Only three people remained in the room.
Shen Qingyan leaned against the sofa, staring fixedly at Su Yingli with a smile in his peach-blossom eyes.
“So, Miss Su, what did you want to say? I assume it isn’t something like asking the Commander-in-Chief to go easy on your punishment?”
“Of course not.”
Su Yingli cleared her throat. “I heard that during this latest purge mission, Charon brought back a high-level contaminated entity. You must want to get information out of it, right?”
“You mean…”
Shen Qingyan raised an eyebrow slightly and straightened up.
Su Yingli nodded solemnly. “I can help you. If you need me in the future, you can come to me.”
Shen Qingyan looked at Laizesi.
Since this involved the intelligence department, he didn’t have the authority to make the decision.
Laizesi spoke. “What are your terms?”
“Withdraw Charon’s complaint against me. And as for those things from before… the ones everyone knows about—I want them all left in the past.”
The more Shen Qingyan looked at her, the more amusing he found her.
The woman before him looked just as she had before: her thick black hair fell in soft, loose waves, her skin was white as snow, and her violet eyes sparkled like stars. When she smiled, her lips were like pink cherry blossoms.
Delicate and dreamy, she was profoundly deceptive.
No one would have guessed that she was the vicious Guide the Sentinel had described, the one who took pleasure in tormenting Sentinels.
Yet, on closer inspection, she did seem a little different from before.
In her eyes, and in the tone of her voice.
Shen Qingyan chuckled. “Miss Su has never cared about any of this before. Why the sudden concern?”
Su Yingli touched her neck and gave a small cough. “Well, I’ve had a change of heart…”
Laizesi stood beside the dining table. He tapped the tabletop lightly and watched Su Yingli for a moment, saying nothing.
Both men held important positions and were top-tier Sentinels. They were masters of keeping their expressions under control; neither showed the slightest reaction.
So, was this going to work or not?!
Su Yingli couldn’t read them at all.
So she added, “I’m the only one in the Danger Zone with this ability right now. If neither of you is interested, that’s fine too. I’d be happy to take it easy. If the Commander-in-Chief wants to punish me, he can go ahead. At worst, I’ll come back out when it’s over.
“But whether the contaminated entity can hold on until then is another question.”
Laizesi lowered his hand.
At last, a flicker of emotion crossed his snow-cold features.
“Fine. But Guide Su must also promise not to treat my Sentinels as playthings again, and not to disregard guidance assignments.”
“…‘Playthings’ is a bit harsh,” Su Yingli muttered.
She waved a slender hand. “Deal!”
Laizesi lifted his chin toward the door. “Finish the guidance session you left incomplete with Charon.”
“That’s not up to me,” Su Yingli said with a shrug. “He didn’t want me to guide him. He choked me and ran off.”
“That’s not something you need to worry about. As long as he comes over and behaves himself, all you have to do is complete the guidance session.”
Su Yingli nodded readily. “All right, I agree. Just don’t forget what I said.”
“Agreed.”
Laizesi didn’t waste any time. He and Shen Qingyan left, taking Charon with them.
Before leaving, Shen Qingyan blinked his alluring peach-blossom eyes and waved at her with a dazzling smile.
“Xiaoyingli, see you next time~”
X-Xiaoyingli?
Su Yingli was astonished by how quickly Shen Qingyan had become so familiar with her.
As soon as they were gone, she hurriedly shut the door.
She patted her chest. No wonder he was an S-rank Sentinel whose spirit was a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox.
What a bewitching male fox spirit!
Outside, Laizesi told Charon about the guidance session.
Charon objected on the spot.
“I’d never let her guide me! Who knows what she’ll try this time? You’re really going to believe that vicious woman, Commander-in-Chief?”
“Besides, I already used guide serum before I left. My berserk level is below 80% now, so I’m safe for the time being.”
Laizesi gave him a sidelong glance. “You said it yourself. For the time being.”
“Besides her, with her S-rank Guide status, who else in the entire base can guide you? Don’t forget: before the next mission, I want everyone’s stability levels in check.”
A Sentinel’s mental threshold index had two important thresholds.
Below 60%, a Sentinel’s five senses remained in a precise, controllable state of balance.
From 60% to 85% was the warning zone. They were still in control, but would begin to experience mild sensory overload.
Once they exceeded 85%, their sensory systems would collapse. They would lose their reason and enter a berserk state.
The higher a Sentinel’s rank, the more destructive they were in a berserk state.
They were S-rank Sentinels, and their missions were highly challenging, making them especially prone to going berserk.
Before a purge mission, if a Sentinel’s berserk level was above 60% at the medical examination, the General Command Room wouldn’t let them deploy.
Charon knew Laizesi never went back on his word.
He had no choice but to swallow his objections and agree.
After everyone had left, Su Yingli lay down and rested for a while before getting up to wash her face and clear her head.
When she looked up, she noticed a ring of purple bruising around her neck.
The marks from where Charon had choked her were beginning to show.
She was about to guide Charon. If anyone saw the bruises, they would probably misunderstand.
She had no choice but to cover them with a scarf before heading to the hospital beside the Guidance Building, taking the opportunity to check out the surroundings.
The Danger Zone was divided into twelve districts. This was District One, home to the White Tower’s war-zone headquarters and a military base.
The moment Su Yingli stepped out of the hovercar, she was met by a sea of stares.
Some were curious, some frightened, and others looked eager to avoid her…
She rubbed her nose, stopped looking around, and went into the hospital.
In the corridor, wounded Sentinels sat packed together on chairs, waiting for treatment.
The instant Su Yingli entered, they all sat up straight.
As soon as their eyes met hers, the Sentinels grew restless. Their intense Sentinel scents mingled with disinfectant and the smell of blood, washing over her.
Su Yingli stopped in her tracks.
She looked up. The Sentinels’ eyes gleamed, their bodies tensing as they fought to hold themselves back. Their gazes were full of longing and excitement.
When injured, Sentinels instinctively craved Guides intensely.
So, seeing a Guide arrive alone, they looked as though their eyes might turn solid and pounce on this delicious prey.
Su Yingli took one step.
The Sentinels breathed harder.
Some of the more seriously wounded, lower-ranked Sentinels couldn’t even keep their spirits under control after catching the scent of guide serum on her. Their spirits burst out and raced around the corridor!
Hawks, owls, hyenas, black bears, and other fierce predators crowded the hallway.
Restless, poised to spring.
Su Yingli had never seen so many beasts at once, let alone from so close!
Goosebumps prickled all over her, and she didn’t even know where to put her feet.
Thankfully, the Sentinels still had some reason left.
Their spirits were merely tense, crouched at their masters’ feet.
Only then did Su Yingli manage to calm herself.
As she passed, a little tiger lowered its head and nuzzled into her palm, rubbing against it ingratiatingly.
Fluffy, warm, and such a novel sensation—Su Yingli couldn’t resist giving it a stroke.
She didn’t know that Sentinels shared their spirits’ sensations.
Her casual stroke left the spirit looking blissfully content, and its Sentinel even flushed with excitement!