She was actually a high-level Guide!
He was a B-rank Sentinel and had only ever received guidance from B-rank Guides. He’d never imagined that even the guide serum released by a high-level Guide’s casual touch could be so wonderful.
The other spirits that sensed the scent of guide serum began to stir as well.
As Su Yingli approached, they pretended to nonchalantly swish their tails. One by one, they tossed their heads and swayed like courtesans.
Su Yingli felt the air grow stifling and fanned her face.
Suddenly, a black snake, unable to contain its restlessness, shot out from behind her and coiled its tail around her ankle.
Cold and slick, with a prickly, sticky feel—it was a snake, the kind of creature she feared most.
“Yaaah!”
Su Yingli couldn’t help screaming.
Just then—
The door to the special-care room beside them clicked open.
A Flame-Mane Lion strode out slowly, head held high.
Its fangs were just visible. Its flaming mane spread out as its sharp gaze swept the corridor.
In an instant, every spirit in the corridor froze.
They backed away two steps, as though confronted by an overwhelming threat, then quickly withdrew into their mental landscapes. The Sentinels also sobered up and fell silent, heads bowed.
At last, the corridor was quiet again.
The sensation at her ankle disappeared, and Su Yingli breathed a sigh of relief.
But when she looked up, she saw a familiar flash of fiery red hair.
Lower down, beneath the military jacket draped over his shoulders, was his bare, solid chest.
Lower still, abs appeared and disappeared beneath the bandages wrapped around his torso.
The Sentinel stood with his arms crossed and his head held high beside the Flame-Mane Lion, looking unbearably smug.
Su Yingli silently swallowed the thanks on the tip of her tongue.
Speaking up now could only lead to trouble.
Charon walked up to Su Yingli. Nearly two heads taller than her, he still couldn’t be bothered to lower his head; he merely looked down at her.
One corner of his mouth lifted. His sharply defined face broke into a rather malicious grin.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Young Miss Su. You’ve actually deigned to come here. Aren’t you afraid the Sentinels’ filthy aura will pollute your delicate skin anymore?”
There was only one Young Miss Su in the entire Danger Zone.
Once everyone learned who she was, all eyes turned toward her.
Su Yingli felt her scalp prickle. She wanted to slap a muzzle on Charon.
Those were the original owner’s words, and she hadn’t expected him to remember them so clearly.
Su Yingli gave an awkward but polite smile.
Turning sideways, she edged along the wall toward the special-care room.
“Of course not. If there’s a problem, coming to the hospital is only natural.”
She pointed toward the special-care room. “I still have things to do. Since Sentinel Charon is finished here, why don’t you head to the Guidance Room first? I’ll be there shortly.”
With that, she tried to slip inside.
But Charon caught the scarf around her neck and gave it a light tug. It fell open, exposing five distinct purplish bruises in the shape of fingers on her fair neck.
Sentinels behind her let out startled murmurs.
Charon feigned curiosity. “Miss Su, you certainly have unusual tastes. You used to abuse Sentinels, and now you like getting hurt yourself? Maybe you should let all the Sentinels know!”
The gasps grew louder.
Su Yingli closed her eyes, wishing she could simply faint.
She drew a deep breath and glared at Charon.
Through gritted teeth, she said, “You’re quite the comedian. Are S-rank Sentinels really this idle? I suppose that means the front lines are perfectly safe?”
Anyone with even a shred of decency would have stopped talking after seeing all the injured Sentinels in the corridor.
But Charon didn’t care. He strode into the special-care room, plopped down in a chair, and pointed at the embarrassed doctor.
“Aren’t you injured? Why aren’t you coming in?”
Su Yingli took a deep breath and went inside. She pressed a button, pushed him out of the chair, and sat down herself.
She gave a dry laugh. “What does my being injured have to do with you?”
This time, Charon didn’t argue. He pulled over another chair and sat beside her.
Folding his arms, he slouched against the backrest and gave a lazy snort.
“Protecting Guides is a Sentinel’s duty. How could I just walk away after seeing a Guide injured? Besides, you’re about to guide me. Isn’t it better if we go together?”
Su Yingli rolled her eyes.
Well, she was ever so grateful—not that he seemed to notice he was the one who’d caused the injury.
She couldn’t be bothered to say another word to him. Once the doctor had treated her, she left.
Charon followed behind her, taking slow steps with his long legs, his gaze fixed so intently on her that it felt as if he could see straight through the back of her head.
That woman was domineering and vicious. He didn’t believe for a second that she’d suddenly changed her ways!
The White Tower required all guidance sessions to take place in the Guidance Room.
This protected the Guides’ physical safety and provided Sentinels with a private space shielded from outside interference, preventing secondary berserk states.
Charon headed straight for the Guidance Room as soon as he left.
Su Yingli set off after him.
Guidance Room.
The room was unusually quiet.
Now that they were face-to-face again, neither knew what to say, and the atmosphere was awkward.
Charon sat in a chair, his already messy fiery-red hair even more disheveled from his own fingers.
He turned his head away, looking uncomfortable. He stared everywhere except at the person in front of him.
Su Yingli raised an eyebrow.
Well, well. So even Mr. Cocky could get embarrassed.
She didn’t bother making conversation either.
With a snap, she fastened the safety restraints on the chair around him.
Better safe than sorry.
Who knew whether he’d try to get back at her during the guidance session?
Charon scoffed. “You’ve done so many shameful things you’re afraid to even give me a normal guidance session now? Young Miss Su, have you gotten this timid? If I raise my voice in a bit, will I scare you out of your wits?”
Su Yingli smiled. Fine, then.
She was no match for an S-rank Sentinel in a fight, of course.
But this was a Guidance Room, where the Guide was in control.
She might not be as sadistic as the original owner, but she still had the original owner’s memories of guiding Sentinels. She knew exactly how to make even a top-tier Sentinel lose face in front of a Guide.
She placed a hand on Charon’s head.
“I’m starting,” she said, then immediately summoned her mental power.
A flash of dark purple light swept past.
Su Yingli entered Charon’s mental landscape and pressed straight in.
Before her lay a wasteland engulfed in raging flames.
The ground was baked and cracked, magma churned, pillars of fire erupted from beneath the earth, and red fire clouds filled the sky.
That little bit of guide serum was a mere drop in the bucket for him.
Su Yingli recalled the original owner’s memories of guiding him.
A magnificent purple butterfly darted through the fire clouds. With every beat of its wings, iridescent scales fluttered down.
Wherever it went, the flames died away and dead trees burst into life.
This was the first time Su Yingli had witnessed a guidance session with her own eyes.
Across the barren earth, green shoots surged through cracks in the parched soil, spreading instantly until they joined together, becoming a vast sea of green.
It was truly astonishing.
Was this the power of the Danger Zone’s only S-rank Guide?
Su Yingli continued forward, wanting to explore the Sentinel’s mental landscape.
Just then, the Thornwing Butterfly flying overhead suddenly plunged downward without warning.
Its purple wings turned transparent. Just as it seemed about to hit the ground, it vanished.
Su Yingli frowned and searched nearby for a while, but couldn’t find any sign of the Thornwing Butterfly.
She tried to sense it with her mental power, but couldn’t detect the spirit at all!
What was going on?
After the sudden mishap, she didn’t linger. When Charon seemed to have received enough guidance, she left his mental landscape.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a trace of restraint in Charon’s defiant gaze.
His restrained hands were clenched into fists.
The veins stood out, sweat beaded at his temples, and with his head bowed, his whole body trembled.