be top-tier next month, at least.
But after Charon reported her yesterday, her entire salary for this month had been wiped out.
In other words, for the rest of the month, she’d be working for free.
Damn it, and it was only the beginning of the month!
With a weary sigh, Su Yingli headed to the Guidance Room, already carrying the weight of a workday.
For several days in a row, she spent her time like this.
During that period, Charon was confined, so no one came to pick a fight with her. The Sentinels she guided might have had a problem with her, but at most they’d scowl. None of them dared openly defy her during guidance.
She didn’t see that sweet little puppy, Su Ci, again either.
Su Yingli didn’t dwell on it. All in all, things were fairly easy.
The only trouble was that after guiding so many Sentinels and delving into their mental landscapes every day, she was sick of sensing all their different kinds of mental power. Little Chubby Bird still hadn’t appeared.
That worried Su Yingli a little.
But she had no idea what else to do, so she could only take things one step at a time.
This routine continued until the day before Charon’s confinement ended.
That day, many Sentinels on the verge of entering a berserk state came to the Guidance Room.
She heard there’d been a sudden crisis on the front lines: a horde of high-ranking contaminated entities, accompanied by a vast swarm of mid-ranking ones, had attacked. Nearly ten Sentinel teams had deployed together before they finally wiped them all out.
Wounded Sentinels crowded the entire Guidance Building.
Su Yingli was on her feet all day, so busy she could barely catch her breath.
By the time she’d finished guiding every Sentinel, she was utterly exhausted. She didn’t even want to move a finger, so she decided not to go home and spent the night in the Guidance Room instead.
Guides had a high status, and the Guidance Room was equally well equipped.
The private rest area inside was more luxurious than an ordinary Sentinel’s quarters, on par with the quarters of an S-rank Sentinel.
Su Yingli was completely worn out.
After making sure she’d locked the door, she went back to the rest area and lay down.
The moment her head touched the pillow, a soft, lingering sensation enveloped her, and she sank into deep sleep.
Su Yingli had a wonderful dream.
In it, she followed the plot perfectly and got to live the life she’d longed for after the happy ending: a house, a car, and both a cat and a dog.
Most importantly, she had handsome, obedient Sentinels fighting for the chance to be her male models.
An unworthy trickle of drool ran from the corner of her mouth.
Just as she reached out, about to touch the Sentinel’s broad, springy, deliciously soft chest, a loud, urgent ringtone jolted her awake.
“D-don’t go… I haven’t even touched it yet…”
Su Yingli blinked groggily.
The ample chest that had been within her grasp had vanished. She sat dazedly at the edge of the bed and wiped the corner of her mouth.
Her optical brain was still ringing.
The screen showed Commander-in-Chief Laizesi Wosi. He was calling her directly from his official account.
Call time: 5:00 a.m.
Su Yingli: ? Why was he contacting her at this hour? Was there overtime pay?
She blinked hard, forcing herself awake, then projected the optical-brain screen into the air and tapped the answer button.
Laizesi Wosi’s refined, cool face appeared on the giant virtual display, hitting her with a powerful visual impact.
Su Yingli woke up completely.
She rubbed her eyes and asked, her voice still a little nasal, “May I ask why the Commander-in-Chief is contacting me so early?”
Laizesi Wosi looked rather serious.
But his tone was gentler than last time, even carrying a hint of apology.
“I’m sorry to disturb your rest, Guide Su, but there’s an emergency. As Commander-in-Chief of District One, I’d like to ask you to provide emergency guidance to a Sentinel.”
“And what do I get in return?”
She might not have had enough sleep, but she wasn’t stupid. If Laizesi Wosi was asking her in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, the reward had to match his rank.
She was still short on life-saving trump cards, so she wasn’t about to turn one down.
After the roar of an engine, Laizesi Wosi’s voice came through. “I can grant you one request. We can discuss the specifics later.”
“Fine. Where is he? I’m in the Guidance Room. Is he coming here, or should I go out?”
Su Yingli immediately jumped out of bed and hurriedly put on her shoes and a jacket.
When he heard her agree, Laizesi Wosi’s cool, sharp features eased slightly.
He was flying over, and his voice sounded even lower from the cockpit.
He gave Su Yingli one last instruction. “Stay in the Guidance Room. Don’t go outside. I’ll be there soon. When I arrive, safety—”
“Beep—Bang!”
Two sounds rang out at once.
Before Laizesi Wosi could finish, a strange noise came from outside the Guidance Room door.
Su Yingli looked up sharply.
Standing at the guidance table directly opposite the entrance, she saw the sturdy doorframe, made of special material, shudder twice.
Then the door came toppling inward as lightly as a feather.
It hit the floor with a crash.
In the silent corridor, the sound was jarringly loud.
“Guide Su, what was that sound? Answer me immediately!”
Laizesi Wosi’s voice dropped at once.
But to keep Su Yingli from panicking, he didn’t sound too stern. Even in his low voice, there was a reassuring calm.
Su Yingli stared at the tall, dark figure outside the door, her fingers curling inward.
“…The door was forced open…”
Her voice was so tense it had gone dry.
All the lights in the corridor were out. The area outside was pitch-black, and hers was the only lit room on the entire floor. The figure was hidden in the darkness, and she couldn’t make out his face.
She could only see him bracing one hand against the doorframe. His chest rose and fell with his ragged breathing; his body was tall and slender.
Immersed in darkness, he looked dense and dangerous…
Anyone who could destroy the Guidance Room’s door single-handedly had to be an S-rank Sentinel or higher.
And he was completely in a berserk state.
This was the first time Su Yingli had ever seen a Sentinel in the throes of a berserk state.
Her Guide’s instincts rooted her to the spot. She froze, unable to move!
Hearing the tremor in her voice, Laizesi Wosi immediately gave her instructions:
“There’s a restraint device on the table. Quickly, get away—”
He spoke fast, but not fast enough to outrun the severed connection.
Su Yingli only felt a gust of wind suddenly sweep toward her.
She had just lowered her head; before she could press the button on the right side of the tabletop, the ends of her hair lifted—and the screen vanished.
The next second, the fresh, delicate scent of iris swept over her, mixed with the overwhelming stench of blood.