Holy Crap, Wasteland Lit Got Remade into Wasteland Lit

Mist Forest on Planet A-117, at the Empire's border.

Yuqing woke from her coma and narrowed her pretty eyes, staring in bewilderment at the devastatingly handsome men before her as she pondered life. After all, just a second ago, she had been fighting her way through a horde of eye-searing zombies...

"Miss Guide, please help Ers. He's about to enter a berserk state." Seeing that Yuqing wasn't speaking, Shang Yu pleaded with her. He knelt on one knee before her in a deeply humble posture. "Although we're soldiers of the Federation, we mean you no harm. We promise to see you safely back to the Empire afterward."

What Federation? What Empire?

Weren't there only survivor bases in the apocalypse? What on earth was he talking about?!

Yuqing's already bewildered brain absorbed too much unfamiliar information at once and promptly shut down. She stared blankly and asked, "Federation?"

"Miss Guide, we didn't kidnap you. A contaminant appeared in the forest just now, and you were unconscious. We didn't see your mates or guards either, so we took it upon ourselves to bring you back," the handsome sentinel beside her hurriedly explained. In truth, even if the Guide's mates had been there, they would have found a way to coax her back to the Federation. After all, Guides were an extremely rare and precious resource to a nation. He was only being more tactful because they needed her help now.

"What Guide? I'm not..." Yuqing's head cleared a little, but she couldn't make sense of what the handsome men were saying. Guide... That sounds familiar. It was like the setting of a novel my bestie and I read before the apocalypse.

"If you're not a Guide, then what's that Spirit Entity in your arms?" The sentinels surrounding Yuqing assumed the delicate Miss Guide before them had told a lie full of holes because she didn't want to help soothe Ers. Never mind that a Spirit Entity was the mark of a Guide-even the faint scent of Guide Pheromone on her was enough to prove she was one.

The Spirit Entity in my arms?

Yuqing instinctively looked down. Sure enough, a white cat's head was poking sneakily out from inside her coat. Her eyes met the kitten's bright blue ones, and her heart jolted!

A jumble of affection, fondness, trust, and protectiveness welled up inside her. She instinctively raised a hand and rubbed the kitten's head. The kitten obligingly nudged her hand with its head, a motorlike purr rumbling in its throat.

"Miss Guide, Ers is in terrible condition. If you could just give him a little soothing, we'd be endlessly grateful." Shang Yu knelt on one knee beside Yuqing and took her hand. The instant he touched the back of it, a current seemed to pass through his body, followed by a sensation that was almost a shudder. His gaze darkened slightly, and he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. He was gentle-looking and handsome, and his black combat uniform made his figure look even taller and more perfect.

"In return, you can do whatever you want to me."

Yuqing: ?!WHAT?!

If you put it that way, I might just be tempted. (Just kidding.)

"Ahem... Well... Where is he?" Yuqing's senses were exceptionally sharp, and she noticed the worry and unease of everyone present. Feeling a little sorry for them, she closed her eyes and sensed the water and healing abilities in her body.

Before losing consciousness, she had fallen into a horde of zombies and overused her abilities. Fortunately, although she didn't have much power left now, it was enough to keep her abilities functioning at a basic level. Still, she couldn't guarantee that her healing ability would be of any use.

For the sake of the handsome men... No, for the sake of their having saved her, Yuqing decided to give it a try. It would be best if her healing ability worked, but if it didn't, there was nothing she could do. "I don't have much power left... And I'm not sure it'll work, but I can give it a try."

"Thank you very much, Miss Guide." Shang Yu smiled, rose, and led her into a sealed inner room.

The moment she entered, she smelled a strong, pungent scent of rum. The smell alone made Yuqing feel as though she was about to be pickled in it. A single dim yellow pendant light cast a faint glow over the room, leaving the side by the wall even darker. A tall, black-haired man was firmly bound in iron chains. Not only was there a restraint around his neck, but he also wore a muzzle over his face.

Um... How should I put this? It's kinda sexy... ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄.

Nope!

Stop it! Now's not the time to drool over a man, aaaah!

Yuqing fiercely berated herself, then forcibly pulled herself together and looked at the man before her, who had already lost his mind.

He had been leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. When he sensed someone entering, he suddenly raised his head. His purple eyes were filled with bloodlust and brutality, and a beastlike growl of warning rumbled in his throat, as if he would attack indiscriminately if they took another step closer.

"Miss Guide, please don't worry. We'll keep him restrained and absolutely won't let him hurt you." Shang Yu pulled on one of the chains, and the other handsome men in combat uniforms did the same. They stood in designated positions, ready to tighten the chains and subdue Ers at the first sign that he was going to go berserk and attack the Guide.

"What's wrong with him...?" Yuqing pointed uncertainly at Ers. He was behaving like a wild beast, a symptom she had never seen before. Now that she had seen him, she was even more confused about her understanding of the world she was in.

"Level eight berserk state." The young woman before him was covered in grime. There was no telling what she had been through these past few days; not only was her face hard to make out, but her level was also impossible to discern. To help the Guide decide how to treat him, Shang Yu told her everything about Ers's condition.

Sentinels' berserk states were divided into ten levels according to the degree of contamination in their Mindscapes. The higher a sentinel's level, the more contaminated they were, and the higher the contamination threshold they could withstand.

Generally speaking, level nine was the dividing line. The vast majority of sentinels who reached that point would completely degenerate into mindless beasts. Sentinels who could remain rational after their berserk level passed level nine were generally ranked SSS or above. Those who reached that rank or higher were killing machines in every sense of the word, accounting for no more than 0.01% of the interstellar population.

Ers was an SS-rank sentinel, so a level eight berserk state was far too dangerous for him. None of them expected this Miss Guide of unknown origin to save his life. They only hoped she could ease his condition somewhat and buy them time to transfer him to a war-zone hospital.

Yuqing didn't know what a level eight berserk state meant, but the atmosphere was so grave that she couldn't help feeling nervous herself. Under everyone's watchful eyes, she slowly walked toward Ers.

"Grr..." Faced with the young woman approaching step by step, Ers, who had lost his reason in his berserk state, began to assume a defensive posture. But Shang Yu and the others had already pulled the chains taut, keeping Ers on one knee to receive the Guide's soothing.

Although Yuqing didn't understand what a level eight berserk state was, she walked up to Ers and crouched down, willing to give it a try. Seeing his strikingly handsome face up close made her heart skip a beat!

Bestie, where are you? I think I've fallen into a den of male models...