Satisfied? I couldn't be more satisfied

Hawk flew out a window in the corner of the dormitory building. By now, Hawk was very familiar with the Ninth Military District. After skillfully avoiding the surveillance cameras, Hawk quietly landed on the roof of the building across from the district's main gate.

As soon as Hawk's claws touched the cold brickwork, Hawk seemed to remember something. The last time Hawk had been here, Marshal Huosuosi's black panther spirit form had pinned Hawk to the ground and given Hawk a thorough beating. Hawk backed up two steps in embarrassment, ducked behind a thick chimney, and poked out only a head to peer toward the gate. The usually fierce griffin now looked just like a petty thief scouting a target.

A spirit form shared its owner's five senses. Like a live transmitter, Hawk relayed everything Hawk saw to Liechuan in real time.

Hawk looked around. The sentinels in the guard post stood ten times straighter than usual. Their uniforms had been ironed without a single crease, their jackets were buttoned all the way to the top, and even their hair was meticulously combed and held immovably in place with gel. They had clearly gone to great lengths to spruce themselves up beforehand.

"Tch, they really kept their mouths shut." In the dormitory, Liechuan snorted. From the way Team Seven was acting, they had clearly known in advance, yet not one of them had let it slip.

Just then, the heavy alloy gates of the military district gave a low hydraulic rumble and slowly slid open to either side. Hawk immediately tensed, claws tightening, and craned forward. Liechuan also held his breath instinctively, his fingers unconsciously gripping the armrest of the sofa.

Sentinels dressed in black combat uniforms walked in, shielding the person in their midst on all sides. Only when they drew closer did Hawk's eyes pick out a slender figure among the tall, sturdy sentinels.

Liechuan breathed even more softly.

He stared at the slender figure in the image, his heart inexplicably beating a little faster.

Espers had a strong sixth sense. Yuqing seemed to sense something and tilted her head slightly, looking straight toward the rooftop where Hawk was hiding. Her eyes met the eagle eyes staring back at her. Just then, a breeze caught the edge of her cloak, and her hood slipped down over her black hair to her shoulders, revealing a fair, delicate face.

Yuqing sensed no ill intent from the "little bird." On the contrary, Hawk rather "comically" covered a face with a wing, yet couldn't bear to look away, staring fixedly at her through the gaps between the feathers. The sight was so vivid that Yuqing couldn't help smiling. She gave Hawk a polite little nod before continuing into the building with Ers and the others.

Pfft.

Warm liquid suddenly gushed from Liechuan's nose. He snapped back to his senses and raised a hand to cover it. Warm, scarlet blood dripped through his fingers onto the floor.

"Boss, why's your nose bleeding?!" Gu Ye was startled and hurriedly pulled out a tissue and handed it to him. "Has your mental contamination gotten worse again?"

Sentinels were strong enough to fight contaminated creatures hand to hand. Apart from mental toxins, what could possibly give a high-level sentinel a nosebleed?

"Come on, Second Brother, you don't get it, do you?" Another group of sentinels crowded over with mischievous grins. "It must be because Miss Guide is too beautiful."

"You little bastards, get out, all of you!" Liechuan grabbed the tissue and pressed it to his nose, the tips of his ears turning bright red in an instant.

"Miss Guide, this is the cafeteria. We've prepared a few dishes to welcome you. Please, come in." The logistics director stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

The cafeteria doors were pushed open, and the sweet-and-sour aroma of guobaorou rushed into her nose, instantly making her mouth water. Next came the savory scent of chicken stewed with mushrooms and the sweet aroma of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs...

She looked toward the aroma and saw an entire table laden with food!

Gulp.

Yuqing swallowed, and her stomach let out an undignified growl. Her eyes grew a little hot, and tears welled up in them.

It had been so, so long since she had seen a proper meal like this, steaming hot and wonderfully fragrant.

"Miss Guide, we're terribly sorry. The military district has limited ingredients, so this was all we could make..." The logistics squad leader stood to one side with the cafeteria chefs. Seeing Yuqing staring at the table with reddened eyes, his heart sank. He thought the guide was dissatisfied and had been driven to tears by anger. "We've already rushed people to the central city district to buy supplies. Whatever fine pastries or freshly cut fruit you'd like, we can have them brought here soon!"

The military district cafeteria had been built to meet the sentinels' needs. Its meals focused on calories and filling portions, specifically to fuel high-intensity training. The chefs were best at stewing meat, and they had already racked their brains to produce today's table of delicately plated dishes.

They had heard that guides in the central city district cared about nutritional balance and presentation. The plain, humble fare before her really was a little embarrassing to serve, but they had been pressed for time and had never hosted a guide before. They truly had done their best.

Yuqing hadn't really heard what they were saying.

Her attention had been glued to the food on the table from the moment she saw it. The lingering aroma filled her nose, and she was craving it so badly she was almost in tears.

She looked up, her eyes bright and still a little watery, her eagerness unmistakable. "Can... can I eat?"

"Yes! Of course! It was prepared for you in the first place." The logistics squad leader hurriedly answered.

She picked up an exquisite little French-style bowl nearby and filled it to the brim with rice. Gripping her chopsticks, she reached for the guobaorou, picked up a sauce-coated piece of meat, and took a big bite.

Crunch. The crisp coating broke between her teeth, followed by the tender pork beneath. The sweet-and-sour sauce burst across her tongue, its sweet and savory flavors mingling with the aroma of meat. She swallowed it with the warm rice, and it traveled down her throat and settled in her stomach.

So good!

So, so good!

Yuqing narrowed her eyes in contentment, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel storing food. She took bite after bite, unable to stop.

Only when she had finished her second bowl of rice did she finally slow down enough to look up. Everyone standing around the table was frozen, their eyes full of astonishment. Indeed, it was rare these days to see a guide this hungry.

"Aren't you eating?" Yuqing swallowed the food in her mouth and pressed her lips together, a little embarrassed. She reached out, pulled a chair over, and patted the seat. "Come on, sit down and eat with me. Ers, none of you ate properly on the way here either. And all of you, thank you for the effort of preparing so many dishes. I can't finish all this by myself, and it's more fun to eat together."

While they were fleeing through the Dark Forest, Ers and the others had had little nutrient solution left, but no matter who went hungry, they had never let her go without.

Ers lowered his eyes to the bit of sauce on the corner of her mouth and reached out to wipe it away. "It's our honor to share a meal with a guide."

Once Yuqing saw that everyone had taken a seat, she contentedly held her bowl and continued digging in. She hadn't even noticed that, without realizing it, she had grown accustomed to Ers touching her.