A Guide Really Is Here!

News that the Third Squad had brought a lone guide back from the Dark Forest spread as if it had wings, sweeping through the Ninth Military District's internal anonymous forum overnight.

At first, no one took it seriously. As soon as the post about "finding a guide" appeared, the comments were full of jokes:

"Has the Third Squad been on so many missions they're hallucinating? If there's a guide in the Dark Forest, I'll eat * while standing on my head."

"LMAO, move along, everyone. OP's spreading rumors. Mute them for three days."

But before the post had been up for even half a day, an instruction of the highest priority from the military district's general command appeared on the home screen of every smart device, marked with a red alert:

[Effective immediately, all physical training, equipment operation training, and patrol training missions are suspended. All training starships and mechas are to return immediately. Except for those on sentry duty today, all soldiers are to return to their dormitory buildings and await further orders. No one is to set foot outside without special permission.]

[This is a highest-priority order. Violators will be dealt with under military law.]

As soon as the order came out, the entire Ninth Military District erupted.

Eremos was on combat alert almost year-round. The last time a level-three mutation tide swept across the border, they had only gone to level-one combat readiness. With the scale of today's response, even the military's top brass were baffled, let alone ordinary sentinels.

"What's going on? A highest-priority order? I'm completely lost!"

"Could the central authorities be coming down for an inspection?"

"Person above, if the higher-ups were coming to inspect us, we'd already be downstairs performing military combat drills for them."

"Something's not right... Even a mutation tide didn't get this kind of response. The Empire's army can't be attacking us, can it?"

"Attacking my ass. The starships have all been called back. If there were a fight, it'd be out there. I'm dying to know! The Seventh Squad's on duty today, right? Any brothers from the Seventh Squad here? Give us a little hint!"

"Same here! It's killing me not knowing."

By the time the post had quickly piled up hundreds of replies, someone timidly ventured, "Could a guide really be coming?"

"Didn't I hear the Third Squad rescued a lone guide in the Dark Forest? Maybe the guide came back with them?"

"Wasn't that a rumor? How could any sentinel escort allow a guide to go somewhere that dangerous?"

"Exactly. If I were a sentinel escort, I wouldn't let a guide go somewhere dangerous even if they whipped me to death!"

"Person above, your abacus beads are flying into my face."

"+1. Don't go enjoying the guide's beating too much."

Just as everyone was arguing fiercely, a new reply suddenly appeared, its single sentence striking the thread like a thunderbolt:

"Stop guessing. The Third Squad really did bring a guide back."

The entire forum froze for a full three seconds.

The next second, replies poured in like an explosion, question marks instantly flooding the screen:

"???"

Ignoring everyone's shock and doubts, the person continued posting:

"I'm in logistics. A few hours ago, our squad leader received an order from the marshal to immediately assign people to buy things for a guide in the central district, along with a bunch of little things girls use. The marshal's personal guards have already gone to prepare the suite on the top floor, and they've even moved a medical pod there."

"They ordered us back to the dorms because they were afraid we'd all swarm over and startle the guide."

The moment those words appeared, the thread, which had already reached tens of thousands of replies, overloaded the forum with traffic and crashed it.

West dormitory building, 85th floor

Noisy discussion broke out among the crowd. The order said they couldn't leave the dormitory building, but it didn't say they couldn't visit other rooms. By now, the building was in complete chaos.

A group of young hotheads from the Second Squad noisily burst through the door of the captain's room at the very end of the hall. The sentinel in the lead held up his smart device, his face red with excitement, and rushed straight to the sofa. "Boss! Boss, hurry and check the forum!"

On the sofa, the man was resting with his eyes closed. The veins at his temples still stood out-a sign that his contamination level was too high, the toxins in his body were running rampant, and his contamination level was about to cross the critical threshold.

The noise made Liechuan open his eyes. He frowned deeply, and his spiritual power condensed into a tangible pressure of wind, bearing the ferocity of years of battle as it bore down on the group at the door. "Tsk, are you all asking for a beating?"

The sentinels covered their heads and scrambled away under the wind pressure, but even as they dodged backward, they didn't forget to shout, unable to contain the excitement in their voices. "Boss! It's a guide! A guide has come to our Ninth Military District! The forum's exploded!"

"A guide?" Liechuan's pupils contracted slightly, and the ferocity around him stalled for an instant. He instinctively looked up, his gaze fixing uncontrollably on the glowing smart device.

After he was badly injured on his last border mission, his contamination level had begun to skyrocket. To keep his teammates from worrying, and for fear of disrupting the military district's deployment, he had kept it hidden and never reported it.

In truth, reporting it would have done no good. His mindscape was already covered in cracks and on the verge of collapse. With the Federation's current medical capabilities, there was no longer any way to suppress his contamination level.

He had already planned to slip away to a barren planet on the border and fend for himself before his contamination level exceeded 75% and he lost control completely in level-eight berserk.

But... if a guide had come, did that mean... he could still be saved?

"Yeah, boss, aren't you curious? I heard the guide pheromones on a guide smell especially good, and even one sniff can have some purifying effect. I don't know if it's true." Gu Ye was extremely excited, and the German shepherd spirit body crouching beside him kept thumping its tail against the floor.

"Curious? Of course I'm curious." The corners of Liechuan's mouth lifted, a trace of interest appearing on his handsome face. Was this fate? Just when he had been ready to give up, a guide like this had fallen from the sky. Even if the guide was only low-ranking, he had to try.

"Then... boss, could you let Hawk sneak a look?" Gu Ye rubbed his hands together and smiled ingratiatingly. Although the other sentinels didn't chime in, every pair of eyes was shining.

Hawk was Liechuan's spirit body, a mutated griffin. Not only was his attack power astonishing, he was also skilled at concealment.

"Gu Ye, so that's what you brat were plotting?" Liechuan laughed in exasperation. This was a highest-priority order. If the marshal caught him, he'd really pay for it. "Aren't you afraid the marshal will beat me to death?"

"Boss... couldn't you just be careful?" Gu Ye scratched his head. Compared with his boss getting beaten up, he still wanted more to see the guide.

Liechuan laughed in exasperation.

Though this heartless bunch had made him so angry his liver hurt, even if they hadn't brought it up, he had already planned to sneak a look at the guide. "Fine. It's not like this is the first time the marshal's beaten me up anyway."

Liechuan closed his eyes and focused, finding the battered Hawk deep within his mindscape. His spiritual contamination level had risen sharply during this time, and to avoid aggravating the toxins, he could only keep Hawk inside his mindscape. If he entered level-eight berserk, Hawk might never be able to come out again. "Hawk, come out."

"Scree!" Hearing his master's voice, the sleeping Hawk spread his wings, let out a cry, and flew out of the mindscape.

"Go take a look at the newly arrived guide, miss. Remember to stay hidden. You absolutely mustn't let the marshal discover you."

No sooner had he spoken than he noticed the contempt and sneer in Hawk's gaze.

He guiltily rubbed his nose. The marshal's spiritual power level was too high. Hawk would be discovered one hundred percent, then thoroughly beaten up by that taciturn black panther.