Confession

Back when Firmament Squad was only beginning to make a name for itself, Xianzhu had used his personal funds to buy Planet b-475 as a base for the squad. After discovering a new material, he had spent a fortune building an iron cage on the planet.

As the logistics department's deputy leader, Liu Sui had initially been puzzled, until Xianzhu went in and out of contaminated zones time and again without accepting purification from any guide upon his return.

He had a vague idea of what was going on.

After a long period of thought, Lin Sheng finally decided to tell Luo Ruzhuo the truth and leave the choice to her.

This was also what little remained of his conscience acting up.

"When I advised you not to accept Firmament Squad's commission before... it wasn't just because there was a mole. What I'm about to tell you is the main reason."

His expression was grave. "Captain Xianzhu... he's very likely a dark sentinel."

The last of Luo Ruzhuo's doubts finally cleared.

She had thought as much. The Feier Family wouldn't let her off so easily.

Two S-rank guides couldn't resolve the matter, yet they had commissioned a C-rank guide like her and joined forces with the Black Tower to actively encourage her to accept. Wasn't that strange?

If he was a dark sentinel... then it wasn't strange.

While Luo Ruzhuo had been browsing the Star Network, she had found that dark sentinels were the most controversial group among sentinels.

An ordinary sentinel's Mental Domain could be affected by the negative emotions brought on by contamination, making them dependent on guides for purification and counseling. Dark sentinels were different. They possessed extreme self-control and could completely control their own Mental Domains, hardly ever falling under the sway of negative emotions brought on by contamination.

For that very reason, guides were optional to dark sentinels.

Worse, a guide had to pass through a sentinel's mental barrier to perform purification, which was like stripping away a dark sentinel's protective armor. Not only would a guide's purification have no effect on a dark sentinel—it would cause a backlash instead.

In mild cases, the guide's rank would drop. In severe cases, their Mental Domain would be completely destroyed, leaving them crippled.

Many sentinels on the Star Network believed this was a sentinel's true, complete form. They revered dark sentinels, practically hailing them as the light of sentinel evolution.

On the other side, guides were unanimous in their opposition to dark sentinels.

Luo Ruzhuo remembered coming across this and searching out of curiosity to see what dark guides were like. Her thinking had been simple: If there are dark sentinels, surely there are dark guides too, right? If sentinels support dark sentinels, can't guides just support dark guides? Is there any need to argue so fiercely?

But after searching the entire Star Network, the conclusion she reached was-

Dark guides didn't exist.

Beneath the packaging of guides as pure, beautiful, and kind, they seemed to exist solely as precious beings who purified sentinels' contamination and healed their bodies and minds.

"To date, there has never been a case of a dark sentinel successfully receiving purification from a guide. To be honest... Firmament Squad is just making a last-ditch effort now. You don't need to worry about the contract. I'll take care of it."

Lin Sheng's tone was sincere, and his gaze was resolute as he looked at her.

"If you want to withdraw, we can send you back right now."

Luo Ruzhuo understood what he was implying.

Neither the Black Tower nor Firmament Squad believed she could successfully purify him. She was merely a living target Phil White had pushed forward.

Using a C-rank guide who had awakened as a death-row prisoner to gamble on the chance of restoring a dark sentinel who was a spiritual leader among sentinels was a worthwhile deal.

Even if there was a ninety percent chance that Luo Ruzhuo would suffer a backlash.

But what of it? They could both do the Feier Family a favor and give Firmament Squad hope.

The Black Tower stood to gain either way.

That was probably what Fang Yingbai was thinking.

Lin Sheng's advice just now was the only thing said with Luo Ruzhuo's interests in mind.

But.

As the old saying went.

Since she was already here.

Whatever anyone else thought, this fake Luo Ruzhuo was determined to complete this tribulation.

"Thank you for the warning." Luo Ruzhuo nodded. "But I haven't changed my mind."

Lin Sheng opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but ultimately fell silent.

On the evening of the third day, the starship was about to reach Firmament Squad's base, Planet b-475.

Luo Ruzhuo had just finished packing in her room when she heard a communication alert from her light-brain.

She opened it and saw that it was from Liu Qing, whom she had added a few days earlier.

Liu Qing: There's something I want to tell you. It won't take long. Could you come to the observation room at the very top?

In consideration of the free sparring practice he had given her a few days ago, Luo Ruzhuo arrived at the meeting place as agreed. By the time she got there, Liu Qing was already standing beneath the dome. The observation room on the starship's topmost level was a transparent, semicircular dome. From there, one could look up at the entire starry sky.

Glittering stars spread overhead without obstruction, like a velvet carpet covered in diamond fragments.

The starship was traveling fast, and the outline of Planet b-475 was already faintly visible, a lush sea of green.

Liu Qing was dressed formally today, in a black sentinel uniform bearing several medals of a design Luo Ruzhuo had never seen before.

He turned around, his long black hair almost blending into the starry sky above the dome.

