Shang Yu, Take Her Away First
Elsewhere,
the Federation had indeed run into unexpected trouble. A dense mass of corrupted creatures, like maggots on rotting flesh, infested a stretch of their planned route that they had no choice but to pass through.
Purplish-black slime slowly squirmed through the jagged cracks in the rocks, and the air was thick with the pungent stench of rust and decay. The terrifying corrupted creatures became excited the moment they caught the scent of humans and attacked them with bared teeth!
"Damn, did we walk into a corrupted creatures' nest? Why are there so many?!" Noi was startled by the sheer number of creatures before him. Sentinels were eager for battle, but with an unconscious guide still in the team, they inevitably had more to worry about. "Captain, Vice Captain Shang, what do we do?"
As Ers lowered his head, his fingertips unconsciously brushed the sweat-dampened hair from the guide's forehead. His Adam's apple bobbed. Much as he hated to part with her, it was too dangerous here, and she needed somewhere safe to hide for the time being.
When he looked up again, the emotions in his eyes had frozen over. He was once more the decisive captain his teammates knew. "Shang Yu, take the guide somewhere safe and stay there for now. Don't let anything get near her."
Shang Yu looked at Ers in disapproval. He was more concerned about Ers's condition. No matter how capable this guide was, she couldn't cure a sentinel in the Berserk State at the root with a single soothing session. Ers, who had only just escaped death, was clearly in no state to keep fighting. "Ers, you just woke up after being on the verge of entering the Berserk State. If you enter the Berserk State again, no guide can save you, no matter how capable she is."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Among the sentinels present, Vice Captain Shang Yu was the highest-ranked aside from Ers himself. Only by entrusting the guide to him could Ers feel reassured.
Besides... thanks to this guide, his mental state was better than ever. That was indeed extraordinary, so it was only natural for Shang Yu to be worried.
Seeing that he couldn't change Ers's mind, Shang Yu finally reached out to take the guide, then turned and headed east toward a safer area.
Aside from towering ancient trees, there were only a few naturally formed caves in the area. The border forest was home not only to corrupted creatures, but also to plenty of ferocious beasts and highly venomous animals, so Shang Yu naturally didn't dare leave the guide in a cave.
After carefully searching the area, Shang Yu finally found a bird's nest about three meters across on one of the slanting branches of a towering ancient tree. A few faded silver-gray feathers remained along its edge, but no scent lingered inside. It was likely a nest abandoned by some kind of giant bird.
There was nowhere safer nearby. Without further hesitation, Shang Yu wrapped them both in his spiritual power and, the next second, leaped into the nest with the girl in his arms.
"Mm..." Yuqing seemed to be somewhat distressed by the sensation of weightlessness and whimpered in discomfort. Then she unconsciously rolled over in Shang Yu's arms, rubbing her fluffy head against his chest again and again. Only after finding a comfortable position did she fall sound asleep once more.
As the girl shifted about unconsciously, the long-missed fragrance of jasmine wafted from her collar. Just as before, the scent almost instantly soothed the sentinel's irritability, which accompanied the pressure on his spiritual power...
The immense spiritual power sentinels possessed could destroy a building in an instant, but the drawbacks of such formidable combat power were even more apparent. Their minds were under constant pressure, and their Mindscapes were eroded year after year...
Unable to help himself, Shang Yu took a deep breath of the faint fragrance still lingering in the air. For a brief moment, his mind became extraordinarily clear, and he felt as at ease as he had as a child. He lowered his gaze to the girl in his arms, the corners of his narrow, foxlike eyes turning faintly red. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and wiped the unfamiliar paint from her face.
"Poor Miss Guide... how did you end up in such a sorry state?"
Resources were in desperately short supply in the zombie apocalypse, and clean water was even more precious.
Unlike military camouflage paint, which was difficult to wash off, the paint invented by survivor bases in the apocalypse to prevent zombies from spotting them was extremely easy to remove. Almost any piece of cloth could wipe most of it away, and it took only a bottle capful of water to wash it off completely.
So Shang Yu gently rubbed Yuqing's face with his fingertips and removed the paint, revealing the girl's fair cheek.
Shang Yu had never seen this special paint from the apocalypse. In the end, he took the black-and-green substance, which resembled mud and grit, for dirt the girl had accidentally picked up while lost in the forest, and carefully cleaned it off for her...
A beautiful, gentle face, nearly perfect, was finally revealed...
Even Shang Yu, this "fox spirit," was so struck by her beauty that his heart skipped a beat.
"Ha..." Shang Yu chuckled softly and put a large hand to his head. For a moment, he didn't know whether to be grateful for his good fortune in finding such a powerful and beautiful guide, or angry that this guide's sentinel husband and guards had been so careless as to lose such a treasure in such a dangerous place, putting her in harm's way.
"Miss Guide, I'm afraid... I can't keep my promise to send you back to the Empire. But I assure you, the Federation will provide you with better conditions and more outstanding sentinels." Such as himself...
The domineering nature and possessiveness ingrained in sentinels quietly took hold of Shang Yu's heart. Unfortunately, the time he had alone with the guide was soon interrupted by an uninvited guest.
"Well, what kind of outstanding sentinel does your Federation plan to offer our Empire's guide? Bring him out so our Empire's sentinels can have a look." A mocking voice tinged with disdain came from above and to the right. Shang Yu abruptly came to his senses. At the same time, a fiery-red fox appeared at his feet, its back arched and fur bristling as it watched the bat hanging upside down from a branch above and to the right.
That Ghost Bat was an "old acquaintance" too: the Spirit Entity of Rosent Campbell, a northern noble and one of the northern lord's trusted aides, as well as the head of a field team renowned for tracking and searching.
Ghost Bats were covered in sparse grayish-brown fur that appeared translucent in the light, rendering them almost invisible when flying at night. They located things by emitting high-frequency ultrasound, making them extremely stealthy and nearly impossible to guard against.
Earlier, Shang Yu had been held up by it and missed the best chance to rescue Ers, causing Ers to enter the Level Eight Berserk State and nearly lose his life.
"Heh." Shang Yu sneered. He hadn't even gone looking for Rosent to settle the score, yet here Rosent was, coming to him. "Rosent, sometimes you're stupid enough to be cute. You should know that foxes are omnivores, and they occasionally eat a few bats for a change of taste."
The fox Spirit Entity beside Shang Yu was already itching to make a move. Bats were good at tracking and sneak attacks, but they were indeed lacking in combat strength. Reconnaissance sentinels arrived ahead of the others and were often some distance from the main force. As long as Shang Yu dealt with Rosent before he could call for backup, this place would still be safe.
"What big talk!" Rosent was so angry at Shang Yu's confidence that he laughed. Shang Yu still dared to act so arrogant on someone else's turf. Rosent glanced at the girl in Shang Yu's arms, and her beautiful profile made him pause. Unfortunately, before he could see her face from the front, that detestable fox pulled the guide closer, shielding her.
"Damn fox, put the guide down! Let's go down there and fight!"