White Swan

Seemingly sensing her thoughts, the darkness began to flow like water, spreading steadily from outside the window into the room, like ink bleeding across an unfurling scroll.

Luo Ruzhuo watched as the pale red halo surrounding the ship flickered twice, then seemed to fail completely. With nothing to stop it, the paint-like blackness spread rapidly across the room, almost reaching her feet.

It was fast, but Luo Ruzhuo was faster.

The moment she noticed it, she pressed the call button on her light brain.

Then she rushed out without even grabbing a coat, still dressed in the tank top and long pants she had worn for training.

The instant she opened the door, she came face-to-face with the young man she had parted from not long ago.

Liu Sui had just sensed that something was wrong and had immediately come looking for Luo Ruzhuo. As the door opened, he saw the girl's smooth, fair shoulders and the beads of sweat on her forehead. She seemed to have just finished exercising.

As she moved, the sweat ran down her neck and shoulders and disappeared beneath her tank top at her collarbone, tracing the smooth lines of her muscles.

Unlike most of the slender guides Liu Sui had seen, the person before him seemed to have a little more strength about her.

The crisp fragrance in the air grew stronger as they drew closer, and the swan in his Mental Domain stirred restlessly. Liu Sui suppressed his many thoughts and focused on the emergency at hand.

Neither of them needed to say it. Something had gone wrong!

Luo Ruzhuo was at a loss over how everything she mentioned seemed to come true. For now, she could only follow closely behind Liu Sui to the central control room he had just shown her.

The Firmament Squad lived up to its name. The instant they realized something was wrong, not a single scream or sign of panic arose throughout the fleet. After a brief flurry of hurried footsteps, the sentinels assembled quickly and orderly in the central control room, immediately setting about restoring the ship's contamination protection.

The contamination zone's size and exact grade were unknown—and they were escorting a guide and a captain who was out of control. They had to restore the protective equipment first, ensuring the contamination outside could spread no further, before clearing it away.

"Vice captain!"

Xiao Xue ran over, speaking rapidly. "An A-grade contamination zone formed suddenly. The source of the contamination is unknown for now. Our preliminary assessment is that an unknown virus breached the communications room's protective network program, causing the protective equipment to fail. Should we send someone to restore it immediately?"

Liu Sui nodded. "Of course! Take Flight Squad 1 with you."

He added, "Put on your contamination protection suits and stay safe."

Luo Ruzhuo was the only guide aboard the entire starship at the moment. They hadn't brought much purification agent, and if these sentinels' readings soared amid the contamination, she couldn't possibly purify them all on her own. If anyone underwent complete distortion-

That would be a bigger problem than the contamination zone.

As he spoke, the black sludge that had spread into the central control room gradually solidified, forming monster after monster that couldn't be identified.

They were roughly humanoid—but some had no heads, some were missing arms or legs, and some looked like multiple human bodies twisted and tangled together. They clustered densely over a small area, a truly sanity-dropping sight at first glance.

Luo Ruzhuo had never seen contaminants before, and this was her first time entering a contamination zone. After watching them for a while, she couldn't help feeling a little surprised.

She had to admit, they were much like zombies.

While she watched, the sentinels around her had already begun fighting them one by one.

Bird Mental Entities of every kind took to the air, the beating of wings mingling with clear, ringing cries. Their sharp talons and beaks glinted coldly. The sentinels formed a ring with practiced coordination, protecting Luo Ruzhuo at the very center without leaving a single gap.

Liu Sui's white swan stood out in the crowd.

With its smooth feathers and graceful form, it looked like it had nothing to do with the word "vicious." Yet with one sweep of its wings, it smashed the black shapes formed from contamination into mist. One peck of its long beak scattered another group of shadows. It fought with unbelievable ferocity.

Luo Ruzhuo recalled certain scenes from her previous life and couldn't help remarking to herself that a big goose's fighting power really was astonishing.

Amid the fighting, she keenly noticed that some of the scattered black mist hadn't vanished completely. Instead, it had quietly stained the swan's wings. The white feathers at their tips were darkening bit by bit.

So that was how a sentinel's contamination level rose.

Surrounded at the center by the coordinated sentinels, Luo Ruzhuo was protected from every direction. Standing there, she found herself with nothing to do for the moment.

Luo Ruzhuo, who had spent years battling among hordes of zombies, had never received such treatment before. She smacked her lips, finding the experience rather novel.

Those contaminants looked no different from the ones in a sentinel's Mental Domain. Luo Ruzhuo was itching to try her hand and see whether her mental attacks had improved at all since the sea angel had been nurtured.

Taking advantage of the chaotic fight, she quietly sent out several transparent Mental Blades. The movement was so slight that it was like a gentle breeze passing by.

Thanks to the years she had spent imitating wind-type ability users at the base, that faint movement of air blended seamlessly into the battle. Almost no one noticed. Only the black shapes she had targeted instantly fell apart and vanished, as though struck by a natural predator.

As it happened, the attack passed right by Liu Sui. He felt only a breeze brush past, and several of the contaminants he was fighting disappeared.

Normally, with his powers of observation, he might well have noticed something amiss.

But the situation was urgent, and the guide was standing behind him. Liu Sui could practically imagine the helpless, panicked look on her face. He attacked the contaminants even more fiercely, leaving him no time to investigate the anomaly.

Luo Ruzhuo took advantage of the chaos to sneak attacks on the contaminants, finding a special sort of enjoyment in it.

Whether her actions were too obvious, or the contaminants had finally sensed the presence they feared most-

In an instant, the contaminants all the sentinels were struggling against vanished at once.

They converged into a pitch-black torrent and surged straight toward Luo Ruzhuo with a clear target and astonishing speed.

Liu Sui was shocked. He hurriedly turned and rushed toward Luo Ruzhuo.

The frightened expression he had expected to see on the guide's face was nowhere to be found. The girl looked perfectly normal, and there was even a trace of interest in her cool, dark eyes. Seeing the contaminants attack, she stood calmly in place, like a beast poised to strike, watching from the shadows as the ants dared to encroach upon it.

She didn't seem afraid at all. Instead... was she excited?

Liu Sui could hardly believe his eyes. He shook his head and promptly cast the absurd notion aside.

He looked again, and sure enough, it had been an illusion. Tears filled the girl's eyes, and she looked frantic as she shouted to them, "Help! Someone, help me!"

Before she had finished speaking, a black shadow swept the girl up and carried her away.

The sentinels all went pale with shock!