"I'm leaving," he said without preamble. "I'm carrying out a confidential mission. It might be a long time before we see each other again."

Luo Ruzhuo nodded, unsurprised. Liu Qing wasn't part of Firmament Squad. He was aboard the starship only because of a temporary agreement between the Sentinel Association and Firmament Squad, apparently using the squad's route to conceal his own whereabouts.

She offered what she considered the best possible blessing. "Good luck."

"Mm." He paused, seemingly gathering his words.

"Getting to see you this time was an unexpected surprise for me."

Luo Ruzhuo blinked.

"The missions I carry out... well, I won't be able to come back often, and there's no fixed schedule." He spoke much faster than usual, apparently afraid he would be interrupted halfway through. "My sentinel rank is SS, I have no bad credit history, and my income is stable. The bonuses and allowances are generous too."

What exactly is he trying to say? Luo Ruzhuo was beginning to feel puzzled.

Before she could figure it out, another series of alerts sounded from her light-brain. Luo Ruzhuo glanced at it from the corner of her eye and saw that the man before her had sent her a record of an eight-figure transfer.

Luo Ruzhuo: ???

"I know there's a limit to how many permanent sentinel partners you can have, and I understand my own situation... I'm not qualified to be a permanent sentinel partner for now."

His expression dimmed a little, then brightened again the next second.

"But could you consider putting me on your list of temporary sentinels?"

As soon as Liu Qing finished speaking, a meteor streaked across the sky above the dome, briefly illuminating his face. His dark eyes gazed straight at her, a trace of entreaty in them.

In the starlight, his neck and the tips of his ears glowed an intensely vivid red.

Huh?

What?

Luo Ruzhuo couldn't react for a moment. Before her brain could make sense of what was happening, footsteps sounded behind her.

The footsteps were familiar too.

Liu Sui emerged from the shadows and walked straight toward them from the observation room entrance. The lights of the bridge cast a long shadow behind him.

He had changed out of his usual uniform and was wearing a simple white shirt instead. The top two buttons were undone, revealing a stretch of smooth, defined skin.

His long silver-white hair was loosely tied behind his head, with a few strands hanging down, reflecting the inscrutable expression on his face.

"Brother," Liu Sui called. His gaze shifted from Liu Qing to Luo Ruzhuo's face, then back again. "You're leaving without saying a word to me?"

Liu Qing tilted his head slightly, a flicker of hesitation passing through his eyes before it was quickly replaced by resolve. "We'll talk later. I have a private matter to discuss with Guide Luo."

Liu Sui walked over, each step firm. He stopped just behind and to Luo Ruzhuo's side, directly facing Liu Qing. The three of them formed a triangle, with one brother in front of her and the other behind.

"What a coincidence," he said. "I have a private matter to discuss with Guide Luo too."

The starship began entering Planet b-475's gravitational range, and the trails of stars outside the dome began to slow. The greenery grew more vivid.

Luo Ruzhuo was caught between the two men, with Liu Sui's faint, subtle fragrance behind her and Liu Qing's crisp, cedar scent in front. The two scents overlapped, trapping her firmly between them.

This time, Liu Qing didn't back down because of Liu Sui's arrival. "Little brother, I won't yield to you."

"Brother, I was here first." Liu Sui's voice was clear and cold. "Since you're leaving, don't add to Guide Luo's burdens for no reason."

"It's not a burden." Liu Qing shook his head, his eyes on Luo Ruzhuo as he spoke. "As a temporary sentinel, I wouldn't need you to purify me, and I wouldn't ask you to give me anything. All I want is for you to let me stay by your side."

Then he added, "I'm very good at fighting."

"I have something to say too." Before Luo Ruzhuo could react, Liu Sui stepped forward and looked down at her, his cool eyes seemingly burning with fire. "If he's trying to become one of your temporary sentinels, then I have to let you know that I want the same thing."

Why are you joining in too...? Luo Ruzhuo turned her head to look at the two of them, as though they were aliens.

Liu Sui didn't look away from her.

"I can do anything my brother can," Liu Sui said. "And I'll always be here when he isn't."

Liu Qing looked away from Luo Ruzhuo and glanced at his younger brother.

Their gazes met in midair, and Luo Ruzhuo could almost see fierce sparks flying.

But the sparks lasted only an instant before they spread to her.

"Luo Ruzhuo." The brothers spoke almost simultaneously.

She could feel both their gazes fixed on her, their similar faces making them almost impossible to tell apart. Luo Ruzhuo turned slightly, intending to move half a step to the side and retreat from this bizarre situation. But Liu Sui placed his hand unobtrusively on the railing behind her, while Liu Qing also took a small step forward.

Just like that, the two of them completely blocked her from moving to either side.

Luo Ruzhuo had no choice but to lower her head and avoid their scorching gazes. The shadows of the three of them fell on the floor beneath their feet, their boundaries blurred, impossible to tell apart.

No matter how slow she was, she had finally realized what was going on.